Here's a wee review I submitted on makeupalley.com (a site I highly recommend!) about Liz Earle's famous and revered Cleanse and Polish! I hope this is somewhat useful :)
I had high hopes for this product after reading all of the reviews in the press and hearing good things from friends...and I am happy to report that these hopes were met! I use C+P at night to remove all my make up and cleanse my face, simply slathering on 1-1.5 pumps of product over my face, eyes and neck, then soak the muslin cloth in hot water, rinse, and take everything off until the skin is completely clean. This does not remove waterproof eye make, for that I use grapeseed or olive oil.
Before starting use of C+P, I had break outs across my forehead, cheek and chin area after a 2 week girly holiday. I also do get very small bumps across my face at times, probably because my foundation has quite a lot of silicon in it. After 1 week's use, I can see a noticeable difference in my skin. It looks healthier, less clogged and more refined, and I have had no new breakouts.
I have to say I generally do not follow with a splash of cold water, because to me it makes no sense to close my pores prior to applying a toner; if there is any make up, dirt or grease left on the skin and I then close the pores, I am trapping these particles in the pores before my toner has a chance to remove them.
The muslin cloths I think are C+P's magical ingredient. The cleanser is nice, very gentle and smells lovely but I think what you are paying for is the muslin cloth technology. I only got 2 with my starter pack (I have only washed them both once in the week, I don't see the need to wash after every single use if you rinse thoroughly after washing your face) but I think I will buy another pack of 3 to give me more flexibility.
I use this in conjunction with The Sanctuary's Pore refining toner (which I got on offer in Boots for £1.25!) with Sudocrem (which is fantastic and again I have just started using, will also write a review on that) and Dermalogica's Gentle Cream Exfoliant (which again is new but the jury is still out on). I would say value for money for this product is excellent, Liz Earle could easily charge £25+ and people would still snap it up because of all the beauty awards.
So far, so happy!
Monday 1 August 2011
Saturday 30 July 2011
Skincare!
Oh skin. I love you but boy, can you bring me down and give me a case of the mean reds. I have made a helluva lot of mistakes when it comes to my skin, and I have gathered some hints, tips, and found some stuff that really works (and some that REALLY don't) along the way. I have already put up a post around cheap and effective skincare solutions, so do read that first.
As I might have mentioned earlier, my skin type is combination: it tends to get oily in the T-zone, but my cheeks and neck are normal. I am prone to spots on my chin particularly around that time of the month, so I need to treat my skin gently for the most part, but when spots come around, I want them gone as quickly as possible with no scarring. So as always, take these tips in the knowledge that while these things suit my skin type, they might not suit yours :)
So kicking off. Some skincare basics. There was an episode of How to Look Good Naked on a couple of years ago and the make up artist, Lisa Eldridge, was testing people to see how they cleanse their face. Once the people had cleansed their faces (or so they thought), Lisa ran a cotton wool pad with some toner over their face, and the amount of dirt, make up and oil that came off of the majority of people's faces was scary. How do we combat this? Pretty simple really! Wash your face twice. I have been doing this for a few months and have noticed a real difference in terms of the clarity of my skin and my likelihood to get spots. HOWEVER, please don't run off and buy a super strength Clearasil cleanser, use it twice when washing your face and expect that to solve your problems! For this to be effective, gently gently is the key. When you wash your face you will strip off some of its natural oils, and if you are washing your face twice AND using the cleanser equivalent of paint stripper, you are essentially doing the same painting your nails, not using a top coat, and then sanding the nails.
Cleansers which contain alcohol, lots of salicylic acid and parabens will dry out your skin quickly, and for a while it will look like your spots are clearing up, and they will in a sense be drying out. However, because you are drying ALL of your skin out, and your protective oils are being stripped, you will actually leave yourself open to dryness, and possibly breakouts. So how to counteract this? Go for super super gentle cleansers that will not strip away these oils, but will leave your face super clean and fresh. The best ones I have found thus far are listed below, but my main criteria for finding something super gentle is:
1) A fairly short ingredient list - and most of the ingredients I can pronounce!
2) Nothing that has scratchy abrasive particles in it (such as Aapri scrubs) as these can damage the protective barrier
3) Nothing that has alcohol salicylic acid or other harsh chemicals listed as one of the first ingredients.
The best ones I have found so far are:
1) The Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth treatment (separate review to follow)
2) Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel
3) Soap and Glory The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser
4) Boots Essentials Fragrance Free Facial Wash
But I am always on the look out for recommendations :)
Other things I would note that are important when it comes to cleansing are that you should use hot, not boiling/roasting water. Don't aggravate your skin, you are trying to get make up off and remove dirt and built up oil, not scrub the oven clean! I hear quite often of women who wash their face (particularly in the morning) with cold water...I just don't understand it. Cold water closes the pores, so you may actually be trapping in oil, dirt and make up by doing this! Once skin is perfectly cleansed, then you can use cold water to close the pores if you feel the need, but honestly I have never noticed it making any difference.
Don't forget about your neck! Of course cleanse your face but your neck is there too and would love some lovin'! I tend to cleanse my neck in the evening, and use moisturiser on there as well if I feel it needs it.
I think some people get a wee bit puzzled when it comes to toners. Really, they are just a handy thing to use to take off any make up that might be left on your skin. I really like Sanctuary's Pore Refining toner (review to follow), but again, for your toner keep it nice and gentle. Don't undo all your good work with your cleansing by loading stuff on your skin that will just dry it out.
Moisturiser...can be a very useful thing, and god has the make up and skin care industry jumped all over it. Moisturiser is a wee bit like putting a plaster on a cut. Feels great to begin with, but only when necessary. You wouldn't put a plaster somewhere you didn't have a cut, so use moisturiser the same way. If you have some dry skin, or you feel your skin is just a bit patchy, then of course use it where required. But overusing moisturiser is probably one of the leading causes of spot formation. You are essentially putting stuff onto normal skin, that was functioning fine, and you can cause pores to produce more sebum and oils by putting on too much moisturiser, thereby causing break outs. For a time I was convinced I had dry skin, I was using quite a strong Loreal Pure Zone toner and moisturiser at the time, I stopped using the moisturiser, and in a few weeks to a month, the dryness that had been on my face, particularly my chin, had cleared up. It felt odd to begin with as you are inclined to put more moisturier where skin is dry, but by gentle exfoliation of the old skin and letting the skin do its job, it cleared up all by itself. The skin is a clever old thing you know!
Lastly, spots. The buggers have a way of showing up and sticking around for the long haul. However, paired with an effective and gentle cleansing programme, some odd treatments have a way of reducing the length of time spots take to go away. I am not promising overnight solutions here, but these may help you. Firstly, do not pick your spots. Secondly...do not pick your spots! Seriously, to avoid scarring and spreading of bacteria, just do not touch them if you can avoid it. You then need to find something that works for you that helps to shrink the spots. Now, these are things I have found that work for me, but as I said earlier, they may not work for you and you may need to do some further digging around til you find something that is effective. For me, my holy grail right now is Sudocreme.
You know that stuff that comes in a grey tub and is generally used for nappy rashes? Yep, well, it's cheap, smells like lavender, is gentle enough for baby bums, and clears my spots up a treat. It is an emollient but it has a very high zinc content which shrinks spots (for me!). It does feel quite heavy when compared to nice light moisturisers and other spot treatments, and the first time I used it, I put a thin layer all over my face as I had some wee bumps on my face all over that seemed to have occurred from too much silica in my foundations. I left it on over night while I went to sleep, woke up, and honestly I did notice a difference. The wee bumps were generally gone, the other couple of spots I had were not as red and a bit less 'new' looking, and I was very pleased with the results. Now, I will just use it directly on the spot and leave it overnight, but if I get the bump problem again I would do the same thing.
Other things that sometimes work for me are tea tree oil,
again left overnight, Loreal Pure Zone toner applied by cotton bud ONLY to the spots (too strong for the rest of my face), and most controversially... haemorrhoid cream! I don't use this as much anymore as I don't find it as effective as it once was, but my mum still swears by it and applies it when she feels a spot coming on or one has already developed. It definitely does shrink the spot (that is what haemorrhoid cream is designed to do, after all) but in my opinion the scar/mark of the spot stays just as long.
So, hope you guys enjoyed that, as usual please leave some feedback and let me know what else you would like me to write about!
