The Mascara Try-Outs

It had been a long time since I tried a new mascara with my trusty Benefit options taking priority. Although that was until I got my hands on three newbies all within the last month, typical eh!? Anyway I thought I would give you a little first impression on them all which includes a cult fave mascara that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on…

Although first up comes from Mac in the form of their False Lashes Extreme Black. I got given this mini sample when I made a little Mac purchase during the month and was rather curious as to how this would perform since Mac don’t really have the best name when it comes to mascara. With a name like ‘False Lashes’ you would expect pretty dramatic lashes although it was actually quite the opposite. I don’t mean that in a bad way but the mascara created a much more natural everyday look which wasn’t really what I expected from the name. The brush isn’t too bad and slightly reminds me of Benefit Bad Gal Lash and the effect is quite similar too. It grips the lashes well and really separates them so I haven’t found any issues with clumping. It really lengthens your lashes and fans them out to look soft and fluttery. As I said it creates a very natural look so doesn’t have much volume or lift to it. It’s a nice one for wearing during the day but nothing I would run out to buy a full size of.

Next up is the mascara of 2015. I would find that a pretty accurate description considering the amount of praise it has received this year. The Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara is one I’ve been desperate to try out for the longest time so I was super happy to see that they released a mini version as part of their holiday collection which gave me the chance to try it out first. Whilst the name is a little shoddy, I adore the metallic pink packaging, how gorgeous! Anyway on to the stuff that matters, the actual mascara. I usually prefer quite fine and small mascara brushes so this one was a bit to get used to as it is pretty chunky. I did find it a slight problem though for the lower lashes so I would suggest using something a little smaller for that. On to the formula though, this does remind me a little of my favourite mascara; Benefit They’re Real although with a little less impact. It holds a curl really nicely and adds a bit of lift to the lashes too so is a nice one for a night time look. A downside though is that I would’ve liked it to separate my lashes better, I think it’s down to the brush but it tends to stick some of my lashes together so for that reason They’re Real sits firmly on top.

Lastly was a little magazine freebie this month, yes I know another one! I’ve wanted to try an Eyeko mascara for a while so I just had to pick this up. This months In Style includes a mini Eyeko Black Magic mascara which promises drama and curl. This reminds me very much of Benefit Roller Lash especially with the similar curved wand. Apologies for all the Benefit comparisons! The wand is a little thicker in comparison but hugs the lashes so nicely and also works well on the bottom lashes. Like Rollerlash, it separates the lashes really well and creates a nice soft curl. It adds a bit of volume too but still looks really natural. A pretty decent mascara overall but again not one I would go running for.

Are you a fan of any of these mascaras?

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The Benefit Mascara Trio

If there is one brand that do mascara pretty darn well without a doubt it is Benefit. Benefit have a trio of offerings in the mascara department and each offers something pretty special. Mascara is one thing that one person will like and another won’t but for me personally Benefit mascaras are worth the rave and here is why…

Benefit They’re Real – The most popular out of the three, the much hyped They’re Real mascara. From what I am aware this is the best selling mascara in the UK and rightly so it is pretty darn good! This mascara is definitely a winner when it comes to lengthening the lashes and also adds volume and lifts the lashes. The wand is pretty good too by not being too thick allowing the bristles to separate the lashes.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash – Probably the least mentioned of them all. It is bit of throwback for many I am sure but still a decent offering. It isn’t as popular as the other two which is expected since the other two are much better options however that isn’t to say that it’s not good. I mentioned this one in my Spring Edit and it really is perfect for a natural everyday makeup look. It creates such lovely fluttery natural but voluminous lashes. The brush is pretty thick which would put many off but it isn’t actually all that scary, it really works to help lift and coat the lashes.

Benefit Roller Lash – I always save the best til last and this time is no exception. This is the newest of the bunch being released at the start of the year were it received a lot of hype from many bloggers. Suggested by the name, this mascara is said to give curl without the use of eye-lash curlers and it really does. This is definitely my favourite of the three, it does everything you would expect from a mascara. It creates such lovely full curled lashes, what more could you want!? You can see my full review on this one here.

What is your favourite Benefit mascara? 

 

New Benefit Roller Lash Mascara Review

 

If there is one product that has a lot of hype at the minute it is the Benefit Roller Lash mascara. I am a huge fan of Benefit’s mascaras, in particular They’re Real which was my go-to for the last month before I got my hands on this gem which you may recall seeing in my February Favourites. With the mascara just realised, Elle Magazine were giving us all a little taster with a free sample with their March issue of their magazine. Of course I did what I do best and picked it up on its first day on sale.

Benefit always have some great marketing behind their products and this was no exception. I think everyone knew everything about this mascara before it was even released. The concept behind this mascara is the idea of hair rollers back from the 50s. This concept has been well documented through their campaigns and the product packaging and image. The full sized tube is styled with the look of a hair roller and the idea of the product is meant to capture quite that.

The “Hook & Roll” brush is said to grip, lift and curl the lashes without the use of eyelash curlers. Essentially a hair roller for your lashes. There is no doubt about this that it does quite that. The brush is one I really am fond of, It fits the eye well to capture each lash and really helps to separate the lashes. I always find thinner brushes much better and provides better results than thicker brushes which are prone to clumping. Saying that, this mascara does not make the lashes clumpy and really does lift, separate, lengthen and curl, everything a good mascara should do. It holds a curl really well which you would expect from the name.

If there is a slight let down on this mascara I would only say I would like a tad more volume, just a little more. I do have to compare this to the They’re Real mascara and after comparing the two side to side I didn’t really feel a big difference but the more I wore this I was continued to be wooed. Difficult to say but I do think this is better than They’re Real as it always looks that bit better at the end of the day and the curl is still in place. At a pricey £19.50 for a full size I may hold off this purchase for a while until I am finally sure this is the one. Knowing me, I will probably be snapping this up sometime anyway oh well! Well done Benefit, you’ve done it again!

Have you tried the Roller Lash? Are you a fan?

 

February Favourites

I don’t think I can quite believe that its March already! I think thats my starting line for every favourites posts but hey time goes fast! Anyway if you seen my favourites last month you may recall my lack of makeup but now since I’m back at uni and have some sort of life now I have been picking up a few newbies over the month and getting back to my usual makeup routine.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil – You may recall seeing this before in a review I did which you can check out here. I love this cleanser. Long are the days of removing my makeup with wipes and a damp cloth (extravagant, I know!). This cleanser is perfect, it removes every trace of my makeup and makes my skin feel fab as well as being a good affordable option at £10!

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Red Pepper – When it comes to liquid lipsticks I have always been put off. I don’t like the idea of putting something wet and sticky on my lips which is why I keep my lip-gloss use to a minimum and why I never really wanted to purchase this in the first place. As usual though due to phenomenal hype by so many bloggers I caved and bought it and I love it. It is super long lasting and is such a beautiful bright red which is great for daily wear.

Benefit Roller Lash – I apologize in advance if you are sick of hearing about this little gem which is Benefit’s new release. I don’t want to say too much as I may touch upon this one a little later but its probably one of the best mascaras I’ve ever used! It really does what it says on the tin!

ASOS earrings – Earrings are something I wear on a daily basis (oh the irony of not wearing any right now) and I always get sick of wearing the same basic boring earrings all the time until I seen what asos had to offer. I seen Suzie from Hello October mention these earrings in a haul and had to snap them up! They are just so different and I have had so many compliments on them, they are just fab and I have my eye on a few more from asos!

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover – When it comes to nail polish removing its just no fun! I hate the tedious and boring job of having to remove nail polish that just wont budge. I heard a lot about this remover and picked it up and oh my has my life transformed! This really is magic, you simply stick your nail in the pot and give it a twist around and out it comes with no sign of nail polish, wow!

What have you been loving lately? 

 

Makeup Tips for Glasses Wearers

Glasses used to be seen as being “uncool” and “geeky” however times have moved on and now glasses are seen as a trendy fashion accessory. I’ve had pretty bad eyesight for around 10 years now *gasps* and so glasses are more a “necessity” rather than a “fashion accessory” to me however I would feel strange looking without them but whatever the reason behind them there are a few cautions to look out for when it comes to applying makeup. Eye makeup always makes me feel that little more confident and when it comes to applying makeup for glasses wearers, one thing; its all in the eyes!

1. Mascara – Depending on your vision eyes can appear either smaller or bigger with glasses. Being short-sighted (close up vision) my eyes appear smaller so its important to me to make my eyes appear wider. Mascara is a great way in opening up your eyes and using eyelash curlers can also be a further help.

2. Eyeliner – Eyeliner is very important. The tip is to match the thickness of your eyeliner to the thickness of your frames. As I have pretty large frames I tend to go for a more thicker line of eyeliner. Also adding a white or nude eyeliner to the inner corner of your eye can help them look wider. Also if you tend to adopt a cat-eye winged eyeliner look ensure that the flick can be seen from your glasses and isn’t hidden behind the frame for those with smaller frames.

3. Eyeshadow – Wearing glasses means that the focal point is straight to the eyes so its important to keep things neutral. Try to avoid bright shades of eyeshadow and stick to more neutral shades so if you don’t already then think about asking for Urban Decay Naked palettes for your birthday, they are a treat! Also avoid applying eyeshadow higher than your frames reach.

4. Eyebrows – Eyebrows are important when it comes to wearing glasses as they are more noticeable so ensure they are kept tidy and are shaped to the style of your frames.

5. Concealer – If you are prone to dark circles or bags under the eyes be sure to conceal this area to get an even colour (i.e  Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer) and also use an under eye brighter such as the YSL Touche Eclat or even a highlighter to bring a little life to your eyes.

