No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Volume + Length Magnified

So today brings us the closing instalment of our Revlon mascara marathon, and I have (accidentally) saved the best for last. While I thought I'd love the All-In-One that we looked at on Monday, it's the Volume + Length Magnified formula that really left a lasting impression on me.

I must admit, I struggled to see what would be different about the claims for this one and the All-In-One, but these claims seem to be a lot more realistic:

"Create envy with every lash flutter using the Revlon Volume & Length Magnified Mascara . The high-shine fibre formula provides amplified volume and length for big doe eyed lashes.

It’s all about the brush:

The Revlon Magnifying Lash Brush has a unique square brush, which anchors the formula to lashes, coating them individually for intense volume and length."

This does have that same lash-fibre formula as the All-In-One, but I feel that the Volume + Length Magnified has a wand that is better equipped for depositing the lash fibres onto the lashes in a way that looks more natural. This wand is a traditional bristle brush and I find that it's a really good size (neither over nor under sized) and that the bristles aren't too long or too short either. It's basically a standard no-frills-attached mascara wand.

I find this product to be very lengthening to the lashes and you can easily build volume with it if you take the time to build it up. I can comfortably apply 2 coats and started to see the tiniest amount of clumping on the 3rd coat but it does give a very fluttery looking lash. I think this is the all-rounder of the bunch, it gives length, volume and the lashes still look nicely defined with this.

That being said - I am interested to see which of the bunch you prefer if you've tried any of these?

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Dramatic Definition

So our Revlon mascaras takeover is still going strong and today we're looking at the Dramatic Definition formula. It's occurred to me that in none of the previous posts have I mentioned the price, I picked mine up at an introductory price of £6.99, but once full price these will retail for £9.99 a piece which seems to be the standard for high-street mascaras these days.

Like the Ultra Volume that we looked at on Tuesday, this was one from the line-up that I really couldn't see working for me since I have quite short lashes and this product claims to:

"Exaggerate your look by using the Revlon Dramatic Definition Mascara. The smooth, flexible formula coats lashes for clump-free definition ensuring lashes appear endless.

It’s all about the brush:

The Revlon Lash Separator Brush coats and separates each lash for dramatic, bold definition, whilst the tiered bristles define and separate every lash, resulting in thick, heavy black lashes."

This mascara has a rubber bristle brush and the bristles are distributed in 5 rows that are quite spaced apart from each other, the tip of the wand is also quite flexible. I picked this up in non-water-proof and I feel like the formula on this mascara is exactly the same as the formula on the Ultra Volume, so a tiny bit of smudging but no flaking.

When I think of defining mascaras I tend to think of "barely there" lashes, or lashes that are naturally long and full looking that don't need much help and with just one coat thats exactly what this mascara does. I find that the first coat with this one doesn't deposit much product onto the lashes and it does leave a really defined look to the lashes.

That being said, if you try to build up any type of volume of length you will notice the definition in your lashes disappear pretty quickly. I can apply 2 coats comfortably and the mascara builds on itself nicely but by coat 3 things can start looking a tiny bit clumpy and I needed the 3rd coat to get the length I wanted.

If your lashes aren't too short or you don't mind a tiny bit of clumping, this might be for you. I also think you'll like this if you're looking for a more natural lash.

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Super Length

Day 3 of Revlon mascara's week and if you're wondering how I'm choosing what order to post these in by now - it's the rainbow song. You know, the one that goes "red and yellow and pink and green...". I didn't want to go in order of preference because I thought it would ruin the surprise of whether or not I got on with it. But that aside, lets have a look a todays pick: the Super Length formula.

The Super Length mascara is the one in the green packaging and as a girl with short lashes, I thought this one would be something I'd get on with. The marketing claims on this product state that it's"

"A luscious formula, which glides on easily and builds up quickly to create incredible lash length.

It’s all about the brush:

The innovative Revlon Stretch Brush tip coats even the smallest of lashes, whilst the long side bristles pulls the high-shine, length fibres through lashes to create serious super lashes."

Now I have no idea what brush the marketing people were looking at when they came up with those claims, but it cannot possibly have been the brush on this mascara. The brush is a stand bristle mascara wand but it's easily twice as big as most, which makes it quite clumsy to apply. I did find that the mascara offered length but it didn't seem any more lengthening than any of the others in the range and it offered next to nothing in terms of volume.

This is the only one from the range that I picked up in the water-proof formula. I don't usually wear water-proof mascara as I don't usually need it but for the purposes of testing I wanted to try one and I found that while the water-proof formula didn't smudge at all, it flaked off more than the non-water-proof formulas.