As I might have mentioned earlier, my skin type is combination: it tends to get oily in the T-zone, but my cheeks and neck are normal. I am prone to spots on my chin particularly around that time of the month, so I need to treat my skin gently for the most part, but when spots come around, I want them gone as quickly as possible with no scarring. So as always, take these tips in the knowledge that while these things suit my skin type, they might not suit yours :)
So kicking off. Some skincare basics. There was an episode of How to Look Good Naked on a couple of years ago and the make up artist, Lisa Eldridge, was testing people to see how they cleanse their face. Once the people had cleansed their faces (or so they thought), Lisa ran a cotton wool pad with some toner over their face, and the amount of dirt, make up and oil that came off of the majority of people's faces was scary. How do we combat this? Pretty simple really! Wash your face twice. I have been doing this for a few months and have noticed a real difference in terms of the clarity of my skin and my likelihood to get spots. HOWEVER, please don't run off and buy a super strength Clearasil cleanser, use it twice when washing your face and expect that to solve your problems! For this to be effective, gently gently is the key. When you wash your face you will strip off some of its natural oils, and if you are washing your face twice AND using the cleanser equivalent of paint stripper, you are essentially doing the same painting your nails, not using a top coat, and then sanding the nails.
Cleansers which contain alcohol, lots of salicylic acid and parabens will dry out your skin quickly, and for a while it will look like your spots are clearing up, and they will in a sense be drying out. However, because you are drying ALL of your skin out, and your protective oils are being stripped, you will actually leave yourself open to dryness, and possibly breakouts. So how to counteract this? Go for super super gentle cleansers that will not strip away these oils, but will leave your face super clean and fresh. The best ones I have found thus far are listed below, but my main criteria for finding something super gentle is:
1) A fairly short ingredient list - and most of the ingredients I can pronounce!
2) Nothing that has scratchy abrasive particles in it (such as Aapri scrubs) as these can damage the protective barrier
3) Nothing that has alcohol salicylic acid or other harsh chemicals listed as one of the first ingredients.
The best ones I have found so far are:
1) The Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth treatment (separate review to follow)
2) Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel
3) Soap and Glory The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser
4) Boots Essentials Fragrance Free Facial Wash
But I am always on the look out for recommendations :)
Other things I would note that are important when it comes to cleansing are that you should use hot, not boiling/roasting water. Don't aggravate your skin, you are trying to get make up off and remove dirt and built up oil, not scrub the oven clean! I hear quite often of women who wash their face (particularly in the morning) with cold water...I just don't understand it. Cold water closes the pores, so you may actually be trapping in oil, dirt and make up by doing this! Once skin is perfectly cleansed, then you can use cold water to close the pores if you feel the need, but honestly I have never noticed it making any difference.
Don't forget about your neck! Of course cleanse your face but your neck is there too and would love some lovin'! I tend to cleanse my neck in the evening, and use moisturiser on there as well if I feel it needs it.
I think some people get a wee bit puzzled when it comes to toners. Really, they are just a handy thing to use to take off any make up that might be left on your skin. I really like Sanctuary's Pore Refining toner (review to follow), but again, for your toner keep it nice and gentle. Don't undo all your good work with your cleansing by loading stuff on your skin that will just dry it out.
Moisturiser...can be a very useful thing, and god has the make up and skin care industry jumped all over it. Moisturiser is a wee bit like putting a plaster on a cut. Feels great to begin with, but only when necessary. You wouldn't put a plaster somewhere you didn't have a cut, so use moisturiser the same way. If you have some dry skin, or you feel your skin is just a bit patchy, then of course use it where required. But overusing moisturiser is probably one of the leading causes of spot formation. You are essentially putting stuff onto normal skin, that was functioning fine, and you can cause pores to produce more sebum and oils by putting on too much moisturiser, thereby causing break outs. For a time I was convinced I had dry skin, I was using quite a strong Loreal Pure Zone toner and moisturiser at the time, I stopped using the moisturiser, and in a few weeks to a month, the dryness that had been on my face, particularly my chin, had cleared up. It felt odd to begin with as you are inclined to put more moisturier where skin is dry, but by gentle exfoliation of the old skin and letting the skin do its job, it cleared up all by itself. The skin is a clever old thing you know!
Lastly, spots. The buggers have a way of showing up and sticking around for the long haul. However, paired with an effective and gentle cleansing programme, some odd treatments have a way of reducing the length of time spots take to go away. I am not promising overnight solutions here, but these may help you. Firstly, do not pick your spots. Secondly...do not pick your spots! Seriously, to avoid scarring and spreading of bacteria, just do not touch them if you can avoid it. You then need to find something that works for you that helps to shrink the spots. Now, these are things I have found that work for me, but as I said earlier, they may not work for you and you may need to do some further digging around til you find something that is effective. For me, my holy grail right now is Sudocreme.
You know that stuff that comes in a grey tub and is generally used for nappy rashes? Yep, well, it's cheap, smells like lavender, is gentle enough for baby bums, and clears my spots up a treat. It is an emollient but it has a very high zinc content which shrinks spots (for me!). It does feel quite heavy when compared to nice light moisturisers and other spot treatments, and the first time I used it, I put a thin layer all over my face as I had some wee bumps on my face all over that seemed to have occurred from too much silica in my foundations. I left it on over night while I went to sleep, woke up, and honestly I did notice a difference. The wee bumps were generally gone, the other couple of spots I had were not as red and a bit less 'new' looking, and I was very pleased with the results. Now, I will just use it directly on the spot and leave it overnight, but if I get the bump problem again I would do the same thing.
Other things that sometimes work for me are tea tree oil,
again left overnight, Loreal Pure Zone toner applied by cotton bud ONLY to the spots (too strong for the rest of my face), and most controversially... haemorrhoid cream! I don't use this as much anymore as I don't find it as effective as it once was, but my mum still swears by it and applies it when she feels a spot coming on or one has already developed. It definitely does shrink the spot (that is what haemorrhoid cream is designed to do, after all) but in my opinion the scar/mark of the spot stays just as long.
So, hope you guys enjoyed that, as usual please leave some feedback and let me know what else you would like me to write about!
Thursday 14 July 2011
eyeslipsface.co.uk/ELF - the best o' the bunch!
Hey ladies,
So there has been a lot of buzz for the past while around a fairly new name to make up – ELF (aka eyeslipsface.co.uk). The brand prides themselves on their low prices and the fact that they are only able to be purchased online (hence, the low prices). I have had several hauls from ELF, and have been using their products for long enough to know the best products they have to offer. I’ll outline some of their rather genius designs, all of which can be found and purchased on www.eyeslipsface.co.uk :)
1) Studio mineral primer
This is one of the best primers I have had the pleasure of using. It is silky smooth, effective, and a little goes a very long way. Just pump out a pea-sized amount into your palm and spread it over your face. With primer, application is important. Instead of using short strokes to cover your face, use your palms to glide and smooth it on, effectively smoothing your face at the same time so you end up with a smooth canvas to begin your make up on. The only downside of this product is the pump; when will make up companies learn that pumps, generally, ain’t the way forward unless they have something at the bottle of the bottle to push the remaining product up? However, you can screw the pump top off and scrape out the primer with cotton buds. Do this and your primer will go a long way. Only £6 for 14g!
2) Studio Stipple Brush/Powder brush
Flat Powder Brush
Stipple Brush
Before these brushes, I pretty much hated the idea of foundation brushes. I had tried several foundation brushes, and found that the finish was more streaky that sleek, and I ended up with either too much or too little product on my face. I tried another stipple brush from Boots, and I did find it better but again, it had a tendency to streak and make my foundation look quite obvious. But these ELF brushes are different. They seamlessly blend my make up, whether I want it heavy or light, and they work perfectly every time. The bristles are soft and gentle, and excellent quality – they both work far harder than their price tag would lead you to believe. The flat brush I find gives an even smoother finish than the stipple brush, and I find I am using less product than I would be if I used a sponge or my fingers. These are both absolute steals at only £3.50 each– buy several and support ELF and the fact they don’t have a 5000000% mark up like some high-end brands!
