Smashbox Bestsellers - The Try Me Kit

Smashbox Bestsellers

Keeping in line with my August posts Tuesdays means trial size multi pack reviews. Today I am going to share my thoughts on the best seller trial size products from Smashbox. I have not been a regular user of smashbox so I was excited when I saw this pack. It contains all the best selling products they have on offer. Each product is trial size but the size is enough to give you a change to develop an informed opinion. Titled the TRY IT KIT it really is a great way to have a go with smash box. 

The collection of Smashbox superstars in Irresistable Try-Me sizes contains: 

• Photo Finish Foundation Primer

This is the original foundation primer as Smashbox do other variations now such as a sensitive or correcting but this is the one I go back to. Easy to apply, so smooth and leaves skin foundation ready. Skin is silky and foundation is easily applied. Lovely!

• Photo Finish Lid Primer

Still in the Photo Finish family but for eye-shadow prep. This didn’t impress me, nothing startling here and I would prefer Urban Decay’s eye shadow primer.

• Limitless Eye Liner

Nice eye liner which didn’t drag on the eye lid and didn’t run. Nothing special.

• Full Exposure Mascara in jet Black

An amazing mascara with a great brush, is buildable and truly black!

• Lip Enhancing  Gloss in Illume

Nice lip gloss but a tad gloopy, can be a bit sticky but a lovely shade.

Over all I found this set a great opportunity to try out some of Smashbox favourites and best-sellers. An eye-shadow duo would have been a major bonus if it was included however I was generally happy with what I received. Priced at 25euro approximately I would recommend this to any one who is interested in trying these products. For more information HAVE A LOOK HERE. 

I really hope you found this post helpful. 

Until tomorrow be good (",) 

xoxo 

New Mascara's and Me

New Mascara's and Me 












The mega plush volume express Mascara by Maybelline









I have long been a fan of the Falsies Mascara by Maybelline New York. So I was super excited to try this Newbie . 
The packaging is quite similar to other mascaras offered by Maybelline. 
The wand is quite large and has a very soft brush. There is a flexibility to the wand that I have not seen before. 

At first I found this to be a little difficult to control but after a little practise it is actually really handy when trying to reach smaller more hidden lashes. It is great for use on the bottom lashes. The consistency of this mascara is really light and it does not feel clumpy or hard on the lashes. A combination of this consistency and the wand allow for good application, the achievement of volume and the separation of the lashes which adds overall volume. I found that this mascara did not smudge or run but was easy to remove. Overall bit a bad mascara at all, one which I will continue to use. 

L'oreal False Lash Flutter Mascara 






As I have mentioned a few times in various blog posts one if my all time favourite mascara comes from the land of L'oreal - the million lash range so again I was excited to use this product. 
Presented in shiny sliver packaging it is inviting to use. The wand is similar in many ways to the traditional million lash range with one exception - there is a modified edge which allows for the "flick" butterfly effect when applying the mascara. The effectiveness of the modification is, in my opinion, is a little disappointing . I was expecting volume themed with a fluttering effect. There is volume but the flutter effect is very subtle. 

The consistency is good as always with L'Oreal and the mascara does kit budge just as I like it! It's black black - again as I like it.
Overall this mascara is good but not great as I had hoped. The idea if fluttering butterfly lashes is fantastic I just did not feel this mascara achieved it to the extent I hoped. I do love L'Oreal mascara a d will always have my carbon black million lash mascara in my makeup bag. 



I am always in search of mascara - it's my most treasured makeup product! Please do leave a comment below telling me your favourite a x why! 

Hope you are having a great week! 

xoxo 

March Favourites

Like last few months March seems to have flown by. I loved the change of season this month even if the weather seems to be forgetting how to complete the whole change element this month. Spring/Summer 2013 trends are full of corals, nudes and light delicate shades combined with natural beauty. I just love browsing all new products and trying one or two. So this month my favourites have been some oldies and some newbie’s which I am now going to share with you.

1.     Rituals Shower Foam in Rice Milk and Cherry Blossom

£ 7.00 or €10 200ml

This shower foam is from the sensations collection. I was first introduced to the whole Rituals brand of products after receiving a trial size body lotion in a recent Glossy Box and now I am addicted. I have gone on to purchase a number of different products (all which I will review and share my experiences as I use them). This shower foam is really great value for money as it the foam pump allocates just enough of the luxurious foam and contact with water turns it in soft relaxing foam. The rice milk is said to leave the skin really soft while the cherry blossom acts as a cleanser.  My skin is definitely enjoying the experience and I will be repurchasing this product.

