Depreciation Society

Ana and I went to The Ordinary in Covent Garden, where the shop assistant (who thought we were sisters!) matched our skin to a foundation. We are both 1.2 N, the 1.2 standing for how pale we are, and the N meaning Neutral, signifying the tone.

What I'm looking for in a foundation:

Amber: Usually I get very, very shiny when I wear foundation. I therefore don't often apply a thick layer, as I don't like the feel of being a human oil slick, so I am looking for something high coverage that I don't need to apply a lot of.

I'm also quite pale and have an odd skin tone that no foundation seems to match, so it always is good to find something that matches my skin well.

Ana: I usually look for something light which also happens to be reasonably high coverage. It is often difficult to find a good foundation which works on my skin because my skin is intolerant to heavy textures and tends to look very dull after using things which feel heavy on my face. I also don't like foundations which make me look unnatural, so usually go for something which helps me achieve a natural, glowing look.

Coverage/complexion matching:

Amber: 10/10 - amazing!!! I didn't even use concealer in the above photo and it covered all of the blemishes I had, as well as smoothing imperfections and even my dark circles.

Ana: 10/10 - it is absolutely incredible! I did not wear a concealer and the foundation did a fantastic job at covering my blemishes ( such as redness and my dark circles). My skin also felt super smooth after I applied the foundation.

Longevity:

Amber: 9/10 - only limited shine on the nose, and the forehead held up remarkably well. I had rubbed my face a little over some spots that I have, so it had removed slightly there, but all in all it was amazing.

Ana: 10/10 - it lasted the entire day and did not go off a little bit. I had a really busy day when testing this foundation, running all around London, with severe wind blowing in my face all the time and it stayed where it was. The foundation proved itself to be strong in a range of temperatures and performed very well on a long and tiring day.

Texture:

Amber: 8/10 - I always prefer the look of a foundation about an hour in, when it isn't sitting on top of my skin. On first application, it felt ever so slightly chalky, but that quickly disappeared.

Ana: 9/10 - At first I wasn't sure what to make of the foundation, it looked slightly strange on my face and I started to worry about the texture not matching my skin. Though after about 10 minutes all of the weird chalky things went away and it blended in beautifully into my face. The foundation left my skin feeling very soft which I am very pleased with.

Price:

Amber: 10/10 - at £6 (£5.40 after my student discount) this is a steal!!

Ana: 10/10 - I was very impressed with the price given how good this foundation is. I can highly recommend this!

Total:

Amber: 37/40
Ana: 39/40

Ana: Overall, I have been left with an incredibly good impression of this foundation. I was not sure what to expect as it is a high coverage foundation but it lived up to my standards. This foundation is literally perfect for any look at any time of the day (and I am sure you can make its coverage less strong when you blend it with a cream). The foundation did not make my skin dry or dull after a full day of wearing it and feels good on my skin even at the end of the day. I can highly recommend this product and will definitely repurchase it after my first bottle disappears.

★★★★☆

Tickets: https://bridgetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/young-marx/

Bridge Theatre, London, SE1 2SG

I recently went down to London to catch up with friends and got to see Francesca, who had been *trying* to get me down in order that I could receive my birthday present (all the way from October!).

It turned out to be tickets to go and see Young Marx, a play that opened this autumn (actually on my birthday!) at the new Bridge Theatre, by the river. It was such a fab gift idea, as I love the theatre, comedies and a bit of Karl. It followed a fab day of eating nice foods, strolling around the Christmassy shops and markets (including John Lewis, where I spent rather a lot of money on a giant Ferrero Rocher as a gift) before she at last revealed where we were heading.

The Bridge Theatre itself is a brand new commercial theatre in London, and it has a beautiful and ambient foyer, that can be seen in the picture below. There was no time before the show to get a drink, but the box office was an open table that seemed friendly, and there was some lovely ice cream at the interval.

The play itself is a dramedy featuring a revolving stage, interchanging accents and a lot of climbing into cupboards. There were several jokes that made me giggle, and I did find it very enjoyable. In terms of a critique, I think I would give it 4 stars, as although there were many positives, some aspects were a little under-acted. I adored the set, the theatre itself, jokes and the play, although perhaps would have seen it tightened up a little dynamically, in order to maintain its wit.

