Primark vs big brands

I've decided to focus this blog on budget make up as there are so many blogs out there dedicated to expensive brand make up, as much as I adore the bigger branded make up such as mac or nars, I love nothing better than to find cheap little gems whose quality compares to the more expensive brands. 

I came across Primark's newest make up section and after testing some of it out I decided some was not worth the €1.50 price tag and some were a bargain at that price range!!

I'll start with the cheek & lip tint. I haven't got a picture of it sadly, but it's in white packaging, it screws upwards and looks like a large lipbalm in a rose red colour with a creamy texture. It resembles a Pout cheek tint I have (that you sadly can't buy anymore as the company closed down 3 years ago) pictured below:

I picked the Primark cheek tint up because it was reduced to 50cent and the swatch looked like it was good quality. It gives a nice flush to the cheeks if you apply it to your cheeks lightly with your finger and blend into the foundation on your cheeks. However saying that I think I've only used it the once! But it's better than the Benefit's liquid rose cheek and lip tint, I find it uncontrollable and almost leave a watermark on your face!

The next thing I bought was the Primark primer called "The Prime of your Life", I picked it up as it was only €3 or something, so it was worth the try at that price.

As you can see it's almost like a copy of Benefit's primer:

 

Prime of your life is a pink toned primer with highlighting particles.

I would not use this as a primer as I used it once as and left my skin very shiny and very pink, a primer is meant to even out the skin texture, filling out any lines and pores so that the foundation application over it goes on with an airbrushed effect.

However I mixed it in with my foundation and it gave a lovely silky gleam off it. To get that dewey finish to the skin I normally mix some Illamasqua gleam cream into the foundation and apply, but for everyday wear the Primark version works a treat as the Illamasqua gleam cream costs something like €28, its not ideal to use every day.

I wouldn't recommend it if you are prone to redness or have oily skin.

Next thing is the Primark Activ Eyelashes (Thanks to Debbie for telling me about these!)

They cost €4 for a pack of 5, and they are identical to the Girls Aloud eyelashes which cost something like €8 per pair!  The quality are just as good if not identical to the Allure Girls Aloud lashes. Instead of using the glue that comes with the primark lashes, I used my Duo glue that I use with all my fake lashes, so I cant review the glue that comes with them.

Here you can see the Primark lashes and the Allure Girls aloud ones:

Another Primark product I picked up was Rock Spirit perfume, for which I paid  £4 sterling for. It smells identical to Ed Hardy perfume, very sweet and light. The bottle is gorgeous, it's clear

with a black lace design on it like the Christina Aguilera perfume.

I just wear it to work everyday, the scent doesn't last at all though, but it's great for everyday wear when you want to keep your nice perfumes for the weekends!

Theyre all the products Ive ever used or bought from Primark/Penneys, Ive tried a few other things by them such as the eyeshadows and blushers and theyre not pigmented enough for my liking. The brushes seem okay, but I'm a brush Nazi and stick to the mac ones that i love!

Pin Up Shoot

Model: Maggie Page
Photo: James Brophy
MUA: Me.

Pretty self explanitory really!
This model was easy to work with as shes just so pretty !
I'm a complete eyebrow nazi, I love eyebrows and they have to be perfect with a perfect arch, I think they're the most important part of make up.
Trish had naturally very blonde eyebrows, so I loved the fact I had free reign asto how her eyebrows would look.
I think they look natural, yet defined in the finished result, which is what I was aiming for. They frame her beautiful face :)

One thing I would change, would be to use a different matte black eyeshadow.
I paid €20 for a single black matte eyeshadow from Make Up Forever.. and everytime I use it, it creases, on every skin type! For a tiny little eyeshadow, that's a lot of money, I wouldn't buy it again!

Make up tattoos

Model: Irina
Photo: Peter Griffin
MUA: Me.

This shot was just an experiment really, the model really wanted to know if I could do tattoos with make up, i've never done it before, but thought it would be a challenge, so I said I'd do it.
I just used some black and a small make up brush and drew the tattoo out of my head really!
If I were to do it again, I would do it differently, I'd use a different brush, and do something with more detail and colour.
But this was just testing out if I could so it really!

Read my lips. Budget friendly lipstick

Recently I've been testing out a lot of lipsticks, I, like most make up artists and girls in general favour MAC's lipstick ranges, as the colours are so intense and they're very moisturising, but as I never get the time to visit MAC, i've been shopping around in my local chemist/drugstores to see if I could get any colours that compare to MAC's pigment and quality.
And surprisingly I did !

