NEW! Benefit Gimme Brow

Benefit are at it again! By that I mean they're giving away samples of their new, revamped, eyebrow range and this time they're giving Glamour (£2) readers a free sample of Benefit Gimme Brow!

If you saw my previous post, you'll know I really enjoyed the Benefit Goof Proof Pencil in a previous magazine freebie but the Benefit Gimme Brow also has its place in my routine for when I've got literally 5 minutes to do something with my brows before my little boy runs off with my make up bag! I would also use both products when I do have time or for a special occasion as I think they work well together for a well groomed look.

Beware! When I first grabbed the magazine I got excited as I saw what the sample was but on closer inspection I realised there were 2 shades, the one I originally picked up was in Shade 1 which is for blonde/fair and the one I actually picked up is Shade 5 which is perfect for my dark hair.

Again for me the only downside is the price, at £18.50 for the full sized product I can't justify spending that much on make up at the moment but if you can, go for it.

Remember where I mentioned a little boy running off with my make up bag? Here he is being my glamorous assistant! Awwww! 

Pick up your copy of Glamour (£2) from your local newsagent

Or get the full sized product (£18.50) HERE

Thanks for reading!

Wench x

Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream

I have a serious lipstick problem, to the point I might even need counselling I just can't help myself and when I find one I like I can't just stop at one I have to have more.

This Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream is one of those such discoveries. It's a matte finish, which I'm very much in to at the moment but unlike a lot of matte lip products out there it's not super drying. Now I'm not saying it doesn't dry out my lips at all but it's considerably less than most. It's also really comfortable to wear and goes on really smoothly, it's creamy when you put it on initially but then it sets to a lovely matte finish. It lasts amazingly too, I road test most of my make up while I'm at work and I only really have to apply after I've eaten or after about 4 hours and considering the price tag (RRP £2.99) I think that's really good! 

excuse the red nose, I had a cold! 

There is only one real downside to these and that is the limited colour range. There are only four colours which I think is a travesty! The one I have here is Cotton Candy which as you can see from the photos above is a lovely, neutral, dusky pink colour. Not pictured here, I also got the shade Angel Delight (for some reason this one seems more difficult to find in stores. FYI I got mine in Wilkos) which is a really good nude colour (Google it to see the colour!) I tend to find that high street brands can never get a nude colour right but this one is spot on (not to be confused with the other nude colour they do Powder Puff which I think is really pale and awful!)

Collection as a brand are full of hidden gems and too easily overlooked!

Find Collection Cream Puff Lip Creams HERE or in your local Boots, Superdrug, or Wilkos. 

Have you tried anything from Collection?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x 

NEW! The Falsies Push Up Mascara

I've had quite a few Maybelline mascaras and always liked them so when I saw they had a new one out it piqued my interest.

And while me and my mum were out shopping one day she bought me one because she's a sweetie and it was buy one get one half price so we both had one!

The Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara* claims to give dramatic lift to the lashes for a pushed up effect. The brush has cup shaped bristles which scoops and lifts lashes and the formula itself delivers instant volume and holds the lift in place. 

I have to disagree with the claims here, I can't say I noticed any extra curl or lift to my lashes and the volume is pretty non-existent. My lashes are naturally long (lucky me!) so volumising mascaras is really where it's at for me but they do mascaras that are a lot better for volume than this one (the Rocket, Colossal, and the original Falsies all spring to mind). I find the brush holds too much product and while the plastic bristle brush is really good for getting right into the root of the lashes for separation it leaves clumps of mascara in my eyelashes which is not a good look! I've tried to persevere to see if it gets better in time (like the Lash Sensational mascara seems to do) but for me it's just getting worse and leaving more and more clumps to the point where I'm probably going to bin it (and I'm a make up collector, its rare I bin something I've not used up!).

I always find mascaras to be very much a personal thing in that I might love one and the next person might hate it so it's something to bear in mind but for me this one just doesn't cut it!

Have you tried this mascara?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

* I've given this a * as I didn't pay for this mascara my mum bought it for me awww! 

   

Worth The Hype? Maybelline Eraser Concealer

If you read a lot of beauty blogs then you'll know just how much this one has done the rounds. So I'm here asking the question again, is Maybelline Eraser Concealer worth the hype?

The short answer is no. I do however urge to to hear the long answer as to why! First off is the colour and this is the main reason why I've given this a thumbs down. I find the colour to be too dark for my funny pale face and although I can just about get away with this under my eyes which is its intended purpose, but only when very well blended in I would prefer it if there was a lighter shade. There are only 2 shades (that I've ever seen anyway) and they're Light and Nude (Light is the one I have).  