3) Brightening Eye Colour
OK so I love Urban Decay and MAC palettes as much as the next girl, but at the end of the day, spending £11 a pop on coloured talc sure does hurt when you’re two weeks away from pay day. These quads are a god-send. They each contain 4 colours, enough to get you a combination of looks, whether you want to achieve the classic smoky eye, or perhaps a more wearable daytime variant. They now come in 18 varieties, which some truly lovely shades. The quads are small and the applicators are rubbish, however any palette you buy these days tends to have crap applicators and ELF should not be persecuted for following the trend, especially when their make up can be so much cheaper than other brands. The eyeshadow, while not of amazing quality, certainly has good colour pay-off and if used in conjunction with a primer, packs quite a punch. There is little-to-no fallout and the eyeshadow does last. The best thing? These babies are only £1.50 each! Experiment and buy a few!
4) Studio Complexion Perfection
It is an eternal struggle to find a powder which is both light enough so you don’t look like one of the cast from the Rocky Horror Show, yet dense enough to stop your make up from slipping down your face as the day ticks on. ELF’s Complexion Perfection does both pretty well. It is not an absolutely perfect product, as I think on some skin tones a light touch would not only be beneficial but necessary, plus the fact that it does only come in one shade is a bit limited. However, the packaging is reminiscent of NARS, the product looks pretty and high-quality, and when swirled, tapped and brushed on top of make up, it definitely does brighten and even the face. The colours may look scary (yellow, pink, green and blue) but in fact on the skin they all pretty much look the same, although my one trick is to use the yellow around the eyes to make them pop, and the green around my nose and chin (my Rudolph areas) to achieve an even face. The fact I have bought 3 in 6 months and am now touching pan on my third is testament to my belief in this product. You’d be hard pushed to find a better powder which doesn’t clog pores, brightens complexion (minus scary sparkles) and doesn’t break the bank. £3.50.
5) Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF 15
So, gloss. It is a wonderful thing, it can make us look healthy, it can make an otherwise bare face look polished, we Brits do love our gloss. However, the price of some glosses is beyond a freakin’ joke. Don’t get me wrong, gloss is pretty, but am I really going to invest £15 into something that, let’s be honest, is either going to be licked or talked off, or end up on my wine glass? I don’t think so! In my eyes, a gloss is a gloss is a gloss, if you are buying it for the colour, why not invest in a good lipstick and wear the lipstick with a slick of clear gloss on top? More economical as the lipstick will last longer, plus you get two items in the bargain! Speaking of bargain, ELF’s Super Glossy Lip Shine does what it says on the tin at £1.50 a pop. They smell good, they’re not overly sticky (if you do a ‘Bohemian Rhapsody head-rock, a few strands will stick, but not your whole head of hair!) and the effect is lovely. The colour range is not fabulous, with 10 colours being offered at the moment. Hopefully as the business picks up so too will their colour ranges expand, but for the moment there are the usual suspects of clear, pastels and slightly darker colours such as latte and mauve shades to choose from. The good thing is the tubes have 10g each which is quite a lot, and product is thick enough to feel high quality.
All-in-all, I urge you all to go on and at least sample some of ELF’s products, they are a great company with speedy delivery times that for the most part, delivery beauty on a tight budget!
So there has been a lot of buzz for the past while around a fairly new name to make up – ELF (aka eyeslipsface.co.uk). The brand prides themselves on their low prices and the fact that they are only able to be purchased online (hence, the low prices). I have had several hauls from ELF, and have been using their products for long enough to know the best products they have to offer. I’ll outline some of their rather genius designs, all of which can be found and purchased on www.eyeslipsface.co.uk :)
1) Studio mineral primer
This is one of the best primers I have had the pleasure of using. It is silky smooth, effective, and a little goes a very long way. Just pump out a pea-sized amount into your palm and spread it over your face. With primer, application is important. Instead of using short strokes to cover your face, use your palms to glide and smooth it on, effectively smoothing your face at the same time so you end up with a smooth canvas to begin your make up on. The only downside of this product is the pump; when will make up companies learn that pumps, generally, ain’t the way forward unless they have something at the bottle of the bottle to push the remaining product up? However, you can screw the pump top off and scrape out the primer with cotton buds. Do this and your primer will go a long way. Only £6 for 14g!
2) Studio Stipple Brush/Powder brush
Flat Powder Brush
Stipple Brush
Before these brushes, I pretty much hated the idea of foundation brushes. I had tried several foundation brushes, and found that the finish was more streaky that sleek, and I ended up with either too much or too little product on my face. I tried another stipple brush from Boots, and I did find it better but again, it had a tendency to streak and make my foundation look quite obvious. But these ELF brushes are different. They seamlessly blend my make up, whether I want it heavy or light, and they work perfectly every time. The bristles are soft and gentle, and excellent quality – they both work far harder than their price tag would lead you to believe. The flat brush I find gives an even smoother finish than the stipple brush, and I find I am using less product than I would be if I used a sponge or my fingers. These are both absolute steals at only £3.50 each– buy several and support ELF and the fact they don’t have a 5000000% mark up like some high-end brands!
3) Brightening Eye Colour
OK so I love Urban Decay and MAC palettes as much as the next girl, but at the end of the day, spending £11 a pop on coloured talc sure does hurt when you’re two weeks away from pay day. These quads are a god-send. They each contain 4 colours, enough to get you a combination of looks, whether you want to achieve the classic smoky eye, or perhaps a more wearable daytime variant. They now come in 18 varieties, which some truly lovely shades. The quads are small and the applicators are rubbish, however any palette you buy these days tends to have crap applicators and ELF should not be persecuted for following the trend, especially when their make up can be so much cheaper than other brands. The eyeshadow, while not of amazing quality, certainly has good colour pay-off and if used in conjunction with a primer, packs quite a punch. There is little-to-no fallout and the eyeshadow does last. The best thing? These babies are only £1.50 each! Experiment and buy a few!
4) Studio Complexion Perfection
It is an eternal struggle to find a powder which is both light enough so you don’t look like one of the cast from the Rocky Horror Show, yet dense enough to stop your make up from slipping down your face as the day ticks on. ELF’s Complexion Perfection does both pretty well. It is not an absolutely perfect product, as I think on some skin tones a light touch would not only be beneficial but necessary, plus the fact that it does only come in one shade is a bit limited. However, the packaging is reminiscent of NARS, the product looks pretty and high-quality, and when swirled, tapped and brushed on top of make up, it definitely does brighten and even the face. The colours may look scary (yellow, pink, green and blue) but in fact on the skin they all pretty much look the same, although my one trick is to use the yellow around the eyes to make them pop, and the green around my nose and chin (my Rudolph areas) to achieve an even face. The fact I have bought 3 in 6 months and am now touching pan on my third is testament to my belief in this product. You’d be hard pushed to find a better powder which doesn’t clog pores, brightens complexion (minus scary sparkles) and doesn’t break the bank. £3.50.
5) Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF 15
So, gloss. It is a wonderful thing, it can make us look healthy, it can make an otherwise bare face look polished, we Brits do love our gloss. However, the price of some glosses is beyond a freakin’ joke. Don’t get me wrong, gloss is pretty, but am I really going to invest £15 into something that, let’s be honest, is either going to be licked or talked off, or end up on my wine glass? I don’t think so! In my eyes, a gloss is a gloss is a gloss, if you are buying it for the colour, why not invest in a good lipstick and wear the lipstick with a slick of clear gloss on top? More economical as the lipstick will last longer, plus you get two items in the bargain! Speaking of bargain, ELF’s Super Glossy Lip Shine does what it says on the tin at £1.50 a pop. They smell good, they’re not overly sticky (if you do a ‘Bohemian Rhapsody head-rock, a few strands will stick, but not your whole head of hair!) and the effect is lovely. The colour range is not fabulous, with 10 colours being offered at the moment. Hopefully as the business picks up so too will their colour ranges expand, but for the moment there are the usual suspects of clear, pastels and slightly darker colours such as latte and mauve shades to choose from. The good thing is the tubes have 10g each which is quite a lot, and product is thick enough to feel high quality.
All-in-all, I urge you all to go on and at least sample some of ELF’s products, they are a great company with speedy delivery times that for the most part, delivery beauty on a tight budget!
Thursday 5 May 2011
Recent beauty loves!
Recent make up loves
Hey guys, sorry for the terribly long break, things have still been hectic but that's really no excuse! I will be updating this far more frequently going forward as things have calmed down a bit, but anyway – let's kick off with this article!
