Boots haul!

I decided to take advantage of the current three-for-two across all make-up, and this is what I bought:

Natural Collection LashBuild Mascara in Black - £1.99

As I mentioned in yesterday's round-up of what I took with me to Haileybury, my current black mascara is drying up. I decided to get one of their other formulas so I could compare them.

17 Blusher in Nude - £3.49

This is a really nice subtle shade for summer; I look forward to using it lots!

Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Pencil in 071 - Pure White - £2.99

I have this pencil in many other colours, and decided to get white as I had read that it helps to open up the eyes

What I took with me: Haileybury MUN

Last weekend was my last ever high school Model United Nations conference (geek alert!)

This is what I took with me make-up wise, and a rundown on how useful each item was:

1. Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Rose Bud - I wore this and it worked well for me - fairly long-lasting and a nice neutral colour
2. Natural Collection Cream Blush in Rosy Pink - I didn't use this
3. 17 BB Cream in Light - I did use this, I think I might move up to Medium now I've started to pick up some colour in my face
4. Benefit Watt's Up highlighter - I used this for the party, when it was going to be dark
5. 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Belle - another good neutral lip shade
6. Marks & Spencer blusher in Ginger (now discontinued but I have found a dupe)
7. Natural Collection Cover-Up Stick - did use this as I have broken out a tiny bit
8. Miss Sporty nail polish - I had this in my pencilcase for touchups as and when
9. 17 Pencil Sharpener
10. Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipstain and Balm in Carry on Cherry - I used this and it lasted really well, plus it came across really well in photos from the party
11. Natural Collection LashCurl Mascara in Black - I used this each day and it was good as usual, but it's starting to dry out, which is sad as I've had it less than three months - but then it was only £1.99
12. 17 Photo Flawless Eye Pencil in Copper/Black - I used this each day to line my lower lash line
13. 17 Metallic Eye Liner in Green - I didn't actually use this
14. Collection Extreme 24H Felt Tip Eye Liner in Black - my favourite eyeliner. Ever. Did thin discreet lines one day and nice chunky 'Cleopatra' lines the other.
15. Elf eyelid primer in 'Champagne'. Works as it should, no questions asked.
16. Revlon Blush Brush
17. elf Blush/Bronzer/Blending brush
18. Liberty/Hello Kitty eyeshadow palette - I used this, especially the pale pink and adjacent reddy shade
19. Collection Shimmer Shades in Way to Glow - I used this each day
20. 17 All About Nude palette - I used the eyeshadows from this
21. elf elements palette containing a) Sage eyeshadow, b) Wisteria eyeshadow, c) Driftwood eyeshadow and d) Shy blush. I mainly took it for the blush, which I used each day

There we go, a nice summary. I think overall the most useful thing I took was the Rimmel Lipstain - I'm in love with the colour.

Here are a couple of photos from the weekend:

Two Things Thursday: Juicy

Firstly, something that is really exciting: tomorrow I leave on a weekend debating conference. This is the third time I've been to this one and it'll be the last one I can go to, as I leave school this June. I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends there, it'll be great. When I get back I'll do a post about what I did and didn't use of what I took.

Secondly, I'm currently obsessed with this juice. It's really yummy :) It is sold in 1 litre cartons, but this is one of the 250ml ones which I use to take to school to have for lunch, and they're three for 75p.

What's your favourite fruit juice?

NOTD and review: 17 Lasting Finish 'Glisten'

Do you ever have moments where something doesn't work how you thought it would, but you like it better that way? That's what I'm thinking about this nail polish.

I thought it would be a bit duochrome-y, which it isn't really. There's a very slight gold/pink gradient, but most of the time you just see the golden colour, and it's lovely!

Packaging

Fairly standard for a nail varnish, it has a nice long handle on the lid/brush which is good for ease of application.

The bottle contains 8ml, which is the same amount as in the Rimmel 60 second varnishes.

Does it live up to its promises?

