Rant or Rave?

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheek

One of the biggest trends on the A/W 12 runways was weather-whipped hair, skin and cheeks. Think long walk in the country on a cold day. One of the easiest ways to work the look is an outdoorsy flush blush.

The look should be vibrant and healthy so a cream blush works better than a matte powder.

£18.00 from Selfridges

The colour here is Rose

They Say: Our best-selling, multi-tasking cream colour just got even better. It's now in a mirrored flip-top compact for on-the-spot application. Blend it on the apples of your cheeks for a just-pinched look. Blot it on your lips for a soft, stained finish. For drier skins, be sure to moisturize skin first

Rose: Looks red in the pan but is in fact a a very warm pink shade. It's a very natural shade that would work well on a variety on skintones. 

I Say: Although this product claims to be dual purpose I find it a little too drying on the lips. I think multi-functional products are always better at one thing, you know what they say about stretching yourself too thin!

What in lacks as a lip colour it more than makes up for as a blusher. The product is very easy to apply and the colour is extremely buildable. It is very sheer so you can control the depth of colour. I like to apply with my fingers but the Real Techniques Stippling brush works equally well. To achieve that desired country ruddiness only apply the product to the apples of your cheeks and just below the cheek bones.

The finish isn't shiny or greasy but dewy and natural. It is great for achieving a really healthy natural looking glow, and especially good for adding a dose of radiance to lack luster winter skin. 

Have you tried any cream blushers before, what do you think of them?

Rant or Rave?

Bobbi Brown SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free Review

£28.00 from Selfridges

Tinted Moisturizer are typically the remit of the summer months, when it's too hot to bother will a full face of foundation light weight tinted moisturizers really come into their own. However I love mine year round.

I got this last year with the intention of using it skiing. Whilst the early starts and sweaty sessions didn't entice me to apply much makeup the social side of lunch did warrant some effort in the face department. 

They Say: Created for women with oily skin who want light moisture, sheer coverage and sun protection in one, Bobbi's new gel-based formula is the perfect alternative to foundation. Light and refreshing, it glides on smoothly, blends easily and provides a hint of coverage for soft, even and natural-looking skin. Vitamins C and E protect skin from free radical damage, while SPF 15 helps prevent sun damage.

I Say: The added SPF is a bonus. Not gonna lie the word SPF doesn't get me all hot under the collar.  I'm the person who slathers up on oil to hurry my tan along and only applies suncream on holiday, if it's a million degree, once first thing in the morning, only if I remember. However I know how important SPF is, so the inclusion of it, and the free radical fighting vitamins, do make me feel better about myself. The makeup equivalent of eating my greens. 

I like the coverage. It is very sheer, it is not going to cover any of those spots invading your face, but nor does it claim to. I agree it provides a soft, even, natural looking effect. I've been using this a lot lately. With my skin playing up I don't want to subject it to heavy duty coverage. It's like a circle of doom. Your skin's bad so you apply more makeup to hide bad skin, layers and layers of makeup don't agree with angry skin, said skin just gets worse! This moisturizer really wakes the skin up. It evens out the skin tone by making your face all one colour. And the colour is very flattering. I still have to do spot cover ups with my concealer, but the overall feel of my makeup is much lighter and fresher, like I'm not wearing anything at all. Naked from the head up.

However. It does not glide on smoothly. At all. I find this one of the hardest products to blend. Doing it with my fingers is almost impossible, it just tries to quickly. I apply with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush, and do my face one section at a time. This works okayyy, but it is not a pleasant application by any stretch of the imagination.

The product is oil free, so your skin is not left shiny. I like the finish, you look like you had a good nights sleep, not like you spent all night watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians, ooops. It doesn't feel tight on my skin or drying, but I still always apply real moisturizer first. Tinted Moisturizers just don't contain enough hydration, even for me and I don't have particularly dry skin.

A good staple for those lazy days when you don't want to try that hard. I just wish they'd change the formula.

Just wearing the tinted moisturizer

What's your favourite tinted moisturizer? Has anyone tried Laura Mericer or Chantecaille?