Review: Makeover Essentials

I'd never heard of this brand before my birthday but I've now acquired quite a few bits from them which I'm reasonably impressed with.

The first is a small, predominantly eye foldaway eye palette which also has 4 lip gloss colours. As I'm not a major lip gloss wearer I haven't got much use out of these, but I do like the grey-black eyeshadow shade as a liner to thicken the appearance of my upper lashes.

This is like a bronze shimmer powder with a built in brush to distribute the product but again I haven't used this much because it's not something I would wear on a daily basis. However, I don't have anything else like this which is a plus.

Another foldaway palette. This has 5 glosses, 5 eyeshadows, highlight and contour colours and 3 blushes as well as mini brushes/applicators, a mini double ended lip/eye liner and a mini mascara which is really good for bottom lashes. I use this a lot and it's really good for travelling as it covers a lot of the basics and the shades are all very wearable.

Lastly I got a brush set with a small angled brush which I use to fill in my eyebrows, a small blending brush for eyeshadow, an eyeliner brush, a lip brush, a foundation brush and a big blush brush.

I like these and I really like the case which is the perfect size for travelling as it's not too big but fits all your essentials in so you never overpack.

Have you tried anything from Makeover Essentials?

Em x

Review: P.S. I love... Volumising Mascara

Okay, so it's been more than a while.... but my lifestyle at uni means I don't really get a chance to blog and revision season is upon us. Despite this, I couldn't not share this new find. That's right for just one measly pound at Primark you can pick up this Volumising mascara and let me tell you, you won't regret it.

So the formula is a tad clumpy/on the drier side but if this is applied carefully and so that it doesn't end up all around your face, well you can see the difference for yourself. The brush has bristles which I find grab and pull your lashes more than plastic wands, meaning a better coating and I particularly like the effect it has on my lower lashes. It doesn't last a lifetime when its on and will crumble a bit if you rub your eyes too much so don't do that, but for £1 I think it does what it says, volumise!! And lengthens nicely too!

Crazy selfie time...

Other make up I'm wearing:

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

ME contour colour from their Beauty Diary kit (post on this brand to follow)

Rimmel Blush in 010 Santa Rose

and Rimmel Apocalips in 102 Nova- not worn this in ages!

Do like the Primark beauty range?

Thank you for your kind eyes on my blog, see you again soon!

Em x

Harry's lipstick

                    

 

Some of you may have realised that I am a massive One Direction fan and I love my lipsticks so it seemed natural of me, when I found out that the two had merged, to pick up one of these exciting new things from MUA.

 

Obviously as Harry is my favourite, but also because since I've been wearing my glasses more I've wanted to wear more red lipsticks to look classy I chose Be Mine from the Kiss You collection and I don't think the packaging looks too shabby! I love the fact that it is signed underneath the bullet cap but the actual lipstick itself is embossed in 'x's and 'o's which I thought was such an unexpected detail for a £3 lipstick.

 

That's another thing, I don't think I've ever paid less than a fiver for a lipstick so the fact that this is less than that and a complete novelty thing is amazing!

 

 It's quite sheer at first but can be quickly built up to fuller coverage and I actually really like it!

 

Have you tried any of the One Direction range at MUA? What did you think of it?

 

Em x

 

 

Review: Revlon Lash Potion Waterproof Mascara

It was only a couple of months ago that I penned my ode to Clinique's High Impact Mascara and how it ticked all the boxes for me, and I still do love the natural look that it gives, however every once in a while, I find myself looking astray of my trusty Clinique, hunting for something new.
To begin with, Maybelline's The Falsies was top of my list to try, but when I was in Walmart in Florida, the Lash Potion from Revlon caught my eye. 

I wanted a waterproof mascara specifically for my holiday to Florida since water rides, swimming, water parks and big thunder storms were all on the agenda so I was keen to put this truly to the test.
In addition to the waterproof formula, the packaging is amazing- it immediately drew me in, and the brush is very big and full though still in the thinner brush category. It's definitely the right size to use without getting mascara goops all around your eyes!

It claims to add "spellbinding volume and supernatural length" which I completely agree with. Again, I have naturally long and quite full eyelashes so you might not be able to tell how much length is added, but I would say volume is added without clumping and lashes aren't spindled together in a spider-like fashion. A couple of brushes with this through the lashes and you are good to go!

