Finished! November Edition

Few things are as gratifying to me as getting to the bottom of a product. It helps alleviate the guilt of having bought so much makeup. I’ve actually been very good lately and my spending has all but ceased. With the exception of one pigment set from the MAC Tartan Tale collection (does anyone want a post on that?), the newest Sleek Palettes (apparently there is ANOTHER coming out by the end of the month) some tinted lip balms and £1 glitter liners I haven’t bought anything in the last month. Oh... that’s actually quite a bit. Never mind. Anyway the following products have reached the end of their lives and are heading to the great makeup stash in the sky. Most of this stuff has been reviewed by me so check the tags for full reviews if you want.  Skin care first;

Simple Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Night Cream – Some people complain that this is too basic and not rich enough for them but I find this to be perfect for my skin. I’m 23, I don’t need super heavy moisturisers but I do have the odd dry patch. This does the job beautifully and I have already started using my next tub. It’s £5.99 for 50ml but Simple’s stuff is always on offer in Boots or Superdrug. 

Estee Lauder Gentle Eye makeup Remover – I know some people love this but unfortunately for me it was a disaster. The skin under my eyes reacted really badly to the point of flaking and peeling. It stung my eyes too. Just goes to show what works for some won’t work for everyone. Thankfully I got this free as a gift with purchase but needless to say I wouldn’t buy it. 

Nivea Q10 Lip Effect lip balm – This is what appeared when I asked my husband to pick me up a ip balm at the supermarket. I think this is supposed to be an anti ageing lip balm... All I know is it tasted pretty awful and didn’t do a whole lot for my lips. As such it was relegated to the post of ‘bedside table lipbalm’ to be slapped on before bed. I wouldn’t bother buying it again. 

It’s been a bumper month for mascaras going off. I’ve noticed that all of these have the older style wire bristles and I’m sure this type goes bad faster than rubber wand. Here are all the makeup items I’ve finished recently;

17 Clear Definition Mascara – I used this for my brows. It still has plenty of product left but as you can see traces of foundation have turned it a delightful shade of murky brown. I liked this a lot but I won’t buy it again because (drum roll please)...... I have found an even cheaper clear mascara for my brows. Yes, cheaper than £4.69. Score. 

Lancôme Virtuose Mascara – As mascaras go this was nice enough but it wasn’t ‘oh my god this is amazing’. I’ve had cheaper, better mascaras. Like the 17 Wild Curls actually. At £20 a pop I certainly won’t be buying it again. 

17 Wild Curls Mascara – This was definitely a winner for me. For £6.29 you get some rather sexy packaging and a really nice mascara. It had started the flake off and smell a little funky though so I knew it had reached the end of its useful life. I’ll buy another one day but I have a tonne of mascaras to use up first. 

Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus – This was a little sample that came in a gift set. It’s just a white base coat. I didn’t find this did much for me and I spend long enough doing my makeup in a morning, I don’t want to add yet another step in! If lash primers are your thing you might like this but I wouldn’t personally buy it again. 

Estee Lauder Projectionist High Definition Volume Mascara – Again this is a sample size. I actually really liked this. I have lots and lots of quite thick lashes so normally volumising mascaras end up giving me one great big eyelash all clumped together. This did a really nice job of separating my lashes whilst making them even thicker and more dramatic. At £18.50 I’d have to be feeling very flush to buy a full size tube but maybe one day I will treat myself to one.

Collection 2000 Illuminating Concealer - This was a decent undereye concealer but thepen applicator got properly disgusting towards the end. Washing it made it worse. I don't think I'll repurchase it though I do still like it as a concealer.

And finally my Maybelline Dream Creamy foundation has bitten the dust. I *think* this is the UK version of the US Smooth Mousse but correct me if I’m wrong. Now I don’t think this is a bad foundation. I can see that it would be perfect for someone with dry- normal skin who wanted a dewy finish and light-medium coverage. Why I bought it with my combination/ oily skin, preference for matte finishes and full coverage I will never know. It looked waxy and oily on me and lasted roughly half an hour on my super oily nose. I persevered and used it up but I won’t buy it again. 

