New CID Cosmetics

Now even as a confessed make-up junkie, I’ll admit, a few months ago, I hadn’t even heard of New CID Cosmetics.   Popular in salons and QVC, this cosmetic range was designed for both photography and everyday use in mind.

Now as with all brands, you get the awesome products and you get the duffers.  New CID Cosmetics is no exception.  As most make-up artists will tell you, we all have our favourite products from various different brands, so I was sceptical as always to try some shiny new ones.  But, I’ll put my hands up here and admit I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the products presented by New CID.

New CID Cosmetics i-groom eyebrow pencil has to be my favourite product of the range and now takes a prized spot in my make-up kit.  I’ve never been a fan of brow pencils before and having spoken to many clients, it seems to be one of those products people shy away from. But it’s super easy to use thanks to the angled pencil tip and completely fool-proof as one colour fits all; perfect for those who find it tricky to pick their correct shade.  Believe me, I have seen my fair share of ginger eyebrows and black slugs.  Now you may think one shade is completely ridiculous to suit all skin tones and hair types, but surprisingly, it does.  It even comes with a handy grooming brush on the other end which comes in great if you find you got a wee bit carried away and applied to much product, simply brush through to take away any excess and create a more natural finish.  Normally opting to use powder instead of pencils, I am definitely an i-groom convert!

Their i-glow highlighting powder in Sirocco is pretty all right too.  It has a subtle gold shimmer finish which is perfecting for defining those cheek and brow bones.  It can sometimes be hard to see the full effect of highlighters because of the crap weather we get here in Scotland, but, trust me, when the sun hits that shimmer, whoaft, looks fab.  So if you’re going on holiday, nab this product.  Wee tip also, use a highlighter in the inner corners of your eyes too; it looks great and makes you look more awake and a lot less, you know, punched in the face.  Beware though on really porcelain skin tones as too much product can make it look quite orangey, and with all highlighters, use sparingly to avoid looking like a sweaty betty!  The i-glow compacts also boast a no-cracking policy because of their baked formulas (handy as it could prevent a handbag massacre).  Now clients always ask me ‘oh I never know what shade suits me, blah blah blah’ so New CID’s i-bronze bronzer in Rio is perfect for those of you who have a hard time picking the perfect shade.  Rio is the only bronzer New CID offer as, similar to their i-groom, they claim this ‘one shade suits all’ because of the marbleised finish.  The compact combines tones of brown, pink and cream to create a natural finish on all skins, from fair through to dark.  Now, true, it’s a fabulous wee bronzer, but again watch out for all you really peely wally’s because you can get carried away.  In my opinion, their i-glow in Ice Pop looks better on very pale skins and gives a much more natural finish.

Primers are a product hot on the market just now, all promising to even your skin tone, smooth your skin and give you make-up that staying power we all so desperately crave.  New CID’s i-prime is no different.  It also claims to plump out old people’s skin due to a special peptide called ATP which has “anti-ageing” properties.  As I’m pretty young myself, I can’t really comment as to whether this is a load of boo-hockey or not, so you can decide for yourselves.  It’s also pretty expensive and I found the bottle didn’t last more than a few months, so if you’re watching the pennies; buy something else.  However, it is water based, which I find give a better result than silicone based primers. 

Now what is the one most important thing in this whole entire universe?  I know you know it as well.  Well folks, look no further because New CID have answered our prayers.  On first glance their i-pout lipstick looks like your average plain jane lipstick but, hey, the joke’s on you, because press that little grey button on the bottom of the tube and BOOM!  A light pops on!  It’s honestly like Christmas came early.  This light comes in handy when on inspection of the lipstick tube you’ll find another wee surprise for you – a mirror!  On the side of the lid.  Your day literally won’t get any better than this. Truly inspiring.  Jokes aside, I use this as my party trick with all the old ladies; where I get an ‘ooh!’ followed by an excited shriek of laughter.  And yes, I even got one who clapped. 

Another product worth a mention is their i-open pencil which on one side you’ll find a flesh coloured pencil and on the other, a powder concealer; great product for those hangover mornings when your water line is very red, the pencil neutralises the colour giving a more open-eyed look and is much less “20^th Century” than a white liner.  The powder concealer gives better coverage if you have a beast of a spot. 

Gel liners are another ‘in’ product right now.  Now, I am a MASSIVE fan of gel liners and probably have tried pretty much every one out there, so I was excited to try New CID Cosmetic’s i-gel version.  One thing, as a make-up artist, I like about the product is each i-gel comes with three different shades in the pot, unlike your run-of-the-mill gel which would come as just the one.  There are three different sets; one with browns, another with blacks and the last is a colour set with green, blue and purple.  I found with some clients however, they can be very stuck in their ways, and find they prefer just one of the colours and ignore the rest, so I would say it’s better for those who like to change up their make-up every once in a while.  The downside to the i-gel is, with some of the shades, you will need to run over the line a few times to get a stronger colour as can be slightly wishy washy.  A decent product all the same, but as with a lot of New CID’s products, crazily over-priced in my opinion (i-gels retail at £22).

Other products New CID offer include their i-conceal undereye concealer pen; consistency isn’t great and there are much better versions of this on the market, i-fix wax crayon; claims to tame unruly brows but price wise, comes in around £14 and my £1.99 clear mascara from Boots does a better job, i-powder compacts; a nice wee powder compact, does what it says on the tin; takes away shine and again, comes complete with its own light and mirror, and the i-gloss lip gloss range; a high shine finish, gel-based gloss which makes it less sticky than others and of course, the trademark of New CID, an little mirror with light up applicator for all of us who like to do our make-up in the dark.  

So if you have lots of money, go, get out there and buy some New CID Cosmetics for yourself and let’s support our British brands!


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