Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

Over the past few years I have been a pretty die hard Benefit mascara fan. I wasn't really looking to try a new mascara as I was pretty sure that nothing else on the market could top my love for They're Real and Roller Lash. It was by chance that the Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme mascara feel into my hands and not being one to pass up the excuse to try new make up, I decided to branch outside of my comfort zone and give this mascara a try.

The mascara itself comes in the standard Estee Lauder blue packaging, which I like. Inside is where the mascara gets a little bit 'jazzy' (yes I sound super old what I say the word jazzy, but it just felt right so I'm going to go with it!) Anyway, back to the packaging, as I was saying, when you open up the standard blue box, you are greeted by a beautiful golden tube of mascara bearing the Estee Lauder 'EL'. I like the fact that the packaging gives off an elegant and classic look, so based on appearance this product ticks all the right boxes.

Anyone who uses mascara will tell you that the applicator brush is one of the most important aspects of the product. Without a good brush, your lashes won't get that sexy, long lasting curl we all want and aim for. The application brush defiantly lives up to the name Sumptuous Extreme! The brush, or 'brushcomber' as it's technically called for this mascara, is huge and voluptuous allowing you to pretty much cover all of your lashes in one swoop!

But for me, that's when it all starts to fall down a little bit. I love Estee Lauder products and my mum literally swears by their whole range, but I just found the formula a little bit clumpy! I feel like although my lashes appear longer and fuller, my lashes also stick together so much so it's like I have a few very long and very full lashes and then a few bold spots, which to be honest, isn't the look I'm going for. But this issue is only on my upper lashes and not on my lower lash line, which means that this mascara is greta for when you are wearing false lashes, but not so much when your not…we can't have everything right?

Priced at £21 for 6ml in the option of either black or brown, I can say that I won't be picking up another one of these when this one runs out. It's been great to try and I will use it all as I hate waste, but I'm sorry to say that once this baby runs out, thats the end of the line for us.

DLJ
Xoxo

Makeup Revolution Ultra Base Corrector Palette : Colour Corrector

Last year was the year of the contour and this year appears to be the year of colour correction. So far, there aren't masses of colour correction palettes on the market, but as this trend gets bigger, I am sure that you will see palettes popping up left, right and centre.

One palette on the market in the UK is the Makeup Revolution Ultra Base Corrector Palette. (FYI Make Up Revolution ship internationally to all my non-UK readers). I really like the packaging of this palette too. It seems to be really well made sturdy, I actually have palettes that I've paid more for that don't feel this strong.

Home to 8 creamy colours, this palette seems to be a great first step into the colour correction market. But now you own the palette, what do you do with all of the colours? Although some of the colours are subtle and not too far from what you may already be using, there are a few colours which, like me, you may not have thought about using on your skin!

Pink : Brightens
Lavender : Neutralises yellow tones
Green : Neutralises redness
Orange : Neutralises blue tones
Peach : Helps to balance out slight discoloration
White : Adds natural highlight and brightens
Cream : Neutralises purple and covers dark areas
Brown : Balances ashiness in medium to dark skin tones

To get started,
1) Prep your skin as per usual e.g. cleanse, tone, moisturise and add your primer
2) Use your colour correction palette to reduce any marks or colours you don't to see
3) Apply your foundation and concealer over the top (I would recommend using a beauty blender to do this so you don't move any of the colours below)
4) Continue with your normal make up routine!

But does it really work? For a bargain price of £6 this palette is well worth a try. I mean for £6 you can't really go wrong can you? The colours area very creamy and do blend out really nicely. When you first blend everything out, your skin can look pretty 'white' so you couldn't use this without adding your foundation after. Also, I'm not sure this would work for people with dark skin tones. If you are fair or medium, then this palette will work for you. Sorry to my dark skinned beauties, fingers crossed Makeup Revolution will be bringing something to market just for you soon!

Overall, I've been so impressed with this palette. The colours have made a difference to the way my make up looks and has been great at hiding my patchy bits. I would be really keen to try out other brands, specifically the NYX palette so that I can have a palette to compare this one to. If your on a budget or not, this palette is a great start to the world of colour correction!

DLJ
Xoxo

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer Defined

I'm pretty sure that anyone who has an Instagram account at the moment will see images of this product popping onto their screens, whether their account is make up based or not. With a following of just under 8 million people, Anastasia has a pretty strong army of brow loving girls and boys. So it doesn't come as any shock to see how quickly this product is making it's way to the masses and onto my screen.

Being one of the 7.9 million followers and a user of ABH I was keen to be quick off the mark with trying out the new Brow Definer. 

Having used the ABH Dipbrow Pomade for well over a year, I knew that Taupe was going to be the right colour for me. I promptly placed my order with Cult Beauty and was chuffed to receive my order next day!! 