So, this is all about make up and products I have used over the past couple of months, and basically a wee review of them. There are constantly new make up products and brands being added to the UK high street, some of them quite exciting. Not all of these products are necessarily new, but they are new to me, and possibly new to you, so I hope you find this useful and it gives you some ideas for what to buy on your next shopping trip!
So in no particular order, let's kick off!
Shu Uemura eyelash curlers
Ok, so doubtless a lot of you will have heard of these, but let me introduce them for those of you who haven't. These eyelash curlers are CONSTANTLY raved about by magazines, make up artists, celebs, etc etc...so, they have a lot of hype to live up to. The unique selling point is the shape of the eyelash curlers; instead of the usual, incredibly curved curler, these are much flatter, therefore allowing you to access ALL your eyelashes, and not just those in the middle. Also, they are handmade and apparently the hinge is designed to exert the exact amount of pressure to give you the perfect curl – quickly.
I really hadn't planned on buying these, but I popped into Frasers' to buy some MAC stuff, and they had a new Shu Uemura counter, and I just had to buy them because of the hype. Plus the sales guy was lovely...I'm such an easy target for sales people! Anyhoo, he told me that if I had any problems or I wasn't impressed with the results to come back and ask about their own mascara which apparently works like a hairspray to 'set' the curl. So, my review is based upon using these curlers in conjunction with Max Factor's Masterpiece Max mascara.
The first time I used these curlers, I used them as I do any other curlers – hold them for AGES at the base, and 'squeeze' the curler quickly to kind of pump up the volume, then move from the base to tips to create a curl. Well, this technique did not work with the Shu. When I held it at the base (probably for about 20 seconds), I moved the curlers to see what effect it had had so far...I had ended up with the dreaded 'L' shape, that looked like I had had a run in with an eyelash crimper. Eek.
So, not discouraged, I turned to YouTube for some reliable advice and guidance. I watched a few videos which demonstrated that with the Shu, you really don't need to use the 'squeeze and pump' technique, and it should only take about 10-15 seconds to do each eye; the trick is to flatten the curler against your lid as that is why it is designed that way! I tried this way, starting again from the roots, no squeezing, and moving up to the tips, in total for about 15 seconds. WOW. My lashes were long, perfectly curled and it was so easy compared to everything else I've used. But of course...would it last?
I used only a few coats of Max Factor, using the zig-zag wobble technique (I may post a tutorial on this, as it is a worthwhile one!), concentrating all the mascara at the base of the eyelash, and only when the base is properly seen to do I move through the tips. Basically – about 85% of your mascara should be concentrated at the base – if you put too much on the tips, your lashes will be too heavy, clump, and your curl will fall.
Using this technique and the Shu, my lashes now have the perfect curl, length and separation all day. Yay!!
The Shu Uemura retails for £20, and in my opinion, bloody worth it. Only thing I would say is that they suggest the silicone pads run out every 3 months (you get two with the curler), and they don't sell replacements, so their suggestion is to get a new curler every 6 months...I don't really believe this if you keep your curler clean, don't 'squeeze' it when curling and don't chuck it about in your make up bag!
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
Oh this foundation. Oh my god, this foundation. I mean, I have had EVERY type of foundation. Mattifying, dewy, expensive, colour-matching, powder, cheap, liquid, cream, mineral, HD, and so on and so forth. Without exception, there is always something, something that just stops it from being my Holy Grail of foundation, usually falling under one of the 'Three C's': Colour, Coverage or Consistency. Not any longer. This, my dear friends, has after many years of searching, ended my quest for the perfect foundation. It has the best coverage, it covers blemishes but doesn't have that awful tell-tale 'mask' look; my skin just looks its very best. The colour for me is perfect for my pale and pasty Scottish skin, though of course Bourgeois does not have the range offered by brands such as Mac or Nars, but this comes with the territory of drug-store/high-street brands. The consistency is perfection. It is light, incredibly easy to blend (not blend away, which is a big difference!) and after a month of usage, no breakouts. This is taking into account that it does have silica, an ingredient which it is important to be careful with as it can cause breakouts for some skin types, so be careful.
Girls, finding the right foundation is kind of like looking for the perfect man. Tricky, a fun search at times but you can be led astray by those bad guys masquerading as nice guys, and it can leave you looking a bit of a mess. I can't recommend any men for you, however I cannot rate this product highly enough. With a teeny weeny price tag (I bought mine in Boots for £6.99 on offer!), you must give this a whirl.
La Brasiliana leave in treatment
This spray on conditioner is basically LOADED with keratin, which is the same thing used in Brazilian blow dries (La Brasiliana are one of the companies who do the Brazilian blow dry). So easy to use – spritz on damp hair, brush through, and blow dry as normal (works best when used in conjunction with straighteners). I have noticed such a difference in the way my hair looks – healthier, bouncier, and it is SO much easier to style, and I have thick, curly (not wavy – curly) hair that requires a lot of styling. I picked it up from my hairdresser but you can also buy it online, think mine was £11, I bought it in January and still have over half the bottle left. Pick it up!
Boots Facial Wash
I bought this after I heard gossmakeupartist (look him up on YouTube, he is excellent) mention it. I think we girls tend to sometimes use too much product, whether it be cleanser, moisturiser, toner, foundation, primer etc, and so I wanted to get back to basics in my skincare. This is gentle, effective, and when used twice (I tend to do one rinse to take off my make up, then another to really cleanse the skin), this really cleans your face without stripping it of its natural oils – so you are left feeling clean and cleansed, but you can still actually move your face, as it doesn't leave that horrible tight feeling. With this I don't really need a moisturiser anywhere but my (sometimes dry) nose and chin. This is something I would recommend; when trying out a new wash, or toner etc, always see what your skin is like for a few days after it. If your skin doesn't feel like it needs moisturiser...don't use one! If it does then fine, but see WHERE it requires it. Overly moisturising your skin just makes your skin produce more oil, thereby clogging pores and causing more spots. So, use wisely!
Soap and Glory Hocus Focus
I picked this up recently, and it has quickly became a staple. I was looking for something to perk up my rather tired looking winter skin as we move into spring, and this was it. A lot of illuminators have far too much pearl in them, looking (to me) like someone has dunked themselves in a disco ball one time too many. This lotion, when mixed in with foundation and applied with a stipple brush or fingers, just makes your skin GLOW, and I don't mean sparkle, I do mean GLOW! You look healthier, radiant and dewy – which I try to minimise with a brushing of matte powder because the line between dewy and sweaty is a fine line to tread, but it does suit those who are at no risk of getting sweaty during the day! I usually mix in a pea sized amount with my foundation, and once I have done that, I take a tiny bit and reapply to my cheekbone, just to make that stand out a bit more. Lovely product – for me, far better than 'That Gal' by Benefit which they promote as a primer, but for me it is too greasy to use as a primer. I would give this a go, using a primer underneath your foundation and see how you go :)
Thanks for reading as always, please leave comments and let others know about this blog if you think they would enjoy it! And if you have any suggestions on things you would like me to write about or review, please drop me a line :)
Stay gorgeous xxx
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Cheap and chic skincare tips!
Hey gals, sorry for the extreme gap between the last blog until this one – there have been some problems at home (ain’t there always?) but I’ve decided to finally get my sad gal face off and my happy, chirpy self back in the game! And where is a better place to start than cheap and chic skincare tricks and tips?
With the winter months now well and truly with us, and party season (read – spending MONEY MONEY MONEY!) just around the corner, now is the time for us to look our best, yet on a shoestring. ‘How?!’ I hear you cry! Well, fret not pets – enclosed within are some really easy ways to keep your skin sparkly and beautiful right through the Yuletide season!
Shout out – I really need to thank my mum in advance of this blog, as many (maybe all?) of my tips here have been picked up from her over the years!
Skin – a very good place to start!
1) Milk of Magnesia.
What…is…that?! OK, so, the picture below shows you what it looks like, it is actually designed to ease digestion problems, but I’m telling you…this under 5 quid product is excellent as a primer.
3) Sugar!
The amount of products that your average beauty shop has purely dedicated to exfoliating your skin is pretty terrifying. I have used many, many of these products in my time, and spent a lot more money than I would care to admit on them, and I have to say, none of them are as good as what was always there right in my own cupboard: sugar. The tiny granules are perfect for exfoliating your whole body, not just your face. For your body, do the same as below, but obviously use with shower gel and use as much sugar as you like!
