Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Monday, 21 July 2014
A post about something other than makeup, yay! Let us hope this is the beginning of a new chapter in my blogging aspirations (see 'My Blog and I') to have my blog encapsulate an array of topics as they enter my mind. I have been dry of inspiration particularly whilst I have been away at uni but having bought new books at the start of summer (as is the tradition) that I am particularly excited about, I thought it would be something nice to share with my readers.
A bit of background
I used to devour books through secondary school, I kept a book list one particular school year which came to around 70 titles. Peculiarity enough I was not particularly well acquainted with neither a Library nor bookshops. My general source of books being my equally, if not more, enthusiastic friend who piled me with books at the beginning of each week insisting that I 'have GOT to read this, this, this and this!!'
Needless to say the genres I explored merged with hers. While I was infinitely grateful, three years on I figured that they were not to my taste and decided it was high time I actively looked for titles and authors that better suited my 'bent of min' dare I say? However as I began to invest time and energy into my academics, I had little left for leisurely reading. Regretfully, even to this day, I cannot pick up a book without experiencing a twang of guilt. The point I am trying to get across is that I am still 'exploring', that my choices are still somewhat naive and inexperienced.
So anyway, away with the waffle, let's jump right in.
1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
I imagine a great many of your are well aware of American poet, Sylvia Plath, her private and professional background and of this book. Personally I only came across her with the advent of the 50th anniversary of her tragic death when the media was awash with stories related to her romanticized life. Catching little snippets here and there I was intrigued enough to do a little background research and it caught on, surprise surprise.
The Bell Jar is Plath's only book, published in 1963, an autobiographical account of her battle with depression through a fictional character. I look forward to envisioning the world through her words, experiencing her trip into a psychological abyss as is promised by some excellent reviews. I was a little tentative approaching this book at first but I suppose my fascination overcame my caution.
I should also add that I particularly revel in artistic, poetic literature, books written with an elegant, artistic flair not simply a good story line. It follows that a book written by a poet would be irresistible.
I have yet to fully delve into her poetry but I have discovered a true gem of a Twitter account dedicated to her work, where snippets are posted regularly. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend to check it out @itssylviaplath.
2. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
This next one was something I happened to pick up in store whilst browsing. I suppose the first thing that drew me to it was the authors East Asian origin. Tan Twan Eng is from Malaysia, and the book itself based in Malaya, 1949. I kind of have this thing with that region of the world, it fascinates me for no particular reason and I have always been drawn to related works.
Once again described as being of sophisticated in language and having a multi-faceted approach, the book is focused heavily on mind, on memory, on an internal battle faced by a main character whilst she revisits her harrowing past as opposed to actual events. Again, it is a book that is sworn by many to leave a lasting impression on the reader - I look forward to it.
3. Reclaim You Heart - Yasmin Mogahed
Another beautiful soul, Yasmin Mogahed is a name that kept propping up, even before I followed her on social media. Her quotes are empowering and self-evaluative and a little background research shows she is a woman with impressive credentials, supplementary videos, articles, public speeches and bounds of personal experience. She writes about spiritual empowerment, about overcoming personal, emotional hurdles, and making peace with yourself.
From what I have read of the reviews, a great many people, women in particular have found solace in her writing from grief, from hurt. She is a Muslim woman, a role-model I should say, writing from an Islamic perspective, her book is endowed with verses of the Qu'ran and prophetic hadith, that serve as references, reminders and add further depth to the book. Having said that, there are many people who are not Muslims who have said that it has also helped them come to terms with a difficulty page in their lives so if you feel this is something you may be interested, I urge you not to shy away from it.
4. The Quran translated by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem
Continuing with the theme of religion, I have gotten myself this magnificent English translation of the Qu'ran. For those who are not aware, we are currently in the holy month of Ramadan on the Islamic calendar. The month in which Muslims all over the world fast and strive to spend more time and energy in prayer and worship. My hope was to study the book during this time.
The Qu'ran, having remained unchanged since it was first revealed, in old Arabic so when translated resembles 'Shakespearean' English as we like to say, basically it is very difficult to decipher. In Haleem's version, he masterfully portrays it in modern English with additional information on side, retaining the deeper, spiritual value, the Qu'ran is special in its poetic qualities. There is a background to each chapter with the where's and why's of the revelation to put them into context and a general background to the Prophets life at the beginning of the book.
We have heard some of these phrases and stories before but to lift it directly out of the book with its corresponding Arabic text is sublime. It's a truly fascinating, enriching experience, it is a wonder I have never owned one before now.
5. Leather Notebook
Okay this is a bit of cheat, it is not a reading book, it's a writing one. I had to include it because it is just so pretty! It has soft feel to the cover and it smells like brand new shoes. I bought this with the intention to use for poetry. Yes, I do write poetry and have been doing so for years. In the past I have always written them on random scraps of paper, they would get shelved and collect dust, many lost. I wanted a book devoted to just that, to keep everything neat and together, voila!
It's rich earthy tone sets the perfect mood for intent musing and creates that 'old library' atmosphere. This book suits its purpose perfectly I think. Anyway I had bought two, one for both my self and my younger sister, who also writes. I hope they will be something we will cherish in the near future, full to the brim!
Concluding notes
And that is it folks, that is the literary edit for Summer 2014. If you have questions, or want a specific complete review on any of the books mentioned or better yet, if you have suggestions for me based on these, you can message me down below or catch me over on Facebook and Instagram.
If you are curious about my poetry, head over to and follow me on Instagram where I have a dedicated account @cloudsandquills. I post new pieces on here as a write them, so they do come slow and steady.
Have a lovely day everyone,
Shamima
xx
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Wednesday, 9 July 2014
I have been away for longer than what is acceptable even for a students standards.
So today I thought I would throw myself back on track and do a little review for all of you to break the extra masses of work I have organised for myself this summer - I sure do love giving myself a hard time. Most of my products are still boxed away with it being holiday and having absolutely no room for neither myself nor the excess of my collection(s) which I have hauled home much to my mothers horror. I did however retain a minute stash for my daily use including some odd bobs I have bought for my sister over the year hence am wholly entitled to feature them!
So anyway let's get started.
I picked up The Eraser Eye Perfect and Cover concealer several months ago, and as you can see I have used a fair amount of it and it has been well used, excuse the tatty dirt, shape it is in. I have a perfectly good drug store concealer already that I am constantly repurchasing so it was more out of pure boredom and perhaps curiosity that I looked for an alternative. I have heard some very good reviews of this from people who swear by it so it was worth a look.
My first qualm has to be the limited shade range offered for this product, and if I am honest across the board for drugstore base makeup altogether. It is appalling guys, come on, I mean this is the 21st century and the British population is a great deal more diverse than what your products provide for *sigh*. Anyway I 'umm-ed' and 'ahh-ed' my way around the colors and walked away with the shade 'Nude' which turned out to be at least one shade too dark and too pink for my under-eye area, a little awkward for the under-eyes but oh well.
I have to warn you things are going to go downhill pretty quickly from here so if you cannot bare it, turn away now.
Packaging
First an foremost, I could not get the product out. the plastic packaging is very precarious. After twisting it for like the hundredth time did I get the satisfactory squelch of released pressure and oozing liquid.
It did feel nice on the skin though, the funny squishy sponge head thing is fairly soft against the skin and product it self was cooling.
Controlling the amount of product however is an impossibility, so more often than not you find yourself smearing on way more product than you could possible want, that might explain how I had got through so much of it so swiftly. I always have left over product on the sponge for next time I was not sure how to feel about.
Which brings me to my next point. As with any product that comes with a build in applicator, hygiene is an issue. I am sure there are colonies upon colonies raging parties on this sponge head now :/
Going back to the packaging, at one point I twisted the thing so much (because it just was not responding to me) that it 'broke' if you notice the gap between red and clear section, now making further twisting futile. I do manage to get product out by holding it down tightly and twisting at the same time, releasing at least twice the original amount of product.
Application
the application of the product it super easy. I applied it directly to my under eyes from the sponge tip then used clean fingers to dab it and blend it in. no problems there.
Product:
The product itself is of a creamy consistency which glides on well. I would not call this hydrating though, it simply is not dry, greasy perhaps? It does dry some what powdery, but personally I would not recommend this for around the nose and mouth area, it feels far too greasy and offers little anyway.By which I mean, the coverage. Again, a bit of a disappointment. it claims to 'conceal dark circles and fine lines', I have neither and I still felt it to be inadequate.
It is also cakey, it did not layer nor set very well for me, you will need a great deal of powder to stop this from budging and that just does not look pretty. I also did not find it to be very long lasting as compared to my other concealer.
One of their other claims is that this product has anti-aging properties, I really cannot comment on that one.
Conclusion
As ever, this is my own personal experience so many of you may very well find this product to feel different for you but as for me? I have offered it up to my sister to try, it may suit her skin tone better and she may generally have better luck with it, being so much less fussy than myself. I probobly won't be repurchasing this again. It wasn't nightmarish, just very blah. it didn't do anything for me at all. Never mind, better luck next time ey?