Particularly this seemed to be noticeable at the point of the death of one of the main characters, who was grieved over for one scene, but Marx, in particular, didn't seem to be... sad for much time at all. My main problem is with this character, as his genius also seemed a little curtailed by the content crammed into the play, and although I loved parts such as his meeting with Darwin, it did appear a little underwhelming.

Rory Kinnear, as Marx, did show him to be a flawed character indeed, however: made all the more effective by the juxtaposition of the more restrained Jenny (Nancy Carroll) and Nym (Laura Elphinstone) - especially when they did unleash their justifiable anger.

I am so, so sorry for my delay in uploading this post! With no further ado, here's my review of the lovely sparkly November edition of the LookFantastic Beauty Box.

Bellapierre Kiss Proof Lip Creme in 40s Red

This is a gorgeous colour, and a lovely texture to look at, as I've moved away from a fully matte lip to a satin or creme one. However, it is possibly the stickiest lipstick that I've worn in a long time, and for that reason I don't think I'll be wearing it much.

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

This smells heavenly, and I don't know if it's that I've been just more tired, or what, but I have slept like a little baby recently! Although this is fab, I have a problem in that I cannot bring myself to buy scented water, so I would not repurchase.

Teeez Cosmetics Spectrum of Stars Eyeshadow in Forest Luster

THIS. THIS. It's *so* pigmented, so beautiful, that when taking the photos, I swiped one eyeshadow swatch, then had so much pigmentation left that I managed to create the beautiful artwork in the right hand photo. I cannot wait to use this around Christmas!!

Filorga Time Filler Anti-Wrinkle Cream

This does make my skin feel a little tight, and isn't so good as the Madara anti wrinkle cream... which is my favourite... costs £25... and I left in Greece... but I definitely think it's working.

Pixi by Petra Glow Booster

I think that this is supposed to be worn under foundation in order to give you a *glow* but I'm oily as fuck and shine is a legitimate problem that I have, so I shy away from such a shine. It is a nice, albeit very frosty, and slightly glittery highlighter, so wouldn't be my go to, but is a nice addition to my collection.

Murad Essential-C Day Moisture SPF 30

This is a lovely scented cream, which doesn't leave my skin feeling too oily, which is nice. It is also good that it has such a high SPF: my usual moisturiser has absolutely no SPF, and it's much-needed, even in the snow at the moment!

After doing extensive research on it, I decided to give The Ordinary a try. The reviews I came across online seemed to suggest that it was a fantastic and affordable brand, so there was really nothing stopping me.

I decided to choose two products - The AHA 30% + BHA 2% peeling solution and the Azelaic acid suspension 10%. I chose the products because they were exactly what I needed at this point and I wanted to try something different but possibly useful to my skin.

Now, you're probably thinking "Those are acid solutions, won't they burn my skin?". That's exactly what I thought when I first came across the brand online. Although both products include acid in their solutions the proportion of acid is small enough to be safe on your skin, which means that it does not get burned even by the stronger solutions. Moreover, given that our skin is also acidic ( I didn't know this when I first started my research) there's a range of p.H values which are completely safe to use and cause no damage.

Firstly I'll discuss the peeling solution. One of the reasons as to why I decided to invest in this product is because scrubs have not been very effective on my face recently and made my skin quite flaky. A chemical scrub seemed like a better alternative. I was very happy with the cleansing properties of the solution, as all of my blackheads magically dissolved and I suddenly had clear skin after using the product. Although I was initially cautious about this product due to having quite sensitive skin, I was very impressed with the fact that my face looked clear, bright and healthy after using this product. Moreover, after using the solution a few times I have recognised that it also makes my skin look brighter due to removing the old and dull-looking skin cells on my face. Overall, the product was perfect at doing what it promises to do and was very affordable. I highly recommend it.

The second product I purchased was no less impressive than the first one. Given the relatively strong concentration of the first solution, I decided to purchase something similar but less concentrated. The cream promises to brighten up the skin and break down the blackheads around your face. After using the solution for a week ( both morning and evening) I definitely noticed significant changes on my face, due to it being brighter and the skin tone growing more even. Moreover, the number of blackheads on the face also significantly reduced on my face after regular use. This product is absolutely perfect as one for more regular/ daily use as it does not require you to wash it off. Overall, I was very happy with my purchase.

