Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

Here's a link to my latest video blog, a review and demo of bourjois healthy mix foundation. I absolutely LOVE it!! check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAHhTq7rIaM

Eyeshadow bases - Tried & tested

I have been obsessed with eyeshadow bases recently so here are review of the ones I have tried with swatches of them alone and with an eyeshadow on top.

I tried 

Max factor masterpiece in icicle blue and icicle rose £6.99 each at boots

Wet n wild usa cream eyeshadow in pink 99p ebay.com

Dainty doll by Nicola Roberts eyeshadow base in shade 001 £1 poundland

MAC pro longwear paint pot in shade vintage selection £14.50 mac.com 

From wrist: max factor, wet n wild, mac, max factor, dainty doll

 Verdict

The max factor and wet n wild and elf have a similar formula and are very moist, the mac is very creamy and the dainty doll is only very slightly moist, it has an almost clay like texture that dries instantly.

The mac can be applied with fingers or a brush but I prefer fingers as you loose product by using a brush, and its expensive. 

The max factor and elf have inbuilt applicators which are similar to a concealer wand. 

My least favourite is the dainty doll. I find it dry and difficult to blend. The colour payoff is good but that's really the only positive I can find. 

The wet n wild is highly pigmented, cheap and a nice shade, on the downside the formula is a little bit too runny and takes a while to dry. It hasn't got the best staying power but its decent for a cheap option and gives the eyeshadow you choose to apply over it good colour payoff.

The elf is completely sheer so it was pointless swatching it but I've used it a lot and it does help eyeshadows to stay on longer, and the formula is nice. It helps with eyeshadow colour payoff. Cheap and cheerful and does a decent job.

The MAC paintpot offers multi dimensional colour and can be worn alone not just as a base, it goes on as a cream and gives you time to apply eyeshadows on top but once it dries it does not budge. At all. It's so longlasting that I fell asleep in my makeup after a party and when I got up the next morning it was still perfect! The only downside to this product is price because it costs a lot of money but in this case I do think its worth it and I will be buying it in more shades.

The max factor masterpiece really shocked me, it's level pegging with the mac in terms of it could be worn alone the pigmentation is so strong. It has lovely shimmery undertones. It's reasonably priced, very hard wearing and  makes your eyeshadows look 100% brighter. 

Based on this the max factor masterpiece is the eyeshadow base I would recommend. They are available in a range of shades in boots for £6.99 so snap some up! 

Here are the bases with similar coloured eyeshadows layered on top 

How beautiful is the blue? 

The eyeshadow palette I used was the MUA Dusk til Dawn and I used shade 6 for icicle rose max factor, wet n wild and mac, shade 10 for icicle blue max factor and shade 4 for dainty doll.

I hope you found my review helpful 

Take care, love Helen

Www.youtube.com/beautyandhelen 

Makeup Swaps - My Experience

Its become a trend in recent years for Bloggers and YouTubers to do 'makeup swaps' with each other.

The idea behind it is to both agree a price and send each other a package filled with makeup / beauty products you have chosen for that person. I suppose a lot of us already do this every month in a fashion because of our beauty box subscriptions like Birchbox and Glossybox where we pay money to a company to send us 'surprise' beauty products but by doing it with an actual person online rather than a company you are slightly more vulnerable as you don't get the protection that buying from an established company offers.

I have been wanting to do a swap for a while so I agreed to do one with my Youtube friend Elle. She is also British and we have very similar tastes in makeup but I thought maybe we could send each other products that might push us out of our own comfort zones. There's nothing worse than getting stuck in a beauty rut. Right? Plus she might see something i've never seen before and vice versa.

I was very excited not only to receive my package from her but to shop for hers too.We agreed a budget of £20, and to buy each other budget brands.

I have gotten to know Elle over the past couple of months through Youtube so I trusted her that she wouldn't scam me, and she didn't. I received my package on Friday and the products in there really exceeded my expectations.

First of all it was packaged beautifully, all the items individually wrapped in beautiful butterfly wrapping paper. There was a tonne of stuff in the box she sent. She must have gone well over our budget (but so did I) I just couldn't help myself.

I received hair products, skincare, nail polishes and makeup products and I filmed my unboxing on my youtube channel. *You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/beautyandhelen

My first swap experience was wonderful and I have arranged to do an international swap with my American YouTube friend Kathryn this week. I'm super excited to do this as I can send British products to Kathryn that she doesn't have access to in America and she can send me american products that i don't have access to in England.

There are horror stories all over the internet about people getting scammed, sending packages off and not receiving anything in return, or receiving product that aren't equal to the value that was agreed, but I think most people have no issues at all.

 Here are a few tips to help you organise your first swap and minimise the risk of being scammed.

• Find a person you want to swap with, read their blog, watch their videos to see if you have things in common. 
• Email, facebook or twitter with them and build a friendship - someone who's going to scam you will be obvious when they make no effort getting to know you. 
• Agree a price and date.
• Try a small swap first, maybe £5-10 so you're not risking a massive amount of money and you can build trust this way.
• Ask what they like and don't be shy to say i like this but not this.... You don't want to receive stuff you'll never use, if you don't like red lipsticks, say so!
• Get a receipt when you post your package so you've got proof of postage should your swap partner not receive their package. 
• Finally be aware that you will have to give this person your home address in order for them to send you a package so if you are under 16 you WILL need your parents consent. Be smart. 

I'm looking forward to receiving my package from America and I'll be sure to upload a video and blog about it! I'd also love to do a swap with someone in Asia, maybe Japan or Korea in the future. Their beauty products look amazing. 

Take care and I'll speak to you soon,

Love Helen xx