Tuesday 29 March 2011

Une Beauty Products

what actually is Une?
“..introducing a New Make-up Brand, a brand that respects the skin and the planet!… A new definition of beauty which aims for 100% natural formulas where possible and organic ingredients to create healthy, more environmentally-friendly products.”


sounds good right?   right!


I decided en route to college to pick up some of the Une products in the skin range. So i stumbled upon the following;


Left to right...
HO1 - healthy glow mineral powder
BO2 - breezy cheeks blush
HO1 - healthy glow enhancer


(I dont use the blusher, ive tried it for testing but it was a freebie in the Boots offer back in Feb and personally i dont need blusher!)


The mineral powder and the breezy cheeks
So lets have a look at the 2 shades. Une dont actually have shade names just the codes, H01 being the palest they actually have in stores currently;


As you can tell the ho1 is incredibly pale, which because of my complexion suits me perfectly when i need to use it. It goes over any of my foundations smoothly and quickly, my applicator picks up the power effortlessly and it actually stays put for a considerable amount of time. Ive even been able to use the mineral powder as an eyeshadow by layering it a few times. Saves buying cream eyeshadow!
The blusher, this goes from a powdery liquid form into a creamy blush that goes on over everything, i did have to be careful about how much i put on though, the colour comes off quite strong even with just using a finger to apply it.
The size of the ho1 was good for a mineral powder, and ill admit the mirror is pretty handy.
the Actual products are surprisingly hard wearing, and considering what its made of and the reason behind it, for it to work as well as it does came as a surprise to me.


Healthy glow enhancer in Ho1
This was the product i was most sceptical about, could it actually make a difference to the appearance of my skin?
the actual tube is quite big, should be for the price. but the colour on the lid didnt exactly match the actual colour very well at all. it looked very orange when i first opened the tube!
however. if you look at it on my skin;
 It came off quite pale and pinky, which would match the tone of my complexion better.
when i put it on the consistency feels thick and a bit weighty, but once youve blended it out, or put it into your foundation as a mix, it does go on a lot better.
You cant tell by the pictures but theres definitely a pearly shimmer in the mix, just to reflect the light from your face a little better. 
You do have to be careful of how much you add though, excessive use can make your face look a little rubbery and feel pasty. which for those of us who enjoy weightless feel, this really might not be right for you. 
The actual product did make my face look brighter especially at the sides and over my cheekbones, so i wasnt totally disappointed. 


Packaging
As ill mention below, the actual packaging is nice, but, really rather bland. the displays consistently say Une, the boxes are mirrored (which can be taken out and the plastic recycled) and basically feel quite plastic and well. cheap feeling. However i suppose the eco friendly side will mean less is more, and the more natural looking the packaging is, the better the message gets across. I think?!
I would like to add my blusher, the day after i bought it for some reason the slide up lid snapped on the inside, it still works but its slightly wonky now and wont fix. so the actual quality is rather poor. i have no clue how it managed to break in my bag...


cost
for a brand which really doesnt look at all that exciting from the shelf youd expect the prices to be lower than they are. I was surprised when i first noticed, but the offer to get the breezy cheeks tempted me into it.
the prices i paid were as follows;


Mineral Powder - £14.49
Healthy glow mix - £9.99
Breezy cheeks - £8.99 (offer made this free)


I dont think the prices truly reflect the quality of the product, theyre pricey for what they are, but i think the eco warriors of today will appreciate the meaning of organic and healthy a lot more than i will so i doubt ill be buying again.


Max Factor Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint Review

Long lasting lip colour!
Or so i thought....


some of you may have tried this too, just my own personal opinion on the way this works.
When this was introduced to me i got very very excited! being the kind of girl that hates having to reapply lipgloss over and over to keep my lips looking colourful, finally i was wanting something to rival other pens that just didnt do it for me before.


I personally bought the 06 colour, the most red, royal plum. When i first tried this out i tested it on my hand, i was impressed with how well the colour stayed put on my skin no matter how much i tried to remove it, several wipes later and a heck of a lot of rubbing it actually came off. I bought it, took it home and decided to have a practise run, it took about 2 minutes to dry but because of the tip, and i have full lips, the actual colour did not look blended whatsoever, making it look lined and really rather rubbish!
of course, i had to take it off, which took a good while then decided to reapply.
The second time went better once i got used to the consistency and the fine tip, however, this time to make it blend i applied more which well.... spent more time on my teeth than anywhere else!
and truth be told, it doesnt taste as nice as it looks.

Application
Application did get easier as i kept trying, you get used to the pen and how to get the best out of it, so for usability its definitely got potential. When you actually get down to using it, if anything the liquid is too well... liquidy! hence why by adding enough to make it look alright on my lips, some did get onto my teeth.
Here is an example of it on the back of my hand with one stroke.


Packaging 
the packaging is probably as you'd expect from max factor, the logo, what the product is called and a casing that tries to match the colour of the product. They did well to keep it in the same style as most of the other products in the newer range. definitely didn't disappoint though being a mid range brand.


