Sunday, 13 January 2013

Tip: Mascara Creasing

Bonjourno!

Today I thought I'd share a little tip with you. I've never written a post like this before but I thought it might be a good idea.

Do you get creasing of mascara under your eyes?

If so, think about how you remove your eye make up at night. If you're not removing it thoroughly, it may drop down under your eyes over the course of the next day and crease under your eyes (or just give you panda eyes).
Before accusing your mascara of drying out or flaking, try thinking about the removal of it the night before.

In the morning, take a cotton bud with some eye make up remover on it and swipe it under your eyes. Even if you think there's nothing there, you may be surprised.

Take note of the state of your under-eyes over the course of the day and you may notice a marked improvement.

So, I suppose the moral of the story is don't invest in a super duper expensive bottom lash mascara, just make sure you're removing your make up properly!

Do you have this problem? Have you tried this and has it helped?

Review: Rimmel Lipsticks (Kate Moss)

Bonjourno!

These lipsticks have been around for a while now, and I've not read many reviews on them. I thought the Internet was lacking a significant part of the make up market.

Left to right: 107 (matte), 05, 03, 111 (matte)
 


This was the first of the Kate Moss lipsticks that I bought. It's number 03 and is a really true nude. I really like this lipstick because it's not matte but it doesn't leave the lips super glossy looking; it has the perfect texture. This lipstick is great if you don't want to bother with lipstick all day but you want to leave the house wearing something: it doesn't leave a weird stain on your lips and it's not drying at all.


This is from the matte range that Kate Moss brought out with Rimmel. It is number 111 and is the only lipstick from either of Kate Moss' collections that has a name; Kiss Of Life. This is a deep, matte red and looks lovely with your hair in a high pony tail, minimal make up elsewhere and dressed totally in black. I've been looking at this in comparison with Ruby Woo from MAC and, I have to say, they're pretty close. They're pretty much identical in colour, but Ruby Woo is 100% matte, whereas Kiss Of Life is much more movable and flexible on the lips. If you don't have the funds to buy a MAC lipstick, I'd definitely recommend this one from Rimmel.


This is my favourite lipstick. Ever. It's such a beautiful pink, and has the best consistency. It lasts for a long time and goes with most make up looks. It's too bright to be wearing at school, but I still try to get away with it anyway; it's too lovely to leave at home. It's number 05 and I'm definitely going to repurchase it when mine runs out, I'm sure it won't take me long!


This is the most recent addition to my collection of Kate Moss lipsticks. It's number 107 and is a deep, plummy port colour. It's another one from the matte collection, and it's beautiful. I don't own Beguiled from Topshop, but I've swatched it and I'm pretty sure they're quite similar. If you own either of them, I wouldn't bother buying the one you don't have. I love this lipstick; it's so easy to wear (as long as you have the confidence to pull off dark colours), and will look lovely on pretty much any skin tone.
 
These lipsticks are £5.49 each (from Boots), so they're rather affordable. If that seems like a lot, they're the best quality drugstore lipsticks I've ever tried, and it's fair to say that I'm a lipstick fiend...
Obviously, the matte colours require much more maintenance throughout the day on the lips, but the other colours just disappear after a while and don't leave your lips looking strange or flaky.
I would definitely recommend giving both collections a go.
 
Have you tried any of these lipsticks? Which colours? Did you like them as much as I do?
 
 


Thursday, 10 January 2013

First Impressions: Laura Mercier Brush Cleanser

Bonjourno!

I originally went on the hunt for MAC's brush cleanser but they didn't have any in stock. The lady in MAC told me that the Laura Mercier brush cleanser is worth a try, so off I trotted and met a really nice lady who was clearly on commission. She told me that this brush cleanser is the "best on the market" and that it's "100% worth the money". From only using it once, I think she might be right.


The Laura Mercier Brush Cleanser is £14.50 for 250ml, whereas the MAC one is £9.50 for 233ml, so this one is quite a bit more expensive.

I cleaned all of my brushes - from foundation, to eyeshadow, to liner - and, I must say, it did a great job on all of them. They were all left squeaky-clean and looking like new!
For larger brushes, I sprayed the product directly onto the brush and then worked the brush back and forth on kitchen towel to remove all of the make up and excess product.
Whereas for smaller brushes, I sprayed the product onto the kitchen towel and did the same as before. By cleaning smaller brushes this way, less product is wasted because all of the spray hits the towel, but if you're spraying onto the brush some may disappear into the air, leaving only a small percentage of one spray on the brush.