There is, however, one thing to keep in mind when using acidic products - it is absolutely essential to use sunscreen to prevent damage by the sun ( even in the winter months) and protect your face.

I purchased these products from the DECIEM store in Covent Garden, London, however, you can order them online via ASOS as well as other online stores.

Klara

Recently we were contacted by OGECHI's press team and asked to review her new music video (out 22nd October 2017) called BLVCK + WOMVN. If I'm honest I hadn't heard of her before but the information the company sent to me she is a poet, author, recording artist and dancer. She made her debut at only 17 years old in 2015 and I'm all for supporting young artists, and Amber and Ana agreed so we decided to go ahead with the review. The lyrics are a poem so they're very deep and explore race and femininity which I personally liked, I think these are important topics which are often avoided due to perceived taboos. The video also depicts a woman dancing while onlookers ignore or glance over her which I think represents the struggle for women, particularly those of colour, to be noticed for their work. Overall I would definitely recommend watching this music video.

Amber

I listened to the video first out of us, and really, really enjoyed it, in terms of aesthetic, music, and substance. I loved the strength of Ogechi, even showing through the bare-bones title, and shows intersectionalism from her perspective of a woman, who is also black. We all picked out the symbolism of the solitary dancer: rejected by her peers and still dancing on. In terms of musical content, I thought the opening was Beyonce-during-Formation-reminiscent but then she really came into her own. She directly addressed issues such as misogyny and other struggles she has experienced, and obviously, with her album entitled 'Intersectional Blvckness' she is highly aware of the importance of intersectionalism, which was fab. Not only is the content very personal and informed, but the music is great too, and it works so well as a song, rather than just as poetry.

Ana

Having not heard of the artist before I was curious as to what the video will be like and was pleasantly surprised. Being quite interested in the issues surrounding gender and race, I found the video to be an insightful and powerful take on the intersection between the two. The portrayal of a woman as a lone dancer voiced several messages to me; it was both a depiction of the struggle women go through and the strength they have to keep going. Another element which I found interesting is that at the end of the music video the performer is silenced by a man, which illustrates the ignorance and lack of engagement with the art produced by women of colour, and therefore the lack of attention the messages those powerful lyrics send to the listener. I would definitely recommend watching this video as it forces the audience to engage with the struggles of women, and more specifically women of colour and further comment on the ignorance exhibited towards the said issues by society.

Here's one of the most scintillating, beautiful and suspenseful stories you will ever hear, from the unlikeliest of sources: Pret a Manger's Lemon and Ginger Pure Pret Still.

First we have to accept the fact that this is the holy grail of non-alcoholic drinks. It is spicy, it is sweet, it is zesty. It comes at the low low price of £1.75 (semi-low) and is 500ml of utter gorgeousness - the only *slight* problem being that occasionally it leaks in my bag, spreading its radiant spice across all of my belongings.

How did I find this wondrous drink? It is a love story almost as exciting as my love for the Pret juice, where on a sunny London day (who am I kidding, it was overcast and a bit chilly and I was only wearing a skirt and short sleeved top) I was introduced to it at the Pret just off Leicester Square. I *almost* went for a still water and could have missed out, but the particular person I was with recommended it when I asked if it was nice, and thus the addiction was born.

The next exciting twist came when they decided our *thing* was no longer a *thing* and then I didn't know if the zesty drink would be too tragic to drink. Luckily I met up with Ana the following Sunday, and we decided to reappropriate the delightful lemony goodness together.

Luckily, the reappropriation proved needless as matters resolved themselves. In the interim, I consoled my smol heart by saturating myself with Lemon and Ginger Still, introduced another friend to it and then when I got back in touch with the terrible, terrible person who dared enable this habit by introducing me to this drink, I told them about my addiction. They were v supportive thankfully <3

Update: I went to London this weekend and there were NO PRET JUICES. NONE. They'd been recalled apparently, I don't know and frankly don't care, because this was horrific and I couldn't deal with technicalities. I had to message the thus-far-anonymous enabler of my Pret habit with my shock, and they were equally horrified. I think it is back now though, have no fear, you can sleep easy in your bed tonight.