And now on to the reviews which are for Givenchy Photo Perfexion Foundation, Givenchy Phenomen'eyes Mascara and Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine Lipstick in Sweet Shine (no.1). First up is the foundation...
I hadn't heard much about this foundation on other blogs but the name always enticed me...anything that boasts 'perfecting', 'flawless' or 'radiance enhancing' properties always catches my attention. This foundation is designed to provide 100% natural flawless fluid coverage with SPF20. It is apparently inspired by digital imaging and is supposed to correct, conceal and smooth your skin. The foundation description mentions 'a flowing, lighter than air texture' to create a 'healthy glow'. I'm all for natural looking foundations that actually do the job in the coverage stakes! I would describe this foundation as medium coverage, akin to the likes of Nars Sheer Glow or YSL Teint Resist. It evens out the skintone nicely without looking heavy or cakey. The consistency of the foundation is very fluid and light and it doesn't takes alot of effort to blend it into the skin (I just used my fingers). I liked the fragrance to the foundation and the packaging feels expensive (loving the holographic logo on the top of the lid!). The foundation has a pump dispenser which reduces mess and wastage - always a bonus. This foundation does contain SPF20 and as we all know, the higher the SPF, the more chance of a white cast effect on the face with flash photography. The pic I took above was in daylight. Because of this, I probably wouldn't wear this foundation if I was expecting alot of flash photography i.e. a wedding or special occasion. Overall though, I really like the effect the foundation gives on my skin, it's a great everyday product that gives the skin a natural texture and look without skimping on the coverage power. I found that the foundation lasted a good 8 or 9 hours without having to retouch at all.
Next up is a product which I have definitely been dubious about for a long time. The Givenchy Phenomen'eyes Mascara. It's the spherical shaped wand that always made me think...how can that work effectively???On first impressions, the tube is alot smaller than your usual mascara, obviously to accomodate the wand. I really like the chic packaging with embossed silver lid. The wand is, well I won't beat around the bush, but it's weird when you first see it. You have to pull quite hard to remove the wand from the tube. The ball-shaped wand is made of flexible elastomer and it takes some getting used to! It definitely takes a few goes to master the technique of applying this mascara but once you do, you get a really nice result. The ball really lengthens your lashes although you won't get alot of volume from this mascara. I do, however, like to use one coat of this mascara for it's lengthening properties, whilst using a volumising mascara like Rouge Bunny Rouge's Amplitude to create the perfect lashes. I often combine mascaras to create the look I want. To conclude, this mascara is certainly not the best I own - that would definitely be my YSL Singulier Mascara - but Phenomen'eyes does what it says on the tin. If you're after a great lengthing mascara, then this is a great option. I personally need something that provides more volume as I have fine blonde lashes that needs a huge amount of ooomph.
Last on the review list is Givenchy's Rouge Interdit Shine Lipstick in Sweet Shine which is a really pretty pink based nude shade. First off, I absolutely looove the packaging, it's so innovative and just plain gorgeous. I love pulling this lippy out of my bag and waving it around for people to see.ha ha. It looks so luxurious and what girl doesn't love luxury??? This lipstick is designed to be an ultra shiny, iridescent lip product and that it is. It's very comparable to YSL Rouge Pur Shine lipsticks in that it's a sheer wash of colour so don't expect crazy colour. I personally prefer lipsticks like this for summer because it's a lighter ans fresher way to wear colour. I don't want really pigmented colour on my lips in summer because that often screams that you're trying to hard. The formula of this lipstick is very smooth, creamy and soft. Obviously, being a sheer lip colour, it won't have amazing lasting power but to be honest, that's a pitfall of sheer lipsticks. Personally, it doesn't bother me because I love the effect they give. This lipstick is a perfect example of a product that creates that "my lips but better' effect. The lipstick itself smells really nice, apparently the scent is a blend of floral and exotic notes like Rose, Jasmine and Ylang-Ylang. It almost smells relaxing, if that makes sense??? Anyhoo, I really like this lipstick and it will be used non-stop this summer because I love me some shiny, sheer lipstick!
I wanted to do a little section on two skincare products that have really stood out for me in the past few weeks. One of which is YSL's Natural Action Exfoliator that is designed to be used after cleansing. It's completely free of abrasive particles, instead using natural exfoliants like bark extract of Enantia Chlorantha, fruit sugars and ultra fine oils break down dead skin cells. I would normally prefer skin scrubs like St Ives Apricot scrub to really give my skin a good exfoliation, but sometimes these kinds of products can be too harsh on sensitive skin and also if you have been in the sun. This product is so much more gentle but you can really feel the difference after you have used it. The honey-coloured gel is applied to dry skin and worked into the skin in circular motions until the gel becomes liquified, you then apply a small amount of water to turn it into an emulsion then wash off with tepid water. My skin feels so gorgeously soft after using this product and it definitely looks more radiant. This is a brilliant product to use if you have sensitive skin! It exfoliates whilst maintaining the natural moisture of your skin, so it never feel 'stripped' or tight. Another skincare product I'm loving is the Avene Anti-Redness Rich Moisturising Cream. I only use this moisturiser at night because it's a little too rich to use underneath foundation (although it does contain SPF10). I suffer from redness in my cheeks and also around my nose, hence why I always need medium coverage foundation! This moisturiser definitely calms the redness I have and it's brilliant at smoothing any dry patches. My skin is in fantastic condition at the moment and I think that is partly due to this product. This product has a green tinit to it, I assume to conteract the redness. It's rich enough to really feed your skin without blocking your pores. Love it!
Just how cute is this Mister Mascara Travel makeup bag and Tweezers???I love the design! By far my favourite thing is the tweezers though with the little 'Mini Mai', a japanese beauty expert. The tweezers have an ingenious suction cup that comes with them so you can stick that on your bathroom mirror! I'm always losing my tweezers so I thought this was a great idea! How cool! I love the little lady at the head of the tweezers, they're just really kitsch and different.
The last thing I wanted to share with you guys is Jennifer Hudson's weightloss. Now, for us UK ladies, I don't really think we have seen many pics of Jennifer in magazines for quite a while, probably due to her toning down tv appearances etc because of her pregnancy. So last time I saw a pic of Jennifer Hudson, she looked like this.....
I just saw a picture of her recently and she has gone from a size 20 to a size 10! That's an amazing effort and I'm so glad to see that she hasn't lost her luscious curves (I don't like it when girls starve themselves down to nothing). She still looks healthy which the most important thing. I always thought she was beautiful when she was bigger and she is as beautiful now she is slimmer...check out those legs! Yowza!
What did you guys do at the weekend? Have you tried any of these Givenchy products? Any skincare products you want to recommend?
