Friday 28 January 2011

Bourjois Volumizer Mascara

Bourjois Volumiser Mascara
Price: £10.49

I picked this up a few weeks ago after having a peruse around Boots, the packaging and the fact it was currently on offer instantly had me popping it in my basket. I've never tried a mascara like this with 2 steps to it, other than ones with a primer on one end.
The packaging says..
Step 1 - 'The brush prepared for 3D volume. Guaranteed clump-free'
Step 2- 'The brush transforms to create a spectacular 3D volume'

Step 1 twists off to reveal quite a large brush with just the right amount of product on. It combs through lashes well, seperating and fanning them out and adds length with a bit of volume. It doesn't give you dramatic lashes but it achieves everything I could want in an everyday mascara. The only downside is that the wand is on a very long flimsy bit of plastic with a tiny little lid to hold on to, it doesn't offer you much control when applying the mascara and I found it quite tricky to get the hang of using!


Then comes step 2, which I will just confess now - I hate.
The packaging is a bit misleading, I thought that there were two brushes that combined together when you used step 2 when in reality it's the same brush. When you use step one it pulls the wand up through the thin tube removing the majority of product from the wand. Step 2 is just the wand straight from the bottle.


As you can see the wand is literally drenched with product.
I LIGHTLY swiped this over my lashes and this is the result.. Instant clumpy lashes.

Overall, I'm not impressed. It seems like a nice idea but it just doesn't work. Step 1 offers nicely fanned out lashes but nothing you couldn't achieve with a Maybelline Falsies or Loreal Voluminous, both £2 cheaper.
I will use it up but wouldn't repurchase.

Hair Knowledge

When I first left school I couldn't decide what to do so I went on a year long hairdressing course, it was a while ago but here's a few things I learnt and you might find interesting..

  • Receeding hairlines/hair loss pattern is down to your fathers side of the family, not your mothers. So if your dad has a good head of hair you should too!
  • Using a hairdryer in a downwards motion, especially with a brush will help smooth the hair as it flattens the cuticle making your hair shinier.
  • Cold water closes your cuticle, hot water opens them - so if you have a hair colour you want to wash out quicker, use hot water. If you've just dyed your hair and want to keep it, wash with cold.
  • If you want to strip your hair colour quicker, use head and shouldars!
  • An intensive hair conditioning treatment really does help your hair and help detangle it.
  • Comb when wet, brush when dry!
  • People with greasy hair shouldn't wash every day even though they may feel the need to, it just over stimulates the sebacious glands and produces even more oil. Try applying conditioner only the the ends of your hair and using a dry shampoo in between washing to give your hair a rest!
  • There is no way to really speed up hair growth. Some products may promise you that they can make hair grow quicker butthey can't and you'll probably just end up believing it in because you want it to be true. Hair has a certain point it grows to and then after that it slows down. You may have noticied your hair reaches a certain point quite quickly then seems to grow really slowly. It will get to the length you want eventually, just takes time! However...
  • Massaging your scalp will stimulate the blood circulation and help hair to grow slightly thicker and quicker.
  • Regular trims, heat defence products and resisting the hairdryer and straighteners every now and then will leave you with healthier hair and help prevent split ends.
  • When your looking at hair colours if you don't want red or orange undertones, pick shades that are described as 'neutral' and 'ashy'.


I know the picture has no relevance but I thought it was really cute it's starting to get a bit brighter outside now and this photo makes me feel all summery, I can't wait for warm weather!

Saturday 22 January 2011

Clothes Haul









1. Tailored Trousers, £20.00
2. Aviator Jacket, £25.00 down from £45.00 - Dorothy Perkins 'Cutie' Line
3. Thin Waist Belt, £5.00 - Dorothy Perkins
4.Cowboy Style Boots, £25.00 - Dorothy Perkins

I also ordered some Nude Platforms from Next but they haven't arrived yet, boooo!
So much for saving up for a car haha it makes a change from my usual make up purchases although I am in need of a good mattifying primer, mascara and possibly a lancome foundation I have my eye on..

xx

Sunday 16 January 2011

Mac Espresso Dupe


If anyone read my 'Perfect Eyebrow Shade for Brunettes' post I mentioned an Avon quad I used to own and loved before it became discontinued.. I'd never thought on searching on Ebay until my mum suggested it, but I had a little browse last night and there it was, my beloved Avon quad in 'Sueded Nudes' and for only £4! Some of the shades look as if they have slight shimmer but I've never noticed any once applied, I'd consider them more as a matte finish as you can see from the swatches below..





Avon Quad ----> Mac Espresso, swatched with a slightly heavy hand!

