REVIEW || BATTLE OF THE PRIMERS - MAC SKIN BASE VISAGE VS BENEFIT POREFESSIONAL VS THE BODY SHOP INSTABLUR

One of the most frequently asked questions is 'how to get flawless skin?'. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have the answer to your question - PRIMER. Even the best foundation won't give you the same effect as it would with the use of a good primer. In this post, I will talk about three top-rated primers and what I really think about them.

Benefit Porefessional Primer Review:

First, we've got Benefit's POREfessional which was my very first primer ever. It is rated No. 1 best selling primer in the UK! So I bet all of you are thinking - is it really that good? I must have it! Let's take a look at the packaging of the product. It is in a form of a long slim tube which is easy to squeeze out. It feels like silicone when you touch it (the packaging) and is also soft when you bend it to get the product out. 

On the front of the product, it tells you what it is and what it's used for. Best way to apply this product is to use it on top of your moisturiser but only on the t-zone unless you are going for the more-than-flawless look. It definitely can dry the skin out so I'd say avoid putting too much on as a little goes a long way.

Few of the advantages of this product are that it is very silky and lightweight when you put it on. Your skin will feel very smooth and velvety in touch. This is literally the best feeling in the world, it's like stroking a puppy for the first time! It is also oil-free which means that it will reduce the appearance of oily skin and give you a smooth effect without the shine.

The instructions that come with this product are written in a few languages, which will make this a great gift for someone that lives overseas or doesn't understand English. The product itself is very soft and silky in touch and easy to apply. Just make sure that you moisturise your face and let it dry before you apply any sort of primer on your face.

As you can see it is a beige colour, however, it applies without colour on your face and doesn't seem to leave a white cast on darker skin tones either. It smoothes out pores, fine lines and wrinkles and leaves a protective, soft in touch layer on top of your skin so the foundation stays on for longer and doesn't clog up your pores. I do find that this primer works best with a satin-finish foundation.

This is by far my favourite primer and sadly I have run out of the big tube and will definitely repurchase it around Christmas time or maybe for my birthday as a little treat!

Overall rating: 9/10

You can buy this product for £29 here or the bigger size for £47 here.

MAC Skin Base Visage Review:

Next, we have MAC's Prep+Prime Skin Base Visage. I have heard many good things about this primer and have always wanted to try it out for myself and see if it's worth the hype or not. The packaging of this primer is very elegant and looks rather luxurious. The bottle is shiny and silky in touch which gives it the proper catwalk-product effect. Very simplistic design, yet super effecting. I think that it appeals to make-up geeks such as myself as it just looks so sophisticated.

Little info on what the product is and how to use it, just like the Benefit primer, it's also written in other languages. It is advised to use this product up within 6 months of the day you opened it, however, the Benefit primer lasts for up to 12 months which might be the better option if you don't wear makeup every day and are looking for products with a longer shelf life.

This primer is very luminous, it shines from left to right as if to wake your face up and give it a natural glow. The consistency is very similar to a face cream which makes it a lot easier to apply the product and spread it out evenly. You can also use this product without a moisturiser as it calms and soothes the skin while blotting out redness and oil leaving the skin shine-free but with a natural radiance. So this is a multi-tasking skincare primer that'll make a good primer for normal skin types that are lacking a bit of glow. I would highly recommend to never replace a moisturiser with a 2 in 1 product though!

Overall rating: 8/10

You can buy this product for £24 here.

The Body Shop InstaBlur Primer Review:

As you can already probably see, this is an obvious dupe of Benefit's POREfessional. The packaging looks similar and even the shape of the packaging is the same. The packaging feels really soft to the touch but matte at the same time, it almost feels like the anti-slip grip on slipper socks! It is called the 5-action perfector, we shall see if it's really that good...

The all-in-one slogan states that the product controls shine, reduces the appearance of pores, conceals blemishes, unifies complexions and extends make-up wear. Sounds pretty perfect for anyone who gets super shiny and has blemishes, right?

This is an actual translucent primer, so it should suit all skin tones and types unless you are allergic to any of the ingredients then obviously stay away or try a sample of it first. Unlike Benefit and MAC, this primer's shelf life is 24 months from the day you open it, so even if you don't use it every day you don't have to worry about it expiring after a few months which is a win-win situation yay!

As you can see the primer' consistency looks a bit curdled. It comes out in chunks and won't come out of the tube easily so you have to squeeze it out quite hard but carefully so just enough product comes out but not too much. This primer feels like pure velvet in touch, it is very similar to the POREfessional in the way it feels on the skin and smells divine! I think this might not be the best choice for you if you have sensitive skin as it might be perfumed.

Once you start applying the product you will notice that it creates a thick-ish layer over your skin which might feel slightly cakey on the skin. I would suggest spreading the product out thinly so it doesn't give you the cakey feeling.

After applying the primer in circular motions I noticed that it smoothed out my pores very well, but left my skin feeling a bit heavy. I am not the biggest fan of this product as it does rub off quite easily, but who knows it might be just because my skin type is so awkward that it only agrees with certain products?

Overall rating: 6/10

You can buy this product for £15 here.