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Ultra Volume

Day 2 of the Revlon mascara take-over week and today we're looking at the "Ultra Volume" formula in the pink packaging. Of the 5 different formula's available this was one of the two that stood out to me as something I didn't think I'd get on with, but in the interest of offering a complete review of the collection I gave it a go anyway.

We're sticking to the non-water-proof formula so in terms of smudging and flaking it's really similar to yesterdays pick. The main difference I found in the formulas was that this one doesn't seem to have the little lash fibres. Here's what the claims are:

"Introducing Ultra Volume Mascara, allowing you to create massive, volumised lashes with a conditioning, clump free formula, which plumps lashes for intense volume.

It’s all about the brush:

The Revlon Lash Plumping Brush has triple grooves to hold the mascara formula for maximum lash volume, whilst the short and long bristles eliminate clumps; ensuring lashes are thick and voluminous."

So the brush on this one is a standard bristle brush but I do think the bristles seem to be a bit more spaced out than they are on other wands I've seen. I also notice that while the wand doesn't seem to be upsized at all, the bristles do seem to be a bit longer than you would typically find on a traditional bristle mascara wand.

I'd say of all the mascaras in the collection, this one has the most accurate claims. On my lashes it gives a lot of volume and not much else. It's not particularly clumpy for such a volumising mascara but it does give that almost spider-y look to my lashes. I think this is because while it's really volumising, it offers little in terms of length and so if you have shorter lashes like mine, this isn't going to balance them out amazingly.

I personally think I'll get the most use out of this product as a layering mascara on top of something that's really lengthening just to add a bit more drama. However if you have long, thin lashes, this might work a treat for you.

No Money March: New Revlon Mascara Marathon - Ultimate All-In-One

So we're having a theme within a theme this week. We're on a month of high street beauty bits and I'm devoting this week to a pretty big launch from Revlon. I've liked a few of Revlon's mascaras in the past but they recently pulled the plug on every single mascara they had on offer and replaced them with a new line of 5 new ones, all targeted at a different lash concern.

Today we're looking at the Ultimate All-In-One Mascara, which is the one with the red lid, and after looking at the marketing behind these mascaras, this was the one I wanted to try the most. Revlon market this as "the holy grail of mascaras" and claims that it features

"5 lash transforming benefits leaving no lash behind, allowing you to achieve:

- Volume

- Length

- Definition

- Lift

- Intense Colour

It’s all about the brush:

The revolutionary small but mighty Revlon Power Mini Brush has a hollow core, designed to maximise the amount of formula to the lashes, as well as a unique mini oval shape for easy application, which reaches and covers every lash to create an intense and unbelievable length lash look."

If those aren't bold claims, I don't know what are. Honestly? I was really disappointed with this one. I find that while the hollow sections are intended to hold product to create an "unbelievable length lash" actually make it near impossible to build any length at all. As I applied the mascara volume built up very quickly and as I applied more coats to try to build length I found my lashes started to look clumpy.

The formula also has little lash fibres in the formula but the teeth on the wand aren't long enough to comb through the lashes so any fibres that are deposited onto the lashes aren't necessarily straight. In terms of the formula I got the non-waterproof and I didn't notice massive amounts of smudging or flaking and it was easily removed at the end of the day with a cleansing oil.

The Friday Review: KIKO Lash Growth Mascara

I've had this one in the working for a while but the packaging said it takes 30 days of consecutive use to work and with it being a lash growth product I thought it would be more fair to follow the directions for use. I've recently gotten quite into using KIKO products and I'm super excited to hear that they're opening a location in Manchester soon (although I will soon be penniless I can imagine), and this really intrigued me.

The packing for the product is nice, it's quite a standard size for a mascara and the metallic finish on the tube is a nice touch. You get 8ml of product and it's around £8 a tube which is a good price for mascara, considering brands like MaxFactor and L'Oreal are charging £10+ for mascaras these days.

Since it's supposed to be worn as a regular mascara I figured I'd mention how it wears. The effect on the lashes is very natural so if you're someone who likes big fluttery lashes this might be a disappointment but I used this as a base coat and often went in with a more dramatic formula on top and this gave me the look I liked whilst still being able to use the lash growth. It didn't flake or smudge on me either.

