I'm no stranger to Elemis my Mam was a massive fan and I'm not going to lie, I was partial to robbing a pump or two of her Elemis lotions and potions every now and then (sorry Mam). This however was the first "makeup item" that I had gotten the chance to try out from the brand. Last October I attended a Debenhams beauty event with some other lovely Irish Bloggers/YouTubers and this was one of the products that was in the goodie bag. Up until then I had never used or even heard of a flash balm before. I had a fair idea of what the product was used for but I had a little peek at the directions anyway.
According to Elemis this is a multi-use product.
"Directions: Use as a light daily moisturiser. Can also be used as a radiance booster, or makeup primer over your regular moisturiser."
I definitely find that the product illuminates the skin but I don't find it overly moisturising. Personally I wouldn't use it in place of a moisturiser more so in combination with one as also suggested.
I like to wear this as an illuminating primer. Majority of the time I sport a very matte base, I like the option of then adding in the glow where I see fit. Sometimes though I like a change. I apply the balm to my skin, add my foundation and then I apply a very light dusting of powder over the top to set everything in place. It doesn't give a very dewy appearance to skin it lives up to its name and gives a slight radiance which I love.
The balm has a strong scent to it which I adore. I'm terrible at describing scents but the balm contains ingredients such as bitter orange, neroli, bergamot and lemon. The fact that the product is quite heavily scented is something to be weary of if you have sensitive skin. Despite having very sensitive skin myself, I haven't had a problem with this product or any from the Elemis range to date *touches wood*. In terms of consistency the product is thick, quite gel like but this doesn't affect how the product applies. The balm blends into the skin with ease, it's not very heavy and doesn't make the skin look or feel greasy. I find it leaves a slightly tacky feel to the skin which is why I love to use this product as a primer. I find it really grabs hold to the products which follow after, foundation, concealer, etc.
It's not a cheap product by any means but definitely worth every cent. It's available from Debenhams and will set you back €54.60 for a 50ml tube. It broke my heart to see the price tag but it is a product I will part with my cash for, it's fantastic and I'd highly recommend!
If you're interested in checking out the balm you can do so by clicking here.
I hope you enjoyed the review and i'll see you all again soon, I'm really enjoying getting back into the swing of things!
Last Summer my Auntie went to Portugal and she told me that she had picked up an eyeshadow palette on the way home from the inflight catalogue on the plane. She had mentioned that she had never heard of the brand before and had just picked it up because she liked the shade range. I asked her to bring it down to show me, I wasn't really sure what to expect but to be honest, I hadn't really high hopes for what she had bought. She came back into the room and as she produced the eyeshadow palette she began "I'm not sure if it's any use but..". I cut her off mid sentence. I squealed with excitement at the sight of theBalm Nude'Tude, not knowing what all the fuss was about she continued "So it's alright then?". Oh if only she really knew!
Initially, the highlighter Mary-Lou Manzier took the Blogging and YouTube world by storm. When the hype surrounding that product finally calmed down, then a new frenzy started and it was all about the Nude'Tude palette. Naturally enough as more and more Bloggers and YouTubers starting featuring the palette in blog posts and videos, the more requests I started getting from my viewers to create a look using the palette. There was just one thing though, I didn't own the palette, but I knew someone who did :)
My trusty Auntie Edna came to the rescue and allowed me to borrow her palette for the video, heck she even told me I could keep it but I couldn't do that, I knew how much she loved it. I enjoyed the palette that much I figured I had to pick it up for myself but then theBalm launched their Nude'Dude palette and I was torn between the two. Recently, I attended the Debenhams winter event and sitting at the top of my very generous goodie bag was the Nude'Tude palette. I couldn't believe it. Now I just need to pick up the Nude'Dude palette and I'm golden. Very long intro aside, let's get on with the review!
This particular Nude'Tude palette is part of a limited edition set. The only difference between buying this set and the palette on its own is that there is a mini 'Put a Lid on It' eyeshadow primer included in this set.
The palette is very well packaged. It comes in a box with one end revealing the mini primer and the other end opening up to reveal the eyeshadow palette. There is then a removable sleeve containing the palette that matches the design on the palette itself. I really like when products come with a sleeve, it just adds a layer of protection and stops your palette getting dirty. In relation to the packaging design, I adore the vintage vibe the palette has.
Within the palette you get 12 eyeshadows that range in textures and finishes. I feel based on the shade range the palette has something for everybody. Also included is a double ended shadow liner brush. I haven't used this brush yet and to be honest based on how the brush feels, I more than likely won't bother with it. The palette opens up to also reveal a large mirror making it handy for when you're on the move.
