Review: Boots Tinted Lipsalve... Not bad for 97p!

I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I have serious, SERIOUS lipbalm addiction. I'm one of those girls who cannot imagine life or even an hour without my lipbalm. Asa result I have multiple, keep them everywhere, bring one with me everywhere (watching telly, loo, whatever).

So you can imagine my distraught when I realized that I had to go 2 hours without it. I had lost my blistex daily conditioner in a tub (not a real pity- the stuff is pretty rubbish), my carmex cherry was at home, and, in my panic, rushed into boots.

I didn't want to spend too much money on lipbalm and settled for a cheap and chic Boots Essential Lip Salve. I had been intrigued by this previously but this time I took the plunge and splashed out the grand total of 97p for this stuff (using my boots points as well!).

Of course, I read the claims and instructions (non existent, really) of it. There are ingredients but they mean nothing to me.

Claims: enhances your natural lip colour, protects and moisturises lips, dermatologically tested

(with a long list of ingredients which i don't understand and thus have neglected to type out- doing chemistry next year, though, so maybe I'll know more then). That being said, I do recognize a couple of pretty terrible things to look out for being: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, a foaming agent but also a chemical irritant that causes ulcers especially when in toothpaste. And, obviously, talc- for all sorts of reasons.

So, what would I rate it? I would say kind of... a 5. With 9 being Carmex Original (taking points off here for lack of SPF) and 1 being one of those shitty shiseido water lip things that have too runny a consistency to be of any use.

Why? Well, it has a cute packaging. It's in a baby pink tube, it's cheap (compared to alternatives). I like that it's in a stick form. Easier to apply, fits better in your handbag, doesn't melt like vaseline and change shape... Doesn't melt in your pocket and leak... Can apply even when fingers are all grimy, etc.

BUT! It's not great. The moisture does not seem to last. There's no SPF. Nor is there any scent whatseover- which is great, actually. I hate it when they put really overpowering scents in to a lipbalm that just ruins the effect of the smell of your body gel and perfume and lotion.... It's too much. (As a matter of fact I think everything should smell neutral except for perfume)

So, if you want decent moisture for roughly the same price I would really opt Vaseline (though this isn't as shiny and oily and gives your lips a barely-there tint of purply pink which surprisingly looks nice). I would also opt vaseline in the winter when there was little to no chance of it melting and going weird. In the meantime, this will do.

Prestige Waterproof Eyeliner: Perfection for 4.39!

That question, you know, the 'what piece of make up would you bring with you on a desert island' question?
For me, has always been Pencil Eyeliner.

The pencil eyeliner.

My HG. Prestige Waterproof Eyeliner in Teak.

I don't know. Ever since I've discovered eyeliners I have been absolutely infatuated with them. The remarkable eye definition that results from two quick and easy strokes. The cat flicks (which I believe I have, of late, mastered- I'll do a post on that soon).

The variety.
The differences between lining the waterline, and not. The colours. The shades! The different effects. (This ranges from goth chick to glamourous)
I'm just one of those people who feel naked without eyeliner. And I've tried them all. From Estee Lauder to Za. And this is my favourite.



Swatches can be found here.

So, what's so great about it?

Well; let's start with a list of things I look for in an eyeliner:
1) easy to apply, smooth2) smudgeable for a few seconds before it sets3) Doesn't wear off, doesn't smudge off4) doesn't crease

Which this delivers! My favourite colour is Teakwood- a beautiful brown with muted red undertones which goes perfectly with my warm skin tone and brown eyes.

It gives a thick line- even when sharpened, which, for me, is perfect (though some might prefer a thinner line).

The application is great. It applies like a dream. No more dragging or tugging. The struggle between your eyeliner pencil and your eyelid, will, essentially, be over once you urchse this.

It stays- more than most eyeliner pencils. I don't truly mind that it smudges. If I want precision I opt for a liquid eyeliner. This smudges attractively. Like it was supposed to be smudged.

Hm- what else. Ah, the packaging is pretty cute too. And it's really quite affordable in the grand scale of things. It takes forever to use up more or less any sharpening eyeliner, and this costs a mere 4 pounds 39 p.

Verdict: GO OUT AND BUY THIS PRONTO!

A Review: The Sleek Original Eyeshadow Palette

The Sleek Palette. Last year, round about this time, I was subject to a LOT of hype about this baby.

I think I stumbled across a thread on Specktra- and I was hooked.

This palette is advertised to be 'mineral based' and at roughly 5 pounds, really quite a bargain.

I got the original. Best colours- I reckon. A mixture of vibrant purples, shimmery pinks and yellows and some GREENS (I know this blog is still at its early stages- but- I LOVE GREEN)
So, how was it?

