The Best Of Maybelline

Ahh Maybelline. There are a few products from Maybelline that I use all the time, if not daily, but I don't have anywhere near as many products from them as I thought before I sat down to write this post. I think that Maybelline was a brand I reached for in my early teens, when I was first starting to wear makeup, and now, there are a few goodies I reach for, but for the most part, if I'm going drugstore, I generally look elsewhere. 

THE HITS

Mega Plush Mascara: Maybelline do mascaras well. They have tonnes so there really is something for everyone in the line. They are cheap and cheerful and do the job well. I reach for this for everyday lashes, a little volume, a little length, separation and definition, without being too much.

Baby Lips: You guys know I love this. I use the Intense Care one every morning before applying my makeup, to prep my lips for colour, and I use the tinted ones on days when I want sheer colour. These are only £2.99, nice and moisturising and give a good pop of colour. I love the packaging too.

24h Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze: A sheer, but buildable true bronze cream shadow that is easily applied and sets all day. Great base for shadow, but also looks great alone.

Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner: I've tried a lot of gel liners, Bobbi Brown, Mac, Benefit, but this is my favourite. It doesn't dry out quickly, it's jet black and it sets and stays jet black all day. 

Colour Sensational Vivid Lipstick in Pink Punch: I love this colour, it's a bold, but very wearable bright pink. I like the formula of these, but I find all the other colours in the line a bit off.

Brow Drama: My current go to brow setting product. Great shaped wand that allows you to coat the hairs and not half your face, holds your brows in place for the day well, whilst adding enough of a tint to disguise any sparse areas.

Fit Me Concealer: Since I don't get on with the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, I went on a drugstore dash looking for a good coverage, reasonably priced concealer. I do like this, but I don't find it wears particularly well, and I do need to top up by mid afternoon. It's nice under the eyes though, but I still need to use a brightening concealer if I use this.

Dream Matte Mousse: I couldn't not include this, after it served my teenage skin so well. I don't use it anymore since I find it way too heavy, but for oily or blemished skin it's great, it's very high coverage and leaves a matte finish. Shade range is iffy but if your pale, it's great. 

Nail Polishes: I completely forgot to photograph these, but I have six or seven polishes from Maybelline, at least one of each different formula and I really like them all. The best by far are the Colour Stay 7 Day Gel Polishes, that are super pigmented and very glossy.

THE MISSES

The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara: I'm aware that a lot of people really like this mascara, but I really can't get on with it. I find it really clumpy, and way too thick, and I always end up blobbing it on my face. I did only buy it because of the name though.

24h Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe: I thought I would love this since I loved On and On Bronze, but this is a matte finish and just so dry and hard, it's almost impossible to work with. I also find that if I manage to get it on, it makes me look sick. Nice.

Fit Me Powder: I found this powder really chalky and it smelt funny too. I put it on my face and really just don't feel like it does anything at all. 

Fit Me Foundation: I ended up giving this to a friend since it really didn't work for me at all. The first problem is that the idea of this range is that there is the perfect colour match for everyone. LIES. I went for the closest match, but it oxidised on my skin and left me a rather fetching shade of Dorito. Also, this stuff made my skin really oily, and I have normal to dry skin. Weird stuff. However, aforementioned friend loves the stuff, and has repurchased it twice since, so it's definitely a personal preference.

What do you think of Maybelline? Did you love any of the products I didn't like, or dislike any of the ones I love? What do I need to try next?

Top Five Mascaras

I feel like a lot of the beauty posts that hit my blog are individual product reviews, stuff I've bought and stuff I have in my stash, but I very rarely show you the products I use the most. So, enter here the Top 5 Series. Over the next few weeks I'm going to show you the products I reach for most, starting with mascaras, since I think I've got all of one mascara review on my blog! 

Maybelline The Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara: I'm not gonna lie, I bought this because it was new and it looked pretty. The lovely Daniella did a post on this a couple of weeks or so ago which I think really sums up this mascara. It's a good mascara, if you've already got good lashes, or you don't want anything massive. The tapered shape of the brush means that it grabs every lash really well, from inner to outer corner. The formula isn't too thick, so you never end up looking clumpy, and it means you can also use the tapered end for your bottom lashes without getting it all over your face. This has all the makings of a good mascara, but I really wouldn't say it's volumising. Maybe if there were a few more tightly packed bristles, but for now, I reach for this on a more natural day, when I want to define and lengthen my lashes, but I don't want too much going on. I really like the effect, even if it's not too volumising.

£5.99 from Chemist Direct

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara: Normally I'm averse to plastic wands, with one other exception you will see in a minute, but I quite like this one. Now one thing to bear in mind with this mascara, it's really impressive for the first three or four weeks, but after that it just gets a bit meh. But, I really really like the look when you first get it, so for that reason, I will continue to purchase it. It's supposed to contain fibres that attach to your lashes and make them look longer, but you'd never know. The plastic bristles grip your lashes individually really well, seperating and lengthening them. The formula is thicker than the Maybelline offering, meaning you get a lot more volume, and it layers well. My boyfriend always compliments me on my lashes when I wear this mascara, so if he notices it looks good, it must be good! It's on the pricier end of the drugstore, but it goes on offer all the time. Also, I've tried the waterproof version of this mascara, it's shit, don't bother. (EDIT: My mother has just told me off for writing that. I am to tell you instead that it's not even worth a mention. Sorry mum!)

