BD Trade Secrets Make-up by Tesco

Louise Connor Make- Up

As a professional make-up artist I admit I have become a ‘make-up snob’! Its hard not to get ‘sucked’ into the trap of having to have all the premium cult must have products that all tend to be high range brands!  I lean towards the premium brands more often than high street brands and I think I have sometimes forgotten just how great budget brands can be as well as not breaking the bank every time I need to restock my kit!

So with that in mind, when I saw Tesco had revamped their Barbara Daly range I was excited as this was a brand I had used many years ago, before it all but disappeared, and loved. I was always adding a cream blush to my shopping trolley and think I used to stockpile them!

This range was first launched over 16 years ago with the make-up guru Barbara Daly who is no longer involved with the brand. It has been given a complete make-over so here are my thoughts!

 

 

Mattifying Base- Oil Free Foundation £8.99

Mattifying Base SAND 3

A great choice for me as I do tend to get an oily t-zone and shine through make-up pretty quickly. I tested this out on me without a primer underneath, which I always use pre- foundation, to really put it to the test!

The first thing I noticed was a very slight fragrance, nothing too strong but definitely present. I liked the texture of the base, quite fluid, so very easy to apply and blend and I also used my fingers to apply to get a really good feel for the product.

I liked the cover it gave, enough to hide a few imperfections and give the skin a more even look but not too heavy that I had to draw my features back in! I would say a medium cover which I would think would be easily build-able if you want a fuller cover. I liked the feeling on my skin on application it was very soft to touch and it  definitely left a matte finish. It felt slightly tight over my cheeks but I think this would disappear if I used a primer underneath. After a few hours of wear I was really impressed, no shine! I did have the high definition finishing powder to try too but didn’t need it which definitely shows it has a matte finish!

I tried SAND 3 which was slightly too dark for me at the moment but would probably work for me with a tan!

 

Velvet Cream Cheek Colour £5

BD Trade secrets Blush Praline IMG_5063blush swatch

This was the one product I really couldn’t wait to try given that it was my absolute go to blush when I used to buy the range.

I was slightly disappointed that the packaging looked smaller than the original but I guess the test will be how long it lasts which I won’t know yet. Anyway that  wasn’t an issue as on opening it looked slightly more generous and as soon as I felt the texture I was in love again! It was so smooth and soft and blended beautifully. The colour I tried was Praline, a neutral brown colour which gives a sheer hint of blush, again a really buildable product which easily would give more intensity if applied in layers. At £5 you can’t go wrong with this and I will definitely be adding more colours to my make-up bag.

Dream Shine Highlighter £7.99

Dream shine highlighter

I love highlighting products that aren’t too glittery and this fits the bill perfectly. As one of the ‘hero’ products of the range it’s described as ”a luxurious light touch gel serum , a ‘skin dew’ to brighten and awaken your complexion whenever required”. I really liked the feel of this as it was very serum like as described so although a liquid it wasn’t too runny which made it easy to apply and blend. It leaves a gorgeous sheen to the skin and not a glitter particle in sight!

Dream shine highlighter swatch

Ten out of  ten for this one especially at the price and this has already found its way into my pro kit! I especially like the side of the packaging which has a little window so you can see how much is left, very neat!

Dream shine highlighter

 

Espresso eyeshadow Espresso eyeshadow Espresso eyeshadow swatch
I love a good pigmented eyeshadow and this delivered well! A beautiful bronze shimmer that was super soft to apply but gave good cover and colour. I tried this without an eye primer underneath, which I always use usually, and it still blended really easily! Another winner!

Eyeliner Pencil – Charcoal Smoke £2.99

charcoal pencil

I was a bit disappointed with the look of this pencil, it looked a bit basic but I was pleasantly surprised that it delivered well with a soft application and good strong colour which is also pretty smudge resistant too.

eye and lip liner swatch

 

Lip-liner pencil- Nude Berry £2.99

lip pencil

I was hoping the eyeliner pencil was a bit more like this as its made from a blend of waxes and colour which means it glides over the lips, no dragging or pulling. I used it to line but also to fill in the lips, I like to do this to keep lipstick on longer, and it was easy to do this without any drag at all. The colour is great, a nude pink, so it looks really natural on the lips but creates a little definition too. This would be the ideal pencil to create a larger, slightly enhanced lip, if you like that kind of look, as its so easy to also overdraw  the lip line whilst still looking natural. I have spent a fortune on expensive lip liners trying to find the perfect combo of colour and texture and I think I’ve found it for £2.99!

 

Velvet Cream Lipstick – Designer £5.99

lipstick designerI don’t often wear lipstick, I favour lip gloss usually, but I really enjoyed wearing something with a bit a bit more oomph than my usual nude gloss. When I posted a picture of this colour on Instagram lots of people commented too! Its a gorgeous soft, warm pink that can look quite natural worn alone or over the filled in lip liner look more intense. It feels ultra soft but also like it will stay on for more than 5 minutes too. I would definitely use this colour on myself and it will be great for my brides too!

LIP SWATCH

The only downside was the label which sealed the lid was a bit difficult to get off and left a mess but other than that I will be checking out the rest of the colour range!

lipstick

 

I was really impressed with this range especially for the price and will definitely be trying out some more soon.

BD TRADE SECRETS

BD Trade Secrets Make-up is available in larger Tesco stores and online.

Thanks to Lemonaide PR for the samples.