Product Empties - February 2013

Another month by already - who would have thought?

As predicted, I have managed to power through more products (with no sign of me slowing down in March!) - here's what will be sent to the recycling bin this month!

Body Products

Johnsons Baby Lotion - this is a regular 'guest' on my empties posts, so i'll not say much about it!

Treacle Moon Iced Strawberry Dream Bath and Shower Gel - If you read my review on this you'll know how much I loved it. Basically a very obvious £3 knock-off of the Philosophy Shower Gels, this was like showering in a strawberry milkshake. Without any stickiness. And questionable animal ingredients. 

Vaseline Active Fresh Deodorant - this is my favourite deodorant smell - fresh, clean, cotton-esque - and one which tends to linger on your 'pits, which is always handy. Just a shame Vaseline are owned by Unilever who test on animals. Sigh.

Cosmetics

The Body Shop Love Etc EDP - A Perfume that has featured quite a few times on my blog, I love the fact it's an EDP, it's so inexpensive, it's cruelty free and (most importantly!) it smells so good! After I get through the perfume my Dad bought for me recently i'll definitely be buying more of this.

Maybelline Express Finish Black Nailvarnish - i've literally had this since the beginning of time, and it features here not so much because I had finished it, but because it had become a gloopy mess and I couldn't open the bottle any more!

Collection (2000) Skyscraper Mascara - One that everyone went a bit crazy for when it was sold in Poundland mid last year. To me it was a bit of a bog-standard mascara (therefore I was glad I only paid a pound) but I did quite like the plastic-bristle wand, which is quite surprising considering I normally hate plastic mascara brushes!

ELF Hypershine Lipgloss in Bubblegum - I feel rather guilty about this product, as when I first reviewed it here, I hated it! However since digging it out from my little-loved makeup pile and using it up, my opinion somewhat changed and I ended up really liking it. Oops. It's problem seemed to be trying to wear it over lipstick. If I wore it sparingly on bar lips it added a nice muted, long lasting gloss which I quite liked.

Face Products

Boots Essentials Cucumber Moisturising Lotion - another product that has featured on here at least once before, I've only really worked through these so not to be wasteful. It was a bit of a vanilla product - not offensive, but not amazing either. It is rather inexpensive, but packed full of synthetic ingredients, and as I want to strip back my skincare to be as natural as possible, I won't be buying this again.

Lush Tea Tree Water - a product I was actually sad to see the end of (although an end that did take a long time coming, as it seemed to last me forever!); you can read my full review of it here, but I liked the fresh effect it gave my skin, and the way it seemed to keep spots in check. I would definitely consider picking up another bottle - right now this empty bottle is being added to my 'back to Lush' stash so I can get myself a free face mask!

Have you got through many products this month?

Review: Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner

I am admittedly not the best at applying eyeliner (despite watching countless 'how to's' on YouTube), but as they do say that practise makes perfect, and as a result I go through quite a lot of eyeliner!

For my upper eyelids I rely heavily on liquid liner, as I find that gel liners dry out before I get to use them properly (and i'm still searching for the perfect application brush) and pencil liners, whilst fine for a smokey, smudged look at nighttime, don't give a precise finish.

I have yet to find a 'Holy Grail' eyeliner (as with the majority of my makeup products!) and so have tried a variety from various (mainly highstreet) brands, with this one being the latest (bought for me by my lovely Mum):

Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner

♥ RRP £5.99

♥ Sold from 'usual' stockists including Superdrug, Boots and supermarkets

Packaging

♥ 'Felt tip' style - my favourite type of liquid eyeliner applicator, as it is far less messy than a brush and allows for continuous eyeliner flow when applying both fine and thicker eyeliner styles.

♥ 0.4mm brush tip - not as fine a tip as the L'Oreal Carbon Gloss eyeliner, for example, but still allows for precise application.

♥ Replaceable cap - I would have liked this to fit on the end of the eyeliner packaging like a standard felt tip pen lid would, as I am often in danger of losing the lid if I drop it on the floor!

