When Good Mascara Goes Bad...

Mascara. I find reviewing it extremely difficult, because it can be a real "Marmite" product.

Lets start with the brush - some people love a plastic comb, some love a traditional "spoolie" brush. Thats before we even think about the "new generation" of wands which are a hybrid of the two... and what about shape? Straight? Curved? "Spoon shaped"? S Shaped? A spiky torture ball?

Then there's the formula - some love a wetter more runny consistency, while some like a thicker consistenct of product.

Also, every one seems to love a different effect with their mazzy - some like length, others volume, some want curl, some want all three. Some like a bit of a clumping fake effect, others are all about the natural look.

It's a jungle!

One of my all time personal favourites is YSL Faux Cils. As with every single product on the market though, it's not perfect - one of the most common criticisms of the product is that it dries up pretty quick - I've always found that 3-4 months is the longest I can get out of a tube, and at £21.50 a throw, it's an expensive one to fall in love with.

This comes in 6 shades - Black, Brown, Sublime Grey, Violet, Burgundy and Blue. It was also recently released in the high pigment black version - "Noir Radical".

In the past I have only ever bought the normal Black version - I first picked it up for my wedding day (my love of the mascara outlasted the love of the now ex-husband...) and repurchased several times. I then started blogging and testing out lots of other mascaras. But recently I felt like treating myself and this was calling me. I decided to try the new Noir Radical version - after all, a mascara can never be too black really for my tastes.

The packaging and wand are all the same as I remember...

The wand is my favourite type of all - a traditional large, but not too large full brush. It also still has that familiar rose scent to it, which I personally really like - some obviously will hate it though!

It's the type of mascara you can tell you are wearing - its quite dramatic, but I love that - having paid nearly £22 for it, I want it to stand out!

So far so good hey?

But the title of this post kinda gives away the fact that something aint quite right with this mascara.

I'd heard rumours of this transferring and running, but I hadn't noticed any problems... until now.
Consisently this week I have been driving home from work and glanced in the rear view mirror to see a member of Kiss looking back at me.

Ok... slight exaggeration, but there's definitely a problem here...

See that smudgy dark stuff under my eye? That's not actually supposed to be there. I haven't even been rubbing my eyes, crying, sneezing or any of the other stuff I'd expect to cause mascara to run...

Another problem with the mascara is that due to the vast amounts of black pigment in the formula, it's very hard to remove. I use a balm type product at the moment to get this off. I'll often remove it at night, and then on getting up the next morning will notice I have panda eyes after I finish in the shower. I mean I knew that an extreme black mascara was going to be very pigmented, but really? A day later and still there?

The bottom line is though, that I still love this mascara in general. I'll be buying another tube in the future, but this is where me and Noir Radical part company. I'll be sticking to the regular Black version from now on!

BBLL - 29.08.10

Rae reviews a gorgeously packaged mascara that smells like blueberries (no, we're not kidding!) over at theNotice.


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Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation.

When Illamasqua first launched, their foundations were one of the first things I purchased, being the total foundation junkie that I am. I actually purchased the cream version first of all, and I love that, so I went back for more. The rich liquid foundation is a real stand by for nights out, and for days when I don't want my makeup to budge an inch. I also love it for bad skin days - The rich liquid gives absolutely the fullest coverage I have ever seen from a liquid foundation, and I have even used it in place of a concealer when needed. It's a versatile product too, and can be mixed with a moisturiser or a lighter foundation for a lighter look. 

Their light foundation on the other hand has always left me feeling a little undecided. I loved the look it gave, however I hated the fact that it separated like a demon. I could have shaken the bottle til kingdom come, and sometimes separation would still occur. It was like an unreliable boyfriend, always leaving me wanting more, but also feeling like there was so much more potential there...

So Illamasqua were also obviously aware of this problem, and they decided to reformulate the product. I've had this for a good couple of months now, and I have been using it regularly.

So as well as a reformulation, the colours in the range have also been reviewed, and this now comes in various shades, with neutral, pink and golden undertones. This is no bad thing - some of the older shades had a slight grey tinge to them, and in my opinion the new shades are a little bit easier to choose from. The online swatches are very good too, obviously I would always recommend going to a counter for a foundation match if you can, but the website has images of people wearing the foundation so you can select the skintone most similar to yours.

I was sent the shade 135, which is designed for light skin with golden undertones.

As you can see, the design of the bottle has not changed. Its handy to be able to see the colour through the bottle as well, especially if you are using these in a makeup kit, and need to mix shades. Product is dispensed through a nozzle, so it's hygienic too.