£10.99 from Boots

Yves Saint Laurent Shocking Volume Mascara: The eagle eyed amongst you will notice this is the only high end mascara I've included in this post. The drugstore is filled with incredible mascaras, and I've never been impressed with high end mascaras enough to warrant their equally high price tags. However, a very generous birthday present from my boyfriend last year led to a love affair with this mascara that even an extortionate price tag couldn't break. This mascara does everything right, volume, length, no clumps, holds a curl, stays put all day. This is hands down the best mascara I have ever tried. Spectacular, long thick lashes, perfect for a night out, or a striking daytime look.

£23.50 but on sale for £16.10 from Debenhams

Max Factor Masterpiece Mascara Waterproof: I've tried a fair few mascaras from Max Factor and I've liked them all, but I always come back to this one. It's definitely my favourite after the YSL offering, and definitely the best from the drugstore. The wand is simillar to YSL's Babydoll, but there are more bristles meaning it does more for volume. This is the only waterproof formula that made the cut, I seem to have an aversion to waterproof mascaras, normally because they tend to do little for your lashes when compared to the standard formula, but this one is nice because it does the exact same thing, but lasts longer. A++! 

£9.99 from Boots

NYC Big Bold Mascara: The only mascara that has had a full review grace my blog. The cheapest option of them all, it's pretty good at length and volume, but can flake off if you get hot and sweaty. Can't grumble about the price though! Read my full review here.

£3.99 from Superdrug

So there we go, the lowdown of my favourite mascaras. All of these feature in my daily rotation regularly, and I love them all!

Have you tried any of these mascaras? What is your favourite, holy grail mascara?

The New Thing: Maybelline Baby Lips

A
few months back, my lovely parents bought me a bunch of products back
from America, and amongst everything was a Baby Lips lip balm in Peach
Kiss, since peaches are my favourite scent.The hype around them was just
kicking off so I was really excited to try them. I absolutely loved it
anyway, and it's been used to death, the ends of it is now kicking
around in one of my many handbags. So when it was announced that they
were coming to the UK I was practically skipping with glee. These
arrived in the post Saturday and I couldn't be more thrilled with them.

I've been really busy this month with work and moving, and when I haven't been working (where I have to wear a full face of makeup) I've wanted to tone down the makeup a little, and these have been perfect. Super hydrating whilst adding a wash of colour.

I
got Cherry Me, which gives a sheer wash of deep pink, Pink Punch that's
a pretty bright pink, but sheer enough to not be too much, and Hydrate,
which is clear but slightly more moisturising than the others.

I genuinely believe that these are worth the hype, and they're only £3.99 a pop.

Are you going to pick up any Baby Lips?

The Sunday Five Product Face

Ahhh Sundays. They might just be my favourite day of the week. To me, Sundays are a day of pure indulgence. Luckily for me, my Uni timetable means that I don't have classes on a Monday of Tuesday, meaning that I can do absolutely nothing on a Sunday, leaving all work til the beginning of the week. 

The perfect Sunday to me means a long lie in, followed by tea in bed, and numerous episodes of Man Vs. Food/Don't Tell The Bride/The Big Bang Theory/2 Broke Girls, or anything else that screams self-indulgent trash. Ideally, this would be followed up by a stroll through Hyde Park, or a market, picking up fresh fruit and something for dinner. A few hours cooking in the kitchen, then an evening snuggled up watching Pixar movies, eating something with beef in it, and hopefully a cupcake, whilst popping on a face mask and painting my nails. Bliss.

When it comes to Sundays, I like to embrace the idea of lazy, insert five product face here. The idea of spending hours priming, highlighting, contouring and blending makes my skin reel, so it goes as follows.

A light base goes on the face, ideally this would be some kind of tinted moisturiser or BB cream, but my milk bottle complexion doesn't match any of them out there, so this is where MUA's Undress Me foundation comes in. This is like the lightest foundation ever, barely there coverage that just evens out the skin tone, without looking like you're wearing anything. Pair this with a cream blush, I'm loving the pretty pink of this Topshop blush, in Morning Dew, which gives a gorgeous 'pinch-me-pink' english rose glow. For eyes, a little smudge of cream eyeshadow in the corner does the job, and I love the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze. A little smudge of that in the corner of the eyes is perfect. Match that with a flash of natural but full mascara, such as the L'Oreal Telescopic Lash. Finish off with a pretty pink lipstick, this weeks pick is Viva Glam Gaga.

Right, I'm off to cook a homemade version of a Wagamama dish, and watch the Lorax, enjoy your Sunday!

Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots

 From left to right, Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots in Shooting Stars, Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots in Shooting Stars on H&M Blue My Mind, H&M Blue My Mind

From left to right, Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots in Speckled Pink, Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots in Speckled Pink on Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Dragon Fruit, Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Dragon Fruit

The high street has been going mad for nail art in the last year, and the latest trend they've swooped in on was inspired by the Illamasqua speckled nail paints. Now I'm not one for expensive high-end polishes, so these new Maybelline releases were right up my street. Retailing at a mere £2.99 each they are made up of different sized black and white matte speckles, suspended in polish. Whilst the polish is quite sheer, you can wear these on their own, or you can layer them on a similar base colour to really make them pop. I love these, I've been wearing them just on one accent nail, and on every finger, they're a super easy way to make your nails look a little more interesting!

What do you think of the speckled nail look?