What have you used up recently? Have you been trying to curb your makeup spending too? Let me know in the comment xx

*I bought all of the above items apart from the 17 Wild Curls Mascara which I was sent by 17*

No7 Freebie

I’m so late to this party everyone else has passed out. On the off chance that you haven’t seen this I’m posting it anyway. At the moment if you buy one of the No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara (normally £12 but use your £5 off voucher!) you get a free eyeshadow palette. Here is the mascara.

I haven’t tried it yet, I’m hoping for that price it’s pretty damn good though! And here is the palette. 

I love these colours. Here they are swatched without a base but a sticky primer makes them pop a fair bit more. I kind of like the fact they are a bit sheer though. They are nice and subtle for an autumnal office look. All four shades are shimmery and the green and burgundy shades are especially beautiful. The compact itself feels sleek and heavy duty with a good sized mirror. I’d happily have paid for this so I’m doubly thrilled to have gotten it for free. 

This offer has been on for a while and I’m not sure when it finishes so if I were you I’d move pretty quickly x

*I bought the mascara myself*

Estee Lauder Freebies!

Be proud of me! In an effort to spread the cost of Christmas out so I don’t end up reaching for the credit card come December I did a fair bit of Christmas shopping over the weekend, in Boots of course. I had a very nice surprise when I checked my advantage card balance afterwards. Almost £60 worth of points! (Saved up over time with the help of lots of vouchers). Hmm... new foundation!

Funny story – even though I recently had 2 weeks in a tropical paradise Chanel still don’t make a foundation pale enough for me. Even the Tango lady herself at the counter said they looked too orange. Undeterred I took my pasty pale arse over to Estee Lauder where a reassuringly porcelain girl was working. One bottle of Double Wear Light (in Ecru if you’re wondering) and a loose powder later and she informed me that I could pick a free gift. Basically you get a choice of two sets, both the same just with different shades, when you buy two or more items. They all come in this rather nice shiny purple makeup bag:

Inside is a dinky little eyeshadow quad with the coolest opening mechanism ever. You kind of slide then flick it. Fab!

A lipstick creatively named ‘Beige’. I like neutrals but prefer to go a bit darker in the colder months so this is right up my alley. Estee Lauder lipsticks do have a bit of a floral scent so be aware of that if you are sensitive to scents. 

I love this dinky little sample bottle of Pleasure. It’s a lovely fragrance and the teeny little spray pump is both adorable and much less messy than normal sample bottles. 

Aw a baby bottle of Advanced Night Repair serum. I won’t be trying this out until my skin has dried out a bit mid winter. 

The little pack of wipes is, again, super cute and I suspect it will come in very handy for a weekend away some time. 

Double Wear mascara. I’ve tried another EL sample mascara that I can’t for the life of me remember the name of and I did like it so I have high hopes for this one. 

Day Wear Plus with SPF15. Again I think I’ll be waiting until later in the year to try it. 

And the best thing (aside from the adorable miniature packaging)? FREE! I do love a good sample. The fact that I didn’t even pay actual money for the products I needed in order to get this makes it all the sweeter. If you’re an Estee Lauder fan, or you are Christmas shopping for someone who is, then head down to a counter quick! x

Finished! October Edition

Over the last month or so I’ve gotten to the bottom of a whole load of products. So many they wouldn’t all fit in the one photo. Is it sad that it fills me with a real sense of pride? Even sadder is the fact that there is a little basket under my desk that I put finished items in till  I’ve taken a photo of them for this blog... and occasionally wave it under hubbies nose to say ‘look I do use all this stuff!’ Anyhoo...

Treseme: Heat Defence Spray: Love this. Leaves my hair super soft and really reduces frizz. I have already repurchased. In fact I believe this was one of the first reviews I ever did!

