Wednesday 19 December 2012

Winter Makeup Haul





Financially, this month isn't the best! But does that stop me from spending? Of course not! I got so excited by some of the offers I've found that I've ended up buying them all! I thought it would be a good idea to do my first 'haul' blog as I've never done one before and I want to make sure I post about all of these beauties! Enjoy!

Rimmel: Kate Moss Lipstick & Matte Lipstick



Left: Lasting Finish '16'
Right: Lasting Finish Matte '110'

Most cheap lipsticks I've tried in the past have lived up to my low expectations of wearing off before you've left the house or drying out your lips, so I never really tend to bother. I see lipsticks are more of an investment and tend to agree that the more you spend, the better quality product you get. 

However, my opinion soon changed when I found these little beauties on a 3 for 2 offer at Boots. I always buy Rimmel Stay Matte Powder because it's cheap and it does the trick. But when I caught the eye of these lipsticks I just had to try them out. The coral/red lipstick is matte and glides on really smoothly. The pictures don't do it much justice as it is quite a shocking coral/red colour rather than deep pink. It has quite a distinct watermelon scent which is actually really appealing seeing as most lipsticks just have that 'cosmetic' smell! It's not as matte as I would like but after it had been on for a few minutes the shine settled down a bit and it looked really classy. I found that it stays and looks better if you put a thin layer of foundation on your lips first - the lipstick is surprisingly quite conditioning so don't worry about drying your lips out with the foundation!

Top: Lasting Finish 16
Bottom: Lasting Finish Matte 110

There's a little swatch picture of both the lipsticks and despite the bad quality of the photo, you can still see the difference in the two textures - the standard Lasting Finish lipstick is quite shiny and a really lovely natural shade of pink. Just like the Matte, it glides on beautifully and also smells of watermelon! Yum! I've had the number 16 on for about 2 hours now and it hasn't faded and doesn't feel as though it's setting into my lips like most cheaper lipsticks do. I haven't had a drink or anything to eat but I reckon these lipsticks will be pretty much invincible on a night out! (Providing you use a straw - no lipstick is perfect!)


At a stunning price of £5.49 each these lipsticks are an amazing all rounder! There's quite a few different shades to choose from in the Lasting Finish lipsticks but the Matte choices are quite limited which is a shame. It would be really nice to see a light pink matte lipstick that's just as good as this one - any suggestions?


Lord & Berry: 20100 Shining Lipsticks


These super shiny lipsticks are a little guilty pleasure of mine! They come in the form of a big chunky crayon and glide on so easily with minimal amounts needed to get a really shocking colour. I was sent the scarlet and fuchsia crayons to try out and my god do I love them!

Left: Scarlet
Right: Fuchsia

I feel like a little kid again using these crayons - trying not to go outside the lines because they apply so easily! The colours are very striking and quite relevant to this festive season with lots of emphasis on red / bright lips. I've tried the fuchsia crayon so far and even when it feels that it's rubbed off because you can no longer feel it, one look in the mirror tells you it's not gone anywhere! They almost act like a stain on your lips because despite how many relatives you need to kiss on the cheek over Christmas, these bad boys aren't going anywhere!


The swatch picture doesn't show you the shine at all because I couldn't get a good enough picture from my phone but they are so shiny and silky smooth - a real must for anyone who loves bright and glamorous lips. The fuchsia crayon stays in my makeup bag as a permanent member and scarlet stays in my makeup drawer for special occasions. I think they are around the £8 mark for each crayon and there's a few colours to choose from as well as some more natural options.


Revlon: Photo Ready Perfecting Primer & 24 hour Colorstay Foundation 


Again, apologies for the crappy picture! Those of you who have been following my blog for a while will know that I am a one-foundation-woman - I swear by my Max Factor Lasting Finish foundation (read the blog here!) However, when I saw that Revlon was on 3 for 2 at Boots, I literally couldn't control myself. I've been looking for a primer that wouldn't set me back a small fortune and also figured I may as well try a new foundation seeing as I have heard some really good reviews about Revlon but never really tried them out.

I've not long been wearing primer underneath my foundation because I didn't really see it as an essential. I thought that wearing foundation was bad enough for my oily skin let alone another layer underneath and that breakthroughs of shine throughout the day was standard and unavoidable - oh, how wrong I was.

The primer is beautifully matte and reminds me of Clarins Pore Refining cream with it's thick texture and silky smooth appearance. It made my skin look instantly more even and less dull - if I had a better complexion I could justify wearing it on it's own. 

Top: Photo Ready Perfecting Primer
Bottom: 24 Hour Colorstay Foundation


The Colorstay foundation wasn't as much as a hit for me straight away, with it's 'pouring' action rather than a pump or squeezy tube I found it quite hard to get the right amount of foundation out and there is always a risk of spilling it as it is quite runny. However, just like my ultimate favourite foundation, it's thick and creamy and has such good buildable coverage that I didn't need any concealer. It has a really nice smell to it which is unusual for a foundation and the primer makes it so easy to apply. 

