Jen, I used to use Clarin's Beauty Flash Balm and loved it, that was, until, a few years ago, they brought out their Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch, it's absolutely fabulous, transforms the feel of your skin to silk, and, as Cosi said, primers can be used with our without foundation. I don't wear a lot of make up as I don't like that 'made up' look or caked on feel for me and can't wear eye make-up due to sensitivity, so a primer helps with that as the fabulously silky base it provides means that you can use the lightest touch of foundation which just glides on.

I ran out of the Instant Smooth recently and had to buy just whatever was available in Sainsbury's: Maybelline Dream Smooth Primer, nearly as good and a fraction of the price  

Thanx for the tips ladies I think another trip to boots is required for some trying on of some of the products mentioned

I don't wear any make up LOL

I wouldn't know where to begin but i know it costs a bomb and feel sorry for you ladies at the expense you go to.

What are your thoughts on BB cream?

And go to your local department store and ask for samples Jen

Please don't sympathise ......there is not a lot more lovely than messing about with cosmetics. All the creams and potions are beautifully packaged and usually smell quite lovely. I can think of far worse things.

I'd really hate to have bo

I was going to finish  by saying that I'd have hate to be born male. Bl######dy tablet plays up from time to time.

What's a blender? And what's a primer?!

I use MAC minerals powder foundation. It was a gift, but I like it. I used to use the max factor one before it got discontinued. I prefer powder to liquid, that makes me feel sick
I also like collection 2000's powder, it's gentle and lasts

Haha it looks like you were saying you'd hate to body odour Soozy

Summer, beauty blender... I bought a copy from Ebay for £2.95 (free p&p) and it came on Sat, it's good. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beauty...s=the+beauty+blender

 

As for Primer, I'm thinking of it as 'polyfiller' type product that hides all pores etc.

 

The reason i'm looking into these products is i saw some before and after photos of the work a Russian guy does and i was like Infact i'll go google some to post

 

 

see I don't get that at all ..first off the before pics are the worst you can get with bad lighting and the after is a completely different angle and pose.. then he makes them up so they look nothing like the real them..

 

they may as well just wear a mask ..their real contours are lost with all that gunk on them then more gunk is put on to paint different contours to their own.. .they all look over made up and like blow up dolls. .

 

The best type of make up is the one that looks like you are wearing nothing much more than maybe a bit of mascara or lippy and people say 'my you're looking well'

 

That lot wouldn't look amiss in an episode of Towie.. they like to lather all that crap on  .  

Olls i know what you mean about pics being badly light etc in the before shots, i did think that myself.

 

I was just amazed at the difference. I would love to do a toned down version for my up coming nights out (one of which is an Italian mascaraed) I doubt my attempts will look any good though

 

 

 

 

 

 

My advice would be enhance what you've got and don't do what they did and try to look completely different and like they wandered thru a cement mixer to boot

 . . .unless you're butters then trowl it on

I was browsing in Boots today . I have a money off voucher on No 7 so asked the assistant what mascara was good. She was very disinterested gave a big sigh and said 'What do you want it to do?'

 

I was boing to say 'all my housework if possible' .......but decided againsi it and simply said 'everything'.

 

 

She then went on to say .......well this is the one I use. I took one look at her and said .........hmmmm -don't think I'll bother - thank you anyway.

Soozy i hope you made it obvious after she was rude to you

I don't really use a lot of make up unless for a night out.  During the day I'll wear Mascara, usually Benefit, and a little bronzing powder.  For a night out I'll wear more.

 

I had a No7 primer thingy that I loved, I can't remember the name of it but it was wearable on it's own for daytime or as a base for evenings.

 

I love xmas time because I always buy myself loads of new make up and usually get some as gifts too.

Can I use this thread to ask about eyelashes? I have mega sensitive eyes and had a terrible do a few years ago when, for a big posh event, I took the risk of wearing some eye liner and mascara.... long story short... ended up being rushed to hospital with them all dashing around like loonies 'cos they thought I was going blind! The pain was like nothing I've ever known, so, needless to say, I was in no hurry to go there again, but on hol recently I tried wearing the teeniest weeniest bit of mascara one night and it happened again, (to a lesser extent,) so that's definitely  the end of that! Sooo, any advice about false eyelashes/eye lash extensions for a few special occasions I've got coming up?  

I used to wear false eyelashes top and bottom everyday and night in the 1970's.

I used to buy a new set every week on a Friday when I got paid. The new ones were my going out ones and they became my work ones the following week.

 

Really don't know what they're like now but possibly you may find the glue irritating. Have you thought about having them dyed?

Was it the same mascara you used on both occasions Supes?

Supes after a quick google a lot of ppl suggest Clinique Gentle waterproof mascara or another good tip i just read is to just use a gel on them? Don't know how that would work but maybe worth a shot.