Next is the weird applicator thingy (I really don't know what you'd call it?). It's a weird sponge thing that the product is squeezed through but it doesn't work as a sponge to apply the product with as you need to blend it in afterwards. In fact I think all it does is waste product, because the sponge just absorbs it all. Which brings me to the hygiene issue, as it's all sat festering in the sponge, a nice, moist area for bacteria. Yum. However that doesn't really bother me too much, I'm the only one who uses it, there's bacteria everywhere, and as a friend of mine says, a bit of muck does you good. 

I've saved the best til last, and it really is the best bit. The formula of this is really nice, not thick and cakey, and not so thin that it covers nothing or just sits in the lines around my eyes (yes, I'm getting old *weeps*). As I mentioned previously, I can use this under my eyes so it will get used and that is its intended purpose but for me it's too dark to use anywhere else on my face which is a shame because the coverage is nice and could possibly be used on red areas of the face or even the odd little spot. Alas, I'll never know!

So if your skin tone is deeper than mine then this could be worth the hype it gets but unless they started doing a lighter shade, it's a thumbs down from me.

Maybelline Eraser Concealer is available HERE or from your local Boots or Superdrug.   

Have you tried this concealer? What did you think?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

NEW Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation

I like shiny new things and when I saw this new arrival in the drawers at work just as I was thinking that I needed a new foundation I decided it must be fate.

Okay, calling it fate is perhaps a bit dramatic but it was on offer so I decided to give it a go. I've only tried Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation a few times so today I thought I'd you a first impressions post and then I can perhaps revisit this in more detail down the line.

First point I want to mention is the colour. In the past, the lightest Maybelline foundation shade has been "Ivory" and I've always found the shade to be slightly orangey even though it's a pale colour. I'm glad to say they've done a shade lighter, it's the one I have here and it's 01 Natural which matches my super paleness quite nicely. The picture below shows the colour and consistency (not amazingly well I know!) and despite it looking an awful colour match on my hand it is for my face trust me! 

The next point is the application, I first used a flat top foundation brush as this is how I usually apply my foundation and I hated how it went on. The next day I just used my fingers and I found it to be so much better.   

Finally, the foundation itself is a liquid but has an almost light, mousse consistency (but not as thick as the actual Dream Matte Mousse). It goes on nice and smooth, doesn't feel heavy and for a matte foundation it didn't feel like it was going to dry out my skin, or cling to any dry patches that I already had. The finish is matte, but it's not super matte and I'd say it was medium coverage. It gave my skin a soft, even appearance that still looks like skin and not that "foundation face" look where it's obvious you've got a made up face. 

My first impressions of Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation are pretty good. I feel like I'm going to get along with this one and it's going to be perfect for everyday wear. Time will certainly tell and I will let you know if I still feel this way as time goes on!

You can get yours HERE or at your local Boots or Superdrug.

What's your favourite foundation?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

P.S I posted this accidentally earlier in the week, I wanted to add a little more so I apologise if you caught it earlier and wonder where it went!

A MAC Velvet Teddy Dupe?

Isn't it wonderful when you find something really cheap that's a near match to something really expensive?

I have just that for you today! I know the colour isn't exactly the same but it's very close. MUA Fawn Fancy is a new shade from MUA's matte lipstick range and it's very close in shade to MAC Velvet Teddy and they both have a matte finish.  

However, MUA Fawn Fancy at just £1 is a fraction of the £15.50 you'd pay for MAC Velvet Teddy and at that price it's definitely worth a try!

Yes you need a few layers of MUA's offering to really get the colour, it's not as comfortable to wear and it will need topping up during the day but for a pound you can't really complain!

Get MUA Fawn Fancy HERE or at your local Superdrug store

What's the best dupe you've ever found?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencils

Hello internet! I have some more make up musings for you today in the form of Maybelline Velvet Lip Pencils.

You know when you find something that you love so much you have to have more? This is what has happened to me with these beauties! I have totally fell in love with the formula of these lip crayons and now I own 5 of them. So let me tell you about them.

The formula of these are lovely and creamy, they apply really smoothly and the pencil format of them means its really easy to outline your lips and fill them in quite precisely (which is great in particularly for the bolder colours). I wouldn't go as far as to say they are like lipliner because they're too thick for that but it does make application a bit easier. 

