Hey Beauties!
I received these products last week and have been trying them out and to be honest I quite like them. New CID Cosmetics seems to be quite a relatively new brand, I've not seen much hype about their products but i have to admit they are of good quality.

I received a selection of their products ranging from eye products to face products and lips! I had heard a bit about these products from Pampered Prince (Andy) who has written a blog post on the Primer because I had gotten mine and thought it sounded awesome.

From Left to Right: i-gel- Granite, Graphite, Carbon  i-bronze in Rio  i-colour in Colbalt and Crystal Quartz, i-shine in Kir Royal, i-prime foundation primer

"The unique marbelised formulation means this bronzer has swirls of bronze, golds, pinks and chocolate browns to give the perfect colour for practically all skin tones. This also means that by sweeping you brush over different areas of your bronzer, it will suit your skin tone all year round."

I love these little pots of i-colour (£14.50 for 5g), They have a range of vibrant bases that claim they will not crease but unless they set everything creases. I love using these as bases before I put a powder eyeshadow on top it just gives it more of a pop and something to grab on to. These colours are gorgeous and vibrant, Cobalt is a gorgeous royal blue shimmer they arnt glittery just really shimmery and metallic. Crystal Quartz is kind of like an antique gold not to much yellow to make it horrible though its a really nice gold




The i-shine lipgloss in Kir Royal (£12.50 for 8ml) is a mauve pink which looks quite bright in the pot but on the lips it just looks like a really sheer pink gloss with a high shine. These kind products facinate me because its a solid lipgloss in a pot i havent seen anything as good as this apart from the Kevyn Aucoin Elegent Lipgloss Pots. These have an ok lasting time but you will have to keep reapplying like any other gloss, they arnt overly sticky but because they are so shiny they are a bit sticky







Last but not least the Foundation Primer, i-prime. (£28 for 30ml) I absolutely love this if you know me you will know that i love a good primer! my current favourite is the Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer but this primer is so soft and it feels like silk. The i-prime is supposed to dull down your imprefections, fine lines and make your skin feel smother, when applying it i like to apply to parts of the face that need it wait for a while for it to be absorbed then apply foundation, you can tell straight away that the skin is smoother and the foundation just glides on

Left: i-shine in Kir Royal Right: i-Bronze in Rio

i-colour in Colbat and Crystal Quartz

You can buy New CID Cosmetics from their website: www.newcidcosmetics.com

Hey Beauties!


I have some amazing news! I was made Illamasqua's Beauty Spotlight, check out the picture on facebook and my interview on their site!!
Illamasqua Facebook Image
http://www.illamasqua.com/socialise/beauty-spotlight-andrew-james-mua/

Hey Beauties!
I thought I would do a little post for any brides to be or anyone who wants a simple glam look.

I did this look with Tom Farmer (Photographer) and Model Elaine Fisher. She has such a gorgeous look, amazing skin and it was great to work with her!

So for this makeup what I did:

• Skin Prep
• Good Things mattifying moisturiser
• Illamasqua Satin Primer
• Base
• Illamasqua Skinbase Foundation
• Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer
• 
  Chanel Loose Powder in 20 Clair
• Cheeks
• MAC Dollymix Blush
• Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Icing for a highlight
• Eyes
• MAC Painterly Paint Pot
• Dior Palette in Grège
• On the lid I used the lightest colour as a base, Then I used the deeper brown on the lid and blended it up to the crease then used the lighter colour to blend out the crease colour and applied the deep purple to the outer corner and blended out to create depth.
• For the brow bone I used the Vanilla Eyeshadow by MAC
• Body Shop Volumising Mascara
• Brows
• MAC Lingering Brow Pencil
• Illamasqua Brow Powder in Thunder
• Illamasqua Clear Brow Set
• Lips: 
• MAC Lipstick in Pink Nouveau 
• Chanel Lipgloss

Hey Beauties!,
Today I will be doing a tutorial on how to use the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, I was asked on Twitter by the fabulous Louise Macpherson how to use it so i thought id do a post to show how I use this product.

I think that Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage is quite a difficult product to know how to use properly because it is so thick and can be quite unforgiving.

• I start by taking a bit of the product and apply it to the back of my hand
• I use my concealer brush and work the product into my hand using my body heat to warm it up
• It should become more mailable and smooth as your body heat will help to make it creamier 
• Apply to the part you want to cover with a patting motion for a spot as this will you will get the full coverage

Hey Beauties!

