Review | Avon Mega Effects Mascara | Beauty Brags

Avon Mega Effects Mascara - £10.00

Hey guys! Yet another Avon product being reviewed today since I did order quite a few products on my last order - oops!

Today's review is solely about Avon's Mega Effects Mascara which is supposedly going to revolutionize the way we use mascara. Yeah, right, what beauty product doesn't say that? However, Avon does have something that might just back that up given that they have a completely unique and rather weird looking brush. After seeing that, I was very intrigued and just had to try it!

It's currently priced at £10 from Avon but is on a special offer which is a free 3-1 manicure tool when you spend £12 or more on selected products (one of which is this mascara so it shouldn't be too hard to spend the extra £2!).

Application brush

I opted to buy the 'blackest black' shade, purely because I never ever stray away from black mascara and would be far too scared to try any other colour quite frankly - I'm a creature of habit! However, they do have brown/black and navy shades available for anyone braver than me (which wouldn't be hard!).

As you can see from the picture to the right, the product splits into three when you open it. My first criticism of the product is that you really do have to pull the lid off quite hard to open it - but don't worry, just yank it and it won't break! Once you have the lid off, yank (again) to remove the dark pink stick from the black bottom of the product and, voila, there is your brush.

The brush is no longer than half of the size of my thumb in width which was a relief since Avon make it look massive in their adverts! And, surprisingly, it has been made to cater for eyelashes as it more or less covers all eyelashes in one brief upwards sweeping motion. Yes, it's strange at first but it's really not hard to get used to after the first few applications.

However, this isn't a 'going out' mascara - to get a night time effect, you would have to put over 5 coats of this on, at least! This is most definitely a mascara to be used during the day or when you don't want to overdo it at an office party - for any other purpose, I might be purchasing a different kind of mascara!

Overall, I might purchase this product again if I can't find anything better but not because of the brush - that part I love! I just wish Avon would make the packaging a little easier so it isn't a hassle to get the brush in and out of the bottle and make their actual mascara a bit thicker!

Have you tried Avon's Mega Effects Mascara?
Let me know what you thought!

Review | Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer | Beauty Brags

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
- £4.19 from Boots

Hey guys! So you know that I love a good bargain and just hate paying over the odds for a beauty product unless I'm treating myself or there's just no other alternative. Based on that, I've tried to find a damn good concealer without having to fork out for the NARS Creamy Concealer which has been on my wishlist for quite a long time now (hint - if anyone fancies buying me a present!).

In any case, I have been recommended the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer so gave it a go - it's only £4.19 currently from Boots so it doesn't break the bank and you don't have to hate yourself until payday if it's no good!

Swatch of the product

However, this product is a really good concealer and so no hating yourself is necessary (phew!). It has a lipgloss-style brush to apply the product with and is a definite liquid texture as opposed to the matte products I usually go for.

I opted to buy the product in the 'cool medium' shade but they also have a darker shade and a lighter shade. I was slightly disappointed by that, I can't lie as they don't have a wide range of shades but for a product that works so well, it definitely should be available to a lot more people!

Firstly, the product blends really well with the skin. It doesn't feel like it's blocking your pores and certainly doesn't look that way either. It has a very lightweight feel and you would forget you had it on if you didn't have to get up earlier in the morning to put your makeup on! The texture is great, quite silky and is really easy just to blend in with your fingers after a few rubs.

The main test for me wasn't whether this product covered my spots and redness - although it did so perfectly! - but whether it covered the awful dark circles under my eyes. I've taken a photo of the product on my left eye and not my right in this post so you can see that there is a visible difference. Yes, it doesn't completely eradicate my dark circles but I really need to stress at this point how bad my dark circles are and how I'm honestly not exaggerating about that at all! Also, no judging my face with lack of other makeup, please!

All in all, I really do like this product and I love how it does cover a lot of my dark circles and brightens up my eye, especially when you apply it to the eyelid as well as below the eye. On a budget, this is great but I still want to try the NARS version!

Have you tried Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer? 

What did you think?

Let me know!

Review | Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water | Beauty Brags

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - £3.00
from Boots

Hi there!

Welcome to yet another super short and sweet post on a product that there's not too much to say on but one that's been advertising non-stop these past few months!

The packaging on this product is so beautiful and aesthetically pleasing that after seeing all the adverts practically on repeat when the product was first released, it was hard not to pick it up when I casually tried to stroll past it in Boots! When I bought the product from Boots, it was around £4.99 or thereabouts but currently is down in price at £3 online.

Anyway, the product is used for removing makeup and basically getting all the dirt out of your skin so that you're a lot less likely to develop spots and redness of the skin, etc.

Back of the bottle

So, is it a miracle product that will mean you will never struggle to take off makeup ever again and have clear skin forever? Probably not. However, it's actually pretty decent for removing makeup and cleansing the skin.