Thursday 13 January 2011

Current Hair and Body Favourites



Phil Smith Extreme Style Hairspray - I was sent this a few months ago along with a few other products and this has become a firm favourite. I can't usually use hairspray or perfume because oddly it makes me really sick and give me a huge headache but this smells fruity like melons and coconut, mmm! It doesn't feel crunchy yet holds your style.

St.Moriz Dark Bronzing Mousse - Newest addition to the St.Moriz range, one application of this will give me the result of two applications of the regular bottle. For £2.99 a bottle it's a bargain!

Batiste for Brunettes - Thank god I discovered this, for mornings when you wake up late for college or work, or even if you're staying at the boyfriends but don't have time to properly get ready in the morning this is great. A quick spritz revitalizes limp, oily hair and adds volume!

Body Shop Body Butters - I've accumulated quite a collection over the last few weeks and I truly adore these. They're a bit pricey but worth the money as they're without a doubt the most moisturising product I've used to date! My favourite scents are Satsuma, Papaya, Shea and the christmas Spiced Vanilla, I even use these as my face moisturiser as I find it really softens and plumps my skin up overnight.

Sunday 9 January 2011

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Review

What they say: 'A luxurious domed face powder with minerals, slowly baked to provide a dimensional yet natural-matte finish. Provides perfect low coverage. Use to set and fix foundation or as a touch-up throughout the day.'
What I think:
The MSF Natural was one of my first purchases from Mac, normally I steer clear of powders. I despise the powery, cakey finish it instantly gives your skin and how it takes away from the finish of the foundation but, being blessed with combination skin and a dreaded oily t-zone I decided to pick one up anyway and it was love at first use..

What I like about these powders are how finely milled they are, they give a semi-matte finish to the skin that still allows you to look glowy and actually lets the natural finish of the founation shine through - I always saw no point in buying a luxurious foundation designed to make you appear dewy and fresh then covering it all up with powder and making it look like any other foundation. I also don't see any way you could end up cakey with this product unless you continously dusted it on your face for hours, it always seems to give just the right amount coverage and powder to mattify without being excessive.


The only things that I can think of that I could complain about is the price, it's £18.50 for 10g's of product, however these last me ages and you really do get what you pay for. After finishing my last MSF natural I decided I was going to look for a cheaper alternative, after trying out a few Maybelline and Rimmel powders I ran straight back to Mac. The only other little niggle would be that it has no mirror which would be handy for touch up's but I really like the simplistic packaging so that's not a worry either!

This is one of the few products I've actually used up and repurchased which is a big deal for me as 90% of the make-up I buy gets used occassionaly then chucked aside to be rediscovered a few months onwards!


Saturday 8 January 2011

Fake O.P.I

After months of lusting after O.P.I polishes on other blogs I decided to treat myself to a varnish with some Christmas ££. No-where near me sells O.P.I so I opted for ebay as the majority of beauty bloggers I've checked out get theirs from there too.

I found a pale milky pink colour that looked pretty, it didn't state the colour but said it had never been used and the picture showed it in plastic packaging. A mini bidding war later and £8.50 from my paypal account left me the proud owner of an O.P.I polish..

A few days later, a package arrived and there was an unwrapped bottle of 'o.p.i polish' with faded writing on the bottle. I also noticed that the writing was really cheaply printed and chipped off easily, also the 'peelable' label on the bottom of the bottle didn't peel off it was just a single sticker.

I decided to have a little search for the colour on the label 'that's berry daring' and to my suprise pictures of a dark hot pink varnish started popping up and this confirmed my suspicion. I had just paid almost ten pound for a completely fake bottle of nail varnish, whatever's inside smells strongly of chemicals and barely shows up.

Just a warning, be careful of what you buy and don't always presume that everyone is as honest as you are!


Friday 7 January 2011

New Favourite Lip Combo




As some of you may of seen in my recent post I picked up the Mac Blushcreme in 'LadyBlush' and this has easily become one of my favourite products. It looks gorgeous on the cheeks and after having a little play about with it the other day I discovered that it looks lovely on the lips too!

I never usually steer away from nudes but recently I've noticed that when I reapply my lipstick whilst intoxicated that I get a bit heavy handed and end up in photos looking like I've opted for 'concealer lips'. Yum.

A touch of ladyblush and some of my favourite no.7 high shine gloss give me a really subtle pink lip that flatters the rest of my make up and photographs well too!

Tuesday 4 January 2011

Perfect Brow Shade For Brunettes

I've been trying to find the perfect brow combination for years. I had it down a few months ago using an unbranded angled brush that was the perfect thickness and was firm enough to create the perfect shape but not create harsh lines. The perfect brush combined with a dark shade from an Avon quad gave me the perfect brow..

But, like all things good they break, become discontinued or get lost.
In this case, Avon discontinued the eyeshadow quad and replaced it with a terrible quality, barely pigmented replacement and a moment of anger from my youngest brother led to him cutting the hairs off my angled brush.