The first lipstick that caught my eye was one by Barry M.
I've always wanted a bright pink lipstick, but as I was afraid it wouldn't suit me I decided to try out a cheaper brand to test it out.
The shade I bought was 145 Punky Pink.
A bright pink lipstick with a slight purple tinge off it.
Straight off it reminded me of MAC's Girl About Town (one of my favourite lipsticks that I never got around to purchasing).
The price came in around €5, so I thoughtit would be worthless, but turns out, I really love it !
Here you can see it againt MAC's Girl About Town:



Left: MAC girl about town
Right: Barry M in 145 Punky Pink












It went on very smoothly, very moisturising and it had a gorgeous gloss finish.
I applied Illamasqua's sheer "Divine" lipgloss over it to finish it off.














Results:

Girl about town ----------------------------- Barry M's 145 Punky Pink












This colour could be used in various ways, never team it with a bright eyeshadow, the rule in make up is that either your lips, or your eyes should be the main feature. Like if you're wearing lime green eyeshadow, a natural lip should always be worn so the eyes are the focal point, if you're wearing a bright lipstick, then the eyeshadow should be neutral. With this shade I think a grey smokey eye would be very complimentary.




Revlon Colourburst lipstick:

I spotted a revlon advert at the back of a magazine and the shade Jessica Alba was wearing seemed to be the exact colour I've been searching for, yet I still doubted it as I dont trust make up from adverts, they're over photoshopped!



The shade on the advert stated it was Crimson, so I tried it out for myself and fell in love with the shade.
You still have that bright red lip, but it's a more wearable shade than some of the brighter red lipsticks on the market, it has more of a blue tinge so it also makes your teeth seem whiter.
The packaging also attracted it to me, it has a lovely quilted, classy packaging giving a much more expensive feel to it.
The lipstick itself glided on, and stayed in place a LOT longer than some more expensive high end brands.
This is the only product I really like from Revlon however, their foundations smell like paint stripper and go on just as bad!! The price? Only €11 !
This shade is AMAZING on porcelain skin teamed with a simple black liquid liner and defined brows. With this shade you really have to keep the make up to a minimum.
I will definetly be purchasing more shades, I was very impressed!

Here is a shade chart for these particular lipsticks:











The Fuschia lipstick looks gorgeous! I might have to buy that!

I think Crimson is nearly identical to MAC's classic Russian Red lipstick.


MAC Russian Red ---------------------------- Revlon's Crimson.














I think some of the shades this lipstick comes in can be compared to a lot of higher end lipsticks..
So if you want to buy a variation of shades, with a cheaper price tag than a lot of lipsticks, this line is fantastic!


Revlon's baby pink ------------------------ Viva Glam Gaga

Cannibal Cheerleader

The following pictures are from a shoot I did last Sunday.
I really really enjoy working with Carl at Red Tree Studios and model Trisha, we can all read each others minds and visually have the same tastes.

*Pics courtesy of Red Tree Studios (www.redtreestudios.ie)*

Bloggery

I've been lagging behind with the whole blogging thing.
When I created it last year I thought I'd make posts every week..
Its been a year and I've made about 5 posts, this is going to change.
From today, I promise I'll post more things :)
Photoshoots I've did, fashion that inspires me, nails and hair.

Illamasqua The Art of Darkness

The Mistress of Ceremonies

"With her authoritative aura, all eyes are drawn to the Mistress of Ceremonies. It is she who ensures the forces are balanced and the gods appeased. Her body is a patchwork of mythical symbols and semi-precious stones - a walking celebration of the earth and the heavens..."


So this is Illamasqa's new collection, so far we have only been introduced to the new liquid liner (which I might buy today if its instore)
It seems like Illamasqua are steering away from their 1920's Berlin expressionism style, this new collection along with their last collection Body Electrics, seems to be more futuristic and fantasy, I think I prefer their older style.

I have a feeling this line is going to be all about liquid metals, amber shades and dusty blue hues.
Still, Im excited about the fact there are going to be new products, but I think they should focus on their darker imagery, I think it works better for this brand.

I have an interview with Illamasqua on Thursday for their new headquaters in London, very exciting ! I cant wait to just meet the crew, maybe even Alex Box *dies a little*.
The guy told me on the phone that Ive been one of the 8 selected out of a few hundred, so I hope I live upto their expectations, I also cant wait to see the other candidates and their skill.


*Edit*

I got the job ^___________________^

I was so so nervous going in to the point I felt phsyically sick.
But as I got in there and the introduction started, I knew, deep down, I was going to get this job.
They started off with a video about how they based the brand on German Expressionism art..
My eyes lit up as I did my degree piece on German Exprssionism and its my all time favourite art movement, of course I didn't hesitate on telling them this.
After that, i was extremely confident and knew I could get:)
So im still waiting on this weeks rosta when I start ^_^
So excited as this is my dream company, everyones lovely and we all share the same aesthetic.
YAY!