GELTOUCH LED Topcoat

As someone who perpetually struggles to get more than 3 days chip free wear out of nail polish, I was intrigued when offered the chance to try an LED Topcoat at a recent Debenhams Press Day. I had heard of DIY gel manicures before, but was intrigued because this one was different to the ones I was aware of. GelTouch LED Topcoat can be applied over ANY nail polish and gives up to 10 days chip free wear and is easy to remove, by buffing, soaking or peeling off.

GelTouch LED Topcoat Starter Kit



I was given the opportuinity to try this for myself at home, I received the GelTouch Starter Kit, which contains a cute compact LED lamp, the Gel Topcoat and some cleansing wipes. I started by applying my nail colour in the usual way, basecoat, 2 layers of colour and you have to let this completely dry before you can apply the top coat. Once the polish is dry I applied one layer of topcoat and cured this in the lamp for 60 seconds, cleaned off any sticky residue with the provided wipes and I was done. completely dry, shiny nails that should last up to 10 days, depending on how hard you are on your hands.

GelTouch Topcoat Starter Kit

I got about 5 days before a chip appeared, by the 6th day there was a little bit of tip wear, on the press day 2 coats of the Topcoat were applied, each layer cured for 60 seconds. So I think for future applications I will try this. I'm very happy with the GelTouch Topcoat, I like the fact that I can still use all of my many nail polishes and extend there wear in one very easy step, plus it's cheaper than getting gel nails done at the salon.

The Geltouch Starter Kit and the new Glitter Topcoats that launch for Chrsitmas will be available on Debenhams.com any day now. Have you tried any at home gel manicures?

Aallexxy's Foundation Files; black|Up Paris CC Cream

Foundation Files; This is where I test out different base products, from concealer to powder, tinted moisturiser and foundation etc, over a period of 7-14 days and post my findings. (Follow me on Instagram,Twitter and Bloglovin so you don't miss a post) So let’s get started!!!

First off some information about me; Skintype: Combination (leaning dry in winter and Oily in Summer). Shade Reference:in between MAC NC45-50/NW43. Undertones: Yellow/Neutral.

black|Up Paris CC Cream

Brand: black|Up Paris

Name: CC Cream

Coverage: Light - Light Medium

Shade: CC03 (Matches me best in the summer)

Swatch:

black|Up Paris CC Cream Swatch

What The brand says: Complexion Correcting Foundationblack|Up develops the 1st CC Cream targeting dark skin's specific needs : excess sebum, uneven skintone, unbalanced skin, lack of radiance, dark spots, more or less pigmented areas… This Complexion Correcting Foundation moisturizes, matifies, targets dark spots, blemishes, minimizes pores and unifies the complexion of African American skin tones. Its fluid texture offers a lightweight very natural finish.

Use as a makeup primer to hydrate and treat your skin while increasing makeup hold and offering a more even complexion.

5 shades suitable for all black and mixed skins.

Oil Free, Paraben Free, Fragrance Free.

SPF free formula. 100% no ashy finish guarantee because sun filters are made with white base ingredients that systematicaly turns grey on dark skins.

Wear time (with/without primer): This lasts well on me during the day with or withour primer, even on my combination skin and during the summer months. I can go all day without touching up, with only minimal shine coming through, usually around my nose, which is typical for me.

Price (ml): £27 for 30ml

Pros: Caters to darker skintones
Suitable for all skintypes
Can be used as a primer

Cons: A little pricey for a CC cream
Not all debenhams stores stock black|up Paris
Website doesn't list ingredients

Suitable Skin Types: All

Ingredients: None listed on the website

Oxidation: None

Any Other Information: The black|Up Paris CC cream claims to hydrate, mattify, reduce excess sebum, rebalance skin, minimise pores, boost radiance, unify skin tone and have a lightweight finish. My initial thought was how can something hydrate and mattify, but as you apply this CC cream it feels like a drink of water to the skin, without leaving skin shiny or greasy. CC04 runs more red in the undertone, so this maybe more suitable if that describes your skin tone. It's paraben, oil and fragrance free. It's available from debenhams.

Conclusion: If you have struggled to find a good CC cream in your shade, I can't recommend this highly enough, it has a good orange undertone that brightens and counteracts hyper-pigmentation on darker skintones, it's a great lightweight summer base.

*Rating: Love

*Ratings: Hate, Dislike, Like, Lust, Love

black|Up Paris CC Cream; Multi-Action Complexion Correcting Foundation!!!

I have heard of the brand black|Up Paris for a while, but this is the first product I've actually tried and I love it. I don't have many CC or BB creams, as there are not many that cater to darker skintones, as some can have quite a grey cast to them or just not run dark enough. I was actually in the market for a tinted moisturiser, a light weight base I could use daily, so popped into Debenhams on my lunch break and came across this.

