Sunday 31 March 2013

March Favourites

I apologise for the crappy lighting, damn you weather
Top to bottom, Rimmel Scandal Eyes Bronze, MUA Blush shade 1, Maybelline On and On Bronze colour tattoo

What's this?! A post?! And not just any post, a post on time! I'm just as surprised as you. I've been ill the last week or so, and just generally haven't had any products worth blogging about, so I apologise for the lack of posts! I've been stuck in a rut this month with beauty products so it wasn't hard to pick these out.

Barry M Gelly High Shine Nail Paints, Lychee and Papaya: I jumped on the bandwagon buying these, at the start of the month every blogger and their dog was talking about them. Over all I haven't actually been that impressed with the formula.. They are pretty gloopy which I found makes them quite difficult to apply and although they may be high shine, you still need a top coat otherwise they chip fast. But the beautiful colours have made me keep coming back for more. This whole month I've been alternating between the two colours. It's nice to have a mix up of nude and something a bit brighter.

MUA Blusher, Shade 1: This fresh, light pink colour is all that's been on my cheeks this month, it brightens my face without looking too obvious, simples!

2True Clear Mascara: 2True isn't a brand I tend to use, but it was the only clear mascara I could find in Superdrug, and it makes a pretty good brow set! (hence the gross, murky colour). It has some pretty good holding power, and is cheap at £1.99.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer: Your average sort of YSL Touche Eclat dupe, this concealer gives light to your face and generally makes you look a lot more 'glowy' (it seems like we're forever seeking the 'glow'). When I'm having a no foundation day (they do happen, sometimes!) this is brilliant at just perfecting my face. I place it under my eyes, down the sides of my nose, mouth and cheek bones and somehow it just makes my face look better

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Water Proof Eyeliner, Bronze: I've written a more in depth review here, where you can see I loved the Scandal Eyes when I first got them, and several months later I thought I'd try some new colours. This bronze is just gorgeous. It makes getting ready quick and easy, I just messily run it all the way around my eyes and smudge out. You get a gorgeous look in seconds.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow, On and On Bronze: I still remember the massive hype around these shadows when they first came out. I think most of the shades have been forgotten about, but like most people I'm still oh so in love with On and On Bronze. It's just the perfect everyday colour, so quick to apply and lasts all day. I've nearly used the whole pot, and will definitely be repurchasing straight away.

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner: Most days this month I've been lining my waterline, it makes my eyes stand out so much more. Pencils don't really do it for me, I find after an hour there's no black my waterline but lots down my face.. I can depend on this liner to last the whole day, with no need to top up.

I hope you're enjoying the Easter weekend, despite the awful weather :) xo 

Sunday 17 March 2013

Nivea Eye Make Up Removers: Extra Gentle vs Double Effect


For years I've been using the Nivea Daily Essentials Extra Gentle Eye Make Up Remover (phew). When I noticed that Nivea had another remover that claimed to be stronger I was intrigued as to whether it would do that job any better. I've always found removing eye make up such a chore so decided to give it a go and do a comparison post for you. 

The Extra Gentle remover is exactly that, gentle. It doesn't irritate my eyes in the slightest. It's relatively good at removing make up, it does the job but does tend to struggle a bit with eyeliner. It comes in a clear liquid, simply pour on to a cotton pad and wipe over your eye. Nice, non-offensive smell, doesn't leave greasy feeling - all round it's pretty good, but you can end up scrubbing a bit at your eye. 

Double Effect has quite a different formulation. It has an 'oil phase' sitting on top of an 'aqueous phase' (in simply terms it's an oil sitting on top of a watery formula). The oil being hydrophobic floats on top, and you have to vigorously shake the bottle to get the two to combine. The oil supposedly removes the make up (even waterproof) and the water based part nourishes your lashes.

Now down to the important bit, does it remove make up better than Extra Gentle..? And the answer is a firm yes. I did a side by side comparison and soaked a cotton pad in each remover and left them on for 30 seconds, and Double Effect had removed practically ALL of my make up, where as Extra Gentle left over half of the make up still on there. Double Effect melts away your make up so quickly, there's no need for any scrubbing. 

But. There's always a but. Double Effect claims to be gentle, but I'll have to disagree. I don't have overly sensitive eyes but this does tend to irritate mine rather a lot. Not to the point where I can't use it, but it's not a pleasant feeling. If you have very sensitive eyes or wear contacts then this might not be for you. Another downside is that is does leave quite a greasy residue, but as I follow up with a creamy cleanser (Body Shop Cucumber Cleanser for those interested) it doesn't really bother me.

I've decided that Double Effect is best left for days with heavier make up. On a day to day basis I only wear eye shadow and mascara, and so Extra Gentle can cope perfectly fine. Days which include eyeliner and waterproof mascara, I will definitely be reaching for the Double Effect.

Sunday 3 March 2013

February Favourites



Top to bottom: UD Faint, UD Walk of Shame, No7 Amazing Eyes Pencil (brown), Topshop Highlighter (Crescent Moon)

I can't believe how long it's been since I've done a favourites post! But this month I had some particular products I wanted to share with you, so let's jump right in!

Topshop Highligher: I wasn't massively keen on this when I first picked it up, and it sat in the draw for a month or so without much love. However this month I've really started to love this highlighter. Although it doesn't pick up in the photo, it has quite a pink shimmer which was what put me off. This pinky colour  means on my skin tone it gives such a lovely glow which looks incredibly natural.

No7 Amazing Eyes Pencil, Brown: I was given this in a christmas set last year but I've never really had much time for brown eyeliners until recently. Most mornings I've thickly run it all the way around my eyes and then smudged it out with my finger. A slightly smokey defined look in seconds. It's rare any eye makeup will last my whole day at college and this is no exception, but I love this as it's easy to redo in seconds.

Balmi: I'm sure most of you will immediately think of the EOS lip balms when you see this. It's a good lipbalm, very moisturising but not greasy. I like the ergonimic little dome, the only problem is that once you've worn it down a bit it's not quite as easy to use. I seem to be going through this pretty quickly, and they're a little more expensive at £5 so I probably won't repurchase, but I've enjoyed using it. One thing I can't fault is the smell, that strawberry scent.... I can't get enough of it!

MaxFactor Clump Defy Mascara: Another American dupe! This is apparently the same as CoverGirl Clump Crusher. I've certainly fallen in love with this mascara. It gives good volume and is just the easiest to use. Like the name suggests, it doesn't clump in the slightest, something that I'm very picky about with mascaras. I never thought I would like a curved wand but this is a beauty. It fits the shape of my eyes perfectly and gets right into the corners.

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette: I've been loving this palette for a simple, natural matte look but my particular favourites are Walk of Shame and Faint. W.O.S is actually very hard to see on the swatch - which is exactly why I love it! It is the perfect matte base, and I often use it before the No7 pencil. I've used Faint everyday, it's my perfect brow colour!

Real Techniques Brow Brush: This doesn't really need much explanation, it's perfect for filling in brows (obviously). It has the right amount of stiffness but not so much that you pick up too much product.

I thought I would throw in a couple of other favourites as well! It's been over a month since I saw Les Miserables but I'm still obssessed with the whole film. I may have spent several nights watching behind the scenes from the film and Eddie Redmayne interviews.. You don't need to tell me I have a problem! My favourite songs are definitely Master of the House, ABC Cafe / Red and Black, and Do You Hear The People Sing. Thank god for Spotify, that's all I'm saying. My main musical favourite without a doubt has been Tom Odell. His album is coming out soon and I cannot wait. I seriously recommend Another Love and Can't Pretend.

I'll leave you with Another Love, have a good week guys! xo