Keep On Using Me, Until You Use Me Up

I'm one of those people that buy products purely because they are new or have pretty shiny packaging. I'm extremely shallow when it comes to anything beauty product related, that means that some of my most loved and used products can get banished to the back of the draw. Recently I had a makeup bag over haul and chose some products that I'm determined to use up.

Foundation is one of my biggest problems, I'm always on the look out for the best and this means I tend to buy a lot, even when I have more than enough to get through sitting at home. My NARS Sheer Glow is one of my most expensive and yet most neglected foundations. I have made it my mission to get through it by the end of this year and so far I'm doing fairly well. It's a great summer foundation so hopefully I'll get more than enough use out of it in the upcoming months. 

Another problem area of my collection is mascaras. I really don't know what it is about mascaras but I can't stop buying them. I have so many that just sit in their acrylic storage waiting to be used but never get picked up. The Maxfactor False Lash Effect mascara is one of my all time favourites so this has been thrown back into my makeup bag and get's used pretty much every single day. 

Then finally we have a product that I bought purely because of blogger hype. The NARS Orgasm blush is a cult favourite but I wasn't too impressed when I first got it. I have to be really careful when I use this because of how pigmented it is, I'm extremely pale so it can be a bit over powering at times. However I have been using it religiously these last few weeks and I haven't even made a dent in it! I can see myself being buried with it when I'm 90 and have finally kicked the bucket. 

I forget sometimes how hard it is to get through makeup, I don't wear makeup everyday, in fact I'm hardly wearing it all these past couple of weeks. I have put myself on a little makeup ban but I can hear the Boots 3 for 2 offer calling my name, especially with all the spring releases coming soon. I have faith though, I will use up the products that I have, even if it means I wear the same makeup look ever day. 

Do you have a bad makeup buying habit? Are there any products you feel you could get a bit more use out of? 

Never Can Say Goodbye

Do you have those few products that manage to cling to your makeup collection despite you never using them? They sit comfortably in your draws or pots with the hope that you will learn to love them, I've now made this into a Toy Story scenario that will make it harder for you to chuck them, sorry. But the harsh truth is that they have to go, they can't stay in there forever. This week I had to go in and extract some products from their place of rest and throw them into the ever-waiting rubbish bin.

The first thing that has to meet its doom is one of my many mascaras, the Rimmel Scandaleyes Flex mascara. I bought this mascara as soon as it came out so I could review it; let's just say I wasn't bowled over. Despite the fact that it didn't really do much for my lashes, I kept it hidden away in my draw. I don't know what it is about mascaras that means I just can't throw them away, I think I was hoping that if I kept it for long enough I would learn to love it, however I did not and now it is time to say farewell.

Next up we have two Maybelline products, I usually love Maybelline but these two just didn't give me the wow factor I expected from them. First off there is the Fit Me! Powder, I bought this after all the hype around the Fit Me! Foundation (which I have yet to try). This powder basically disappeared after about 1 hour, it didn't set my makeup and I may as well have not even bothered putting it on! Then we have a Eye Studio white eye shadow that I bought to use as a highlight. I know that white eyeshadow can be a difficult thing to get right pigmentation wise, but this was pretty disappointing. I ended up throwing it to the back of my collection and I actually forgot I had it, sorry little eyeshadow but you must go. 

Finally we have the Maxfactor Facefinity All Day Flawless Foundation. This foundation wasn't cheap so I was pretty gutted when it just didn't work for me. This was supposed to be a 3 in 1 foundation that provided a built in primer and concealer, however I found it to be very drying and it stuck to any tiny dry patch on my face. 

And so the these little guys have to wave goodbye, take a bow and make their way to the land of trash. It makes me sad to throw away any products, I like to get my moneys worth out of everything I buy but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. 

  

Dissappointing Products Vol.2

So I'm out of the Best In Beauty Competition guys :( sad but it had to end sometime. Thank you to everyone who voted for me throughout the competition!

This week I decided to do a second disappointing products video, it's been a few months since I did my first one, so I thought I'd do another! People seem to like watching them anyway. Like all of my videos, you have this sparkly new post to go with it (If you don't like watching videos). So let me talk you through some of the products I have purchased that just didn't live up to my expectations (or what they claimed to do on the tin/tub/jar etc...)

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Intensive Strengthening Hair Mask - £2.09

Oooof I was so excited to use this after I fell head over heels in love with the shampoo and conditioner. It smells exactly the same and has a lovely thick and creamy texture to the product. Just what I love in a hair mask. However it does nothing. Literally nothing. I may as well just put yogurt on my hair. I use this after a shampoo and instead of conditioner, it doesn't specifically tell you how to use it, the directions are pretty vague. I was expecting it to make my hair super duper shiny and silky soft. Nope, I actually prefer to just use the normal conditioner, I think it's more moisturising! Really let the Bee Strong collection down majorly!

