Empties: Round Five

We're very much about using up things here at JodieMayBeauty HQ so, without further a-due, here's all the products I've used up over the last few months: part five.

Bath & Body

I feel like we need to talk shower gels, because oh my have there been some used up around here lately. I have a full sized Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash which I'd definitely buy again, I love how massive these are and the pump-style packaging is so handy, whilst they aren't the most lather-y of shower gels the scents make up for it and the Sugar Crush scent is my absolute favourite.

I've got a 50ml mini of the Therapie Boost Hair & Body Wash and a 30ml mini of the L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel and I feel the same about both: the scents are amazing, and they're not stripping at all, but for the price, the lather just isn't there for me. You end up using so much product on each use because the formula refuses to lather so I on't be picking up more. Finally I've used up a 50ml mini of the Rituals Zensation Organic Rice Milk & Cherry Blossom Foaming Shower Gel Sensation, which I love. I've already bought a full size, the scent is amazing, the lather is lovely, it doesn't strip the skin and bonus: the packaging is lovely.

Another product from Rituals I've used up lately is a 70ml mini of the Fortune Scrub Invigorating Body Scrub. I didn't like this as much, the scent was fine but it wasn't quite scrubby enough for me. I've also finished a packet of the Serenity Dead Sea Bath Salts, I got these in a Birchbox a while back and it was hard to use them up a I don't really think they do anything: much prefer the Neal's Yard ones or the Therapie ones (they also seem to no longer be stocked on Brichbox's website).

For the boring bits I've gone through a Mitchum 48hrs Unscented Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant Stick and a Dove Original Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Spray. I think next time I'm going to go for a Mitchum spray as the Mitchum formulas work really well but I'm moving away from roll-one lately. And my final body product is the Soap & Glory Heel Genius Foot Cream. I think we're all aware by now that it;s my favourite and that I have backup upon backup of the stuff. 

Haircare

Not a whole lot for haircare this time around, but we do have both a full size and a mini of the OGX Renewing Argan Oil of Morocco Conditioner (which means I haven't done an empties since at least November - no wonder it's a mammoth one!). This is just my go-to repurchase-it-pretty-much-every-time conditioner now. I also finished off the L'Oreal EverStrong Reinforcing System Body & Strength Shampoo - same deal here, I'm not too fussed about which shampoo from this line I pick up but it's always from the Ever-Something range. Love that they're SLS free and this one gives nice volume.

A haircare product from L'Oreal that I wasn't so sold on was the PureColour Radiance Enhancing ystem Dazzling Colour Refreshing Mask. I just don't think it did all that much except make the hair a bit shinier than some things - but there's plenty of conditioners that are easier to use that do the same thing.

Makeup

I'm sure no one is surprised that I've managed to polish off two more compacts of Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder, need I say more on this stuff? It's been the only powder I've used for a solid year now. Love. I've worn an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner Pencil in "Zero" down to a little nub. I prefer the "Perversion" shade that I'm currently using just because it's more of a true black.

The L'Oreal Lumi Magique Highlighting Pen was nice but was very similar to the New Look one, which seems to be a bit cheaper, so I think I'll go for the New Look one again next time. Similarly I've finally used up a bottle of the Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray but I don't think it doesn't anything more than the setting spray L'Oreal brought out recently.

And my last makeup product is the Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara - which did nothing for my lashes and was near impossible to apply without getting it on your eyelid or poking yourself in the eye. The brush had really long stiff bristles on one side and really short little nubs on the other side, such an awkwardly shaped brush.

Skincare

I've got quite a few single-use face masks in my empties this time around, the first one being the H&M Charcoal & Volcanic Soil Single Use Mask (only available in store - sorry!). This range of masks come in little 10ml pods so nice for travel but a bit wasteful in terms of usability - I feel like 10ml is enough for 2 applications but the packaging won't keep the product for enough time once opened to use it again. Other than my packaging gripe I really like these - I find this mask in particular to be a lot like the Origins Clear Improvements Active Charcoal Mask so if you were thinking of picking that up maybe try this first.

I've also tried the Superdrug Superfruits Exfoliating Mask. This one sets down on the face like a clay mask but has scrubby particles so as you rinse it you get a bit of exfoliation, I'd use this again. I've tried two masks from Nspa recently, the Deep Cleansing Mud Mask and the Radiance Boosting Mask, I did a review on these masks *here* and I don't really rate any of them, love a lot of things in the Nspa range but these masks are just so harsh on the skin.