In terms of it's effectiveness as a lash growth serum, I'm not sure. I tried to take before and after photos but it's actually really hard to photograph your own lashes and I'm not at the point where I have a cameraman to help me with the blog so I don't have anything to compare but my ashes do seem to look a tiny bit longer. It's definitely not a dramatic growth and if you have short lashes to begin with (like me) you might not see much of a difference but I feel like my mascaras are sitting on my lashes better these days.

All in all, it might be a bit of a gimmicky product and I'm not sure the amount of growth I've got from the mascara made it worth the 30 days of extra effort applying my makeup. If you're really struggling with short lashes though it might be worth picking up, I suppose mascaras always work differently on different people.

Disappointing Products: High-Street Fails

I'm not a massive fan of the typical "disappointing products" posts as they can be a bit negative and obviously everything in beauty is subjective and just because I didn't like it, doesn't mean you won't. So this isn't a post of me saying "I hate this product, don't buy it". It's me saying "This is a product I may or may not use or enjoy, but I was disappointed with it BECAUSE...", and in giving my in depth opinions, I hope I can help you make your own decision on whether or not it's something you'd want to give a go.

A quick one because I mentioned this in my review post last week is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation. I use this a lot and I love the coverage it gives, it's actually a beautiful coverage and the finish looks great in pictures and I'm really not knocking it in terms of it's appearance. That being said, when you see "25hr lasting finish" on a foundation bottle, you expect it to be a least somewhat long lasting and, for me at least, it's just not that product. Maybe it's not intended for my skin-type or maybe there's something I'm doing wrong with my application, but for me, it needs a mid-day touch up as it deteriorates in my t-zone by lunchtime.

Mascaras always make it into disappointing products posts it seems and the one I've been really unimpressed with lately is the Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara. It doesn't seem to do anything for my lashes at all except tint them. I have quite straight, short lashes so I need a mascara that does it all really and this one just didn't seem to do much.

And finally for makeup: the New Look Pure Colour Eyeshadow Pencil. I've been trying out a lot of shadow sticks lately and for me this works more as a sticky base if you wanted to go in with a powder shadow after applying. The colour is beautiful and it applies nicely, but it seems to blend out to nothing and even afew applying a few layers, it still looks sheer. It's a shame because there's lots of products in New Look's line that I've heard great things about and the concealer in the line is amazing, but these were just a bit of a miss for me.

A couple of skincare bits that I wasn't much of a fan of are both exfoliating products interestingly enough, the first being the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Serum, firstly, it's heavily scented and I really don't get on with the fragrance in the product. That aside it just didn't seem to do much for my skin. It's the only exfoliating serum I've tried so maybe my skin just prefers a manual or liquid exfoliant but Nip + Fab do some amazing glycolic pads so the serum was a bit of a disappointment by comparison.

The last product I wasn't such a fan of was the Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Cleanser which is a 3-in-1 product that is basically an exfoliating cleanser. I used this quite a lot when I first got it and really enjoyed it, but I tried to come back to it recently after not using it for a while and my skin seems to have gone off it. It leaves my skin feeling red and irritated and I think it's just a little bit too harsh.

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!

Review Friday: No7 Extreme Length Waterproof Mascara

I'd noticed that my Friday review posts had been quite skincare heavy since I introduced it as a weekly theme post and today I want to rectify that so let's talk make-up for a minute or two. I recently picked up a mini of the No7 Extreme Length Waterproof Mascara and while I know mascara can be one of those things that are quite personal to the user, I thought I'd give my 2 cents on this one.

Okay, so my first point is this: the name of this mascara is EXTREME length. So I applied it thinking I'd have some really good lengthy lashes by the end of the first application. Wrong. While you can build up a decent amount of length of your lashes with a few coats, it does take a little bit of work and it's not a false-lash look by any means. Although the product doesn't advertise any volume-building qualities, I thought I should mention that I didn't really notice any difference to the thickness of my lashes with this mascara, even after multiple coats.

 I road-tested the waterproof claim at the gym, after an hour and a half of cardio/resistance training in the middle of summer (where, trust me, there was a lot of sweat happening - keeping it real) it didn't seem to budge at all. That being said it's not one of those waterproof mascaras that's removal proof. I just popped a bit of my Superfacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C Cleansing Oil into my fingers, massaged gently into my lashes, removed with a warm, damp wash-cloth and it was gone.

So the verdict? Not very well advertised with the "Extreme Length" name, but for what I'd use a waterproof mascara for (bottom lashes or a gym mascara) it's pretty perfect, not sure I'd pick it up again though because I'm not too fussed for waterproof mascara.

March Favourites

It's monthly Favourites time again and this month is a good mix of products with some skincare, body care, a few bits of make-up and even a fragrance.

