Revlon ColorStay 2-in-1 Compact Makeup Concealer

As a quick fix go to on the school run I like to use Revlon ColorStay 2in1 Compact Makeup Concealer which is a bit of a revelation for me. I do tend to prefer using liquid foundations but this cream foundation works well, covers great and stays put.

Revlon say 

Expertly matched makeup & concealer that lasts all day. The ideal on the go product not only features your perfect shade duo but also includes a mirror for touch-ups and a teardrop applicator for a flawless finish.

Revlon Colorstay Compact Makeup & Concealer:
• 4 expertly matched shades of foundation and concealer
• Concealer one shade lighter than foundation
• Flawless, velvet – matte finish
• Lightweight, buildable coverage
• Sweat and smudge resistant

Swatches of the concealer and foundation in shade Ivory which is perfect for me. 

My thoughts 

Soft, creamy and silky in texture this is a really light cream foundation and concealer that melts into the skin and gives coverage without you feeling that you are wearing anything at all. It covers mild redness and blemishes (I have normal/combination skin) and the lighter concealer shade is good for around the eye area. It is a buildable foundation but I personally find I need one swipe of the superb enclosed sponge is enough to give a coverage that I like. The finish is velvet but with a brightening effect. What I also think is impressive is that both the makeup and concealer appear to be running down at the same time  - you may be able to just see this from the swatches picture above.

A foundation, concealer, mirror and sponge in one super handy compact. Marvellous!

The picture below was taken when my skin was in a bit of turmoil both from coming out of pregnancy and the first few hormonal months after birth and I think it looks great. My skin has settled down now and I still think highly of this foundation.

A great every day foundation and portable quick fix (if you need it!)

Wearing Revlon ColorStay 2in1 Compact Makeup Concealer in Ivory

*PR Sample

MakeUp On The (School) Run.. In Just Five Minutes

I am most definitely a never leave the house without foundation kind of a woman, I have very slight rosacea and it is important to me to achieve a flawless as possible look. Since recently having had a baby I am time precious. Each morning I need to get me, the baby and my 8 year old son to school on time... something has to give and I am just not ready to let go of the makeup completely...

Step forward ReCover Correct and Conceal Red, I use this fantastic concealer with just two other great products for a simple and super fast look. In less than 5 minutes I am ready to face the day.

Shade Light 

ReCover say 

Instantly correct and conceal facial redness. We’ve used specially selected yellow-toned pigments in our feather-light formulation for a seamless, ‘no makeup’ finish. Our soothing gold-plated applicator tip delivers a super fine layer of product, neutralising redness and disguising imperfections. Experience the next generation of concealer, exclusively developed by our expert makeup artist and founder, Annabel Jardella.

My thoughts 

I never thought I would see the day when I would just use a touch of concealer instead of foundation but that day has come and I am happy to step away from the foundation for the purposes of this challenge...

Well I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. I apply ReCover on the red bits of my face (on my inner cheeks and the odd blemish evening everything out so brilliantly I have the perfect canvas for the makeup. The product works exactly like it promises. It is really fine and barely visible when blended. I like the cool touch applicator and you really only need a teeny, tiny amount for great coverage and concealment. A lovely natural face.

I pair the concealer with Max Factor Colour Intensifying Balm in Classy Cherry, this is a nice sheer and buildable lip product but can be applied without using a mirror. It can also be applied to the cheeks for a sheer pop of colour if needed. A real go to for me. For impactful, rich dark lashes I opt for Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara. 

There you go, a quick made up look in less than five minutes using just three products. 

ReCover Correct & Conceal Red costs £28 for 15ml and comes in six shades. I was sent shade Light.

*PR Sample

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer Review

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Flawless Wear Concealer SPF10 is one of my favourite concealers as it has multiple uses. It works a treat at concealing blemishes and scars. It can also be used around the eye area on dark circles and on the eyes as a base for evening out skintone before applying eyeshadow.

I use shade Light/Medium which is perfect for me although the concealer range comes in an impressive eight shades so you should be able to find a suitable shade.

Estee Lauder say 


Looks flawless. Lasts 15-hours. Feels comfortable, never dry. Stays seamless, without creasing.

Its lightweight creme formula creates the perfected look of flawless skin all day. Transfer-resistant, colour-true, with medium buildable coverage that won't slip, slide or melt away. Luminous finish.

Infused with minerals and emollients to condition skin and make blending easy. Oil-free. Water, perspiration and humidity-resistant.

To start, choose a concealer shade that matches your foundation or is one shade lighter.