6. Cheeks and Lips – And last but not least, by leaving the eyes neutral don’t be afraid to add a pop of colour to your cheeks and lips. And also ensure to add a little highlight to your cheekbones 🙂

I hope these tips were helpful. Everyone has different preferences and its up to you how you apply your makeup.

How do you adapt your makeup when wearing glasses?

 

 

 

Empties

Hello everyone 🙂 I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and were cherished with lots of lovely gifts! Anyway I had some used up products lying around recently and I thought why not do an empties post. So thats exactly what I am doing, here are some of the products I have used up in the last while.

Clean & Clear Dual Moisturiser – I bought this a while back and I was most drawn in by the dual action idea. It states that this product not only moisturises but also helps to prevent blemishes and spots and being prone to spotty skin this is exactly why I bought it. In terms of moisturising its nothing special its just a basic moisturiser but in terms of preventing blemishes I felt like this product did nothing to help my blemished and spotty skin. Would I repurchase? No

Lush Cupcake Face Mask – In another attempt to heal my red and blemished skin I picked up the highly raved about Cupcake face mask from Lush. This product is stored in the fridge so its very cooling and hydrating on the skin, it also has a dreamy chocolate and minty scent sadly its inedible though! While I never noticed an incredible difference, this face mask did leave my skin feeling nourished and more hydrated. Would I repurchase? Yes, I would like to test this out again.

Rimmel Scandal-eyes Retro Glam Mascara – I remember getting quite excited about this mascara when it first came out and I quickly went to purchase it (yes, I have had this for that long!) Before I had been a great fan of the Scandal eyes mascara range by Rimmel, they do fantastic mascaras on a budget. This mascara is probably one of their best, it is very volumising and lifts my lashes for great impact.  Would I repurchase? Well for the time being I like to try different products so no but never say never.

Rimmel Stay Matte Primer – I have made up quite the collection of primers in the last while and this has to be my least favourite. This just did nothing for me. It never helped my makeup last any longer and it never minimised the look of pores. This primer might work on others but for me it wasn’t any good. Would I repurchase? No

So are you a fan of any of these products?

 

 

 

Christmas Wish List

Can you believe its less than three weeks until Christmas! Christmas is by far my favourite time of the year, I just love the atmosphere and all the events in the run up to the big day. Anyway of course there is always a little gift giving across Christmas and I have put together just a few things I would quite like to own. Some of these items you may recall me mentioning them before in other posts but sadly they just haven’t came my way yet!

Benefit They’re Real Mascara – Its one of the most raved about mascaras in the beauty world and I want to try it out for myself. I love the Benefit Bad Gal lash mascara and would love to give this one a try.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette – Well obvious one here, I picked up the original naked palette and the third one this year and with one left to get its no surprise this is on my list!

Versace Crystal Noir – I have been failing quite recently in the perfume department, I am really in need of a good strong bottle of scented stuff. This scent is quite different for me but its strong and dark.

Real Techniques Eye Starter Kit – If you seen my Fave brushes post not too long ago you will know I am a huge fan of the Real Techniques brushes and one thing I don’t own is any of their eye brushes. I would love to add these to my collection and hopefully they are as good as their other brushes.

What is on your wish list this Christmas?

Benefit Stocking Fillers

Hey everyone, *warning* I am going to go all ‘Christmassy’ on y’all. Sorry but that’s what happens at this time of the year. Anyway I was in Boots not too long ago and spotted a cute little stand of pink jars (think the sweet shop kind) full of Benefit goodies. These products were all miniatures of the full sized products and were advertised as being a good stocking filler, and lets all agree we would love to see these products in our stockings at Christmas! Anyway the deal was that you could get any 4 for £15 which in my opinion was pretty good as they are Benefit products and are good quality and it also lets you try out some products that you may have never tried before. So anyway here is what I got:

‘The Porefessional’ – A good favourite of mine! I already have this product in full size version so I am already familiar with its amazingness. It aims to minimise the appearance of pores and boy does it! This is by far the best ‘pore-minimising’ product I’ve ever used. I picked up this so I could just have that little bit extra of amazingness 🙂

‘That Gal’ – This is another primer to add to my collection. Its quite different from any primer I’ve used, its got brightening qualities in it so brightens up your appearance which is always a plus! It is a soft pink liquid which blends in really well, I’ve only used this once but from this I could be looking at something good here!

‘Triple Performing Facial Emulsion’ – or in other words – a moisturiser. This is my first time in trying Benefit’s skincare products and so far, not too bad. I love the smell of this, its very fresh and cucumber-y. I am just not sure if it makes any difference to my skin compared to my usual skincare products.. still unsure on this one.

‘Bad Gal Lash’ – I’ve always been lusting over They’re real mascara but its always good to try them all I guess, right? Anyway I picked this up and it has a nice thick brush and is pretty good in volumising and lengthening lashes. Only issue is that because of the thick brush it can be a little messy on the lower lashes but other than that its pretty decent.

What’s your fave Benefit product?