Break down
Pros:
1. Not dry
2. Easy application
3. Supposedly Anti-aging properties (will have to get back to you on that one)
Cons:
1. Awkwark packaging, keeps breaking
2. Cannot control amount that is 'ejected'???
3. color range
4. Not enough coverage
5. Lacks longevity
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Monday, 23 December 2013
The Rimmel Apolcalips Lip Lacquers are old news, I know. I bought these in the summer when the blog-o-sphere was buzzing with excitement over them. I initially bought just the one to try out then went back for another three. I suppose that is saying something. Anyway, I figured it is better late than never, so here we are.
I was tentative about this product at first, having been described net-wide as being 'like a stain'. I have never delved into the world of 'stains', always assuming them to be dry and stubborn and patchy, naturally these terms also came to mind with regards to Apocalips. I am also not a lip gloss fan and you have to admit there is a glaring resemblance. But as with any old craze they are meant to be bought into and I had to try it for myself. I cannot for the life of me recall which came first, but now I have 4 of their shades nestled in my lip draw.
Packaging:
The outer packaging looks intriguing with its gradient effect on the tube and its geometrically shaped lid . The tube appears to be glass and the lid, plastic. At first sight, it does look much more substantial than an average lip gloss.
The outer packaging looks intriguing with its gradient effect on the tube and its geometrically shaped lid . The tube appears to be glass and the lid, plastic. At first sight, it does look much more substantial than an average lip gloss.
The wand inside it rather singular and exclusive to the line. It has a soft felt tip with a hallowing. I simply viewed this as a gimmick but it was only on application of the product that its purposed dawned on me. The little niche in the wand gathers product even after you scrape off the excess and as you glide it along your lips, you get a flush of deep rich thick color, not too much and not too little. With one swipe I can do both top and bottom lips without having to re-dip with this clever little cove. It really makes you wonder why all glosses don't come like this. A winning point.
The Product
As for the raw stuff it self. Surprisingly enough, it sat on the lips comfortably with somewhat of a creamy texture that isn't dreadfully drying. It is fairly glossy which is more so apparent with the deeper shades. As for its staining qualities, well beneath that layer of creaminess it does in fact stain the lips, something I personally liked about it! Why? Well when the product fades, which it inevitably will, the stain beneath it means that it does not leave behind a patchy mess, but a pretty flush of color. Speaking of fading, I do find the Apolcalips to last a fairly decent length of time and so doesn't require a great deal of topping up, another reason I tend to dislike lip glosses. I understand why some would describe it as being midway between a lipstick and a lip gloss, it sticks heavier and solidly on the lips as if it were a lipstick but the finish is more of that of a lip gloss, and then when it fades, it leaves a definite stain. all 3 in one!
To break up my rambling, here is the much awaited swatch-interlude.
So from me this bunch gets a great big thumbs up in the objective side of matters. Perhaps my only qualm with them is that they are not the first of products I reach for and for some reason are relatively easy for me to overlook, just a personal thing. The color range is another thing, it is rather limited and unimaginative aside from the two I mentioned. Rimmel did launch a few more shades, from what I recall they tended towards nude. Most, but one, looked as though they were threatening to make me look ill. Of course the 'but one' was out of stock and I simply wasn't motivated enough to go hunting for it again.
Intriguingly enough there are those who stray from the common view and say that they disliked the product entirely. Personally I cannot find much to dislike about it, they are good products, not particularly exciting or noteworthy, but good. I probably will not be buying any more than I have, I believe my curiosity to be satiated here. It is a shame I don't wear them more than I do, is all.
So those were the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers for you! I really hope you found this post insightful, whether you share my views or contradict them do let me now down below. And if you enjoyed it do not forget to 1+ me and follow.
Ta for now
xxx
As for the raw stuff it self. Surprisingly enough, it sat on the lips comfortably with somewhat of a creamy texture that isn't dreadfully drying. It is fairly glossy which is more so apparent with the deeper shades. As for its staining qualities, well beneath that layer of creaminess it does in fact stain the lips, something I personally liked about it! Why? Well when the product fades, which it inevitably will, the stain beneath it means that it does not leave behind a patchy mess, but a pretty flush of color. Speaking of fading, I do find the Apolcalips to last a fairly decent length of time and so doesn't require a great deal of topping up, another reason I tend to dislike lip glosses. I understand why some would describe it as being midway between a lipstick and a lip gloss, it sticks heavier and solidly on the lips as if it were a lipstick but the finish is more of that of a lip gloss, and then when it fades, it leaves a definite stain. all 3 in one!