5) Using moisturiser effectively
This is so simple. The point of a moisturiser is to add moisture. However, it also acts as a sealant. I see so many people using moisturiser ineffectively, then getting spots and going ‘but I moisturise all the time!!’ This ain’t the point! The way to beautiful, almost translucent and plump skin full of life is to use your moisturiser as a sealant. So what are you trying to seal? Why, water of course! Simply tweak your skincare routine a bit to see noticeably effective results.
With the winter months now well and truly with us, and party season (read – spending MONEY MONEY MONEY!) just around the corner, now is the time for us to look our best, yet on a shoestring. ‘How?!’ I hear you cry! Well, fret not pets – enclosed within are some really easy ways to keep your skin sparkly and beautiful right through the Yuletide season!
Shout out – I really need to thank my mum in advance of this blog, as many (maybe all?) of my tips here have been picked up from her over the years!
Skin – a very good place to start!
1) Milk of Magnesia.
What…is…that?! OK, so, the picture below shows you what it looks like, it is actually designed to ease digestion problems, but I’m telling you…this under 5 quid product is excellent as a primer.
All you do is give the bottle a really good shake, take a few drops (for those of you who are clumsy, like myself, you may wish to use cotton buds or cotton wool to ease the process and avoid spillage) and, starting from your nose, spread out onto your freshly cleansed face. Work quickly as the product does dry quite quickly, and make sure you are spreading it thinly, as it can be easy to gloop a lot on. If you find that it is too drying for you, dilute it with a bit of water ( I would say 4 parts M-o-M, 1 part water).
You should notice that your skin is beautifully matte and foundation is both easy to blend in and stays put for longer, and minus that telltale 5’oclock slick. For a beautiful all-day face, start with your M-o-M, then your concealer, foundation if you need it, and set with some mattifying powder. Et voila! The belle of the office, party, bar, club, restaurant, theatre…
2) Oil
OIL?! On my face?! I know, right? Sounds, well, disgusting to be honest. However, I am a convert, and I would say I can have a pretty oily T-zone at times, so all skin types should give this a go.
2) Oil
OIL?! On my face?! I know, right? Sounds, well, disgusting to be honest. However, I am a convert, and I would say I can have a pretty oily T-zone at times, so all skin types should give this a go.
Oil isn’t bad ladies; in fact, oil in very small doses is great for your skin. The trick is to have absolutely perfectly clean skin prior to application. Oil is proven to dissolve oil – so if you have blackheads, it really is what you should be using instead of harsh chemicals found in many products. You can use many different types of oil – I personally use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but I know others who prefer Castor Oil which I have yet to try, Grapeseed Oil which is actually used regularly in many cosmetics, and Sunflower Seed Oil which also garners great results. Feel free to combine the oils and experiment.
Some people may reel in horror at the idea of putting oil on their face, but think about it. With oil, you know exactly what you’re getting. Start to read the ingredient list of your current cleanser, moisturiser and toner. Scared? Yup, you should be. Plus, once you see the results, I’m sure you will agree that your skin glows a lot more than with what you’re using right now.
First of all - how the heck to use oil on your face and not on your salad?
As stated above, make sure you are working with perfectly clean, freshly cleansed skin. DO NOT use a moisturiser prior to this – it will block your pores and the oil will not have the chance to work. I recommend using this at night about once a week-to-ten days as an intensive part of your routine. During the winter months, you may want to up this once a week on the ball – for this I would recommend maybe a combination of oils as stated above, such as castor oil and sunflower seed oil.
First of all - how the heck to use oil on your face and not on your salad?
As stated above, make sure you are working with perfectly clean, freshly cleansed skin. DO NOT use a moisturiser prior to this – it will block your pores and the oil will not have the chance to work. I recommend using this at night about once a week-to-ten days as an intensive part of your routine. During the winter months, you may want to up this once a week on the ball – for this I would recommend maybe a combination of oils as stated above, such as castor oil and sunflower seed oil.
Using a very small amount (maybe a 5p piece, or a dime for US readers) spread the oil on your hands and fingers and begin to slowly massage the oil into your skin. Start at the inside of your face, slowly moving outward and up in small, light circles. Really take your time with this – this should be a part of your routine. If you need a drop or two more, use it. Massage for a 5 minutes, and enjoy the sensation of relaxation and luxury.
Once you feel that the oil has been massaged in, and you feel lovely and relaxed, run a washcloth or towel under very hot water, rinse until it is damp, and place over your face, leaving it until it starts to cool, maybe 3 minutes. At this point, drag it off your face to remove some of the oil. Repeat another 2, 3 or even 4 times – enough so that all of the oil is removed. Do NOT rub your skin – this part of your routine is not about exfoliation, this is about pure luxury! This is a lovely thing to do in the bath, surrounded by candles, right before bedtime. You should be left with beautiful, glowing skin, free of flakes, and if done regularly, you will notice difference to your skin in terms of spots and blackheads. Next – exfoliation!
3) Sugar!
The amount of products that your average beauty shop has purely dedicated to exfoliating your skin is pretty terrifying. I have used many, many of these products in my time, and spent a lot more money than I would care to admit on them, and I have to say, none of them are as good as what was always there right in my own cupboard: sugar. The tiny granules are perfect for exfoliating your whole body, not just your face. For your body, do the same as below, but obviously use with shower gel and use as much sugar as you like!
So, you can do this exfoliation process both with make up on and without make up. All you need is just a regular old liquid face cleanser, and 2-3 teaspoons of sugar. Use more if you feel you need it. Any sugar is fine, if you prefer a ‘finer’ exfoliating product, caster sugar is the way to go. I tend to use white granulated as I always have it, and I find it doesn’t dissolve as quickly as caster. If you are well prepared, you can mix up your cleanser and sugar…for me, ease of use is key, so I just wet my face, slop on some cleanser, plop on some sugar, and massage in. You can even use with olive oil as stated above!
As with all exfoliators, don’t go too hard. The aim is to get rid of dead skin, which should come off without too much of a fight, not uncover a whole new layer of epidermis! Exfoliate for around 2-3 minutes, and start to wash off with warm water. The sugar should come away nice and easily, keep brushing lightly as you wash off, and you should notice, again, that your skin is lovely and glowing, and all achieved pretty much for free with an all-natural product!
4) The Towel
Ok, so this sounds…ominous? Not really, it’s just your good old friend, the humble washcloth or face towel, used in a new way. Exfoliating products are great, but the towel is so simple that I wonder why people don’t use it more. Sure it wipes our face clean, but it really can exfoliate your face daily as well.
Ok, so this sounds…ominous? Not really, it’s just your good old friend, the humble washcloth or face towel, used in a new way. Exfoliating products are great, but the towel is so simple that I wonder why people don’t use it more. Sure it wipes our face clean, but it really can exfoliate your face daily as well.
All you need to do is wash your face as normal, really taking your time to get everything rinsed off. Soak a good part of your towel in hot hot water – (not BOILING, but hot hot!) and rinse so it is damp. Then, scrub your face all over in circular motions. Some of you may find that make up is STILL coming off – this just shows you how much you have to cleanse your face, and where those pesky spots may be coming from…
Depending on your skin type and sensitivity, go slower or faster. The aim is to get all that make up off, and when it is, open up those pores with the warm water and give your skin some invigoration with the cotton towel. Your skin should NOT be red once your have finished – if it is, your water was too hot or your towel-scrubbing too vigourous. Your skin should look polished, and feel absolutely squeaky clean! Feel free to add moisturiser after, but if you do, read below...
5) Using moisturiser effectively
This is so simple. The point of a moisturiser is to add moisture. However, it also acts as a sealant. I see so many people using moisturiser ineffectively, then getting spots and going ‘but I moisturise all the time!!’ This ain’t the point! The way to beautiful, almost translucent and plump skin full of life is to use your moisturiser as a sealant. So what are you trying to seal? Why, water of course! Simply tweak your skincare routine a bit to see noticeably effective results.
Instead of using moisturiser on dry skin (I don’t have to say freshly cleansed, do I?? NEVER use moisturiser on anything but freshly washed skin – it will continue to act as a sealant, but this time, it will be sealing oil, leading to breakout. Don’t go there), simply pat down your face until it is about 80-90% dry (just as with hair, you don’t try to style it until it is at this stage). Then, using probably 50% less moisturiser than you’re used to, as the water will obviously help it to glide now, pat the moisturiser on your face, massaging as usual. If you are going to use make up, give it 5-10 minutes to settle ( you should be doing this anyway ;) ) and for bedi-byes, use right before going to sleep.
