Behold, my mascara saviour.


After my hideous incident with the MUA mascara, I was lucky in that I had another in my drawer to try. I'd not had any prior experience with these two step mascaras, so it was quite exciting for me to brush on the white primer side and then the black mascara side. I got definition, length, and a little volume. It's pretty easy to layer, as well, so you can create a very dramatic look with little effort. I personally like the brush, as well. While I prefer the plastic ones, this is like a traditional bristle brush with shorter bristles, so it's pretty cylinderical. I find it makes for both great application and control.

 
Having had this for a little while now, I can say that the black side of the formula does thicken up considerably, and turns almost...rubbery? Making it a lot less pleasant to use, have to say. The trade off being that it does deliver a lot more volume with that added thickness. I've been using it for about three months. I think this is a repurchase, though it is more expensive and won't last me as long as the other mascaras I use. But the time it saves me in the morning (no need for cleanup, quick application) is worth it, I feel.

Some hideously messy pictures to illustrate my point:





Anyone tried this one? Or even better, knows of a dupe that doesn't change consistency so dramatically?

I believe the last time I did one of these posts was yonks ago. So this is a few (a really small snapshot, actually) of the products I've used up since then.



Body scrub by the Sanctuary, Chit Chat pressed powder (empty pan) No7 Extreme Definition Mascara, Johnson's Daily Essentials 24 Day Cream for normal skin, Ted Baker travel size body souffle and also Max Factor Mineral Foundation in 'Bronze' (I kept it in the empty container after the moisturiser was used up).

The body scrub was quite good but not great or outstanding. The scent was pleasant and the colour and everything great. I don't think I'd repurchase as it didn't wow me.

The Chit Chat pressed powder was good for a quid. I liked the fact it was totally matte, disliked the fact that the shade range was so limited. This sat around, unused and unloved, for ages as for years I never used it. Since September, I've been getting into wearing a little powder or tinted moisturiser/BB Cream on my face, so it fell back into use. Unfortuately, the lid of the powder broke in my bag and about a third was spilt all over my schoolbooks and homework. From then on, it was relegated to my (imaginary) dressing table. Each time I used it thereafter, a little more (or a lot more) would crumble away, and finally one day I swear it up and commited suicide by falling the foot or so in height between my table and the floor, immediately shattering into a million billion tiny pieces and making a hideous mess in the carpet. Why me?

I really liked the No7 mascara, and as soon as I run out of my current ones, I will probably pick up another tube of this. The brush is the plastic kind that I favour, and the formula is great and isn't too wet (which I abhor). It does define well and doesn't take long to apply in the mornings. Thumbs up from me.


The moisturiser was so so...my review is linked. It's not as moisturising as I'd like, but that's my fault for not buying the dry skin one instead.

 
^All since used up.

The body souffle was just alright. Nothing remarkable. The foundation is good, if a little orange toned on me. For a mineral foundation, the coverage isn't bad when applied with the right brush.

So I recieved this mascara from my Mum as a birthday present. Last year. Yup.

It's been languishing, unloved and unopened since forever in the bottom of my makeup drawer until I finally decided to take it out and abuse it.


My first thoughts as I removed it from the packaging were "Woah, this feels luxe!". It really does. The tube is sleek and black, and it feels weighty in your hand.

It's a pretty black mascara. Black enough to erase fallout with a couple of coats. I generally only use one or two coats for schoool, as I don't need my lashes to be that dramatic.


I find that this mascara (or the brush that comes with it, whatever) gets all over my bottom lashes, and it really annoys me. It also makes them appear nasty and bent at all sorts of odd angles unless I go over them again with a seperate mascara comb. Wtf? If I'm paying like £20 for a mascara you'd better be sure I don't have to use a second brush to not look like a panda.

Every time that I've used this, I've had to clean up under my eyes, a problem that I've not had with cheaper mascaras such as Maybelline (I think that's the brand. Will have to double check that) Define-A-Lash, for example. I also prefer the comb, but mascara combs are as personal as eye primers. What works for me might be a nightmare for someone else, and vice versa.

Also, this mascara is awful to remove. It's not waterproof, but it acts like a waterproof mascara! Put any thoughts of erasing this with water out of your head. It needs a dedicated eye makeup remover, and even them it leaves huge smudges under your cheeks that make it appear as if you have been severly beaten by some criminal.

The final, unforgiveable act of this mascara is that it left me weeping and broken on the floor of my bedroom. No lies. I was applying it and somehow managed to get it in my eye (who knows how? I don't) and within seconds I was a sobbing, mascara covered mess. Oh God, the burn. THE BURN. It hurts so much. It was like napalm in the eye. NAPALM, I TELL THEE.

It screwed up my eyeshadow as well, and there was no time to fix it. Argh.

Reference to the other part of the title - I've noticed a few views coming in from Russian search engines. If you're Russian or currently living in Russia, please do leave a comment! If at least one person does, I'll do the Russian flag on my nails and rave about Russia's stellar hosting of the Eurovision song contest in 2009. Go on. Leave a comment :P

Late much? 


I haven't seen too many of these, so either it's incredibly tacky or people just don't do them. I'm mildly cautious but OK.


I totally stacked them all up in a box. Some of the stuff in there isn't beauty related so I'm not covering it.
 Superdrugs did these little gift sets of MUA products for £2 in the run up to Christmas. I already have two out of the three shades, but one had broken. The duochrome one has gone into the giveaway pile and the top shade makes a great highlighter.
 A cosmetics holder/sorter! I'm not sure where this came from, but it's seriously neat.
 I'd asked for this because I have a tonne of old polishes that are too thick to use. The bottle is huge. Hopefully, it'll last me a long time.
 I found it curious that the dropper was bent, though!
Lastly, Boots No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara. I've seen good reviews of this so I have high hopes for it. I think this came with the free eyeshadow palette, back when they were giving out the vouchers, but my mum kept that for herself trololol.