This product promises to deliver up to 5 days of shine.

It is very shiny, yes, and the colour does stay on really well. I've had it on since Friday at this point, and while I've had to 'fix' some of the nails, the fix lasts well and blends in, as well as drying very quickly.

I did get bubbles on one nail where I didn't let the coat below dry fully, but the others look fairly perfect.

A downside is that it's very sheer, which could make it really good for syrup nails, and since it dries so quickly it's not an issue that it takes a good three or four layers for full opacity.

It also looks good with one layer over a solid colour.

Something I like about this colour is that it's fairly close to my skin colour, meaning that although this is a little bit of a 'party' colour it actually looks appropriate for anything.

Would I repurchase it?

I would, yes, and I'd consider purchasing others from the range. It sells for £2.99 and is currently on 3 for 2 with the rest of the 17 range.

Long-lasting FOTD and review of Collection Extreme 24H Felt Tip Eye Liner

Often, I see Face Of The Day posts and think 'really? And how long did that last?' so I thought I'd post today's with a picture taken at half past nine, fourteen hours after putting on my make-up.

Products used:

• 17 BB Cream (most definitely still there, I used a cleansing wipe just after taking this picture and it came off onto it)
• Collection Shimmer Squares in Way to Glow (as above)
• Rimmel 1000 Kisses lip stain and balm (this I reapplied throughout the day, but the last time was at about 3pm, so this is still six hours' wear)
• Hello Kitty and Liberty eyeshadow palette
• Collection Extreme 24H Felt Tip Eye Liner Pen (still looking pretty much as new)
• Natural Collection LashCurl mascara in black.

And now the product review:

Packaging

It comes looking like a simple black marker pen - the end of the pen is a different colour depending on which colour you buy. It comes in black, teal, purple and blue. I had it in real about a year ago and lost it, and my mum has it in purple, but it is in black that this liner is indispensable. The lid fits nice and securely, which means the product doesn't dry out too quickly

Does it live up to its promises?

Be bold, bright and beautiful! The fast-drying versatile felt tipped pens give your makeup look an instant burst of colour.

Easy-to-apply felt tip nib for all day long lustrous looking eyes.

Obviously the instant burst of colour isn't applicable for black, but it is very quick to apply.

I totally agree with the easy to apply label, if I can do it, anyone can.

All day long - well, just look at the photo above! It's not even easy to remove with makeup wipes - even though mine say they tackle waterproof mascara. Maybe if I used my eye makeup remover pads they would work? On the odd days when I forget to take my makeup off, my liner is still ready to go the next morning.

It looks equally good when worn as a thin line or 'like Cleopatra' as my uncle put it. It also works quite well for the waterline.

Would I repurchase it?

I already have! Best of all, it's only £2.99!

Shopping!

Though yesterday's and today's weather have seemed to aim to dampen my mood, it's been lovely and sunny this week, so I went shopping yesterday as I have rather a dearth of summer clothes - all my skirts are only decent when worn with thick leggings.

I bought:

A swimsuit from Next. They don't have the picture on the website, but it was the one-piece

version of this (identical on the top, and then the brown from the under-bust band downwards.

It was £22, and one of the few one-piece swimsuits I've found that is long enough in the body and has actual cups (as opposed to just a fabric lining)

These shorts are from Dorothy Perkins. I had been really wanting a pair of shorts like this, and had gone into practically every shop before I found these. Plus, most of the shops size shorts really oddly - by waist measurement - which is bizarre as most shorts don't come up to the waist, and means I can never get the right fit as my hips are a lot bigger than my waist measurement suggests. (Also, a rare occurrence, they look better on me than on the model in the picture, who is wearing a size too small by the look of it).

They were £25 minus 15% student discount.

This dress from GAP was the bargain of the day - its RRP is £45.95 but it was reduced to £19.99. It is a really good length on me and okay for wearing all year round.