I've managed to use up my Sainsbury's Vitamin E Cleansing Lotion, and while it wasn't anything special, it does the job. It's gentle on the skin and it's fragrance free so good for sensitive skin and it's a decent cleanser - I just have things I prefer so won't be picking up another. The story is pretty much the same for the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, I used up a 20g mini of this and it's a decent cleanser, but not something I'll be repurchasing as I prefer other things.

I wasn't sure if my 25g mini of the Neal's Yard Frankincense Nourishing Cream was supposed to be for your body or your face a first but I looked into it and it's definitely a face cream. I feel like this is another one of those "it's nice but not nice enough" reviews, I enjoyed using the cream and the effect on my skin was nice, but I have other things at the moment and I'm not really missing this at all.

I got a 10ml tube of Clarins Extra-Friming Tightening Lift Botanical Serum and that is lovely, I'm trying to get through some other serums that I have in my collection right now but I can see myself picking this up again eventually. I've also worked my way through my La Roche-Pasay Serozinc which I already had a backup of in my collection and this is just one of those have-to-have-it products.

My final product is a bit of a weird one, I had a single-use sachet of the Derm Eyes Makeup Remover Wipe that I got in a Birchbox and I really couldn't make up my mind on just the one use. These are little individually wrapped pre-moistened makeup remover wipes and they sound like a great idea for festivals and things like that but they're £9.50 for 12 wipes so really not an affordable product. I just feel like I didn't have enough to go off with it and have really been enjoying the Olay Daily Facials Cleansing Cloths which are considerably cheaper.

Empties: Round Four

So it's time for another empties post, and this time it's a big one. I'm not sure if I've left it a little longer this time around or something but there seems to be a lot more here than previous empties posts I've done. But without further a due, lets have a look through my beauty rubbish.

For body I have two scrubs this time around: the Mr Bean Coffee Bean Scrub in the Mandarin scent. While this was a really good scrub for exfoliating, I just can't get behind how much of a mess it leaves behind. The scrub is black and completely dry in the packet and it goes everywhere and leaves black muddy marks all over the place. My favourite scrub of the moment is one that I've also used up recently: the Soap & Glory Pulp Friction this stuff is amazing. It really clings to the skin as you use it and the scrubby particles are perfect, the scent is also really nice. I'm yet to find anything better.

For body cream the only thing I've used up this month is a mammoth container of the Soap & Glory Butter Yourself body cream. I love the texture of the Soap & Glory body creams but the "Butter Yourself" scent really isn't one of my favourites. Will pick up another but in a different scent next time. I also made my way through a Mayan Spa Reviving Body Wash. This just didn't lather up enough for me, much better shower gels available on the market.

I've gone through another Dove Invisible Dry deodorant. This was my deodorant of choice for a long time but after trialing something else, I'm having a break from the Dove. I've been trying out the Mitchum range after having used up a mini of the Mitchum Spray Deodorant on my trip to Amsterdam and I loved it.

I finished up my mini of the Therapie Himalayan Detox Salts. While I do think I'll be going back and picking up some more, I currently have a massive collection of bath things that I want to work through before I buy anymore. These are a great pre-bed-time bath product that really get you ready for a good nights sleep.

The Soap & Glory Mist You Madly Body Spray is something I've been really enjoying as a day-to-day fragrance that I'd wear to work and such. While I love my luxe perfumes they're just too expensive to be throwing on all the time so this has been great.

On my weekend trip to Ireland I knew I'd only need to be washing my hair once so I took one-use sachets of the R+Co Gemstone Colour Shampoo and Conditioner. I really enjoyed these and a full size of the shampoo in particular will be added to my stash soon.

A shampoo that I wasn't so keen on was the Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo. I got a sample size of this in a Birchbox a while back and it's just a bit too clarifying for me. A shampoo I'm definitely going back for is the Bumble And Bumble BB Hairdressers Invisible Oil Sulfate Free Shampoo. I love this shampoo as it leaves my hair clean but silky smooth.

Finally for hair I have a Co-Lab Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo in the Monaco scent. Now I really wanted to try some Co-Lab products but I think I made a duff choice as Ive heard a lot of people saying the extreme volume collection was once of their less-successful launches. I'd like to try one of the normal dry shampoos as this one left a white cast and made my hair feel really product-heavy and apparently, the regular ones don't do that - will check back on that one.

