Mini Mascara Maven

Being a shopaholic isn't without it's perks. Okay, so your bank balance never looks too great, and savings is a foreign concept, but there is something to be said for being a valued customer, particularly to high end brands. You end up first in the know when new launches hit counters, and sales associates never hold back when it comes to samples.

During the move between my uni halls and new flat, I discovered a plethora of miniature mascaras hidden about in my flat. None of them had been used. I think because mascara isn't something I tend to top up throughout the day, I never carry it in my handbag, so these handbag sized minis were definitely overlooked. Since the move however, I've made a concious effort to get mini mascara motivated, and now I have them in my handbag, on my desk, on my coffee table, and a stash in my everyday makeup drawers. So here's the verdict...

Benefit They're Real: I got this at a blogging event back at the beginning of the year, and it led untouched in my box of press stuff from then on. You guys know how I feel about They're Real, I just don't really get the hype. I've used up one full size and I was massively underwhelmed. I also find myself trying to pull it off my lashes throughout the day because it's so uncomfortably heavy on. Not a winner in my books. Shame because I love so many Benefit products, I wanted to love this. Read my review here.  

THE VERDICT: 1/5

YSL Babydoll Effect Faux Cils: If you read my favourite mascaras post last week, you'll know that I am a YSL Shocking Volume girl through and through. This is a nice mascara, it lengthens and seperates your lashes well, but it's just lacking in the volume department. Nice for subtle daytime lashes though.

THE VERDICT: 3/5

 Clinique High Impact Mascara: High impact my arse. This is an okay mascara, but it's just that, okay. It's not fantastic at length, it doesn't give much volume, and I find the formula a little flaky after four hours or so. It's an okay mascara, but it definitely isn't high impact.

THE VERDICT: 2/5

 Smashbox Hyperlash: I got this almost a year ago at the Smashbox UK launch, and it was the only product I never got around to using. Despite my innate aversion to plastic wands, I quite like this. Quite volumising and good at length, I just wish it held a curl better, and it does get a little flaky towards the end of the day. I do like this though!

THE VERDICT: 3/5

 Benefit Bad Gal: The first high end mascara I ever bought. I remember getting a miniature of this in a magazine when I was about fourteen, and then saving up for it once it run out. I much prefer this to They're Real. I love the bristles, they catch your lashes really well and add a good amount of volume and length.

THE VERDICT: 4/5

YSL Effect Faux Cils: The original YSL Mascara. I wanted to try this, and I'm glad I did, because I do really like this. Good for volume and length, holds a curl okay too. It's just not quite as good as Shocking. It's good, but it's not wow.

 THE VERDICT: 4/5

Diorshow Iconic Overcurl: My favourite of this bunch. I have somehow acquired three of these. Not sure how, since I own a grand total of one product from Dior. Anyway, the curvy wand means it grips every single lash in one fell swoop, lifting, volumising and lengthening. I will probably buy this when I use up all these minis!

THE VERDICT: 5/5

Smashbox Full Exposure: Marginally better than the previous Smashbox offering, it's basically the same mascara but this one is a bit more volumising.

THE VERDICT: 4/5

Do you own any of these mascaras? What do you think of them?

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?

YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat

I can't believe I've never done a review on this foundation before! This is my absolute favourite, holy-grail, desert island foundation. I've been a lover of this for around a year now, and whilst I flirt with other foundations, but I always come back to this foundation.

I wear the shade BD10, which is perfect for my pale skin! YSL have a very impressive colour range when it comes to this foundations, with each shade coming in neutral, pink toned and yellow toned, so if you struggle to find a good match, chances are YSL are going to have something for you.

In terms of coverage, a lot of people place it differently, but I think this sits pretty solidly in the medium coverage zone. I like to apply it with my YSL foundation brush, because I find they work really well together, and for lighter coverage I sometimes use my RT buffing brush. If I fancier a heavier coverage for a night out, or if my skins not looking great, I'll mix it fifty fifty with my MAC Studio Sculpt, which adds coverage without ruining the finish. A lot of people say to me they use their fingers with this foundation, but I am really not a fan, I just don't find it as flawless, I always end up using more foundation because half of it absorbs into my skin, and I find brushes more hygenic anyway!

I love the effect of this foundation. It's pretty damn dewy, but not in a way that makes your skin look oily at all. It's very soft on the skin, and I never feel like I'm wearing foundation with this!

I always top my t-zone with Rimmel Stay Matte anyway, but I do find this lasts all day on my skin! A winner all round if you ask me!