- Sigh -

As most people reading my blog have guessed I'm incredibly picky, even with my brow products.. I don't want my eyebrows to look too light or too dark, fake, I don't want them to smudge or take too much time plus I hate any products with red or orange undertones. A matte, flat brown with a nice brush is all I ask for.

A lengthy browse around led me to picking up a 266 brush and mac's espresso eyeshadow. The brush is nice but not thick enough for my liking. The eyeshadow however, is the perfect colour - pigmented, flat matte brown that makes my sparse albino brows into well shaped pieces of art.

So, if anyone is as picking as me, brunette and looking for a flat dark brown - here you are ladies, maybe this will shorten the search for you brunettes!


Monday 3 January 2011

Collection 2000 Big Fake False Lash Effect Mascara




Most of you have probably seen the Big False Lash Effect Mascara being featured on the PixiWoo's Youtube Channel. This is the main reason I picked it up, along with the fact it's only £4.99 and I've seen a ridiculous amount of rave reviews on this mascara!

First off, the wand is huge, I'm talking Benefit Bad Gal mascara wand huge which I really like. The packaging isn't too terrible, a bit cheap looking but it's something most people would overlook if the product is good. However this isn't.

I may of just been unlucky and picked up an old one because when I opened it up the wand had hardly any product on it. I tried to twist the brush round the inside of the tube to get something out it was just completely dried up and clumped onto the walls. Even though I was already dubious about the product I decided to give it a go and tried applying it anyway!
The result? Lightly coated lashes, it seperated them well when I applied it carefully however it didn't give me any length and hardly any volume which are the two things I look for in a good mascara.

I decided to apply another coat because there was barely anything on my lashes and just ended up with short, clumped eyelashes. I left it on though because I was in a last minute rush to get to work and by the end of the day it was flakes galore, the mascara literally chipped off my lashes and resulted in a crispy horrible mess.

If you're looking for a cheap natural looking mascara that seperates your lashes then it's worth trying, I may of just picked up an old one!




One carefully applied coat of mascara later..



Saturday 1 January 2011

Mac Ladyblush Blushcreme

Some of you may of seen this mentioned in my Haul post the other day, as an early Birthday gift my mum brought me a few Mac goodies. 'Ladyblush' blushcreme had been on my wishlist for a while so I was overjoyed when I finally got my mits on it and it didn't disappoint!

Mac's blushcremes retail for £16.50 for 6g which I don't think is a bad deal. The blush is really pigmented so a tiny swirl of your finger will pick up all you need for both cheeks and I have no doubt this will last me aggges. The blushcreme's have quite a strange consistency compared to other cream blushes I've used, they're quite thick and slightly sticky at first touch but blend suprisingly well!

The colour is described as a 'demure cool pink flush' which I'd completely agree with, it looks slightly darker in the pan than it does on the cheeks but it's a really pretty, cool toned pink that can be sheered out or built up to intensify the colour.

The main reason I love this blush is because of the finish.
Even if you've given yourself a completely matte base a pop of this on the cheeks will leave you looking fresh faced, glowing and gives a gorgeous dewy finish to your cheeks.

This has already become a firm favourite along with Illamasqua's 'Katie' and Topshop's cream blusher in 'Flush'.





Rimmels Worst Mascara So Far

Where to start..

The packaging is hideous, it's a really cheap plastic shiny tube - hideous neon green with pink writing. The twist off lid feels really flimsy and the wand is horrible. The shape doesn't look too bad at first I've used curved brushes in the past and usually they make life easier, this however definately doesn't. It's hard to get into the corner and outer lashes without catching all the rest at the same time! Then we have the smell, it's disgusting it just stinks of dirt.



The worst part however is the formula which is incredibly wet and thick, it literally sticks to the wand leaving far too much on the brush. I've tried dabbing some off onto a tissue, applying it incredibly slowly and soft, wiggling through the lashes - nothing works. You will just end up with a handful of thick, gloopy, clumped lashes.



For once I really do have nothing positive to say I would happily bin this if it wasn't a present, it will stay in my make up draw for a long long time until I rediscover it in a few years and whack in the rubbish bin.

Christmas Giveaway Winner

I owe a huge apology for not announcing my giveaway winner sooner but finally here it is..

I planned on using random.org but after the horrible task of moving names over to excel I got onto the 112th entry and boom, it crashed and I didn't fancy repeating the process. Therefore I got my unbiased little brother to scroll up and down with his eyes closed, stop. Then pick a name from the ones he could see on the screen. That left me with.

Jess from Away with the Fairies


Congratulations.
If you send me an e-mail with your shipping details on it I'll get it popped in the post ASAP.

And for those who didn't win, I'll be having another giveaway soon but this time I'll buy the prize beforehand!

xx