The Best Of: Bourjois

Aloha!

Without a shadow of a doubt, Bourjois is by FAR my No.1 high street make-up brand and for me, it's a no brainer. I mean, what woman wouldn't love high quality and affordable cosmetics that unleash your inner Parisian? So I figured it was about time Bourjois got a well deserved shout out on my blog and although I could happily write many wonderful things about most of their products it's probably best if I just stick to my ultimate favs...   

Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix Foundation

It's no mystery as to why this is a much loved foundation across the beauty blogging world. This light weight, medium coverage foundation gives you a radiant and flawless complexion for up to 16 hours. Plus it's enriched with 'fruit therapy' to keep your skin youthful, healthy and hydrated. Now normally I steer clear from 'illuminating' foundations, as I have quite oily skin and the outcome can be disastrous! But this foundation is an exception of it's own and universally perfect for all skin types.  

Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

This foundation includes all the best features of the original Radiance Reveal including 16 hour wear and vitamin rich 'fruit therapy' but has a gel like texture that glides across your skin for an even complexion and anti-fatigue effect. This is a great foundation for the summer months when it's warmer and you don't want anything too heavy on your face. It has a very natural finish and gives you the boost you need when you're dragging yourself into work after a wild weekend.  

Happy Light Matte Serum Primer

I recently purchased the beaut on 3 for 2 offer. I don't normally venture too far with primers as I do have some trusty go-to's but Bourjois certainly showed me what I am missing. This feather light primer almost disappears instantly when applied onto skin and provides a velvety smooth base for your foundation. I was pleasantly surprised as it minimised my pores which so far only Benefit Porefessional and Maybelline Baby Skin have been able to do. Additionally it keeps my make-up on all day and prevents my face from getting too oily or shiny. 

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder

Or as most people call it... ''Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer''. I know I'm starting to sound like a stuck record, as this bronzer is mentioned in most of my make-up posts, so don't worry I'll keep this short and sweet. Aside from the fact this smells like chocolate, yes chocolate. This ultra soft bronzer is perfect for that must have summer glow and it can even be used to contour. I love using this because it's build-able and blends so evenly you can't go wrong! As you can see I'm naturally really pale and as a pale girl it's really hard to find a bronzer that doesn't make me look orange (fellow red heads you know what I'm sayin') However, this divine powder perfection allows me to bronze happy without fear of looking like an Oompa Loompa. 

Healthy Mix Concealer

This long lasting concealer is perfect for concealing imperfections naturally. Sometimes when you try and cover dark circles or blemishes, with a heavy duty concealer, it can have an adverse affect and accentuate the problem further. This yellow based, concentrated concealer disguises dark circles and imperfections in a natural way, whilst providing essential 'fruit therapy', the apricot provides radiance, the melon leaves skin moisturised and the raspberry acts as a 'micro-circulation activator' (I don't know what that means either) BUT after using the product for a few days the puffy-ness under my eyes was noticeably reduced and, due to it's subtle light reflecting pigment, I did feel my skin looked more radiant and glowey. 

Bourjois Poudre De Riz De Java

Let's head back to 1879 when Bourjois launched a best selling cult classic. Now, as Bourjois celebrates it's 150th birthday the Java Rice powder is re-born! The packaging initially drew me towards this product so when I found out the lid is a replica of the original 1879 packaging I was left in awe of it. It's one of the finest powders I have ever come across and although translucent, it contains different tones. This delicately scented powder sets make-up perfectly and can also be used to add shimmer to your cheek bones leaving you with a beautiful glow. One shade suits all but just bare in a mind, use sparingly, you don't want to end up looking like a disco ball!

Intuitive Liner

I kinda feel bad for writing about this one as I'm 80% sure it's been discontinued (boo). I mean it's not been in any Boots or Superdrug's in ages and isn't available online so? If anyone has any more info or knows where you can buy this please share! This eye liner was inspired by the revolutionary art technique of Pointillism (Dotting). This 24 hour eye liner has three separate points that create dots on your lash line. These dots then join together in one easy, fail proof application. It takes a bit of getting used to but once you've got the hang of it fine lines and winged eyes are a breeze.   