When I first used the product, I decided I would firstly take off all my makeup with my regular makeup wipes and then pop some of the product on to a makeup pad. When I the brushed the pad against my skin, I was amazed at the amount of makeup and dirt that was still on my skin, even after having "removed" all my makeup thoroughly (or so I thought) with a makeup wipe. No wonder I was still having breakouts with all that clogging up my skin!

So kudos to the product there - it is fantastic at removing makeup and dirt from the skin and I have had less breakouts since using it. However, it's no miracle cure and I do still get spots and all of the rest of the regular complaints about skin!

I did, however, find the product quite harsh on my skin although it says that it is for sensitive skin as well. Now, I don't usually have sensitive skin but I think I will definitely be trying the adapted version of this product specifically for combination and sensitive skin to see if that's any better! That product can be found on Boots also for the same price.

All in all, this product cleanses skin perfectly and removes makeup like a dream! You also get quite a lot of it and it leaves your skin feeling lovely and refreshed!

Have you tried Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water?

Let me know what you thought!

Review | Sleek Eye Brow Kit | Beauty Brags

Sleek Eye Brow Kit - £8.50

Hey guys! I have something pretty special for you today if you'll excuse the photo of the already used product that doesn't look so pretty anymore!

I know most of you are probably addicted to Benefit and would never used any eyebrow kit except theirs, however, I just wasn't up for paying over £20 for an eyebrow kit that was getting mixed reviews so after browsing on Amazon, I came across one at over half the price at £8.49 from Sleek. It can also be bought from Boots and directly from Sleek at the oh-so dearer price of £8.50 (that's a good 1p saving!).

After reading the reviews, I opted to buy the darkest shade as many of the reviews said that they had opted for the colour they usually would and it was light. In my opinion, if you have brown hair or darker, you could get the dark shade. If you're blonde, obviously go for the light shade and I would say medium shades will probably suit anyone in between blonde and brunette more than anything!

The product was delivered very quickly (and freely, I might add!). When I opened it, I actually discovered that I had been given two products (shhh, don't tell anyone!) which was a nice surprise.

The product comes with a wax which should be applied directly to the brows first. The wax is pictured to the left of the first picture on this post and, as you can see, has been used numerous times already! There are two brushes that come with the product - one with a slanted edge and one normal. The one with the slanted edge should be used to apply the wax so that it's much easier to apply the wax to the curves and edges of your brows. The wax is actually surprisingly easy to apply - I usually trace the edges of my brows and then fill in from there to make sure all the hairs are nice and stuck in the shape I want them to be. You don't need much of it and usually just sweeping the brush across the wax gives enough for one application!

Before

After

Once the wax is applied, the powder can be put on so that the brow looks more natural and less like a slug resting above your eyes! The powder is also super easy to put on and should be put on with the small ordinary brush that comes with the product. You really don't need much of this either and just brushing the brush gently against the powder gives you enough to apply to one brow. And there you have it! Perfectly sculpted eyebrows. I've popped a before and after photo to the left and right so you can see the effects for yourself (and so you get to see my not-so-lovely face with no makeup except this on!). I do apply this product thinly though, so if you're wanting something darker then please don't be put off by this as my face just doesn't suit thick brows unfortunately!

I should also mention that the product also comes with a small tweezer which is great for getting rid of any stray hairs before applying the product. I thought that was quite a nice touch, especially given the price of the product!

Overall, I will definitely continue using this product and I can say with absolute certainty that I will not be running out any time soon - I doubt it will be finished by Christmas!

Have you tried Sleek's Eye Brow Kit?
Let me know what you thought!

Review | Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser | Beauty Brags

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant
Pore Eraser - £7.99 from
Superdrug

Hey again! I've got another short but sweet beauty review for you guys today, this time round under the spotlight is Maybelline's Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser.

I've show in the picture below the product I bought from Superdrug for £7.99 but I'm sure it's available in most other high street drugstores as well as places online such as Amazon. As you can see, it's not the cheapest high street product but I figured it was worth a short since it is much cheaper than it's Benefit counterpart.

But firstly, I'm going to say that the product is most definitely not worth the price. Nearly £8 for a high street product that is no bigger than the palm of my hand does not seem like much of a bargain to me at first glance and throughout using the product, I realised it most definitely wasn't!

The product comes out as a clear, gooey solution through the nozzle pictured but promises to reduce the appearance of your pores for "poreless skin". It felt quite oily on my hands but not overly and I didn't have any problem putting it on my skin. Upon application, I practically had my face pressed up against my mirror trying to look for some kind of difference in my skin ... to my dismay, there was none! This product was definitely not instant!

After several applications over many days, I realised that it wasn't to be and I wasn't going to get much effect from this product - if at all! It's been incredibly disappointing and has now been chucked unceremoniously into my mum's makeup bag to see if she has any more luck with it than I did!

I did notice, however, that although this product says that it helps makeup to glide on seamlessly, it actually made my foundation and concealer crumble on my face which was definitely not a look I was going for!