A while back I said I was going to start doing more posts including men's skincare and cosmetics so this is the first of many a post about the topic!
I thought I would start of with something simple a few do's and don'ts to get everyone started. I've put done some of my person opinions as well as asked some Beauty Bloggers and other Makeup Artists opinions

I think my biggest tip for skincare on anyone is,

• Dont wash your face with Soap and Water it can dry your skin out so badly causing it to age prematurely and if you keep doing it for prolonged periods your skin will start to resemble a leather like texture

• Taking a brow gel through your brows can be enough to tidy them up and give them some sort of shape i find that sometimes a powder or a pencil is too much for guys but Brow Gel is just perfect as it adds colour/texture and fixes everything into place

• Taking a concealer over your trouble spots works so much better than using a foundation all over as you will give the coverage without looking made up

• Set with a face powder to make sure everything is in place this way it will last longer and you wont look shiney you will have the perfect flawless matte skin

• If you go over the top with the concealer take something like MAC Fix+ and spray it on your face and buff it out that way you disperse the makeup without removing it and keeping some of the coverage

I'm happy to answer any and all questions.

For requests or questions not about the post, ask me on Twitter @AndrewJamesBlog
If you love my blog, Don't forget to follow me by CLICKING HERE! or following me on Bloglovin'


Thanks for Reading!

Hey Beauties,

I have just done a video today on what I use in my Makeup Artist Kit as i was asked a lot about it on Twitter

I use the Zuca Sport which you can get from Guru Makeup Emporium in the UK or from the Zuca site in the US it doesn't come with the vinyl insert bags so you will have to buy them separately

I also use a variety of different brands in my kit from Illamasqua, Chanel, Chantecaille, Rimmel, MAC, Kevyn Aucoin, Daniel Sandler etc

Hey Beauties!
I was thinking about a post to do and I honestly didn't have any ideas until I was in Sallys Beauty Supply today and i thought i should do a blog post on lashes because I am quite a Lash Fiend haha, I love Lashes!
So I thought i would do a post on what lashes I really love and most of them are the Ardell Lashes with a few others thrown in like the Naturalash and I love Illamasqua lashes but right now I dont have any.

I love Ardell Lashes so much just because they are really affordable, they look great and come in a ton of different styles. Ardell seems to offer the best kind of lash in my opinion when applying its really easy as it has a very flexible and white/small band so it doesnt show when they are on




I dont really have a favourite set of lashes but if i had to choose it would be the Ardel Demi Whispies, they are just so gorgeous they give such a gorgeous open eyed look they are just so light and feathery they arnt dramatic but you can notice your lashes as being thicker and better.


I don't often use lower lashes but when i do i love the Naturalash in 040 they are just these soft spaced out lashes that add "full-ness" to the bottom lashes they are great for really dramatic looks, I often use them when doing drag looks as well



You can get Ardel Lashes from Sallys Beauty Supply for £3.39 or £2.87 if you have a Sallys Pro Card

Hey Beauties!
I thought i would do a quick post on the new NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, they will be released in Spring 2013. What really interests me about these is they contain skincare ingredients that work to help the skin as it covers which just makes me totally geek out they basically offer hydration and coverage containing ingredients such as grape seed, magnolia bark extract and vitamin E. They also contain light diffusing particles to blur imperfections, reduce redness and dark circles

There will be 10 shades ranging from really pale tones to really deep tones and will cost about £21 from NARS Counters and Online

Hey Beauties!

So I thought I would do something I haven't done in ages. Do a post on a shoot i've done recently with Reverine Photography and the fabulous Camille Perrin.

This was a shoot done in Hillhead in Glasgow it was titled "The Rebel Girl" I actually cant tell you how much I love working with Camille she is a fantastic model who just hits the mark every time.
I really love doing these types of shoots just because I feel its more "my thing" I love grunge and dark and moody call me an "emo" if you must haha

For the makeup i used:

• Face-
• Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer
• La Roche Posay Moisturiser for sensitive skin
• Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in SB03
• Chanel Loose Powder
• Illamasqua Lies Cream Blush (Highlight)
• MAC Pro Sculpting Cream
• MAC Harmony Blush
• Tom Ford Narcissist 

• Eyes
• Tom Ford Cream Colour for eyes in Spice as a base 
• Maybelline Gel Liner- Black ((Flicked out into a wing))
• Illamasqua Thunder Brow Cake 
• Falsies Macara 
• Kevyn Aucoin Lash Curlers

• Lips
• MAC Nightmoth Lip Liner
• Chanel Rouge Allure- Rouge Noir
• Sophie Medium Pencil ((to darken the outer edges of the lip and create dimension))
• Chanel Clear Gloss (Centre of the lips))

I'm happy to answer any and all questions, ask me on Twitter @AndrewJamesBlog
If you like my blog, Don't forget to follow me by CLICKING HERE! or following me on Bloglovin'

Thanks for Reading!
Andrew James

Hey Beauties, a short post today.

The Estee Lauder Take it Away has to be one of my favourite makeup removers if not my favourite, I was talking to the sales assistant at Estee Lauder and she said its really powerful it can cut through and get rid of Double Wear Foundation really easily as well as all waterproof makeup but its also really gentle and great for sensitive skin.

I had to show you that it does work really well so i applied a YSL Glossy Stain to my hand so you could see my hand was stained but Take it Away made it look like nothing.

