The Mascara Edit #2

 It's been a while since I've done one of these posts, so I thought it was time it made a comeback. My mascara wardrobe has been made up of three drugstore picks I purchased Stateside, and whilst each has their own merits, none of them have totally blown me out of the water. Nevertheless, I thought I'd share the deets with you guys!

First up, the only mascara that is exclusive to The States, the Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara. I bought this completely because of all the positive reviews I've seen across the blogging & YouTube community. It's pretty hyped up. I must admit, the packaging drew me in too, it's so different and unique. It's got a plastic bristle wand with lots of short & stubby bristles, which theoretically should do a good job of getting all the lashes. The formula is a little dryer than I would normally like, it's pretty thick and not the easiest to work with. While there's nothing wrong with this mascara on paper, it's just lacking a little something for me. I was expecting to be wowed, but I can't say I was. It's a nice mascara, but it's nothing special. 

Next up is the L'Oreal Miss Manga Mega Volume Mascara. My first observation here is that the wand is pretty similar to the Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara, unsurprising really since L'Oreal own Lancome, and they are doing a good job of duping their high end brands in their drugstore line at the moment. The wand is tapered, and slightly twisted, and the bristles aren't as close together as I would like. The formula is wet, but not too wet and not at all flaky so no complaints there. I also like that there is a little kink in the wand before the brush, making it easier to move the brush around, and wiggle it into the lashes without getting product all over your face (does anyone else do that, or is it just me?). The problem I have with this is the same problem I have with the Lancome offering, the bristles aren't placed closely together enough to really coat each individual lash, instead they end up kinda clumped together, with massive gaps. You can fix the problem if you spend a while brushing them through, but to be honest it's all a bit of a faff. That being said, a few people have commented on my lashes when I'm wearing this, so maybe it's worth the faff. 

Lastly, the Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Volume Mascara. I think I'm gonna give up trying Maybelline mascaras, they're nice enough but they really never blow me out of the water. This one has a thick, chunky natural bristle wand, which in theory I should love, and a great formula, however something just isn't working right with this. I can spend ages piling this on but it never looks that impressive. It coats every lash but to the bare minimum, leaving them looking pretty much how they looked to start with, just a little darker. Disappointing, because that wand looks like my dream wand!

Sorry that that was a little negative! It's always a shame when products don't work for you, but at least I can give you guys my thoughts!

What mascaras are you loving right now?

SPF's I Love

All of you based in the UK will no doubt be aware of the bizarre heatwave we appear to be having (if not, why don't you? Do you live underground?). Being the pastiest of pale girls out there, this of course means I'll be whacking out as much sunscreen as is humanly possible, to prevent myself turning that attractive shade of beetroot I usually turn. It seems to be working so I thought I'd dish the deets on the three piece SPF dream team I've got covering my back right now.

First up, the over-cautious option, the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Day-Touch Sunscreen in SPF 100+. Did you know you could get SPF 100? I didn't. Despite being ridiculously high in SPF, it's not at all heavy, and it doesn't leave a white cast on your skin so that's a plus. I've been using this for the places that seem to always burn, like the tops of my ears, why do they burn? I've also been using this on my face, and surprisingly it hasn't broken me out! 

If I know I'm gonna be out in the sun, I've been reaching for the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen SPF 30. First of all, why aren't spray sunscreens a real thing in the UK? It's so much easier than rubbing a thick cream in! Secondly, this stuff is the bomb. I just cover my whole body in the stuff and I don't burn. Fantastic. It's lightweight, soaks in almost immediately, water resistant and all in all just fab. The only negative is that it smells like furniture polish. I just douse myself in Estée Lauder's Bronze Goddess perfume after and that does the trick.

For days when I'm not planning on going out sunbathing, I've been reaching for the Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration SPF 10, which is incredibly moisturing, and a great option for when you know your only sun exposure during the day will be when you pop out to get your lunch. It looked super pretty when I got it, with hydrating ribbons swirled through it all, but it's looking a little...brown now. It is incredibly hydrating though, I can skip moisturiser on days I use this!

What are your favourite sunscreens?

5 in 5

So today I thought I'd try something a little different. I tend to get a little rambly here, I'm good at talking and things can get pretty detailed around these parts, so I thought it would be interesting to shake it up a little. I'm going to attempt five mini reviews in five minutes. Five short sharp reviews that give you the facts!

Also, the weather has been so good this week I couldn't resist taking some pictures outside! So much green!

So first up, the foundation I've been wearing since I returned from The States. Despite not having a tan, my regular foundations were too light for me, so I picked up the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation. I've tried the two other Healthy Mix bases and I really like them both so I figured I'd try this one. It's a nice base, a medium coverage with a pretty natural finish, the wear time isn't fantastic but with a good primer and powder, it'll last. I like it, but it hasn't blown me out of the water.