All in all, I would definitely not use this product again - maybe it just didn't suit my skin type or maybe it's nothing more than hair gel in different packaging.

Have you tried Maybelline's Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser?
Did you have any more luck with it than I did?
Let me know!

Review | Avon's Anew Ultimate Multi-Performance Lip Treatment | Beauty Brags

Avon's Anew Ultimate Multi-
Performance Lip Treatment
- £12.00 

Hey guys! So this review is slightly different to the usual beauty products I post on here as it's actually an anti-ageing product. Now, yes I've only just turned 21 and probably shouldn't be thinking about wrinkles and grey hairs, but it's never too early to start!

But that's not the reason I got this product. After flicking through my Avon catalogue, I stumbled across an advert for this product which immediately grasped my attention since it boasted a lip plumping effect. Since I've always wished my lips were bigger, I took a closer look and saw that it was an anti-ageing product which promised to plump lips (as lips naturally thin with age) as well as smooth the creases around the lip line. With those effects, I figured that my naturally average lips would surely become slightly bigger and more enhanced with this product and figured "why not?" and bought it for £12. And I most definitely have not been disappointed!

Avon's Anew Ultimate Multi-
Performance Lip Treatment
- £12.00

I won't lie, you don't get much serum in this product and I would much rather have a product solely for plumping rather than having the other end of the product for smoothing the lip line, but beggars can't be choosers and I'm sure the smoothing effect on my lips will be much appreciated when mother nature has her ways with me in a few years time! However, it's done me a good few months now although I'll probably have to re-order next payday (joys!). I've enclosed a picture of how the product splits into two parts so you can see roughly how much you will get. I'll also just pop the link to the product on Avon's website here so you can check it yourself!

Anyway, the actual product itself has been brilliant, especially for plumping my lips up to make my pout slightly more prominent without looking like I've had Botox. After using the product every day for around a week, I noticed that I had stopped hating the way lipstick looked when I put it on and I most definitely had a slight natural pout. Finally, my lips looked in proportion to my face and I am incredibly happy with the effects of it!

The smoothing aspect of the product has always proved to be useful as my lips have a tendency to chap quite badly and within a day of using this product, they were visibly less chapped and definitely didn't hurt as much (thank god!). Although I have been using my trusty old Vaseline at the same time, I occasionally revert back to this product if my lips are in particularly bad condition and I want a quick fix!

Quick word of warning however - if you do have chapped lips, this product is going to sting badly when you put it on! If anyone has ever used Blistex for their lips, the pain is slightly similar but obviously goes away within a few minutes. Because of this, it might be an idea to wait until your lips have healed a bit or are at least less cracked than usual before applying!

In all honesty, I don't think I could be without this product now - so happy I found it and finally love my lips!

Have you tried Avon's Anew Ultimate Multi-Lip Performance Treatment? 

Let me know what you thought of it!  

Review | Avon Ultra Colour Bold Lipstick | Beauty Brags

Avon Ultra Colour Bold Lipstick -
Berry Gold - £4.50

Recently a friend of mine became an Avon representative and so I saw an opportunity to order a load of stuff and finally try some products from Avon!

One of these was a lipstick which was priced at £4.50 - a bargain in my books! I was looking for a colour which was quite bold and so when I saw they had a Bold range, I had to try it! The product can be found on the Avon website but if you have a local Avon representative, have a look at their brochure online or ask for a delivery of a paper copy!

Closed product

The colour of the lipstick I opted for was named Berry Gold and I figured that this would be a nice raspberry-cherry colour. When I actually got the product and opened it, it was a lot darker than I was expecting. The packaging, however, was beautiful, a really sophisticated design and something I love looking at in my makeup display. I've provided a picture to the left so you can see exactly what you would be getting!

When I applied it, I was pleasantly surprised. The colour was bold, as promised, but it is not as dark as it looks in the picture and actually is almost identical to the colour swatch that Avon provides online. I've provided my own photo from a swatch on the back of my hand below.

Swatch

Application

In addition to that, the lipstick was really smooth in its application and I only had to put one coat on to get the desired effect. As it went on so smoothly, it traced my lip line perfectly and I barely had to fill in any edges - when I did, it was really easy to to as the lipstick was not too thick that I would go over my lip line.

Overall, I am so satisfied with this product and would definitely buy it again. Great for a night out and fantastic quality, especially for the price of it!

Have you tried Avon's Ultra Colour Bold Lipstick in this shade or any others? What did you think?
Let me know! 

Review | Lipstick Lock by Rimmel London | Beauty Brags

Lipstick Lock by Rimmel London - £4,99
from Boots.

Hi again! As you can tell, I'm getting through quite a lot of blog posts recently which are about products I bought a few months ago, so thanks for bearing with me!