Anyway, I hope at least some of this was helpful for you, please do try my tips out and let me know how you get on, and if you have any tips and tricks you would like to share, I’d love to hear them!
As ever, any requests just let me know!
Back soon xxx
As ever, any requests just let me know!
Back soon xxx
Tuesday 17 August 2010
Top 5 Worst Products
Ok, so last time you heard me raving about my must have beauty products, but this blog is dedicated to my top 5 must avoids. I cannot tell you how many products I have bought, used once, and chucked away because they don’t live up to the high and mighty expectations they set. I am so glad that there are so many beauty blogs out there now so that we stop chucking our hard earned money at products that simply do not work!
2. Benefit Bad Gal Mascara in Black
The hype: "Sexy, sultry, pure unadulterated black mascara for full, voluminous lashes. It's as BAD as you want to be! Famously big, bodacious brush coats lashes with our super black formula."
OK, so fair enough, Collection 2000 has a bad product – but it only costs a £5. What about those brands that make you part with £15-£25 quid and fail to meet your expectations? These are the real ones to avoid ladies.
First up – Benefit Bad Gal Mascara. Um, the clue is in the name. Do not get me wrong, I LOVE Benefit as much as the next Benefit Babe, but some of their stuff is just plain crap, and no retro/kitsch/vintage branding is make me gonna buy it...again. I've done the legwork (or should that be lashwork? Eek, sorry!) and puhlease, do not buy this mascara. First off, it has a big wand. Not necessarily a bad thing, but this is just plain big, not clever. Big wand does not equal big volume, it equals difficult to use (warning - mascara on your eyelids. ALWAYS a pain, especially after you have done your eyeshadow work), tricky to get to those tiny lashes at the corners of your peepers, and also, I found that the wand was so big, it soaked up more mascara than you needed, making the wand actually dry out faster than a normal sized brush. Not scientific findings, just my own personal observation.
Anyway, onto the actual mascara. Well, it starts off alright...I do need a fair few coats to get the thickness I like, and I find that with Bad Gal, I need so many coats to get my lashes to 'oomph' the way I like, that I actually get a bit anxious because it takes so long! It seems like quite a thin mascara in my opinion, and this also comes to light when it has dried. I have never had a mascara flake so much. And I don't rub my eyes as I am a contact lens/glasses wearer. Disappointing. Not only that, but it seems to me that the mascara doesn't hold your lashes - my lashes always seem a bit depressed and droopy at the end of the day with Bad Gal. Having said all of the above, I do love Bad Gal in plum...I just find it has a much nicer consistency and makes my eyes zing a bit more - but I definitely do need to curl my lashes beforehand, otherwise my lashes are a bit down in the dumps at the end of the day.
3. Victoria Jackson Make Up The hype: "Radiant colours. Soft, satin formulas. Beautiful products"
OK so this is quite generalised, but I feel it is pretty justified. I was lured into buying Victoria Jackson makeup when there was a stall set up at work, and I got a pretty huge haul for £25, including a travel make up kit, four eyeshadow creams, a full eye, blush and lip colour palette (above) and 4 lip balms/glosses. plus a little make up tutorial book. The latter was easily the best thing, as it gave some excellent tips on contouring eye make up and blush, but honestly, the rest was pretty lame. I don't know if it is just me, but palettes really aren't my kind of thing, unless every colour is amazing, like Urban Decay or Mac palettes. I felt that I was shortchanged with VJ's make up...there were a lot of colours so similar they were effectively duplicates, the colour payoff was poor, plus the thing I hate most - lipcolours next to eyeshadows. WHAT IS THE POINT?? You wind up getting eyeshadow dust IN the lipcolours! I honestly ended up throwing most of it out, I kept hold of them all for 2 years, and after I stumbled upon it looking rather sad, I just knew I would never use it again. I think the colours are also pretty middle of the road, they aren't very vibrant or interesting. I think perhaps they are chasing women more than teenage girls, but come on, 30-70 year olds wear more than brown eyeshadow! If I were you, I would spend my money on a few nice pieces of make up as opposed to VJ's stuff; you will get more use out of it.
4. Benefit Lip Plump The hype: "For full, sexy lips use lip plump before lipstick. This neutral-toned lip enhancer helps to smooth and fill in fine lines while building up the contour of the lips, making them appear fuller and younger."
Back to Benefit. I first tried their Lip Plump when I got it as part of one of their sets. I was a bit surprised to see that it wasn't a gloss or a creme, but more like concealer really, or nude coloured primer. I kept an open mind and tried it a couple of times...and then realised that really, it was pretty much nude coloured primer. My lips did not look any plumper, I didn't even get a nice affirming tingle to tell me 'ooo something is happening to your lips!' Which doesn't really mean anything DOES happen to your lips; it's mostly just ingredients put in there to trick you into thinking that something is happening. Anyway, the Lip Plump also made it difficult to apply lipstick, as it mixed with the nude colour, and while it didn't make my lipstick feather, it did just feel a bit odd, like I was wearing one lipstick over another. A total 'meh' product.
5. ATM: Rochas Poudre Bellissima Evanescent Loose Powder The hype: "The Rochas cosmetics range is world-famous for providing make-up of the highest quality."
Right so this one is at 'ATM' (at the moment, mum ;)) as it changes constantly depending on what I have used recently that has disappointed me - which happens pretty frequently! So the last thing that has disappointed me was some Rochas powder which I bought off cheapsmells.co.uk, which I expected quite a lot from. Another total meh product. It just kind of goes on like talc powder, and while I did buy it in 'translucent', usually you can see that there is still a bit of coverage when powder is used. Not so with Rochas. It feels like, as I put it on, it just flies off again. Also, the powder is a total pain to get out the tub; you have to turn it upside down with the lid on, shake it up, down, left, right, and only a teeny bit is dispensed, and it puffs up everywhere when you open the pot. Also, my face is only matt for a couple of hours, and trust me, I'm not a gal who exerts myself too much! Not a huge loss as it didn't cost me too much, but definitely disappointing, and I have went back to using my emergency standby Rimmel powder.
So guys, thank you again so much for reading, please comment and let me know about your blogs as I'd love to read them, and I'll post another blog this week, but not decided what on yet - any suggestions, let me know!
I have concentrated purely on make up at the moment, as over the next few months I will share the best and worst of skincare and haircare, as there are simply too many beauty bits and bobs out there not to do a separate list for each.
Please note that everyone’s skin and reactions to make up are different; no two people wear perfume the same, and the same goes for make up. Everything expressed here is simply my opinion and my findings.
1. Collection 2000 Perfecting Minerals Foundation
The hype:
- Light, luminous mineral powder provides a natural and even effect that lasts all day
- 4-in-1 formulation with the benefits of a foundation, powder, concealer and sunscreen
- Developed using 100% natural mineral pigments
- Contains a blush applicator for buildable coverage
Where do I bloody start with this. I really should have known better, as foundation and powder are the things that shouldn’t be skimped on, but I gave it a try. I should have read the ingredient list, but in my rush to pick up a cheap product, I went for this. At first, I was actually pretty impressed. It made my skin look radiant and sparkly, yet natural. Who needed Bare Minerals?
Except this wasn’t Bare Minerals. This was Bare Bloody Stuffed-With-Crap £5 powder passing itself off as ‘gentle enough to sleep in’! God knows whether it was the talc, mica, zinc oxide or the combination that Collection 2000 has used, but I broke out in tonnes of tiny little spots all over my face – my pores looked clogged and I just looked quite unhealthy. This product has some great reviews – and it does start out well, but this foundation can be likened to those guys that you meet that are all charm and attention for 2 weeks, then they turn into the biggest arse you ever met. Avoid!
2. Benefit Bad Gal Mascara in Black
The hype: "Sexy, sultry, pure unadulterated black mascara for full, voluminous lashes. It's as BAD as you want to be! Famously big, bodacious brush coats lashes with our super black formula."
OK, so fair enough, Collection 2000 has a bad product – but it only costs a £5. What about those brands that make you part with £15-£25 quid and fail to meet your expectations? These are the real ones to avoid ladies.