The Brow Definer pencil is unique in that it has three different ways to outline and fill in brows:

Thin : use the sharpest point of the tip to create fine, hair like strokes
Medium : use the back side of the pencil to create thicker, hair like strokes
Wide : use the pencil on its side to create broad strokes.
(source : http://www.anastasiabeverlyhills.com/brow-definer.html)

Personally, I would say that I feel that it has two ways to define your brows. However, I did mess up the thinnest part of the pencil on my first application because I didn't read the above! Had I have know this, maybe I woudn't have been so heavy handed at first application!

I love my dipbrow pomade, so the brow definer has a lot to live up to. So with a little bit of apprehension, I decided to take the plunge as soon as my brow definer arrived. As I guessed, the colour was a perfect match, but what about the final look?

Even though I have pretty dark hair, my skin is really pale, so for every day looks, I stick to Taupe as I can always add brow powder / eye shadows on top to make the colour darker if needs be.

It did take me a few attempts to get my brows right, but that is just down to the fact that it's a different technique to apply this pencil over the dipbrow. However, once I had finally got over using something new, I was very impressed. 

My brows look so much more natural and the colour stayed in place much longer than my dipbrow pomade. Because I have pretty oily skin, by the time I get home after along day on the road my brows can appear a little deflated. They don't smudge per say, but they aren't exactly in the right place if that makes sense?

The texture of the pencil is creamy, but with an undertone that has more 'friction' to it. The dipbrow pomade on the other hand is just very creamy and doesn't have much to really 'hold' it in place. It's hard to explain without physically touching the products.

According to CultBeauty.com, Anastasia designed the Brow Definer to work in conjunction with the Brow Wiz...'After defining the eyebrow outline with Brow Wiz, use the wide end of the Brow Definer's triangular 'nib' to fill in gaps, before using the narrow end to create finer, hair-like strokes for a more natural effect'.

I think the most noticeable difference however is the amount of product you get for your money. The Brow Definer is £16 at CultBeauty.com and for 0.2g of product, the Brow Wiz is £15.50 for 0.08g of product and the Dipbrow Pomade is £15 for a whapping 4g of product. Now that is a hell of a difference. I find that on average, my Dipbrow Pomade will last me around 5 months, after just two applications of the Brow Definer, this is how much I have left....

 The verdict? I love this product so much, that even though you get so much less product for your money VS the dipbrow pomade, I'm still going to be adding it to my shopping cart! If you find something you love, then you just have to take a deep breath and click 'proceed to checkout'.

DLJ

Xoxo

Chanel Hydra Beauty Nutrition Lip Care

With the heating being on full pretty much everywhere I go, I find that my lips really take a battering this time of year. Because I'm constantly in and out of buildings for work, moving between heating that is on full wack and bitterly cold weather makes my lips dry and painful.  

No one likes have dry lips, so I am constantly on the look out for new products that soothe and repair. The newest treatment to be added to my collection is the Chanel Hydra Beauty Nutrition Lip Balm.

The Chanel Hydra range 'responds to the hydration needs of every woman, regardless of age or skin concern'...according to Chanel.com. The whole range is specifically designed to promote moisture retention and consists of serums, creams, masks and this lip balm. 

As you can imagine with any Chanel skin care product, the price tag is a little on the heavy side. This 10g tub is £30 in the UK. So with that price tag, for the amount of product you get, you'd hope to get some amazing results, fast! 

Because of its price, I opted to leave my lip balm on my bed side table to use as part of my night time skin regime. I go through lip balms like no bodies business and seem to loose them all the time (a risk I wasn't willing to take with this baby).

After applying my face oil, I put a nice think layer on my lips before bed to make sure they are feeling soft and ready for the next day. 

The balm itself has a beautiful silky texture and glides on. It sounds hard to believe, but within around 30 seconds my lips aleady feel smoother and the horrible chapped bits seem to disappear! But let's face it, you'd expect nothing less from Chanel, right? The texture is light and isn't greasy at all. It seems to almost melt into your skin. 

It's smell is also really delicate and fresh so you don't end up with anything too over powering on your face before bed which is also really nice. Small things, but they do make a difference. 

So to sum up, is the Chanel Hyrda Beauty Nutrition Lip Balm worth the price tag? I would honestly say that it really is. It does what it says on the tin and leaves my lips feeling wonderfully soft and smooth. Are there other lip balms on the market that can do the same job but for less? I would imagine so...I just haven't found them yet! Will I be buying another one of these when it runs out? I sure will. And after having so much success with this balm, I've decided I want to try some other products from the Chanel Hydra range. Watch this space. 

DLJ

Xoxo

Eylure Pre Glued Lashes

Anyone who wears lashes will know the pain of waiting for lash glue to dry. But what if there was another way to apply your lashes that didn't require waiting? 

Eylure have launched 'Pre Glued' lashes to their extensive range and I wanted to see if they really are the god send they first appear to be. 

I have a few sets of these lashes and recently tried out a set from their 'texture range'. I'm already a real fan of this range as I find they give a beautiful natural appearance with extra va va voom!