I bought this product on Valentines weekend as my boyfriend kindly took me on a shopping spree with his credit card, and naturally my first stop was Boots! I didn't intend to buy this product but figured I would give it a try as getting my lipstick to last all night is always something I've had an issue with. If you want to give it a further look, it can be found on the Boots website as well as from other retailers.

From Boots, the product is priced at £4.99 which isn't exactly expensive for what it promises. It's advertised as having a transparent application and helps lipstick last longer.

However, I didn't find the product particularly useful, unfortunately. My version is slightly different in appearance from the one on the Boots website and so some of these issues may have been rectified, but I'm really not sure on that.

Firstly, the smell is horrendous. It essentially smells like nail polish remover but a little stronger so my first reaction was not to put this anywhere near my mouth which is really off-putting! When you do eventually put it on your lips, it can be applied using a little brush that is attached to the lid of the product, as you can see in the photo above, The brush really tickles your lips but as its not exactly a big area to cover, it's bearable, just not exactly a comfortable experience.

Secondly, when you use the brush and apply it over the lipstick you have already applied, residue from the lipstick sticks to the brush. So essentially when you put it back in, the residue will contaminate the rest of the liquid so next time you use it, you're not getting a clean brush and it could affect the colour of your lipstick (if it's different from the last one you used). I just found that really annoying quite frankly as it means washing the brush straight after every use which isn't ideal when you just want to apply and go, or even apply on the go.

And lastly, I just didn't feel that it made my lipstick last longer at all. Which means that if it did work at all, it wasn't for a noticeable period of time - definitely not long enough to make up for the smell or inconvenience of the application.

Overall, I was really disappointed in this product and was just really glad it wasn't more expensive and I only wasted a few pounds on it.

Have you tried Lipstick Lock by Rimmel London? What did you think?

Let me know!

Review | MAC Blush - Flirt and Tease | Beauty Brags

MAC Blush - Flirt and Tease - £10.99 from Amazon

 Hey guys! So I thought I'd do a quick review on the first MAC product I ever bought. I bought it from Amazon in around January for just £10,99 (plus delivery) so it was definitely cheaper than buying directly from MAC, but not by much.

The shade of the product that I bought was Flirt and Tease which I think has now been discontinued, but I thought I would continue with the review anyway to focus on the quality of the product as it was the first time I bought a MAC product - and I definitely would again!

The product came boxed in beautiful packaging and it even came with a free Hard Candy eyeshadow that I will probably post a review on soon so keep an eye out for that! And it was definitely a genuine MAC product which is always a plus when you buy from a different supplier.

Swatch on back of hand

Application of blush

The colour itself is quite strong which really suited my skin tone as I don't have the lightest skin tone in the world and would probably describe it as olive-light tan. I use a blush brush from Bare Minerals to apply it and as the brush is not full and fanned out like a foundation brush, it really helps the application to be more precise. I've provided a photo to the left of what it looks like on my skin - please note, though, that I did have to use flash to make the colour show up better and so it may not be as bright as this in real life. I've also provided a picture of a swatch I did on the back of my hand.

Now to the quality which is obviously the most important thing in this review! The powder is very smooth and not bitty at all which is great. In addition, the powder, despite delivery through regular post, has stayed in tact which makes application so much easier!

I bought this in January and it still doesn't look like I've even used this product at all (as you can see in the photo below) which tells me it's going to last a really long time. And considering the regular price of MAC blushes (which are usually around £15, give or take), it's really a worthwhile purchase!

All in all, the quality of this product is surprisingly worth the price and I would definitely recommend it.

When buying other MAC blushes, however, I would definitely suggest going a shade lighter than what the blush looks like in a picture or even in person if you don't try it on as this shade is definitely stronger than I expected.

Blush is great for achieving a great summer look and if you want something that will still last you until next summer, MAC is definitely a product for you!

Have you tried a MAC blush? What did you think?

Let me know!

Review | Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation | Beauty Brags

Rimmel London Wake Me Up
Foundation - £8.99 at Superdrug

This is the last foundation in my search for the perfect perfume before I will finally post what foundation I define as "perfect" and now use on a daily basis. So - spoiler alert - I have found that foundation and - another spoiler alert - although I do love this foundation, it's not my ultimately perfect foundation.

I used this product for just over a year after my favourite foundation could no longer be found in stores in my home country of Scotland and assumedly has been discontinued (sadface). It is a liquid foundation and I would recommend applying this product with your fingers as when the product first comes out of the bottle, it is pretty cold and foundation is best applied when warm so leaving it to settle on your fingers for a few moments heats the liquid up and makes it easier to apply and blends into your skin a lot better - goodbye orange faces!

The product boasts an anti-fatigue element and this could not be truer. I received so many compliments about not looking tired and looking quite fresh (even at work after a night out!) and I always recommended this product as the sole cause for this. I honestly do not know how it does it, but my face always looked fresher after applying which was a relief for my pasty white skin, especially in winter in Scotland! You can actually see how much I used the product from the quality of the bottle in the picture - faded and almost empty! It also lasts for ages and I only had to buy two of these bottles in the amount of time I had it which I was really impressed with - and in all honestly, I probably only had to buy the other bottle because I often apply foundation in the morning and then again in the evening if I'm going well, anywhere, really!