Have you tried any of these primers in the past? If so, what was your opinion?

*This post contains affiliate links.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Mallzee - First Impression

Hey guys!

So recently, I found out about this amazing new app called Mallzee. It is literally like tinder for fashion, if you like an item, you give it thumbs up, if not then thumbs down, easy peasy!
the app can be found on iTunes here.

As you can see, it shows you the clothing item on a model and which brand it's from. This bodycon jersey dress is from boohoo.com and is only £15. You can then vote whether you like it or not, and also share it or even buy it! It is literally the most perfect app for all bloggers and fashion freaks like me!

 This picture shows a variety of men's clothing which is New In. As you can see, it looks exactly the same as shopping online, however it has an enormous amount of brands to choose from. It varies with items for men and women, size and shape, price and occasion etc. You can find literally everything/anything with this amazing app.

Another great feature is being able to create a folder with an occasion and save your most liked items into each category. The style feed is very useful if you lead a busy lifestyle and want to quickly update your wardrobe for Winter nights out, and also days in.

Overall, I am very impressed with this app, and will definitely use it a lot! I'm so glad somebody has come up with this great tinder-like app for fashion gurus like me!

You can get the app yourself here. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do!

Lots of love,

Maya xo

The Big October Giveaway

Good Evening Honey Bees,

As the weather is getting harsher you need to take care of your hair more and make sure it is wind proof and silky smooth at all times. And this is why I decided that I will treat you guys to a few favourites of mine this month. Altogether the products are worth over £100. I don't remember individual prices but I know that it comes up to £100 something!

As you can see, there are 5 different products for you to win. They are all professional products used by hair dressers in posh salons to restore the hairs natural strength and oils.

This is an amino cell rebuild heat protection cream for coloured hair. I personally love this product and think it makes my hair very soft when styling it with a hair dryer or straighteners. It restores the hairs natural strength and makes it somehow thicker. how about I will let you try this out for yourself?

This is an another product by Schwarzkopf Bonacure which rebuilds amino cells. It's a leave-in spray conditioner which moisturises hair and leaves it hydrated for a whole day.

This is a product by Wella ProSeries and is specifically designed to make your hair bouncy and big with a lightweight feel. It's perfect for this weather as it won't weight down your hair, even when you're wearing a hat - you will still look fabulous as per usual.

I usually use this product on nights out so my hair stays put in one place instead of going everywhere when I'm dancing. It repairs damaged hair such as making it softer, thicker and stronger with its special formula.

This straightening cream is great for frizzy and out-of-control hair which needs extra maintenance. It's designed for curly hair, however I use it on my wavy hair to make it stay straight for longer. It really is great when it comes out to getting frizz out of your hair.

So guys, now it's up to you to win this. I will give you until the 31st October to try and enter for this giveaway as much as you can.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lots of love and good luck!

Maya xo

Eye Make-up of the Day EMOTD

Hey there lovelies!

In today's post I'm going to show you a fee pics of my eye make-up from the other day. I was inspired by MUA's make-up artist and because I do not own the make-up items that she's used, I had to improvise with what I already have.

I used Era by MAC as an all over base. Then i drew the shadow outline with a navy eye liner from L A Colours, and filled it in with Steamy by MAC and blended it with Deep Truth also by MAC. I used my 194se blending brush by MAC and a cheap blending brush for all of the shadows and the eye liner. I also used 368 Tempo by Dior which is actually my sister's eye shadow and I used it for the inner corners of my eyes.

I used Natural Collection's liquid eye liner to define my lash line, and the Scandaleyes mascara in black to define my lashes. I also applied false eye lashes by Eylure To make my eyes pop out even more. 

From top - Deep Truth and Steamy by MAC.

Eyelure eye lashes and the blending brushes that I've used to create this look.

Tempo by Dior.

And here is the finished look. Sorry the quality of the pictures is really bad, I've taken them on my phone baring in mind it makes my skin look worse than it actually is haha!

Lots of love,

Maya xo 

Mini MAC Haul

Hey Lovelies!

It's been a while since I last posted as I am stuck at home with so much work to do for college it's unreal! On top of that I have been ill for over a month now! :( nothing seems to be helping me :/

Anyway, I wanted to keep you guys updated with my mini MAC haul and what I got last time I went in to the Nottingham store.

I re-purchased a foundation in the first time in my life, and it just had to be Studio Fix Fluid. This time I got it in shade NW10 because it came out not long ago and it is perfect for my skin colour as NW15 was waaaay too dark. I also bought my mum the Studio Fix Fluid as a treat for her Birthday, she was matched with NW20 which is also perfect for her skin colour.

I also took advantage of Back to MAC and exchanged 12 empties for two gorgeous lipsticks! I've always loved a dark lip so I grabbed Rebel, a gorgeous dark plum shade which is perfect for AW.

My mum chose the shade Flamingo for me as I was stuck with my second choice. It is a lovely coral lipstick and looks great with light smokey eyes.

Ever since I discovered MAC, my motto became 'Once you go MAC, you never go back!'. What MAC products do you guys have and love the most? Any ideas for my next shopping trip?

Lots of love,

Maya xo