REVIEW: Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer

Hello September,

This month I'm dedicating my reviews on Face Primers as lately I've had a few new ones in my kit which I'm excited to tell you about and also my classic favourites including this Smashbox Photo Finish Primer.
These primers actually come as a wide collection - they have around 10 different types, from the Original-skin finishes to the colour correcting primers, all under the Photo Finish Range.

For week 1 I want to focus on my newest primer trial which was the 'Pore Minimiser'
I got this from my friend who works on smashbox before my holidays as a sample mini, which of course was perfect for my travels.
For years I have actually loved the original (which also comes in a 'light' version too.

After using the original, which is good for all skin types with its synthetic, gel like primer is easily adaptable for all skin which is great so I was excited to try this Pore Minimising one.

I wouldn't say I have large pores in any type of way, but on a night out I like to even and control any pores which may become visible in the heat. (Dancing can cause a sweat haha)

My most recent time using this was this bank holiday weekend on a night out and thought I would put it to the test for sure.

I applied it mainly to the t-zone area then spread the excess over the cheeks and forehead.

It glides on lovely, but feels more matte than the original which of course is great for those with larger pores.

It completely smoothed and evened out my skin even before the makeup was on!

My makeup also went on a lot smoother and took less time to blend in, and like you all know I don't use powder, only a sweep of bronzer, so I can sure say my makeup stayed on all night AND without any shine.

Usually those with larger pores tend to have oily skin as your pores are open and are processing oils which is completely normal, so for those with this skin problem I can 100% recommend this.

Smashbox describe this primer to be…

I would agree with the description completely, 'it does what it says on the tin' basically.

Also a while back I did a review on my 'Top recommended Face Primers' during that time, and one of them was Benefit Pore Minimser. I can honestly say that I prefer Smashbox Pore Minimiser over the Benefit Professional. I do still like the benefit one don't get my wrong and it does work wonders but the fact that the Smashbox was more lightweight and spread more easily on the skin without it feeling thick.

But for that reason only, those who like a heavy/thick coverage may prefer the Benefit one due it feeling like it is actually sitting on the skin?

So overall this is definitely a new favourite.

Next Tuesday I shall be sticking with Smashbox Primers and reviewing the 'Colour Corrector' in Green explaining how to use and what its good for, also describing other colour correctors that are available.

Love Sophie xx

August Holiday Makeup (Part 1)

Why do holidays come and go so quickly, we live in paradise for those few weeks then everyone has reality fear… Thats what I'm having right now.

But on the plus side I have a job which I love so I can't wait to fill you all in on the makeup products I took to Zante with me for the 2 weeks I had off.
On previous holidays I would pack a double sided bag with me, but this time I really wanted to focus on having flawless bronzed skin and not playing about with bright colours too much, don't get me wrong I did have a sneaky Red Lip thrown in there a few of the nights, its all about the outfit coordinate right 😉

Heres a list of products I used every evening…

The Body Shop Instablur
I couldn't go away without taking my favourite 'natural' branded products, so I knew Instablur would be the perfect product.
This kept my sweaty pores closed and maintained when my makeup was applied as this product fully blurs out any imperfections and leaves your skin looking flawless! Its a must.

MAC Strobe Cream 
THE face base highlighter you all need, I'm sure Ive raved about this a few times, its perfect for the highlighted skin under your foundation which radiates though and makes your skin look fleeky!!
Check my full review HERE 
My review was from the previous, standard strobe liquid, now they have a variety of shades and glows!

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation
A beautiful radiant, medium coverage foundation which I used at least for the first week, just to keep my skin having that even coverage, getting a tan is always patchy on the first few days.
I used around 2 pumps and buffed this evenly over my skin using a stippling brush giving my face that flawless, subtle finish.

NARS Laguna Liquid Bronzer
Now this may be one you've never tried… A liquid Bronzer, honestly it will be your best friend on holidays because it saves you buying foundations 2 shades darker just for a few weeks.
Each night i mixed around 3-4 pumps with my foundation which i buffed into the skin again so that it mixed evenly.
It also contains a very slight shimmer within the bronzer which leaves a stunning effect in the light.

NARS Radiant Concealer 
My every-day concealer hasn't changed in so long, i love this one, its creamy and blends easily under the eyes without creasing - see me full review HERE

NARS Laguna Powder Bronzer
Now this is the same as the liquid bronzer but a powder version.
I lightly dusted this onto my face after the foundation to slightly set the liquid, mattify my skin 'slightly' - I am going for a dewy finish with my products but in 40 degree heat of greece, i will sweat and go a little shiny through the evening so this will just keep my skin tamed instead of covering my skin in loose powder.
I also used this for my contouring and a wanted nothing too heavy, just a natural cheekbone shading, which looks beautifully natural! Im still using this now.

MAC 'Gingerly' Blusher
This is my everyday blusher no matter where I am! I love it, its the perfect shade for my medium, warm skin tone, as it has that peachy undertone but also looks bronzed at the same time.

NYX Micro Brow Pencil
My new bargain-find! Fell in love with this pencil about a month ago, with it being micro it makes it so much easier and natural looking to fill in and shape your brows with this pencil.
It has the pencil one end (which is a twist up) and a brow brush on the opposite end.

NYX Brow Mascara
Another brow saviour! This tames and sets your brows with a easy stroke of the brush, it also contains a colour pigment so when this is brushed onto your hairs it will slightly tint them which will help give extra texture to the finish brow look. We all love a perfect groomed brow.
TIP: Don't drop this from a high point, I flew this onto the floor and it smashed… its not even glass 😒

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara 
My FAVOURITE Mascara to date, I've tried so many and I can never find one which tops Lancome. On holiday I used this on my bottom lashes only due to me having Russian lashes whist I was there, which of course helped the finished look every day and night without me having to do anything.