All in all, if you're looking for something that gives you a beautiful healthy glow and covers up your dark circles and skin impurities then this is the product for you! The only fault I could possibly have with this product is the fact that because it is a liquid foundation, getting the right amount out of the bottle can be a little tricky as one pump is not enough but two is too much so you're often left with a lot of excess foundation on your hands (literally!). Also the fact that if you do not allow the liquid foundation to warm up in your hands, you might struggle to get the product to blend properly with your skin, leaving you with orange marks around the side of your face but I think that can be said, in my experience, for any liquid foundation!

There is a range of tones available from ivory to natural beige (which actually looks quite dark!). The shade I have been using is soft beige which seems a tad light for what I would usually go for but is actually a perfect match so if you are buying online, I would recommend looking at the photos of the tones before purchasing and going by that instead of the description. Obviously if you are buying in-store, I would really recommend trying the product before purchasing! You can see a range of the tones from Superdrug here.

At the moment, the product is £8.99 at Superdrug but is included in a special 3 for 2 offer on the store website, but I am unsure if this applies to products in store as well. As always, the product is offered in most other stores which stock make-up and beauty products but I am unsure on the prices of these - a simple google price comparison site should fix that! I've included a photo of how the product looks out of the bottle and once again, I really hope that this has been informative and I would highly recommend this product.

Keep a look out for a post on my all-time favourite foundation - coming soon! This foundation ranked a close #2 in my search!

Review | Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish | Beauty Brags

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot
Cloth Cleanser - RRP:
£13.25

This is a product that my mum always nagged me to use as a teenager to help with acne and skin imperfections and I think it's fair to say that I wish I had listened to her sooner! I have a feeling I'm going to be saying that a lot throughout life but at least I can do a review on this mistake right now - a silver lining, perhaps?

Although people I've recommended this product to in the past have complained that it's quite expensive, I actually think it's relatively cheap for the sheer quality of the product. The RRP on the Liz Earle website is £14.75 for a starter kit of Cleanse and Polish. This means that it includes the muslin cloth that you need to wash the product off, whereas once you have this cloth, you can simply order the product for £13.25 until the cloth needs replaced. Although I think this is a decent price, the chances are you can get it cheaper from retailers such as Amazon, although I do know that some Boots stores do stock the product as well as John Lewis.

Instructions at back of Liz Earle
Cleanse and Polish pump

Using the product is so simple. If you order it in a pump (as shown in the picture), you only need to use the pump once in order to get the amount of product required to cleanse your entire face. If you're using the tube, one regular squeeze of the tube should suffice! Once you have spread the product evenly, wait a few minutes and then wash the product off by soaking the muslin cloth in warm water and bathing your face. Finish the routine by quickly splashing your face with cold water. And that's it - you're ready to go!

My face after using Liz Earle
Cleanse and Polish for around
two weeks

Of course, this range does come with other products such as the Tonic Skin Booster and a moisturizer which I will be reviewing in due course, but the Cleanse and Polish product on its own, in my opinion, is more than enough to open your pores and cleanse your skin. In just over two weeks, any spots or blemishes on my face have cleared up leaving my skin baby smooth and glowing - yes, actually glowing! I didn't actually notice the improvement until a friend of mine took a picture of me and a few other friends at a Halloween party on Friday. I've included a copy of this picture just so you can see the quality of my skin now (as I didn't use concealer or much foundation that night) although I don't have a copy of what my face looked like before I started using this product daily. I should also say at this point that I have also been using this product in conjunction with the moisturizer and skin booster, but as I have been using the cleanse and polish twice a day and occasionally without these other products, I feel that this product has been a contributing factor in clearing up my skin.

Anyway, I hope that this has been informative and I really would encourage anyone who struggles with skin impurities to give this product a try! It's really helped my skin so much and I couldn't imagine not using it now!

Have you got any cleansing products you think I should try out? Let me know!

Review | Rimmel London's Glam' Eyes Professional Liquid Eyeliner | Beauty Brags

Glam Eyes Professional Liquid
Eyeliner by Rimmel London
RRP - £5.29

Okay, so I'll admit that this is not the best photo I could have posted but I wanted to assure everyone that I actually have the product and have used it (as you can see from the faded writing on the bottle) so I've used a photo I've taken of the product I actually used instead of just a generic photo I could have got off the company website. Although, admittedly, that picture would have looked a lot prettier but oh well.

I randomly picked up this product a few months ago when I got a bit fed up of the pencil eyeliner I'd been using and fancied a different effect. The only experience I'd had of liquid eyeliner before this was from when I was about 14-15 and going through an extreme emo-phase ... and that hadn't exactly went well, as you can imagine. The only thing I could recall from it was how thick it was and that it had actually hurt a bit once applied.