Want info on Rituals ? Click HERE

2. .    Barry M Gel Like High Shine Polish In Lychee

£3.99 or €4.99

I have always been a massive fan of nude nail polish so you can imagine my excitement when the turn of the seasons brought with it an influx of nude polishes. I have a few favourites but the forerunner in my favourite’s league is definitely Lychee by Barry M. The Hi Shine Gel range is very impressive. It aims to give a gel like finish and is long wearing and both of these are true. It dries really fast and has a really great shine. This shade is perfect for my skin tone. It is a nude shade that is light and fresh and compliments tanned skin or tan free skin (I have tried both). This polish is also a perfect base for nail art or a simple nail jewel or two. I have a few different shades from this collection and I like them all.  My must have nail polish for the coming months.

Want more info on Barry M? Click HERE

3. Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait 

£7.99 or €11.50

I am certainly not the first to love Revlon’s Lip Butter and am sure the fan base for this product will continue to grow.  I have tried a few of shades but at the moment I love Peach Parfait. Lip butter’s are exactly as described they are soft buttery colour burst for the lips. They condition and colour and leave a hint of shine and glamour all at the same time. This shade, peach parfait, is a natural almost nude colour with peach tones and gold flecks. This shade adds a glow to your lips and for me is the perfect summer shade. The only problem I have like so many others is that it does not last a very long time and needs reapplying.

Want more info on Lip Butter's? Click HERE

4.    They’re Real Mascara by Benefit

£18.50 or €23

I absolutely love mascara and I absolutely love this mascara. It is dark, long lasting and gives what only can be described as amazing eyelashes. The wand is plastic which I know some people do not like but I have to say it works wonders. It has a tiny application spikes on the top which allows you to apply the mascara to even the shortest of eyelashes. It is a little expensive as mascara’s go but in my opinion it is defiantly worth the spends. I have tried a lot of mascara’s and I am sure I will continue to try new products but I feel at the moment this product will be hard beaten.

Want more info on Benefit? Click HERE

5.    Cloud Nine The Wide Iron

     £109.95 or €120 (with discount for bringing in an old electrical appliance)

Recently I have had to purchase a new hair iron. I originally had a GHD which had lasted me well over 5 years and I was really happy with it. Due to use, age and wear and tear my iron needed replacing. As I was really happy with my GHD I simply just repurchased. However my experience was less then satisfying. I found the new hair iron simply did not straighten my hair. I would straighten it and within a couple of hours my hair was mess. Long story short I returned my item. On research I decided on a Cloud Nine Wide Irons. End result I absolutely love it. This iron works perfectly. It straightens my hair, ads shine, can be used to add a kink or wave to my hair. The wide iron plates mean you only have to run the iron once or twice through the hair to achieve the desired look (I have long bouncy hair). It has a number of different tempeture settings, comes with a heat mat and has a protective cap. I am extremely happy with my purchase and would recommend highly. I am now saving to treat myself to another Cloud Nice Product – The Wand.

 http://www.cloudninehair.com/irons/the-cloud-nine-wide-iron/

March Products That Disappointed Me !!!

TIGI S-Factor True Lasting Colour Shampoo and Conditioner

£20 or €25 for Shampoo and Conditioner 200ml set

I was recommended to use these products and had to try them out. Unfortunately I was disappointed! The products are rich and this may have been part of the problem for me as the products were a little too rich. The result was my hair was left a little weighed down. This meant that my hair had to be washed more often. I also found that the shape of the bottles meant that it was so difficult to squeeze the product out and either too much came out too fast or it took an age to get it out. Over all I did not like these products.

There you have it my fav's for March. 

What have been your favourites this month? Leave a comment and share some of your fav products......

xoxo 

Model Co Fibre Lash Brush On False Lashes

Every body who knows me or even thinks they know me are aware of my slight obsession with all things mascara,eyelashes and eyes in general. Keeping this in mind you can imagine how excited I was to try out Model Co Fibre Lash Brush On Mascara.............

Ok this product claims to provide the user with brush on false lashes in the form of mascara. You are given a black mascara which you apply first. Then you brush on the white fibres which for me resembled a consistency similar to cotton candy. This is followed up by another layer of the black mascara. You repeat this process until you reach the volume and desired looked you want. I followed each step for two cycles.

The results were, in my opinion, mixed. First off this product does build volume and it was noticeable. However I did not like the feel of this product in my eyelashes. It did feel heavy and clumpy on my eye lashes and my eye lashes tended to slightly stick together when I blinked! Big eyelashes yes please, stuck together eyes no thanks .