MAC Lustre Drops Highlighter
Some funny reason, I always grab this highlighter when I go abroad, I think because of the fact this is liquid makes it blend onto my skin easily in the heat and humidity and also sets like a bomb with the shimmer I get from this product.
I don't think many people know about these at MAC, they are such a hidden gem!

Urban Decay HEAT Palette (BRAND NEW)
Of course I took the new Heat palette with me. To be honest I only used it on the first few night because I honestly got lazy and just wanted a clean natural look. As you can tell from the minimal products used, although I do LOVE this palette anyway, its my addiction right now, i love every shade.

LIPS -
I took a varied collection with me, as I love a good choice of shades in lippys
Body Shop Lip Cream - Statement Red, in a pink tone. Goes on so creamy and lasts ages, as well as smells devine.
MAC Spirit - When we get a tan, nudes start to look washed out, so make sure you go darker!
MAC Modesty - A sheer pink toned, glossy nude stick
KIKO - Coral Matte - I had a red, a pink and a nude, I couldn't go without a coral, although i will say, the matte effect wasn't great in such a hot temperature. I ended up layering with a lip oil
YSL Lip Oil no.4 - A sheer peach lip oil which has amazing shine pay off, and looks great on its own or over any lip colour.

So as you can see, i didn't take any liners, bright colour makeup or anything out of the ordinary, I went for the bronzed, sun kissed, dewy look.
But I thought all these products would be perfect for anyone going away, or even just giving ideas on what products work best in the heat also.

Get ready for Part 2, based on my Holiday Skincare Products next week, there SO MUCH to tell and show you all about the products I used and tested…

If you have any questions about holiday makeup then leave me a comment.

Have you used any of these products?
What are your holiday go-to products this year?

REVIEW: The Body Shop Eye Colour Stick

Like its the last week again :(
Ive enjoyed filling you all in about my favourite Eye Crayons and how easy these are to use an apply for either day or evening looks - They are my go-to, are they now yours?

For the final week I've saved these beauties until the end.
The Body Shop have just launched their brand new 4 Shades, which I was also lucky to try out before they were even available to purchase.

You may have seen my summer look where I used the 'Bali Sunstone' stick
Which is this beautiful orange shade…

They have 8 shades to choose from and to be fair, all the colours will suit anyone, of course certain shades will suit certain eye colour, let me give you some ideas…
Blue Eyes - 'Navada Gold' & 'Bali Sunstone'
Brown Eyes - 'Siberian Quartz' & 'Bogota Emerald'
Green Eyes - 'Cyprus Bronze' & 'Cusco Pink Opal'

I own a good 6 shades of these crayons, and i LOVE them, they are perfect to just pop on the eyelid on a day-to-day basis as they have gorgeous pigment. Not too bright but definitely visible which is perfect for everyday.
They are also waterproof and completely budge-proof, they do not move!!
No matter how hard i scrub my fingers over my eyes or my hand (when swatching) they are permanent which I find really hard to find crayons that actually last 24hours without using a base/primer and sticking to my crease throughout the day, so these are like a makeup artists saviour!

Not only do they hold on to the eyes, like I said you don't even need to use a primer, I just love using a paint pot underneath to even out my eyelid colour for the crayons to have a cleaner colour pay off.

Another lovely feature that these crayons have is they all contain a slight shimmer within the shade which look amazing on the eyelid as shimmers create a dimension to the eye shape.
As the Body Shop is all natural products each crayon benefits from the Babassu Oil and Beeswax ingredient which will condition the skin as you wear.

If you would like to purchase any of these crayons (may contain current discount) then please just drop me a message, originally they retail at £8 per crayon - even thats a bargain, and having the whole collection won't break the bank either ;)

So now August is over, September Reviews will be based on Face Primers so keep updated every Tuesday for my latest reviews 💞
Love Sophie x

REVIEW: KIKO Moon Shadow Stick

This week I'm focussing my eye crayon on this Kiko Moon Shadow Stick - and the best point of all is that this eyeshadow crayon is the DUPE of Week 1's Chanel Stylo Eye crayon.

If this crayon has fell into my top 4 then it proves that it is a good as the chanel!

Overall the 2 crayons are both completely different shades, which will make this comparison a little different but Kiko has formulated the same key ingredient as Chanel's (water-infused) 

If you read week 1's Chanel Review you will know that I explained the water infused technology as a really cooling sensation on the eyes, and they also are waterproof on the eyes.

Kiko have done a great job with creating such a fantastic, affordable eye crayon which can be pulled off on the eyelids for any look.

This shade that I have from the Moon Shadow range is a gorgeous Cool Champagne Gold called 'Glamour Gold' which I really think works with so many looks and can really make the eye lid stand out with such a bold but still subtle shade.

The texture has a great bendable consistency which feels sheer on the eyes and also sits under any eyeshadow if you wanted to layer the product (I love to do this with eye crayon) 

The pigment is also amazing as you can really see the chosen colour of the stick, but i will say, I found the shimmer to be a more glitter finish than just a shine.

The glitter within the crayon is not a hard grain, it smoothly blends in with the texture so it feels no different its just a more prominent glitter than the other crayons.

Great for an evening look though, when focussing on the eyelid to make the eyes pop.

I am aware that there are 4 shades in the Kiko Moon Shadow Sticks but I found this was the most wearable as the others were really deep colours.

But if you wanted statement, then you'll sure find it with these.

The longevity is also a great advantage with these sticks even without primers so you shall more than likely get a great 8hour wear with these shadows.

Have you tried the KIKO moon shadow sticks before?

What do you think to this gorgeous cool gold shade.