The Tools: ECO Foundation Buffing Brush... amongst others!

Brushes!!!
L-R: Origins Powder Foundation Brush; Dr Lewinns Foundation Brush, Real Techniques Buffing Brush, Hourglass Foundation Brush No.2, Bare Minerals Heavenly Face Brush, Bare Mineral Flawless Face Brush, ECO Tools Custom Coverage Buffing Brush, MAC Foundation Brush No.190, Daniel Sandler Base Brush

The arrival of a new foundation brush here at Beauty Passionista always results in little squeals of anticipation and delight. Is this the one that will give me that lusted-after airbrushed finish? Will I look like a supermodel if I use that one? Or is it going to shed hairs all over my face?

The Nails: Rimmel Salon PRO with Lycra

Waiting around for prescriptions in the little independent chemist on my high street is always dangerous. There's alway so much to discover, lots of little new brands and lots of the "drugstore" brands that we all know and love. I don't think I've ever left there without buying something little beauty bits that I obviously don't need, but patently must have!!

The Face: Love Story - Asian Skin + EX1: The Perfect Match

Hats off to some of the the bigger, mainstream brands who are trying (really hard) to cater for the darker skin tones, some which have already been featured here on the blog, and some of which will make an appearance soon. I'm lucky in that my Indian skin tone is dark, but not so dark that I can't find a match in the well-known brands. But if you still haven't found the perfect colour and formulation, perhaps your skin has been waiting for EX1 Cosmetics without even really knowing it. But wait no longer, your (sub-concious) dream may well have come true.

The Lips: MAC RiRi Woo Limited Edition Lipstick

Now, I'm not normally one to fall for the hype, but for this lippie, I was prepared to make an exception! The long-awaited collaboration between MAC and the phenomena that is Rihanna finally came to pass, with the launch of RiRi Woo, a take on the classic Ruby Woo lipstick that just about everyone (except me!) has in their makeup bag. So when I heard it went on sale online, I was faster than lightening in placing my order, and hoorah! it arrived today!

Riri Woo is slightly deeper, slightly bluer and super-easy to wear. It's very matte, and almost goes on without you actually realising that there is anything transferring onto the lips. But as you'd expect, the colour payoff is amazing and so is the wear - it's managed to stay put through lunch and copious cups of tea with no visible wear-off. Although it's matte, the shade manages to make the face light up. If I'd known it was arriving today, I would have made doubly sure to moisturise my lips last night - this formula has no moisture (that you can feel, anyway) so it makes sense to hydrate and condition your lips as much as possible before you apply (wiping away any excess, otherwise you miss out on the matte look of the lipstick).

For some inexplicable reason I don't have Ruby Woo, but I think this one suits me better, so I'll stick to this shade - shame it's a Limited Edition though, wish I'd ordered a couple more!

xXx

P.S. in these photos, I'm also wearing EX1 Foundation (post coming coming soon), OCC Conceal (link to post here) and Lancome Liner Plume (post here) and Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara (post here)

The Spending Spree: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

While I wait patiently (oh so patiently) for summer to arrive, for the sun to give me that fresh, radiant skin, to even out my skin tone and poof! erase any blemishes, the hunt for the perfect concealer continues. I've scraped and scraped my ever-faithful Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer right down to the bottom till the pan is shiny and squeaky clean; now even I have to admit it's time to buy (yet another) new one.

But before I went out and bought another miracle worker in Golden, I thought, hey, maybe I should try something else... you know, just for the hell of it. What was there to lose? I could always go back to the  brilliance of Bobbi Brown if all else failed.

If I'm taking risks, I thought, why not go the whole hog and buy it online, unswatched and untried. So off I trotted (with my well-manicured fingers) to one of my favourite online beauty stores, Cult Beauty, to find what I needed. Just very name of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics drew me in, calling out to my very own obsessiveness. Before I knew it, I had two shades of Conceal, their self-explanatory concealer, sitting my online basket and with one click, winging their way over to my make-up bag.

And the verdict? I won't be buying my Bobbi Brown replacement just yet. Mixing the two shades (Y2 and Y3) gives the perfect shade for under the eyes, while Y3 on its own is perfect for covering up any blemishes daring to make an appearance elsewhere on the face. It's a more solid formulation than the Creamy Concealer, needing a little warming up on the fingertips before working it into the skin. Once on, it gives a satisfying level of coverage, dark circles disappear before (and under) my very eyes and the semi-matte finish gives the skin a luminousity and radiance that lights up my face and renders my Touch Eclat redundant. And thankfully, it has the decency to stay put until removed with a cleanser. I'm converted.

Sometimes, it pays to take a risk.

xXx