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.

What is this bull.


Hey, Poundland - I want my pound back!

Don't judge, guys. A pound can get you a lot these days. Medium fries at McDonalds or a product from the MUA range or even one of the Wilkinson's nail buffers, which actually work.

Not these.


I've had my eye on these for a while, and so picked them up the last time I was in Poundland. "Ooh" I thought. "Four buffers for a pound! What a bargain!"

It'd be a great bargain, if they didn't all have the same grit. Yes, you read that correctly. Run your hands over any of the four sides and they all feel the same - that is, of nothing.



Nooooothing. I've felt paper with more texture. This is just coloured, soft plastic.


You know that something is wrong when the "file" side is the same smoothness as the "shine" side. These don't even make your nails shiny! What a rip.
The only use I've found for them is this:

They make OK nail sponging tools. Not great. They're alright.

Save your money and run, run for the hills! Or at least to Wilkinsons, where they sell a single one for 99p that is infinitely more useful.

Nothing to do with the fact that January only has like two days left. Nope.

I decided I need to make an urgent trip up to town when my Mum returned from work yesterday with three different Boots No7 Stay Perfect eye pencils in her hand. I was pretty curious and removed the lid. They look just like Urban Decay 24/7 liners! I was quite surprised. Even at their full price (£7.75) they're still cheaper than Urban Decay's. A few other bloggers have been saying that they're dupes, but I only own one Urban Decay pencil in Zero so I bought the black of this to compare the two. Also, Boots were doing 3 for 2 on all No7 so I bought three pencils and gave the blue one to my Mum because she wanted it. She bought a grey (with a smudger on the end) a green/teal colour and a purple, and gave me money to buy her the blue one. I was mildly jealous, not going to lie. Anyway, pictured here are the purple and the black. With the voucher, it's a pretty decent deal!
I also repurchased the Allura False Nails from Poundland. I was running out of nail glue and this includes nail glue, plus I was planning to wear them again. This time, I think I'll trim them considerably!

I've heard people raving about the New York Colour Quick Dry topcoat, so I bought that too as my MUA (£1 from Superdrug) topcoat had long since run out. Faithful to the end, lol. It's probably the only topcoat I've ever used that hasn't gone nasty, thick, gloopy and stringy 2/3 of the way in. It was £2.59 from Superdrug. I didn't mind paying that as the bottle feels pretty lux. I'm hoping the product lives up to expectations.
I spotted these before Christmas on Lipglossiping's blog. They're Metallic Eye Sparks from BeautyUK. Pity Superdrugs is so crap.
Yes, that is Sellotape right there.
Disgusting. There were testers there, but clearly some teenagers feel the need to open and play with actual product so I guess the staff put Sellotape on these. It was pretty ineffective. While I was debating whether or not to buy this, I easily removed the cap from the pencil. Thankfully it hadn't been swatched, but still. Superdrug, sort your life out. The £ store has better packaging than you do!
The silver one has a label which is less offensive to the eyes (and, as I noticed after removing it, an anti-theft device) but I mean still. It was just as ineffective at stopping access to the interior of the product.
Anyway. People have been saying that these are performance dupes for NYX Jumbo Pencils, which aren't readily available in the UK, so I'm hoping these won't be a crease fest.

 I bought these products close to the end of the year (November). You may have noticed I didn't do a November New Things/Empties/Products I'm Enjoying-post. That was because I was planning to do this huge year end long series. So these are some products that I purchased in November that I'm hoping to obtain good results from for the New Year!
 Moon Care Lip Balm

This is a repurchase. I love it, it really seals the moisture in without really feeling like there's anything on your lips. I hate feeling like there is product on my lips, which is why I'm not a huge lip gloss fan - in fact, it's taken me ages to even start wearing a balm - but yeah, this really moisturises well. I like it. Let's hope it continues performing well in 2011!

 Rescue Oil.

The cheap Bio Oil rip off from the pound shop, I'm really hoping that this will make the scar on my knee less visible. Hopefully in time for summer. I want to wear shorts! *pouts*
I'm wondering if there's a specific way to apply this product? I've heard talk of people buffing it in with like a body brush. Have any of you guys used this?

Oh, and Merry Christmas, ya'll. I would have made a seperate post, but I guess everyone's been doing that lately :P

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.

- No, I haven't forgotten about the giveaway lol, and also I still need to do one of those "November" posts. It's all coming lol :P

 So anyway. I bought this ages ago from Poundland, where as I'm sure you've all guessed, everything costs one or less of your finest British pounds.
 I wasn't actually sure what to expect when I got these - I was a false nail virgin up until I put these on. So inside the packet, you have about two or three different thicknesses and curve...nesses for your nails. I appreciated this as newborn children have wider nail beds than I so I could find nails that fit. So far, so good. At first, I only put a little bit of glue. I soon realised my folly.
 The next day, mother dearest wanted us to go shopping (this was during the Half Term break) and so I was like, "Fine, whatever, only if you buy me pizza." As I was putting the shopping bags in the boot of the car (because we are THAT eco-friendly, we take our own shopping bags and look all self-righteous and that) disaster struck. The middle fingernail flew off and landed unceremoniously on the floor. Boo. Then I realised that I needed more glue. So I reglued it on using a lot more glue. Same for all of the fingers actually. So if you're planning on purchasing these, don't hold back glue wise or don't use the glue supplied.
 Check out the length on these!
They made my fingers look really nice and glamourous, but I hadn't realised just how much of a pain having incredibly long, potentially breakable fingernails is. Take typing. The keys on my laptop are dumb anyway, let alone with those nails. How was I meant to touch-type with those beasts? I had to resort to the "two fingers" method.