Let's take a closer look at the eyeshadows.
Sassy: This is a frosted white eyeshadow with good pigmentation.
Stubborn: A light to medium pinky peach shade that also has a frosted finish.
Selfish: Is a frosted taupe brown shade with grey undertones.
Snobby: Shimmery light gold shade. I'd almost say its more of a yellow.
Stand-Offish: In the pan this looks like a light pink but when applied it is more of a light golden brown shade that has a sort of metallic finish.
Sultry: Matte warm brown. Another highly pigmented shade and very easy to blend.
Sophisticated: Warm dark brown shade with shimmer running throughout.
Sexy: Matte warm cranberry/burgandy shade. One of my favourites in the palette, really pigmented and very easy to work with.
Serious: Matte black, its not the most pigmented matte black I have come across. You do need to layer it to get an intense colour payoff.
Seductive: Warm toned golden brown shade with a satin finish.
Silly: Dark brown with red and golden flecks running throughout the shadow. This is another firm favourite of mine!
Sleek: A very dark matte brown shade that is almost black. Pigmentation is fantastic and its nice and buttery so very easy to work with.
Swatches Top Row (L-R)
Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Sophisticated, Sexy, and Serious.
Swatches Bottom Row (L-R)
Snobby, Stand-Offish, Sultry, Seductive, Silly, and Sleek.
As I've said there is something for everyone in this palette. You can create neutral smokey eyes with this palette or really intense dark smokey eyes either. I love deep smokey eyes so I was immediately drawn to the cluster of darker shades along the right hand side of the palette.
To create this grunge inspired makeup look I used the shades:
Sleek
Sexy
Silly
Serious
Sassy
I've a full tutorial on my channel showing you how to create this look. If you are interested in finding out how, then just click on the play button below!
I am very pleased with how this palette performs. The quality of the shadows is outstanding, they are highly pigmented and are buttery smooth to the touch so they make the blending process very easy to do. The only shade I found that needed a little extra work was the matte black in the palette 'Serious'. It isn't as pigmented as the other shadows in the palette, you need to layer it to get a nice intense payoff. My least favourite shade in the palette is the yellow/golden eyeshadow 'Snobby' and that is just purely because of its colour. The only thing that I feel the palette is missing is a matte highlight shade. If 'Snobby' was replaced with a matte highlight colour I think the palette would be absolutely perfect.
Overall though I'm delighted with the palette and I'd highly recommend. It will set you €35 which I think is quite affordable for what you are getting in terms of quality. Thankfully theBalm products are becoming a lot easier to find here in Ireland. theBalm can be purchased online and in store from Debenhams. For a direct link to the palette on the site you can click here.
Have you tried any products from theBalm yet? If you have,
Instead of repurchasing my €31.50 Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, I decided to raid the chemist to see what was on offer in there. Bargain buys are my favourite buys! I ended up stumbling across this Catrice Prime and Fine Pore Refining Anti Shine Base Face Primer….an utter mouthful to say the least but I thought that'll do pig that'll do. It set me back a mere €4.49 so I knew I wouldn't be too disappointed if I wasn't happy with it. In the case a product doesn't work for me I always just give it to someone I know who would enjoy it, like my aunty or my friend Laura. That way its not a waste of money :)
I was a little surprised when I first squeezed some product out of the tube, to me it looked more like a moisturizer than a face primer. I squeezed out a pea sized amount and began to dot it around my face. Next I noticed the texture, it didn't have that nice silky silicone feel like my beloved Smashbox primer had. I found I had to use quite a bit of product to cover my face and I also had to work quite quickly before the primer set in place. First impressions…meh. I'm not overly fussed. I wasn't happy with the texture of a product, but did it shape up as an effective face primer?
As the title of the product suggest, it aims to minimise pores and provide an anti shine base. Ick the topic of pores, the only place that my pores are quite visible would be on my nose. It hadn't really been a problem until I started using pore strips, I think they were the worst thing to ever happen to my skin. As you can imagine I was hoping this primer would solve my problem. My pores weren't noticeably less visible, if at all. That was the first disappointment. With regard to anti shine, yes I would say my skin had a slightly more mattified appearance with the use of the primer..nothing major though.
The biggest disappointment for me though was that it resulted in my skin breaking out. Unfortunately the formula just didn't suit my sensitive skin.
Overall I didn't really notice any beneficial difference to my skin when using this primer opposed to using none at all. Unfortunately Catrice but this is a thumbs down from me!
Have you tried out this face primer, or any others from the 'Prime and Fine' range? How did you get on? :)
