Cross roads – Make Mine Fab…

By Jo Phillips

Most smart shoppers know in this day and age it is perfectly acceptable to mix your Jimmy Choo’s with a Topshop buy. So why shouldn’t the same work for make up? When we think Primark, we think fast fun and affordable..we may also think Fast Fashion (not always having the best of connotations). We rarely if ever think what great product. That’s because by the very nature of the brand it’s a see it, buy it, wear it, then move on, kind of a brand. So when they added to their make up line a pro-collection it did call out to be looked at. So, see below how we were pleasantly surprised.  Also it’s worth mentioning a little bit of face paint goes a long way.  Research shows feeling optimistic is good for the health.  Any lady worth her salts knows a touch of lipstick goes a long way on a grey day.  Therefore a selection of make up that is of a high standard at a very pleasing entry level price can only be a good thing…read on.

Lets start with skin. There is a prep collection for blemish prevention and other treatments. These include: lip scrubs  (we loved the little pot PS Pro Lip Scrub) and lip primer, a matiffying primer, anti-blemish primer and best of all the PS Pro Illuminating Primer one which gives a radiant effect to the skin underneath makeup.  It goes on well, with a subtle pearly effect yet not greasy at all.  A great way to give a natural glowing complexion or even to use as a highlighter.   With many expensive illuminating primers that give a dewy effect this is a very good budget version, that goes on easily and sits well under a base.

While we are talking prep, there is wonderful colour correction palette which really stands out. This palette contains green (anti redness) yellow (anti grey tiredness) and three shades of flesh tints for shading/highlighting and concealing. Although the mixtures take a little work to get going, once worked with a small make up brush, these will block out any unwanted blotches well and is a very good alternative to many far more expensive options.  Do use a brush to apply..but fear not there is a great selection of brushes within the collection. (we can talk brushes later). pri-2Skin Skin Skin

Lets move on to the bases. Firstly they come in pump bottles, which is a feature usually only seen in high end brands.  This makes for easy application and of course is far more hygienic. Again these are pretty heavy solid foundations, so if you want a slightly lighter glow, best to first apply a good moisturiser and then the illuminating primer to loosen the effect. The range is not that extensive but will blend well. The palest colour is perfect for those with really light skin and it’s actually quite rare to find in this price bracket such a pale tone.  So for any pale skinned Brit girls this may well be a revelation.  On a final note all have light-reflecting properties are SPF15, (of course)  as well as having been dermalogically tested, and they  contain no additives, chemical dyes, binders, or preservatives and because it is as mentioned a pump bottle this will help with keeping the product and stop it degrading.  (Think about repeatedly putting your hands in pots of creams..NOT good).  There are 5 tones within this range.

The Pro Finishing powder as a way to keep the make up in place and give longevity is good too.  These finishing powers are very popular and so again finding a good budget one that is actually nice, fine and of course colourless which is  versatile, is great news.  It’s also talc free so far better for the face with the added bonus of not drying out the skin.  It goes on easily and doesn’t clog the face and so if you are the type that likes to add finishing powder through the day this is a good option as its wont break the bank or give you an ugly powdery build up.

Now lets talk eyes.

All women have mascaras in their make up bags and all know that as much as every brand will have at least one mascara in a range that the prices can differ hugely.  The most important thing to know however with any mascara is how to properly apply it.  Start by curling your lashes, then its all about the  ‘wiggle’.   Wiggle the brush from root to tip for great all over coverage. Whether to  ‘bottom lash or not’ is very trend lead, but can look great when going for a nude lip to be heavy on the eye.  The range includes the PS Pro HD Mascara Black.  Rich and glides on well and thankfully its not a flaker!  

Next up is the Pro graphic black eyeliner.  This is an unusual shape as its quite thin, so  a little bit of practice is worth while.    It can go from thin to thick and according to Primark was developed in Japan. It’s water resistant, smudge proof, and there is a neat little  corrector pen if your line isn’t quite how you want it.  The brush shape does work well (after a bit of practice) for a nice little cat eye flick!  There is also a nude concealer pen in the collection that brightens eyes when applied on the inner corners, so it’s nice to use in conjunction with the liner and mascara, but can also be used to define brows or even a cupids bow.

Kissable lips..well thats what we all want. As well as lipstick that doesn’t come off after the first cuppa in the morning let alone on a big night out.  We already mentioned the little pot of lip scrub which  contains sugar to exfoliate, alongside Vitamin E and Almond oil to moisture and protect. Moving on to the next stage in what Primark refer to as a  three-step ritual when preparing your lips.  The Pro lip primer,  is a transparent base coat, for those that want to smooth out the lip before adding lipstick.

Then mover on to the range of lip options, The Lip Pen the Rich Colour lipsticks and Pro shine lipgloss.  Probably the stand out product in the whole collection is the Lip  pen. A felt tip ended pen to line the edge of your lips helping create the perfectly shaped outline, however when you want to have lips that even the most rugged of kissing will not smudge, use one of these little miracle pens and fill the whole lip.  A couple  notes of warning…shake the pen well to get a good flow otherwise it can be a bit of a stop and start process with lips looking like you are wearing stripes of lipstick  and also note this may well be wonderful to keep on but that makes it more difficult to take off.  You are going to need a good cleanser and cotton wool to remove!!  However, so worth the effort.  It comes in five shades developed to match perfectly with the Rich Colour Lipsticks.  The idea being to use the pen for outlining then blend with the appropriate lipstick.  The lipsticks are creamy and do last better than some and have a little vitamin E in them.  However if a fully made up mouth is not for you then there are Pro Ultra Shine Lipgloss. With three shades they are perfect for a light touch of colour or can be layered over lipstick, for a far richer dynamic set of kissers.. 

Finally the Brushes:

We trialled several of the make up brushes including the beauty blender which has the right amount and style of bristles (if to soft it becomes impossible to blend a foundation). There is a concealer brush, a pro Kabuki brush (retractable) a great little firm yet soft  concealer brush  and a generous powder brush.  There are contour brushes for those than like to sculpt and of course brow,  shadow and lip brushes.  All the brushes clean well and if looked after should last well. They are a great alternative to some brushes that cost for one, more than the whole Pro collection.

Well, it’s fair to say that in life when you can find a little ‘life cheat’ then go for it.  You may not want to wear  everything in the range, but at these prices you can afford to give them all a try and find out what works best for you.  Trust us there are some real little beauty gems to be found.  And just so you know..me? I’ve sneaked the Pro long wear lip-liner Pen into my Fendi make up bag which sits perfectly happily alongside my Chanel, Sukku YSL and Ellis Farr. I’m in love!

 

 

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