My quick application!

This one was a pretty different experience and I can't say I'm disappointed with the results! The application of the eyeliner is quick and easy due to thin and flexible brush. The liquid itself doesn't clump which means there are no big clumps of liquid on a dried out brush (as long as you shake it before use, as with any other product). The brush actually has a thin tip and gets thicker as the brush goes up towards the lid which means you can simply turn sideways for a thicker application. I prefer to go for a thinner look to open my eyes, a picture of which I've included in this post. It's not the perfect application but it shows just what you can achieve in just a  few seconds for a photo opportunity!

I did find, however, as I had before, that the product sometimes stings when you first apply it and although it subsides after around a minute or so (approximately), it's not exactly the most comfortable experience. I can only assume that this is just an unfortunate side effect of liquid eyeliner, in general.

Overall, I cannot fault this product and it's by far the easier liquid eyeliner I've come across. Perfect for anyone just beginning to apply eyeliner, especially liquid, and extremely long lasting!

                          Whats your favourite eyeliner?

Review | Rimmel London BB Cream | Beauty Brags

Rimmel London BB Cream 9-in-1
£6.99 from ASOS

I accidentally ordered this product online as a present for my mum before realizing that she had actually asked for the No.7 BB Cream, not Rimmel London. Oops. So naturally, I took it for myself! Luckily we're more or less the same skin tone and so not much damage was done, thankfully.

The product promises quite a lot, the packaging boasting "skin perfecting super makeup" and I can't exactly say it lives up to that...it's really not much more than another marketing hype. However, that doesn't mean that the product itself is bad or average. In fact, I would rate this product at just above average, although nothing spectacular.

The shade I bought was light - there was only two you could choose from; light or medium. Usually I would have went for medium, but given the lack of other alternative and the fact I am Scottish (with pale white skin in comparison to the rest of the world, unfortunately!), I went for the light shade, figuring that the medium tone would be more suited to people with tanned skin. I wasn't impressed with the lack of option!

The product itself has an SPF 25 which is normal for a BB cream, but impressive and incredibly useful. The texture feels like a normal liquid foundation would do, but slightly creamier and not as runny. It was slightly disappointing that you would need a fair bit of the product to have completely even coverage of the facial area as it didn't seem too willing to spread far when applied. The coverage was decent, but not flawless. Pimples, spots and red blotches were still visible on the skin after application, even if slightly covered up, reducing the redness of all, but still making it seen to the naked eye. I also felt my pores were slightly blocked with it, but then perhaps I was applying a bit too much in desperation to cover all my flaws (which are fairly extensive, hence the foundation/bb cream search!). It did, however, feel light and natural on my skin.

Overall, it's not perfect and definitely not "skin perfecting", but it is ideal for a sunny day when you don't want to be covered in foundation and concealer, but don't exactly want to let the world see the full extent of your dark circles!

Have you tried Rimmel London's BB Cream? What did you think of it?

Review | Maybelline New York's SuperStay Better Skin Foundation

Maybelline New York Superstay
Better Skin Foundation (tester)
Normal bottle priced at £8.99 from
Boots or on 3 for 2 offer.

Recently I was told of a really good discount website called Student Hut - just sign up and it will send you free samples of various items and exclusive discount codes for students, etc. After being told this, I signed up and found a few offers of brands sending free samples of makeup; one of which was Maybelline New York. All you had to do was complete a short online survey regarding your skin type - oily, dry, easily tanned and so on - and they would send you a free sample that would suit your skin perfectly.

I must admit, it took a few weeks for the sample to be sent out but when it finally arrived, I was excited to try it. Wrongly so.

I was given the shade of "sand" from their range which I felt could work but it wasn't a tone I'd ever gone for in other brands. The actual texture of the foundation was fairly average; just like any other regular liquid foundation. I tested it quickly on the back of my hand and found that it spread very easily with little product covering a large base of skin. However, the colour did not match my skin tone at all - it was far too light and orange. I dismissed this briefly, knowing that the skin on your hand is different from that on your face and began to apply it evenly with a makeup brush, starting from my nose and spreading outwards. But it was still too light so I simply stopped applying - quite lucky I wasn't going anywhere that day! Upon inspection of the parts of my face I had applied the product to, the coverage was fairly average and slightly too "caked" in places, despite the fact I hadn't used much of the foundation at all.

Unfortunately I can't comment much on the name-sake promise of long lasting coverage as I wasn't about to wear a foundation that didn't suit me for the entire day but it would definitely be great if it gave good coverage for a long period of time and the product suited your skin type! I've heard plenty of reviews of this product from people who love it...and I'm rather disappointed that it doesn't suit me at all - not in the shade I was given or for my skin type.

Shade - sand.