For best results, we recommend applying concealer after applying your foundation.

Use Double Wear Concealer with Concealer Brush 5. Swipe concealer to back of hand, then with brush smooth on over desired area. Blend well.

Targeted concealing techniques: For darkness around eyes, go with a slightly lighter shade than your foundation. For puffiness, slightly darker. For uneven skintone, wear the same exact shade as your foundation.

Swatch of Double Wear Concealer in shade Light/Medium 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer blended 

My thoughts 

This concealer is not cheap but it lives up to its claims and therefore I would repurchase again and again. I love that it completely conceals blemishes for a flawless base and it really lasts. Some concealers don't blend well or have a dulling effect on the skin, Double Wear doesn't do this and is barely traceable.

Fabulous product.

Top tip - If you find the product too thick for your eye area why not mix it with some of your eye cream/lotion for a brightening effect that is super lightweight and long lasting.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Flawless Wear Concealer SPF10 costs £21.50 

Benefit How To Look The Best At Everything - Light

I have mentioned a few times that I am a fan of the Benefit Kits, they make great gifts and also they provide an excellent introduction to products within the brand. What I love is that the kits are really well thought out with the items included in them, meaning that you are likely to use everything included in them and the packaging is fun to boot.

Benefit have the How To Look The Best At Everything kits - (Flawless Complexion MakeUp Kit) in 3 shades - Light, Medium and Dark.

Packaged like a book, you flip it open where you will find the mini size products, a mirror and a handy step by step guide on how to use the products.

Inside -

Kit includes:

• The POREfessional PRO balm to minimise the appearance of pores 7.5ml
• Hello flawless oxygen wow “cheers to me” champagne brightening makeup 7ml
• Boi-ing 01 & 02 industrial-strength concealer ( mix to achieve your perfect shade) 2 x1.5g 
• “hello flawless!” “me vain?” champagne custom powder cover-up 4g

I have already reviewed three of the items that are contained in the kit, the reviews of which you can read by clicking on the links below.

Porefessional 
Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup
Boi-ing Industrial Strength Concealer 

The product that was new to me was the Hello Flawless "Me,vain?" Powder in Champagne (custom powder cover up with SPF15) which I am glad that I have now discovered. As a finishing powder this is pretty fabulous, so light to be almost undetectable and yet it provides a subtle matte finish that keeps shine/oil at bay. I like it a lot.

Used together the kit does provide a perfectly flawless appearance, I do rate the foundation very highly. I love the minis, they are perfect for weekend's away, I do like the book style packaging but to be honest I would probably have ditched it except for the fact that the powder cannot be removed to be stored separately.

Swatches of Benefit's How To Look Best At Everything - Light

From left to right: Porefessional Primer, Hello Flawless "cheers to me" Champagne Foundation, Boi-ing Concealer shades 01 and 02, "Me Vain" Champagne Hello Flawless Powder.

Benefit How To Look Best At Everything Kit costs £24.50

*PR Sample

PIXI Beauty Succulent Lip Twin and Illuminating Tint and Conceal - Review

I have seen the Pixi brand stand whilst out shopping for makeup, curious but not quite enough to actually pick anything up, I revisited the brand recently when I was looking at high street products for paraben free makeup for my mum who is allergic to parabens. Not all products from Pixi are paraben free but the Lip Twin is.

The philosophy behind the brand, taken from the Pixi website - 'Pixi is about multitasking, flaw-fixing, youth-enhancing products for women on-the-go with no time to spare.'

I was sent two products from Pixi for review - the Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Coral Camellia and Pixi Illuminating Tint and Conceal in Bare Glow 

Illuminating Tint and Conceal with SPF20

When the weather is warm and sunny I do prefer to use a lighter foundation or tint during the day, it is hard to remember the last time we had a truly hot and sunny day but I was using this then and as shades go this was pretty much spot on for my skin if giving a very subtle warmth  (it is the second from lightest). It felt moisturising and had the high SPF of 20 for protection.The product is sheer so this is probably one of the lightest tints I have used on my skin, if you prefer more coverage this will not be for you. It made my skin ooze radiance and glow ( it has very slight shimmer particles) and evened out skin tone. I did have to use the concealer for my redness, the concealer is a good coverage concealer that blended nicely into my skin. A good multi-tasking product.