Once applied I wouldn't say they were completely matte, more of a satin, velvet like finish (as the name suggests, duh!) I really like this finish as completely matte lipsticks tend to be very drying where these are only slightly drying on your lips but have the full staying power of a matte lipstick. When I wear these for work they stay put and don't slide around all over my face (definitely a no-no when working with the general public face to face) and I only touch up on my break after eating and that's more out of habit than necessity. 

The five colours I have are Keep it Classy, Berry Much, Minimalist, Nude Perfection, and Red Essential. My favourite of the bunch has to be Keep It Classy which is the first one I got, it's the perfect balance of bold colour but is also a wearable, everyday colour for me making it a staple in my handbag.

Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil in Keep It Classy on the lips

I'm not sure if 5 is enough of these!

What's your favourite of the bunch?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

Worth The Hype? Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer has been wide spread over bloggersphere so I thought I'd ask the question, is it worth the hype?

Short answer, yes! The product claims to illuminate and re awaken the under eye area and completely conceal spots. I do agree with this statement and it has earned it's place in my everyday make up bag (yes #beautybloggerproblems right there!) and I do use it everyday.

It has never broke me out or made any spots worse but one thing I would say is that if you have like, the mother of all spots, I'd go for something a bit more heavy duty, but for the occasional spot or blemish it does the job brilliantly. I was wary at first as I thought with it being an "illuminating" concealer it would light up my spots like a Christmas tree but it doesn't which means I don't have to swap between concealers and that make me very happy indeed.

Available HERE (currently £4.49 RRP £5.49) or in your local store! 

What's your favourite concealer?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x   

Collection Extreme 24hr Eye Liner

When it comes to winged eyeliner, I'm pretty hopeless.

It didn't stop me wanting to do it though, and being cat obsessed as I am, I so desperately wanted cat flicks! (Sad but true!) but Collection Extreme 24hr Eye Liner has helped me achieve my dream. It's essentially a felt tip for your face (more specifically eyes!) and being able to hold it like a pen makes it much easier for a noob like me. I'm not saying everyone who gets this will magically be able to wing their eye liner but it helps and with some practice I've finally nailed it.

To do my flicks, I line my upper lash line as usual and then I hold the liner against my bottom lash line, like an imaginary ruler and then press the long side of the tip against my eye to create a template for my flick. I then blend that into the rest of my liner and then set the whole lot with powder before I move onto mascara. I found that quite difficult to describe so I'll add a picture below to make sure your catching my drift!

Look at my concentrating face! Least I've not got my tongue out! Anyway, I have serious creasing issues when it comes to eye make up thanks to my hooded eyelids but this really stays put for me (and I do set with powder too) I think 24 hours would be an exaggeration but certainly 8+ hours whilst I'm at work and with a RRP of £2.99 whats not to love?

Get yours HERE or in your local Boots or Superdrug.

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

   

Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation

Today I have a review of Maybelline's Dream Flawless Nude Foundation*

I wasn't expecting to write this post as the foundation isn't actually mine! I stayed with my mum and dad last week and like mothers and daughters do, my mum said she bought some new foundation and asked if I wanted to give it a go, which naturally I did! 

I was so impressed I used it all week! The consistency is quite watery and thin and when you apply it, it feels like it fades to nothing on your skin. I initially thought it couldn't possibly be any good because it felt like it had disappeared but actually it hadn't, it left a light to medium coverage which is skin like and invisible. I was even more impressed as I had a cold all week and was blowing and wiping my nose a lot (sexy!) which left the skin around my nose really dry and horrible and I thought any foundation that I put on my face would cling to the dry patches but this didn't do that at all and actually covered it quite well. 

There was one thing that I didn't really get, and that was the weird dropper thing. It didn't really seem to serve any purpose, it didn't even "drop" that well. I ended up using it to swipe the product on my fingers and then applying on my face or swiping directly on my face and applying with a brush, both techniques worked equally as well. 

Overall, I really rate this foundation, it has a nice amount of undetectable coverage and is really natural looking which is ideal for everyday wear.

You can get Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation HERE or in store at Boots, currently on offer at £5.99 (RRP £8.99) and buy one get one half price across the range! 

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

*I gave it one of these seen as it's not actually mine and I didn't buy it.  

My Bare Minerals Counter Experience

I've never been to a high end make up counter before but thought I'd treat myself for my birthday!

I was actually looking for a MAC counter but was misinformed and discovered there isn't actually one in my city centre, I was pretty devastated but decided I'd give another one a try and I'm glad I did. 