Excuse the no make up, but I really like how this mascara looks, it separates the lashes really well too.

Waterproof wise, I wore this almost every day in Florida and it lasted in the pool, in the 6ft super waves in the wave pool at Typhoon Lagoon, on the River Rapids in Universal Studios where not one bit of my was dry afterwards and on huge water slides. To last through all of these as well as just to the end of the day without breaking down or shedding bits onto my face is all I could ever ask for in a waterproof mascara and for $4.99 this is amazing.

You can pick this up from Boots/Superdrug for around £9.99 and if you are planning on going on holiday anytime soon (lucky things) this is must-have! Even if you're not, it's always good to have a mascara that will last no matter what!

What is your favourite mascara?

Also, I'm going to be much more active on my twitter from now on if you want to follow @emilaaarblog

Em x

Review: The Body Shop Hair Butter

Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter - The Body Shop £3

As you may have seen in my previous post, I picked up this hair butter back in June and have used it religiously ever since. I have seriously dry/damaged hair from heat and colouring but I think this has actually made a difference.

I must admit when I bought this I wasn't sure how I would use it. After reading some reviews I decided not to use as an everyday conditioner or hair mask but as a leave-in conditioner in damp hair once it has been brushed through.

It is a really thick consistency but it melts so easily into your palms after you rub it through the ends and once I've dried my hair it feels stronger, more nourished and can last longer between washes! Plus, I actually really like the smell - kind of almondy mmm.

Complete thumbs up from me and at a mere £3 I will definitely repurchase this, if you have quite dry ends I recommend you try this out although I'm not sure it would work as well with oily hair. They do have a radiance version of the hair butter for duller locks which I reckon would work just as well.

Yet another rave review. Have you tried any of The Body Shop's hair products?

Review: Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel range

Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel range - Boots from £2.99

I've just got back from a week away in France and was in need of some skincare to take with me so I took a trip to Boots last weekend. I have been using this stuff since I bought it and I'm pretty impressed!

The Cleansing and Toning Lotion has the tea tree scent which I love, however I don't like the feel of this on my skin, I think purely because I prefer face washes and I'm so used to them. They just make my skin feel cleaner, but this is an okay cleanser- I'm not keen on seeing all the muck from my face on the cotton pad though!

The spot wand is actually really good though, I'm am pleasantly surprised because it wasn't expensive at all. There is one end that you put on the spots during the day as it is clear and one end you use overnight which is a greeny colour. I find that the night end works a lot better than the day end, it almost completely heals my spots overnight which I wasn't expecting at all. I would repurchase this just for the night end so if you're in need of a good spot treatment pick this up right now!

Finally, the night treatment gel completely soothes my skin, it isn't sticky, it dries almost instantly and I think because I've been using it with the spot wand they have become my skincare dream team! So impressed that these can work so quickly. My skin hasn't completely cleared up as these products do not prevent spots but they work so well I'm completely happy that I bought these, especially as I wasn't expecting much from this brand.

I'm pretty sure Boots do 3 for 2 on this range all the time, or they have done every time I've been there so check out this range if you're looking for some new skincare (or even if you're not).

Have you tried any new skincare products?

Review: Borghese Fango Active Mud for Face and Body

Borghese Fango Active Mud For Face and Body - £15.50 (cheapest I've found)

I have wanted to try this mask for nearly two months now after seeing a couple of reviews going round the blogging world and finally it is mine! My boyfriend very kindly ordered this for me as I have been going on about it and I tried it out straight away.

I have horribly spot-prone skin but I'd say it's more on the dry side, probably because I use a lot of drying/strong products to try and tame my acne with still no progress. The mask is a thick mud consistency which goes on to the skin easily and claims to 'detoxify, tone and firm the skin'. You can either choose to apply in a thick layer to clean skin just on the affected areas (where you get blackheads and spots and other nasty things) or all over which is what I did as my whole face is covered in spots at the minute- not nice!

I left the mask on for just over 5 minutes I think as I'd seen it recommended anywhere between 2 and 10 minutes but because it was my first time using it, I wasn't sure how harsh it would be on my skin. This was enough time for the clay-like mask to set/dry though and it didn't leave me blotchy and red or anything.