Cost
The lip pen itself cost £7.99 when i bought it, however there was a deal on for 3 for 2 when i did, so the actual item i used was free. I wouldnt myself pay that much for a lip pen which quite frankly i found difficult to use and wouldnt be a throw on and go piece of kit. With a bit more time im sure it will come right. The one thing i do know is 2 months in it still hasnt run out! which for a pen is pretty impressive. One of the only things that i personally found to be a good reason to buy.


Sorry guys, my opinion but the Lip tint just isnt winning for me!
has anybody else had more luck?



Poppy King for No7 Review



My most recent trip to boots was successful in the way that i got my very own introduction to the range of Poppy King for No7, a series of 7 lipsticks and 7 matching glosses for dress up and dress down wear, in fab shades to bring out the best personality!
I purchased the Number 3 glamour lipstick and gloss as a trial run, personally i dont normally go for pink shades, i usually go for scarlet to match my ginger/orange hair and my green eyes. However the glamour shade appealed to me and ive decided to give them  a fair trial run. 
Ive not been able to take the stuff off ever since!
The glamour shade is amazingly gorgeous and looks good with any outfit you wear.
Number 3; the glamour shade
Lipstick
For a pink shade of lipstick the glamour is highly pigmented, the colour goes on smooth, creamy and leaves an even layer for a base coat, reapply a second for a more intense/dramatic colour. This shade would be amazing for colour blocking with outfits, the picture above is slightly off shade to the actual colour.
I wasnt holding my breath when i first tried this, pink doesnt normally cover my bright red lips so i was very sceptical about the results and how it would last over the day. 
However i was surprised. very very surprised. the colour went on and covered my lips, but blended out towards the inside to make the change to my normal lip colour more subtle, which looked great. I drank, ate and played with my lips to try and test the wearing of the lipstick but it still looked fab after consistently trying to rid of it. Again, when i thought about the gloss, i wasnt exactly sure how it would go over the top of the lipstick, but this surprised me yet again. 
The pigment in the lipstick really shouted out and my lips were fantastic pink! and if anything it was sealed in a lot longer!
The lipstick on its own is great for in the day use, wearing with anything but being able to add more layers to intensify the colour is a fab bonus.

Lipgloss
The lipgloss i was concerned about, youre conventional lipgloss is normally sticky and doesnt last long, especially after eating and drinking and generally wearing it without having to re-apply.
Application is smooth, the lacquer goes on fab and blends well over the lips, not leaving streaky marks or looking patchy. 
On its own the colour is not as intense, and it doesnt appear to last as long as being twinned with the lipstick, so having both is the ideal scenario but the cost may be an issue for some. I'll get onto the cost shortly. 
Still, overall as a lipgloss i cannot stress how long wearing it really is, the current application i have on now has lasted me for nearly 3 and a half hours now still going strong.
Over the lipstick the colour really blossoms, the gloss is a huge asset to the lipstick, making the colour more intense, pink, glossy, high shine and comfortable to wear aswell as acting like a seal over your lips. A bit like a glossy topcoat.

Cost
The lipstick is significantly smaller than youre average conventional size, and with the price tag of £12, some may be a little put off, especially when there are others on the market cheaper, with alleged miracle results. To say if its worth the money? I cannot answer that for you, it depends on your personal budget and if you want to try these out for yourself. The lipgloss is £11, so overall for the set its £23. A little steep but personally for me, to get the colour results i have, im impressed and they have both become a handbag essential. Aswell, being No7, offers such as spending over £22 and you get a free gift worth £__ ex amount, you qualify for these! the current one was the spring collection bag which is still in store now.

Packaging
The main style of the packaging is the colour, which range from pastel sage green to quite intense corals and electric blues, all complete with what i can only presume is like vintage inspired spots covering the box.
The box itself is well presented, wouldve been a nice idea to have something alittle like the benefit packaging but it works all the same. 
Boxes for both the Lipstick and the Lipgloss are corresponding, so you know which ones match. (however, id still check inside both boxes before purchase to make sure theyre the correct ones!)
Im glad the lipstick isnt covered in spots, the actual casing looks smart with the No7 logo on the outside, pearly purple/sliver in colour and then poppy king written on the inside, looking chic and stylish.
Lipgloss follows the same colour, silver/purple but has the spots on the applicator lid to match the box, with poppy king written along the clear casing. The gloss does look alittle childish in comparison to the Lipstick but both are well presented for a mid range makeup collection.

And overall....
Overall id say the poppy king for No7 range is worth a try, the 7 shades will cover any lip colour, hair colour or complexion so im sure there would be a colour to suit. The Lipstick is my personal favourite and im tempted to buy the history set when i next travel to boots to test out the vibrant red of the group.
Well done to poppy king for releasing such a wonderful collection!
Just wish there was a plum colour to add in....

Before i go, heres 2 colour comparison swatches for the lipstick and the gloss, to see how they match.

 Liptick - Glamour.

    Lipgloss - Glamour.


Wearing my Lipstick and Lipgloss
o_O <3


Visit the Boots No7 Poppy King site to order online