(Pictures from the retailers' websites)

Review of Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick, and FOTD

Products used:

• Elf eyelid primer
• Elf eyeshadow in driftwood
• Collection Extreme 24H felt tip eye liner
• 17 Photo Flawless Eye Pencil in copper/black (on bottom lash line)
• NaturalCollection LashCurl mascara in black
• Elf blush in 'shy'
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in One Of A Kind (080)

Review

Packaging

The tube of this lipstick is fairly standard, really, slightly purple and shiny.

Does it live up to its promises?

Locks colour to lips for up to 8 hours. 50% more colour. Soft, smooth comfortable formula.

As we all know, no lipstick will ever stick around for this long. But this lipstick makes a pretty good stab at it. Obviously it lasts differently depending on how much/ frequently you eat and drink, but I've had between three and seven hours from it. A disadvantage is that instead of fading equally you do get a darker line around the edges of the lips, which makes it kind of obvious that you were wearing lipstick and forgot to refresh it.

What they say about the formula is definitely true though. I haven't got the most chap-free lips, but instead of highlighting that like some lipsticks do, this lipstick looks good on. And it smells pretty nice too.

Would I repurchase it?

Definitely, though maybe not in this colour - it is a little brighter than I expected, but I'm making myself wear it - they do say you should do something every day that makes you uncomfortable!

Clinique Chubby Stick - for eyes!!!

Normally I would pride myself on coherent posts, but I'm so excited for this new product, which Jane at British Beauty Blogger tweeted (@britbeautyblog).
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh :D
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone

FOTD: Spring is springing... Slowly.

Products used:

• 17 BB Cream in Light
• Natural Collection Bronzing Pearls
• 17 eyeshadow in Funfair and Walnut Pearl
• 17 Photo Flawless Eye Pencil (review here)
• Natural Collection WaterGuard Mascara in Brown/Black
• Maybelline ColorSensational Lip Stain in Blushing

Beautiful Spring palettes from 17

These aren't yet in my local Boots, but they are online, they sell for £5.99, and the two colours are called Hazy Days and Spring Brights. Personally I'm really tempted by Hazy Days, which is the one at the top of this post, as it has all the colours I like to use for an everyday eye in it.

Which is your favourite?

Review: Garnier Belle Color hair dye in shade 6 - Light Brown, and FOTD

Naturally, my hair is a very very boring very very dark brown - so dark that there isn't really any colour so I wanted to take it up a few colour levels (I'd say I'm naturally a 2 or 3, where 10 is white blonde and 1 is black).

In the middle of December I dyed it the violet from Schwarzkopf's Salon Style range, which was a level 3 colour. So that's what the dye had to cope with.

Method

It's the standard colour cream into developer bottle situation, and there was a lot of product! As my hair grows back out it'll be interesting to see at what point it doesn't feel like there is enough, but there was pretty much surplus product.

There was a bit of an 'aargh what am I doing?!' moment when I saw that the cream + developer solution was a pale yellow, but it was fine in the end, as you can see.

A good thing about this colour was that it washed out quite quickly - last time I dyed my hair it took forever, and two or three washes after I dyed it I was still getting stains on the bath towel - this time, nothing, even though I wasn't rinsing for as long as I'd like to (the hot water ran out).

It also smells lovely. I think the little sachet of conditioner must be from the Garnier Fructis range because it smelled so delicious.

Once I'd used that conditioner I also used a bit of the Percy & Reed conditioner I got free with Glamour, to amp up the softness a bit more

In conclusion, five out of five - my hair feels lovely and soft, and still smells nice.

One odd thing I noticed - on the instructions, after rinsing and conditioning it directs you to 'style as normal' - who dyes their hair before going out for the day?!