Succulent Lip Twin in Coral Camellia 

Coral sums up Summer for me and is really flattering on pretty much all skin tones. The Lip Twin is a duo of liquid lip balm (in the tube) and in the cap a solid lip and cheek crème.  The lip and cheek crème gives a pretty flush of colour but it is quite sheer so needs to be layered, on the lips I like to pop the balm on top to give a stronger and glossier colour. This has a pleasant sweet smell. My only disappointment is that I can see that I will be finishing the crème before the balm.

Pixi Illuminating Tint and Conceal is available in 4 shades and costs £21.50.

Pixi Succulent Lip Twin is available in 5 shades and costs £12.

Boxing Day Make Up - Face Of The Day

My Boxing Day make-up

Primer - Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
Eye Primer - Urban Decay EyeShadow Primer Potion Eden
Foundation - Airbase High Definition Airbrush Make-up Shade Medium 03
Concealer - Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light
Bronzer - Accessorize Baked Bronzer Duo - Bali Shade 2
Blusher - Accessorize Merged Baked Blusher 6 - Scandal
Eye Shadow - 17 Trio Eye Shadows in Enraged
Eye Liner - Clinique Quickliner for Eyes in Intense Plum (Ltd Edition)
Mascara - Flawless You Forever Luscious Mascara in Black
Lip gloss - Laura Mercier Nude Lip Glace in Champagne

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - A Beauty Essential!

I am so excited to share this little gem of a product from Collection 2000. I know a concealer is probably not on your list of the most exciting of products but when it performs as well as this does, it really is something to shout about.

I picked up Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer in Light on Saturday in Boots and have been using it every day since. Three little tiny dabs and my under eye shadows are completely banished. I use my finger to blend it in, it looks natural and provides a flawless finish. 

This concealer comes with a good soft sponge applicator wand, it has the perfect liquid consistency to work with - not too thick or too runny.

Lasting Perfection Concealer claims to last up to 16 hours, I haven't tested this out but it certainly lasts the few hours that I have needed it to. I love the fact that it doesn't cake into the lines under my eyes and hides the dark circles perfectly to match the rest of my foundation. For the price this is a complete steal!

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer claims -

Ultimate wear concealer conceals flaws, imperfections and blemishes for up to 16 hours

Oil free
Transfer proof and water resistant for full and long lasting coverage

In two words - buy it.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer is available in 4 shades - Fair, Light, Medium and Deep and costs just £4.19!

Benefit Finding Mr. Bright - Review and Swatches

I am not a huge fan of makeup kits and palettes in general as I always find there are products that I don't or won't use in them. However, I think it is something that Benefit does really well. Benefit create fab little kits that make excellent gifts or tasters into their range of products.

Finding Mr. Bright is one such kit, this packaging is so bright you cannot fail to notice it on the shelves and will have no problem finding it amongst your makeup. That said the outer packaging is my least favourite thing about the product!

Finding Mr. Bright is billed as a brightening makeup manual and it contains 4 mini size Benefit products and a manual on how to use each of the products.

The four products inside are

Girl Meets Pearl - 7.5ml
Posietint - 4ml
High Beam - 2.5ml
Erase Paste 3.2g  (no2 Medium)

Inside the box

I love this kit as it contains everything I need to brighten my skin up, I would use and am using everything that is in it. As the products are minis I also find them handy to take away with me when I have the odd weekend away..


Girl Meets Pearl - This is a lovely golden pink liquid that can be blended with your foundation or used on top of make up to make you glow.

Posietint - I have tried all three tints from the Benefit range and this has to be my favourite. The bottle comes with a little brush and you just brush on three strokes and blend for a long lasting soft pink cheek tint. It can be used on the lips as well. I am wearing it here.

High Beam - This is one of Benefit's iconic highlighting products. It is excellent, a little goes a long way. This provides an instant pick me up to brighten the face. I love to use it on my cheek bones and brow bones. Once again this comes with a little brush. I used it daily on my recent weekend away to the Cotswolds and fell in love with it.

Erase Paste - This product was a slow grower on me as there is a trick to using it. You only need a tiny amount and it needs to be warmed between your fingers so that it softens to become blendable. The medium shade works really well for me and I use it to cover any dark circles I have and the odd imperfection.

Swatches of Finding Mr.Bright. From L-R Girl Meets Pearl, High Beam, Posietint and Erase Paste

I can highly recommend this brightening kit from Benefit. If you have never tried any of these products this is a great introduction to them.

What is your favourite Benefit kit?

Finding Mr.Bright costs £28.50


* PR sample

And The 10 Winners Are.....!

Congratulations to the 10 people listed below, you have won the new Witch Skincare Liquid Concealer in your shade of choice

Inside The WendyHouse
Eloise Allan
Lillese
Lora
Stacy Ward
Alison
Kiki725
Katherinesara
GuiliandBeauty
Deedee

Look out for an email from me shortly!

