Heartbreak...

So I’ve got dumped…again. Let’s go back about two months back, first or second week of January. It was a typical after work weeknight for me. In bed watching Kardashians with a glass of red wine. Since I have watched this episode of Kardashians about 100 times before I decided to go on Grindr and kill some time before going to sleep. And there he was, the reason behind my latest heartbreak, lets call him Malcolm. Tall, very handsome, older than me with gorgeous face and full juicy lips. Now you all going to think I’m totally crazy (sometimes) and stupid (not) but it only took few hour of chatting to him for me to fall in love with him. After chatting for several days we finally decided to meet for a rather cliché date, we met in Central London and was planning to go only for few drinks to G-A-Y bar,  before I knew we was dancing the night away in G-A-Y Late. To be honest I don’t remember much from that night, not because I was wasted but because I was drunk in love with him. We danced and kissed the night away till it was time to part our ways and say good byes. After that night I knew he is the one for me and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. The longer we have been together the more we realized how perfect we are for each other, we wanted the same things in life, we loved and hated the same things. We clicked completely. My only major problem was his job, he was working as a nurse in Intensive Care Unit which meant he worked 12 hour day or night shifts. That meant we couldn't see each other as we wanted to but we managed. Everything was going fine, it was a total smooth sailing till the other night when I started talking about promise rings and that it would be nice to get them for each other at some point. I hinted that I’m ready to give him a promise ring now and then it all started. He told me that he isn't ready yet to promise me that we going to spend rest of our lives together. It was like someone has slapped me across the face since I was already thinking about ordering a promise ring and booking a trip to Paris for his birthday in April. That evening he said another thing that caused me to be get even more upset, he planned on doing same shift work for another 10 years which would mean I’ll be seeing him few times a week for next 10 years. I’ve left his place and came home got into bed and cried my self to sleep. I’ve decided not to talk to him for next few days to think about it all, he has send me few messages explaining things he said, I didn't reply to them right away. Once I was ready to talk to him I’ve somehow ended up on his Facebook and I’ve noticed he unfriended me, when I messaged him he told me its over and he doesn't want to hear from me anymore since we’re both incompatible and I’m selfish because I didn't like the fact he's doing the job he is doing. He never gave me a chance to talk to him properly face to face and explain my point of view. When I went over to his place to return the valentine gift he gave me since I didn't want any reminders of him and was looking for an excuse to see him and get a last goodbye kiss he didn't even let me in, just looked out the window and told me to go away. Later on I’ve received a text from him threatening me with police if I don't leave him alone. I still don’t fully understand why he dumped me and never gave me a chance to talk to him calmly face to face. The person I went on a first date with wasn't the same person that shattered my heart into pieces. He has turned from an amazing loving and caring guy to cold stoned heart monster. Maybe one day I will get a chance to talk to him face to face and say what I had to say. Have you even been dumped so rapidly by someone who you were madly in love with you? Has anyone ever turned 180 degrees within no time and u questioned your self how could have fallen in love with someone like that? Also if it has happen to you, how did you deal with it? I’ve decided to turn this heartbreak into a new series of posts on here written by me about mostly gay and sometimes straight relationships, dating and looking for a love so deep that the ocean would be jealous.

Matt XoXo

My top 5 foundations for oily/combination skin.

I have been suffering with oily skin for few years now and over that time I have tried a bunch of different foundations looking for the perfect one, even though I haven't found the perfect one yet I have discovered some great ones which will work really well for people with oily or combination skin. If you suffer with skin that is oily and acne prone one thing you want to avoid in foundations are oils so always choose oil free foundations that are either water, silicone or wax based.

Mac Studio Fix Fluid is definitely my favourite foundation of all times. It provides medium buidable long lasting coverage and contains micronized pigments and soft-focus powders for a super-smooth look that helps minimize the appearance of imperfections. Also it has oil absorbing properties making sure our skin stays matt all day long. It's very easy to apply because it doesn't set too quickly on the skin and gives just enough time to work with it. Another thing which I love about this foundation is the fact it comes in a wide range of shades just like all other Mac foundation so everyone can find a shade to match their skin tone. It contains SPF15 but I didn't find it to flash back in flash photography.

