REVIEW | Origins Maskimizer

£18.50 from Debenhams or John Lewis

A mask primer? When this launch landed in my email inbox I was immediately intrigued. I have very dry and dehydrated skin so any product designed to lock in moisture and help my skin absorb my skincare better has me on a string. I bought this on the day of its release along with the Origins Skin Drink Mask (So amazing for dry skin!) and it was a little cheaper than normal. This rather small bottle will set you back £18.50, so is it worth it? Well, in short...no. If you are someone like me who revels in pampering yourself and enjoys trying new things then this could be a purchase for you but it is a gimic as far as I can tell.

Having such dry skin I was really optimistic about this but I haven't noticed any difference in the outcome of wear my regular masks. I always steam my face with a warm towel before applying a mask to open up my pores so perhaps that step has made the primer redundant but I just can't justify this for performance against the cost. I would save the £18.50 that this will cost you and put it toward a mask with better ingredients to get the most out of your paper session!

Sam xo
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LOOK | I never met a sunset that I didn't like.

A cut crease seems like the most daunting way to do eyeshadow and always looks so striking. I've recently bought more makeup than I'm happy to admit and two of my favourite purchases have been the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette (Which I have used so much I have already hit pan on a lot of the shadows) and the Sleek Ultra Matte Brights palette. For this eye look I used a few of the warmest shades from both to really bring out the blue in my eyes. 

I find that with any eye look I get the best results when I use my Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Primer and set it with a bone eyeshadow shade - this time ABH Tempera. When it comes to the actual colour, I first started blending the matte orange from the Sleek palette just above my crease to begin the cut crease. It's a very beautiful and bring orange which is so hard to find these days! To deepen up the cut crease I took ABH Realgar with my Illamasqua Angled Brush - this brush is thicker and more densely packed than most angled liner so it really concentrates the colour and allows you to be precise, the best way to do this is little by little and blend as you go. I find it easiest to then reapply my primer to my lid to really cut the crease out and then set it with a flat shader brush (Something like the MAC 239) to really make the crease stand out. A cheeky bit of winged liner and away we go. And obviously I can't leave any eyemakeup without my trusty YSL Babydoll Mascara.

With statement eyes I always go for a nude and in this case I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in Butterscotch - What a mouthful! Its comfortable, pigmented and the colour has a perfect hint of peach to tie everything together. Et voila. A striking cut crease that is surprisingly easy. I think it turned out pretty beautiful!

Sam xo
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REVIEW | Gerard Cosmetics Slay All Day Setting Spray

Gerard Cosmetics Slay All Day Setting Spray in Green Tea

The Slay All Day setting spray from Gerard Cosmetics is hardly new now but it has taken me this long to comment on it because honestly, I have mixed feelings. The name is catchy, the packaging drew me in and I was excited by the prospect of a Green Tea scent to wake me up in the morning. Now, I have used a number of these sort of things in the past and to be honest, I have never noticed a drastic difference in the wear time of my make up. With this particular setting spray I enjoy using it to settle down powders, which it does well but I don't see any longevity on my wear time and there are a few other things about this setting spray that don't make me run to buy another bottle.

The spray itself is both chunky and misting, it's odd. Perhaps I have a faulty pump but I find that I need to go over my makeup with a beauty sponge to make sure the liquid itself is properly distributed. Rather than being cooling as I initially hoped the sensation is a bit harsher than any other sprays I have used and the scent it very strong which makes me think that it probably isn't doing great things for my skin. Don't get me wrong, this does the job but I think it is a little more focused on being a product made to photograph and get likes on instagram than one which is going to revolutionise your makeup routine. I'm not sure I'll be repurchasing this one - I much prefer my Boots Botanicals Rose Water Spritz!

Sam xo
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