Review of my Bourjois and Influenster Goodie Box!

Happy New Year everyone! It feels like a lifetime since I have written a blog post, but it was really nice to take some time away over Christmas. That said, it is always good to get back to writing posts and, for me, this one is particularly exciting :).

I was very lucky to be chosen by Bourjois and Influenster to receive some complimentary products to test. I must admit that Bourjois is a brand that I have not used for years, and if I was looking for a new product to buy, I probably wouldn’t think to look at Bourjois. It’s not that I don’t like the brand, it’s more that there are so, SO many other brands available these days that I guess I have kind of forgotten about some of the originals. That’s why I was excited to receive these products. It gives me an opportunity to try some things that I would otherwise have never really known about.

Now, just because I received these products for free does not mean that I won’t give my whole hearted and honest opinion of them, as I do with every single product I review. If you have been following my blog for a while, you will know (or at least I hope you do) that I write what I like to think are honest but fair reviews. I am not obliged to write a positive review of these products.

The package contained the following products:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Anti-Fatigue Foundation (link)

I thought it was quite strange to receive a foundation to try as the chances of receiving the correct shade are slim. Miraculously though, the shade which I received was pretty close to my natural skin colour. Although not absolutely perfect, it was close enough to be able to wear the foundation and give it a fair shot in terms of testing everything else about the product (formulation, coverage, scent, wear time and all of that good stuff).

My first impression of the foundation was that the packaging was pretty good. It’s not overly attractive but it comes in a glass bottle and has a pump dispenser, so it is certainly practical and hygienic which is most important. Straight up I will say that I was very pleasantly surprised by this foundation. It is a very smooth and lightweight formula that blends vey easily into the skin, but has good coverage that is definitely buildable. I tried applying it with both a brush and a beauty blender and whilst it worked with both, I preferred using it with my beauty blender.

The foundation has quite a strong fruity scent which was a pleasant surprise from the usual ‘plastic’ smell I usually find in foundation. The fruity scent may have something to do with the ingredients, which include a mix of vitamins C, E and B5 in the form of:

Apricot (for radiance)
Melon (for hydration)
Apple (to protect your youth)

The foundation also contains crystalline pigments which help to even out the complexion and absorb natural light for a healthy looking glow. It felt very comfortable on my skin and lasted well throughout the day. I would even say that it made my skin feel quite hydrated, but it did look a little bit oily by the end of the day. I think this foundation would be perfect for anyone with normal to dry skin. The ingredients make it feel like it is more than just a basic foundation. It is available in 9 shades and costs £9.99. Having now tried this foundation I would definitely consider purchasing it for myself in the future.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Anti-Fatigue Concealer (Shade 51 Light) (link)

As with the foundation, I really like the packaging of the concealer. It comes in a small glass bottle and has a doe foot applicator, which I love in a concealer. The consistency is very lightweight and blends out easily to leave a silky finish. Like the foundation, it actually felt quite hydrating under my eyes. The concealer has exactly the same scent as the foundation, which makes sense given that it is also vitamin enriched. This concealer gave better coverage than I was expecting but it didn’t feel thick or caky on my under eye. Whilst I think this is an ‘okay’ under-eye concealer I don’t think the coverage is full enough to blur out other skin imperfections like pimples and scars. The concealer is available in three shades (light, medium and dark). I received the light one which is the one I would have chosen for myself. It costs £8.99, but I think that is a little bit steep considering the foundation is only £9.99.

Bourjois Rouge Velvet Lipsticks (link)

The Rouge Velvet Lipsticks are hands down the winner of the show for me! I genuinely have nothing bad to say about them. They really are amazing! They are incredibly pigmented and, despite drying down to a velvety matte finish, they are very VERY smooth and creamy to apply. Whilst I don’t love the basic plastic packaging, I do however love the shape of the actual bullet. It is tear shaped which makes the application process very easy and more precise than a usual round bullet. This is such a bonus for anyone who, like myself, isn’t blessed with the biggest lips and sometimes finds it difficult to apply a dark lip colour. This lipstick claims to last up to 24 hours and whilst I definitely didn’t keep it on for 24 hours it certainly lasted for a VERY long time! Despite having a matte finish, these lipsticks feel very comfortable on the lips and are not super drying like most matte lipsticks. There are 12 shades available and at £8.99 each I think these lipsticks are amazing value for money. They are truly incredible and in my opinion, challenge many high end lipsticks in the market. I would definitely purchase these lipsticks myself in the future. I was delighted to receive three of the Rouge Velvet Lipsticks in my package. No.10 ‘Magni-fig’ is a gorgeous dark plum colour, No.11 ’Berry Formidable’ is a dark raspberry red shade and No.12 ‘Brunette’ is a dark brown shade.

Bourjois Volume Glamour Push Up Mascara (link)

The Volume Glamour Push Up Mascara gave my lashes a very very natural look. Despite having a relatively large brush it was quite difficult to build up volume. However, this also meant that the mascara didn’t clump or smudge when being applied. It lasted pretty well throughout the day and didn’t fall down onto my cheeks as often happens to me with some mascara. I feel a little bit indifferent about this product. I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it. If you are after a natural look mascara then this does the job, but if you like a more dramatic look then this is not for you! The mascara costs £8.99 and there are definitely better mascaras on the market for this price (e.g. L’Oreal Miss Baby Roll Mascara – this one is actually £7.99 and I think its amazing. It’s what I am using at the minute)

Bourjois Quad Eyeshadow Palette – 15 – Brilliant Prunette (link)

I have to say that I really, REALLY don’t like this eyeshadow Palette (sad face). I’m honestly struggling to find one good thing about it :(. The packaging is cheap plastic and it comes with a terrible mini applicator (which no one ever uses anyway). There are four colours in the palette. Two of them are ‘okay’ but the other two are actually terrible. The lightest shade is a bone-like colour and when I applied it to my lids I could barely see it (even after applying multiple layers). The two darker colours in the palette are the better two, but even though the plum looking one looks like quite a nice shade in the palette, it applied as more of a pink / lilac colour which really doesn’t suit me. The dark brown was the best shade, but you can’t really go wrong with a colour like that. Then we have glittery one in the middle which I just have no words for… (but because this is a blog post I need to write something)… The formulation of this one is really poor. It looked like a nice pigmented glitter in the palette, but when I applied it, it was a loose powder glitter which just dropped off both the brush and my eye straight onto my face. I cannot bare eyeshadow like that. I even tried to wet my brush and then apply it but that made less than no difference so I gave up on it. These eyeshadow quads sell for £7.99 and unfortunately I can’t see myself ever purchasing this in the future.

Bourjois Blusher (34 Rose D’or) (link)

Last but not least is the blusher in No. 34 Rose D’or. The packaging of the blusher is very lightweight and practical. It has a magnetic close which I love. The blusher contains a small applicator brush which, although usually completely useless, kind of works. It strangely hugs the apples of your cheeks which makes it quite easy to apply the blusher in the right place. When I first swatched this blusher it looked like such a gorgeous colour. It was like a peachy pink with a golden iridescent shimmer running through it. It looks like an extremely pigmented colour, however, I had to apply several layers to my skin before I started to see the colour appear. I feel as though it is one of those products which has a bit of a waxy film on top to start with and once you break through that it becomes a much better product. For now, its an okay blusher. It reminds me a bit of the Milani baked blushes which I love. These sell for £6.49 which I think is a pretty good price.

That’s it for my review of these Bourjois products. It was nice to have a chance to try some products that I probably would not have tried had I not been sent them. Overall I was very pleasantly surprised by these products. Some of them I will definitely buy in the future, others I probably wont.

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