Revlon Color Stay is a very good alternative to Mac Studio Fix Fluid for people who want more affordable drug store foundation. It also offers a medium to full coverage that will last all day and night. Unfortunately it's bit more trickier to apply than Mac Studio Fix Fluid because it sets very quickly on the skin and is difficult to work with, I found that the best way to apply it is either with a damp makeup sponge or with fingers. When buying Revlon Color Stay make sure to check which version you picking up because it comes in Combination/Oily and Normal/Dry formulas.

Rimmel Match Perfection is a perfect choice for everyone who is looking for light to medium undetectable coverage which can be achieved thanks to its very light texture and adapting properties. It's a perfect foundation for those who don't have a lot to cover but want to even out their skin tone and cover minor blemishes and marks. It has a really good staying power of about 8-10 hours when set with a powder.

If you have oily skin but don't want the mat finish and prefer more natural and healthy finish then Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation will be perfect for you. It's oil free foundation that has light reflecting properties and gives a light to medium coverage. Even that it's not marketed for oily skin I still love it because it gives me a very natural radiant look without looking shinny and greasy after few hours. I wear this foundation whenever I want a very natural look and I rarely powder it because I love the finish it gives. Also it contains skin care properties and SPF 15 which is always a plus.

Mac Full Coverage foundation would be a perfect match for someone who is looking for a very full coverage that will last all day and night long without budging or wearing off however I wouldn't recommend it for every day use because it is a very heavy foundation. It's perfect for special events and night outs and it photographs beautifully. The staying power of this foundation is absolutely insane, once I have worn this foundation for about 16 hours and only had to touch it up once with some loose powder when I started to get bit shiny in my t-zone and also on few occasions I have slept with it on which is a very naughty thing but when I looked in the mirror next day it still looked flawless. Since its a very heavy emollient foundation its really important to take it off properly at the end of the day especially if you have acne prone skin. I recommend doing a double cleanse, first use some kind of cream/oil cleanser which will dissolve the foundation and take it off with a warm flannel or muslin cloth and then follow with either a face wash or micellar cleanser to remove every last bit of it.

Review of two Bioderma products

Bioderma has finally traveled across the English Channel to UK, well few months ago to be precise. But it wasn't until two weeks ago I managed to pick up two products from Bioderma which I got from a Garden Pharmacy in Covent Garden in London, which is my favourite destination for French pharmacy brands for three reasons, they sell a wide range of brands and products, have lots of offers and a loyalty program, but I shall talk more about it in another post.

First products which I picked up is the famous Bioderma Sensibio Micelle Solution cleanser. I'm sure you all have heard about it before, it is used by all famous makeup artists backstage at fashion shows and at photo shoots. To be honest I wasn't very impressed by it, yes it is very gentle and didn't irritate my skin or my eyes but I found it very difficult to take my makeup off with it. It does ok when I'm wearing a very light make up, bit of a bb cream, some light eyeshadow and a non waterproof mascara, but I found that when I was wearing a full on heavy make up it took about 6 cotton pads soaked with it just to remove half of my face so most of the time I use it as a toner in the morning to refresh my skin before makeup when I don't want to wash my face with water.

Next product I got is the Bioderma Sebium Global Intensive Purifying Care, which is actually very similar to La Roche Posay Effaclar K, however this one has more of a mattifying effect and I believe a higher content of AHA acids. It has a very smooth light fluid/gel texture and it goes on the skin like a dream which makes it a perfect make up base for everyone with oily/combination skin. I found that just after a week of using it every day in the morning under makeup my skin has improved dramatically, most of the blemishes were gone and skin was a lot smoother in texture. I usually only use it in my t-zone coz I find it can be bit drying on my cheeks where I have normal skin. I'm absolutely in love with this product and will definitely repurchase it in future.

Review: Real Techniques Core Collection

If you have any interest in make up at all then you probably heard about two extremely talented make up artists and stunning sisters Samantha and Nic Chapman also known as Pixiwoo. About a year ago Samantha has released collection of make up brushes called Real Techniques. I wanted them brushes since they first came out, however let's just say that I'm not a big fan of online shopping and I have to look and feel before I buy. However about two months ago Sam has announced that they will be available in Boots in UK. Basically I had no excuse not to buy them. So I walk into the store and go straight to the make up brushes section and what I see, one last set, the Core Collection, looking at me and screaming: buy me buy me!!! Ok maybe I'm exaggerating but I got the last set. You can imagine my excitement. So I got home, opened the box and thats when it hit me, those are the softest brushes I ever touched, and I'm not talking MAC 109 or MAC 150 or even MAC 187 soft, but 1000 times softer.

