Garnier 5 Sec Perfect Blur Primer Review

I did exactly what I have been telling myself off for when this product launched, I read reviews from other bloggers raving about it after sampling it before it's launch, so I instantly got it in my head that it must be marvelous and I have to have it, nobody's fault but my own!

So when it was launched I headed to Boots and bought it straightaway, it wasn't on offer which products sometimes are when they are first launched and at £12.99 it was a bit steep, but that only convinced me that it must be good, that was my strange beauty products obsessed logic talking!!

I got this home and hated it instantly, it was very disappointing! 

The primer has a very silicone feel to it, which normally I don't mind but when I applied my foundation over the top of it, my foundation felt a bit greasy and even though I always apply powder the greasy feeling stayed all day. I didn't notice any change in the appearance of my makeup at all it looked the same as when I apply foundation without it. When I got home I even tried it over the top of my foundation as a mid-day fixer but it still did nothing. 

I think this is one of those products that you are either going to love or hate, for me and my skin it didn't mix well but for others it obviously works well.

This has taught me a lesson not to get hyped up in a product launch!

Elaine

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2012 Favourites... Makeup

When I was thinking about the different makeup products that I wanted to include in my 2012 favourites that list was getting very long and I was getting a bit concerned this post would turn into a bit of an essay, so I cut the list down and decided to only include the products that I turn to all the time without thinking and that list was easy to make. So here are my 2012 favourites...

L'Oreal Million Lashes Mascara
This is my all time favourite mascara, I love it!! I talk about it in this post.

Garnier BB Cream
I love this BB cream it is perfect for my combination/skin, it's really easy to wear and BB cream has lasted ages I bought this back in May (i think) and I still have loads left and I wear it everyday! You can read my post here.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation
I really like this foundation, it is medium coverage and really does last all day, I know a lot of people compare this foundation to Revlon's Colour Stay foundation, which I have, but I think that the double wear gives a much better finish compared to the colour stay, you can find the foundation here, I will do a post soon!

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
This powder is brilliant, there is not much I can say about a powder but it keeps my skin nice and matte all day and for only £3.99 it's a bargain, although since I have been using the Garnier BB cream I haven't been using it as much. You can find it here.

Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer
I recently did a post on this, which you can see here, but I am obsessed with concealer and use it everyday!

Collection 2000 Extreme Liner
This range of eyeliners are really great felt tip liners which can rival other brands such as L'Oreal and Rimmel for only £2.99. It's mentioned in a post here and here.

Avon Super Shock Gel Liner
I use this liner on my waterline and it is such a great true black I love it, I bought it from Ebay but you can find it here.

Benefit Blushers
I've included the Hervana blusher in my favourites, but I could easily wear any of my Benefit blushers any time. (You can see my post here and here)

I love all 3 of these lipsticks, they are so easy to wear, I have a LOT of lipsticks but I reach for these the most.
Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti (You can see my post here)
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain Balm in Crush (You can see my post here)
L'Oreal Rouge Caress in Dating Coral (You can see my post here)

MUA Heaven and Earth Eye Shadow Palette
I know everyone raves about the undressed palette, which I also have, but the Heaven and Earth palette is always the range of eye shadows that I reach for most often for daytime and evening makeup looks. I just realised I haven't done a post on this so I will get some swatches done soon, in the mean time you can find it here. 

Real Techniques Brushes
This year I have become really interested in using makeup brushes, I never quite understood the need for them before I became a blogger but now I am obsessed, especially with Real Techniques brushes, I first bought the Stippling Brush which I love, I got the core collection for Christmas so I can't wait to try them.

What have been your favourite makeup products this year?

Elaine

Updated Review - Garnier BB Cream for combination/oily skin

I've had the new Garnier BB Cream for Oily/combination skin for a month now, so thought I would do an updated review so I could let you know if my original thoughts had changed, you can see my first post here.

I have been using this BB Cream everyday since I bought it and I can honestly say that I still love it, I haven't had to reach for my face powder once when I wear it, which is a miracle for me! I'm very impressed. 

In my original review I didn't think that the BB cream gave much of a radiant glow compared to the original but I have definitely changed my mind about this, it really does give your skin a nice healthy glow that doesn't look faked, it wasn't until I used a different BB cream that I realised just how good the Garnier one was, when I use the Garnier cream my skin always looks even and matte with a nice glow. Although I can't say that it minimised the appearance of my pores, but I have quite large pores and I think that I would need polyfiller for my pores to appear smaller!!

Garnier actually claim that after using the BB cream for 4 weeks skin will look less oily, pore appearance is minimised, imperfections are visibly reduced and skin radiance is improved, so did I find this to be the case for me... well... no, but if I'm honest I wasn't expecting it to, it's a pretty big claim for a £7 BB Cream.

I can honestly that I still really like this product, and would recommend it to anyone with oily skin.

Have you tried out the oily/combination Garnier BB cream yet?

Elaine

New Garnier BB cream for Combination/Oily skin

I was really surprised to see this in Superdrug the other day as I had heard nothing about the probably most well known western BB cream releasing an oil free version. I bought the original Garnier BB cream last year when it was released with all the hype and loved it, I really liked how it gave my skin a lovely glow but it always left my skin very oily after a few hours, I couldn't really justify buying it again when it ran out but I was always tempted. 

When I saw this I Superdrug I had to buy it, the introductory price is £7.49 I'm not sure what the normal price will be but as the original Garnier is often on offer for around £7.99 I doubt it will be that much more expensive.

The BB cream claims to be a miracle skin perfector, which gives immediately perfected skin. it also quotes results of immediately giving a radiant matte finish for 86% of women, pores appear less visible for 84% of women, and imperfections appear minimised for 76% of women. It also claims that after 4 weeks skin will look less oily, pore appearance is minimised, imperfections are visibly reduced and skin radiance is improved.

So did it actually do what it said on the box?... Yes! 

(although I haven't had it long enough for the 4 week claims)

The BB cream has a different tube compared to the original which I prefer as I think it makes it look like a higher quality product, and the BB cream itself has a much more liquid consistency than the original, but you will still only need a small amount unless you are wanting to build up coverage. It also contains SPF 20 which is brilliant as I only wear moisturiser or foundation with at least SPF 15.

Sorry not too sure why the second picture looks so orange, it's definitely not the BB cream!

It leaves your skin looking even and shine free, I was really pleased with how matte my nose and chin stayed throughout the day, it's not often I have a foundation/BB cream that can manage that, not even my No7 BB cream for oily skin. If I'm honest it doesn't offer as much of an illuminating glow but the even healthy look it gives your skin makes up for it. 

I think Garnier may have addressed the issue of their original light BB cream not being that light, as this one is more of a match to my skin colour and blends in well.

Overall I'm really pleased with this product

Will you be trying out the new Garnier BB cream?

You can see my updated review after using the BB cream for a month here.

Elaine