I have a few different bits of makeup to talk about this time around, first of all the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara and the Subversion Lash Primer. I loved the Perversion mascara as it was super black and made my lashes look lovely but for higher-end mascaras, I prefer the Clinique High Impact Mascara. The Subversion lash primer wasn't my favourite, but I don't normally get on with lash primers anyway.

Sadly my Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer in "Light 2 Vanilla" has come to an end. I love this concealer but I think I need there to be 1 shade light as Vanilla is a hair too dark for me. I've been using the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer more recently and that's a better shade match and it's very similar in formula. I've also gone through a whole bottle of Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in "N51 Light Vanilla". Again I loved the formula but the shade was a bit dark (come on brands! We pale folk need base products too!). Would repurchase if they brought out a lighter shade.

So now we're looking at my skincare empties and there's a whole lot of those this time too. Firstly we have a sample size of the Goldfaden MD Doctors Scrub. Not my favourite. I found this super harsh on my skin (it feels like it would be too much for my body, never mind my face), won't be using again. A sample size of the Bioderma Sébium H2O Micellar Solution has also found it's way into my empties bin. Again, not my favourite, I'd like to try the regular Bioderma micellar solutions but I preferred the Garnier one to this.

Another Yes To eye cream has been used up, this time it's the Yes To Carrots Moisturising Eye Cream. This is a lot creamier than the Yes To Cucumbers version but I don't think it was enough for me in terms of moisture. The skin under my eyes can get a bit dry at times and I need something a little more rich. I finally made my way through a whole bottle of the Superfacialist By Una Brennan Vitamin C Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil. Already had a backup waiting once it started getting low. This is my favourite cleanser for makeup removal.

I've also finished off a whole Sarah Chapman Skinesis Intense Hydrating Booster. I did really enjoy this serum but for £59, it's a bit steep when for me, I like Indeed Lab Hydralyron just as much. The Sarah Chapman is a bit silkier and feels nicer going on as it's more liquid, but the indeed labs is less than half the price and give the same results for me.

And finally, we have two naughty skincare products. These products aren't in here because I used them to the end, they died on me. The Soap & Glory Off Your Face 3-in-1 Daily Purifying Cloths dried up before I could use all of them. I must admit I don't use face wipes very often but I don't expect them to dry up. And sadly, my REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial seems to have gone off. I went t use it the other day and it had gone completely liquid and there was no way of it staying on my face. This was one of my favourite masks but I'm not sure about it if you have to use the whole tube really. I think I've only had it for around 5 months? :(

Empties: Round Three

As part of my pledge to use up my stuff, I'm here with another empties post. Sadly my backups drawer seems to fill up just as quickly as I manage to get through stuff (I blame the Boots 3-for-2 offers). It's a good mixed bag this year with lots of bath and body, some hair, skincare and even a little bit of makeup, so since we have a lot to talk about, lets get on with it.

So I've worked my way through 2 shower gels this month (is it just me that seems to have 2 or 3 different shower gels in the shower at any one time? Hopefully not?). The first of which being the Radox Nourish Shea Butter & Ginger Shower Cream. This is a great shower gel that you can usually find on offer for £1-£2 and the scent is amazing. Lathers well, smells great and lasts quite a long time for the price, a nice unisex shower gel that I would repurchase if I didn't have more shoer gel than I'd care to admit waiting to be worked through. I've also finished a mini Life NK Ultimate Unwind Body Wash. The scent on this was just a bit bland and it was pretty expensive for how average it was to use. Wouldn't pick up another.

I used up two of my back-ups of Lush Butterbear Bath Ballistic. They're essentially the Butterball Bath Ballistic but slightly smaller, cheaper and bear shaped and were a limited edition release last Christmas. I picked up a few because I like to put Butterball in the bath with bubble that doesn't give you that hydrating feeling to make them a bit more luxurious but I only have a little bath in my bathroom so the smaller-sized christmas releases are usually more than enough. I hope they bring it back this Christmas.

I've also used up quite a few body moisturisers. One I wasn't so keen on was the Soap & Glory Girligo Spray-On Body Moisturising Mist. I love S&G's body butters and body creams but this spray was a bit flimsy for me and my skin didn't really get on with it, I'd rather just go for one of the other formulas from them in the future. I also used up the last of my Aromatherapy Associates Renewing Rose Body Cream. This is one of the nicest smelling body creams I've tried in a while and I was sad to see the last tiny bit be used up, at £36.50 for the full size it's a bit overly pricey for me to justify a repurchase when the texture wasn't much more than that of a £10 S&G body cream but it was a treat to use up.