I used a damp cloth/flannel to remove it and my skin felt so soft on the areas where there weren't many spots. The areas with spots and blackheads on my nose seemed to be reduced a bit too.

I still have the redness but hopefully with on-going use I'll soon see a real improvement!

Have you tried the Borghese Fango Active Mud?

Do you have any other skincare tips to help with my spot-prone skin?

My Current Haircare Routine

I know it's been a few days but I've just finished my 3rd exam so I thought I'd write my next post. These are a few of my current favourite hair products that I use regularly.

I haven't yet found a really good shampoo so I tend to use whatever there is in the shower at the time, but for conditioner I like the Leo Bancroft Sensationally Smooth Conditioner which you can get from Tesco for £4.

It's a rich, creamy conditioner which really hydrates damaged and dry hair like mine. I squeeze any excess water out of my hair after shampooing then rub this into the ends and leave it on while I continue to shower. It's also a great detangler as my hair gets stupidly knotty when I wash it.

Next, after towel drying, I run some Sunsilk Iron Effect Easy Straightening Cream (which I can't seem to find anywhere, I think I must have got it quite a while ago) through the ends after brushing.

This tames any frizziness I get during blow drying and straightens the lengths without using straighteners. I have naturally very curly hair which is an annoyance so I do what I can to minimise any unruly curls. This doesn't weigh your hair down despite the thick consitency but it doesn't do a great job at straightening on its own unless you pull your hair down with a brush as you blow dry it.

After this, I rub a couple of pumps of TRESemme Salon Smooth Serum in my hands and then through the ends of my hair.

This serum is seriously good. It makes my hair feel nourished and so so soft, even my boyfriend has commented on how soft my hair feels when I use this, definitely worth the £4.89 I pay for it from Boots.

Next, I use a heat protectant. My favourite is Andrew Barton's The Straight Answer Heat Protectant Spray which I get from ASc DA.

The best thing about this is the smell! It smells kind of almondy and a bit cocoa-y, basically its just delicious and the scent lasts for ages in your hair too. It also has a good pump which sprays the product in a mist so it covers all of your hair.

Then I blow dry with just my babyliss something-or-other hair dryer and style with babyliss straighteners if necessary.

Then, I'll use this VO5 Ultimate Hold Hairspray to keep everything in place which again smells super nice and lasts all day, as well as brushes out really easily.

For inbetween washes if my hair needs a quick revamp I use the Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush.

This doesn't have the nicest fragrance, I definitely wouldn't say it smells as good as it looks but this is the one I'm trying out at the minute and it works really well as long as you completely rub any powdery residue in. It does make my hair look and feel a lot fresher but I don't use this every day between washes.

Finally, the brush I use is this paddle brush from Primark (I can't link it sorry) which for £1.50 I think is pretty good.

I like using this kind of brush because my hair is so thick and knotty, this just makes it really easy to get all the tangles out and they last for ages. This is a new one but the one I had before lasted me 3-4 years so it's really good value.

 

So these are a few of my current haircare favourites. If you have any recommendations for good shampoos or hair treatments like leave in conditioners or hair masks for dry/damaged hair, please let me know in the comments.

 

What are your favourite hair products?

Review: Clinique High Impact Mascara

Mascara's aren't usually the first thing I'd go looking to buy as I have naturally quite long and curled eyelashes, however a mascara that is easy to apply, natural looking and volumising would be straight on my list.

This mascara does all this stuff  and it is teeny tiny so its doesn't take up loads of room in your make up bag or hand bag and is super easy for quick touch ups- not that this needs any.

The wand is small enough to get every lash but bristley enough to coat each lash with enough product in just one application, it doesn't clump and the formula isn't gloopy. I can't think of anything bad to say!

Here are the before and afters:

As you can see it doesn't volumise that much in comparison to other mascaras like Maybelline The Rocket, but it is super quick to use. I tend to  have to use a lash separating brush after I apply mascara, especially after several coats because I like to have properly defined lashes, but this one defines your lashes as you apply which is amazing. It lengthens so well and as weird as this sounds, I love the colour, it is the perfect black and my lashes still look natural after applying.

Overall, I love this, the clumping thing is always an issue for me so I am so glad I've found this one. You can get this from Clinique counters or their website for £14, or I have the travel sized one which you can get from here for £5.99.

Thank you for reading and I hope you liked my first post.

What's your favourite mascara?