New Drugstore Makeup And First Impressions.

On 1st February 2015

I had a serious case of the Monday blues this week.So by lunch time, I decided to do the one thing that is guaranteed to pick my lip up off the floor and I headed to Boots and Superdrug for a much needed (but totally not needed!) beauty hit.

The only thing I was really in need of was a new eyebrow pencil. I picked up the Maybelline brow satin in Medium Brown which is an ash toned brown, thumbs up! It’s double ended with one end being a retractable gel pencil (love these as I’m a lazy sharpener) and at the other end a sponge tip applicator. The sponge contains a powder meant for filling in any gaps and perfecting the whole appearance of one’s brows!

After 3 consecutive mornings of using the brow satin, I’m sold on the gel pencil end.The fine tip and well pigmented but natural colour tone make for foolproof, faff-free brow fills. I’m definitely all about that at 6:30 am! It reminds me of a favourite from back in the day, the MAC brow pencil in ‘fling’ but at half the price.I’m yet to venture to the powder end of this product because it’s an unfamiliar concept. I want to have a bit more time for a play with it.
( I have heard good things though).

As Maybelline is currently on buy one get one-half price, I thought I’d give their new ‘Lash Sensational’ mascara a go. I’m not sure why because I’ve never found a Maybelline mascara that I’ve loved. I definitely prefer Max Factor, L’oreal and Bourjois when it comes to drugstore mascara. Because of the offer and how there’s a bit of a hype around this one I found myself popping it into my basket anyway.

And this is just not the one to convert me to a Maybelline mascara lover. I like the idea of the tapered, curved rubber wand. That’s about all because even after a ‘Shu uemura squeeze’ as always with Maybelline mascara this does nothing for my lashes. I don’t hate it, it’s just ‘meh’ it’s a ‘meh-scara’ 😉

I don’t hate it, it’s just ‘meh’ it’s a ‘meh-scara’ 😉

Rimmel 25 hour nude is the medium coverage version of the much loved full coverage Rimmel lasting finish 25 hour.

A recent release and one that I was keen to try out. Aside from what I think we all agree is an ever so silly 25 hour claim (more like 6) it does what it says on the tin. It’s reasonably lightweight formula means a little goes a long way and it blends effortlessly into skin. It does have a semi-matte finish which picks up on the annoying areas of dryness I have. That aside it’s not exactly hydrating but it is comfortable to wear. So a no-go for very dry skin days. On the whole I’m really liking this. I can see myself using it as both an everyday and evening foundation. It’s the perfect middle ground, flawless finish without being full on.

Rimmel also has an offer on in Superdrug. Currently, it’s any two products for £10. I knew that I wanted to get the soft khol kajal eyeliner in ‘sable brown’ after seeing Tanya Burr use it in a Selena Gomez tutorial last week. It looked stunning on her so it instantly went on my drugstore to get list. I’ve only had the chance to use this once so far but I loved it. It’s so pigmented and creamy, and the colour is perfect for achieving depth and definition without being harsh for daytime wear.I’m really looking forward to using this for my favourite kind of evening bronze/brown smoky eye.

I’m going to carry on trying these products out. If there are any that you would like a full review on let me know. The ‘meh-scara’ mayyy already be in my unloved make-up drawer, however…

What drugstore Make-up are you loving lately?

xxx

Review~ Maybelline Superstay Better skin foundation

By Natalie

On 30th January 2014

In Beauty, Reviews

So, of course, I’m going to give you a back story as to what made me pick this foundation up, I don’t know why I feel the need to do this, it just seems to be my thing! Just scroll a bit if you want to get to the review, I’ll let you off 😉

I popped into Boots last week intending to pick up the L’oreal true
match foundation. I’d heard so many great reviews about it. I
actually had the bottle in my hand and was on my way to the till when I
passed by the Maybelline stand and spotted they had released a new
foundation. I took the gamble having heard nothing about it, put back
the L’oreal (I’m not made of money) and grabbed a bottle,
admittedly not taking a great deal of time selecting a shade because I
was double parked (Oops!)