Unlike normal lashes, the pre glued lashes come with a thick band across the top of the lash which is, as you may have guessed from the name, pre glued! Other than this the lashes are exactily that same, and when on, appear the same as lashes what you glue yourself. 

But now for the important stuff, application. Are they any easier to apply? Well for me, this all depends on if you are a 'well seasoned' lash wearer. I have tried these lashes on two occasions. Once around 5 months ago before I really started wear lashes on a regular basis, and oh my god they were so hard to apply!! Because they are already sticky, they do not leave room for any error and if you have already done your beautiful eye make and then you stick you lash on wrong, it lifts your shadows leave patches and well, that's really not what you want when your about to head out. 

If on the other thand, you are a regular lash user, these are great. Now that I apply lashes on a weekly basis, I'm getting pretty nifty at the old lash application process. Because I apply lashes so often, I generally have pretty good aim, so find I can add these babies where they are meant to be. 

Each box comes with a spare pre glued strip which to be honest, I haven't had to change yet (as I've only worn each set once) and because quite frankly I don't think the lashes would come out well. Another issue with them being pre glued is that they are a bit of a pain to get out of the box because they are literally stuck to the surface. Pulling the lashes away from the box needs to be done in a quick and smooth motion or else the lashes can become disformed. Again, not always great if your getting ready to head out (and if your anything like me, already late). 

Here's how they look on

The verdict? They are a really nice idea. I don't think they are great for first time users but may be handy to throw into your handbag or make up bag. Price wise they are the same price as the normal lashes, so if I had the choice between pre glue and normal lashes? Normal lashes every time.

DLJ

Xoxo

Benefit Gimme Brows!

Brows can really make or break a look, so making sure they are on point is really important. My normal 'go to' product for brows is Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade. As much as love this product, it is a long process and can take between 10-15 mins to do my brows alone. 

On those odd occasions where I don't want to spend so much time on my brows (normally a Sunday or a day when I'm doing audits at work) I still like to do my brows in a little to give them shape and also to fill in any patchy bits. 

Benefit Gimme Brow is the perfect solution for lazy days! It's quick and easy, making it perfect for lazy days! 

Gimme Brow also won Allure The Best Of Beauty Award in 2013. I can't believe it took me so long to find this product!? Has it really been out that long!

Below you can see a before and after using Gimme Brow. You can see the shape is more defined and my brow looks fuller. 

Brush 

The brush is tiny so is perfect for any brow size. When I first opened the product, I though it was going to be too small vs my normal brow brush, but in fact it was just the right size. Because you are building up the product over a few applications, the smaller brush makes it easier to fill in patchy bits. 

Colours 

This product comes in two different colours, Light/Medium and Medium/Deep. I went for Medium/Deep given that I have pretty dark hair. 

               (Source : benefit.co.uk)

Price : £18.50 per tube. Given how easy it makes my mornings, so worth every penny. 

Final words

If your looking for a quick and easy solution to doing your brows then this is the product for you. If your a woman (or man) who wants to look and feel great but are busy busy busy, then Gimme Brow will fit into your morning routine (and yor handbag) with ease. 

DLJ

Xoxo 

The Game Changer : Caudalie Overnight Detox Oil

As you may have guessed from the title, I feel quite strongly about the Caudalie Polyphenols Overnight Detox Oil 30ml already. I had a free sample either from a birchbox or from another make up purchase and for some reason wasn't really fussed on trying it.

But my skin has been SO dry from being in and out of heated buildings and the cold weather that I was in desperate need of a skin fix. I found this while sorting through my pile of samples, and thought why not?

(Source : http://uk.caudalie.com/)

For application, you warm 6 drops in your hands then apply to clean skin before bed and leave overnight to do all the hard work! Below is how Caudalie recommend you apply the oil to your face. It sounds so simple, but I really love it when companies do little pictorials of how to apply their products. It's really nice to be able to see exactly how they intend for the product to be applied.

(Source : http://uk.caudalie.com/)

This oil is classed as a 'dry oil' so it doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy at all, it makes it feel like you have just added moisturiser. Ideal given that no one wants to go to sleep with a greasy face!

The formula is 100% plant based and 'promotes cellular renewal and toxin elimination',  so you know it's good for your skin. As well as making your skin feel soft, the oil plumps your skin to instantly make you look younger. The oil also doesn't have an overwhelming smell, which is great given the fact that you have to sleep with it on.

The sample size I had lasted around 5 nights and I was so shocked at how much of a difference it made. The day after I ran out, I got straight on line and ordered a bottle.

My skin felt so soft, all of my dry patches disappeared and my skin just looks so even. My skin also appeared much fuller and healthier. I couldn't believe how good my skin looked in just a few applications.

But I thought, well this is all surely going to be too good to be true. I was sure that it was going to be really expensive given the amazing effect it had had on my skin. But to my amazement, a 30ml bottle is just £29.00 on the Caudalie website. And at the moment, you can get 10% off your first order! What a bargain!

I cannot wait for my full size bottle to arrive this week!

DLJ
Xoxo