Thursday, 24 October 2013

Jacava Nail Polish - A Review

Hello Lovelies,

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you'll know I absolutely love nail polish and painting my nails, and every week without fail I file my nails, attend to my cuticles and then paint my nails, it is usually my Sunday ritual but sometimes something I do midweek. I have a lot of nail polish and more often than not, if I'm out shopping I will pick up a new bottle of nail polish, I think I have a little problem, non?

So when a lovely lady from the company Jacava London contacted me and asked me if I'd like to choose one of their nail polishes to review, I was thrilled. To be honest before I received the email I hadn't heard of the brand which made me even more intrigued to find out more about them and their nail polish.

Jacava London is a UK based company and all their polishes are made in the UK, they are a cruelty free and vegan friendly brand and all their polishes are non toxic and "8 free" which means they are free from DBP, Camphor, Formaldehyde, Toluene, Cellophane, Parabens, Phthalates and Animal Ingredients. Jacava claims their polishes are long lasting, high gloss and help your nails stay stronger and grow longer. I was very interested to see if their claims were true, so using the websites fantastic try it on - colour selector tool I chose the colour Damson Delight, a gorgeous deep burgundy colour, which I thought would be perfect for Autumn and Winter and I don't have a colour like that in my collection. When my polish arrived I was thrilled to find Jacava had also sent me their Top Coat with UV inhibitor to try also.


Jacava Damson Delight* and Top Coat UV Inhibitor*

The first thing I noticed about the polishes apart from the gorgeous colour of Damson Delight was that the brush went right to the bottom of the bottle on the top coat, I thought this was fantastic because using a polish that's running low is a nightmare when trying to tip the bottle to reach for the product, but with the brush reaching the bottom of the bottle I won't have to do that when I'm running low on this. 

I painted my nails as always on the Sunday afternoon, I used my Orly Bonder base coat as always and then applied 3 coats of Damson Delight and then 1 coat of top coat, to be honest I only needed 2 coats of Damson Delight but to test the polish out against other polishes I have used I applied 3 coats as that is what I would normally do, and as I would normally use my base coat I used that too so it was a fair review. 


The above photograph shows my nails immediately after painting them, the colour is amazing, a rich deep burgundy colour which looked exactly as it did when I used the Try It On colour selector on the Jacava website. The colour selector is brilliant, all the colours of the polishes are at the right hand side of the page and then there is a bottle of polish which changes colour as you select the colour of polish you require and there's also a hand and if you click on the hand you can select the skin tone and nail length and then as you select each colour it shows you how the polish would look on the nail. It is fabulous and made choosing a colour so much easier, this is something I think should be available on all sites that sell nail polish. I think the way you can choose your skin tone and nail length is genius. 

The polish applied well and the brush was easy to use, like I said I applied 3 coats so it would be a fair review as all the other polishes I have reviewed for you I have used 3 coats but I could easily have just used 2 coats to achieve a gorgeous and very glossy finish, the top coat also applied well and was easy to use and I had no problems at all with either polish. Now it was time for the chip test. 

I have to say I was absolutely amazed that after 9 days, yes NINE days, I had no chips at all, ZERO, nada, nothing, I did have a little wear at the ends of my nails and obvious re growth at the base of my nails but as for chipping, there wasn't a chip in sight. 


After 9 days wear 

After 9 days wear

As you can see from the above photographs there are no chips on my nails at all just some wearing on the edges and re growth at the base of my nail. I am super impressed with Jacava, and to be honest I could easily have left this polish on as it wasn't chipped but I needed to try out some other brands for a favourite Autumn/Winter nail polish blog post/video I have coming up, I can promise you already that Damson Delight will feature in it! To remove the polish I used acetone free nail polish remover as I always do and it removed easily without leaving red colouring all over my hands which I do sometimes get after removing red coloured polish. I think I can safely say that the polish definitely lived up to the claims on the Jacava website, the polish was super glossy, my nails were strong and as you can see from the re growth in the photographs above, my nails did grow a lot in 9 days so my Jacava polish did exactly what it said on the tin, well website. 

Overall I am very very impressed, the polish applied beautifully, didn't chip at all for the duration I wore it and had a lovely glossy finish and I can rest easily in the fact it doesn't contain any nasties either, I would love to try some of the other colours in the range as to be honest I was spoilt for choice when I chose Damson delight, there really is a colour for everyone. I highly recommend the Jacava nail polish and top coat, I never thought I would find a polish to rival my beloved Essie or Orly polishes but  I have done so with Jacava, it is fantastic. 

Have you tried Jacava? What's your favourite colour? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always,

Zoe x


*This post includes pr samples 









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Sunday, 13 October 2013

Illamasqua Skin Base and Illamasqua Hydraveil ~ A Review

Hello Lovelies,

Today I want to tell you about two products I have been using religiously over the last few weeks, both products are from Illamasqua and both are base products. The two products are Illamasqua Hydra Veil and Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation both of which I have used as my base every time I have applied my make up since I got them around 4 weeks ago.

 
Skin Base Foundation in 07 and Hydraveil


Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation 

What Illamasqua say about Skin Base 

Inspired by the cult Asian market Beauty Balm creams, Skin Base Foundation is a brand new, refined formula unlike anything on the UK market. Easily blendable, it effortlessly creates a perfect complexion, and like the entire Illamasqua foundation range, is undetectable in a professional HD environment. Suitable for all skin types, it smoothes, softens and conditions your skin whilst providing natural, buildable coverage.

