Cheaper Brands, Fabulous or Fail? Enter: Creightons

I'm an absolute sucker for a bargain. I might not really want that top, but it's a fiver, how could I not buy it?! In general I try to rein it in a bit more with makeup and beauty products. I probably will wear the €5 top, however I probably won't use the €1 orange lipstick. With that being said, how will I ever find brilliant new products if I don't take a chance every now and then? So begins this blog....

While in Dealz the other day, randomly browsing, a pretty pink stand caught my eye. At first I thought "Wait a minute... isn't that? No they don't sell that brand in here. Do they?" On closer inspection I realised what I was seeing was in fact a very (very) similar packaged product to another glorious brand available in Boots (see what I did there?). Anyway, you can judge yourself just how similar Creightons line is.

They're were a few different products there, but I decided to pick up the 'Squeeky Clean Body Better Body Lotion' and the 'Movie Matte Photo Finish Moisturiser'. At €1.49 each I didn't exactly have high hopes but I've been pleasantly surprised with things I've bought in Dealz before. This time was no exception.

 I'm very picky when it comes to moisturiser. My skin can be quite sensitive and I have reacted badly to skincare products before. Also it's incredibly combination with quite an oily t-zone, but dry cheeks prone to redness. Needless to say I was quite anxious when trying this! It claims to give 'camera ready skin that is kissably soft'. Straight away I loved the scent, so we were off to a good start. It's a very fresh, almost fruity smell. Although it looked quite thick in the container it melted into the skin with ease, and immediately my skin felt much softer. I used this for a week straight, both day and night. On my first try, my skin felt quite tight after but this seemed to be a one time thing! Even after sleeping, my skin still feels moisturised the next morning. I'm definitely a fan of this, and will continue to use it. With 100ml in the jar I feel it will last a long time too!

In my eyes, body lotion is body lotion. I've never really come across one that has 'blown my mind' so to speak. But the promise of evoking 'my inner siren with irresistibly soft skin' was to much to pass up :)

Again it goes on it make some fairly big promises 'deeply conditions and moisturises your skin, leaving it touchably soft and kissably smooth all day long'. Sure what more could a girl want?

It has the same beautiful scent as the face moisturiser which was a plus. The formula wasn't quite as thick however a little went a long way. My skin did indeed feel softer, and surprisingly even after a few hours I could still smell the scent on my arms. It may not have lasted all day long, but it absolutely lived up to it's €1.49 price tag.

Overall I'm very impressed. It goes to show that a massive price doesn't necessarily mean a quality product, just as cheap can be more than just cheerful. If nothing else, the packaging is amazing! Do you trust cheaper products, or do you stick with certain brand you know? 

Til next time,

Toodles,

Sleek 'Face Contour Kit' and 'Corrector and Concealer Palette' Review

Oh deary me it has been far too long..... I'm talking again today about one of my favourite affordable makeup brands, Sleek Makeup. As much as I love them, they do have a tendency to be quite a hit and miss brand. However when they get it right, they get it really right.

Contouring is an absolutely intricate part of makeup since Kim K showed us exactly how her makeup is done. Realistically, the amount of product used to create her look isn't going to fair very well in the average persons day to day makeup, however there's no harm in doing a more understated version of said effect. Our pale Irish complexion can be very tricky when it comes to this, so I generally prefer to use a powder product with a light hand. Enter Sleek...

This kit comes in 3 different colours. I, of course chose Light :) You get a lovely matte contour powder along with a complimentary highlighter. I was very impressed with this palette from off the bat. (I swatched the products quite heavily here so they would show up well in the photo)

The contour colour works well with my whiter than white complexion provided I build the product up slowly. The highlighter gives a beautiful glow, and the tone is gorgeous. I brush this across my cheekbones, down the centre of my nose and put a little on my cupids bow. As a little goes a long way, this is an absolute steal at  €6.49 in Boots.

Of course for the perfect complexion you cannot be without a good concealer! And of course Sleek do a palette to cater to our blemish covering needs.

These come in a variety of 5 different shades, and surprise surprise I've gone for the palest again! In the palette we have a correcter, a concealer and a setting powder. I really like this palette. The corrector and concealer give a nice amount of coverage with feeling too heavy on the skin, and the powder sets them just nicely with being cakey.

As someone who has quite a bit of pigmentation and redness in their skin, concealer is an absolute must for me. I carry this everywhere for quick touchups, and am very impressed by its staying power so far. Again at €6.40 in Boots right now you really can't go wrong!

Til next time,

Toodles,

Are you paying to work as a make up artist?

With fees being cut constantly and artists feeling like they have to reduce their rates it's probably time to really examine why you may feel no better off despite working your arse off!

Gone are the days when we got paid to work on editorial, weren't asked if we could reduce our rate due to 'budget issues' or worse still, could we do it for free for the exposure. I mean, why not! Father Christmas pays your bills and the honey monster puts food on your table... doesn't he?!