To break up my rambling, here is the much awaited swatch-interlude.
1. 101 Celestial
A mauvey blue-toned pink
A mauvey blue-toned pink
2. 301 Galaxy
A pale pink-violet
A pale pink-violet
3. 501 Stellar
A bright almost fluorescent hot pink
A bright almost fluorescent hot pink
4. 400 Big Bang
A bright super glossy blue-toned red
Personally the two shades that stand out the most to me are probably Galaxy and Stellar, only because they are just that little bit more unique than the other shades. I starred Galaxy in my Fall Favourites if you wish to check it out. The subtle pruple tone lets you carry of the effect of purple without alarming neither yourself nor those within your proximity. On the other hand Stellar has that vivid, coral-fluorescence going on about it that inspires the image of wild, exotic and very hungry flowers.
Intriguingly enough there are those who stray from the common view and say that they disliked the product entirely. Personally I cannot find much to dislike about it, they are good products, not particularly exciting or noteworthy, but good. I probably will not be buying any more than I have, I believe my curiosity to be satiated here. It is a shame I don't wear them more than I do, is all.
So those were the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers for you! I really hope you found this post insightful, whether you share my views or contradict them do let me now down below. And if you enjoyed it do not forget to 1+ me and follow.
Ta for now
xxx
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
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| Source: personal image price: £24.50 |
I have never really been impressed by primers or their out-of-this-world claims. The likes of MAC and Smashbox are still sitting quite as they were when I first got them in my make up collection - rarely used. If I am to be strictly honest with you, after having smoothed either of the products mentioned onto my face I am left doubting whether there really is anything on there. Should I add more? But aren't I only supposed to use a pea sized amount? Is it working? Is it not?
Nope, not in the least bit convinced.
I was however musing over Benefit's Porefessional (my reason for walking over to the counter in the first place), I do have large pores and something that could reduce or tighten them would be beneficial for me. However, after receiving not too warm responses from friends and other bloggers, I was once again left sceptical.
Having been informed by the SA that the Stay Flawless primer would be better for my dry-to-combination skin, I had seriously concerns for my oily T zone and wondered whether it may not be too mad to use two different primers on my face for different areas. Good thing I kept walking.
The facts:
This primer is unique in that it comes in a wind up stick form. Although it appears to have colour, it actually applies translucent. It comes in the most adorable packaging, a matte black case with a white plastic tube and a clear plastic lid covered in black polka-dots. It is also small and conveniently compact.
You get 15.5g of product for your £24.50. In comparison you get 30ml (which equates to 30g) of MAC Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage for £20.50 and 30ml of Smashbox Photoready Primer for £28. So that means:
Stay Flawless 1g = £1.58
Prep + Prime 1g = £0.68
Photoready 1g = £0.93
In other words, gram for gram, Stay Flawless is almost twice the price of the other two primers. Ouch!
Another point I should mention, before I got all mathematical I thought I would determine the amount of product I had received by winding it all the way up. And what happened? A great chunk of it fell off! Literally, just like that. Considering this was just after I had purchased it, I was pretty ticked off. So if you are going out to buy this, it might be worthwhile that you check it in store that it is not broken in the tube before making your payment.
The review:
Okay, so I was determined to put this primer through a rigorous test. I wanted to be able to give it a clear cut yay-or-no, all obscurities aside. And along came the perfect opportunity, a nice hot day, the perspiration provoking; foundation melting type of day.
Application:
I applied a good measure of the primer, swiping across my cheeks, nose chin and forehead. It does say that makeup can be applied directly to it as it is but I felt the need to smooth it out with my fingertips. The primer has that thick creamy consistently that is evident on touch; it also leaves a slightly tacky finish, very unlike the smooth finish of common silica based primers. I know this may be a con for many people who do not want to feel as though they have another layer on the face but personally, I was relieved that I can be certain that it is there.
To really push it, I opted for my BB cream instead of foundation, a creamy light base that would probably slip away in a matter of hours in this kind of heat. As I like to apply my BB cream with my fingers, I noticed immediately that it was much harder to blend out as the product dragged across my skin, quite literally as though the primer was acting like a 'magnet', or so Benefit likes to describe it. In one way this is a pro, it showed me that the primer was really holding onto my BB Cream on the downside, I did feel I needed a little more product to cover the whole surface of my face as I couldn't blend the cream out far enough.
Makeup set and finished, my afternoon was spent at a crowded talk in a classroom insufficient to fit everyone in comfortable and lacking Air Con followed by a stroll in the park. All the while the sun was beating down like it was Africa.
