Review: Laura Mercier Under Eye Perfecter

My sleeping patterns have never been what would be considered 'normal', and dark circles have always been a concern. But until I started reading blogs, I hadn't really considered using a corrector, as well as a concealer; I think I always assumed they were the same thing. Bloody good job I've got all you other bloggers out there to educate me! I've tried the Bobbi Brown Corrector (although never owned it) and it is great stuff, but I guess I was just drawn into trying something new- and hadn't read too much about Laura Mercier's offerings.

The Under Eye Perfecter comes in only 2 shades; orange/yellow and mauve/rose which are supposedly formulated to suit a range of skin tones. The very lovely and helpful salesgirls told me that the mauve/rose are for darker skinned ladies, and although the orange/yellow looks ridiculously scary in the pot (and under the eyes for that matter) it really disappears and works its magic when applied under concealer.

Unlike the BB corrector, this is not creamy at all, and it's actually why I've enjoyed using it more. It's solid, so all you do is gently press your finger into the pot to slightly melt the product and use a dabbing action to cover the dark circles. The teeeeniest bit goes really far, and I think will end up lastly much longer than the BB equivalent- it is priced at £1.50 more, but you also get an extra 0.3grams.

So does it actually work? YES! I am really really impressed with this product, and really happy as I didn't get on well with my LM primer at all, or maybe it just didn't get on with my foundation? Anyway,  I digress... I just went to double check the size and saw a couple reviews saying that they found it worked even better when mixed in with the concealer on the back of the hand before applying, I haven't tried that but I definitely will. You do need to make sure you dab and blend out well, otherwise I found there can be a little creasing but when applied properly I didn't notice any at all. I use my MAC Pro Longwear concealer on top and don't powder. I was semi tempted to pick up the Secret Brightening Powder as well, but I'm glad I didn't as I'm not sure how much difference it actually made, and when I got in my car and looked in my visor mirror, I saw I was sparkling as if I'd whacked a bit of glitter under my eyes...errr, no thanks!

The Perfecter costs £18.50 and is available from House of Fraser or Space NK.

Has anyone else tried this correcter? What did you think?

Nic xxx

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January Empties

My empties have been appalling the last two months, but I'm hoping my make-up resolutions this year will mean I'll have a lot more. I'm going to do a monthly empties post, so it can help me finishing stuff up and I hope it means I really figure out the stuff I LOVE and would definitely rebuy, so I stop making random, unnecessary purchases. 

1. Xen-Tan Dark Lotion Fake Tan £18.99

I, like so many others, love this lotion. I bought this bottle back in May and it's only just finished.  The tan last well on my skin, and I tend to apply every ten days or so. I have a medium olive skintone naturally,  Xen-Tan gives me a really nice subtle bit of colour which helps give a bit of confidence boost, and I adore the marzipan smell. My only negative is when I'm going out, or during the summer I have to apply two layers; one layer tends to give me a natural colour, but two makes it more obvious I'm tanned, and even then the colour is so natural. LOVE. I would love to try the Absolute Luxe but not sure I can justify the extra £10 or so! 

Rebuy? Definitely, once I use up the others in my collection. Best place to buy it is at Feel Unique here.

2.Liz Earle Cleanse&Polish 100ml £13.75 here

This is my third bottle, and although I love how it's smooth rich feel, and how clean my skin is afterwards I'm just not WOWED like so many others seem to me. I am going to try and see if I find anything else, and the lack of improvement on my skin is more than likely to my pill, so maybe I would see the benefits if I went back to it.

Rebuy? Possibly in the future, if I don't find anything else that gives me the same fresh feeling, while leaving my skin feeling supple. But I do think it's quite pricey for 100ml of product only.

3. MAC Fix+ Spray £12.50 here

Bought this in August and I've only just finished it. I owned Fix+ a couple years ago and really enjoyed it, not sure why I never repurchased it. But I'm very happy it's back in my life. Makes a great setting spray, and love a little spritz during long days to keep my make up looking fresh. It also comes in handy when you've got a little overboard with the powder, really stops you looking unnaturally matte. Works great for foiling eyeshadows as well.

Rebuy? Yep, although I was tempted with the Urban Decay spray, I decided to stick with what I knew best and rebought it on the weekend. It's great value for money, as it's lasted me since August, and I used about 5 sprays (at least!) a day.

4. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Natural £17.00 here

I technically finished this in November, but I had the teeniest bit left that I managed to scrap out last week. I've had it for about 9 months, but constantely found myself reaching for other concealers, especially since getting my MAC Pro Longwear.  I think the main problem was I didn't find it long wearing enough. It also creased under my eyes,  so I ended up using it more as a corrector, layering my other concealers over it.

Rebuy? Unfortunately, no.

If you'd like a fuller review of anything mentioned, or have any other questions please let me know!

Nic xxx

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My Week Without MAC

Hi girls, please be warned this is a bit of long one!

Having decided I rely waaaay to much on my MAC products, I avoided using any for the whole of last week. My self imposed rules meant where I would usually grab a MAC product, I had to go for an alternative. Foundation and concealer have been excluded as my Studio Fix is the only thing with enough coverage and the right colour match at the moment.

So here's what I've been wearing:

Not included in the photo are my standard eyeliner & mascara which I don't have alternatives for, and obviously my foundation & concealer. Looks so pathetic without them!

Eyes

Urban Decay 'Naked Palette'

Sin.Naked.Sidecar.Buck.              Sin. Naked. Buck

I didn't use Sidecar because the fall out is something stupid, which is frustrating as the shimmer is so lovely. So, I just stuck to the three on the right hand side of the photo. Using Sin with Naked blended into the crease for a bit of definition during the day; sometimes opting for a smudged eyeliner along upper lashline. Saturday night I went out, so I added Buck to create a darker smokey eye and used my Collection 2000 felt liner. I've also been using Primer Potion that came with the palette instead of my MAC PP.

Cheeks

Illamasqua 'Laid' Cream Blush      Benefit 'Coralista' Blush

I've been alternating between these two blushes. Coralista is just over a month old and I've really been enjoying it. Love the soft peachy shimmer.  Laid, I'm ashamed to say, has been in my collection since July and I hadn't used it once! So it was nice to have a play with it. Yes, it does looks scary and very bubble gum pink the pan, but using my Sigma F55 Duo Fiber Stippling Brush, helps avoid being too heavy handing and applies a light flush of health colour. Using fingers works well too, but I prefer the brush.

 Highlighter

Bobbi Brown 'Bronze' Shimmer Brick

I have really fallen in love with my MAC highlighters,  but this week I discoverd how gorgeous the Shimmer Brick is. I've been using the top two colours as a highlighter,  I just rub my fingers over both the colours and then blend into the top of my cheek bones. I only acquired it recently when my mom said she didn't use it anymore so I could have it. And absolutely love it. One day, I just gave my F55 a light swirl over all the colours and used it as a light shimmer blush, as the bronze tones work really well with my skin tone without being too in your face.

Lips

sticking to the highstreet

 
No 17 Mirror Shine On 'Beehive / Topshop Lipstick 'Coy'/ Avon 'Pout'

Beehive has been my go-to lipstick all week. It's gorgeously glossy without being sticky, and adds a slight hint of colour. I've had it for 4 months now and I'm nearly finished.  I feel less guilty wearing highstreet lipsticks during the day, saving my higher end for the evenings. 

I reserved Coy for my one night out and had to use it with Carmex otherwise I found it too drying. Gorgeous colour and I got a few compliments on it. I know it's a really spring/summer colour but I finally found it the other week after searching all summer for it, and couldn't resist.

As mentioned in my Avon Haul post, Pout is one of my go-to lipsticks during the day. In the bullets Beehive and Pout look really similar, but Pout has a better colour payoff, and is more of a creamy peachy/nude.

So, you can see I kept it pretty simply. I hardly ventured out apart from a few lectures and then out on Saturday. It was nice to reduce the amount of make up to choose from, so it really helped minimise my getting ready time, and that was actually really refreshing. Might have to start shopping my stash a bit more, I do feel guilty about the amount of make up I hardly touch.

I've really been enjoying The Sunday Girl's Sunday Shopping the Stash feature, and really motivated me to do my MAC free week.  It really helps rotating your make up and avoiding getting stuck in a rut (like moi!).

Phew! If you managed to get through all that I've very impressed. Thanks so much for reading. Please share your shopping the stash posts as well!

Nic xxx

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