Liner Feutre Ultra Black Felt-Tip Eyeliner

If I'm getting ready for a big night out I will always reach for this baby. It's exactly like a felt tip pen and allows you to create thin, thick, soft or bold strokes like a pro! It's one of the easiest liquid eye liners I've ever used and is completely jet black with no grey streaks. This eye liner is sure to stay smudge proof and lasts 24 hours so you can dance the night away without risking the appearance of the dreaded panda eyes!

Neeks ☯

2015 Fresh Spring Look

Aloha!

It came to my attention that I hadn't blogged in like a week but of course as a lot of you know it was my birthday so I was busy celebrating! I had a few new products I wanted to try and kinda put this together on a whim but after posting on Instagram a lot of you were asking me what products I used, so I thought it would be nice to write a make-up look for you guys. This is my favorite style of make-up to wear at the moment, as we are coming into spring, it's warm and fresh and can be worn to day to day. Not only that it's reallyyyy easy to do!

FACE

Ok so I won't drown you with endless information but after my usual prep routine I'll begin by dabbing Maybelline Instant Pore Eraser across my T-Zone. Unfortunately for me I have oily skin which is tends to come with larger pores. This is a good way of reducing the appearance and it's cheaper than some other brands; I actually wrote a comparison on this one see here. I'll then start stippling Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation, working from the center of my nose outwards (never start on one side of your face) I'm not going to preach too much about this foundation but I think it's good for a high street brand, I mean it has good coverage and lasts all day so although it doesn't magically give me flawless skin, I gotta say, it's a good one. 

I think I've almost come to the conclusion that when it comes to concealers an expensive brand won't necessarily give you the best result (psst, will be doing a post on this). Max-Factor Mastertouch Concealer has good coverage and is particularly good for people with fair skin.I found it easy to blend and it's yellow based so is good for dark circles. Lately I've been loving Bourjois Java Rice Loose Powder (another blogger made me buy it!) This is not a powder you want to buy if you're going for the matte look,  it's easy to end up using too much and end up looking like a disco ball! A light dust is all you need for that radiant look. 

I'm the kinda of person that looks ill if I don't have some form of blusher on so it's in my knowledge that Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher (Cendre de Rose Brune) and Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer are the perfect spring time combo! Trust me, I can't actually stress enough how good these products work together. I always start by applying my bronzer in 'the magic 3' (under cheek bones, temples and jawline) and then lightly dust my blusher over the apples of my cheeks, before finishing with Benefit Watt's Up!. This is a cream highlighter that's easy to use. It blends well and because it's a soft focus highlighter you can use it during the day without it being 'too much'. On the other hand, you could layer to accentuate your cheek bones even further. 

EYES/ BROWS

I pretty much always have the same routine with my brows. I always use Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil (Hazel) as it's the closest shade to my natural colour. I'll then seal my brows with L'Oreal Paris Perfection Brow Artist Plumper (Blonde for a long lasting finish (nothing worse than getting home from work and realising you've rubbed half your eye brow off) I love this because you can wear it on it's own for a more natural look. 

Firstly before I apply any sort of eye shadow I will apply the legendary Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original), this is the one product I know 100% will never let me down! It makes your eye shadow more vibrant and will keep it on for hours with no creasing! I then chose a few shades from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette . With a flat brush I patted Verve onto my lids and then blended Pistol into my crease, with a large fluffy brush. Lastly I used Booty Call to highlight the arch of my brows and inner corner of my eyes. I love this combo, it's almost impossible to get wrong and due tot he light shades and shimmer, your eyes will appear bigger. 

I then lined my upper lash line with Bourjois Intuitive Liner (Ultra black), I was sold by the 'easy application' factor but personally I think this it's the sort of eye liner you need to practice with. Saying that, once you have the knack of it, it's easy to create ultra thin or dramatic lines, plus flicks are a doddle! To finish off I applied Max Factor False Lash Effect 24 Hour Mascara (Black). Now I've been using the original version for 6 years but this one has great staying power! The only down side is it's ridiculously difficult to get off! (I mean not being funny but I didn't take the whole 24 hour thing literally) Saying that it defines each lash and adds length and volume for that 'fluttery' look. 

LIPS

For this look I used Max-Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick (Star Dust Pink). It's a subtle pink nude that adds a young fresh element. It's also infused with shea and aloe butters, which keep lips plump and hydrated. I actually got this for free in a promotion but probably would have ended up buying it otherwise.. it's effortlessly applied and fits any skin tone. 

Neeks x