Throughout the day I was hot, flustered, perspiring and exhausted. I had to repeatedly dab away the beads of sweat that crept onto my upper lip (pleasant, I know) and having had no opportunity to check my reflection I was certain I would return home an utter mess.
A tentative peak into my mirror and phew - all was well. On closer inspection I could still make out my BB Cream sitting just as I had left it that morning and there was not a streak of uneven skin to be found. My t zone had not turned into an oil slick either.
My verdict:
What can I stay? I am truly impressed. My make up stayed put and I was neither too dry nor too oily, for once a primer that does as it promises. I have been wearing this primer more often now, especially having switched from foundation to BB Cream and I adore it. It has very deservedly made it to my list of top favourites. For the biggest downside, it would have to be the amount of product we are getting and the amount that we are using. Each application deposits a great deal more product than that in a single pump of gel primer, at this rate it is not going to last very long so it may not be the most economical of choices. The application issue is not a big problem either as the makeup it sits well once applied. As for their claim that it makes your makeup more radiant, or the SA's anyway, I did not really see a difference there, again I didn't mind as I didn't buy it for that purpose.
If anything, I feel that you definitely get quality for your money, I don't feel that it was £24.50 wasted. Rather that money spent on a product your going to use than one that is going to sit in a draw, neglected.
Friday, 5 July 2013
HD Brows, I stumbled upon this brand around... a year ago? We were introduced via the widely trumpeted online beauty-to-your-door service and a blogger favourite that I was in receipt of at the time, Glossybox. I had bought the 3 month subscription in order to get what I hoped would be a good overall feel for the company and its beautifully packaged, eagerly anticipated pale pink boxes. I went as far as to join and follow their Facebook page in order to salvage supposed hints regarding the content of future boxes and to ascertain a degree of satisfaction having read and mostly agreed with the responses of fellow box receivers. I developed a curious interest in reading of the various items that other recipients had gotten and comparing them to my own box.
One particularly raved about product was this very palette, the reviews on it were glowing and almost 100% positive, It will come to no surprise that I too entertained the hope of one such palette befalling me. I was, of course, left disappointed after my first box failed to deliver after all the contents were mostly random and there were only so many of each to go around. Since products for boxes turn over for each month, I knew that was little, if any, chance of me getting my hands on a palette through this route. I did a little background research on the company itself - say, did you know that HD Brows were exclusively responsible for Cher Lloyds brow transformation in the X Factor? Duly impressed, I was yet sorrier to have lost out and (at the time) struggled to find it elsewhere, it appeared only to be gotten through the HD Brows salons and I lived nowhere near one of those.
One particularly raved about product was this very palette, the reviews on it were glowing and almost 100% positive, It will come to no surprise that I too entertained the hope of one such palette befalling me. I was, of course, left disappointed after my first box failed to deliver after all the contents were mostly random and there were only so many of each to go around. Since products for boxes turn over for each month, I knew that was little, if any, chance of me getting my hands on a palette through this route. I did a little background research on the company itself - say, did you know that HD Brows were exclusively responsible for Cher Lloyds brow transformation in the X Factor? Duly impressed, I was yet sorrier to have lost out and (at the time) struggled to find it elsewhere, it appeared only to be gotten through the HD Brows salons and I lived nowhere near one of those.
Box 2 came, and all to soon the time for box number 3 cam e around. On unwrapping my Glossybox for the last time and peering expectantly within - what do I see? Lo and behold, a HD Brow palette was nestled neatly in Glossy's trademark black shredded/crinkled paper. You cannot image my delight at that very moment! It was strange enough that they had repeated a product, but for me to have gotten one was an unforeseeable yet pleasant surprise.
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| Source: Personal image Price: £19.96 |
The facts:
The product come in a sleek black plastic compact fitted with a large mirror. it fit neatly in my palm, the perfect size for popping into your handbag and traveling. Inside it has 4 pans of powder pigment and a doubled ended brush with synthetic bristles. my palette in in 'Vamp' for dark hair. It also comes in 'Bombshell' for blondes and 'Foxy' for brunettes.
The review:
The product come in a sleek black plastic compact fitted with a large mirror. it fit neatly in my palm, the perfect size for popping into your handbag and traveling. Inside it has 4 pans of powder pigment and a doubled ended brush with synthetic bristles. my palette in in 'Vamp' for dark hair. It also comes in 'Bombshell' for blondes and 'Foxy' for brunettes.