Over all I was disappointed with this product it is relatively expensive for the results. I think I shall stick to my favourite mascara of the moment ( Benefits they're real)

Have you tried a product with excitement but the experience did not love up to expectations ?? Please leave a comment sharing your experience

Xoxo

Search For The Perfect Mascara

•   The question has often been posed to me if I could have one item of makeup and one item only what would it be? The answer for me does not even need thinking about. It would be mascara all the time. I simply love mascara. I like my eyes and my Mother always told me the eyes are the window to the soul is so true. Your eyes can tell so much about you and for this reason I like to have mine as bright and big as I possibly can. I love volume mascara and I love big lashes. I am a self confessed false eyelash lover however I don’t wear them for day wear (unless for very special occasions). I like the whole feeling of occasion when I wear lashes so that feeling would be lost if I were to wear them all the time. So taking this into consideration and my love for big bold bright eyes I am always on the hunt for volume mascara that will give me my desired look. I tend to purchase a lot of mascara’s. I have complied a little list of the mascara’s most used from my collection at the moment. I have used all of these mascara’s and the opinions shared are that of my own from my own experience of using the mascara. So here goes........

Just for information purposes I should tell you what other makeup I have on. In each picture I am wearing Yves Saint Laurent - Teint Touche Eclat Foundation in beige. I have a MAC Mineralised pressed powder and a little swipe of NARS Bronzer in Laguna. I am also wearing MAC’S Rapid black Penultimate eyeliner and Tom Fords Brow Sculptor in Espresso. To take off my mascara I used MAC eye makeup remover. I find this makeup remover excellent and gentle. 

• Lancome Hypnoses Doll Eyes

This mascara is nice but sadly not great.  It is promoted to give a wide eye effect and separate lashes. It does do this but not to the extent as I would like. It does not run or give you back marks around your eye. You do however need to put a fair bit on and I find you need to clean the brush often to remove clumps. It is nice for day wear in my opinion.  For high end mascara this is a little disappointing. I do like the brush as it is shaped in such a way as to help you get to the little lashes at the edge of your eye.  Over all I was disappointed a little in this mascara.

•  L’Oreal Volume Million Lashes Diamantissime

L’Oreal has been the creator of my favourite mascara’s for a long time and again this does not fail to impress. Its dark black, it has a fabulous brush that is fat at the top and bottom and thinner in the middle to give a curl to your lash. It gives your lashes volume and has staying power. One of my favourites for sure. This is a mascara I would like to always have in my make up bag as it gives me the big lash bight eyed look I really like.

•  Bare Minerals Flawless definition.

I am not a big fan of this mascara. It was fantastic at the beginning for the first maybe 10 uses then it just got worse. It is clumpy and gives a flat shape to your lashes. I also find that the brush gets very messy and needs to be wiped clean very often. The brush is thin and I think it would benefit from a bigger brush.  I also find that this mascara wears off easily and sometimes leaves clumpy bits of mascara in your lashes that are just a no go for any mascara loving girl. I will not be repurchasing this mascara. 

• Clinique high impact extreme volume mascara

This mascara does exactly as it says on the tube!! It’s fabulous. It has a big brush that just adds volume gives great length to lashes. My only negative is the brush gets a little clumpy but not so much as to put you off using it. This is definitely mascara I will buy again and continue to use. I really love it

•  MAC Opulash

Traditionally I am not a massive fan of MAC Mascara as it but I must admit this mascara is a little different. It claims to add volume and optimum length but to be honest I did not find this. It does however separate the lash nicely and it does add length but not so much volume. The brush is wide and big and that helps with the separation of lashes. I like this mascara for day wear as it’s clean and gives me bright eyes. 

•   Thick and Fast Super Volume Mascara by Soap and Glory 

In my pursuit of the best volume mascara I bought this after reading a few good reviews. Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. It had a big brush with I was hopeful of. I do like the effect it has no my bottom lash but the top lacks ump!! I have not used it a lot but maybe with another try or ten I may grow on me.

• Bobbi  Brown Extreme Party Mascara

I like this mascara. I got it as part of an eyeliner pot package so it is in sample size. I have a medium size brush and its jet black in colour. I separate the lashes and leaves them very bright looking. It does not run and has good staying power.  I would but the full size of this mascara when my sample is used up.

•  Lancôme Hypnoses Star

My sister gave me this as a gift how good is she? It is somewhat on an upgrade of the aforementioned Doll Eyes. It is indeed upgraded. It separates and gives better volume. The brush is thin at the top to help get the little lashes at the edges of your eyes and gives the rest of your lashes some volume. I do like the curl it gives your lashes at the sides, they almost curl out. I like using this mascara at the moment and hope it continues. 

There you have it, my mascara collection. The top 2 mascara's for me would have to be Clinique high impact extreme volume mascara and  L’Oreal Volume Million Lashes Diamantissime. The worst would have to be Bare Minerals Flawless definition. To repeat these are only my choices and every one has different wants and needs from a mascara! 

I really hope you found this post useful. What do you like in a mascara and do you have any recommendation for volume and big lashes???? I would love to know so please leave a comment. 

xoxox