The shade range itself seems pretty comprehensive to me - darker shades are covered as well as lighter shades, which is always good to see - there are not many ranges that do this. The shade I was sent for reviewing suits my skintone very well, but I'm pretty sure that there are a couple of others in the range too that I could use to good effect - I'd describe my skintone as neutral but the golden tone in 135 works well on me, and I'd expect 133 (light neutral), or even 140 (medium golden) to work on my skin if I was tanned.

The real acid test though, is whether the old separation issue has been resolved...

I'm pleased to say - and offer the photographic evidence above, that it has! The foundation looks the same now as it did on the day it arrived, there has been no change in consistency, and I haven't had to shake it up for hours on end before I use it. In fact I don't have to shake it full stop.

The foundation offers a fairly light coverage - its great if you have fairly decent skin that just needs a little bit of evening out, although I do use this when I have breakouts, and just supplement with concealer - I don't really like the feel of a full coverage on my skin when I have blemishes - I sometimes just feel like heavy foundations look fine on but feel like they are clogging my skin up even more when it is already upset... does that make sense to anyone else apart from me?

So how does this look on the skin? I think as with most foundations, this will vary according to your skin type - on oilier skins, this will look dewier, and on drier skins it will look more satin or matte.  I personally have dry-combination skin at the moment (it seems to change at different times of year!), and this gives a satin effect on my skin, ie neither matte nor dewy, but very natural looking...

Above - skin before. I've even bravely showed a little blemish here too so you can see how much blemish coverage this offers...

Above - the skin after application.

For some reason, my skin looks a different colour in the two pictures. I think the light might have changed in between taking the first and second pics, because the foundation did not change the colour of my skin! Crazy ass camera - nothing to do with my skills, or lack of on the photography front I'm sure *looks embarassed*.

The important thing to look at though, is the coverage and look of the foundation - its a foundation you can still "see the skin" through, so looks very natural, but it also does a good job of unifying the skintone.  As I have already mentioned, It has given me a satin finish.

This foundation lasts well on my skin too - I do set with powder in the centre of the face, as I do with all foundations, and this lasts throughout the working day for me. This has actually become a foundation I reach for pretty regularly, for everyday use - I don't like to look too heavily made up for work, but there are days when my skin looks dog rough, and this gives me a bit of pep, without looking like I have a full face of makeup on... But basically if you are looking for a full coverage look, this may not be for you!

Because the foundation is SPF free, it photographs well, but obviously you'd need to apply your SPF separately to protect the skin from the sun...

Verdict - great if you don't need a lot of coverage, evens out the skin tone and offers light coverage. May work better for less oily skin types.

Disclaimer - this product was sent by Illamasqua for review purposes. I am not paid for my review, and neither am I obliged to say positive or negative things about products sent to me for this purpose. My reviews are always honest, and based on my own experiences with a product. Please consider your own needs and skin type before purchasing. As always I would always encourage you to read as many reviews of this product on other sites as possible.

New Hair!

My hair has been the bane of my life for a LOOOOOOONNNG time. The last time I got it cut, I was really really unhappy with the result, and so I spent the last 9 months with it tied back waiting for it to grow so I could get a decent style cut into it again.

Yesterday seemed like the right time to break the hair care drought - the Mister was taking me out for dinner and I wanted to look nice, and not have to have my hair scraped back and pinned into place...

It really was bad...

After the last disaster of a cut I got, I was really nervous about getting it cut again.... I developed something bordering on a phobia about going to the hairdressers! The problem is, I am absolute PANTS at explaining what I want - I never explain it right, and as a result I never get quite what I want. Last time I went I asked for layers through the mid lengths to give it more body and I came out with a really terrible cut with one massive thick layer around the middle (you can still see the remnants of it above) and then a kind of floppy curtain of hair below it.

The monster hairdresser who did this also made me feel like a moron because everytime I tried to explain that I wanted more texture cutting in, she gave me "a look" and also made sarcastic comments - "Texture is your favourite word isn't it!", and so eventually I gave up, accepted the monstrosity on my head, and went home and cried about how awful it looked. Then resigned myself to it being tied back for months.

So suffice it to say I was on the verge of a panic attack before I arrived at the hairdressers...

Armed with a picture of a haircut I liked and help from lots of lovely people on Twitter, I managed to get the haircut I wanted!

Dunno why I look so moody in this picture - I was trying to "give good hair" I guess... I was very pleased with it though!

So I got a full fringe cut in, with disconnected chipped in layers... And I am very happy with it.

I went into work today and got lots of compliments - in fact it was suspiciously like they all thought I had terrible hair before this cut....

Can't think why!