First up – Benefit Bad Gal Mascara. Um, the clue is in the name. Do not get me wrong, I LOVE Benefit as much as the next Benefit Babe, but some of their stuff is just plain crap, and no retro/kitsch/vintage branding is make me gonna buy it...again. I've done the legwork (or should that be lashwork? Eek, sorry!) and puhlease, do not buy this mascara. First off, it has a big wand. Not necessarily a bad thing, but this is just plain big, not clever. Big wand does not equal big volume, it equals difficult to use (warning - mascara on your eyelids. ALWAYS a pain, especially after you have done your eyeshadow work), tricky to get to those tiny lashes at the corners of your peepers, and also, I found that the wand was so big, it soaked up more mascara than you needed, making the wand actually dry out faster than a normal sized brush. Not scientific findings, just my own personal observation.
Anyway, onto the actual mascara. Well, it starts off alright...I do need a fair few coats to get the thickness I like, and I find that with Bad Gal, I need so many coats to get my lashes to 'oomph' the way I like, that I actually get a bit anxious because it takes so long! It seems like quite a thin mascara in my opinion, and this also comes to light when it has dried. I have never had a mascara flake so much. And I don't rub my eyes as I am a contact lens/glasses wearer. Disappointing. Not only that, but it seems to me that the mascara doesn't hold your lashes - my lashes always seem a bit depressed and droopy at the end of the day with Bad Gal. Having said all of the above, I do love Bad Gal in plum...I just find it has a much nicer consistency and makes my eyes zing a bit more - but I definitely do need to curl my lashes beforehand, otherwise my lashes are a bit down in the dumps at the end of the day.
3. Victoria Jackson Make Up The hype: "Radiant colours. Soft, satin formulas. Beautiful products"
OK so this is quite generalised, but I feel it is pretty justified. I was lured into buying Victoria Jackson makeup when there was a stall set up at work, and I got a pretty huge haul for £25, including a travel make up kit, four eyeshadow creams, a full eye, blush and lip colour palette (above) and 4 lip balms/glosses. plus a little make up tutorial book. The latter was easily the best thing, as it gave some excellent tips on contouring eye make up and blush, but honestly, the rest was pretty lame. I don't know if it is just me, but palettes really aren't my kind of thing, unless every colour is amazing, like Urban Decay or Mac palettes. I felt that I was shortchanged with VJ's make up...there were a lot of colours so similar they were effectively duplicates, the colour payoff was poor, plus the thing I hate most - lipcolours next to eyeshadows. WHAT IS THE POINT?? You wind up getting eyeshadow dust IN the lipcolours! I honestly ended up throwing most of it out, I kept hold of them all for 2 years, and after I stumbled upon it looking rather sad, I just knew I would never use it again. I think the colours are also pretty middle of the road, they aren't very vibrant or interesting. I think perhaps they are chasing women more than teenage girls, but come on, 30-70 year olds wear more than brown eyeshadow! If I were you, I would spend my money on a few nice pieces of make up as opposed to VJ's stuff; you will get more use out of it.
4. Benefit Lip Plump The hype: "For full, sexy lips use lip plump before lipstick. This neutral-toned lip enhancer helps to smooth and fill in fine lines while building up the contour of the lips, making them appear fuller and younger."
Back to Benefit. I first tried their Lip Plump when I got it as part of one of their sets. I was a bit surprised to see that it wasn't a gloss or a creme, but more like concealer really, or nude coloured primer. I kept an open mind and tried it a couple of times...and then realised that really, it was pretty much nude coloured primer. My lips did not look any plumper, I didn't even get a nice affirming tingle to tell me 'ooo something is happening to your lips!' Which doesn't really mean anything DOES happen to your lips; it's mostly just ingredients put in there to trick you into thinking that something is happening. Anyway, the Lip Plump also made it difficult to apply lipstick, as it mixed with the nude colour, and while it didn't make my lipstick feather, it did just feel a bit odd, like I was wearing one lipstick over another. A total 'meh' product.5. ATM: Rochas Poudre Bellissima Evanescent Loose Powder The hype: "The Rochas cosmetics range is world-famous for providing make-up of the highest quality."
Right so this one is at 'ATM' (at the moment, mum ;)) as it changes constantly depending on what I have used recently that has disappointed me - which happens pretty frequently! So the last thing that has disappointed me was some Rochas powder which I bought off cheapsmells.co.uk, which I expected quite a lot from. Another total meh product. It just kind of goes on like talc powder, and while I did buy it in 'translucent', usually you can see that there is still a bit of coverage when powder is used. Not so with Rochas. It feels like, as I put it on, it just flies off again. Also, the powder is a total pain to get out the tub; you have to turn it upside down with the lid on, shake it up, down, left, right, and only a teeny bit is dispensed, and it puffs up everywhere when you open the pot. Also, my face is only matt for a couple of hours, and trust me, I'm not a gal who exerts myself too much! Not a huge loss as it didn't cost me too much, but definitely disappointing, and I have went back to using my emergency standby Rimmel powder.
So guys, thank you again so much for reading, please comment and let me know about your blogs as I'd love to read them, and I'll post another blog this week, but not decided what on yet - any suggestions, let me know!
Wednesday 4 August 2010
Rave: My gotta have its
Ok, so, every self-respecting beauty junkie has her stash of products that she just can't be doing without. I don't mean 'damn, I must remember to pick that up when I go into town' products, I mean 'FUCK! I can't leave the house without that!' kind of products. I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm really not!
In the past few years I have started to use less make up day to day as I get lazier and feel that an extra 15 minutes in bed is just worth it, goddamn it, but there are still those little treasures that I use almost everyday that I would feel just a wee bit lost without. So, without further adieu, let me list the ways I love thee...
1) La Roche-Posay Toleraine Corrector Fluid Foundation
The hype: "Fine and anti-friction fluid texture enriched with La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water, known for its naturally soothing and anti-free radical properties."
An absolute dream product, and an absolute bloody nightmare to get anywhere in the UK (in terms of shops - but god bless the Internet!) I first found this product while on holiday in Paris, and in an unassuming little chemist (a very odd chemist - no toothpaste and only one type of sanitary towels? Gotta love the French) there was a huge range of make up and skincare from a brand I had never seen of or heard of before - La Roche-Posay. At the time, I was having mental bad times with my skin, it just looked bumpy and in proper need of a bit of TLC due to a horrible product I had been using (read the next blog on products to avoid!), and I stumbled upon this little dream of a foundation. What's this? Oil free? Water based? SPF of 20?? Fragrance and preservative free, as well as being a highly opaque foundation? Fabulous! I tried it out two years ago and have struggled to use any other foundation in its place. I used to use Vichy Dermablend which was wayyyy too heavy for my skin, and while it gave a flawless finish, I was very aware of the fact I was wearing make up - and I ain't like Jordan, I can actually feel my face. It is water based which is so much better for your skin than oil based products (read - no clogging of pores), but does mean you will need a mattifying powder on top to set and make sure your perspiration is dewy and not eeewy. Five star product, only £11.90 on echemist.co.uk.
2) Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
The hype: "Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat is the world’s finest top coat. It's patented formula allows it to penetrate through the nail lacquer to the base coat forming a single solid coating over the nail plate, giving it durability and shine on every application."
I first found out about this product maybe 6 months ago and I am already absolutely addicted. I don't have particularly good nails - in fact they're short, stubby and incredibly weak - I can bend them for goodness sake. But I like making my nails pretty (another thing to spend money on? Sold.) but I HATE smudging them when wet and I HATE them chipping when dry. Love to peel, hate to chip. Same with potatoes. Not really. ANYWAY, this fast dry top coat makes your nails touch dry in 30 seconds. Honestly. OK, don't do the dishes at that stage, but you know, you can touch it without fear of a fingerprint mark or the dreaded pulled look. Not only that, it makes glitters more sparkly, it makes your brights brighter and your whites whiter. Daz my arse, this product has it all. It also makes your manicure last at least a full day longer; I am rough as buggery with my nails, but with Seche Vite I can guarantee two days full wear. It's like laminate for your nails! Pick it up at Sally's or online, usually around £9.65. Will make even £1 nail polish look like a professional performed manicure.
3) Vaseline
The hype: "Vaseline® Original 100% Pure Petroleum Jelly is made using a unique triple purification process which creates a petroleum jelly so pure that it works naturally with your skin, helping it to rebuild moisture and renew itself."