The black|Up Paris CC cream claims to hydrate, mattify, reduce excess sebum, rebalance skin, minimise pores, boost radiance, unify skin tone and have a lightweight finish. My initial thought was how can something hydrate and mattify, but as you apply this CC cream it feels like a drink of water to the skin, without leaving skin shiny or greasy. It lasts well during the day with or withour primer, even on my combination skin in these warm sunny days we've been having I can go all day without touching up, with only minimal shine coming through. Usually around my nose, which is typical for me.

This gives light to light medium coverage, you won't be able to build it up much more than that, so perfect for what I was looking for. It's a great colour match for me, it has a great amount of orange in the undertone that is very flaterring on darker skin tones. CC04 runs more red in the undertone, so this maybe more suitable if that describes your skin tone.

The black|Up Paris CC cream comes in 5 shades, I have CC03 and it cost £27. It's paraben, oil and fragrance free.

Have you tried anything from this brand before?

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

Alex

Urban Decay's Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder!!!

Urban Decay have been rapidly expanding their Naked range, I picked up the Naked Skin ultra definition Powder from Debenhams website a while ago, and I have been absolutely loving it!!! It comes in 5 shades and I have the second to darkest shade in the range, medium dark, it smoothes out the skin perfectly and never looks powdery and cost £22.

Urban decay say the powder is a silky, weightless, finishing powder that blurs imperfections, sets make-up and controls shine while leaving a luminous demi-matte finish.

I agree with most of that, but if you are super oily you will still need to touch up during the day. I have been absolutely loving this powder, it smooths and plumps my skin, which is contrary for a powder and never looks cakey. I'm tempted to pick up the pressed version for touch ups on the go.

Have you tried this powder or anything from the naked range? Any recommendations of other products from the naked range? Have you tried the pressed version and do you like it?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex

Lancome Miracle Air De Teint foundation

The latest base release from Lancome comes in the form of this lightweight almost waterlike foundation, similar to others from the same company like Giorgio Armani and L'oreal, but with a better shade range available to UK consumers. I have shade 11 (I'm usually a shade 10, which isn't available in this formula), which is not as yellow based as I would like, however due to the light coverage it's forgivable.

Lancome claim the foundation is light as air with blurring technology that is weightless, for a translucent complexion (not sure what that means), that's matte while being radiant for the ultimate no make-up make-up look.

The formula is matte, while being glowy and controls oil well, although extremely oily girls may still need to touch up during the day. The foundation is lightweight, with light to medium coverage, so extra concealer maybe required. I have enjoyed using this foundation, it gives the kinda coverage I like for day-to-day use, I think I'll really enjoy using this during the warmer months.

• Have you tried this foundation yet? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for visiting the blog today.

Alex.

Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette on darker skin!!!

By now everyone and their dog has heard about Urban Decay's latest addition to the Naked range, I don't own any of the other products in the naked range, but something about this was calling to me and I answered lol!!! It contains 12 all new rose hued shades, a double ended brush and 7 day samples of 4 eye primers for £37. I ordered mine from Debenhams.com, you have all probably read about this palette, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

No Flash

Top row: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit. Middle row: Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Liar. Bottom row: Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, Blackheart.

NO Flash

 

Flash

 

Flash

 

I'm still playing around with this palette, but so far I'm loving it, I've done a natural daytime look so far, which I posted on instagram (aallexxy). I want to do a night time look using blackheart as the main colour, for a really dramatic smokey eye, if I do I'll post the results on instagram.

 

Have you succumbed and bought this palette? What's your thoughts? If you didn't get it why not?

 

 

Thanks for visiting the blog today

 

Alex

 

Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ Facial Oil

So last month I applied on facebook, (for the upteenth time lol), to be a beauty club VIP and get to receive and review a product. I got the Trilogy Rosehip Antioxidant+ facial oil, to be honest prior to this I had never heard of the brand Trilogy, and had not fallen prey to the trend of facial oils. Trilogy was founded by 2 sisters in New Zealand, they extract the purest most potent oil from rosehip seeds, they pride themselves on producing ethical, high performance natural skincare that works.

This 30ml bottle cost £26.50 on the debenhams website, it contains a carefully selected blend of oils including rosehip seed oil, tomato seed oil, cranberry seed oil, and acai fruit oil. This combines to make the rosapene formula, bringing together these natural restorative and protective properties in one bottle. It claims to brighten and even the skintone, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and improve elasticity and firmness when used twice daily for 8 weeks.

It's a gorgeous golden coloured oil, delivered through a pipette dropper attached to the lid, it smells a little of cod liver oil. The oil is absorbed easily into the skin, 2-3 drops is enough, if you apply too much then you will feel a little greasy, but this can be easily resolved by blotting with a tissue (learnt the hard way lol). I love applying this to my face, neck and decolletage area after cleansing in the evening, my face feels soft, smooth and hydrated.

Sans make-up (apologies) right after applying the oil

I've really enjoyed using this oil, and will definitely be investing in other products from the brand. If you're looking for a natural skincare brand that delivers results, then Trilogy is a safe bet.

Have you tried any products from the brand?

Thanks for visiting the blog today

Alex