Garnier Night Cream: I did like this however there is a scent and I think it’s the perfume that stung a little if my skin was feeling particularly sensitive. Most days it was fine though. I won’t be repurchasing simply because I prefer the Simple night cream. 

Carmex: (original): Love this stuff. Have gone through hundreds of these little tubes and no doubt will go through hundreds more. Most of the flavours have SPF but the original doesn’t so this is the one I keep on my bedside table. 

Simple Eye Cream: It was nice and cooling to apply. Again this lacks SPF so because the eye cream that I used at night. I have a few others to try first but I’d be happy to buy this again in future. It probably wouldn’t cut it if you were looking for some heavy duty anti ageing but for my 23 year old skin it was fab. 

Smashbox Lash DNA in Burgundy: Loved the colour but hated the giant wand. Seriously it was bigger than my eyes... IT stank of play dough when I got it and progressively got smellier throughout its life. Needless to say I won’t be repurchasing. 

Blistex: Smells, tastes and feels foul but for severely cracked lips there is no better product. I hate it but I’ll never be without it. It sinks in quickly leaving your lips feeling so much better. This is usually the lip balm I have on my dressing table. I apply it first thing in the morning and by the time I go to apply my lipstick it has totally sunken in. Fab/ horrid. 

No7 Cleanse and Care Eye makeup remover:  Got this as a freebie thankfully. I really didn’t like this. It took loads to remove any makeup and I always still woke up with panda eyes the next day. Would not purchase personally. 

ELF Clarifying Pressed Powder: Honestly for £1.50 I wasn’t expecting greatness and I certainly didn’t get it. Mattified ok but quickly started to look cakey and unnatural. Euch. 

Lancôme Day Cream SPF15: Another gift with purchase. I expected this to be too heavy for my skin but I experienced zero breakouts or irritation. Whilst it is a little heavy for summer for me I may well repurchase during the winter. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Mouse (foundation of Dooooooom): Thankfully I dropped this (by accident I swear) and over half of it fell out. Their lightest shade is, on me, the colour of a Wotsit. I managed to use it up by mixing it with a lot of sunscreen to lighten it. I am not sorry to see the back of this!

L’Oréal Absolute Eye and Lip Makeup Remover: This was ok actually but I’ve used better, cheaper products since so I won’t be repurchasing. Everyday makeup wasn’t a problem but it really struggled with anything waterproof. 

Not a bad month really! X

*I bought the above products myself*

Face of the Day-10.5.09

• Bobbi Brown Shadow Basics Palette
• Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Pot
• Prescriptives False Eyelashes Mascara
• Guerlain KissKiss Baby Lipstick
  

UPDATE: Bergdorf Goodman Beauty Event

So I went back the next day because the Prescriptives concealer was just unworkable. It must have been the powder added to the product because it did not spread at all, caked, and could not be layered. It's a shame because the color was just perfect. I was also so excited about my new candle, but it went from smelling divine unlit to overwhelmingly strong when burned. This would be great if I lived in a large space or wanted to scent my whole house, but living in a tiny New York City apartment, it was too intense and instant migraine. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the brand to someone looking for a candle with a very strong scent and throw though. Just not for a studio apartment!

When I went back I again tried the La Mer concealer as I so wanted it to work fo me due to the amazing texture and coverage. I also tried a concealer called the Anti-Aging Mineral Mystique by La Bella Donna , a mineral line you really never hear much about. I believe it's carried at several spas and a few online retailers, but I've yet to see it in a department store other than Bergdorfs. The concealer is in a click pen but the product is quite thick and has great coverage (pigmented with minerals) and a good deal of light reflectors, ideal for someone with undereye darkness not only from pigment but shadowing as well. After walking around like a crazy person looking at every single mirror in every light on the floor (the store has the absolute worst lighting of any cosmetic department I've been in), I opted for the La Bella Donna. Not cheap at $44 (I've seen visited their website and all of the items are pricey) and it smells a bit waxy, kinda of like an old lipstick. I think that may just be because the line is fragrance free. Today was Day 2 and I like it! I also went back to Px for a lip liner in Ginger, a soft pink, but the sales associate gave me Guava, a deeper rose shade. I'm going to keep it though since I don't have a similar shade and it deepens the new gloss nicely and turns it into an evening shade. So all in all I ended up with:

• La Bella Donna Anti-Aging Mineral Mystique
• Prescriptives Custom Gloss
• Prescriptives Guava Lip Liner
• Prescriptives False Eyelashes Mascara

A nice ode to Prescriptives since unfortuntely the line is to be discontinued January of this year. Here is the liner/gloss combo:

MAX Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara

This is, apparently, Covergirls Lash Blast in black packaging. Same formula, same tube, same big rubberised wand. It is one of YouTube’s most loved mascaras so my expectations were high.

The wand is large but not so big that I can’t use it on my piggy little eyes. It has lots and lots of short, rubber bristles which are fairly densely packed. This means that it combs through all my lashes leaving them nicely defined and clump free. Here are my naked lashes:


And with one coat:


I like! This is one of the very few mascaras that I can build up with two or three layers too. Normally that leaves me with one big clump of eyelashes however this works wonderfully. It’s a deep inky black and when they say waterproof they really mean it. This won’t come off in the shower even, it takes a heavy duty eye makeup remover to get it to budge. I find that as with most waterproof mascaras this holds a curl much better than none waterproof mascaras do.

At £7.99 it’s very reasonably priced, especially if you get it on a buy two get one free offer like I did. I fully expect that I will be buying another when this one runs out. On a random note how thick are full are my naked lashes looking?! I’ve almost been using my L’Oreal Lash Renewal Serum for 3 months now so it’s nearly time for the review. I think I love that product too! X

*I bought this myself*

Bergdorf Goodman Beauty Event

September 16th through 20th, Bergdorfs is having one of their Beauty Events, held several times a year, where you save $25 off a purchase of $100 on the Beauty Level. I had a very difficult time deciding what to buy. I originally wanted the new La Mer concealer, but the shades did not work out for me. The coverage and texture are divine, but the light looked too white under my eyes and the medium was very dark and very orange. Edward Bess has some new lipsticks shades and I contemplated them as well, but none grabbed me. I decided that in honor of the Prescriptives lines being discontinued as of the end of January 2010, I'd try show support and purchase some products from the line.

I wanted a custom concealer, custom lip gloss and mascara. The artist I worked with was Neptune. I told him that I wanted a concealer with a lot of coverage and light reflectors for my horrifically dark, recessed circles. He got to work mixing, adding pigments to create the perfect shade, light reflectors to bounce shadows and darkness, and a white powder for opacity. The end result is a dead on match. I took off my makeup and tried it on at home on clean, moisturized skin waiting to see the miracle and hmmm...it seems to ball up when I try to layer it. I'm not sure if it's the powder that was added or the overall formula, but I'll have to play with this one some more. No angels singing. Bergdorf Goodman has the worst lighting of any department store and so what looks okay there may not fare so well in real life. I'll try it again tomorrow. The custom concealer is $34.

For the lips I asked for a liquid lipstick type product--not too sheer, not sticky, and heaven fobid I branch away from my usual peachy pinks. Neptune created a lovely sheerish natural peachy pink with a beige pearl and Bellini scent. There are several shades to choose from including Latte, Cocoa, Tropical, Mint and Berry. You can also select a doe foot want of slant tip applicator. The custom glosses are $34. Here is my gloss:

I needed a new mascara since my beloved Korres has dried up and am trying Prescriptives False Eyelashes since it is now paraben-free ($19.50).

I had to spend a bit more to qualify for the discount (sounds kind of ridiculous, doesn't it?) and I purchased a Nest Candle in Freesia Kiwi. Nest Candles are by Laura Slatkin. Many of the scents are reminiscent of the famed Slatkin & Co fragrances. The are soy wax and packaged in lovely stiped clear and frosted glass jars. Freesia Kiwi is a blend of freesia, jasmine, muguet, Asian Pear, kiwi and cassis. I had a hard time deciding between this one and Wasabi Pear, which turned out to be out of stock, making the decision for me.