I rave about this foundation, I've even got my mum loving it!

What is your favourite foundation?

April Beauty Favourites

I know I say things like this every month in my favourites, but I can't believe May starts this week. I feel like it's still the Christmas holidays. April has been a great month, especially when we finally got to see the sun make an appearance! About bloody time too if you ask me.

I've been trying to break away from my wintery staples this month, and edge myself into Spring, even if we've only had a day and a half resembling Spring.

The only beauty thing that really stood out to me this month was Bioderma's Créaline H20, the best micellar water on the (french) market. I like the B. and L'Oreal micellar solutions, but this one really is a cut above the rest. Removes makeup with ease, without drying out your skin like the others, this really is holy grail if you ask me. 

Two new brushes have worked their way into my collection, and heart this month. First up is YSL's foundation brush, which I had to have in my life once I'd felt it. It's so incredibly soft. I know a lot of people like to apply the YSL Teint Touche Eclat foundation with their fingers, but a) you honestly lose 50% of the foundation to your fingers, and b) they probably haven't tried applying it with this bad boy. Flawless application every time. The other brush is one I mentioned in my & Other Stories haul. It's the Universal Shadow brush, and it's fantastic. I use this for everything, packing shadow onto my lids, defining the crease, I even use it to add a bit of highlight under my brow bone. At seven pounds a pop, not only is it crazy cheap, but I actually prefer it to my MAC 217. Definitely need to pick up another one of these! 

An oldie but goodie, I don't really know why I stopped using Benefit's Boi-ing industrial strength concealer, but I plucked this out of the back of my stash (which is getting further and further away) at the beginning of the month, and I haven't stopped using it since. This is a great concealer, super creamy and high coverage. You can read my thoughts on it here.

MAC's Paint Pot in Painterly is something I have worn every day this month. I can't believe I went so long without it! It's a great base for my new MAC palette, which is a combination of my favourite neutrals, Hush, a pink toned neutral shimmer, Quarry, a grey toned taupe, Mulch, a sparkly midtoned copper brown, and Courdoroy, a deep matte brown that also works to fill in my brows. It's love guys, it really is.

Primerwise, I've been loving the Laura Mercier Radiance Foundation primer. I'm dreading when this runs out because it's crazy expensive, but it's so good. It's probably the best primer I've ever used. And that's saying something.

The last MAC product, I know there's been a few, is the Studio Sculpt foundation in NC15. This is a great high coverage foundation that isn't too heavy on the skin, and mixes well with other foundations to give higher coverage. I think I've used this everyday this month!

My lip pick of choice this month has to be Chanel's Rouge Allure Velvet in the shade 37, a bright matte pink which looks amazing on, and isn't too drying. It's so luxurious and smooth, and it applies like velvet. I love this so much.

Last up, two polish picks. First up H&M's Blue My Mind which you all know I've loved, but also Essie's Orange It's Obvious, which I didn't expect to love as much as I do.

So those are my beauty picks of the month, there's quite a few, I know, and this was the whittled down list! It's been a looooong month of makeup lovin'! 

What have been your favourites this month?

The Spring Summer Edit: The Lips Edition

The final part of my little spring summer week? Well it had to be lips. This summer, I am embracing the bold lip, with nothing but a slick of mascara to accompany it. 

My choices? There's a lot of bright pinks in here, but MAC's Lovelorn also made the cut, a gorgeous cremesheen formula that wears as a muted baby pink. For a bolder pink, but with a sheerer look, perfect for the beach, it had to be the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable balm stain, in Lovesick. You guys know all about my love/hate relationship with the Rimmel Apocalips, the general rule for me is I'll wear this if I'm not going to be eating/drinking! It's a lovely shade this one, a darker dusky pink, that looks quite natural on my lips. YSL's Rouge Volupte number 17 might just be my favourite lipstick ever, but if I want a red lip, day or night, I'll be turning to this. Smashbox's Electric Matte Pink is a favourite, if you ask me it personifies summer. Although the Chanel lippie looks similar, it doesn't wear quite as bright and scary! This is a more daytime version of the Smashbox lipstick, but the hefty price tag means I'll be using it sparingly! Coral is bang on trend this season, and there aren't many coral lip products that suit my super pale skin and crazy dark hair combination, but Betty Bright from MAC's Archie's girls collection does the job! And finally, Max Factor's Giant pen stick in Passionate Red is a beautiful darker red, with a hint of shimmer, great for late summer nights.

What will your lips be sporting this season?