February Roundup: Likes & Dislikes
- effydoesmakeup
- Mar 10, 2020
- 6 min read
Hey guys, I’ve been a little quiet this month. I’ve been busy most weekends, my quidditch team competed at the European Qualifying Tournament in Manchester and we earned ourselves a spot at European Quidditch Cup Division 1! This means we’ll be going to Ghent on the first weekend in May and although I haven't been rostered to play, I’m still really excited to go as part of the team staff! I’ll almost definitely be asking for financial help because I’m so stretched at the moment, but more on that later.
I’ve also been really mentally unwell and I pulled a tendon in my finger. It still twinges a bit but I took the makeshift support off and it’s a lot better than it was.
I competed at Valentine’s Cup 6 in Bicester in the middle of Storm Dennis. I only played 2 out of 4 matches, because I re-injured my finger and I’d frankly just had enough of the weather, plus everywhere at home was flooded and I needed to get back while I still could.
Anyway, let’s talk about the products I’ve been really impressed with!
I ran out of my favourite matte foundation, the Nyx Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, and I’ve been drawn to more demi-matte and hydrating foundations lately, but when I visited Manchester and went to the big Primark I honestly couldn’t help myself, so I bought this for a fiver. It’s supposedly a dupe for Estee Lauder Double Wear but I haven’t tested that for myself, because Estee Lauder is not a cruelty-free brand and also it’s very expensive! There are hundreds of YouTube comparisons though so I don’t feel I’d have a lot to add if I did compare the two foundations.
For a fiver, the coverage is pretty good. I wish there was a pump, I had to hold the bottle upside down and shake which is messy and wastes a lot of product, but for the cost, I don’t really think I can complain. I’ve used higher end foundations that I’ve liked a lot less than this one. I prefer it to the Revolution Matte Base foundation.
As a bonus, it lasted the day through playing full-contact sports during Storm Dennis, which really wasn’t bad at all!
Jaclyn has been a bit of a controversial topic in the beauty community over the last year or so, but it seems to be a universal opinion that her original collaboration with Morphe has been one of the best collaborations ever.
I went into Boots in Fosse Park in Leicester and they have a teeny tiny Morphe stand, and curiosity got the better of me and I swatched some of the shimmers. I was surprised at how smooth and buttery they felt on my fingers and they looked really nice on my arm! I will definitely be buying this palette to add to my collection - I’ve been less crazy about purchasing literally everything lately so I feel justified that this one will add something I’m missing. I think I might look for a second hand one on Depop though, I’m very into recycling and reusing products at the moment!
I didn’t buy this, just to clarify. £25 for a concealer is a LOT of money.
My mum purchased something from IT Cosmetics a while back (Bye Bye Redness, she suffers with Lupus and with it comes what is known as a “butterfly rash” across the cheeks) but she’s having trouble getting on with it as it’s too dark for her, so we were looking in Boots to see if there was a different shade (there is, but it’s not sold in the UK), and I looked at the cult classic Bye Bye Under Eye and the sales assistant came over and told me it covered tattoos.
It did completely cover my tattoo on my wrist and my mum was shocked. I struggle with really thick concealers like this because I find it damages the delicate area under the eyes trying to blend it out, but if you don’t mind that, the coverage is insane.
This was another product in my box of goodies that I received for Christmas. Usually, I hate avocados, I can’t stand the taste of them but this product is not for eating, and it even says that on the box!
I desperately needed to exfoliate and couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed (I know, I’m such an inspirational human) and this was the nearest product for me to reach. I left it on for a few minutes before gently removing it with a face wipe and it really left my skin feeling smooth and lifted off all the lovely dead bits of skin that my foundation likes clinging to when I desperately need to exfoliate.
Here are some products I’ve been less impressed with this month:
This palette is discontinued now, but there are a few things I’d like to say regarding Urban Decay eyeshadows.
They’ve changed the formula of the shimmers and it’s a lot more difficult and messy to use now. I’m not sure what they’ve done exactly, but the shimmers in my Naked Reloaded palette look super messy compared to all my other Naked palettes. I prefer the old shimmer formula by far.
The matte formula now, in contrast to the above, is a lot better. That being said, for the price, there are other matte eyeshadow formulas out there that cost a lot less and are better quality. I don’t think I’ll be buying anymore Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes unless I’m really blown away by them.
The particular day I used the Naked Smoky palette was the day of really bad rain from Storm Ciara. I didn’t put foundation on because I wanted to get shade matched for the Stay Naked foundation, so there was no eye base under the shadows. I think this made them much more difficult to work with. They skipped over the skin, they refused to blend and my eyes were uneven, and even though I used setting spray, the rain made everything run.
This was probably not the fairest test for the palette, but I think the Naked 2 or Naked 3 would have performed better here. Next time I use the Naked Smoky I’ll use foundation, concealer and maybe even an eye primer before setting everything down with a blank shadow. I think with this particular formula, that’s a better way to get the best performance out of the palette.
Co-op Biodegradable Face Wipes
I know, I’m a terrible person for using face wipes. I know I need to cleanse and tone properly, but I’m also really lazy. My brother’s girlfriend (well now my future sister-in-law!) uses the Simple biodegradable wipes, but unfortunately Simple are not a cruelty free brand. I spotted these in the tiny Co-op near the Airbnb I stayed in for Valentine’s Cup, and they were only £1 so I decided to give them a go.
They smell bad, they feel horrible on the skin and they’re not that great at removing makeup. I won’t buy these again.
Also, I couldn't find them on the Co-op website so no picture I'm afraid!
I’ve had this one sitting in my drawer for a while and I decided to try it again. There’s nothing wrong with the product, it just doesn’t suit my skin. The lightest shade is Porcelain and it’s not right for me. When applied it looks too yellow for my neutral skin, but the next shade is too dark. It also just didn’t want to blend into my skin either, no matter if I used a sponge or a brush. I think I’ll be selling this on Depop! It’s a beautiful container but I’ve had better results with other foundations.
I was inspired by the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye so I decided to give this concealer another go. There are so many things that I just can’t get on with about this product, which is a huge shame because so many concealers crease on me it’s unreal.
The packaging - I struggle with gripping and squeezing things and this tube is like squeezing diamonds or something.
The formula - it’s a little too thick and doesn’t blend easily, even when warmed up between fingers. I feel like I’m damaging the delicate area under my eyes when I try to apply it because it takes so much work. It’s infused with hyaluronic acid but I still notice all the lines under my eyes when I use this.
Sorry, Revolution, I love you as a brand but this product is a no for me.
That just about covers February - sorry it's a little late!
Love, Effy x
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