My Favourite Highstreet Primers

Left: Rimmel Fix and Perfect

Right: L'oreal Studio Effects

Applying a good primer is the first step in my daily make-up routine and I find it so important to give a good base to apply my foundation. My ideal primer is one that can smooth the appearance of my pores, increase the staying power of my foundation and give a soft polished finish.

Initially, I was surprised at the size of the L'oreal Studio Effects soothing resurfacing primer, and for the large price tag of £14.29 for a small 15ml I didn't think I was getting much for my money. Having said that, a little of this product goes a long way! I find I only need a small amount to cover the necessary areas of my face - I usually apply this on my T-Zone, and on the top of my cheeks where I have a few larger pores. The consistency of this product is really different to a lot of other primers, including the Rimmel Fix and Perfect, but I love it. As you can see from the picture, the L'oreal product is much less liquid, and has more of a mousse consistency whereas the Rimmel one is more like a daily moisturizer. It makes my skin feel velvety and soft, and gives a perfect base to apply foundation. L'oreal say "the combination of soft, light powders gives a matte look and a silky finish" and I would definitely agree! It really does make my make up last all day and the matte finish means I don't have to use a powder which is great.

The Rimmer Fix and Perfect primer is priced at a more affordable £6.99 and is double the amount of product than L'oreal. Rimmel state that this primer gives 5 in 1 results as it smoothes, resurfaces, brightens, mattifies and protects the skin. I find that it does help my foundation last that little bit longer, but compared to the L'oreal primer, it doesn't minimise my pores and it doesn't give much of a matte or brighter finish. On the plus side, it is quite light-weight and feels a lot more mousturising than the L'oreal studio effects primer.

I would recommend Rimmel if you are looking for a cheaper primer because for the money you can't really go wrong! If you are looking to reduce the appearance of pores I would go for the L'oreal primer as I find the effects similar to Benefit Porefessional and it does work wonders. I also think that for the price it is a perfect mid range primer and I agree with all of the claims made by the product, which can't be said for Rimmel. I am currently switching between these products, both prolong the wear of my foundation, but on the days I feel I need a bit of added moisturizer, I go for the Rimmel primer and when I want to minimise my pores and provide a perfect smooth foundation base I go for the L'oreal.

What primer do you use? Are there any other good highstreet primers that you would recommend?

My Daily Make-up Essentials!

 Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer in shade 51, Rimmel Exxagrate Liquid Eye Liner, Bourjois Extreme Clubbing Mascara, Dior Forever Foundation, MAC Lipstick in shade Creme Cup, Clinique Loose Powder, L'oreal Studio Effects Primer, MAC Eyebrow Pencil in shade Lingering, Benefit High Brow, MAC Blush in shade Fleur Power, Laura Mercier Secret Camoflage Concealer, Urban Decay Naked2.

I love having a few select products which I go back to on a daily basis. I am always one for trying new products, but each time I do, I end up going back to the same selection. For the price, I find these the best products for me. 

I love the Bourjois Bronzer and think the shade is perfect for my face for both winter and summer as its not shimmery, which I like, but also adds that little bit of extra radiance! I use liquid eye liner on a daily basis and I much prefer this to gel liners. I love the brush on this product, the colour lasts all day on my eyes and doesn't run out quickly at all! For mascaras, I love so many high end versions but, with saving money in mind,  for the price this one by Bourjois matches up most closely to the likes of YSL and Dior, which I also love. I sometimes find this a little too thick so I use a mascara like L'oreal Million Lashes to separate my lashes a bit. I posted about this Dior foundation when I first got it a couple of months ago and I still abolutely love it! You can see my review of this here. I have also posted about the MAC lipstick. This has crept its way into my daily routine as I find it so easy to use and the light colour is perfect for everyday use whilst being quite moisturizing for my lips.  You can see my first review here.

I love using this loose powder by Clinique. It gives me a light and matte look but doesn't make my face look to make-up heavy. My two favourite brow products are the MAC pencil in the shade lingering,  and the Benefit High Brow. I have posted about the pencil here. The Urban Decay palette is quite new to me but I really like the shade range and it is perfect for daytime. My ultimate beauty must have, and one I could not live without is  my Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage concealer in the shade SC-3. I will be posting about this soon and you can see how much I love it and why!

What are your daily make-up essentials? Have you tried any of these products?

My Favourite Spring Nail Varnishes

Following my last post on my favourite fashion pieces in the shops this spring, I thought I would show my most loved nail polishes this season!

 I love this coral colour from Rimmel and the more I wear it the more I love it! Initially, I wanted a more pastel peach colour but I went for this instead. The colour is apricot punch, and it has a fruity smell once its dried, which I have to say, I find really odd but doesn't take away from the lovely spring colour!

 My next favourite is this pale lavender colour from Nails Inc. There are loads of lovely pastel colours from Nails Inc. but this is one of my favourites. There are also a few lovely ones from the new Revlon range.

Finally, these Chanel spring colours are on my nail varnish wish list - if only I could afford to get my hands on them! Out of the three, my number one choice has to be the pastel peach - I am really loving this colour at the moment.

What do you think? What are your favourite nail colours for this season?