I actually wanted to write up the review the second after I’d applied it
but it would have gone something like this…
ohmyfreakinggodivefoundmyholygraildrugstorefoundation…and so I held
off. So to give you a more cohearent review, and after a week of trying it
out I can officially announce that this is my new drugstore foundation
love!

If you read all of that garbage, thanks! Scrollers you missed a treat!

Ok, so let’s get on with the review…

Price/size

£8.99 30ml

Formula/Packaging

Liquid foundation/ Glass bottle pump combo

Shade range

Available in 8 shades

What Maybelline say…

Our foundation improves the look of your skin every time you wear it. Skin looks better today, tomorrow and beyond.

BetterSkin reduces the appearance of dull, blotchy and uneven skin, leaving you with flawless, hydrated, even and glowing skin.

It evens out discoloration and brightens dull areas, providing a healthy looking glow from day to night.

The formula is suitable for sensitive skin, contains no perfume, and is non-comedogenic. It is tested under dermatological control.

On Monday morning I applied this and completely forgot to apply concealer, this never happens! So clearly it really does what it says on the tin in terms of coverage and leaving a seriously flawless, even (semi matte) finish.

I have a normal/dry skin type so if my skin was leaning dry I would probably avoid using this. Although it feels smooth and hydrating I can imagine it caking like buggery on very dry skin. There isn’t a specific time frame regarding length of wear among the claims, the back of the bottle just says ‘all day wear’ which I will back up, I apply this and 8 hours later it still looks flawless without powder.

There isn’t a specific timeframe regarding the length of wear among Maybelline’s claims, the back of the bottle just says ‘all day wear’ which I will back up. I apply this and 8 hours later it still looks flawless without powder.

So there is also the claim of “better skin in 3 weeks.” I can’t comment on that just yet as I am just about to go into my second week. I can’t say I have noticed a difference in the condition of my skin, but I love it so much that I actually don’t really care! If that did happen it would just be a (very) nice bonus.

I have the shade 021 Nude which suits my NC25 skin perfectly.I do have a small amount of gradual tan on at the moment so I’m a tad darker but it seems to adapt and blend well to the change.

Some of you may already know that my favorite foundation of all time is Nars sheer glow. This is the only contender for a NARS SG dupe I have found in the drugstore, from consistency to finish. If I was blindfolded I would be hard pushed to tell the difference between the two.

Can you tell I love it??

Have you tried this out?

xxx

Little mix by collection Perrie’s blush!

By Natalie

On 9th January 2014

In Beauty, Reviews

I want to introduce my latest blush obsession to you.

The other day while I was in Superdrug looking for hair bleach (seriously this ombre is taking some getting right!) I picked up this single blush from the Little Mix range by Collection. In the pan, it doesn’t look too special and I honestly don’t know what drew me to it.

I’m not really a big Little Mix fan (although I do love their new song!) So it’s not that. It shall remain a mystery. Anyway, I swatched it and was so impressed with the pigmentation and how gorgeous the colour was! And because it’s by Collection it wasn’t going to further damage my post-Christmas bank balance at £2.99!

My first thought was that it looked like a dupe for Benefit Coralista blush. It isn’t far off, but in real life it is slightly more pink. It reminds me of a mash-up of Coralista and Deep Throat by Nars. It’s definitely in that peachy/coral pink with a shimmer family. It’s a finely milled powder, which is buttery soft in texture. It applies and blends into the skin so nicely! There is some fallout, but tapping off the excess from your brush sorts that. So no biggie.

I feel like I haven’t had a new blush obsession for ages. I’ve been using bronzer alone and skipping blush a lot lately. So this is a welcome addition to my makeup bag! Now I’m looking forward to having another look at the Little mix line when I next pop down to Superdrug. Who’d a thought it eh?

Let me know if you’ve tried anything from the range and if there are any other little Gems worth picking up.

xxx