MAC’s Apres Sol lipstick has recently become a firm favourite of mine. It’s a gorgeous minky/peachy/gold hybrid with minute shimmer and looks fabulous with natural or bold eyes and tanned skin. Alas (and here is where I choke back tears) it was limited edition.
I have heard that a suitable dupe would be Honeyflower, so perhaps all is not lost!
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Neoderma Skin Care combine natural ingredients with advanced technology to produce products suited for all kinds of specific needs and skin types.
I was sent a large selection of their products, including face masks (post coming soon) and thought I would share my views on them. I have had them for a fair amount of months so my opinion is based on consistent use.
First up is the Rebalancing Matifying Cream, containing a superior blend of Echinacea, Birch Leaf extract, and Elderflower which all work in harmony to give the cream a gorgeous, fresh scent. Although it’s described as being a ’24 hour, day and night moisturizer’ I have found it really is suited for day time use. I’m pretty much of the school of thought that you should attempt to keep shine at bay throughout the day, and slather yourself in moisturiser at night.
I love this cream under makeup. It doesn’t slip or slide around under foundation, doesn’t cause oxidization, nor is it greasy looking or feeling. It’s quite like a skin primer in the respect that it gives an even base for makeup application, whilst mattifying and moisturising. I would definately recommend this to people who suffer from very oily skin, because no doubt you will adore it. However for people such as myself it works perfectly on combination skin types, mattifying where needed but not feeling like it’s stripping your skin of moisture.
The Blue Blood Sun Cream with a SPF of 30 is a tinted facial cream, infused with a unique ingredient called Perfluocarbon, which releases oxygen into skin tissue and simultaneously aiding in the penetration of other good for your skin ingredients.
As everyone knows, even if they don’t take heed, sun bathing is bad for you. Even sitting in the shade on a very sunny day causes irreparable damage to the skin, which will eventually cause the dreaded wrinkles to appear later on. I myself have never been a sun worshipper, but I do know how important it is to use SPF even just walking around outside on a hot day.
The Blue Blood Sun Cream comes in four shades, from light to dark, and is designed for the face. It’s perfect once again to pop on before your makeup, and it doesn’t leave the ghastly white pallor of regular sun creams. The ingredients include 4 cosmetic filters (UVA, UVB, IR), Allanotin that stimulates cell renewal, Vitamin E, and Avocado Oil to nourish.
It smells gorgeous, and although it comes out of the tube quite thick it’s easily blended. The shade I have is Beige.
The Clear Solution Perfecting Topical Gel is firstly, not a gel but a cream, designed to give relief and clear up pimples and acne-related pustles. A main ingredient is Burdock Root, a known anti-fungal agent which helps to rid bacteria from the source of the spot, just like Tea Tree Oil, another noted ingredient.
Not suffering from acne or spots in particular (yes, I know I’m very lucky) I can’t say if it helps severe cases or breakouts. However on the occasional spot that appears out of nowhere, it does seem to dry it up within a few days.
Neoderma appear to be in the high leagues when it comes to plant based, effective skin care, offering a whole range of products for the body, too. However the problem lies not within the products, but in getting hold of them! Having searched for stockists, it seems a near impossible task. I was informed, though, that orders can be placed through the website using the contact form to get in touch with a representative.
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Accessorize Makeup is too pretty for words. Really. I adore the butterfly overlay, and the quality of the product really is phenomenal considering the price.
Above are photos of the Merged Blush in Diva, a gorgeous bright pink softened by pearlescent veining that works beautifully on everyone.
The Merged Bronzer in Golden Sands is quite clearly, not a bronzer, but a soft shimmering pale gold highlighter, once again shot through with veining.
The colourpay off is exceptional, and not powdery. I’ve swatched both below, once.
These retail for around £5/£6 in Superdrug, and online at Accessorize.com
However if you are in the US/Canada and have access to Hard Candy cosmetics, you may want to have a closer look at them. I think you’ll find distinct similarities . . . 
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Royal Effem Pearly Star Eyeshadows contain 60% pure pearl pigment, giving them a finish and sheen quite unlike any other eyeshadow on the market. Above are the three shadows released with Royal Effem’s S/S 2011 collection, a medley of petal pink, night sky violet, and happy grass green.
Being no stranger to the pearly eyeshadows, having already owned a deep purple/black shade released with their A/W 2010 collection last year, I was really excited to find out that the S/S release would include three brand new shades – Dalia (pink), Ortensia (Violet), and Cedro (green).
Dalia
Ortensia
Cedro
My favourite of the three has to be Cedro. A true, Spring green colour with light flecks of bronze and gold glitter, however the glitter is not overbearing.
They can be applied wet or dry, applying them wet gives a slightly foiled look, but they loose nothing in terms of pigmentation and impact when applied with a dry brush.
Below I’ve swatched them dry, once, with no primer underneath.
The Pearly Star Eyeshadows retail for around £19, and can be ordered online from http://www.royaleffem.co.uk
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