I have used this on almost every shoot ive done, it works amazingly when you want to switch makeup because it seems to calm the skin while removing, what i really like is the fact its water based but can remove
I really think its great value £21 for 200ml of remover, you dont need much because it works so well
you can get this remover from http://www.esteelauder.co.uk/  or from any Estee Lauder counter.

I had only recently bought these because before i thought there must be better out on the market than having to go to the drug store but once I saw Lisa Eldridge use them I was quite interested. So I went out and bought 2 and as usual I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of these.

What I love most about these is that they they arnt chunky, gritty glitter they are really refined tiny partciles of glitter quite similar to the Benefit Shimmer Shimmer Shake in 2010. As you can see below the pots might be tiny but they are packed quite full of product and a little goes a long way!


 I thought it would be best to pick 2 that were completely different so i bought that shades 219 and 11.
 219 is a gorgeous muted pinked glitter with pink/silver sparkles and 11 is a really dark navy blue with blue and silver sparkles. I really love the way these catch the light they just look amazing
I find that 219 keeps the sparkle and looks amazing but 11 tends to loose its sparkle and youre left with a matte blue pigment which in its self if is really nice.

When Andrew James invited me to guest post for him, I was keen to write a post not too far from my skincare roots of Pampered Prince, yet still be interesting and useful for his makeup enthusiast readers. So, I'm going to share with you some skincare solutions for some of the most common complexion concerns we like to cover up. Making your makeup look even better AND making Andrew's job as a makeup artist, just that little bit easier.

I'm happy to answer any and all questions.

For requests or questions not about the post, ask me on Twitter @AndrewJamesBlog
If you love my blog, Don't forget to follow me by CLICKING HERE! or following me on Bloglovin'


Thanks for Reading!

Hey Beauties!
I thought I would do a little post on this because I often see people talking about the Porefessional. I bought the Porefessional ages ago and i dont think ive used it that much maybe on a few shoots. It didn't really appeal to me i didn't see much difference when i applied to peoples skin it honestly for me didn't seem like it was doing anything.

I recently bought the Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer before Christmas, in November i think and to be honest i have used this one every single shoot ive done. It out performs the Porefessional on every level.

They both have similar ingredients but i feel the differences that are there make a bit change to the product, Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer fills in lines and minimizes pores it helps to even out the skin so you get a nice base to work on so when applying foundation its a dream what i love about it is, that its an all in one its minimizes everything but its also a primer as it says so it helps to keep the foundation on longer where as i find with the Porefessional it is supposed to shrink pores but i dont really notice any big difference when using it on clients or on myself

LEFT: Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer RIGHT: Benefit Porefessional

As you can see from above the Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer lists everything it does and lists the ingredients which i really like because i like to know what in what im putting on clients.
Both of these are silicone based which i love in primes because it fills things in and gives a silky smooth texture to work on they are best kind of primers in my opinion

I find that with the Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer under foundation the wear time is longer usually under studio lights things dont last long but with this it lasts longer than normally usually you dont use SPF products with flash photography but i find this photographs well so you dont have to worry about a white cast or the SPF washing you out

Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer contains 28ml of product for £20.50 and the Benefit Porefessional contains 22ml for £23.50 so you are getting more for your money with the Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer but if you like the Porefessional keep using it, i am just trying to show different products out there that people can use you by my means need to use it

You can purchase the Daniel Sandler Retexturizing Primer from DanielSandler.com and the Benefit Porefessional from benefitcosmetics.co.uk

Hey Beauties!

Everyone always talks about Skin Base by Illamasqua and it kind of drowns out the other foundations that they do, anyone who knows me knows that Skin Base is my ultimate holy grail foundation but i do like the other foundations they do, one in particular is the Light Liquid Foundation it is quite different from Skin Base but not bad it was around before Skin Base.

Illamasqua describes light liquid as:

I really love this foundation as it is so versatile, you can use it as  a light sheer coverage or build it up to a full coverage which still looks gorgeous. I really love the finish this foundation gives its a really dewy/glowy look which is so gorgeous! I tend to use this foundation on more mature skin as i find it just works really well as its not thick but it does have a weird texture its quite silky almost

I like the way Illamasqua design things, they keep the same shape on all of their products which i totally love because sometimes i dont think enough thought goes into the packaging with other brands but i love the way these foundations are designed instead of a pump its a little squeezy bottle


One thing i would warn you about its nothing bad but these foundations separate sooo much it might look like your foundation is gone off or its your shouldn't use it but its just the oils that have separated all you need to do is shake the bottle quite a bit and it will all mix together again and you will be able to use it, David Horne said this happens because the product is so emollient that the oils separate



The wear on this foundation is great you will easily get about 7+ hours out of this foundation maybe a little less if you have oily skin as this is quite an emollient foundation but powder and use a fixing spray and you should be fine!






















Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation is available from Illamasqua counters as well as online at Illamasqua.com, It is £23 for 30ml of product but if you are a Makeup Artist it is £13.80 ((You can apply for professional discount here))