♥ Despite the lid and Maybelline's various claims that the packaging has been designed to prevent the product drying out, I have found if I don't store this correctly (i.e. lid side downwards) it can seem to have dried out.



Shade/Finish/Staying Power

♥ At the moment (as far as I am aware) this eyeliner is only available in black.

♥ Not the most pigmented of eyeliners i've ever tried

♥ Matte finish - not glossy or shimmery

♥ This is by no means an 'unbudgeable' eyeliner - it has an annoying habit of transferring to my eyelids if I haven't used a primer, or if I get a bit hot and sweaty (nice), and as the day goes on I do find it wears off on the inner corners of my eyes or gloops up in my tear ducts. Lovely.

Cruelty Free?

♥ NO - Maybelline still carry out testing on animals.

What's the Verdict?

This is another one of those 'ok' products that will do me for now.

I wouldn't say it's worth £5.99, and I wouldn't repurchase it once it runs out.

One only for the Maybelline die hards I would say!

What eyeliner would you recommend I try next?

Melanie x

Review: Maybelline SuperStay 24H Lip Colour

I have many guilty pleasures in life: DVD buying, chocolate scoffing, illicitly reading blogs whilst at work, and also watching trashy TV; most recently The Only Way is Essex (for those of you who have been living on the moon over the past few months, or more realistically, don't come from Britain, TOWIE is a British reality television show based in Essex which shows "real people in modified situations." It's jaw-dropping, can-this-be-real? stuff - check it out if you haven't already!).

Anyways, one of the more fashion-savvy characters/actresses/call-her-what-you-will, Lydia Bright (who coincidentally has her own blog, The Runway Towards the Glamourous Spotlights), was wearing a BEAUTIFUL shade of red lipstick in one of the episodes (a still from the episode can be found here on Lydia's blog), and luckily in one of her blog posts she noted down where she got most of her outfits/cosmetics/accessories etc from. The aforementioned lipstick turned out to be....

...Maybelline Superstay 24H Lip Colour in shade 538 Crimson Crystal

I was so excited I was off down to my local Boots before you could say TOWIE, as I was sure it was going to be a designer make-up brand of lippie, but the Superstay, with it's RRP of £8.99 is a bit more realistic for my budget!

Similar to others on the market, such as Maxfactor's Lipfinity, the Superstay is a two-step, double-ended lipstick: Step one = Intensive colour and Step two = Conditioning balm, and (according to the Maybelline website) there are THIRTY colour varieties available, although I would imagine the number would vary according to stockists, as my local supermarket only stocks about five shades, and my local branch Boots about ten.

So what do Maybelline say?

No other longwear lasts longer. Period. Our micro-flex formula glides on and looks gorgeous all day.

No crumbling, no caking, no fading, no feathering, no transferring. The 24-hour lipcolour that stretches the limits of long wear.

And what do I say? Well I decided to keep a little lipstick diary of how the lipcolour faired during a typical day for me:

- 8am: Applied lip colour (**love** the colour!), waited until I (thought) it was dry, and applied balm. Looked fab!

- 9am: Cup of tea. Couple of red spots on mug, although nothing like the usual colour ring associated with normal lipstick!

- 10am: reapplied balm as my lips felt a bit tight and dry. Had a glass of water. Again, red spots on glass.

- 10:20am: ate a banana. (by this point I was running to the nearest mirror. Colour still looked fresh hurrah).

- 10:50am: another cup of tea.

- 12:30pm: Had a sandwich, some carrot sticks and another cup of tea (yes I am tea obsessed). Lips feeling a bit dry and flakey.

- 2:30pm: (guess what) another cup of tea and an apple. Applied more balm as lips feel tight and "bitty" - like they're flaking. Colour still largely intact, although starting to come away from inside "rim" of lips, and I feel like it is emphasising the lines in my lips, rather than making my lips look smooth

-3:45pm: cup of tea and yoghurt. Loads of transfer on mug!