If you want a body lotion that's a bit of a treat but that won't break the bank quite so hard as the Aromatherapy Associates choice, let me point you in the direction of the Cowshed Gorgeous Cow Blissful Body Lotion. At £18 for 300ml, it's not too expensive but the scent and the texture on this is really nice. One thing to keep in mind with this one is that the scent is really quite strong and it will linger on the skin, Space NK are currently advertising a gift set with this body lotion and the shower gel that might just make it onto my Christmas list this year.

A few picks for hair, I'm sure no one will be surprised to see the L'Oreal Pure Colour Shampoo in an empties post. This was my favourite shampoo for a while but last time I went for a repurchase it was out of stock and since I've tried the Ever Strong from the same range and I think I actually prefer that one. The L'Oreal sulphate-free range in general is a really nice one and I'm sure you'd be able to find a formula to suit your own hair needs.

I've also got two heat protectors in this empties. The Vo5 Heat Protect is my all-time favourite that I continually repurchase and will continue to use and love and I've been through another one of those but I also tried the Bumble and Bumble Hairdressers Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer and used up that. It's a nice formula and the scent is lovely but for me it was just a bit too heavy in the roots of my fine hair and while it was nice through the ends and I did manage to use it up, I'd rather just stick to my Vo5 next time.

I finally made it through my giant pot of Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm. I will more than likely be picking up another eventually but right now my cleansing cabinet is so over-flowing that I can't justify it just yet. It's a lovely cleansing balm that's equally good for make-up removal or an AM/PM main cleanse. Another skincare pick I've worked my way through is the Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel. While I used this up and didn't mind how it felt on the skin, the texture was a bit lumpy and it's not quite as cooling as other formulas I've tried so I can't see myself repurchasing this one.

And finally, some make-up picks. I had a mini of the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara and thankfully it dried out on me pretty quickly. I really didn't get on with this mascara, it did nothing for the length of my lashes and just made them look clumpy and spider-y. I also made it through another Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot Powder, need I say more? I've got back-ups upon back-ups of this now and have pretty much given up on testing other formulas, it's my favourite setting powder by a long shot.

And there we have it, another empties over. If you have any recommendations for things I should try that could make it into the next empties post, give me a shout in the comments section.

The Friday Review: Esteé Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation

So this isn't a new release by any means, but I mentioned it in a favourites post not too long ago and thought it deserved a post of it's own. Minus my brief stint with the Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation, I've never been a big spender when it comes to foundation. That being said, I'd been struggling with foundation breaking down on me this summer and wanted to try this to see how it faired.

First off, the shade range on this foundation is pretty good. I feel like brands on the whole have gotten a lot better with their shade ranges as I always used to struggle to find something light enough to suit my ghostly complexion. The packing is also quite nice, both in the sense of it's pretty with the nude bottle and the gold lid but it's also good for travel since it's a plastic squeeze-tube container.

The formula itself is nice, it goes onto the skin like a moisturiser and has a buildable light to medium coverage. It evens the skin tone out well but I'd still go in with concealer to cover up any blemishes or under-eye issues. I like how my freckles peek through this foundation a little and feel like this helps he foundation to look really skin-like. The finish is quite middle-of-the-ground, it's not super matte and it's not super dewy. I still like to set it down with a powder to matte it down a bit, but if you're a dewy girl you could mix this with a liquid highlight to get some more glow.

The wear-time is nice. I've come to the conclusion that there isn't a foundation in the world that can handle my summer t-zone so I always find myself having to touch-up that area but everywhere else wore perfectly through full work days. If you really struggle or you need it to last it pays nice with primers to give it an even more long-lasting effect on the skin. This is the foundation that I reach for when I'm going out after work because it'll only need a tiny bit of touching up to look decent again once I've clocked off.

A Thing For Eyeshadow Sticks

I've loved eyeshadow sticks since the days of MAC Shade Sticks and while my original cream shadow stick is long gone it's nice to see that the format is coming back and other brands are releasing their own take on this convenient, multi-purpose product. In this post I'm going to have a look at some of the highs and lows of what's on the market at the moment.

So lets just get the most disappointing pick out of the way shall we? I'd heard lots of great things about New Look's recent beauty launch and some of the face products I've tried have been lovely, but their Pure Colour Eyeshadow Sticks didn't hit the mark for me. The colour is so sheer that I can't imagine anyone would be satisfied with the colour pay-off enough to leave it as it is and i just needs to be topped with a powder shadow. With that in mind it's been really ard to test the actual lasting power of the product, because really it doesn't manage to last through the blending process, never mind the day.