So let's get on with what it is actually costing you to do a make up, I mean, it's only make up right? It falls off trees and lands in that big ole make up kit of yours?! Another pressie from Father Christmas I have no doubt.

Let's start with the nitty gritty, the stuff clients like to forget about:

Public Liability Insurance & Car Insurance – let's average this to around €550 per year, just for sh@ts and giggles. This would mean your public liability Insurance and car insurance was basically costing €1.50 per day.

Car tax – lets say €300 a year, €0.82c per day.

Makeup Brushes – If you start with a very basic make up brush kit, you know, the kind you might buy when you're studying, you're probably talking 12 brushes and you'll probably pay around €95 for a decent enough set. Of course, if you are working the industry it's very likely you have multiples of each type of brush, often amount to anything from 50 to 100 brushes in your brush kit, an average of about €12-25 per brush? Pretty expensive eh? Yep, you get the picture.

Petrol – at an average of of about €1.52 a litre, so that job that's 'just down the road' (30 miles away) is going to add up pretty sharpish!

Training / workshops etc. - yep, they cost money too! And a decent one isn't cheap! You're talking anywhere from €1000 for a basic course up to €8000 for a really extensive one. 

Advertising / Social Media - Don't even get me started on this! Advertising on a well known bridal site for example can cost anything up to €900 for the year. Not to mention various bridal fares and events you might showcase at. As for social media, how time consuming is that? Just getting your name out there on social media is a full time job in itsself! 

Makeup – Now this is the tricky one! So I have based my pricing on brands which are inexpensive (for example Sleek Makeup) and brands which are more expensive (Mac Cosmetics) as a general guide to prices*. Then I worked out the average.

 * I am of course aware that there are artists using brands which are much, much more expensive than this listed which would easily render their price per face at least double of even triple what I have listed. So remember, this is a very basic guide!

Foundation – 30ml average size

average price €10 - €19 (€14.50)

average amount of faces approx 20

Cost per face = low end - €0.50

Cost per face = Mid range - €0.95

Average Cost per face = €0.73

Concealer (face) – average price €4 - €13 (€9)

average amount of faces approx 20

Cost per face = low end - €0.20

Cost per face = mid range - €0.65

Average Cost per face = €0.45

Concealer (eyes) – average price €8 - €13 (€10)

average amount of faces approx 20

Cost per face = low end - €0.40

Cost per face = mid range - €0.65

Average Cost per face = €0.50

Powder – average price €10 - €22 (€16)

average amount of faces approx 40

Cost per face = low end - €0.25

Cost per face =mid range - €0.55

Average Cost per face = €0.40

Blush – average price €6 - €16 (€11)

average amount of faces approx 100

Cost per face = low end - €0.06

Cost per face = mid range - €0.16

Average Cost per face = €0.11

 Eye shadows* - average price per shadow €4 - €11 (€8)

Average number of shadows used per eye make up approx 3

Average amount of application per eye shadow approx 100

Cost per face = low end - €0.04

Cost per face = mid range - €0.11

Average Cost per face = €0.08

*This of course does not take into account the ridiculous amount of shades, textures etc. of shadows any artist will have in their kit. Again, we are going all out basic on this.

Eye liner (Gel) – average price €7 - €11 (€9)

average amount of faces approx - 100

Cost per face = low end - €0.07

Cost per face = mid range - €0.11

Average Cost per face = €0.09

Mascara – average price €5 - €11 (€8)

average amount of faces approx - 30

Cost per face = low end - €0.16

Cost per face = mid range - €0.36

Average Cost per face = €0.26

False Lashes – average price €2 - €11 (€7)

average amount of faces approx - 1

Cost per face = low end - €2.00

Cost per face = mid range - €11.00

Average Cost per face = €7.00

Lip Pencil – average price €3 - €11 (€7)

average amount of faces approx - 50

Cost per face = low end - €0.06

Cost per face = mid range - €0.22

Average Cost per face = €0.14

Lipstick / Gloss – average price €5 - €12 (€9)

average amount of faces approx - 30

Cost per face = low end - €0.16

Cost per face = mid range - €0.40

Average Cost per face = €0.30

Low End Cost per face = €4.44

Mid Range Cost per face = €15.06

Average Cost per face = €10.06

Remember, I haven't taken into account puffs, sponges, mascara wands, loose pigments, glitters, brush and tool cleaner, skin care – cleanser, toner, moisturiser, cotton wool, cotton buds, airbrush equipment and make up, make up case/trolley and bags and the list goes on...

Recently I quoted for a job which was 'just a few hours' and was asked to reduce my rate. The 'few hours' was actually 10 hours and I had 15 faces to do, yep, 15! I got a train there and back as I had no car at the time, the train cost me €28 return. I had a big ole heavy kit to carry which meant I had to get a taxi, from my house to the train station (€8 going to the train station and €8 returning), then another taxi from the train station to the job (€6 to the job and €6 back to the station).

So I think we can safely take it that in all, that job I reduced my rate for actually cost me at least €206. Yes, you read that right! €206!