- 5pm: Ended up having to reapply colour as I got  the fright of my life: looked in the mirror and most of the colour had faded leaving me with a horrendous clown-like line of colour round the edge of my lips! Lips still dry.

So what's my verdict?

I have to say i'm a bit disappointed. I had such high hopes for this product: on Lydia the colour looked stunning and uber-glossy (although I have a feeling she might have applied her own gloss on top), and i've read so many positive reviews. I am thinking however that possibly I didn't let the colour dry for the instructed two minutes I was meant to, and therefore i've possibly ruined the results from the start!

I do plan to wear it again as it is such a beautiful colour, and I suppose I don't really mind re-applying the product if I had to, but suffice to say it is NOT a 24 hour product, and I hate feeling paranoid that my lippy's worn off to leave me with some dodgy-looking liner!

In term's of Maybelline's claims of No crumbling, no caking, no fading, no feathering, no transferring, I have to argue and say that it does fade/crumble/cake, and rather than make my lips look smooth I felt you could see every little line on them. I would agree however that generally it doesn't transfer (i.e. I could press my finger to my lips and the colour wouldn't come off), and the colour when first applied is beautiful.

Have you tried the Superstay 24H or anything similar that actually lives up to the claim?

Melanie x



Maybelline One by One Mascara Review

Happy Sunday everyone (although not so happy that it's Monday tomorrow bah).

My camera is still out of action at the moment, so i'm afraid my Maybelline mascara review is entirely on video format, which you can view below from my YouTube channel!

Hoping to be back with picture-posts soon!

Melanie x

Maybelline 24H Superstay Foundation

Hello again peeps, I am trying my utmost best to not go and spend money today, so I thought i'd try and get some blogposts done.

I've just recently finished Bourjois's Biodetox foundation, and had originally planned on buying some Revlon ColourStay, but after hearing of a few other blogger's positive experiences with this foundation (such as Kelanjo) I decided to try it out.

What Maybelline say:

SuperStay 24HR Makeup stays comfortable and looks naturally flawless all day. Micro-Flex formula provides 24-hour wear and No Transfer Withstands heat, sweat and humidity. Oil-free, dermatogolist tested, fragrance-free. Suitable for all skin types

Available at most cosmetic stockists for an RRP of £9.99, I got mine at Tesco (yes I am never out the place!) on special offer for £6.49.

For your money you get 30ml of product containing an SPF 19 (why 19?!) in a bottle that comes with a pump lid (always a good thing to help reduce bacteria spreading).

As with a lot of highstreet/drugstore make-up companies such as Maybelline or L'Oreal, the colour range of the foundations can be very limited - in this case there are 8 different shades available, from 005 Light Beige to 070 Cocoa (colour varieties can be viewed online at Boots here), but of course the price is fairly reasonable that if you can't find your ideal shade you could always buy a couple and mix them.

I went for the lightest shade, 005 Light Beige, which I would still say is still slightly too dark for those with very very light/porcelain skin.

Previously I have ALWAYS struggled to find a good foundation colour match for my skin, but i'm really pleased as this one is almost unnoticeable when it is blended in, and adds a lovely "peachy" healthy effect and lift to my skin (blended in on my arm below - they say that the inside of your forearm or your wrist, NOT the back of your hand, is the closest colour to your facial skin colour - random fact!)

Below is me at 8am minus any make-up (slightly scary I know!):

Notice the uneven skin tone, redness/discolouration around my nose, shininess to the skin, and the spots/markings on my chin.

Now here is me with the Superstay on (but no other make-up as yet):

I applied this with my fingers then buffed over with a stippling brush. As you can see my neck and facial colour match, my skin tone is a lot more even, and most, if not all, of the imperfections have been effectively masked.

The foundation is definitely more of a matte finish than a "glowy" effect one (but I use Clinique City Block underneath and this helps promote a bit more of a healthy finish), and I would say it is a medium coverage foundation, although could easily be built up for a heavier coverage if needed.

