Proto-col Baked Mineral Cosmetics - Foundation and Lipgloss

Hey Everyone!

Hope you're having a happy Sunday!?  I've been very productive today and popped a video on YouTube while searching for a home to buy in Manchester.  Still not quite found the right place yet but here's hoping...

Anyway, I found out about Proto-col Baked Mineral Cosmetics this week and I'll be honest - I hadn't really come across them before.  Once I had read the press releases though I was very intrigued and super excited to give their foundation and lipgloss a try.

Happy Wearing of New Products Times!

LED Lipgloss £10.95
Baked Mineral Foundation £27.95

First Up - The Foundation

As you can see below the foundation comes in a pressed compact format.  This is a rarity for mineral foundation which of course is usually loose.  The shade is Moroccan, which looked slightly dark at first but when I applied it and let it sink into my skin I found that it was a really good match.

You can build up coverage and it lasts for a good while on the skin too, so you won't get that annoying situation where it looks like you have no makeup on an hour after application!  Plus, if you do need to retouch you have the joy of the lovely mirror with the compact.

This is how my skin looked up close after application using my Bare Minerals Fawless Face Brush (you can have a look at my video applying it here if you like).
Not bad eh!

I do really like this foundation.  I know it is a little pricey, but I really do think it has the potential to last a long time and it makes my skin look so dewy and healthy.  Definitely going to be using this on a regular basis!

Secondly, the LED Lipgloss

Before saying anything else I want to just say that I absolutely love this.  Can you see the LED light in the lid???

So cool.  Also there is a mirror on the side so you can apply it in low light conditions without worrying you have it all over your face!! Yay!

This is shade Coconut Ice and it's just so pretty.  I have it on in the above picture for you to see! It's not sticky at all and lasts for ages.

I definitely recommend these products and would say check out the range in general because they have eyeshadows and all sorts! I love and I am so glad I have found out about them!

If you want to have a look at these products and the different shade options you can go to www.proto-col.com

Happy looking!

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A look at Lily Lolo Mineral Makeup

Ok, so it's that time of year again when I feel it is necessary to reduce my makeup application. Well, not so much application, but level of thickness or consistency of the makeup I am applying. In short - I don't want to cake on makeup in the summer/warmer months. It just feels horrible.

Some of you may remember last spring/summer when my blog was in it's infancy and I first started using mineral makeup. I began with BareMinerals and naturally, as a blogger does, I just had to purchase other types of mineral makeup by way of comparison! (view previous posts here)

The first thing to note about Lily Lolo that is one of its strongest points for me is the fact that you can purchase samples - much better. Takes the worry away when spending hard earned cash on a tub of something that might not work.

*Click on picture to enlarge and see full effect*

The foundation, bronzer and finishing powder samples are £1.29 each and there are lots of shades to chose from. Which is another plus!

The best thing about Lily Lolo though is the finish. Just look how smooth, bright and fresh my skin looks here!! (I have used foundation, finishing powder and bronzer).

It is amazing. What is also good is that it doesn't irritate my skin at all. Some other mineral makeups provide me with a bit of itching and redness on the neck upon application - it does die down - but it is very annoying at first. This does not. It applies seemlessly and looks beautiful on.

*samples*

The one issue I have struggled with in terms of mineral makeup generally is that it does not last as long as some liquid foundations. I might have a primer to combat that however and will review shortly. Otherwise, my tip would be to keep your sample tubs so that you can keep filling them up with the product to use on the go for touch ups in your makeup bag ;)

Perfect for trying and later refreshing makeup!!

I would definitely say you should give these products a try if you are looking to use mineral makeup, or try something different to the one you are currently using. With the option of buying samples to try it just makes sense!

For those of you that want to take the plunge right away well the foundations, finishing powders and bronzers retail at £12.49 for 8g- yes that's right 8g!! So it is cheap and good! You can get it on the Lily Lolo website here.

And ladies - it lasts forever! Since my first purchase last year I haven't had to repurchase. And whilst I don't use the mineral foundation all the time I use the bronzer and finishing powder regularly!

You want to try it now don't you!?

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Lily Lolo Foundation Review

So, as promised, here is a review of the Lily Lolo products I bought samples of last earlier in the month.

I bought Mineral Foundation sample in shades In the Buff and Popcorn (in the buff is the correct shade for me), Bronzer sample in Bondi Bronze and Finishing Powder sample in Transluscent Silk. They retail full size at £12.00 each.


I apply the foundation followed by the bronzer and then the transluescent silk. The final finish looks like this...

Sorry for the tired eyes - it's first thing in the morning and to be fair I had rushed the application slightly for work! Which is what I do everyday so this is a true indication of what it looks like.

