Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer - SC2

My quest for the perfect concealer has taken me to Secret Camouflage by Laura Mercier. Anyone that reads my blog will know that I live in the back of beyond, so I rely heavily on online reviews and swatches to make my purchases as the nearest department store that sells high-end products is over 50 miles away! After much deliberation I decided to purchase Secret Camouflage in shade SC2...I couldn't have got it any more right!

I didn't purchase this concealer with the intention of using on my dark circles, I bought it solely for imperfections on my face. Secret Camouflage's unique two shade system was designed to match all skin tones, one to match the skins depth of colour and the other to match the skins undertone. I wear MAC's Studio Fix Fluid in shade NC15 and I find the perfect mixture of Secret Camouflage is two parts of the lighter side and one part the more peach one. 

The texture is quite hard and waxy, I scrape a little of each and mix on the back of my hand, allowing the concealer to soften as it warms. This concealer is very highly pigmented so you only need very little to cover any imperfections. Even in this hot weather the concealer has lasted a good 8 hours without the need to reapply. Be more cautious if you have dry skin, the concealer can cling a little to dry patches, a good moisturising will be needed before use.

All-in-all I really can't find any fault with Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage, the pans are of a very generous size which means it will last for ages and I really like the practical packaging with the mirror on the inside. Being able to customise your shade is a huge benefit at this time of the year when we're all tanning and changing up our bases. Huge thumbs up from me!

Jodie

xoxo

YSL Touche Éclat Complexion Highlighter Review and Swatches

On Friday I bought my first ever Touche Éclat! I know this highlighter has achieved a cult status in the the beauty world for delivering beautiful, complexion enhancing results. After much deliberation I, because there are quite a few shades, I decided to purchase shade 2.

This shade will be more on the highlighting side when I am a bit more tanned, at the moment this shade nearly matches my complexion so I'm not reaping the highlighting benefits however it does serve as a great concealer. I have noticed that my dark circles are less noticeable thanks to its light reflecting formula and it's hydrating so it doesn't dry delicate skin around the eye or sit in creases.

I can see why this highlighter has achieved it's well earned title in the beauty world and why millions of women have fallen in love with it.  I love the pen style packaging, don't be over hasty with clicking the pen or you can find it will dispense way too much product at once.  Overall a fabulous highlighter/concealer and at no more in price than my regular concealer I'm wondering why it's taken me so long to purchase one!

Jodie

xoxo

Day 1 of my #100HappyDays

Now I'm in no way materialistic (ok, maybe a touch when it comes to beauty products!) but it's the little things in life that make me happy, like sleepily coming round with a cuppa in the morning and hearing the postie dropping some lovely things through my letter box.

Day 1 of my #100HappyDays began with the postie delivering my new YSL Touché Éclat Highlighter...of which I could greatly use at the moment (I'm blessed with hereditary dark-circles). I will post up some swatches in a separate post, but we all know this cult-classic is a make-up bag must-have!

Have a great, happy day!

Jodie

xoxo

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

Another MAC plunge I've taken this week is the Pro Longwear concealer (NC15). At the moment I am currently using Studio Fix Fluid foundation (NC15) and the Studio concealer (NC15). Whilst the foundation is almost perfect the Studio concealer, in my opinion, is rubbish! The colour is nearly a perfect match but it is a cream concealer and I find it sits in the creases of my eyes and is a bit of work to blend. So, I thought I would give the Pro Longwear concealer a go after reading so many glowing reviews.

Now, if you read my blog you would know that I live around 50 miles aways from the nearest MAC counter, I rely solely on other blogs and google images to match my colours up. I did have a chat with a MAC artist online for the colour match on this concealer and I will say it is a pretty good match.

(L) Studio NC15 (R) Pro Longwear NC15

As you can see the Studio concealer on the left appears to be more warm toned than the Pro Longwear, ironic really as all NC shades are supposed to be cool toned, but when it comes to concealers under my eyes I like something with a bit more warmth.

I really wish I could say that I love the Pro Longwear concealer, maybe we just need a bit more bonding time together. The concealer comes in a glass bottle so be weary of it rattling around in your make-up bag, it also comes with a pump which dispenses way too much of the product each time you use it, very wasteful and hard to control. The formula is fluid, which is not unpleasant but I do find I need to layer it up a little. As for the claims that it lasts for up to 15 hours...not for me it doesn't! It makes my eyes look a bit dry and crepey, I look more tired with the concealer on! 

For now I can't say I'm a fan, but maybe we will learn to love each other...

Jodie

xoxo