Great for scratching though. :D
The glue supplied ^ It actually smelt and felt a lot like superglue, which I have been intimately acquainted with on many an occasion, which left me slightly worried, but it did come off. Eventually.

Yes. The removal.
I took these off about two days after I put them on because the fact I couldn't type properly really bugged me and also I had tried to paint them, removed the polish with non-acetone remover (I double and triple checked that it was indeed acetone-free) and yet it removed the white part of the nail and left the false nails a lot softer and weaker than they had been previously, which I wasn't pleased about seeing as it said on the packet that you could use acetone-free remover on them. So I soaked them in acetone remover and it took ages for them to come off (had to use the orange stick in the packet to prise them off my fingers) and loads of glue was left over which then had to be scraped off. All in all, it's kind of a "well what do you expect for a pound?" type deal. *shrugs*

 Three products I managed to obtain on my travels in town this weekend.  Products - MUA Eyeshadow Shade 6 (Pearl), Sally Hansen Kwik Off Nail Polish Remover and BeautyUk Glam Nails nail polish in "Slate".
 I love this. It's from the £1 line at Superdrugs and it's the most awesome blue/purple/violet duochrome I own, easily. Incredibly stunning and vibrant once on the eye.
 Can you see the colour shift?
 Argh, I'm getting excited just looking at it! Incredibly well pigmented and creamy to apply. I wore this to school today and got a hella lot of compliments. With hindsight this is probably one of /the/ brightest and most obvious eyeshadows I could have chosen to wear to school *facepalm* but a teacher commented on it and said it was nice! (My awesome science teacher) so I wasn't told to take it off. Woot. WOOT.
I'd seen a review of the Sally Hansen Kwik Off on a blog a while ago so imagine my surprise when I stumbled across it in Poundland? My only regret is that I didn't buy more, because I don't know when/if I'll find it again :( So it's basically like a huge sponge completely saturated with acetone free remover. You stick your fingers in the hole and twist and the polish comes off /like magic/. This product is so amazing. Plus, it smells like lemon! Win win situation guys, win win situation.

The third product, the nail polish, gets a post all to itself, so stay tuned! Anyone hauled anything amazing recently?

As the title suggests, these are the spoils from my latest jaunt at Poundland. Glass files? Little gem thingies for nail art? Count me in!

And the ugly.

Bleuch. I also got this from Poundland:
The eyeliners (don't know if you can see from the picture) are metallic. They also had a choice of two black pencils or two brown ones.
And this. This is in a league of it's own, I tell thee.

Anyways. First, the concealer. I was at Poundland, all excited, looking through the concealers. This one was called "Dark" so I bought it.

Can you read that? It says, "Shade Dark, with added tea tree".
That's not dark, dammit. It's really light - almost like my Sleek foundation (I really need to get rid of that but don't know anyone who wants it... -.-)
Also, it's really weirdly shaped, like a lipstick bullet.
They serious?
And look at all that product being wasted in the bottom of the tube. I've tried, there's no way to get to it.
I made a splodge on my arm with brown eyeliner.
Stuck concealer over it. Fail. After rubbing in, adding more, and repeating the process several times, I got this:
It looks very odd on camera but in real life there's just a slightly pink toned smudge over the eyliner. Sigh.
Perhaps it might work if I wore it under foundation, but what really gets me is how they've labelled it as "Dark" when it's not at all!
Since it looks so much like a lipstick, I put it on my lips to see if it'd make a good nude (not for me, obviously, but for my lighter skinned readers)
Nah. Looks so bizzare in relation to the rest of my face, you have NO IDEA. Plus it doesn't apply evenly, adding another coat removes the first and it will accentuate everything on your lips. Also has the odd effect of making my lips look like they're pillows. They're not that big, I assure you.
So save yourself the quid and get something off the McDonald's saver menu instead. Hmmm, medium fries. Unless, of course, this shade would actually suit you, in which case buy it. It's odd that the pressed powder comes in tones suitable for dark girls but not the foundation or the concealer...

These are the eyeliner pencils. They're alright. I haven't actually worn them for a look yet but when I put swatched these on my hand, the blue one was fine while the green melted a little (in fairness, it was a very hot day).
Green on the left, blue on the right.
And finally, the 2True Eyeshadow Dazzler. It's one of those that doesn't have a name, just a "Shade X". Why do all the companies not put any effort in these days?
Number 9, they call it.
For an entire day, this was as far as I'd got. I couldn't remove that plastic protective thingy they've got covering the holes of the sifter and I couldn't remove the sifter. I was a tad miffed that I'd paid £1.95 (considering MUA is £1 for slightly more product and Sleek is £2.99 for WAY more product and an unbelivable colour choice. Even Barry M do some awesome shades in their Dazzle Dusts and theirs don't come with a sifter so you have more than enough in there). for something that I couldn't even open.
Today, however, I resorted to a small knife to prise the sifter away from the jar. Though halfway through, I'd tried to take off the sifter off with my teeth and ended up with pigment in my mouth. EWWW it was gross tasting.

It's more product than I'd originally thought but I think it's still less than the MUA pigment which I really do like. If only it came in more shades.
The brush is damp with homemade mixing medium. I'll do a post on that at some point because my method is somewhat...unorthodox :P
Foiled on the hand. Gives quite good colour payoff, I like it.
I wanted to give the concealer one last chance to redeem itself as a primer. I put a thin layer on my hand and then applied more eyeshadow "dazzler" (what a crap name, blatant rip off of the Barry M Dazzl Dusts) on the left hand side. Three hours later, this is what they look like:
With concealer primer far left, with no primer middle, with that unwanted Sleek foundation as a primer far right.

It managed to fade within three hours. Screw this.