Well- the packaging

Hm- not really my thing. But it was black on the outside with the word 'sleek' on it in glossy writing. Slightly- dare I say it- tacky. Yeah, it was tacky. Just a tad.

the texture

I was definitely most excited about the texture. I had envisioned like a silky, smooth shadow that went on like a dream- and indeed a bit part of this did. If you used your finger it just smoothed onto your skin. Lovely, basically.

But that being said I wouldn't quite compare it to, say, Urban Decay (which is silky but really tightly packed). This is advertised as being 'pressed mineral powder' and the truth is- it isn't really that pressed.

My local superdrug did not stock this so I had to get it on a website- in fact www.shadesbeauty.moonfruit.com and even then it was out of stock for like three weeks (like I said, lots of hype). It was fine, you know I had to pay an extra 3 pounds for delivery so it totalled to a hefty 8 pounds- which was not as good a deal as it could have been, but for that about of shadows 8 pounds is really quite okay.

Anyway, when my package arrived, one of the shadows (the olive-y green) was shattered beyond repair and many others were really quite loose. So it goes on a bit loose and chalky, which I hate. Other than that, though...

pigmentation

Mmmm, lovely. Really very pigmented. Unlike my Gosh palette which was pigmented on the tester, this was really the real deal.

How long did it last?

Well, it stayed on my eyelid forever (without base) so that was good- didn't really need a base really, it was very pigmented.

And, um, I've had it for ages now, use it frequently but can't see it being used up anytime soon. But like I said- because the powder is so loosely packed you use a lot more product each time.

Overall...

Would I reccomend it? For beginners, or people used to drugstore make up, I guess I would. I mean I was ecstatic about this to begin with but all the bronzey colours did not work so I basically bought this palette for the blues, the purple and the green. They're all great. The others-- not so much.

Would I buy it again? I doubt it. I'm trying to phase myself into maybe higher end make up anyways. So I'd probably get a couple of MAC shadows or perhaps one of those little Urban Decay shadows- quite fancying the Ammo palette, actually...

Bourjois Mineral Radiance - a Mac Mineralize Natural Skinfinish dupe?

Very interesting stuff- I have been lusting over this powder ever since I read the review on Make up to make out and quite frankly it sounds perfect.



Hang on, here's an image:





Why?

Firstly it is -CHEAP - arguably, at a mere 8 pounds in comparison to - any- decent powder, really, it is more than reasonable. Especially compared to the MAC which was the one I had been considering before.



It is furthermore- MINERAL. Or at least claims to contain 'some' minerals. Better than none, I would say. I know I shouldn't buy into this mineral rubbish but I feel so much better about applying the stuff liberally onto my face when I think it's allegedly 'good' for my skin.

What's more- its PRESSED! After more or less 2 years of practiced exhaling through my nose while applying my Erth Minerals Moth Veil and still snorting some of that rubbish (as well as limitiations with touching up) I have decided that I never want to use loose powder again. Load of bollocks- that's what 'one' might say.

Though I can't find this on makeupalley, and certainly I've only found one proper user review- so... basically it would be, ahem, cool. If anybody would just clue me in as to the quality of this stuff.

Blacklisted: L'Oreal Double Extension Mascara... DOUBLE DISASTER!

Before I purchased this, I scoured high and low for reviews-- to no avail!

I came, hence, to the conclusion that it was unpopular- and rightly so. This mascara is absolute rubbish.

RATING: 2/10

AVAILABILTY: availabe at Boots, etc. for approximately 7/8 pounds

PACKAGING: gold on one side and white the other (unlike the image included mine is non-waterproof). It has been a 'new formula' for as long as it has been available... (a while...). The white side is apparently 'Fortifying Base Coat with Ceramide R'- whatever Ceramide R is... while the Gold side is 'Ultra- Lengthening Mascara'

WHAT IT SHOULD DO: As with all good mascaras, what I am looking for is something that:
1)holds a curl
2)stays- doesn't smudge or flake
3)doesn't clump
4)doesn't cause my lashes to fall out
5)lengthens my lashes OR volumising- i won't even ask for separation

DOES IT DELIVER? In a word: no.
Though it does seem to make your lashes visibly longer and thicker, it also clumps like a maniac. I don't think I've ever, as a matter of fact, used a mascara this clumpy- as well as one that is so heavy your lashes come dragging down and - okay- doesn't smudge in the current climate, but if it was sunny and humid, definitely would.

Admittedly, I do realise that I don't have the patience to wait for the first coat to dry before applying the second coat and so I get grey lashes when I use this- but today I took the time. And it was not worth it. Equal clumping.

Also, this stuff irritates my eyes (in or out of contact lenses) to no end! And my eyes aren't even easily irritated.

FINAL VERDICT: don't get this! It's a load of sh*t. Instead, spend your mula on worthier mascaras such as the Max Factor Masterpiece (which costs, like, 9 quid)