Thoroughly modern millennial

Category: Blog

  • Battle of the primers | Tarte BB Tinted Primer vs Benefit Porefessional

    Primers Tarte vs Benefit
    Tarte, BB tinted treatment primer, approx £20, Sephora//Benefit, Porefessional primer, £24.50, Boots

    I’ve never thought twice about using primers, until this Summer hit and I was desperate to find a way of keeping my foundation on my face reasonably set. I definitely can’t call myself a beauty expert but I do have some opinions on two I’ve found to be on par with each other on the surface.

    In the blue corner…cult favourite Benefit’s ‘Porefessional’
    I’m sure you all have heard why there’s so much love for Porefessional already! Super light, silky smooth coverage and great pigmentation, it’s a cult favourite amongst beauty bloggers. It’s definitely more of a base product to target problem areas than an all over product, but it sits well under pretty much every single type of foundation I’ve got in my make up drawer. The downside is the price tag, £24.50 for 22ml for a primer can seem pretty steep!

    In the red corner…from across the pond, Tarte’s BB Tinted Primer
    A relative unknown from an up and coming brand, Tarte’s offering in the primer market is more of a tinted moisturiser than a base and because of this the pigmentation on this product is amazing. It’s also super moisturising, has a built in SPF30 sunblock and works as a great substitution for your normal foundation on days when you’re after a low key look. As it’s fairly moisturising it’s pretty perfect for dry skin, but not so great on oilier complexions – despite it saying it’s oil free! It retails at an ok-ish price, the full size bottle is about £20 [the one pictured above is their travel sized version which I think retailed at about £10 in Sephora], is slightly bigger than the full sized Porefessional, and comes in a range of different shades.

    And the winner is…
    Benefit’s Porefessional! 

    Despite the price tag you simply can’t beat the quality of Benefit’s primer. It works like a charm and feels like a better investment make-up product if you’re after something that will give you smooth coverage every time. Not to mention Glamour magazine usually give away a sample of it every year! That’s not to say Tarte’s primer isn’t great! If you want an all over/one stop shop type of primer, head to Sephora asap, but those with oilier skin types should be a little wary.

    R.xoxo
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  • First Class | My Graduation Day!

    Graduation 1 Portsmouth Guildhall
    This past Wednesday, my family and I woke up bright and early, got  all suited and booted, before making the drive down to Portsmouth for my big Graduation day!

    The sun was out in full force, which made for some great shots outside Portsmouth Guildhall, where the main ceremony was held. And as my ceremony was in the morning, we just managed to avoid the absolute scorching heat towards midday too!

    Rather amusingly this will be my first proper personal style post for I think about 2 years? Under the gown I’m wearing my gorgeous cream dress I bought whilst in Artists and Fleas in Chelsea Market in New York. My court shoes were from Topshop and the necklace I snagged in the Dorothy Perkins sale last week. The clutch is a loan from my mum and the drop ivory earrings was a graduation present from my Uncle.

    The ceremony was great – and I didn’t fall off the stage! – and it was lovely to see all of my course mates all in one place one last time.

    After cooling off at home we headed out for a meal at the Chilworth Arms ordering a healthy dose of Pims and toffee ice cream for dessert!

    I’ve definitely had a more unusual experience at University than others I know of – something which I’m keen to write about at some point when I get the chance to actually form literate words – but it was so rewarding to finally get to this point after 4 years of seriously tough work.

    Oh and did I mention I somehow managed to get a first class honours out of all that work? – please don’t ask me how I did it, I question the sanity of the examiners marking my work.

    Screen Shot 2014-07-25 at 01.13.00

    R.xoxo
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  • Review | Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palette

    WNW eyeshadow palette
    Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palette (5 pan) ‘The Naked Truth’
    Wet n’ Wild is a brand I’ve pop up on multiple blogs and vlogs, usually when a Brit blogger has raided CVS in the States for a bargain. I actually stumbled upon these in the beauty section of the Duane Reade by my hotel and picked a palette up on a whim, but boy oh boy am I glad I did!
    Wet n’ Wild preach high quality at low cost and the only brand I can think of likening them to here in the UK would be something like Rimmel or maybe Boots’ No7 range.

    WNW eyeshadow back WNW eyeshadow swatch light WNW eyeshadow swatch dark
    The palette I picked up is part of their 5 pan eyeshadow collection, which conveniently gives you an almost step by step process of where each shade should sit for a full look. I went for a pretty standard palette of nudes and browns called ‘The Naked Truth’, but it would be very easy to mix and match these shades with the others in the range and comes in at around $3-4 (depending on where you pick it up). 
    For me this palette hits all the right notes. The texture is buttery soft, it blends remarkably well, and the pigmentation is fantastic. I seriously haven’t come a palette like it at such a low price in a very long time. The downside is it isn’t stocked in the UK – for all you American lovelies can luckily grab them in most drugstores! – though a quick Google comes up with some official eBay sellers, some bits and pieces on Amazon or smaller online stockists that ship Internationally. 
    Fingers crossed they get a bit more popular so Superdrug or Boots can start bringing them over the Pond!
    Or….you can enter my current giveaway and win a similar mini palette all for yourself! :P Better be quick though, the giveaway ends 30th July!