I had a very similar issue with the NYC City Proof 24hr Waterproof Eyeshadow. I couldn't really test the lasting power or the waterproof claims of this products because it's so sheer that for me it's an eyeshadow base rather than an actual eyeshadow. This product also has the disadvantage of having the worst packaging for an eyeshadow stick, the lid isn't secure at all and will 100% fall off if you tried to travel with it.

The No7 Stay Perfect Shade And Define eyeshadow sticks are a little better. A decent colour selection and the colours show up nicely on the eye but these one's struggle with wear time. If you're out for a couple of hours this might be an option for you but it does crease even when set with a powder shadow after a relatively short amount of time.

Things are starting to look up with the Bourjois ColourBand Eyeshadow & Liner. These are actualy really nice, creamy to apply, nice pigmentation and wears well on the lids. The only problem I have with these is the shade selection is quite small. They do have classic black, brown and champagne colours as well as a few wearable brights but the colours are generally a bit shimmery and they could do with expanding the range a bit more to include some more unique colours.

A comparable product to the Bourjois is the Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleons. These are great eyeshadow sticks that are pigmented, easy to apply and last well on the eyes. The thing that sets the Colour Chameleons apart for me is the shades, I have the shade "Golden Quarts for Hazel Eyes Day" and it's so unusual. I'd pitch the shade as a rusty gold with green-ish undertones and it has flecks of golden glitter and it was just love at first swatch. They also have an amazing green and a gorgeous smokey purple that I may have to pick up in the future. At £19 each they're a treat but hey aren't too crazy for what they are.

If you're looking to really treat yourself and are looking for an eyeshadow stick, you don't have to look any further than the By Terry Ombre Blackstars. They've been mentioned on the blog before and whilst they are unbelievably pricey for an eyeshadow pencil, they are also really nice. The shade selection for these is so on point, there doesn't seem to be a single colour that doesn't look pretty and they're so unique that I can just about justify spending the money on them.

However my top eyeshadow pencil pick is the KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows. They're pigmented, long-lasting, easy to apply AND they're £6.90 a piece. So you can pick up 4 of these for the same price as just one of the By Terry and they're so comparable. Last month in my "Highstreet VS Highend" post (clicky link here) I mentioned KIKO's "05" being a pretty perfect dupe for By Terry's "Misty Rock" and with 31 shades in the collection, I can imagine they'll be something for everyone.

The Skint-tember Finale - Highstreet VS Highend (Drugstore Dupes/Alternatives)

We couldn't end Skint-tember without looking for some high-street alternatives to higher end products and I've had a good rummage through my collection over the last few days to pick out some that I think are great.

I'll get this one out of the way because I have already mentioned it this month but I thought I'd touch back on it in case you missed my original post: if you still have took the plunge and picked up the Urban Decay Naked Palette and the price is putting you off, you might want to give the Revolution Redemption Iconic 1 Palette a go. The original post include side-by-side swatches so you can see how close they come and it's a steal at just £4 compared to the Urban Decay's £36.

My First ever MAC Lipstick was their "Lady Danger" which is a great matte orangey red. The dupe I've found for it is the Maybelline Colour Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in the shade "Fab Orange". While I would say that the Maybelline is a teeny bit darker and slightly less orange-y toned than Lady Danger, on the lips you wouldn't be able to tell that it's two different lipsticks. Additionally, I find the pencil application method of the Mabelline makes it easier to get a smooth lip line without having to use a lip line.

I love Estée Lauder Colour Envy Lipsticks and the shade "Tumultuous Pink" is a particularly nice, bright pink shade. In the picture I'm wearing "Tumultuous Pink" on the bottom lip and on the top lip I'm wearing NYC Expert Last Lip Colour in "404 - Air Kiss" and, again, they're practically identical. If we're being picky the Estée Lauder is a tiny bit more blue in undertone and obviously has a better wear time but the NYC is much more of an affordable option at a mere £1.99.

I've been a fan of the Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners for years and last year I picked up the Christmas set that included the shade "Faint", it's a lovely light brown that offers a subtle definition that I really like on the lower lash line especially. Side by side against the Rimmel Scandleyes Eyeliner in "004 Taupe", you can hardly tell a difference. "Faint" is a tiny bit warmer than the Rimmel option but the lasting power is very comparable and the Rimmel is just as creamy to apply.