It's important to hold your brushes facing downwards when you clean them to ensure that none of the brush cleanser leaks into the ferrule. If this happens, the glue holding the bristles in place is loosened and the brush starts to shed. Also, it's important that you dry your brushes upside down to keep the ferrule dry - I do this by putting them into glasses and leaving them for a few hours. However, when using this brush cleanser, I don't need to leave them to dry for very long because it dries super quickly.

What I can say about this product is that it's slightly harsh chemical-wise on the brush. It may be a good idea, if you don't already, to re-condition your brush with, for example, olive oil to keep the bristles soft and healthy.

However, overall, I think this was a good purchase. I'll let you know further about how I feel about it.

Do you have/have you had this brush cleanser? What do you think of it?



Saturday, 5 January 2013

Review: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette


Bonjourno!







 

The Naked 2 palette is my favourite palette ever. I must say though, I do have a soft spot for Urban Decay - I love their eyeshadows, their primers and their lip glosses.
 
This palette is £36 from House Of Fraser. You get 12 shades, with only one colour (Half Baked) being repeated from the original Naked palette. It also comes with a double ended brush, which I actually really love. One end is designed for use in the crease and the other is used for placing colour all over the lid.
 
I love every single colour in this palette and I use them all equally. There are only two matte shades on offer though (Tease and Blackout), which I find is a little... Sparse. There are also only two matte shades in the Naked palette, the rest are all glittery/shimmery.
 
All of the shadows are so pigmented and give amazing colour pay off so are definitely worth the money.
Also, the packaging of the Naked 2, compared to Naked is so much better! This one is metal, with a huge mirror and stays so much cleaner than the velvet of its younger brother.
 
Do you have this palette? What do you think of it?
Thank you for reading!

Wednesday, 2 January 2013

Review; Soap & Glory - Peaches and Clean

Bonjourno!


This cleansing milk is £7.00 and can be found in larger Boots stores. It's 200ml and has lasted me about 3 months, after having used it once a day - I still have about half left!

I use this as part of my night time routine to remove my make up - does it work? Yes it does! Every single scrap of my make up, be it foundation, concealer or crazy make up that is the result of boredom, is all removed within one wash.
However, I don't tend to wear lots of foundation on a daily basis, so if you use a heavy coverage foundation, you may need up to two washes.

This is a great cleanser even if you're not using it to remove make up; it contains natural fruit acids, which aren't stripping of the skin, but act as a gentle exfoliant. The formula also contains pore-shrinking ingredients to ensure your skin looks flawless.

Like I said, this isn't a stripping cleanser, it just removes excess dirt and oil whilst moisturising and nourishing your skin. It contains jojoba oil which is a renowned skin softener and is widely used throughout skincare products.

The scent is amazing. It smells of peaches, as you'd expect it to, but it also smells really fresh and gentle. There is a slight hint of mint, which helps to relax and clear your senses, especially before bed.

Since using this cleanser, I've noticed that my skin is much clearer and fresher looking. It's also, because it's not stripping all of the oil out of my skin, helped to control the amount of oil produced throughout the day. I've noticed a much larger gap between break outs since using this product, and also, my break outs have been far less of a problem. Before I used to get a new spot every 3 or 4 days, but now I only get a spot during.. that time.. or if I've neglected my skin or eaten terribly.

In my opinion, this is the single best affordable cleansing milk on the market. It makes your skin softer, clearer and it's suitable for all skin types. I'm definitely going to repurchase this when mine runs out.

Have you tried this cleansing milk? What did you think?

Tuesday, 1 January 2013

Hello again!

Bonjourno!

I have been the worst blogger in the universe. I've not posted since about September; without one word of warning, I just upped and left. I know, it's unacceptable.

But, there is light at the end of the tunnel; I have decided that, not only is 2013 the start of my healthiness, but it is also the rebirth of my blog.
I have a few posts lined up in my mind and hopefully I'll pull it out of the bag and start again.

However, January isn't just the start of a new year, it is also the start of a huge section of exams that will end in June/July. I can't promise that I will be consistent in my posts, but I will try to post at least once a week.

It's not that I don't enjoy blogging, because I do, but I genuinely have so many other things that I need to be doing.

Let's hope that I can make a comeback.

Au revoir!