So I have two absolute skin saviours this month. As you may have heard a few posts back, I've had some really unusual (for me anyway) problems withs spots. I used to get one or two big spots around that time of the month but since hitting my twenties, that hadn't really been a problem for me unless I'd been really naughty with my skincare or my eating habits and I was a bit lost for solutions. I'd seen a few recommendations from bloggers for the REN Clarimatte Clarifying Toner and it's ah-may-zing. I stripped my skincare right back to the bones and started using this morning and night, just targeting my problem areas and it's cleared things up a treat. I've even started using it on some acne scarring I had on my face, chest and back from my teenage years and it even seems to helping with those. I'm amazed.

My other strange skin situation this month has been on the opposite end of the spectrum. I've had the driest skin known to man on my feet (TMI, I know) but I did. I've been applying Soap & Glory Heel Genius as often as I can and it's easing the drought quite considerably. Thank heavens.

Another Soap & Glory product I've been loving this month is their Archery Brow Pencil in "Hot Chocolate". This is the one with the pencil on one end and the spoolie brush on the other and it's great. I was loving the Maybelline brow pencils but the fact that they didn't have any kind of brush was making them a bit difficult for me as I often do my make-up on the go and the Soap & Glory option takes up a lot less space in my make-up bag so it's a winner.

I tried Benefit's Roller Lash Mascara this month and I love it. It's exactly what I like in a mascara. Gives a curl, a little bit of volume and a lot of length, I only have the mini that I received in this months BirchBox but I can see a full-size purchase happening soon. I've also been embracing a more eau-naturale look with my make-up and so my bolds have been put away in favour of shade like the Nars Satin Lip Pencil in the shade "Descanso" which is a lovely nude, not too light and not too dark, it's a perfect everyday lipstick for the girl who wants a neutral look. Also? No need for a mirror, and the formula is nice and comfortable.

My mum bought me a bottle of Ghost's Eclipse perfume for Christmas and I hadn't really worn it all that much. I've had Nina by Nina Ricci as my go-to fragrance for a while and it's the one most people seem to like on me but I fancied a change and so spritzed this on a few weeks back and I can see it taking the drivers seat for my spring and summer scent this year. It's fresh and citrus-y but it's also a little bit sweet even a tiny bit floral at the same time and I'm hooked.

The Valentines Take-Over Part II - The Dinner Date

So whether your other half is treating you to a luxe meal at that restaurant you've been eyeing up for ages, or it's just you and your best mate going for a cheeky Nando's (My best friend and I just so happen to be frequenters of the cheeky Nando's). I've come prepared with a line up that's fool-proof.

When it comes to a night-out option, it's less about the pampering and all about the make-up for me really. I want to enjoy applying a night-out face, so this routine may contain more products than usual but it's a winner every time. While I would normally gravitate towards a bold lip, when it comes to food things can get a bit messy, and so I play up eyes with a dusting of something dark and shimmery, and lashings of mascara. Here's a typical dinner-date stash.



I'll kick things off with a primer and right now I'm all about the MaxFactor FaceFinity Foundation Primer, it' basically glue for your face and works well under the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation which will give you that my-skin-but-better glow. To amp up that glow a little more I add a tiny bit of Benefit High Beam highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones and then set everything in place with Soap & Glory's One Heck Of A Blot powder. With it still being cold outside (it's been snowing in Manchester *sigh*) I skip blush and just add a good dusting of Soap & Glory's Solar Powder to the cheeks for a winter glow.

With complexion done, we'll move to the main event, eyes. To prep I sweep a dot of the Urban Decay Primer Potion across my lids and then gravitate to something grey, bronze-y or slightly plum-y on the eye. My go-to's of late have been "Smog" (From the Urban Decay Naked Palette), "DTF" or "Angel" (Both from the Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette). I tight-line with Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in "Perversion" and line my water-line with Rimmel Scandeleyes Liner in "Nude". For an indulgent mascara option I'd go for Urban Decay Perversion Mascara but for something more budget I love the MaxFactor 200 Calroie Curved Brush Mascara and then fill my brows in with "Buck" eyeshadow from the Urban Decay Naked Palette.