Maybelline Fit Me Powder - £5.99

I got this because I wanted to stray away from my much loved Rimmel Stay Matte powder and try something new. It wasn't a wise decision. I'm pretty sure this shade is a tad dark for me and it is the lightest shade they do. My main issues with this are the fact that it just dissapears! You powder your face and poof! 10 minutes later it's gone! It also doesn't control shine at all. I wore this in a video once and I couldn't believe how shiny my face was. I haven't tried the Fit Me foundation, but I'm intrigued to know if that is any good. 

MaxFactor Facefinity All Day Flawless Foundation - £11.99

I'm not going to rant on about why I don't like this foundation because I've already done a full review of it here. But I will say this, It is drying, sticks to dry patches and oxidises like a cray mo fo! 

MaxFactor Max Colour Effects Mini Nail Polish - £3.99

The mini MaxFactor nail polishes have some gorgeous shades, my favourite being 'Fantasy Fire' a beautiful iridescent purple. However the formula is just... ughhhhhh! It is extremely watery and thin which means it takes about 100 coats to get your nails the same colour as the bottle. These aren't expensive by any means, but from a brand like MaxFactor, I expected a lot better.

I'm going to be doing full reviews on the MaxFactor nail polishes, the Bee Strong hair mask and the Fit Me powder if you want to read a more detailed rant and have a look at some snazzy pictures. 

Have you tried any of these products? Do you have any products you've bought recently that have majorly let you down? 

   

  

MaxFactor FaceFinity 3 in 1 Foundation Review

I recently ran out of my beloved Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation, and so decided to try a foundation I’ve wanted to test out for a while. I chose the Maxfactor Face Finity All Day Flawless 3 in 1 Foundation. Bit of a long-winded name but there you go.

This is very very similar to the Cover Girl Outlast 3 in 1 Foundation if you are in the US. It claims to be a concealer, primer and foundation in 1 and also contains an SPF of 20!

So lets start with the packaging. I quite like the packaging, the glass bottle has a good weight and feel to it and it fits nicely in the hand. The gold and black pump feels sturdy and looks classy whilst the lid clips on firmly, so no worries of it popping off in your handbag. I don’t like the clear lid though; I feel this lets the packaging down as it shows just how messy the pump is.

The actual product gives a very matte finish and feels a little bit drying. I definitely would not recommend this if you have dry skin. And if you have combination skin like me, it will stick like a demon to any dry patches you have on your face. 

Saying all that, if you don’t have dry patches then the finish is definitely flawless. It is a medium to full, buildable coverage. It does feel a little heavy on but that’s only really if you have put a little too much on. It requires only ½ a pump to cover the whole face, which I’m very impressed with. One of the down sides for me personally, is that I’ve recently noticed (after filming my review video, linked below) that the shade I’m using is too pink for me. The next shade down however is too dark so they don’t have a shade that matches me exactly. They also don’t do any shades for darker skins.

Overall I’m really on the fence about this product. I want to love it because it gives great coverage, has a flawless finish and comes in a rather attractive packaging. However I am also disappointed with how dry the formula is, how it sticks to dry patches and the poor shade range. So my final verdict? Not great but not bad either.

 

Favourite Drugstore/High-Street Mascaras

Well this post has been a long time coming! I just have not had time to sit down and take pictures of all the swatches I wanted to show. But here it is, my favourite drugstore/high-street mascaras.

So I’m going to start with the only mascara I don’t have a swatch for, but here’s a little picture to show you what it looks like.  

It is the Maybelline Cat Eyes mascara. I’ve loved this for years and I have had many a tube. I love everything about this mascara, I love the packaging, I love the wand and I love the results. It just gives me the length and separation I love in my mascaras and I hope with all the hope I have that they never discontinue it!

Next on my list is another Maybelline Mascara. This one is a brand new one and has fast become one of my favourites! It is the lovely Mega Plush mascara! This is a gel mousse mascara and I love the texture of it. It glides on and coats every single lash giving you amazing length and definition. The only down side to this mascara is the wand. This new flexi wand trend going around is just pointless and it is the only thing that lets this mascara down. 

Moving on to a GOSH mascara now. I picked this up on a whim and it was a whim that paid off. This is one of my favourite day mascaras. It is marketed as a curling mascara and it does hold a curl fairly well. It gives amazing length and definition but doesn’t give you too much volume unless you build it. 

 

A similar mascara to the GOSH is the Seventeen Doll’d Up mascara. It has a very similar looking wand and gives a similar effect. It doesn’t hold a curl quite as well, but it does give excellent definition and is a perfect, cheap day mascara.

Finally, my go to volumising mascara. The Maxfactor False Lash Effect mascara. This is a firm favourite with many many people. I was hesitant to purchase this purely because of how expensive it is. At £10.99 it is definitely on the more expensive end of my mascara choices. It doesn’t give masses of length but it does make up for it in non-clumpy volume. You can really build this up, 3 Coats being my maximum, without it getting clumpy and hard to work with. It’s also long wearing but easy to get off at the end of the day.

So let me know what your favourite drugstore/high-street mascaras are. I know a few of my choices are only available in the UK so it would be interesting to hear what you guys in the US would choose.