Face of the day - products used:

• Elf eyelid primer
• Rimmel Colour Rush Quad in Urban Flower
• 17 Solo Eyeshadow in Green Glimmer
• 17 Photo Flawless eye pencil in Copper/Black
• Natural Collection LashCurl Mascara in Black
• 17 Sheer Finish Mineral Blush in Plum
• Natural Collection Cream Blush in Rosy Pink
• Elf blush in Shy
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in One of a Kind
• Benefit Watt's Up highlighter

FOTD: Sensational Sixties and review of 17 Pure Finish Sheer Mineral Blusher

Products used:

• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in One Of A Kind
• 17 Pure Finish Sheer Mineral Blusher in Plum
• Collection Shimmer Shades Blushalicious (review here)
• Collection Extreme 24Hr Felt Tip Liner

And a review of the blusher!

This blusher sells for £4.69 from Boots, and comes in three shades - I have 'Plum'

I've had this blusher for a while and I really haven't used it enough - it was my first non-palette blusher, and I was really looking for a cream blusher, which I found soon after and so then didn't use this.

Packaging

The packaging of this is really useful for travel - it has its own brush built in. That's also useful because it means that you can't accidentally use a brush with a different shade of blusher in. The disadvantages, though, are that the brush is slightly scratchy, and that it's impossible to wash the brush. Also, on first use, it can take a while to coax the blusher through the brush.

The packaging is also very robust, which I like - it's Lily-proof.

Does it live up to its promises?

On the packaging it says the product has a 'Super-sheer and lightweight formulation'

Whether it's sheer or not really depends on how heavy-handed you are, obviously, but I have found it quite difficult to get a sheer wash. The flush it does produce, though, is lovely!

I certainly agree with the 'lightweight' tag - the blusher feels really nice on the cheeks.

Would I repurchase?

YES! I think I might purchase it in Rose, though, as the Plum is a little too red - though maybe it won't be when I'm more tanned.

High Street vs High End - Guerlain Summer Collection 2012

I read about Guerlain's summer collection here, and I have to admit it's so beautiful, even if it's way out of my price range.

By far my favourite product was the Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder, above, which retails for £33.50, but is currently included in Debenhams' 10% off promotion which John Lewis are matching.

I've found two similar products for less than half the price.

This is Collection's Mosaic bronzer - you can see why I was reminded of it. It sells for £2.99 and might be well worth a try once my current bronzers, Collection's Shimmer Squares in Way to Glow and Natural Collection's Bronzer Pearls, are on the way out.

This is No7's similar offering - their 'Sunkissed Mosaic Bronzing Powder' whose RRP is £12.50. This seems slightly pinker, but also looks as if it has a nice mix of dark and light shades so that it would be adaptable to different stages of tan. Reviews seem to suggest that it works better for the slightly darker skin tones, but is overall a good product - maybe this is one to pick up with your £5 off No7 tillsplit?

FOTD: to the power of two, and review of Elf Shimmering Facial Whip.

This FOTD is so titled because there are two (at least) products used for each section of my face. Also because this post effectively serves two purposes - it's a FOTD post, and it's a short review of one product I used - elf Shimmering Facial Whip in Persimmon

Eyes:

• Elf Shimmering Facial Whip in Persimmon (more on this later)
• Elf eyeshadow in Wisteria (I hit pan on this yesterday, how exciting, my first pan ever)
• Collection Extreme 24h Eyeliner (formerly Collection 2000 of course)

Lips:

• Maybelline Colour Sensational lip stain in Flushing
• Boots No7 High Shine lipgloss in Whisper (layered over the top to give more shine once it had dried.

Face:

• Elf Shimmering Facial Whip in Persimmon
• Collection Shimmer Squares in Way To Glow.
• Boots Natural Collection Neutral Translucent Loose Powder.

And now for the review

I'm afraid this is a rather short review, mainly because I haven't used this product much. The formula and scent are lovely, but it's just too pale for me - I can use it as a highlighter, for which it's okay, and I would do that instead of taking my Benefit Watt's Up on holiday, but it doesn't really work as a blusher on me. If they made this in a darker pink, I would so be there, but they don't. I might invest in it in Citrus though, as I like the formula and I think that colour would get more use.