Really, should I write anything here? If you have never used Vaseline...first of all, congratulations, and secondly, how is that possible?? One of my boyfriends dubbed me the VaselineQueen as I really could not leave the house without some form of goop for my lips, and Vaseline is the little tub I keep coming back to. It is truly cost-efficient; 99p for a little tin that by my standards of everyday use, lasts 6 months. Not only this, but you can now also get different varieties including the yellow Vaseline with SPF built in, the green tin with aloe vera (which smells divine) and my favourite, the pink tin which has Rose and Almond Oil and smells ever so sweetly and subtly of roses, and leaves a very slight pink tint of your lips. Of course, much like Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream, it can be used for taming eyebrows (a little goes a long way here, unless you want your eyebrows to look wet) as well as on your cheekbones for a nice light sheen. Do bear in mind that some lovely ladies have noted that the petroleum is not good for your lips; I cannot say I have noticed a problem with this in my time, and I have been using it since I was 12, but as with all beauty products, monitor any issues and if it affects you - bin it!
4) Rimmel Glam'Eyes Professional Liquid Eyeliner
The hype: "Rimmel Glam'Eyes Liquid Eye Liner is the ultra precision liquid eye liner, its professional brush delivers the finest line to give you exceptional results."
I use this product everyday, and I have tested a lot of liquid eyeliners in my time, and in my experience, this is by far the best. Most importantly, it comes with a brush as opposed to a pen, which means that you have much more control, and the brush does not dry out as quickly as a pen. A perfect, inexpensive product that gives you sixties kitten eyes in the stroke of a brush. TOP TIP - start from the flick, when you have the most product on the brush. This will ensure you are depositing most of the product where it should be - on the outer corner of your eye, not the inner. Also, less is more here; you want to emphasise your eyes by making them appear bigger with a thin line, not smaller with a thick line. If you make a mistake, in my experience it is best to wipe it off and start again.
5) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Original)
The hype: "This miracle eyeshadow primer is unmatched by any other in the beauty industry! The genie in this bottle fulfills three wishes: eyeshadow that lasts, more vibrant and lasting color, and absolutely NO creasing."
I first received this as a sample with my Deluxe Urban Decay Eyeshadow box a few years ago, and could not believe the difference it made in terms of staying power to my eyeshadow. I now use it automatically and find it makes every colour brighter and more vibrant, as well as ensuring my colours stay put for the whole day, or night! They have now brought out a range based on the success of 'UDPP' as it is known on beauty blogs, including primer for face and lips, as well as new offerings for the original eyeshadow primer, including a matt finish and shimmer finish.
In the past few years I have started to use less make up day to day as I get lazier and feel that an extra 15 minutes in bed is just worth it, goddamn it, but there are still those little treasures that I use almost everyday that I would feel just a wee bit lost without. So, without further adieu, let me list the ways I love thee...
1) La Roche-Posay Toleraine Corrector Fluid Foundation
The hype: "Fine and anti-friction fluid texture enriched with La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water, known for its naturally soothing and anti-free radical properties."
An absolute dream product, and an absolute bloody nightmare to get anywhere in the UK (in terms of shops - but god bless the Internet!) I first found this product while on holiday in Paris, and in an unassuming little chemist (a very odd chemist - no toothpaste and only one type of sanitary towels? Gotta love the French) there was a huge range of make up and skincare from a brand I had never seen of or heard of before - La Roche-Posay. At the time, I was having mental bad times with my skin, it just looked bumpy and in proper need of a bit of TLC due to a horrible product I had been using (read the next blog on products to avoid!), and I stumbled upon this little dream of a foundation. What's this? Oil free? Water based? SPF of 20?? Fragrance and preservative free, as well as being a highly opaque foundation? Fabulous! I tried it out two years ago and have struggled to use any other foundation in its place. I used to use Vichy Dermablend which was wayyyy too heavy for my skin, and while it gave a flawless finish, I was very aware of the fact I was wearing make up - and I ain't like Jordan, I can actually feel my face. It is water based which is so much better for your skin than oil based products (read - no clogging of pores), but does mean you will need a mattifying powder on top to set and make sure your perspiration is dewy and not eeewy. Five star product, only £11.90 on echemist.co.uk.
2) Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat
The hype: "Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat is the world’s finest top coat. It's patented formula allows it to penetrate through the nail lacquer to the base coat forming a single solid coating over the nail plate, giving it durability and shine on every application."
I first found out about this product maybe 6 months ago and I am already absolutely addicted. I don't have particularly good nails - in fact they're short, stubby and incredibly weak - I can bend them for goodness sake. But I like making my nails pretty (another thing to spend money on? Sold.) but I HATE smudging them when wet and I HATE them chipping when dry. Love to peel, hate to chip. Same with potatoes. Not really. ANYWAY, this fast dry top coat makes your nails touch dry in 30 seconds. Honestly. OK, don't do the dishes at that stage, but you know, you can touch it without fear of a fingerprint mark or the dreaded pulled look. Not only that, it makes glitters more sparkly, it makes your brights brighter and your whites whiter. Daz my arse, this product has it all. It also makes your manicure last at least a full day longer; I am rough as buggery with my nails, but with Seche Vite I can guarantee two days full wear. It's like laminate for your nails! Pick it up at Sally's or online, usually around £9.65. Will make even £1 nail polish look like a professional performed manicure.3) Vaseline
The hype: "Vaseline® Original 100% Pure Petroleum Jelly is made using a unique triple purification process which creates a petroleum jelly so pure that it works naturally with your skin, helping it to rebuild moisture and renew itself."
Really, should I write anything here? If you have never used Vaseline...first of all, congratulations, and secondly, how is that possible?? One of my boyfriends dubbed me the VaselineQueen as I really could not leave the house without some form of goop for my lips, and Vaseline is the little tub I keep coming back to. It is truly cost-efficient; 99p for a little tin that by my standards of everyday use, lasts 6 months. Not only this, but you can now also get different varieties including the yellow Vaseline with SPF built in, the green tin with aloe vera (which smells divine) and my favourite, the pink tin which has Rose and Almond Oil and smells ever so sweetly and subtly of roses, and leaves a very slight pink tint of your lips. Of course, much like Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream, it can be used for taming eyebrows (a little goes a long way here, unless you want your eyebrows to look wet) as well as on your cheekbones for a nice light sheen. Do bear in mind that some lovely ladies have noted that the petroleum is not good for your lips; I cannot say I have noticed a problem with this in my time, and I have been using it since I was 12, but as with all beauty products, monitor any issues and if it affects you - bin it!
4) Rimmel Glam'Eyes Professional Liquid Eyeliner
The hype: "Rimmel Glam'Eyes Liquid Eye Liner is the ultra precision liquid eye liner, its professional brush delivers the finest line to give you exceptional results."
I use this product everyday, and I have tested a lot of liquid eyeliners in my time, and in my experience, this is by far the best. Most importantly, it comes with a brush as opposed to a pen, which means that you have much more control, and the brush does not dry out as quickly as a pen. A perfect, inexpensive product that gives you sixties kitten eyes in the stroke of a brush. TOP TIP - start from the flick, when you have the most product on the brush. This will ensure you are depositing most of the product where it should be - on the outer corner of your eye, not the inner. Also, less is more here; you want to emphasise your eyes by making them appear bigger with a thin line, not smaller with a thick line. If you make a mistake, in my experience it is best to wipe it off and start again.
5) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Original)
The hype: "This miracle eyeshadow primer is unmatched by any other in the beauty industry! The genie in this bottle fulfills three wishes: eyeshadow that lasts, more vibrant and lasting color, and absolutely NO creasing."
I first received this as a sample with my Deluxe Urban Decay Eyeshadow box a few years ago, and could not believe the difference it made in terms of staying power to my eyeshadow. I now use it automatically and find it makes every colour brighter and more vibrant, as well as ensuring my colours stay put for the whole day, or night! They have now brought out a range based on the success of 'UDPP' as it is known on beauty blogs, including primer for face and lips, as well as new offerings for the original eyeshadow primer, including a matt finish and shimmer finish.
So I hope you guys enjoyed my raves, join me for my next blog...the 5 worst products I have ever used. It ain't gonna be pretty...sorry for the awful pun.
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