I think Maybelline, along with other highstreet/drugstore cosmetic companies, are trying to develop their own "stay-put" foundations to rival Estee Lauder's Double Wear range. Revlon at the moment are definitely in the lead with their Colour stay foundation, especially since developing the foundation to cater for more skin tones and types, making the foundation available for normal/dry or oily/combination skin.

Whilst I wouldn't say Maybelline Superstay 24H stays on for 24 hours (after a day at work it can start to show wear on my chin for example) it is definitely more long wearing than other highstreet foundations i've tried previously (especially the Biodetox - I didn't like it at all!), and can often survive my weekend mid-afternoon naps! It also helps my blusher last a bit longer too, so far (**touch wood**) it's not made me break out, and instead of creating a mask like some long-wearing foundations, it looks natural ("my skin but better" as the reviewer saying goes!).

Photos of me below are around 5:30pm when I got home from work - with and without the flash.

 

If like me you have recently used up your foundation and fancy trying something new, but don't want to break the bank, then I'd recommend this - especially whilst it's on special offer!

Do you have any products you'd recommend I try?

Melanie x

Review: Maybelline Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24H

(phew what a title!)
So following on from the reviews of the other day, i've got another eyeliner for you, this time a gel one: Maybelline Studio Gel Eyeliner (I condensed the full name down a bit!)

This gel eyeliner is one of the new "studio" products from Maybelline which were recently launched, along with the Eye Studio Quads, Eye Studio Mono Eyeshadows, and the Colossal One-By-One Mascara (which I am still debating about purchasing).

What Maybelline say:
Oil-free formula holds highly concentrated pigments in a clear gel base

Smudge-proof and waterwproof for 24 hours

Most intense line for lasting drama                                                    

Safe for sensitive eyes and ophthalmologist-tested

Contact lens safe

 

This was my first foray into gel eyeliners (having previously been using Barry M's liquid liner and the L'Oreal carbon gloss), and i'd heard quite good things about this one (on Blogs and YouTube of course!) so when I saw it on special offer in my local Tesco it quickly got put in the basket. I had originally wanted to try the No7 gel eyeliner from the Limited Edition Spring Collection and the E.L.F gel eyeliner, but the former is always sold out in Boots and i've heard the latter can be a bit dry and difficult to put on, so the Maybelline eyeliner it was!

 

For an RRP of £7.99, in the box you get the little pot of gel eyeliner (very similar to Bobby Brown/MAC gel liners) and a small eyeliner brush to apply it with:

Now as far as i'm aware only shade 950, Blackest Black, is available in the UK right now, but on the Maybelline Website they list 3 other colours: Brown, Charcoal (dark grey), and Eggplant (kind of purple).

The black is a true, intense black and very pigmented.

Using the little brush (of course you could use your own) the gel eyeliner applies like a dream: really smooth and quick/easy to apply.

Referring to the pictures below, the first is the eyeliner first applied at 8am, and the second is at 5pm after i'd come home from work.

As you can see from the second picture the eyeliner has hardly moved, and still looks almost as intense as it did on the initial application. I've heard some people complaining that it rubs off onto the upper eyelid, and given that I have hooded eyelids I would have expected this to happen to me, but happily it didn't! I think using an eyeshadow primer (I used Mac Prep and Prime) really helps its staying power, so i'd recommend that if you have oily lids. It does have excellent staying power, but its really easy to remove, and obviously if you rub/touch your eyes it will smudge. There have also been comments made about the brush (i.e. it hardens up and is difficult to clean) but so far i've had no problems and have continued to use it daily. I know that gel eyeliners can also have a reputation for drying out, but as i've only had this for a short while i'm going to keep an eye on it and report back later.

 

Overall however i'd definitely recommend this - it's helped make eyelining easy for even someone like me!

 

Have you tried it?

 

Melanie