I approached the Bare Minerals counter and I was a bit nervous but the lady who served me was lovely. She sat me in the chair and made me feel at ease. She asked me lots of skin related questions and suggested their Bare Skin foundation for me. We tried a few colours and agreed on one (it's worth mentioning I did go bare faced) that matched my face. She gave me the whole skin care routine and encouraged me to use the products myself, letting me try the skin care products and talking me through how to use them. She then did half my face with the foundation to show me how to do it and then let me do the other half. She then finished my face off. She wrote down all the products she used and told me a couple of offers that were on but at no point did I feel pressure to buy anything. Although in saying that I don't think I'd go to a make up counter if I didn't have the intention of buying anything. 

I got the Bare Skin Foundation £26 in the colour Bare Linen 03 and you use this by putting a drop on a stippling brush and laying it down on the skin (I do a couple of stripes on my face) and then buff it into the skin. I thought I'd have trouble with this but it's so easy and the lady shows you how to do it. The finish is medium to full coverage and it has a real skin like finish which I really like. I do however find it a bit moist (love that word!) feeling on the skin which takes some getting used to but setting with powder helps with that.

I also got a Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Blush Balm £20 in the colour Posy Passion. I've never got a long with cream blush (although technically this is a balm!) and the lady put this on me and I fell in love with the colour and how it looks like your blushing from within. She showed me how to apply it and it's easier than I thought although I still need more practise! The pigmentation is just right too, it doesn't disappear to nothing but it's not so pigmented that you put a tiny bit on and look like a clown!

Shop Bare Minerals online HERE or go to your nearest counter.

What are your experiences of make up counters? 

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

Lacura Make Up from Aldi!

Be prepared for a pic heavy post. I've just discovered how to do collages and got a bit excited!

However, you may remember a while back I bought some products from Aldi (see that post HERE), I've reviewed the skin care items already but today I have the make up items for you!

First up is the Lacura Wonder Curl Mascara £2.39 and for such a cheap mascara I'm so impressed, the pictures speak for themselves really. The brush is a bristle brush and it's curved and I find this kind of brush really easy to work with. It's by no means the best mascara I've ever used but as far as cheap mascaras go I've never found a good one....until now!

Now for the Lacura Eyeliner £1.99 I really wish I could say this was as good as the mascara but I'm afraid I can't. For me, it didn't stay on and the only way I could use it was smudged out (like in the photo above). It's a soft pencil and it smudges super easily but unfortunately it doesn't stay put and slides down the eye as the day wears on.

Finally, the Lacura CC Cream £3.99, and I liked this. The picture inserted above is me (obviously!) wearing the mascara, liner and CC cream only. I found the CC cream shade (which is light) to be a good match for my skin, this impressed me as I find when products have limited shade ranges the light shade is usually too dark for me and goes on orangey (not a good look!). The only problem I had was that once dried, it went a slightly darker shade, this wasn't too noticeable but I had to make sure I blended this thoroughly on my neck otherwise you could see it once it dried. Other than that it's an excellent product, it evened out my skin tone and offers a fair bit of coverage without being heavy. This is ideal for day to day wear and I found I can use this without applying powder over the top. 

I hope you enjoyed my review, have you tried any of these?

Thanks for reading,

Wench x

Lacura at Aldi!

I was wondering through Aldi doing my boring food shopping (I hate food shopping!) and I came across these! So food shopping turned into skin care and make up shopping, hooray!

I picked up a Lacura Wondercurl Mascara £2.39, there were a few different ones, including a 3D effect one and a volumising one but the volume brush looked huge and I tend not to get on well with those and out of the other two this one seemed better for me. 

I also bought a Lacura CC Cream in Light £3.99, we'll see how this goes as I find lighter shades in cheaper brands tend to be a bit orangey.

The last make up item I picked up was a Lacura Eyeliner in Black £1.99, these also came in Emerald (green) and Smoke (grey) and they come with a separate sharpener in the box which impressed me because I can never find mine! There were also some eyebrow pencils that were 

Skin care wise I picked up a Lacura Expert Beautifying Serum and Expert Eye Gel, there's lots of funky sounding ingredients in these, the eye gel boasts Kudzu Extract, Mimox, and Caffeine (see what I mean!?) and the serum contains Blue-Green Micro Algae extract and Mimox X (I've no idea what Mimox is!) 

I got all of these for an impressive £16.35! If you like the looks of these I'd be quick as Aldi tend to do these things for like a week only, however I do believe some skin care stuff is available all the time. I've not tried these yet but I'll have swatches and reviews galore once I've give them  a good go! 

Thanks for reading!

Wench x