Barbara Daly is probably one of the first make up artists that I ever became aware of. From the Clothes Show in the eighties, and doing Princess Diana’s wedding make up it feels like she has always been a part of my make up consciousness. The BD Trade Secrets is a small edit of complexion and colour products sold at Tesco. Nothing is over ten pounds and the packaging is a mixture of colours and textures. The complexion and concealer products look the most premium from the range. I was sent some colours to sample but none of the eight shades are rich enough for my skintone (eyebrow). I really hope that team behind BD Trade Secrets will extend the shade range as women of colour work for Tesco and shop at Tesco and we wear make up too.
The Va Va Boom Volumising Mascara is odd. I received the shade ‘Blast Brown’ to my lashes (with the exception of my one grey lash) are black so I never wear brown mascara. This is a cool toned brown, and not an espresso brown either so my lashes looked a little strange in this shade. The formula is not overly wet so it dries quickly. It does provide some volume and length but The shape of the brush is frightening to me. It is concave which is unusual for a make up brush. I can see how it would encourage a curl but having the fat end of a mascara want near the inner corner of the eye was weird. The mascara is good but not great and I would prefer to spend my £6.99 on a different brand and get a better mascara for the price.
BD Trade Secrets Velvet Cream Lipstick is a moisturising formula which is very comfortable on the lips and surprisingly long wearing. I received the shade Fashionista which is a pretty mauve shade with silver shimmer that give is a frosted look. On me, it is quite a neutral shade as it is not very pigmented so my natural lip colour deepens the colour. For some the frosted / shimmer look is a bit dated, but I quite like it and a lip liner can really change the look. It is very easy to wear, you don’t need a mirror to apply it and it does not have a peculiar smell or taste. The red metallic packaging looks and feels (more) expensive is not in keeping with the black and pink plastic packaging of the mascara. They don’t look like they are from the same range and for me the lipstick is a superior product.
I regularly shop at quite a large Tesco where they sell BD Trade Secrets and I as much as I am a beauty junkie, I have never looked at this range. The colours don’t draw me in and the lack of complexion shades is a turn off for me. The formulas are quite nice and I am not averse to buying make up in the supermarket but for me it lacks something.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Have you used BD Trade Secrets? Is there a product that I havent tried that is a show stopper?
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