On my first trial run at work, I walked to the bathroom, bag in hand, expecting to need to apply some powder around my t-zone after a good 4-5 hours of wear. This is no word of a lie, I didn't need ANY powder! My face was still beautifully matte as if I'd just freshly applied it - in fact, it actually looked better than it had done in the morning, as though giving it time to set makes it appear more flawless rather than melting & in serious need of a touch up!

The primer will set you back a not-so-offensive £11.95 and the foundation quite a reasonable £12.95. This is more than double what I would usually spend on my foundation products but with the addition of the primer and the fact that I need next to no touch ups throughout the day, I think it's pretty safe to say I am impressed and will be spending the money again!


Revlon: Colorstay Eyeliner (+ free gold glitter nail polish)


Like most, I'm a big fan of black eyeliner despite all of the experts telling me that I should be wearing brown eyeliner on a daily basis because I have blue eyes. I think black eyeliner looks amazing on all eye colours when it's applied correctly and doesn't just have to be for smokey eyes on special occasions!

With this being the cheaper of the 3 Revlon products I purchased at a purse-pleasing £6.29, I got it as my free item in the 3 for 2 offer. They are also throwing in this extremely festive gold glitter polish that I haven't tried and gave to a friend at work as I'm not really a fan of glitter, but she loved it and it looks great on her nails (although, as with most glitter polishes, she needed around 4-6 coats to get it to look as glittery as she wanted it!)

As mentioned previously in a couple of my blogs, I don't normally buy pricey eyeliner after I discovered the Collection 2000 Intense Colour Supersoft Kohl eyeliner pencil for £1.99 - most reviews tell you it fades but if you apply it properly then it lasts all day, that's coming from an eyeliner addict! When I started using the Revlon eyeliner, it made me realise just how much I missed that extra quality. It applies so smoothly without the need to go over the line more than once. Normally a few attempts are needed to get a good solid line across your water line but this just made it so easy and I was done in half the time. 


As you can see from the swatch above, it's an intense matte colour that requires very little time and effort. It blends easily with the right brush and goes over eyeshadow with the same little effort as on a bare eyelid. The only downside to the product is the twisting mechanism to 'sharpen' the eyeliner - rather than using a sharpener you just twist the top to reveal more eyeliner. This sounds like a great idea but actually it means the eyeliner runs down quicker than normal because there's less product involved and you can never get that sharp nib required to create the perfect flick. For day wear this eyeliner is great but if you're a fan of the flick then stick to your liquids or gels!


Benefit: 'That Gal' Brightening Face Primer


I was given this tester pot of primer to try out but it didn't really contain enough product to get a good representation of what I think of it. It was only enough for a couple of days wear and I normally like to try a product for at least a week before I can give a true reflection on how it worked with my skin etc.

Being a Benefit product, I knew straight away that I was going to love it. With their funky packaging and catchy names, it's hard not to love their makeup range. I applied the primer along my t-zone and a little on my cheeks and eyelids. It gave a pinkish look to my skin (as the product is light pink!) but smelt and felt fantastic! I felt like I'd cleansed my face and it made me feel really fresh and clean - which is quite unsual for a primer! 


This is what the product looks like and appears more like a lipgloss than a primer. It worked well with my foundation and gave a really smooth surface to apply on to. It didn't have the same mattifying effect as the Revlon primer but for those of you who tend to wear minimal amounts of foundation but want something to help the overall appearance of your skins complexion and for that sought after 'glowy' effect, this is perfect for you. 

It is quite pricey at £21.50 for 11ml but it does contain a lot of skin-loving ingredients like chamomile and almond extract which make it worth those extra pennies!

So that's my first haul blog, I hope you all enjoyed it! I might have time for another quick blog before Christmas but if not then I'll see you beauties after the festive season with lots more gorgeous products to review. Merry Christmas!



8 comments:

  1. The lipsticks are such pretty colours, great choices. Is the nail polish very sheer? xx

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    1. hey vicky sorry for the late reply i've had no internet access for a while!

      yes it is quite sheer and it needs a good few coats to get it really glittery but it looks lovely over pale pink & blue (: xx

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  2. I love the kate moss lipsticks :) There one of my favorite from the drugstore !! Cute blog and I love your page im a new follower hope u can follow back Britters89.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. thanks britney i'm glad you like it (:
      i will follow you back xx

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  3. love the revlon colorstay :) the coverage on it is brilliant!

    i've tagged you in the 'whats your chat, blogger?' tag!
    http://beautybyalexiajade.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/whats-your-chat-blogger-tag.html

    xxx

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Alexia!

      I've been away from this for a few months but now I'm back! Excited to read your new blogs (: x

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  4. Hello there! My name is Danica stark and I would like to say that I love your post! It's so awesome. Oh, by the way, I also have a blog. Please visit and follow me.

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    Danica Stark

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete