Wednesday 26 June 2013
I cannot recall the last time I had gone through and hit the bottom of a single product; it is a rare occurrence indeed, so you can understand my excitement when I came to the final spluttering pumps of my Maybelline foundation. Finishing a product strongly signifies one thing, it is well loved. Many things in my make-up collection are loved, but are either difficult to work with to wear regularly or require a certain look or a particular climate. This foundation however, has gotten me through my hair tear-ingly stressful last year of college and the excitement and buzz (and again, let us not forget stress) of first year of university, without a single mishap or mayhem.
I was fortunate to come across this product before making my purchase, one particular morning following a cousin's wedding getting when I unwittingly misplaced my then foundation. My younger cousin, who was so kind as to offer me hers, the Dream Satin Liquid, though the entirely wrong colour for me I was immediately blown away by its soft silky texture. If I am to be strictly honest with you, had I not, so aptly lost my foundation that morning (later discovered in my parent's bedroom, three females under the same roof should be explanation enough) I doubt I would have ever entertained the thought to approach Maybelline for foundation again, my previous experience with them could not allow it (that is another post for another day). But it is safe to say that the product worked well for me and the opportunity to become acquainted with it was well worth appearing in front of our new in-laws sporting a peculiar orange tinge.
So moving onto the particulars-
The facts:
The product comes in 30ml quantity, packaged in a glass bottle with a hard plastic pump dispenser and a soft plastic clear lid. It is a good size and fits in the hand well. The pump dispenser makes application that little bit more hygienic and is easy to control, pumping out only as much as you need (the main concern when it comes to pump dispensers). The look may be considered outdated, but for the time it was purchased and still now it is quite sweet. It retails at £7.99 (Boots/Superdrug).
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| Source: own product image Retail price: £7.99 (please excuse the poor quality) |
It may be of some use to readers for me to own up to my skin type which is, regrettably, blemish prone and combination (literally), oily T Zone, dry on cheeks and around the mouth. To top it off, I also have centrally aligned visible pores concentrated on my forehead - delightful.
Personal verdict:
The product is described by Maybelline as 'air-whipped, light and luminous'. As I have already mentioned previously the texture is soft, it also wears on the face weightlessly and has a somewhat of a dewy finish, this is not a matt foundation. The coverage can be described as light-to-medium, perfect for me when using on a daily basis. It tends to last relatively well throughout the day and is kind to my dryer areas. I had noticed though that at the end of the day my T zone became quite oily, even under powder so this may not be best for those with primarily oily skin. On the Boots website, it is also described as giving '100% poreless skin', over the course of my using this product, I had not once noticed a difference in either the quantity nor the size of my pores. It also claims on the packaging that the foundation gives an 'airbrushed' finish, although I thought this product to be very good, I do not personally think it is quite that good, particularly on those occasions involving flashing cameras when we most certainly would wish to be looking airbrushed.
This foundation has served me well and has lasted me a decent length of time, to the point I could not wait to get rid of it (in a good way). And while I cannot fault it, I am open and eager to shop around and experiment with other brands with the hope of finding something... exquisite. Whether this search will prove fruitful, who knows? One thing for sure though, if all I strike are moisture-suckers and pimple-provokers, I am rest assured, knowing I have the Maybelline Dream Satin to fall back on as my failsafe, all-year-round foundation.
Friday 21 June 2013
I suppose a good place to begin would be to define my current relationship with shoes in general. I am a self-proclaimed shoe-oholic, and shamelessly so... most of the time. It is an age old attachment with no distinct beginning and no perceivable end. A friend once recalled how on my very first day at my new primary school, some 11 years ago, her foremost observations were my very un-(south)Asian-like appearance, my nervousness and my pretty high heeled black sandals. I too remember them well, black ankle-strapped suede wedges with plastic stars adorning the straps at the front and bright red insoles - a childhood favourite.
The shoes share the same heel height and gold detailing, both are pointed and both are trimmed with studs, pyramid in the Valentino's, spikes in Zara. While the they are sling back in design, the Zara differ in that they have additional studded ankle straps, a definite plus for me. The main difference though, aside from the price tag and origin, has to be material; the Valentino pair are made of leather rather than suede. Suede, though pretty, tends to be fairly delicate, and is best avoided on wetter occasions (trust me, I learnt the hard way). There is also the plastic (or acrylic, can't quite tell) trim lining the front of the Valentino pair which I can really do without. The only real let down with the Zara pair is that they come in the one colour, black when it was the pink I was lusting after. Having put it off, again and again, my first trip back into city centre after exams brought me to Zara's doors. It look some searching for, the way the store display their shoes is particularly unhelpful. And after trying them on for size, I was in love! Not so surprisingly they came home with me that afternoon.
It is usually towering heels that catch my eye. When it comes to style, words like beautiful, fun and elegant enter the mind. Good shoes put confidence in your stride, gives you an air of gracefulness. As Marilyn Monroe stated: "Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."
Having put things into perspective, it may surprise readers that I tend not to drool over designer brands or the flashing red soles of a pair of supposedly hot Louboutin's, the reason escapes me as well.
That was until I happened upon the most charmingly elegant pair of pale pink kitten heels of unknown origin. Strangely alluring, the pair defy my usual preferences, for one, the heel is teensy, for another they are stud encrusted, a detail rarely teamed with the adjective 'elegant' and finally, the very fact that they a designer. A little research revealed them to be none other than Valentino Garavani's rockstud sling backs - to my utter dismay (see photo below). Argh! The frustration of wanting something so far beyond the stretches of your student loan! Hence, I reluctantly settled to envisioning them as that one pair of shoes I love but will never come to own.
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| Source: Farfetch website (http://www.farfetch.com/shopping/women/534369-designer-valentino-garavani-rockstud-slingback-pump-item-10349772.aspx?storeid=9272) Original price: £897 |
Then lo and behold, a cheeky detour to Zara's website (my new found favourite place to shop in Leeds, a store my hometown is unhappily deprived of) during intense revision period, returned a gem of a find. Zara's spike stud micro-suede kitten heel sandals, from the Spring/Summer 13 collection, strikingly resemble their premium relatives in both style and general impression (see photo below).
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| Source: own image. Original price: £39.99 |
To wear: I've only taken my studded sling backs out once, a shopping trip that was cut short due to the onset of uncontrollable hay fever. I can report that they are fairly easy to walk in given the small heel, however be sure to keep the ankle strap loose as they do tend to pull when walking and of course it is going to hurt when one foot accidently catches against another, so tread with care. All in all, these shoes look stunning and demure in black with a playful but dangerous streak, perhaps not the most comfortable pair of shoes in the world but then most beautiful shoes aren't.
Currently on sale at Zara, reduced to £29.99, grab them before they go!
http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/shoes/high-heels/studded-sling-back-c434554p1049680.html
http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/shoes/high-heels/studded-sling-back-c434554p1049680.html
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