The review:
The HD brow palette has lived up to all of my greatly heightened expectations. The brush that it comes with, at first seems useless and tacky but I quickly came to realise that it is anything but. The flat-ended angle brush is perfect for drawing in the perimeter of your brows and the flat paddled brush is just the thing to fill your brows between the outer edges.
The one thing I really love about this palette is its versatility. I can create a sharp defined look with it or opt for softened brows and I can go warm or I can go cool to suit my mood and the rest of my makeup in order to create any finish I want. An added advantage of these pigments being in powder form is that it create a very natural impression, you do not get heavy thick lines or waxy deposits as you would if you were to use a pencil.
The powders themselves are very soft and finely milled. It comes with 4 colours, two brown tones, one cool, the other warm, a deep black and a very fine neutral tone. All but the pale colour are highly pigmented, the black tone in particular. The pigmentation of the black makes it well suited to filling in sparse gaps in your eyebrows and creating false strands of hairs at the front of the brows. The high pigmentation means you need only a very small amount of product to fill in your brows - a small tap of the brush on the pan - a little goes a long way with this palette.
My only qualm is with the nude colour. I assume it is designed for cleaning around the edge of your finished brows and sharpened your look further however I do not feel as though it is pigmented enough to do this; while it is visible on a loaded brush it simply does not show up on my skin. It is really of no consequence to me as I tend to skip this step anyway, and were I to wish to do so, I could use concealer as an alternative.
This chic little palette will last me some time. I have all the colours I could need in it. It is my go to palette, during the day and later in the evening. It is highly dependable and stays put all day long. I am so pleased with this product I do not find myself the least bit drawn to colour brow palettes by different brands.
The one thing I really love about this palette is its versatility. I can create a sharp defined look with it or opt for softened brows and I can go warm or I can go cool to suit my mood and the rest of my makeup in order to create any finish I want. An added advantage of these pigments being in powder form is that it create a very natural impression, you do not get heavy thick lines or waxy deposits as you would if you were to use a pencil.
The powders themselves are very soft and finely milled. It comes with 4 colours, two brown tones, one cool, the other warm, a deep black and a very fine neutral tone. All but the pale colour are highly pigmented, the black tone in particular. The pigmentation of the black makes it well suited to filling in sparse gaps in your eyebrows and creating false strands of hairs at the front of the brows. The high pigmentation means you need only a very small amount of product to fill in your brows - a small tap of the brush on the pan - a little goes a long way with this palette.
My only qualm is with the nude colour. I assume it is designed for cleaning around the edge of your finished brows and sharpened your look further however I do not feel as though it is pigmented enough to do this; while it is visible on a loaded brush it simply does not show up on my skin. It is really of no consequence to me as I tend to skip this step anyway, and were I to wish to do so, I could use concealer as an alternative.
This chic little palette will last me some time. I have all the colours I could need in it. It is my go to palette, during the day and later in the evening. It is highly dependable and stays put all day long. I am so pleased with this product I do not find myself the least bit drawn to colour brow palettes by different brands.
I have to thank Glossybox for introducing me to this superb product; I recommend it to you as I do to my friends and family. It has gone from a trial product to one that I now cannot do without, a handbag staple. I know that I will stay loyal to it for a long time to come. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Monday, 1 July 2013
I must own I had never really been an avid mascara user in the past; possibly because the temptation to pull out what sparse eyelashes I have was too great a force to resist, but more likely because I would inevitably create an enormous mess when it came to cleaning it off in the evening. Panda eyes will never be attractive and the reflection of my ink-stained face could be so terrifying I had to keep my eyes tightly shut throughout the whole painful process. No, mascara was reserved for the occasions where I simply could not do without it, and even then I admit I would try to get away with false eye lashes alone. Now that I come to think of it, my earliest mascara also belonged to the Maybelline family, I remember it being it was a charm to wear; I adored it so much I repurchased it twice.
I suppose that this now means that I am still on the lookout for a good, reliable, everyday mascara that I can swear by.
So when I came to reassess my everyday makeup collection and realised I that I was losing out on the 'oomph' factor that my eye makeup could potentially have by omitting mascara, I resolved to filling that gap. As you would expect, I took to the internet for research. I scoured beauty blogs and YouTube reviews in order to make an informed decision as to the brand and product to buy. I knew wanted something suitable for everyday use, something that gave my eyelashes a full and lengthened look and something relatively inexpensive as I am a student and I expect to use it often. I cannot be too sure whether my choice to finally settled on yet another Maybelline product over all other brands was due to the overwhelmingly positive reviews that it was showered in or as a result of some deep-set internal bias.