When I was building my first ever MAC quad, I made the mistake of picking up a shade without swatching it first and got suckered in by how lovely it looked in the pan. MAC's "Gleam" is an amazing glittery peachy-pink shade but it's a nightmare to apply, it's bitty in texture, the glitter falls down constantly, and by the end of a day wearing it you have no eyeshadow left on and glitter all over your face no matter what you're using for a base. So while It does actually cost a tiny bit more to pick up the L'Oreal La Palette Nude Blush, you're getting more colours for your money and the 5th shade from the left is a dead-on match for "Gleam" but it's nice and creamy to apply and doesn't fall down at all.

And finally, the dupe that I'm most excited by. When I first heard about the By Terry Ombré Blackstar in "Misty Rock" I had to have it, it was so unique and the formula was nice too, but the £28 price tag made my eyes water a little bit. I justified it because the colour was so unique and I've used it a tonne, but then I picked up the KIKO Long Lasting Stick in the shade "05" and it's identical in colour and the formula is creamy and long-lasting. I will continue to use and love "Misty Rock" but when it's time to repurchase, I think I'll be picking up another from KIKO.

Fleur's Lip Launch

When Fleur De Force announced that she was releasing a makeup line I headed straight to feel unique and signed up to the waiting list. In her videos her lipstick has always been something she gets right and I just had a feeling that the lip products in the range would be something worth trying. While the eyeshadow quads looked nice they weren't really unique to me and I decided against picking them up but maybe I'll give them a go if she releases some more unique combinations in the future as they did look nice.

While they're currently only being sold on FeelUnique.com the price £6.99 each price point puts them as a high-street product for me so I thought it would be fair to include them in skint-tember and for the money they seem to be really nicely though out products, I can see myself possibly trying out some more shades in the future.

So I just picked up two shades to begin with, and the shades I have are "Starry Starry Night" and "Written In The Stars". I like how she's got a clear theme with the product names but I do think that it will be hard to continue with the "star theme" if she goes on to release more products but I like the amount of thought that's gone into the products. I picked up a light shade and a darker shade to see if there was any difference in the formula and from what I can see it's a nice consistent range and both the lighter and darker shade show up glossy and opaque as the mentioned in the description for the products. The packaging is also nice, a gun metal top and doe-foot applicator and the "Fleur De Force" logo on them, and the lipgloss tubes reflect the colour of the product inside which I like.

In terms of the actual formula, the glosses are thick on the lips and you can feel them during wear but they are a smooth texture rather than a super sticky gloss. The thickness gives them a decent lasting power on the lips and they're comfortable and moisturising on the lips rather than sticky feeling. Fleur describes them as "somewhere between a lipgloss and a liquid lipstick" and I can see why she'd use that description, they're glossy in finish but are also opaque on the lips and don't need too much building-up. I will mention with the darker shades, I did experience a slight bit of bleeding with "Starry Starry Night" and that's not something I get very often with lip products so if that's something you struggle with I'd keep that in mind.

Review Friday: Revolution Redemption Palette Iconic 1

Sticking to our affordable beauty theme for September I thought I'd try out some majorly affordable make-up products and picked up some bits from Freedom at Superdrug (sorry Boots, you're still my favourite). I got really excited about their Redemption Palettes as they're often coined as being the perfect dupes for the Urban Decay Naked Palettes and that was a theory I needed to test.

So firstly, packaging wise, I actually prefer the packaging for the Redemption Palettes than the original Naked Palette packaging. The Revolution packing is compact and has a good close and the plastic makes it easy to keep clean, my only complaint packaging wise is that there's no mirror, but in their defence, they're £4 a palette so I guess I can forgive that.

Shade wise, I can see why there's a lot of hype around these palettes, heres how Redemption Iconic 1 swatches shade-for-shade against the Naked 1:

And the shades are super pigmented too so that's really nice. My only point is the blendability of the shadows. Although the Revolution shades are super pigmented, they don't blend together as nicely as the Urban Decay shadows, but for £4 VS £38, if you're thinking of picking up the Naked range, I'd give the Revolution Iconic Palettes a go first.

Brand Binge - Maybelline

I've seen a couple of vloggers do videos where they focus on one makeup brand, do a full face with products from that brand and then review the products and I was interested to see how that concept translates into blog from. So I thought I'd have a go and here's the first brand: Maybelline.

