Product Review - Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer

Hello my lovelies! Well, you may remember me saying a few months ago that I couldn't get my hands on this eye primer for love nor money. So you'll be pleased to hear that this is available individually at Boots stores but as it had sold out in my local Boots I managed to get hold of it in the Eye Shadow Insurance Policy kit at Debenhams. This includes an excellent eye shadow palette but that's for another juicy instalment for another day ; )

This post today will be looking at the eyeshadow primer and whether it's a fine enough match to Urban Decay's legendary Primer Potion that thousands of you all know and love! With that in mind, below is Too Faced's introduction to their Shadow Insurance primer...

Your full-coverage insurance policy against all fading, creasing, melting, blurring, oil-slicked and hard-to-blend eye shadow accidents. Our silicone-based eye shadow primer transforms any eye shadow into a perfectly blendable color-drenched intensified version of itself then locks it down perfectly until you take it off. Our skin soothing formula evens out the skin tone on your lids and smoothes out lines while it secures a barrier between the oils of your skin and your makeup so no shadow catastrophes will ever happen again.

Secures against fading, creasing, melting, blurring, oily lids and hard-to-blend eye shadows?

Yes to all of the above! This primer is just as good as the Urban Decay primer at preventing fading eye shadows, stopping them from hiding in the creases in the eye and combatting the oil in the skin from dissolving the eye makeup. Eye shadows are also equally easy to blend when you apply them over the top of this primer, I am quite used to blending shadows on top of primers now rather than without so I don't know if there's a remarkable difference in the ease of blending. Needless to say however blending is perfect with the primer so a full thumbs up there.

Eyeshadows become perfectly blendable and intensified until you take them off?

Yes! Again with the above for blending but yes, all eye shadows come out remarkably when you use this primer. You'll wonder how you ever managed without it if you've never used an eye primer before. It will make your shadows ten times more intensified and that colour will last all day. When you get back in from a long day at work - check it out in the mirror and it'll be just as great as when you left that morning...

Skin soothing formula evens out skin tone and smoothes out lines?

I'm not sure about 'skin-soothing' - I don't feel any particular soothing sensations when using it, but the product is gentle on the skin and doesn't feel as 'cakey' as its counterpart from Urban Decay sometimes can. But it definitely evens out the skin tone on the eyelids which is an added bonus from using a primer.

I'm also not sure about the smoothing-out of lines as none of the people I've used this on so far have to worry about these! However if you're talking about the tiny creases in the upper eyelid that shadow can creep into, then this primer does a fantastic job of eliminating any shadow from ever disappearing into them!

Overall...

This product is just as amazing as Urban Decay's which came as very little surprise to me because Too Faced Cosmetics is owned by the same people who own Urban Decay! However in my opinion this product trumps Urban Decay's because it comes in an easy-to-use squeezy tube so unlike the Urban Decay Primer Potion:

• Product has nowhere to hide, i.e. in the curves of an awkwardly-shaped bottle meaning no product wastage and fuss-free application
• It's much more hygienic as you can squeeze enough out (literally all you need is a pin-sized amount for both eyelids) onto the hand rather than using an applicator which over time will get germy. This in turn affects the product's quality in the long-run (the bacteria affects the ingredients in the primer causing it to lose its effectiveness)
• And quite simply it's much easier to get the primer from the tube!

If Urban Decay's Primer Potion is the primer of dreams for you, but the bottle has been driving you round the bend I thoroughly recommend this as an alternative. At £11 it also comes in at the same price as Urban Decay - fairly pricey but this will last you easily at least 6 months if not more. The only inconvenience is getting hold of it is difficult because stock levels seems so erratic... Too Faced just need to send stock to their consumer retailers more regularly!

You can buy Shadow Insurance from Boots, Debenhams and online at ASOS.

Ladies who Lilac!

This spring's colour of choice is lilac. It's been making an appearance in the clothing department but now it's going straight onto eyelids this season for a pretty-as-a-picture stare! Here's the low-down on how to achieve the ultimate lavender love...

1. Skin needs to be left dewy

This keeps the look fresh and youthful, soft and as girly as the colour lilac itself. This is a colour of innocence after all, so you're after girl-nextdoor beauty! You want a highlight down the centre of the face to catch the light flatteringly.

2. Lips are ever so slightly glossy

There's no need to worry about what shade of lipstick to wear with this look because it doesn't really need any strong shade as such. Just make sure your lips are well moisturised with a touch of lip balm and add a dash of lip gloss. You can opt for either a clear gloss or reach for a peachy or nude tone that keeps the lips soft and pastel coloured.