My Thoughts

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation comes in a massive 27 shades, I am shade 07 which is described by Illamasqua as a pink undertone with yellow, which is a neutral cool shade. I bought the skin base foundation when it was first launched around 2 years ago but was matched wrong in store and the shade was much too pink for me and too dark so I hardly wore the foundation, but I did like the formula, recently I asked Cole, my daughter who is also a qualified make up artist, to match me and she matched me to shade 07 which is perfect for me, I have a very cool/pink undertone to my skin and often the counter staff will make the mistake of matching me to a very pink based foundation, this makes me look rather lobster-esque and isn't a good look, I need more of a neutral tone or a neutral cool which shade 07 is, and it is the perfect match for me.

I apply my skin base using my Real Techniques expert face brush which in my opinion is a fantastic brush for applying foundation of any kind, it buffs the foundation in beautifully, and gives a flawless finish. I am in love with the skin base foundation and can't recommend it highly enough, if you have been thinking of buying it, go for it, you won't regret it, it is amazing and to be honest I have yet to try an Illamasqua product that I don't love. 

The foundation doesn't cling to my very dry skin, it gives a flawless finish which lasts all day, I love the fact I don't need as much concealer as the foundation does a great job at covering my dark circles and believe me they are dark! It applies beautifully either with a brush or fingers, it is very build-able so great for days when you'd like a little more or less coverage, the finish of the skin base is amazing, and the fact is doesn't contain spf means it's great for photographs. All in all this is a fantastic foundation and one I will continue to re purchase for a very long time.

Illamasqua Skin Base 07 

Skin Base shade 07



The photograph above shows me wearing the skin base, it isn't a close up but hopefully you can see the coverage and finish.

Illamasqua Hydra Veil 

What Illamasqua Says About Hydra Veil 

Create a radiant finish with Hydra Veil's instantly rehydrating, gel formula. Providing the optimal base for your make-up, apply before foundation with an Illamasqua Brush.

My Thoughts

I bought the Hydra Veil after trying Coles a couple of times, it is very different from anything I have used under my make up before and the only sort of "primer" I normally use is the Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch primer which I do like but have fallen out of love with recently as I am having a problem with my foundation settling into the pores on my nose and the Clarins doesn't seem to stop it happening, truth be told I don't use the Clarins every time I apply my foundation it is more of a when I remember type thing which shows I don't love it as I should do, especially for the £26 price tag.

Hydra Veil is a clear gel type consistency, one of the strangest things about it, is once it is disturbed and then left, it settles back into it's original form again, very odd but for a make up geek like myself, very exciting too.





When I apply my Hydra Veil I usually use any that has collected on the lid of the pot first and then if needed take some from the pot, I don't use the little spatula that comes with it as I don't find I need to, on the Illamasqua Website it does say to apply the product with a brush but I use my fingers and it is fine. You only need a small amount of hydra veil as a little really does go a long way, I apply it all over my face, let it dry and then apply my foundation as normal. 

Hydra veil is a hydrating product so perfect if like me you have very dry skin or dry skin, but I have read reviews from people with oily and combination skin who love it too. When I first apply the product it feels a little sticky but once dry it is fine and my foundation glides over it perfectly. Hydra veil isn't a primer or a skin care product, it says on the box it is a 'Rehydrating Gel' and I think that's a perfect description, I really like this product and will continue to re purchase, I find my foundation looks lovely over the top of it but I also think my skin looks just a little bit better when I use the hydra veil before I have applied my foundation and although I haven't used it alone yet I have read many reviews from people who said they have used it alone and their skin looked great all day, I can believe that too, I noticed that my skin looks lovely after applying the hydra veil and have often thought about using it alone on no make up days, I will let you know my thoughts once I have done. One of the best things I have noticed about my skin base is that it doesn't settle into those pesky pores on my nose since using the hydra veil which for me is a massive bonus as that is something that I hate about my skin and foundation, it always settles into the pores on my nose almost immediately but not since using the Hydra Veil, I am very impressed.

Overview Of Both Products 

All in all I am extremely impressed with both the skin base foundation and the hydra veil and will continue to re purchase both, in my opinion they are worth their £27 price tag, I have in the past paid a lot more for a foundation that hasn't been anywhere near as good and considering I don't need to use as much, if any concealer under my eyes and on any blemishes I am saving money there too and a little foundation goes a long way, I would imagine the hydra veil will last months too as I only use a tiny amount for my whole face, I have been using it for weeks now and you would think it was brand new as it looks as if no product has been used, I wouldn't be surprised if I only needed to buy the hydra veil once a year, a massive claim but an honest one. 

If you have been considering purchasing either the skin base foundation or the hydra veil I would definitely say go for it, you won't regret it at all, they are both fantastic products and I cannot recommend them highly enough. 

10 out of 10 to Illamasqua, I try and use a lot of make up products/brands being a blogger/you tuber and not many products have got me as excited as these two products and certainly never before have I been so thrilled with base products I have tried. 

Have you tried the skin base or the hydra veil? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x














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