I had this cut done at the Toni and Guy salon in Horsemarket street in Warrington, and the lady who cut it was named Nicola, a senior stylist. I also bought a product (restructuring dust) to use at home, and it all came to £57. The moral of the story? Don't go to cut price salons, unless you have been before and they know what you want, do your research before hand,and take a picture.

Eyeko "Saucy" Nail Polish

This polish from Eyeko has been available for some time, but it's one of my fave's from the range, and definitely worth a look.

Above -Saucy polish and Rain polish

Saucy is a lovely hot orange based red - it almost but not quite verges on the coral side. Obviously the formula's of the eyeko polishes can vary - some can drag a little and need more coats. This one is one of my favourites in terms of formula and application - It's not too thick so doesn't drag, and applies smoothly. If you have Eyeko's Coral polish, this remindedme alot of it in terms of formula and application... I personally apply two coats of this, mostly from habit, but this is the sort of polish you could apply in one coat if you have less time.

I have also found that this polish wears well - I never expect high street/drugstore polishes to last longer than 2-3 days, but I applied this on my toes once and it wore extremely well. This is available both in sets an invidually on the Eyeko website.

Disclaimer - this product was sent to me by PR for review purposes. I'm not paid for my opinions or reviews, and they are always 100% honest and based on my own experiences with a product.

New From Illamasqua - Precision Inks.

The promo images released so far for the up and coming "Art of Darkness" A/W 2010 collection from Illamasqua look fab. The range includes two new liquid liner pens - the Precision Inks. They are available now on the Illamasqua Website, retailing at £16.50, and come in two shades  - Abyss, which is a classic black, and Alchemy, a gold shade.

I was kindly sent a Precision Ink in the shade Abyss to review.

The liner is packaged in the standard style Illamasqua black and white packaging, and has a screw on lid with a long handle - the long handle is a real plus point for me, as I find liquid liner to be the most tricky to apply - the handle helps stabilise the product making application that little bit easier and also making the product easier to control...

The actual applicator is a spongy tip, with a fine end, which I find a lot easier than a brush applicator...

As you can see in the picture above, the liner is quite "wet" looking. I did have a little gulp moment at this point, as I have (and always have had) quite liney/crepey looking skin on my eye lids. It's almost like there is too much skin there. I blame my father, he has the same type of lids. Yes, I have checked... and I realise how much that says about my depth of character. And I'm not ashamed.

Anyway, the point is, often liquid liners don't really work for me, as the liquid can "seep" into all of the fine lines and look very feathery on me, a far cry from a nice sharp line which is the look you really want from your liner... So it was with some trepidation that I swatched...

The picture above shows a swatch on the back of the hand - I literally swatched, and then switched on my camera, and took the picture. In the time it took to do that (about 10-20 seconds?), you can see the liner is almost dried, and also, joy of joy's... NO FEATHERING!
*HAPPY DANCE*.

So I put on my steadiest hands, and had a play...

I'm impressed with this product - yes, my application technique ain't perfect, but like I said, many other liquid liners have passed through my hands, been applied once and then never used again, because of the feathering problem - this is one of the first I have encountered that hasn't had that issue. To me, that alone, makes this product worth its price tag.

Also, when Illamasqua describe this as long lasting, they ain't kidding. That swatch I applied to my hand stayed put despite washing the dishes and washing my hands several times after serving cat "food" to Coco and Ren. You need an oil based remover to get this baby off.

I'll be buying the gold version ASAP (That'll be tomorrow then - its payday, another reason for a happy dance!) - I love unusual colours, and the idea of a nice gold line with a coloured smoky eye really appeals to me.

Eyeko "Rain" Nail Polish

I've seen this on a few blogs recently and loved it from afar, so I was really pleased to be sent it unexpectedly for review purposes.

Rain is a lovely pale grey-blue shade, and looks a lot more expensive to me than its price tag sugests... It's currently availabl in a set of three blue shades on the EYEKO website for £8.50. I hope this becomes available on its own too - as I say it's a pretty shade, and to me, this is a little bit different.

Application wise, I found this definitely needed two coats - the first coat applied quite patchily, and there was some definite dragging, however applying a second (thicker) coat, solved this. This to me is a wearable colour, but still a little bit different. It's the sort of shade that doesn't look out of place at work, but is interesting enough that people will ask what shade you are wearing. This pleases me!

Now I just need to learn to apply nail varnish in that lovely neat way some beauty bloggers seem able to do...

Disclaimer - this product was sent to me by PR for review purposes. I'm not paid for my opinions or reviews, and they are always 100% honest and based on my own experiences with a product.