Saturday 22 November 2014

Review : Maybelline Colour Drama Lip Crayons.

Hullo
Me again,back with a short review of some exciting beauty finds from the drugstore. 




Although I'm not best familiar with the entire line of Maybelline lip products,something drew me to the sleek packaging of these crayon-shaped lip pencils. I picked up three shades in the range - 


Berry Much : A typical 'berry' shade with intense pigment.
Keep It Classy : A warm antique pink.
Essential Red : A basic and clean cherry red.
All three shades dry down to a satin finish with sheen.


Now,don't get me wrong,I love the packaging,but it can make application a tad bit messy and uncontrolled. I find touching up with a lip brush to be the best option. I like that Maybelline opted to put colour codes on the outer pencil as well,which helps a lot when choosing a shade.




For some reason,my instant reaction was thus : 'Surely they'll wear down in no time at all!'. It seems I was wrong - I've worn 'Berry Much' around 3-4 times now and the tip doesn't seem to show many signs of wear at all,minus a little bit of 'smoothing' around the edges. Hopefully this means I won't have to bust out the mega sharpener any time soon!

I love the finish and the wear time of these lip crayons,which last until I take them off at the end of the day. I find I have to touch up,lightly,after eating. Drinking only seems to take off a tiny amount of product too. 


L-R
Berry Much,Red Essential,Keep It Classy


I would strongly recommend a pre-exfoliation and lip balming before applying these as they can be slightly unforgiving. Regardless,if your lips are of the 'normal' variety (no significant dehydration or chapping troubles),you should fare just fine. These are great for layering too,I used Dior's Vie d'Enfer fluidstick over Red Essential and used it to create the most beautiful glossy red lip.



Each pencil cost a neat £4.99 on Superdrug right now - will you be picking any up?

x ~ x


Friday 7 November 2014

{Strictly Swatches} L'Oréal Paris La Palette Nude - Rosé

L'Oreal Paris are often recognized for their luxury products,and this palette is no exception. For a neat £14.99,this palette offers a mash-up of the beauty world's most up to date and trending colour schemes. Roses,taupes and warm matte shades make it a definite must-have. Wear time is good (8-9 hours),all shadows are smooth and blendable. 

Wouldn't this fit perfectly in a Christmas stocking?








x ~ x

Sunday 2 November 2014

Review : Benefit Cosmetics Sweet Shoppe 'Cheeky Sweet Spot' Holiday Blush Palette.


Okay guys,this may just be the cutest make-up item that I now own - just look at that packaging!

 I must confess that upon learning about this products existence I was thrilled and I think I may have cried a little. It was emotional. How could it be that Benefit Cosmetics had actually released a full palette of every single Box'O'Powder they've made?! It sounds too good to be true,and for the price,even I had to pinch myself a bit (Y'know,just to be sure I wasn't dreaming!)

But here it is,possibly one of Benefit's best ever Holiday sets,the 'Cheeky Sweet Spot' Blush palette.

Within this palette you will receive -

Dandelion - Pale candy pink.
Bella Bamba - Shimmering medium pink.
Sugarbomb - Frosted light peach. (Swirled together)
Hoola - Milk chocolate bronze shade.
Coralista - Light coral with shimmer.
Rockateur - Satin finish dark rose gold.

1.5g sample of Watts Up! cream highlighter.





Each blush comes in a range of servings (from roughly 4.0-6.0g per blush.),which works out to be an actual steal,and good news for bank accounts everywhere when you consider it's £29.50 price tag!

What I love about this first off,other than the packaging,is how each blush/bronzer harkens back to it's original scent. There's nothing worse than receiving a make-up item with an awful smell to it. The palette has that same sweet Box'O Powder fragrance,subtle enough to refrain from being offensive. 

I love the layout of the blush pans and since the box itself is durable tin,I'm pleased that they didn't go overboard with extra packaging just to make it look pretty. The embossed feature on the tin is a very nice touch also. 



L-R
Dandelion,Bella Bamba,Coralista,Hoola,Sugarbomb,Rockateur.


I can't vouch for them all being exactly the same as their individual counterparts,but I really love how each blush swatches and looks on the skin. I'm especially excited for Dandelion,which seems like it does a pretty good job of brightening my pale cheeks. Each blush is smooth in texture and blends well on the skin. Wear time between 5-8 hours depending on the blush. 




Included in the set is a miniature Watts Up! highlighter sample and a mini blush brush (usually supplied in every Benefit box powder,in a slightly larger size). The quality of the brush isn't amazing but I'd rather use one of my own brushes anyway. For those lacking other tools,you could certainly give the brush a go! The mini highlighter is a lovely addition to the palette and really rounds off the whole set.

Overall,this set is great quality and plenty of bang for your buck. I cannot recommend it more highly for the upcoming season. I think this would be an awesome holiday gift for any beauty junkie!


Will you be picking up Benefit's Cheeky Sweet Spot Palette this Christmas?

x ~ x