For lips I'm keeping it simple but a girl's got to have options, I have 3 neutral-lip favourites in a format to suit everyone. For the lip-pencil-lover I'd say the Soap & Glory Sex Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in "Nudist", for a traditional bullet lipstick the Esteé Lauder Pure Colour Envy Lipstick in  "Dynamic" is great slightly deeper neutral. A new-to-me gloss option that I'm currently loving is the Lipstick Queen Big Bang Illusion Gloss in "Creation" - and for those saying "Lipgloss? On a date?" yes. Though this gloss is shiny and shimmery, it's not sticky at all and feels almost balm-like on the lips, wears off nicely and won't leave you in a mess.

A Boots Moment

So I had a bit of a moment in boots the other day. I had points boosters, there were offers on, it was dangerous territory and some serious spending may have happened. After wandering into the isles looking for a tube of my old favourite mascara, I ended up having to go back for a basket, and the contents of the final purchase looked like this:

Left to right, from top left corner: MaxFactor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara, Maybelline Colour Tattoo in "Eternal Gold", Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in "Frambourjoise", MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in "Soft Pink", Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in "No. 51", Maybelline Colour Tatto in "Vintage Plum", Bourjois Rouge Edition Velver in "Hot Pepper", MaxFactor Facefinity Foundation Primer

So I was a tad indulgent, but as I said there were offers on and most of these are products that I've been eyeing up for ages, and with my points boosters enabling me greatly I gave in to temptation.

My first base product purchase of the day was the MaxFactor FaceFinity Foundation Primer, and as mentioned in previous posts, I'm an oily-skin sufferer. This primer is intended to extend the wear of your foundation and claims to be an "all day" primer. I wouldn't say the "all day" claim is quite lived up to (at least not on my face) but I should say I can have some lengthy days, I can spend anywhere up to 11 hours in the office some days and I have a good 1.5 hour commute each way, so I didn't really expect it to last until I got home, but it definitely gets me through the bulk of the day. It smells a bit funny, slightly glue-esque, but since it pretty much glues your foundation to your face I guess that's slightly appropriate.

I'm not normally a girl to change things up foundation-wise, I have my Revlon Colourstay for everyday, Illamasqua's Skin Base for when I feel like something a bit more luxe, and I rarely buy any other foundations. That being said the Bourjois counter had an offer on so I picked up a bottle of their Healthy Mix Foundation in the original formula. It's more glow-y than I'm used to, but I was finding that layering a matte powder over a matte foundation with a mattifying primer underneathe, everything was just looking a bit flat, so the glow is definitely welcomed. It smells delightful when applying and when worn over a primer it lasts most of the day and adds a bit of life to the skin. And best of all? Even though I'm ungodly pale, they have a colour that matches my skin fairly well (the lightest one, surprise surprise).

A final complexion Product I picked up is the MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in "Soft Pink". This is kind of a blogger-classic product these days, so I figured I had to try it. I've tried it once to give it a test run and it's pretty, a sheer, sheeny, healthy pink on the cheeks. I personally apply it after foundation and then use my normal face powder all over my face to set everything in place. While I can't see it being something I'll reach for much in winter, come spring and sumer I think this might even make it into the makeup bag.

So while I did get distracted, I managed to pick up the product I was intending to get, the MaxFactor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara. While I love my Urban Decay Perversion, it is pricey, and for day-to day use, I wanted something a little more on the purse-friendly side of things. This one is an oldie but a goodie, I used it back in my poor-student uni days and it's definitely something I'm happy to have back in my collection. It's very black, holds a curl well and adds length as well as thickness.

Again a product that's so hyped here in the online beauty world, the Maybelline Colour Tattoos. They were buy-one-get-one-half-price so I picked up two shades, "Eternal Gold" and "Vintage Plum" and I can finally see what all the fuss is about. "Eternal Gold" is one of the standard more metallic finishes and blends in beautifully on the eyes, and while the leather-effect-finish "Vintage Plum" is slightly more sheer and requires a little more work to get the desired finish, I can say it's also a good'en.

So finally, we have my favourite category, lip products. I love a good bold and have heard a lot about the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets, so I thought I'd pick a couple up and see for myself. I picked up shades "Hot Pepper" (a statement orange-y red) and "Frambourjoise" (a slightly deeper bright pink). They're comfortable to apply and set down to a a lush matte texture (that, admittedly, can be a bit drying after a few hours) and haven't got any nasty smell going on. And while they're not quite as long lasting as I'd hoped (lets face it, I don't think the bold, all-day lipstick will ever exist - but a a girl can dream), they stick around for a good few hours and I find that only the centre of the lip ever needs touching up. If you're looking for an affordable, long-wearing bold, they're definitely worth a go.

Next post coming up on Friday - A Winter Skin Saviour. Hope you enjoy! - Jodie