The awesome Daphne got two of these in her Birchbox and kindly gave me one, isn't she a doll? I haven't tried much from The Balm so I was pretty damn excited. It's an itsy bitsy sample size of The Balm's How Bout Them Apples Palette shade Pie, so cute. This I LOVE. It's a gorgeous creamy blush in a pretty pink red, it's long lasting on the cheeks and it blends out really easily. It looks good on the lips too, although it doesn't hang around long and can be a little drying. However, awesome cheek product, thoroughly recommend.

When I saw this lip balm as a freebie in a magazine I just had to pick it up. I've tried a few Rodial products and always been impressed. Whilst I like the Rodial Stemcell Super Food Glam Balm lip's texture, it's thick and feels incredibly hydrating on the lips, the rose scent puts me off massively. If you're a fan of rose though, awesome product.

Another magazine freebie, the Clinique Chubby Stick in Whoppin' Watermelon. To be honest, I'm not 100% sure why I picked this up, since I'm not a massive fan of these. I find them to be really sheer, and not at all hydrating, so I'm not really sure of why you would choose this one. I think there are much better chubby sticks on the market! The Chubby Stick Intense range from Clinique is better if Clinique is your jam, they have a much better colour payoff! This is basically just a sheer tint of colour, and if I'm honest, there are better ones out there.

I picked up this mini can of Percy & Reed Reassuringly Firm Session Hold Hairspray for my trip and have been using it since I've been back too, there's a lot of product in this little can! If you can get past the typical hairspray scent (powdered old ladies) it's a nice product, gives your hair hold without making it feel at all like it's got any product in. A good'un, will definitely be purchasing the full size!

Have you tried any of these products?

US Beauty Haul

It's here, what you've all been waiting for. Head on over to my YouTube channel to see the horrific amount of makeup I bought in America. Be warned, it's a long'un, and there's a lot of lip products!

Click here to watch the video!

31 Days of Lipstick: Week 2

Before we get into today's post, I just wanted to thank you all for your sweet comments on my last blog post. Your support means so much to me, I promise I'll be back properly next week! 

I'm starting to wish I'd never agreed to do this challenge with Tami, because this gal can't take a good selfie for toffee. Also, I know it looks like I'm wearing the same tshirt in day 11 & 13, but I'm not I just have about six of these!

So day 8 was a lazy day, and I literally just wore mascara and lip balm, so that's not very exciting, sorry! The lip balm I went for was the EOS Summer Fruits balm, which once you get through the weird waxy layer is actually a very nice light balm.

Day 9 I forgot to take a selfie so had to take one in the car, hence the glasses. How do people take good sunglasses selfies? Anyway, here I'm sporting the Clinique Chubby Stick in Whoppin' Watermelon, which, if I'm honest, I'm not a fan of. As you can see, it's not got much colour, and I actually find it quite drying on the lips, so I'm not really sure that it's worth the money, there are much better chubby sticks on the market! If you really want a Clinique one, pick up the intense version, they pack a lot more punch! 

Day 10 I wasn't feeling 100% so I spent the day working from the comfort of my bed, with my hair in plaits. I felt like a child. I skipped full on lipstick and went for the Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue Coral Craze, a medicated lip balm with a slight peachy tint. Good stuff.

Since my lips were feeling pretty hydrated after all that lip balm, on Day 11 I went all out with my favourite red lipstick, the NARS Velvet Matte Lipstick in Cruella. You guys know I love this one, long lasting matte colour, that isn't really drying on the lips.

Next up, another hydrating pick for a day spent spring cleaning, the Josie Maran Argan Lip and Cheek Infinity Oil in Limitless Pink (longest product name ever), this is a super hydrating creamy oil in a pretty pink shade, that just packs a moisturising punch and makes things look a little more put together. 

Looking much more polished than I did the rest of the week, day 13 I opted for the Sephora Glossy Lip Crayon in 01 Glossy Pink. These are somewhat like the Soap and Glory Gloss Sticks, but less sticky in formula, just creamy, glossy, sheer pigment in a pretty pink. There's a little more sparkle in this than I normally opt for but for some reason it works! And lastly for day 14, I went for it's sister, the Sephora Glossy Lip Crayon in 03 Glossy Orange. I couldn't take a photo where the colour of this really came across, in the bullet it's a bright orange, but it wears as a sheer wash that is suprisingly...wearable. I like.

Don't forget to check out Tami's post too, you can find it here.

Til Saturday!