 

One thing i did read was this (i'll paste and link it)

 

I thought I had sensitive eyes until I had a small lump appear on one eyelid last year , which really hurt, went to the eye unit at local hospital . I thought I had got something in my eye (I should point out I work in office above a metal foundry) at work . I then found out I have an eye condition called blepheritis,which because it had been left untreated had caused a cyst. I had never heard of it , and the treatment is so simple (I am not saying here what it is because it is important for people to get checked themselves). All those years of spending a fortune on expensive mascaras and eye shadows and then having to bin them coz they made my eyes so sore after an hour or two , and the whole time all I needed to do was get diagnosed and treated for a condition which is quite common.
Please get checked at your local opthalmic unit before you waste any more money !
If the opthalmic unit say you are clear of this condition and you want a good fragrance free fibre free recommendation for mascara I would suggest Clinique , but Not the waterproof one , I found that one has fibres in which irritate after a few hours . The one I always end up coming back to is the naturally glossy mascara
link
http://www.clinique.co.uk/templates/...CT_ID=PROD1113
I have never had problems with this one .

 

http://forums.moneysavingexper...wthread.php?t=365147

 

I know its years old but thought i would just post it anyway

Yup, done that, but still look like I have piggy eyes!

Nope, the night I had the 'blue light' problem it was a Benefit one, the more recent one was Estee Lauder...for some reason the tenny weeny fibres flake off, get under my eyelid and cause literally, many thousands of scratches to my cornea every time I blink OUCH!

Thanks Jen, but don't think it's that, wish it could be so easily remedied!

BRILLIANT!

Grinds my gears when hoity toity, jumped up, over made up sales assistants look down their noses at those of us who aren't, (and probably don't want to be!) 'glamorous' To repeat Jen, go to your local department store rather than Boots!

Not directly relevant but the department stores keep my favourite "eau" under the counter and the ladies concerned always act as though it's a major task getting it out.
Whereas that little York perfumery just round the corner from Betty's (coffee and cake bargain £10 queue for two hours) display it with pride .
I'm talking about you messrs. Fenwicks, Debenhams, 'n Binsies.

Not sure if you're dissing that local HQ department store of my namesake or not!  And, round the corner in York??? I'm confuddled, surely you mean the one on the corner, more or less opposite that Betty's place, or maybe the one nearly on the corner a bit further up towards the cathedral?

Oh! You just caught me ! Due south of Betty where Kendal meets coney st. Opposite mansion house. Burgins?

Lendal meets coney st !

I've had a go at wearing false lashes, mainly to save me (I am SO lazy) having to apply mascara.  Yeah, just how lazy is that..!    I only had the top lashes done as I didn't want to look like Bambi and my bottom lashes are dark and thick anyway.

 

I didn't look like Pedro the spider had camped out on my lids but they did take a few mins to get used to (abt 20 mins in fact).  I had individual ones and the application took around 45 minutes from start to finish.  No bad reaction - had a skin test 5 days before.

 

What about dyeing them again Supes but also using some eyelash curlers too?

Dunno what else to suggest really.

I fancy either having a go at the lash extensions or falsies Cos, (as you know I'm 'strawberry blonde'!) for my nephew's wedding in Dec in particular.

However, the main tip I want from you, for that event, as a master of the 'up do', is about an up do that doesn't look too 'done'..... I'm relying on you!

Ahhhh, I know what you want.  Patsy post 2 bottles... but pre 3 sort of thing 

I shall give my chum Alex a nudge.  She does weddings and has been doing lots of 'relaxed' up do's this summer.  She's taken loads of snaps, so I'll get her to mail me a few of her ideas 

 

Right, afore my up do wilts with tiredness, I'm orf to my pit.

Nighty night  

Excellent...tell her I need height on top to offset my round face! My hairdresser is great, but by his own admission, he can't do 'up does,' he leaves that to the young girls who just don't get it!

You'll need to get a patch test done first Supes from the salon you are going to have your lashes done at.  Then you can get individual lashes applied which are a little more natural looking if you only get a few on.

Thanks Ells, think I'd better have a 'trial run' first. A friend of mine has them done and they look amazing, but you can't get them wet, bit tricky if you want to shower every day!

I love fake lashes for 'special' nights out lol.  But they are really time consuming (for me anyway because they are so flimsy).  

 

Ordinary nights out mean just grabbing something out of the wardrobe and either straightening or curling my hair, foundation, eyeshadow, mascara, blusher, lipgloss and powder and that's me ready to go.  'Special' nights out need hours of prep.  Hair in rollers, new dress/shoes, extra time on the hair style then a full bake of primer, foundation, eyelashes, mascara, eyeshadows, blusher, powder,eyebrow make-up, lipgloss, liplock and make-up lock.  I couldn't be arsed with it all though.  I'll happily go out during the day with nothing on my face.  Not sure if the people who have to look at me are happy but I don't care 

You must use a primer,face one and an eye one,....I LOVE Urban Decay pallets,Naked is a MUST,it's all about layering but most importantly blending,you have to blend.MUA do fantastic dupes,Undresed is a fab dupe of Naked,Smokey palette is a dream.Their primers and highlighters are the bees knees,seriously,I love my make up but you just can't go wrong....Blusher, go for Daniel Sandler,it's liquid but you build it up without going all Coco clown,bit of highlighter,few squirts of finishing spray you're good to go for hours....and hours lol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am agog - fascinating

So this MUA is actually good then?  I've had it in my hand so many times when I've been in SUperdrug but just thought something that cheap can't be any good so never bought it.  I will have to grab a few pieces and see for myself!

 

 

I really have nothing to contribute to this thread, except to say "less is more". Ditch the silly super massive eyelashes and heavy eye makeup.

 

 

I went to have a look when I was out today, every single thing that Lee recommended was out of stock, must be popular!