My brush broke!

This is the Lancome foundation brush 3, so if anyone tried to search on the official website for it: they won't find it. Because there is a new one called foundation brush 2.

Sleek black brush handle with the signature Lancome rose logo on it. Grey area at the top of the brush indicates that if it becomes invisible because of the foundation applied, then it means you have put too much! Pretty clever huh?

 

Let me state first that it already started wobbeling from the first time i started using it. And the place I bought it from never returns anything you buy from them, unless it's still in it's packaging and plastic cover and all that which is pretty impossible to try and put back like that. A policy that sucks very badly. It applies no matter what even though the product is broken once you bought it or not. A zero tolerance policy as they call it.

It's very clear in the picture that there is glue on only one part of the whole thing so that didn't hold it well. Especially since there is no trace of glue on the brush head's inside as well which means it's not even good quality at all. Honestly, I only used it less than 5 times in overall because I do not wear foundation every day. I was never happy for this brush, and I kind of became happy once it broke because I will finally get rid of it. Let me state that the reason it broke was because I washed it. And no, I know very well how you should wash your brushes in a special was so that it won't shed etc.

Let me state the points for all the reasons I hate this brush (yes, a strong word indeed):
- Very expensive - website states it's 35 dollars, I got it for 44 dollars. Irk.
- Very poor quality
- Streaks too much: my skin looks like an oil painting with visible brush marks.
- Incredibly hard to clean: after the second wash there is still a ton of product that have penetrated in the brush.
- Graduated tip is not smooth: it somehow annoyed my skin because some hairs were in microsize a bit longer than others which made my face itch. Wow...

I'm giving it 2 out of 10 and I can't even apologize for that for the reasons stated above. Did anyone come across such or a similar and unfortunate purchase? :(

The Body Shop: Skin Primer - Matte it

Alright. I actually think I am a bit upset because of this. When I went to The Body Shop the other day to get a primer, I asked the sales assistant to help me find it because I didn't know where they might've put them. She got me to things. A skin primer (the one I'm reviewing here) and for some reason a highlighter because she couldn't decide which was a PRIMER. Tsch. I'm a bit tired of all TBSs in my area, because all of them have rude people working and they don't even know what they are talking about. 
I once had in an argument with one of them, because she was being incredibly persistent about me having to buy a product for normal/oily complexion and I told her that I had dry skin! She wouldn't believing me stating that "I didn't have any trace of dryness" Excuse me for moisturising my skin. What I am upset about right now? The primer I got is not for dry skin and she didn't tell me that they had another one for dry skin. I found out through browsing their website. Just amazing service... I'm actually thinking about buying my products from another city right now, which sucks because it takes a long time to reach there and I just can't afford going there whenever I need something. But we'll see. Anyway - all that to the side. Let's move on to see it.

 

TBS Product Statement:

This primer for normal and oily skins creates a smooth base for foundation. It has been designed to deter shine and make make-up last longer.

Product File:

- For normal/oily skin
- Banishes shine
- Helps make-up stay in place
- Smoothes
- Comes in Skin Primer - Moisture it for dry skin

The product comes in a gel like formula and has a transparent colour. The packaging is actually really nice looking and sophisticated and feels like velvet, exactly the way the primer itself feels like when you put it on. It only needs to be blended and should be left alone when you feel that velvety/waxy feeling that most primers feel like. It's actually a really nice finish. It feels exactly like the YSL: Matt Touch Primer. But there is a huge difference between them, since the YSL have many benefits in it. The TBS Skin Primer smoothes finely but sadly dries my skin completely out. I had a bit of minor break out because of it. It might be a really good product for other people with oily skin. I tried to experiment with it, putting it under my concealer but that went really really wrong so don't try it. It was impossible to actually blend the creamy concealer and corrector at all and just made it look like a complete mess.

I also tried putting moisturiser before putting it on, and it seems like it trapped the moisturiser away from my skin. Just like how water and oil is when you try to blend them. You see the water and you see the oil droplets seperate from each other.

I give this primer 5 out of 10 - sadly. The 5 because it does it just what it needs to do (what I feel like it is doing anyway) and it misses the last 5 because it's a meh product for me. A person with oily skin might give it more.  

YSL: Top Secrets Pore Refining Skincare Brush

Today, I'm going to review a special kind of primer. It's a high-end brand by YSL and quiet the splurge. Let's start of with what the website states:

"A unique pore refining skincare brush for combination skin prone to imperfections. This targeted skincare product instantly reduces the look of enlarged pores and mattifies shine, making skin appear visibly smoother and more even. Skin quality is improved and ready for a flawless make-up application."