So first things first: foundation. The foundation I picked for this post was the Dream Satin Liquid Foundation in the shade "10 - Ivory" which is a tiny bit too dark for me but other than that teensy issue (which lets face it, I have with at least 90% of base products) then this is quite a nice pick. It's very emollient on the skin which makes me think you might really like this if you have a dryer skin type and I'll definitely have to check back in winter once my face starts to dry up a bit on that front. The coverage is decent for a very natural-finish foundation and the lasting power is good. The thing that really makes this foundation stand out for me is how nicely it breaks down on the skin, it doesn't leave you patchy or orange-y at all.

My second base pick is the Instant Anti-Age Eraser Eye Perfect & Cover Concealer, which I had to majorly hunt down to get my hands on. The shade "light" was particularly tricky to track down but after getting my hands on one, I can see why. Much like the foundation I picked up from them, it's a nice coverage without being heavy and it's hydrating but stills packs a punch where lasting power is concerned. The price points on these products are brilliant too, definitely worth a go I'd say. (Although whats with the sponge-tip-thing? trés germ-tastic if you ask me).

To set everything I dusted on some of the Fit Me Pressed Powder in "115 - light" (are we sensing a theme here?) which is a product I usually keep in my hand bag and while it's great for on-the-go touch-ups, for me, it's not a setting powder. It's a lovely, finely-milled powder that's weightless on the skin but for me, the oil control just isn't there and it doesn't lock my make-up in place the same way as a MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Natural or my Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot, for me those to are the bench mark for setting powders and this just doesn't seem to be one of those products to me.

To chisel in some cheekbones I reached for the Master Sculpt Contouring Palette in "01 - Light Medium" and this has quickly become a staple in my collection. It's the perfect contour for those with a fairer skin as it's light but it's not orangey or muddy. Then to warm up the cheeks I nipped in to the blush side of the Dream Sun Bronzing Powder With Blush and ran some of the bronze-y side down my neck to blend the foundation in with my actual skin tone. Now for me, this was a flat-out bad product. The Master Sculpt and the Fit Me Pressed Powder are finely milled and pigmented powders, so Maybelline can do a good powder formula, but I found the Dream Sun to just be a bit chalky and I felt like I had to do a lot of work to get some colour out of it. I'd give the bronzing blush a miss if I were you.

Then moving on to eyes, I used the Eye Studio Colour Tattoo 24hr Gel-Cream Eyeshadow in "05 - Eternal Gold" as my base, from what I could see Maybelline don't currently offer a standard primer that would be comparable to say the Urban Decay Primer Potion but the Colour Tattoo's are great for holding powder shadows in place. I was going for a gold-y shadow look on the eyes and this made the colours pop a bit more and kept my shadow looking fairly polished all day long.

I topped the Colour Tattoo with some shades from their The Nudes Palette, which I've been reaching for a lot recently. The shadow's are buttery soft and I find the formula completely comparable to more expensive brands, the shimmers are slightly easier to work with than the mattes but you get 12 shades for around £9, which compared to the Urban Decay Naked Palette range, it's a steal.

I tight-lined with a little bit of the Master Drama Khol Liner in "Ultra Black", which I'd completely overlooked for a while because I'd gotten very much caught up in the Rimmel Scandleyes ones but these eye liners are not messing around. Creamy to apply, good lasting power, It's safe to say I won't be picking up another Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in "Perversion" while Maybelline still have this formula on their shelves.

To finish off the eyes I brushed on a few coats of their The Colossal Volume Express Cat Eyes Mascara which was a dud for me. Mine came with a massively faulty wand that was bent in on itself to the extent that I had to re-work the wand to actually use it, and the formula just did nothing for my lashes. I'd love to try a few more from the line as I was under the impression that Maybelline were sort-of known for their mascaras but this just didn't hit the mark for me. I used the Brow Satin Brow Pencil in the shade "Medium Brown" to fill in my brows. I really liked this when I first got it because tit has both the pencil and the powder and I was just getting into pencil brow products at the time, now I'm more into a pencil formula I find I rarely use the powder end and would much prefer a spool-y brush on the other end. That being said, the pencil is nice and the shade selection is quite good, especially for the price point.

And finally, the lip. I'd left it quite neutral on the eyes so I wanted something a bit punchier on the lips so I slapped on their Colour Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in the shade "410 - Fab Orange" which is an orange-y red (think Nars "Red Square" but more satin in finish). While these aren't as long lasting as the Nars pencils, they're obviously much less expensive and more comfortable. Personally, I never find anything that will last a whole day without touching up at all on my lips so I'm happy to opt in for a slightly more comfortable lip product most days and reapply every so often.

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.