So I ask you all, next time you consider working for free, at a reduced rate or for next to nothing because 'it's a friend of a friend of a friend' please think of your cost, not to mention your bills, you career and your dignity!

Wet n Wild 'Balm Stain' and 'Silk Finish' Lipstick

I'm a sucker when it comes to affordable makeup brands. So when I hear of a new brand such as this gracing our shores I'm all over it! However it took me a while to actually get my hands on some Wet n Wild products as they don't sell them in my area, so I'm a bit late with the review! Nevertheless, this is the first of three parts. So read on to see how I faired in round one....

I love new lippies! I have a tendency to go for the same colours, but who doesn't need 12 different shades of red, right?! Naturally the first thing I couldn't wait to try were their lipsticks and lip crayons, so I picked up one of each. So lets start with 'Megaslicks Balm Stain':

I went for the colour 'Lady and the Vamp' which is a lovely rich plum colour. As it's in crayon form I don't tend to use a lip pencil to line my lips with this. It's also super handy for touch ups on the go if needed.

It rings in at €3.99 which is very cheap compared to many products like this on the market today. It doesn't require a sharpener as it twists at the bottom to release more product, though this may make it sightly harder to get a clean edge on the lips when the crayon wears down slightly. It claims to be a moisturising lip colour and I absolutely agree with this statement. It glides on the lips with no dragging, is quite pigmented and last very well during the day even through eating and drinking.

The flash has slightly washed out the colour as it is more opaque in real life. I really do like this and definitely will be purchasing it in some different shades.

Next up we have 'Silk Finish Lipstick' in the colour 'Hot Red':

The first thing I noticed about this was how cheap the packaging looked, but I didn't let this put me off! These are only €1.99 and come in a range of shades from nude to pink to red. The colour is more of a true red than the orangey tone shown in the shot. Again I found this glided really easily on to the lips with a lovely colour pay off. I didn't use lip liner and it didn't seem to feather at all throughout the day. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and longevity of this lipstick! I think I may be picking up a few more shades in this too. And fyi, for those obsessed with strong smells in makeup like myself, it doesn't have that "typical plastic cheap lipstick" smell!:)

(When you put these in your handbag you may want to pop them in a small makeup bag first as the lids aren't that sturdy and you don't wanna be scraping lipstick from the bottom of your favourite River Island tote :) )

Available in Dunnes Stores and selected pharmacies nationwide.

Til next time,

Toodles,

Blank Canvas Cosmetics F20 Flat Buffer Brush

Occasionally while sifting through the world of cosmetics out there, you come across a product that you cannot help but rave about. The F20 brush is one such product!

I picked up this brush over a year ago I think, and haven't put it down since! I had been searching for a brush that would give me a flawless base with minimal effort for those mornings where I was in a hurry. I never liked flat foundation brushes and had been useing a Duo Fibre one. I saw reviews online about the F20 and said I'd give it a go! I literally use this everyday. Even if you aren't used to applying you makeup with a brush, this quite literally does all the work for you. It's bristles are dense synthetic fibres that are perfect for both stippling and buffing.

I've never had such an airbrushed effect from any brush before. I recommend that everyone who does any kind of makeup, be it their own or other peoples, to have it as part of there kit. 

I have lost count of the amount of times clients have complimented how soft this brush is, saying it is like having a face massage while I apply their foundation! This is part of the HD collection on blankcanvascosmetics.com and can be bought in a set or on its own for €13.99. Great price, great quality:)

Til next time,

Toodles,

Sleek Matte Me Lip Cream

Hey hey hey :) So back with another review today. In general I don't like putting up negative reviews, however when I'm reading blogs myself I like to get an honest review. I also had very high hopes for this product.....

So this is Sleeks Matte Me Lip Cream. The blurb from the site reads as follows : 

"Sleek Matte Me is a lipgloss with a smooth matte finish that glides on in one smooth application, with no need for a second coat."

The light as air texture provides you with comfortable wear for hours, that doesn't cake, flake or dry out, ensuring long lasting colour all day."

The colour was the first thing that caught my eye. Lately I have been venturing into the more vibrant colours for lips so this shade was a must have! Also I love the look for a matte lip (provided it doesn't look dried out). Let me show you want the colour looks like when first applied:

The pictures aren't showing quite how vibrant it is on the skin. It's a quite bright, which I love. Unfortunately it's the only thing I love about it. When first applied it wasn't nearly as pigmented as I imagined. I had to build about three layers on to my lips to get it as opaque as I felt it should look. I immediately noticed it felt dry and tight on my lips. I would have taken it off there and then but I was running out the door to a shoot. Needless to say after an hour and two drinks from a water bottle, it had faded greatly and started to flake. I tried to reapply over the remainder but this just made the flaking worse. So off to the bathroom I went, scrubbed off the last, and stuck with Carmex for the rest of the day. It has since gone in the bin! One of my least favourite lip products ever :(  

If you do want to pick this up(!), it's available in Boots priced at €5.99

Till next time,

Toodles,