It's designed as colour you can use on your eyes, lips, or face.

I only tried eyes for the first time today and, again, while the formula is nice, the colour is a little off. It worked well as a base for Wisteria powder eyeshadow though, so I think I shall continue using it for that.

Lips: it's too pale for my skin or tastes. Just looks a bit frosted.

Face: as I said above, it's just too pale to use for anything but a highlighter,

I think this product would work really well for anyone with pale skin, and I look forward to trying it in Citrus.

It sells for £1.50 from elf's website.

Review: Neal's Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture

Free with Marie-Claire this month, which retails at £3.70, is this face moisturiser from Neal's Yard. As my Mum always says, it's only free if you actually want it, and would pay the price to get it. I wouldn't usually spend £4 on a mascara, hence why I didn't buy Elle when it had Soap & Glory's mascara free with it. I would, however, spend £3.50 at least on a face moisturiser - so I did!

On the left in this picture is the free moisturiser, and on the right the moisturiser I have been using and therefore what all the comments are made in light of, really.

First, price. Obviously this tube of the Neal's Yard moisturiser was free, for 45ml, but the full size product would cost £22.50 for 100ml. The Neutrogena costs £5 for 50ml, so would be £10 for 100ml. Because of this price difference, you would expect the Neal's Yard to definitely be the better moisturiser. But is it?

Well, it obviously smells nicer, and I do like the subtly flowery smell - though if I wore very modern non-floral scented perfume, it might clash. The Neutrogena doesn't have a smell - or, at least, it has that non-perfume 'moisturiser' smell, which I'm not a big fan of.

Next, drying time. This is very important if I'm going to use a moisturiser every day - and the Neal's Yard moisturiser was great on this. No more waiting after moisturising to apply makeup - pretty much moisturise and go. By contrast, the Neutrogena takes forever to absorb into the skin - so much so that I end up using it before I go to bed rather than in the morning.

This all sounds very good for my free moisturiser, but there are three points which mean I won't repurchase it:

1. Moisturising action. It works fine on my cheeks, sure, but actually it makes the skin on my forehead (where it is driest) feel tight. When I touch that skin it does feel soft, which makes a change to normal, so maybe the effect just takes time to filter down, or maybe the feeling tight is just my forehead muscles getting used to softer skin - yes, I know that's scientific baloney. So overall this has good moisturising action, but not great, which brings me onto my next point.
2. Price. I'm just not in the market to spend that much on a moisturiser when I have a perfectly good one already - even if the Neutrogena can't fully deal with the dry patch on my forehead, there are other moisturisers around at that price point (such as the dry skin formula of that moisturiser) which might be able to - I'll only repurchase the Neal's Yard if I can't find any moisturiser at a lower price per 100ml that I prefer.
3. Size - a 100ml bottle is fine for on the dressing table, but you can't take it on holiday very easily. Plus with its sticky-out pump handle, it doesn't look particularly robust.

Normally I'd wait for longer before publishing a skincare review, but I thought it would be helpful to publish it while the April 2012 issue of Marie Claire is on sale for a while longer. Overall - a good moisturiser, but not one I'll repurchase.

(and the magazine's pretty good this month, even if I can't afford any of the fashion)

Review: Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstain in 350 'Blushing'

I had been wanting a lip stain for ages and decided on this one. I wouldn't use the integrated balm in some of the lip stain products like Revlon"s Just Bitten, so I avoided those ones. There werent many testers for Max Factor's one, and I couldn't find a colour I'd wear enough - red would be cool, yes, but I'm not brave enough for it. That'll come as celebration when I've lost the weight I'm trying to get rid of.

Packaging

It's a sturdy marker pen, really. I like it - some packagings feel very flimsy, but this doesn't. It does annoy me that it's the American spelling of colour, but hey ho, it's an American brand after all.

Does it live up to its promises?

The Boots website says:

Tint lips with sheer matte colour for a fresh barely there feel. New pen builds for precise buildable colour that lasts!