There is one small thing that I want to correct with that statement, and it's that it's not for combined skin(unless you have a very oily T-zone, including your forehead - or else it's just a waste of money) and certainly therfore not a product for anyone with dry skin to use. I have combination skin, and I have used this product on the T-zone areas. It worked perfectly, because it mattified my skin and reduced any large pores impeccably. I tried to put on a bit of it on my cheek and it became SO dry that it started flaking. Which is obvious, because this is not for dry skin. 


Product file:

• for combined to oily skin
• no hydration
• comes in 40 ml
• one shade 

The packaging is certainly beautiful.

Without the cap on

Notice the N? The front part of the brush there is a "OFF" What lays below the line under the N can be twisted...

And the "O" will can be turned back to the be under the "N" just like that. That means that the product is "ON" right now. So when you squeeze the brush lightly, the product comes out. When looked upon inspection, one can see that there is a dot or whole in the middle of the brush hairs. That's where the product will be squeezed out from. When you want to close it again, you just twist the "O" back to be under the "OFF". It's actually a really interesting mechanism. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it's not easy to clean it at all because the brush cannot be taken off.

When blended the colour just disappears and becomes transparent - just like all the other primers.

A detail I like about it, is that it stays on for a very long time. When I use powder to stop my T-zone from shining, I have to touch it up around 3-4 times in a day. With this product, I can go on for a whole day with only having put it once.

Despite how good it is, it's not something I can use for my whole face and I can defintely find a primer that will do just a good job as this one without having to pay too much for it. Therefore it's not something I will want to purchase again. I will give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Bobbi Brown: SPF 15 Tinted Moisturiser

The tinted moisturiser by Bobbi Brown is one of the top rated products they have. And with a good reason. They mention that it's a 3-in-1 moisturiser, because it's: 1) Light coverage "foundation"/tint. 2) It has SPF 15. 3) It's a moisturiser. 

The product comes in 9 shades, and when I asked for my ideal shade I told the sales assistant that I actually already have the foundation in shade no. 3. She told me that I should take the Light Tint which is this one. When I swatched it, the colour disappeared from my skin and I was very happy with how nicely and lightly it covered without being heavy. It also has a nice dewy finish. Bobbi Brown is truely one of my favorite high-end brands that offers quality products worth their price. The site states that it costs 40$, but I payed 50$..*

Product File:

• For dry and normal skin 
• Hydrating
• Light coverage
• 9 shades
• 50 ml

Notice it package doesn't mention oil-free, and that's because this one works for both dry and normal skin. The oil-free formula is actually a new and are available at the moment. It's really important to get oil containing products if one has dry skin, because oil-free products are really really bad for dry skin and will flake it too much. This product is so hydrating for my skin that I do not need to wear a moisturiser under it like I usually do with foundations to prevent dry skin and flaking.

The blended part may look a bit weird and that's only because my hands have tan lines and are both tanned and fair on different spots. It's really strange and I never noticed that untill I took the pictures. I blended the product in my face and it worked perfectly. This is the reason people should actually swatch products before they buy it, on their face/jaw to get the most ideal shade.

It looks way better here, and since it's properly blended it's only barely noticeable because a pea sized amount is actually a lot for such a small area.

After I bought this product, I actually realized that I do not need a foundation. This tinted moisturiser is just perfect and fullfills all my skin requirements. I don't have problem skin, and the only down part of my skin is that it's really dry, but that's managable. The realization of the tinted moisturiser probably only came now (and very late, indeed!) because I had bad experiences with other tinted moisturising products. I might review one I used before, but that's for a later time. The problem was that certain brands only sell ONE shade - which is very occasional if you buy tinted sunscreens and that's what happened to me. 

The only downside of this tinted moisturiser, is the smell.. Usually Bobbi Browns product have som really amazing smells in their products (especially the foundation I got from them) but this one have some strange smell that I can't exactly pinpoint to be what. I think it smells a bit too chemical, but it might only be me. That's because I only noticed that after I put the product in my face and not when I swatched it. But it's not overwhelming which is a good thing for me.

I really really love this tinted moisturiser, and I will defintely give it 8 out of 10.

Back on track

I have been absent for a few days now, and that's because I had some technical issues with my equipment. If that happens, then it's a bit hard to actually blog, but I'm back now! I've fixed everything completely, so I hope that nothing like this will happen again.
The other day something happened, but... until it gets resolved I won't mention anything regarding that yet. I need to see how it's going to be handled first and then I will talk about it here. I'm actually quiet disappointed over the whole thing and I was supposed to do a haul while I was there. But we'll see about it.