Whatever it was, the decision was made and as I was too busy (or too lazy) to venture out into our delightful British climate, I ordered it off the Feel Unique website at £6.07 in the colour '100% black', which is a great price considering both Boots and Superdrug sell it for £7.19. I was pleased that it arrived promptly along with a few other goodies, well boxed and packaged and nestled within a million of those green bean-like polystyrene things - they make an unbelievable amount of mess, and having knocked my box over more than once, I highly recommend that you get rid of them ASAP.
Whatever it was, the decision was made and as I was too busy (or too lazy) to venture out into our delightful British climate, I ordered it off the Feel Unique website at £6.07 in the colour '100% black', which is a great price considering both Boots and Superdrug sell it for £7.19. I was pleased that it arrived promptly along with a few other goodies, well boxed and packaged and nestled within a million of those green bean-like polystyrene things - they make an unbelievable amount of mess, and having knocked my box over more than once, I highly recommend that you get rid of them ASAP.
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| Source: own product image Price: £6.07 (Feel Unique) £7.19 (Boots/Superdrug) |
The facts:
As you can see in the photo, the mascara comes in bright yellow plastic packaging, it feels firm to hold and hard wearing, unlikely to fall apart with one forceful thug. The wand head is rather dense, with your average short plastic bristles packed in to a spiral. It contains 10.7ml of product with a thick but not clumpy or dry consistency. So far so good.
My verdict:
Well I must say, this product certainly delivers its due, it is as it says on the tin. I noticed it effect after a single coat of mascara. My eyelashes were instantly fuller and thick and longer. It also dries quickly so you can be rest assured the risk of transferring product all over your meticulously blended eye shadow is small. The dense wand head can pack in a lot of product, enough to do an entire eye without having to re-dip the wand back into the tube. However due to this it does tend to makes it rather difficult to apply it to the fine bottom lashes, too much product on my bottom lashes gives them a crazy clumpy look, rather like the legs of some unpleasant insect sprouting out of your waterline - nice.
The product also appears to be more volumizing than lengthening, and by that I mean that two or more coats of mascara will not lengthen you lashes any further but the build up of product on them can risk your eyelashes looking mad and clumpy.
The product does give a decent amount of curl to your lashes which can be achieved by rolling the wand head along the length of you eyelashes as you apply mascara and gently press them backwards towards, but not touching, your eyelids. You can use eyelash curler to make it more dramatic, or if like me, you have one eye with curlier eyelashes than the other, an eyelash curler is the best way to make them even.
I have noticed that after a few hours of application, that the mascara does not dry to become stiff over the eyelashes. While this gives my eyelashes a spread out natural look and retains the eyelashes' movement and flexibility it also mean that they will lose their curl faster than if they were stiffened.
The product also flakes off and I get bits of fall out on the top of my cheeks that I need to keep wiping away. That might explain why there appears to be less product on my eyelashes than what I am sure I applied in the morning.
I have noticed that after a few hours of application, that the mascara does not dry to become stiff over the eyelashes. While this gives my eyelashes a spread out natural look and retains the eyelashes' movement and flexibility it also mean that they will lose their curl faster than if they were stiffened.
The product also flakes off and I get bits of fall out on the top of my cheeks that I need to keep wiping away. That might explain why there appears to be less product on my eyelashes than what I am sure I applied in the morning.
Those first few shortcomings I mentioned are most certainly not exclusive to the Colossal Volume Express Mascara and can be easily overcome (post on this coming soon) hence I do not feel that they affected my general good opinion of this mascara in any significant way. The last two cannot really be amended other than by reapplying.
Having said that, this mascara does have one humungous, undeniable failing that has left me sorely disappointed with it. It is a matter that I am astonished to have never come upon any of the reviews that I had watched and read.
I know that this mascara is not waterproof. I tend not to go for waterproof mascara because I hate fighting with it in order to get it off. But all previous non-waterproof mascaras that I had owed, including the Maybelline one have been sufficiently resilient to little splashes of water, the little drizzles of rain or dampness from the eyes. This mascara however, appears to lose its integrity entirely and melts away on touching water, which in my opinion is very scary. If I lightly splash my face with water, something I tend to do, I get droplets with mascara dissolved in them staining my face and my sink. And as you very well know, my annual hay-fever started a few weeks ago accompanied by the occasional watery-eye. I made the mistake of wearing this mascara on one of those eye-watering days while out in town and trust me, the sight in the mirror was pitiful; I was just relieved that I had not bumped into anyone I knew on my way home. I cannot even walk in the rain with this mascara on, and the unpredictability of our British weather makes me a little nervous when I do apply it on a reasonably dry day.