Why You'll Love It

A fresh new sensation in color:

• Sheer wash of color from water-based pigments

• Fresh, barely-there feel from vitamin-enriched berry nectar

Personally, I really like the product - I like that you can just put it on once, or do a few coats for a stronger colour. This shade is also one I like, a darkish pink that, as you can see in the photo below, looks fairly 'done' even without other make-up.

I agree with them saying the pen is precise - in contrast to lipsticks and glosses, it's very easy to just get the colour where you want it.

The smell is nice - minty and sweet, a bit like dentists' surgeries (are they called surgeries for dentists?)

So far, yes, it does live up to its promises - though I'll have to see how it fares with continued use. It is slightly drying, though, so a balm afterwards might help - I've also heard a lipgloss on top works.

Would I repurchase?

From my experience so far I'll have to say yes, definitely - it's exactly what I wanted

This lip stain sells for £5.99

Project pan update: I failed, but I still won

Yesterday I was in town and bought a Maybelline lip stain and a Miss Sporty nail polish (both of which I'll review). So, technically, I have failed project pan, but I don't actually feel like I've failed. I spent exactly £0 on make-up last month, and yesterday I tried about a million lip stains, thought through whether I'd use them or not, and made a considered decision - escaping superdrug for less than £8.

I also managed to resist the cut price Reclon, Rimmel, Collection 2000, Wet n Wild etc in Poundworld, so I feel like even though I didn't succeed with my project pan, I've learnt how to resist the lure of the cosmetics aisle.

FOTD: Blue Eyes, Blue Eyes

Yes, the title of this post is inspired by the Mika song with a similar name, which is, by the way, one of my favourite songs.

Products used:

• Elf Eyelid Primer
• Hello Kitty Liberty eyeshadow palette (Christmas 2011 special edition). If the shades are numbered 1 to 8 clockwise from the top left, I used 1 as an inner corner highlight, 2 across the whole eye, 6 on the outer half, 5 in the crease and 7 in the centre. This is one of my favourite palettes.
• Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Denim Blue on the top lash line
• 17 Metallic Eye Pencil in Green (discontinued)
• Natural Collection LashCurl Mascara in Black
• Collection 2000 Shimmer Squares in Way to Glow. One thing I've found is that this really isn't that pigmented, so I may try using it with a blush.
• 17 Mirror Shine lipstick in Belle.

February favourites!

Photo from Penelope Row

This is Boots Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Rose Bud. I love it because it's a subtly pretty pink that's suitable for day but still pretty for night

Photo from Midnight Violets

This was free in 17's winter GWP and for ages I didn't use it as it looked oppressively red, but recently I have used it - it's a lovely dark pink that I think would suit all skin tones.

Photo from Boots

I was given this as part of a gift set two years ago, but only just started using it - and it smells really nice. Mine is a mini, which means it's quite good for putting in the bottom of my bag for when I've got to school and am melting.

Photo from Boots

This Soap and Glory hand cream and I have an ongoing love affair. It smells so lovely, of marshmallow and so on, and it works really well. I've also used it as a face moisturiser in a pinch, and it works well for that too. I've currently got a full size one and a mini on the go, and a spare of each thanks to Christmas and my birthday

Photo from elf

This primer has made a huge difference - it means that my eyeshadows stay on just that little bit longer. Plus, because I have it in Champagne rather than Sheer it works well as a pale base across the whole eyelid.

On hindsight, this is a very pink favourites list... Oh well, I'm a teenage girl!

What have been your favourite products to use this month?

Two Things Thursday

This week the two things are cosmetics I've had for a while, that I'm only just getting into using.

1 - 17 Ultimate Volume lipgloss in Very Berry. I like this because it's a lovely dark pink that's fairly long lasting.
2 - Collection 2000 Shimmer Squares in Way to Glow. I've just recently realised that it is basically a one product face - more on that when I review it soon