Thank you everyone for entering and keep reading for more giveaways in the future :-)

*Closed* Giveaway - New Witch Liquid Concealer - 10 to win!

*Giveaway Now Closed*

The lovely and generous people from Witch have offered me 10 of their new liquid concealers to give away to my lovely readers!!

Witch anti-blemish liquid concealer

This is a mattifying concealer available in 2 shades to fit most skin tones -  01 Light which can be used with light or medium tinted moisturiser and 02 Medium which can be used with medium and dark tinted moisturiser.

It will conceal dark circles, hide and treat blemishes and spots. It is lightweight, gentle enough to use on the under eye area, oil and fragrance free. Application is easy with a brush tip pen.

Available from July in Boots stores and online at Boots priced £6.99

This concealer is launching in July 2011 so you have the chance to be one of the first people to try it - To enter 

• This giveaway is only open to UK residents
• You must be a GFC follower of BeautySwot.com - you can follow by clicking follow on the right ( I will be checking)
• Leave me a comment stating your email address and which shade you would like 01 Light or 02 Medium
• Giveaway will end in one week on 4th July 2011 at Midnight (BST)  - So hurry and enter!
• Winners will be selected at random by random.org and details passed on to Witch Skincare who will contact you to arrange for your prize to be sent.

Good luck!

Benefit Concealer Special

Following on from this week's other review Clinique Airbrush Concealer I thought I would look at some of Benefit's offerings of concealer products. As you can see there are quite a few!

I was going to review Lemon Aid (not pictured), a colour correcting eyelid primer - £16.50  but unfortunately I was unable to do this as it made my eyes water too much.

From left to right

Boi-ing - Industrial Strength Concealer - £16.50


A concealer, available in 3 shades, I am using number 02 medium.

I love this product and it goes everywhere with me and has even made my beauty essentials list.

It is in an attractive container with a clear lid, blends easily and conceals really well. I use it to hide my blemishes but it claims to conceal under eye shadows and discolourations - Fab product.

You're Bluffing - Redness Concealing Wand - £17.50


I have developed a bit of redness around my cheek area so I was keen to try this product to disguise it. Again attractively packaged and in a very usable and appealing rollerball style wand.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed, it didn't really do much for me to hide the redness which I don't think is that excessive. However,  I have better luck concealing the redness just by applying Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation.

Perhaps tellingly, this product appears to be discontinued as it is no longer listed on the benefit website, it is still available however at a few other stockists.

Stay Don't Stray - Stay Put Primer For Concealers and EyeShadows - £19.50


This liquid product comes in a pump action tube.

I really like this product, it provides an excellent base for eyeshadow and  really does make your eyeshadow last for hours on end as if you have just applied it.  Your under eye concealer will not budge also. You only need a tiny amount to go a long way.

My one gripe is that it is messy coming out of the container, it is really hard to just pump out the little bit you need,  so what happens is that it ends up around the entrance of the pump and too much in your hand. I cannot be the only one that has complained about this as there is a video made by benefit on YouTube on how to use it!!

And finally -

Erase Paste - Brightening Camouflage For Eyes And Face - £18.50


Comes in a little pot, in a dry creamy consistency. Available in 3 shades.

This is meant to brighten and camouflage in one step.

This is a lovely product, and it definitely does leave the eye area brighter and ever so slightly shimmery. I found it a bit hard to blend even after warming my hands up (as instructed) but after quite a few goes I have finally got the hang of it and now I think it a fab product for concealing under eye shadows/bags. I get a tiny bit, warm it on my hand and then dab gently.

All products (unless stated) available from www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk and Benefit Counters and stockists.

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

When I have dark shadows, not so often now granted as I am using Clinique's All About Eyes, I like to use this liquid concealer.

What Clinique claims - Not only does it hide shadows but it also illuminates and perfects your complexion and eye area.


What I think - I use the Neutral Fair as it is a mix of pink/yellow tones which is perfect for my yellow based skin tone but it is available in Fair and Medium. The first time I used this, I went a bit twist happy and ended up with loads of the liquid on the brush applicator. By the second use I had mastered the twists and you only really need to click 2/3 times max, dab on and blend in. Easy, blendable and light.


Result - Very natural and bright with not a hint of shadow, perfect!


Cons - The only one I have is that you cant see how much you have left....


Clinique Airbrush Concealer - £15 from Clinique counters or www.clinique.co.uk