Not pictured are the Sleek palettes (Two Sparkles and an Original). I wanted to buy the Good Girl one but it was all sold out (yes, I did pick out my own presents. Problem? ;D) so I got two Sparkle palettes with the intention of selling one.


What did you guys get for Christmas, if you celebrate it?

Sadly, not everything that I bought this year was up to standard...

Urban Decay Loose Pigments in Asphyxia and Graffiti

I'm not as butthurt over these as I would be if I'd bought them at full price, but the applicator that the packaging forces you to use is just so irritating I don't feel like using these that often - which is a shame as the actual eyeshadows are gorgeous and buttery soft! I think Urban Decay is discontinuing these anyway now.

Consider if: You'd use these more to highlight the inner corners than all over the lid.

Chit Chat (Poundland) Concealer Stick in "Dark"

Dark my ass. Please. It's barely a shade darker than their medium and light concealers. It doesn't cover up spots or scars at all, creases like a mofo and is just all around disgusting. It looks beige/brown in the tube but turns an atrocious shade of yellow on the skin.

Consider if: Don't. Unless you want a very, very cheap concealer to do a mediocre job on your under eye circles. It creases as well.

Elizabeth Arden Lengthening Mascara

I don't know the exact name of this mascara as the packaging has worn off...not something that I expect from a high end mascara. It's the formula of the mascara that I hate. It's insanely wet and gets everywhere, including your freshly applied eyeshadow which you then have to reapply or take a cotton bud too. It sucks for the lower lashes as well, and the wand isn't really to my taste but that's quite a personal thing. After a month or so, the formula manages the impossible and stays wet but clumpy? So you have mascara that's wet and gets everywhere and the amount that has managed to stay on your lashes is clumpy. Gross.

Consider if: you're buying it as a present for someone that you don't like very much.

Elizabeth Arden Eye-Fix Primer

I find this product only holds shadow for about eight hours or so, which, while not horrible, isn't anywhere near say Urban Decay Primer Potion's performance and they're around the same price...also, eyeshadow begins fading around the four hour mark.

Consider if: you don't have access to anything better.

Er. That's sounds slightly wrong.

Anyway a few days ago it was my birthday! I'm officially sixteen and can do all those things that I've been doing since I was thirteen!

Moving on...I got some nice makeup-related items to celebrate.

 Nails Inc Colour Collection from my lovely brother and sister! I was so excited to see this, let me tell you. It's got four lush Autumn/Winter colours - a red, a grey, a blue and a taupe...
 It comes with ribbon, too!I also got some Bundle Monster plates from my parents! I've been wanting these for a while. I'm going to do a fuller, indepth review/tutorial later on, but I thought I'd quickly cover my feelings here. You do get an awful lot of designs for the price, which is great. But the edges /will/ cut your hands to shreds and I find on at least two of the plates the designs are too shallow as to show up effectively, which kind of negates the point. Plus they're incredibly difficult to clean effectively. While I'm not putting my plates up for display, I'm always worried that say, some of the pink nail polish I used previously will ruin the design of the next thing I am planning to stamp...

Oh, and perhaps this is the polish I use, but I haven't had this problem with any other brand of plate - the design often doesn't transfer correctly to the nail and pulls, stretches, or comes off altogether, which is obviously a huge pain in the bum. I'm trying to work out how to rectify this problem - and yes, I've removed the plastic!
 Can't wait to try this mascara out, but it'll probably be a looong time because I've got two others to get through before I tackle this one. Mini rant - why are drugstore mascaras so expensive these days? There's usually only a couple of pounds in it between those and the high end ones...

Hey guys! After this post, there is one more (of the purple glitter polish) that was pictured in the very first haul and another Boots purple one that wasn't pictured, and then we can swatch the newer ones :P
This is from the Colorama collection by Maybelline. The colour is called "Jelly Bean"

The very first photo lies. The colour is a LOT more green. It's a bluey-tinged turquoise in shade and a greeny one in sunlight.
I had reservations about this colour originally. I painted a coat on and was just like, what? Is this going to be another Tropical Peach? It went on meh. A tad runny, and it looked really sheer on my nail which irritated me. It opaqued up while it was drying though (which took a hella long time). Despite the drying time, once it was dry, it really was dry - no amount of knocking could dent it, which I appreciated. And the brush was whack - splayed out everywhere - but I think that was due to the previous owner rather than any fault of the polish :P In the photos you see I've applied two coats. It has a foily finish and green shimmer. Yeah, it's grown on me.

Mascara time! These are two mascaras that I bought from TJ Hughes the other day.  
I got NYC Lengthening Mascara and Maybelline Define A Lash Volume Mascara.

 The NYC was really not good. I put a coat on my lashes and was like, "Eh?" It barely made any difference to my lashes apart from making them look slightly darker, which hello, I need no help with, because they're black already? I waited five minutes then mushed another coat on. And another. After loads of vigarous shaking and pulling, my lashes looked a little longer. A little. What a fail. The brush was soft and didn't really feel like it was doing anything. Not my thing at all.

The Maybelline was a lot better, though the brush felt a tad odd because it was so short and bristly, almost painful. Once you get used to the sensation, though, this is by far the superior product. It instantly seperates your lashes and actually makes them look longer and fuller, and I didn't need to put on a million coats.

*I paid for all these products myself. :D