The Friday Review: Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Nude Foundation

I've been in a serious foundation-testing mood of late (and may have had to expand my make-up storage solution as a result - can do an update post for anyone who's interested?), and one that I've picked up recently is the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr Nude Foundation, so I thought I'd share my findings with you all.

So when I saw this in Boots I think I got a little bit overexcited about the shade selection (if you're super pale or very dark skinned you'll probably understand the excitement of finding a perfect-skintone-match foundation on the high street) and grabbed a bottle to try. My first impression of the foundation was really good, it didn't feel overly thick on the skin and the skin-tone match was great. The coverage is actually really nice, it's light to medium and has a nice glow to it that I can imagine a dry skin type would really enjoy.

My main complaint about it is that the foundation claims to be "25 hour wear" and I'm finding that even when applied on top of a primer and when set with a powder, my T-zone in particular is very shiny a few hours into the wear. Admittedly, I have quite an oily skin type and those of you with dry skin may have no issues with the staying power at all, but oily girls beware, you will need to touch up with powder with this one. The wear on the rest of my face was lovely, I actually really like the look it gives to my cheeks a few hours in.

I find Rimmel foundations to be among the most reasonably priced products on the high street so it might still be something you want to try, I'm going to continue using it but probably not for days where I need the coverage to last all day.

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.

My (Somewhat Miniature) MAC Lipstick Collection

I've seen a lot of MAC collection based posts and thought I'd throw in my 2 cents and show you my MAC lipsticks. It's a fairly small collection by comparision to others you may have seen but I'd like to think I picked carefully and there aren't too many more that I have my eye on at the moment.

We'll keep things in colour order and start with "Costa Chic", this is one of MAC's Frost Finish Lipsticks and it's a summery pinky coral. Being quite ight in colour and heavy with the frost, it's one that I sometimes find hard to wear, but patted into the lips in the summer time is my favourite way to wear this one. Not the most comfortable formula either, I usually wear a lipbalm under/over it.

I picked up "Sounds Like Noise" when MAC launched their collaboration with Hayley Williams back in the height of my Paramore obsession, this is another one that I like to wear a balm or a gloss over because it's from their Matte Lipstick range and it's a bright, bold orange. It's probably my least worn MAC lipstick but I love the colour and it's a nice change to a red on a night out with the girls.

The first MAC Lipstick I ever bought was "Lady Danger" it's an orange-y red, again, from their Matte Lipstick Range and I'd probably say it's my most used. It was my signature lip colour for a while in my late teens and there's plenty of pictures of me on nights out donning this shade. Another one that's not super comfortable but the lasting power is better than most of the others.

My favourite pick of the bunch at the moment is "Lady Bug", a slightly deeper, true red from their Lustre Lipstick selection. It's a lovely day-time red that's comfortable and glossy. The lasting power isn't really there so it's one that needs reapplying throughout the day but it's good to brighten up your face without making you look too night-out.

And then finally, "Rebel". I love it because it's such a versatile shade, you can wear it full colour and it's quite purpley and vampy or can be patted into the lips lightly and it gives more of a berry stain to the lips. This one has found it's way to the back of the drawer for now but I always come back to it in autumn.

The Baby Beauty Blender (and How it Compares to the Original)

A few of you may remember a post I put up a while ago about how I'd finally managed to get myself a Beauty Blender (about time too!). After the success of that particular purchase, and because I just can't help myself (the Beauty Ban is over, yay!) I decided to pick up the mini version to see how that one works, and here's my thoughts.

Okay, so my first though, honestly, was "light green? seriously" because from the very first use, my cute little makeup sponge has looked hideous. While the original Beauty Blender got the colour pretty good with the pink, I think the orange colour that Real Techniques picked for their Miracle Complexion Sponge is the best colour for a makeup sponge I've seen, just because it doesn't make you feel like you're dabbing yesterdays makeup all over your face. Also, the Beauty Blender Micro Mini is about 1/4 the size of the original and is marketed for concealing and highlighting.

So other than the aesthetics, my feelings are pretty mixed, while the small size does make the mini one really nice for concealing under the eyes because the shape fits nicely under the eye, I think for highlighting it's too small as it doesn't diffuse the product the way I'd normally apply my highlight. The small size also doesn't help the ease of application, as the Beauty Blender sponges are very soft, the small size feels a bit flimsy to hold and it makes the application a bit clumsy at times.

So all in all, not my favourite. I will continue to try it out to see if there's a way I really like to use it, but for now, it's just not something that I'm reaching for. If you've found a way that this is amazing for you I'm all ears.