Overall it was a fun night having products custom blended and and coming home with a pretty purple bag of goodies. I hope the concealer works better tomorrow than it did tonight! Have you ever had Px custom blend products for you? How did they work out?

Benefit BadGal Lash Mascara (in Black)

Yes I know no one is interested in this anymore because everyone is going nuts over They’re Real but this sample has been waiting for some love for a while. This costs £16.50 for the full size so it’s not exactly a bargain and claims to be ‘like an instant set of false lashes’ (bollocks). It is one of my favourite mascaras but it’s a bit of a love hate relationship.

It gives great separation and length and doesn’t flake or smudge on me despite not being waterproof. There isn’t too much in the way of volume but that isn’t a problem for me.  It looks great in my opinion and can be built up in several layers without going clumpy.

The problem? The wand. Bigger is not always better ladies and gents! I sometimes wonder if these marketing types think that we are all simple. A big wand doesn’t mean big lashes, that’s really down to the formula and the bristles. A big wand just means that people like me with ickle piggy eyes end up with mascara all over our hooded lids. It’s a pain to use.

So Benefit BadGal. Great mascara, pain in the arse wand. Thoughts? X

*Received as part of a gift set from a family member* 

August Go To Products

This is kind of a favourites post (my first actually)only not really. These are the products that have taken a beating in the last month. Not necessarily my favourites but the ones that I’ve been reaching for over everything else. This was kinda tough as I’m still doing my project ‘use everything you’ve got at least once’ so I’ve been wearing totally different looks every day. Nonetheless I’ve found a few products have been plucked from the drawers by default when I wasn’t sure what else to wear.

Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara in waterproof: I love this and will be doing a full review soon. I’ve been picking this up as it is actually the only waterproof mascara I currently own. With the remnants of my hay fever lingering and a pretty stressful month causing a few mini breakdowns the waterproof er... ness has been invaluable.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in By Candlelight: glowy but never glittery, this is just more suited to day time than many of my other highlighters so it gets used more!

No7 Blush in Honey: It’s a neutral dirty peach that when used lightly looks incredibly natural on me. I tap the flat side of a blush brush on it then bounce it off my cheeks for a barely there flush. Love it!

MAC Eyeshadow in Blanc Type: It doesn’t matter what eye look I’m wearing I use this every day. It’s a matte cream shade that despite being well pigmented does not show up on my pale skin. I use it daily to blend out the edges of my eyeshadow and to correct mistakes. I have a really small lid space so it’s easy for me to over apply shadow making this little eraser invaluable.

UDPP in Sin: I’m a shimmer kind of girl when it comes to shadows. An eye primer that adds more shimmer? Yes please!

MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam Cyndi: I need a backup of this and I can’t wait for the matching lip glass to come out either. It’s my favourite wearable red. I wear this every weekend with a really simple eye and winged liner. In fact this and UDPP Sin with winged liner is about as quick and easy as makeup gets.

Collection 2000 Concealer: I have way too many concealers and they need using up sooner rather than. This is first on my list. It’s actually pretty effective though it doesn’t cover quite as well as I would like. If you try and layer it it does gets cakey but a thin layer will last you all day. The tube seems never ending though... I thought it would be done my now but it just keeps on going! I wish the packaging was see through so I knew how much was left.

Would you like to see more of these kinds of posts? What have you been reaching for throughout August? Let me know in the Comments! Xx

*Everything up there was bought by me with actual money apart from the UDPP Sin which was bought with Boots points*

Brow Basics: 17 Clear Mascara

I love my Benefit Browzings however I don’t always have the time or feel the need to properly wax and powder my brows. I have black brows and lots of ‘em so definition isn’t a problem. What is a problem is the fact that the hairs are quite long and if I don’t do something to keep them in place I look like Worzel Gummidge. I wanted something quick, cheap and idiot proof to swipe on and at £4.49 this fit the bill rather nicely.

