The “I’ve Been Crying” Eye Fixer

I've been meaning to get some more review posts up on here for a long time. While I'm enjoying the post ideas I've been coming up with, I've been thinking about how I use the blogs that I read and generally, I find review posts really helpful so I've been wanting to give you guys some more reviews. So today we have my tear-y time skincare saviour: the Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels.

Skyn Iceland as a brand seem to market themselves for "stressed skin" and as I've mentioned, I've had a rough time this January. Trying to get used to being back at work after a bit of time off over Christmas coupled with some personal-life issues has had my stress levels a little higher than usual and that sent my skin into temporary panic but it's all good now and trust me. After all of that, I can say I've put these to the test.

I apply these to a freshly cleansed face before any kind of toners or spritz or anything and can leave them on for way over the recommended 10 minutes. The gel pads are very flexible and adhere to the skin well. They're so cooling under the eyes and if you have any issues with puffiness these will help reduce that a lot. Also the change in temperature under the eyes is supposed to help with drainage which is understandable, I do think my under eye area looks refreshed after using these.

As much as the gel pads are cooling under the eyes, there doesn't seem to be any liquid residue on them so while they do adhere to the skin I can't detect any additional benefits other than the cooling effect. They will bring down puffiness but don't seem to do anything for redness, nor do they seem to have any moisturising quality to them.

All in all, they seem to work very similarly to other products aimed solely to cool the under eye area. Jade Rollers specifically come to mind but the gels seem to be the lazy-day mask version. However for value for money, the gels come in a pack of 8 gels for £25 and a small Jade Roller is £20 and that can be used over and over. I really do like these and if you've got some serious puffiness going on these might be great for you but for me they don't seem to do enough for me to justify a repurchase. Will be saving the ones I have left for special occasions.

I'd be really interest to try the Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Detox Depuffing Eye Cubes. At £34 for 6 sets, the price-per-use seems to be a bit pricier than the Skyn Iceland gels, but as far as I can see these are something that will melt and leave something behind for the skin to absorb so watch this space for a review on those in the future.

Skint-tember Begins! Top 10 Under £10 - Eyes

So in light of many of you that are jetting off to begin (or continue) your university adventures this month (and because I love a good pun), I thought I'd dedicate this month to budget beauty buys, and what better way to kick things off than a top 10 under £10? This is the first instalment and we'll be focusing on eye products.

I've been loving cream eyeshadows in stick form lately and I've got two to mention today that won't break the bank, firstly theres the Bourjois ColourBand Eyeshadow Sticks. These are lovely, pigmented, long-lasting eyeshadow sticks that are easy to blend and come in a small but carefully selected colour range and you can pick these up in Boots. If a large colour selection is something you're after, the KIKO Long Lasting Eyeshadow Sticks are a little bit harder to find (I'd try the website if you're no where near a store) but the colour selection is insane and they're very comparable to much more expensive formulas.

I've picked out quite a few neutral palettes in a variety of sizes so there should be something for everyone here. If quads are your thing I have two that I like, Soap & Glory Lid Stuff is the most expensive product in this line-up at dead-on £10 but it's lovely and the shade selection in the neutral version is well thought out and comprehensive. If that's a little too indulgent I'd also recommend the NYC HD Quattro Eye Shadow quads, I have the shade "Best of Broadway" and it's lovely but their selection of these is really nice and they're well within the £10 budget.

If you're looking for a slightly bigger eyeshadow palette, again, I have two that I'd recommend. Firstly the Maybelline The Nudes Palette is a great pick, the 12 shades are laid out in the palette to be used as duos, trios or quads or of course you can mix and match the whole palette to create your looks, and the shadows are buttery smooth to apply. Alternatively, you can pick up the Revolution Redemption Palette Iconic 1 (which you'll hear more about later this month) for a mere £4 in super drug. The quality isn't quite as nice as the Maybelline but you're still getting 12 shadows and the price point on this is amazing.

If you're sat there thinking "just give me a loose pigment eyeshadow" you need look no further than the Barry M Dazzle Dusts, they're an old classic but they're brilliant and they're still available in a really good selection of shades (and if you ever manage to finish one, well done to you).

My favourite budget eyeliners are the Rimmel Scandleyes Eyeliners, the shade selection is nice for a high-street liner and the formula is up there with the Urban Decay 24/7 Liners. It was very difficult not to pick up every colour when they first launched.

The brow product I decided to include is the No7 Beautiful Brow Sculpting Pencil, mainly because it's the fuss-free high-street option. The pencil is nice and chunky which makes for a speedy brow application. The shade selection is great and the spool-y brush on the end is brilliant.

And finally, my high-street mascara pick is obviously the MaxFactor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara and I will continue to repurchase this until death or discontinuation (although the thought of it finding a way off the shelves of Boots makes me want to run out and buy 20 right now). It's a brilliant mascara that makes even my worst-of-the-wort lashes look somewhat acceptable.

So there we have it, a round-up of all of my high-street eye favourites, I hope you enjoy Skint-tember!

The Friday Review: Eyes To Mesmerise

So I've been having a bit of a cream eyeshadow moment of late, they're just so easy. It all started when I picked up my first By Terry Ombre Blackstar and has become one of those things that I just keep picking up, and I found myself gravitating to this little beauty:

I was actually looking to pick up one of the Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleons, but after spending around 10 minutes trying to decide on a shade (my eyes are that not-quite-blue-not-quite-green colour that was giving me a hard time to decide) I spotted the Eyes to Mesmerise, particularly the shade "Veruschka" and it was love at first swatch. I've really gotten back into khaki-greenish tones on the eyes and this one is lovely.

The texture is slightly whipped-feeling, it's almost a mousse eyeshadow rather than a cream, and I find that it applies best with a slightly fluffy, but firm-bristled, synthetic brush. You have to work at it a little to get the colour intensity to a full colour which makes it difficult to go overboard with but after that little bit of work it looks great. The only thing I'll note is that the lasting power isn't amazing. I'll wear it for work but if I'm going out after work I bring it with me knowing a quick touch-up in the toilets will be needed before I leave for the night, so if that's a deal breaker you might want to steer clear.

All in all if they're all the same formula they might be a tad expensive for what you get but the shade on this one is just wonderful.