Gotcha Covered Concealer

Gotcha Covered Concealer || £5.50

Full coverage. Dewy finish. All day wear. These are the three selling points of NYX's Gotcha Covered which, in anyone's book, would seem the perfect equation for a concealer. Does it deliver or is it just bait on the beauty fishing line? 

Rather than a doe foot applicator this comes in a squeezy tube, much like a foundation. As you would expect from a heavy duty concealer, the product is quite thick so it is doesn't dispense easily as the nozzle is quite thin.

On first applying to the skin this product feels horrible! It is thick and sticky - in fact, it really reminds me of that cheap Halloween grease paint. Regardless, I continued applying the concealer to the areas I wanted then blended out with my Beauty Blender. 

What. A. Difference.

The stickiness subsided and I was left with bright, dewy skin!

I went ahead and set it with the tiniest dusting of powder and it looked glorious. I was super impressed! The dark circles, redness and blemishes were hidden and they remained so all day. True to their word it stayed put, even on my oil slick face!

This is definitely a concealer for someone who likes to look 'made up' - even though it blends well, you're not going to pull off the natural look wearing it. However I love the finished result so if you can bear a couple of seconds of stickiness then this concealer is definitely worth it!

My 4 product skincare routine

Warning : Garnier Heavy Post!

My skincare routine seems to have settled in the last 2 or 3 months, which is like an eternity for a impatient commitment phobe like me! 

So, kicking it off with Micellar water. If you've not heard of micellar water before, it's basically lots of little micelles hanging about in water. Micelles are attracted to dirt and lift it away without the need for rubbing the skin. I love it and especially so with Garnier's ranges. I just pop a little on a cotton pad and remove my make up and then repeat with another cotton pad to cleanse.

To wash my face, I've been using Hibiscrub. It's an anti-bacterial scrub (usually for hands etc) but is a clear skin miracle. This radioactive pink liquid has done for me what no other facial wash could. If I want a deeper cleanse I use a facial cleansing pad such as this one.

Garnier's Moisture Bomb moisturisers have been a recent discovery but the duo are already firm favourites. Although specifically for dehydrated skin, I find it actually helps to control my greasy skin. For more in depth reviews read here and here.

Being strict with my skincare has definitely helped improve it; you definitely get out what you put in. 

I'm continuing my search for an eye cream - any recommendations?  

Flawless Foundation with Revlon Colourstay

Colorstay has always and will always be my favourite foundation. It's full coverage and blends well, as well as being perfectly formulated for oily skin.

This foundation is the bigger, better looking sister of Photoready, which I also love.

Teeny tiny criticism; it has no pump. This peeves me so much! To dispense the product you have to tap the bottle onto the back of your hand, which can take a while considering it's thick compared to other foundations. Other than the lack of pump, I like the heavy, glass bottle which makes it feel more expensive than it's £12.99 price tag. 

I always find the colour range on Revlon particularly good for more yellow based skin tones such as mine - Natural Beige is my shade of choice. The foundation is, as I said, very thick but a little goes a long way. I roughly apply it with a foundation brush and then blend with a damp beauty blender.

There are two variations of this product; Normal/Combination & Combination/Oily - I use the oily version and I can hand on heart say, it lasts all day even without primer or powder. Add those in and you could near on get 24 hours out of it. 

Soap and Glory Instant Retouch Powder

Instant Retouch Powder || £12.99 || Boots 

I was always hesitant to use Soap & Glory's make up because it wasn't primarily a make up brand. This was purely an impulse buy but probably one of the best purchases I ever did make!

The packaging is very 'high street' but it's kitsch and fun - isn't that what make up is all about anyway though?  It's a translucent setting powder with blur technology. It brightens and locks in your face all day. I cannot praise this powder enough - absolute game changer. Go and get it now!