3. Cheeks are bronzed

You can get away without blusher on this look but so as to avoid the lilac on the eyes draining the colour from the rest of the face you need to add a hint of colour. Add a bronzing powder to the cheek bones to contour the face. If you want to, add some to the temples and underneath the chin area for a well-sculpted and lifted face.

4. Lilac isn't restricted to the eyes!

Try it on your nails or lips as well for more pastel perfection. The key to this look however is all about making the lilac the centre of attention. Lilac can be quite a powerful colour and too much of it can make the look dated or make you look older than you really are. So if you can work in the lilac in your eyes/lips/nails but avoid it all over then all the better.

So now you have the tips on how to achieve this spring/summer makeup trend, here's a few tools to help you on your way!

For the foundation:

• Pick a moisturising/hydrating formula, rather than a full-on matte version.
  
  
• If you have oily or combination skin and are worried about looking more greasy than goddess with this then use your regular foundation
  
  
• To achieve the dewy, fresh effect you'll need some highlighting fluid/liquid. Benefit's High Beam and MAC's Strobe Cream are both perfect.
  
  
• Then powder with some translucent powder, but avoid going heavy with it - a light application is all that's needed. You don't want to lose the effort you went to when adding the highlighter

For the bronzer:

• I recommend using a matte bronzer as opposed to a shimmery bronzer as otherwise there will be too much shimmer going on making the face look too polished.
  
  
• MAC make a great matte bronzer called Blunt or for a more purse friendly alternative GOSH sell fantastic matte bronzers as well.

For the lovely lilacs:

• As for shades of lilac I really recommend MAC - Crystal, Idol Eyes, Digit and Beautiful Iris are all fab colours perfect for this look.
  
  
• As for lilac lipsticks, MAC's Saint Germain is gorgeous, as is their Pervette.

A/W Makeup Trends 2009

With the chill of autumn on our doorstep, let's face it September makes or breaks summer for good! I'm still clinging to the hope that we might have 2 more weeks of a Golden September, but until then and after (if it ever comes!) it will most definitely be "Bye bye summer" for 2009...

That said - it's not all doom and gloom! Autumn and winter mean more accessorising (hats, scarves, gloves, tights and booties), layering (jackets, cardigans, wraps and knitwear galore) YAY and also makeup - whether it be your eyes, lips or even nails - can be taken up a notch in terms of colours and strength/depth, HOORAH! So the colder months needn't be boring, and they ought not to be seeming as all that colour and the excuse to wear more clothes will help lift your mood on the rainy, cold walks to work : )

Today I've been looking at the new trends for makeup this A/W and what's hot on the catwalks this season...

It's All About Brows, Brows, Brows!
Over the years people have realised how important a well groomed and defined brow really is to complete a look! I never used to fully understand how it could make a difference but trust me it does. If you haven't tried defining your brows, be brave and give it a go. You'll wonder how you ever managed without it before.

A well groomed and defined brow can take years off a face and transform it all at the same time. This year shimmery golds were brushed through the brows to add more impact to the overall eye makeup. It may sound severe, but the end effect is stunning, opening up the eyes and adding a new dimension to the face.

Of course you might feel this all to be too much if you've never even touched your brows with a brow definer brush or pencil, haha! I'll be giving a tutorial in the next two weeks on how to define your eyebrows so watch this space...

Red Lips
This winter the lips are 1940s inspired, rich red and strong! Plus it's all about the detail - lips are going Geisha-style with a sharp contour on the Cupid's bow. A red lip needs to be done carefully, so make sure to apply concealer/foundation to the lip and powder so you have a great base, then get to work with a red lip liner all over the lips and finish off with your red lipstick of choice.

Smoky Dramatic Eyes
And we're not just talking black - blues and sparkling greens are among this year's colours of choice for that impactful look. I'm in love with Aaron De Mey's creations that he demonstrated for Lancome.

The new Artistic Director has also developed his third makeup collection for the brand called Declaring Indigo which made its debut on the catwalks this season and will be hitting our stores very soon! He's even had input into other areas of Lancome's business such as the way its products are presented instore...

He gave models a smoky eye using sapphire blues and emerald greens but advises to use very little foundation to keep the look fresh and youthful.

Aaron De Mey, whose Lancome range Declaring Indigo is out in stores soon!