Overall, it seems like a decent product that you would eventually get used to applying over time in order to get that perfect, even coverage. Perhaps not a miracle worker, but worth a shot if your skin isn't as dry as mine! Priced at £8.99 in Boots or as part of their 3 for 2 range right now, it won't break the bank, but definitely try before you buy.

Have you tried Maybelline's Super Stay Better Skin Foundation?
What did you think?

Review | Lush's Bubblegum Lip Scrub | Beauty Brags

Bubblegum Lip Scrub by Lush Cosmetics
£5.50

I was given this product as a gift for my twentieth birthday by my friends from uni. I'll admit, I've tried it before but I thought I'd do a wee review on it anyway!

Although I've never tried the bubblegum flavour (as I'm not a big fan of it usually!), I was pleasantly surprised that the taste of the sugar is not extremely strong and is just more sweet and candyfloss-like than anything else. As the scrub is made mainly of sugar, tasting a little bit or "accidentally" getting it in your mouth when applying will do you no harm whatsoever which is a relief given how nice it actually tastes! 

There are two other flavours included in the lip scrub range - popcorn (which I've tried) and mint julips. I'm assuming that the mint one may be a tad newer than the other two as I can't recall seeing it last time I was in the Glasgow store, but having tried the popcorn one, I can assure that it's just as nice (if not a tad nicer) than the bubblegum flavour. 

At £5.50 per tub, it's not exactly the cheapest lipcare product, but it definitely works! My lips were in a right state when I started using the product as I have such a bad habit of biting my lips when I'm nervous, but with only one application, I could already feel that my lips were a lot smoother! I applied the product another 3-4 time throughout the day and by night, I was regretting not buying it for myself earlier! The rough, ragged bits of skin on my lips were gone and I could run my tongue over my lips without feeling disgusted at how chapped it felt!

When I woke the next day, my lips felt dry and not as in great condition as they had felt directly after each application, but another application soon rectified that! That's pretty much the only issue I have with the product - the numerous applications needed in order to maintain the polished look and feel. A couple of days without this and you might find yourself back to square one! Not much of an issue though seeing as how quickly the problem can be fixed!

Sure the sugar might get under your fingernails, and yes it's pricey but if you don't have the time to attempt making your own DIY versions (which I'm sure wouldn't be hard), then this is definitely the product for you!

Have you tried Lush's Bubblegum Lip Scrub? Or maybe you tried one of the other flavours?

Let me know what you thought!

Review | Hide The Blemish Conceal by Rimmel London | Beauty Brags

Rimmel London Hide the
Blemish Concealer

Recently I've been focusing on reviewing products which I've been trying out in the past few weeks, so I figured it was about time I showed you guys one which I've been using loyally for years.

I've been using Hide the Blemish Concealer by Rimmel London for at least the past two years and found that, especially for my dark circles, it works miracles. Sure, nothing is perfect and I still occasionally look a tad tired if I haven't had a perfect nights sleep, but for me, this product helps to cover the damage I've done to my eyes over the years which seems to be practically irreversible.

The creamy texture of the product helps for an even coverage and easy application - all you have to do is apply and then rub and dab until fully covered, with your fingers or with a makeup brush if you prefer. I tend to use my fingers, basically because I feel I can see what I'm doing better than I would with a brush in front of my face, but everyone has their preferences and with a product as good as this, I wouldn't expect it would  matter much.

Boots - £3.99 or on 3 for 2
offer (sometimes!)
ASOS - £3.00

As shown to the left, the product comes in the form of a stick, somewhat comparable to that of a lipstick and can be applied exactly like a lipstick - except on your dark circles, blemishes and red patches, not your lips! I feel that this makes it easy to apply as it simply glides over the skin without tearing or pulling. In comparison to some products which I've tried over the years, such as No.7's concealer by Boots, I find that the texture of this one is far from chalky or sticky to apply, which is perfect for my skin type. Occasionally, I have found that without dabbing the product after blending, my skin tends to look a tad shiny on where I've applied it, but it's really nothing that can't be fixed easily.

Application of the product on my skin
Tone: natural beige.

For the application of the product, and indeed any concealer that I've come across, I tend to find that drawing a triangle under the eye (with the base of the triangle being directly under the bottom lashes and the tip of it being around halfway down your cheek, or slightly above) and then blending the product from the cheek upwards works wonders for a perfectly even coverage. When it comes to covering blemishes (the products name-sake!), I would recommend applying the product firstly on to your fingers and then directly on to the blemish to avoid cross-contamination. If you use the actual concealer stick once to directly cover the spot, there's a chance that the bacteria could transfer to the concealer and then on to your face when you use it again later! I've included a photo to the right of this paragraph to show what the product looks like when applied directly on to skin. The tone I use is natural beige and I find it a perfect match. Other tones include soft honey, ivory, golden beige and sand.

