Garnier Goodies: Youthful Radiance and Tinted Eye Roll-On

A few weeks ago I gave into the raves and went hunting for the Garnier Caffeine Anti-dark Circles 2 in 1 Tinted Eye Roll-on.  I should have known better but I never learn...drugstore 'fair skin tone' descriptions are not talking about your MAC NC 10 -15 types of fair tones, more like NC20-25.  Which in my opinion, is not fair!

Faring better is the Youthful Radiance Night cream, which has a bit of a gel consistency to it.  This I'm in love with as it's not to greasy and heavy on my oily skin and doesn't irritate my skin or around my eyes in the slightest despite containing caffeine and fruit acids.  It smells divine, a fresh fruit zing that I want to lick.

After the first roll I knew the tint was far to dark for my undereye, but I must say it is extremely soothing and refreshing to apply. Now that I'm getting on a bit in the morning my eyes feel and look like two pissholes in the snow (thanks Frank McCourt!) so it's really nice to smooth on. I prefer the feeling of the tinted one to the original un-tinted one, it just feels cooler for some reason. If you can be bothered store it in the fridge and it will be even cooler and this will help reduce puffiness and vasoconstrict the blood vessels to reduce the appearance of dark circles.

It goes on kind of light but then...

...it dries to this and it's Oompa Loompa time :( 

I can get away with it if I cover the yellowness up with a lighter concealer, like Sleek's Luminaire in L01 or my MAC Studio Fix NC15.  But it just adds another step to my already fraught morning routine.  

However, if you are NC/NW20-25 I highly recommend this as the coverage is pretty darn good considering the thin consistency.  If you have fine lines around your eyes you may also prefer this to a heavier concealer which would settle into them.

 

I got both these Garnier goodies for around £12 in a Boots deal, can't see online if it's still on, but it was one of those they regularly run. I probably wouldn't have bought the night cream if not for the offer, but am very glad I did.

Enter my Sleek LE Mediterranean Collection giveaway here.

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Sleek MakeUP Luminaire Highlighting Concealer

Luminaire, Sleek MakeUP's answer to YSL's infamous Touche Eclat highlighter pen launches on 11th May. I've tried a whole range of these pens - YSL, Lacura, No7, Bourjois and while these are great for a highlighting effect over concealer, I don't tend to use them on their own. Luminaire is slightly more pigmented so you can actually get away with using it as a concealer too, which for £6.49 is great value!

Luminaire brightens dark circles (I get particularly blue ones!), conceals blemishes (I use it on the redness around my nose and on my chin) and fades out other minor imperfections.  It also adds radiance along your cheekbones, can slim your nose with a thin line down the middle and can contour your lips for a more defined look and patted over cupid's bow creates the illusion of a fuller pout.

I love the functional and pen applicator, while the product remains hygienic without exposure to air or fingers, I wouldn't be too happy to dot the brush over spots and then reuse it, so if you do need to cover blemishes I would click a bit of the product onto a clean finger and pat over the offending area.  I keep it in my handbag make up bag to keep my under eye area radiant on the go.

  

  It comes in 5 shades and I have the lightest - L01, which is an excellent match for my pale skin.

Under eye without Luminaire

The applicator brush didn't do all of the blending as the product has quite a dry formulation - denser than its more expensive counterparts - you need to pat it in with a finger.  I would also make sure to use a moisturising under eye cream before application.

With Luminaire 

Luminaire launches as a permanent line on 11th May in Superdrug stores and online.

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Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Foundation Review & FOTD

A little while ago the lovely Lauren from lovelaughlauren requested I review Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Foundation after I used it in a FOTN post.  It's my favourite heavy coverage drugstore foundation.    

Pros:

• Flawless coverage.  For some the thickness of this foundation may be a downside, but when you need some serious coverage and don't want to see one single freckle peaking through (like if I'm going for a vintage look with a strong red lip and winged liner and want a flawless complexion) this is your foundation.
• For pale skin, it's the best budget foundation I've come across.
• It is very blendable but does set after a few minutes.
• Following on from this, it does last a good 8-10 hours before it needs a touch up, but I've had it on more than 16 hours sometimes and it's still passable and hasn't melted off.  However I have very oily skin and I do start to look dewy after a few hours and especially in hot weather.  However this is easily remedied by a blotting sheet (I love e.l.f's) and you can powder over it without making it look cake-y.
• Fabulous value for money, it's normally priced at £5.99 but I picked up mine during an offer for £3.99.
• It's oil-free and not scented.
• It's SPF 20 is the highest I've come across in a drugstore foundation.
• Pump-action bottle is extremely convenient and I like the fact it's in a glass bottle.  MAC need to cop on and provide pumps with their foundations that don't already have them.

Cons:

• As always, I would prefer if Collection 2000 produced a wider range of shades.  Vanilla is about as light as it gets when it comes to drugstore foundation brands.
• Because it is such a long wear foundation it's a bit of a mission to remove and you really wouldn't want to sleep in it.
• It does transfer to your boyfriend's shirt when you go in for a hug!
• This isn't really a con as I've had it for ages and all other foundations do the same, but it has oxidised slightly which means it's taken on a more orange tone.  But if you use it consistently and finish the bottle in a few months, there wouldn't be any problems with oxidation.

Here's a FOTD that I didn't specifically do to showcase the foundation, I think it was for an eye look, but I can't even remember what eyeshadows I used now, but it does show what Lasting Finish a light application is like, you can get heavier coverage by building it.

I'd definitely repurchase this foundation, but I'm also keen to try Collection 2000's new Perfect Finish foundation which has a lighter consistency.

Have you tried any Collection 2000 foundations?