The whole set is very easy on the eye, the brush ferrell is made out of yellow/gold looking metal and rest of the handle is black rubberised plastic, similar to NARS eyeshadows and blushers/bronzers packing. The set comes with a brush case/stand which I don't use, but I think it would be perfect for traveling. I have to admit that since I got this set I practically stopped using other face brushes that I own.

The Core Collection consists of four brushes:

Detailer brush: I have to say that this is the smalles and most precise concealer brush ever, its just amazing for very precise spot concealing or defying and shaping eyebrows with concealer.

Pointed foundation brush: I'm not a big fan of classic foundation brushes, but this is an exception due to the size of it, again it's much smaller than other brushes of this kind. Personally I love using this brush to apply concealer under my eyes and around my nose/mouth.

Buffing brush: Best foundation brush I ever used. I love love using this brush to buff liquid and powder foundations into my face. You literally get a pixel perfect finish with this brush with any foundation or powder. Also its perfect for applying and blending bronzer, both cream and powder. I can do my whole face make up with this brush, right from base, foundation to blush and bronzer. It's my favourite brush from the whole set. I really like the fact that it doesn't absorb any product which means that you don't waste anything and its easy to clean.

Contour brush: Love love this brush for applying both cream/liquid and powder blush but also its perfect for blending concealer under my eyes.

As you can see, I absolutely love this brush set. I have tried many different brushes before (Mac, Dior, ELF, EcoTools, etc) and since I'm really hard to please when it comes to brushes I always find something that I don't like about specific brush, but I just can't say a bad word about Real Techniques brushes. And it gets even better, the Core Collection set is only £21.99. That works out about £5.50 for one brush. B-A-R-G-A-I-N!!! Let's be real, theres no way you gonna find similar quality brushes at this or lower price anywhere else.

More informations:

http://www.realtechniques.com/

UK and international Stockists:

Boots

love-makeup.co.uk

cocktailcosmetics.co.uk

beautychamber.co.uk

Top 5 drugstore products

Today I be sharring my top 5 products from drugstore. Most of the time I avoid drugstore make up and skincare however over last year I have discovered few products that really changed my mind about drugstore products.

Lets start with base, Rimmel Wake Me Up is a foundation that offers light to medium coverage and gives a very healthy glowy finish without looking shinny. I’m not a fan of foundations that give dewy finish simply because I have a combinations skin, but I’m acutely in love with how this foundation looks on my skin, as I mentioned its a dewy finish, but not shinny dewy, more like a satin dewy finish. It contains “illuminating radiance pearls”, well its just a fancy name for a very fine glitter which actually is really hard to notice.

Collection 2000 Lastting Perfection Concealer has to be the best drugstore concealer ever. It covers everything from dark circles to spots. Also it has an amazing staying power, it stays put for at least 14 hours.

I absolutely love brushes, I have way more than I need but I still buy new ones however if for the rest of my life I could use only one brand of brushes then without hesitation I would choose Real Techniques brushes by lovely Samantha Chapman from pixiwoo. They are the softest brushes I have ever used made out of 100% synthetic hair. Some of the brushes I had for over a year and they have been washed many times but still are like brand new. Another reason why I love them is because they are very affordable with prices ranging from £9-£13 for single brush and £22 for a set of four. Bargain!

Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge is perfect for applying heavy liquid or cream foundations. You will get the most beautiful finish with this sponge. Also its a much cheaper dupe for the famous Beauty Blender.

The Body Shop Hemp Face Protector is amazing for everyone who suffers from dry skin. For past few months my skin has been really dry and sensitive due to the cold weather and this is my go-to product whenever I feel like my skin needs a bit more moisture. I often use this as night cream or during the day when I'm wearing a heavier fuller coverage foundation.

Stockist info:

Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation £8.99 Boots 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19 Boots

Real Techniques Brushes £9-22 Boots

Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge £4.99 Superdrug Amazon

The Body Shop Hemp Face Protector £8.00 The Body Shop