The wand is rather handy with short bristles on one side and longer, more comb like ones on the other. This makes me suspect that this isn’t really being marketed for eyelashes at all though it says on the packaging for brows or lashes. Answer me this people, have you ever used clear mascara as actual mascara? What is the point? Maybe I’m missing something here... Anyway it is perfectly designed for combing through my unruly brows.

The gel itself is none sticky leaving a really subtle finish. It doesn’t look like there is anything on there is just keeps the hairs in place. I like it! It’s subtle and easy enough to use every day. I’d say I use this 5-6 days a week and Browzings 1-2 days. Just don’t rub your eyebrows after application (no I don’t know why I felt the need to either). It will disintegrate into dandruff. This never happens unless for some reason you decide to fidget with them. I think I was trying to see if they ‘felt weird’ with the mascara on?

This lasts pretty much all day on me but if it’s particularly hot and muggy you might want to consider popping it in your bag for another quick swipe. There is only one problem with this. I am OCD. I like things to be a certain way. Clean for a start.... after a month of use this is not clean. I will spare you the photo but trust me, this once clear mascara is slowly turning a murky beige. You can’t help but pick up a tiny bit of foundation when you apply it as my brows are the last thing I do in the morning. I doubt I’ll finish the tube before I have to throw it out but then again at that price can I really complain?

So there you go. 17 Clear Mascara – it ain’t groundbreaking but I don’t know what I’d do without it xxx

*I bought this. My reviews are always my honest opinion. For more info see the disclosure policy to the left*

No7 Lash 360 Mascara

This is yet another of those little samples that you get in the frequent No7 gift with purchase sets. This particular offering focuses on volume claiming to provide “up to 7x more volume”. I’ll preface this by saying that volumising mascaras aren’t really my thing. I have plenty of volume, I would like some length and some curl please. Therefore this isn’t the kind of mascara I would typically buy with my own money especially considering that I think No7 mascaras are overpriced for what they are. This is £12.50 for a full sized tube.

The brush is certainly different. It’s pretty normal at the ends but the big open spiral section in the middle causes me some problems. I get that it’s this bit that creates the volume but on my lashes I have to spend an age combing through my lashes with the end section in order to avoid my lashes sticking together in one big clump. You can see in the open eyed picture that I didn’t totally manage it. 

I also find that this mascara smudges quite a bit for me. Granted my eyes have been a bit weepy of late (damn you pollen) but panda eyes by midday is not a pretty look. Overall it’s just too much hassle for me. I wouldn’t recommend it x

Rimmel 321 FAIL

I’m a huge geek and I do love my gadgets. So of course when I spotted Rimmels 3 in 1 looks adjustable volume mascara I pounced. I’m normally a huge fan of Rimmel mascaras too so between my previous experiences and the gadgetry this was building up to be one hell of a mascara.

The premise is this; you twist the mascara tube to different settings. This alters the amount of product that comes out onto the wand giving you either a subtle look or lashings of mascara. You can see here the wand at stage 1:

And stage 3:

That is a lot of mascara at stage 3... Here are my naked (curled) lashes:


And my lashes with one coat at stage 1:


Hmm. Not bad but not brilliant. Even at this stage I could tell this mascara wouldn’t work for me. The formula leaves my lashes crispy and spiky. It’s not comfortable at all. Normally I don’t have an issue with mascaras not being black enough but this one is positively grey. I dialled it up to level 3:


Ew ew ew... It dragged down the curl and bound my lashes together in a clumpy, spiky, grey mess. I’ve given less than enamoured reports about mascaras before but I’ve never actually hated one like I hate this one. I’m determined to use it up but I’m going to have to do so at level 1. It was reasonably cheap (I think I paid £5.99) but it goes without saying that I won’t be buying another. Sorry Rimmel, I love you but this mascara sucks!

*I bought this with my own money and really wish I hadn’t bothered. My reviews are always my (sometimes brutally) honest opinion. For more info see the disclosure policy on the left*