Priced at just £3.99 from Boots, this product is definitely worth a try and available from most retailers I've been to. For those avid bargain hunters, ASOS are currently selling this product for £3, which is the cheapest price I've seen it at! Occasionally, Boots will have it on their 3 for 2 offer, so watch out and stock up!

Have you tried Hide the Blemish Concealer by Rimmel London? Or perhaps you know of a better concealer? Let me know!

Review | TRESemmé 24 Hour Body Amplifying Mousse & Pro-Shine Lasting Hold Hairspray | Beauty Brags

Left - TRESemmé 24 Hour Body Amplifying Mousse
Right - TRESemmé Pro-Shine Lasting Hold Hairspray

I've never been big on using hairspray or mousse, but after a recent (and well overdue) visit to the hairdressers, I noticed that the hairdresser, before drying my hair, applied both mousse and hairspray. Noting that the salon mostly had TRESemmé products, I decided to give it a go on my own. I therefore purchased both the amplifying mousse and the pro-shine hairspray since I didn't want my hair to look dried out by a tonne of product. Both products are shown in the photo to the left.

24 Hour Body Amplifying Mousse

This product promises a long-lasting bounce and volume with maximum hold and I can't find fault in that description at all. The mousse certainly does perk up the curls of my hair upon application and definitely lasts the entire day, and beyond! Although the directions recommend applying the mousse to a brush after shaking, the product tends to come out of the can in liquid form before actually forming into the mousse so perhaps to save your brushes, skip this direction and just apply straight on to your hair using your fingers before thoroughly brushing or combing through the hair. It's also decently priced at £5.75 from Boots, but is available from most other retailers, such as Superdrug, Asda, Tesco, etc. at similar prices. Currently, the product  is on a Boots special offer of 2 TRESemmé products for £7 which is great value if the store has two products in that suit your haircare needs! The only fault I can find with this product is that despite brushing it through my hair thoroughly, when it dries the product tends to stiffen and extra brushing is required to avoid big lumps of hardened hair! Can't expect much more for such a cheap price!

Pro-Shine Lasting Hold Hairspray

I bought this product about a month ago from Tesco at around £5-7, roughly the same as the mousse above. I more or less just picked up the only branded hairspray my small, local Tesco had in stock and found that it was a limited edition X-Factor product, supposedly "expert selected". Overall, I've found it slightly poor in long-lasting quality, although it does tend to hold for a few hours at least. For going out at night, it does the trick until you go to bed, but if you're looking for a product that will hold your curls in place all day, this is not the one for you! I'm not sure if this edition of the product is still available in stores, but I'd perhaps try a firmer version of the product or try another brand altogether! This one does promise a "lasting hold" and fails to deliver, but perhaps a firm hold would be better suited to my hair type, or just be more effective in general. Can't complain too much for the price, though! 

Have you tried either of these products? Or perhaps even something better? Let me know!

Review | Frizz Ease - Go Curlier by John Frieda | Beauty Brags

Frizz Ease - Go Curlier by John Frieda

I received this product a few weeks ago as a birthday present from my boyfriend's mum, who just happens to be a hairdresser (and a damn good one at that!). She later told me that she had never actually tried this version of the product, but raved about a similar spray by John Frieda for straight hair.

I briefly read the front of the bottle and saw that it was a heat activated spray and so assumed it would be used on dry hair before using heat to protect the hair from damage. When I read the back of the bottle (in very small print!) I saw that I was wrong to assume this and it was actually a spray to control curls and help them to sit better. The spray was actually only activated by heat which meant applying it to wet/damp hair and then using a diffuser for the spray to take effect. The instructions even emphasized that the product should not be used on dry hair, so goodness knows what happens if you do!

I hadn't used a diffuser in year and tend to find them a bit clumpy and hard to hold up and use. Nevertheless, I gave it a go and the result definitely made up for it! I did think at first that using 10-16 sprays of the product on the hair might be a bit excessive but soon realised once I put it on that the nozzle was quite wide and so a lot of product came out in one spray. The result, I have to say, was rather nice and definitely made my curls sit nicer and more tame - at the time. The next day when I woke up, my hair had not returned entirely to its normal state, but was definitely not as controlled and the curls were not as tight as they had been the night before. I'd therefore say that the 48 hour promise the spray gives might not be entirely accurate and so if nice curls are what you what before a night out, you might want to wash your hair and apply this spray on the same day to avoid ruining the look!

Here's a photo of what my hair looked like after applying the spray, my normal mousse and then diffusing it until almost dry (because I found it near enough impossible to get my masses of thick hair completely dry using a diffuser).

As you can see, the curls are definitely tighter and control but they're not bouncy or much more 'alive' than they usually are. Perhaps next time I should using curling tongs to complete the look (the instructions also say that "for maximum effect", tongs should be used after diffusing). Although, having naturally curly hair, I do slightly begrudge having to curl my hair for it to look presentable!

Have you tried Go Curlier by John Frieda? What did you think?