Click and Make-Up Beauty Blog

Wednesday

Great Magazine Beauty Freebies & Ciate Bon Bon NOTD

Make up and beauty freebies for all readers are about the only thing that magazines still do better than blogs and this month there are quite a few fab finds on the mag racks and I'm bringing you a couple of my top picks.

Glamour continued its glorious association with Benefit which is shaping up to be an annual event and this year brought us pocket-sized BadGal Lash mascara, That Gal primer and the one we've all been waiting for - The Porefessional!

If you haven't grabbed yours yet move fast as the shelves are emptying out. I always find the mini BadGals to be a bit of a dud - while it's a full sized brush, the formulation is always pretty scarce and much drier than the full size. I personally don't find That Gal much use as I need a primer to stop rather than enhance my...er...natural glow.

The Porefessional is normally £23.50 for the full size 22ml which is for me is little eyewatering. However having tried out this mini version I'd definitely consider buying it when I run out as it really does mattify and smooth your skin, drastically reducing the appearance of gaping pores. I like it under liquid foundation but you can achieve totally passable skin with this and a swipe of something like MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural. If you've got an eye for a bargain, picking up 3 Glamour Mags will get you 22.5mls of the glorious substance for the handsomely cheap sum of £6. I've picked up about 7.

Marie Claire has bumped uglies with Ciate again to bring you two lovely shades, a lilac called Purple Sherbet and BonBon a taupey neutral the likes of which I cannot resist!

What beauty freebies did you nab this month?

Saturday

L'Oreal Eyes

L'Oreal Superliner Gel Intenza* (£8.99) comes in two shades Pure Black and Golden Black. The one I have here is Pure Black. It's intensely creamy and easy to work with, however I do think it's let down by the pigmentation. While the packaging is great and higher-end looking than MAC Fluidline, I was disappointed that it just doesn't give the same performance. It takes longer to set, the black is not as intense as I'd like and it's not as long wearing, despite claiming to be waterproof 24 hour wear. MAC Fluidline has never smudged on me and although it's £5 more, at the end of the day it's better value as it lasts forever. The brush it comes with is ok, might work for some but the line it creates is a little bit too thick for me - it's what I used to create the flick below.

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara* (£10.99) is a revelation from previous Telescopic incarnations. It's the best plastic wand I've tried. The images below were taken when the tube was just opened and my lashes look a bit clumpy, but once the formula dried up a little, the effect was much better. I used the tube religiously for about two months which speaks volumes as I normally reach for a different mascara every day. While I think it's a great mascara, I don't think it could be touted as a 'false lash' mascara as the effect is just not dramatic enough. It's a great day time, lengthening and separating formula containing 'micro stretch fibre technology featuring 1.2mm micro fibres'. Although it contains fibres it thankfully doesn't irritate my eye when wearing contacts.

L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim* (£6.49) this felt tip eyeliner is the pick of the set. It's super super fine so you can do the most delicate outer corner flicks or build it up for a more intense after dark look. It's incredibly easy to use and very durable. I had a similar pen from Rimmel which had dried up before I even got it back from the shop, but this little pen is going strong months later. It's a definite must-have if you're a liner gal.

Check out Boots as they currently have a buy one get one half off deal on L'Oreal products. Will you be picking any of these up?

Monday

Not Another 2012/Olympics Themed Product?! Sleek MakeUP 2012 Collection Glory iDivine

Oh yes, it's indeed another 2012/Olympics/Isn't Britain just great make up product. While we all like to get our patriotism on sometimes, the beauty world has gone just short of jingoistic in the past few months. It's a bit of a cash in, but I can't begrudge Sleek this new collection because they always bring out a few summer collections anyway and this one has been very well thought out.

This eyeshadow palette is a great mix of brights and neutrals and I've got my eye on 'District' - a beautiful shimmering emerald green for next St. Patrick's Day. I love the naming of the shades, Central Line is my morning ride but I doubt I'd ever let that crazy pillar box red anywhere near my eyes! As you'll see from the swatches below the left side of the palette seems less pigmented than the shades on the right. Notable mentions are Overground, Bakerloo (both shown below in all their glory), Jubilee, Northern, Picadilly and Victoria. Really wearable pretty shades.

Overall, there are some pretty shades in this palette that we've not seen from Sleek before, but I think the quality of the shadows overall is just a little below par compared to previous iDivine offerings. Mattes are always difficult, especially budget friendly ones, so I think they should have concentrated on shimmery shades if they can't deliver on them.

The 2012 Collection also comprises a rose bronzer called Honour (£4.49) and Pout Polish called Pride (£4.49) which from the press release looks like a peachy orange with gold shimmer. While still budget friendly, I notice prices are creeping up, and the Glory iDivine* comes in at £7.99 and will be available in Superdrug and online at www.sleekmakeup.com from 4th July (American Independence Day!) for a limited time only.

Are you tempted by this collection?

Saturday

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One B.B. Blemish Balm Cream

'Miracle Skin Perfector'...now guys, this is where it all goes wrong...who are they trying to kid? But if they *must* set themselves up for a fall then they must. I bought this 'BB cream' many moons ago, used it once, thought 'holy hell that is orange...and greasy' and promptly forgot about it. Early mornings and sweaty tubes have pushed me back to it as an alternative to moisturiser and I have softened towards it second time round now that the overblown claims have been forgotten.

While I'll admit most of my issues with this product come from the shade - in what universe is tangerine 'Light'?! - I really can't see that it is any more than a souped up tinted moisturiser. Certainly not a BB cream by the original Asian standards. The coverage is what you'd expect from a tinted moisturiser, as is the longevity. Not a great option for oily skin like mine which likes to be covered just a little bit more, but if you have relatively clear skin which is dry and you want a very natural look, then go for it. I can't say I've noticed it making my skin any more radiant (claims the Vitamin C does the trick) but I don't suffer with dullness - go me!

If curiosity gets the better of you Boots is selling it for £9.99 and always seems to have some sort of Garnier products deal going on. However if you're willing to spend a little more give Clinique's City Block Sheer SPF25 a whirl. Great sun protection, much lighter pale skin friendly shade and not as greasy.

Have you tried this Garnier BB cream? You like?