It is with deep regret that I now must give my verdict: no matter how good this mascara looks when applied, this one significant weakness of its' has defeated me, it is not at all dependable and I cannot feel confident when wearing it and for that reason, I will not be repurchasing it again, which is a real shame because in every other way it was great. In future I may however opt for the waterproof version of this.I know that this mascara is not waterproof. I tend not to go for waterproof mascara because I hate fighting with it in order to get it off. But all previous non-waterproof mascaras that I had owed, including the Maybelline one have been sufficiently resilient to little splashes of water, the little drizzles of rain or dampness from the eyes. This mascara however, appears to lose its integrity entirely and melts away on touching water, which in my opinion is very scary. If I lightly splash my face with water, something I tend to do, I get droplets with mascara dissolved in them staining my face and my sink. And as you very well know, my annual hay-fever started a few weeks ago accompanied by the occasional watery-eye. I made the mistake of wearing this mascara on one of those eye-watering days while out in town and trust me, the sight in the mirror was pitiful; I was just relieved that I had not bumped into anyone I knew on my way home. I cannot even walk in the rain with this mascara on, and the unpredictability of our British weather makes me a little nervous when I do apply it on a reasonably dry day.
I suppose that this now means that I am still on the lookout for a good, reliable, everyday mascara that I can swear by.
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
I cannot recall the last time I had gone through and hit the bottom of a single product; it is a rare occurrence indeed, so you can understand my excitement when I came to the final spluttering pumps of my Maybelline foundation. Finishing a product strongly signifies one thing, it is well loved. Many things in my make-up collection are loved, but are either difficult to work with to wear regularly or require a certain look or a particular climate. This foundation however, has gotten me through my hair tear-ingly stressful last year of college and the excitement and buzz (and again, let us not forget stress) of first year of university, without a single mishap or mayhem.
I was fortunate to come across this product before making my purchase, one particular morning following a cousin's wedding getting when I unwittingly misplaced my then foundation. My younger cousin, who was so kind as to offer me hers, the Dream Satin Liquid, though the entirely wrong colour for me I was immediately blown away by its soft silky texture. If I am to be strictly honest with you, had I not, so aptly lost my foundation that morning (later discovered in my parent's bedroom, three females under the same roof should be explanation enough) I doubt I would have ever entertained the thought to approach Maybelline for foundation again, my previous experience with them could not allow it (that is another post for another day). But it is safe to say that the product worked well for me and the opportunity to become acquainted with it was well worth appearing in front of our new in-laws sporting a peculiar orange tinge.
So moving onto the particulars-
The facts:
The product comes in 30ml quantity, packaged in a glass bottle with a hard plastic pump dispenser and a soft plastic clear lid. It is a good size and fits in the hand well. The pump dispenser makes application that little bit more hygienic and is easy to control, pumping out only as much as you need (the main concern when it comes to pump dispensers). The look may be considered outdated, but for the time it was purchased and still now it is quite sweet. It retails at £7.99 (Boots/Superdrug).
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| Source: own product image Retail price: £7.99 (please excuse the poor quality) |
It may be of some use to readers for me to own up to my skin type which is, regrettably, blemish prone and combination (literally), oily T Zone, dry on cheeks and around the mouth. To top it off, I also have centrally aligned visible pores concentrated on my forehead - delightful.
Personal verdict:
The product is described by Maybelline as 'air-whipped, light and luminous'. As I have already mentioned previously the texture is soft, it also wears on the face weightlessly and has a somewhat of a dewy finish, this is not a matt foundation. The coverage can be described as light-to-medium, perfect for me when using on a daily basis. It tends to last relatively well throughout the day and is kind to my dryer areas. I had noticed though that at the end of the day my T zone became quite oily, even under powder so this may not be best for those with primarily oily skin. On the Boots website, it is also described as giving '100% poreless skin', over the course of my using this product, I had not once noticed a difference in either the quantity nor the size of my pores. It also claims on the packaging that the foundation gives an 'airbrushed' finish, although I thought this product to be very good, I do not personally think it is quite that good, particularly on those occasions involving flashing cameras when we most certainly would wish to be looking airbrushed.
This foundation has served me well and has lasted me a decent length of time, to the point I could not wait to get rid of it (in a good way). And while I cannot fault it, I am open and eager to shop around and experiment with other brands with the hope of finding something... exquisite. Whether this search will prove fruitful, who knows? One thing for sure though, if all I strike are moisture-suckers and pimple-provokers, I am rest assured, knowing I have the Maybelline Dream Satin to fall back on as my failsafe, all-year-round foundation.
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