I really like the finish of this foundation because it's a little more glowy than my Bare Minerals makeup. In particular I like that the bronzer and transluscent silk have a little sheen to them, although be warned using too much bronzer causes metallic like face makeup!
I made this mistake when I first bought it and applied waaaaaaaay too much so my face just looked like I was sweating!! Haha, it's easily toned down though by just applying the mineral foundation over the top so all is good!

Another fantastic thing about the foundation is the shade variety! Unfortunately, most mineral makeups I come accross in the shops do not have enough shades and the ones I have used always make me look paler than I am, with the next shade being a no no because it's darker than my skin! Annoying as I don't need to be washed out. This shade is perfect for not only my skin colour, but the olive undertones too because when I apply it, it literally looks like my skin. LOVE IT!

The only down side with this is that unfortunately, it doesn't last all day at work. However, I use it at the weekends when I don't mind my makeup being more "natural" and I prefer the look these products give me at the moment than the final look of my bare minerals makeup, so I would definitely repurchase the foundation and just look at finding a more suitable primer.

In relation to the bronzer and transulescent silk I will be purchasing the full sizes tomorrow as it's payday because I use these everyday no matter what makeup I am wearing and just love how my skin looks so silky from them!!

I am very happy with these products and will definitely be using more Lily Lolo in future!

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Bare Escentuals Get Started Kit

I think it's about time for another review of one of my favey foundations at the moment.

This time it's Bare Minerals Foundation in medium beige, which I purchased as part of the Bare Minerals Medium Get Started Kit back in March.



It is designed for anyone new to Bare Minerals and retails at £45.00. The idea with these products is that you can "Swirl, Tap and Buff" your way to the skin you were born with i.e. beautiful radiant skin.

The kit contains:-
•2 X Foundation Shades
•Mineral Veil or Tinted Mineral Veil
•Warmth
•Full Flawless Face Brush
•Flawless Application Face Brush
•Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush or Light Stroke Brush
•Bisque Multi-Tasking Concealer
•Get Started DVD

I also got a sample of the Bare Vitamins primer I have previously reviewed here .

Before I purchased this kit I had a consultation with one of the MUA's who showed me how to apply their products. This is the routine I now follow:-

Firstly I apply a layer of the foundation, then bisque multi tasking concealer under eyes and over any other imperfections (e.g. corners of nose), then another layer of foundation, then mineral veil followed by warmth followed by dusting of mineral veil.
I swirl tap and buff and they suggest which is super easy and quick and here is the result...


The coverage can be sheer, but is also buildable. Its evens out my skin tone and I find it perfect for summer, as it is of course lighter on the skin than any liquid foundation.

This is my most used foundation by far. I use it during the day and on nights out following the routine.

I love it so much is because it looks like my skin.

All my holiday pic's from NYC look like I don't have foundation on but still have good skin. I knew it was good when people said that I looked really "healthy and fresh" on my pictures because I was shattered due to the jet lag!

For me, that's what a foundation should do. I mean don't get me wrong I like a fuller coverage but this foundation introduced me to the power of letting my skin shine through.

Just so you can see what it looks in more natural settings here are a couple of random (not the best!) pics of me out and about wearing the above products...

Clear, radiant, natural looking skin. Mineral makeup, for me, is the way forward.

Oh and the Mineral Veil should be in every woman's beauty collection no matter what - I wear it over EVERY foundation I ever use or try as it provides an amazingly luminous finish.

Anyone else a bare minerals fan??

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Collection 2000 Perfecting Minerals Foundation

Hello there my foundation hunting sisters!!

So, like most of you, I am constantly on the look-out for a truly fabulous foundation that will take away all my skin worries. Over the years I have tried sooooooo many. Most of which I have been unhappy with.

With there being a lot of movement towards mineral makeup I have been giving some of the products out there a try.

Obviously there are LOADS out there, but I stumbled across the Perfecting Minerals and it was £5 for 15g! For that price I will try anything!

I LOVE this foundation. I pop on my moisturiser and primer and it just smooths on.

It evens out my complexion beautifully but doesn't cake, which I like given that it's powder based.

It is a bit thicker than other mineral products I have tried, so the coverage is a bit heavier and not really sheer like some others. Oh, and it has a brush included - but it shreds loads so you probably won't use it.

Here's what it looks like on my skin (phone pic so not too clear)...


Please excuse my sleepy eyes, I have not slept more than 6 hours max a night in 2 weeks and it was first thing in the morning!
Advantages:-

1. It is super cheap and there is loads!!
2. Very smooth on skin
3. My skin looks bright and it smooths out my pores.

Disadvantages:-

1. When my skin gets hot it can itch a little (but I mean when I get really hot)
2. It probably needs touching up to look perfect all day - although I don't because my skin looks even all day.
3. There aren't enough shades (only 4). I use the darkest shade in Biscuit and it's too light so I always have to put Bare Minerals warmth on too.

I would definately recommend trying this, I was very pleasantly surprised!

Giddy Princess xxx



~*Giddy princess*~
From iPhone

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