MAC Mineralize Multi Effect Mascara

Well hey there!

Today's review is of another MAC mascara - I've certainly been raiding their shelves recently and this one in particular was from the Cosmetics Company Outlet in Swindon on a recent trip there. I already need another  trip now that my favourite face wash and foundation are both running low, but still can't get there for another few months!

This mascara is the Multi Effect Lash mascara from their Mineralize range. It costs £21 at full price and I picked it up for £14.75 at the outlet.

I chose Charged Black, I always choose a black mascara as my lashes are already black as they are but it surprised me that they didn't have a brown option too.

The packaging was pretty standard for MAC, black and sleek.

This Mineralize mascara contains a unique combination of 77 Mineral Complex including shea butter, emollients and conditioning extracts to help keep your eyelashes soft and flexible. 

The brush looks pretty standard, there's nothing about it that screams out that it is anything different from any other mascara. 

So what does it look like on the lashes?



I'd say it works pretty well at lengthening my lashes, they look longer and blacker without being clumpy.
I do normally like a bit more volume in my look but for day time it's perfectly fine. I bought this on the horrifying occasion that I went out without mascara on, it wasn't a planned purchase but nevertheless it has been a good addition to my make up bag.

What do you think of MAC mascaras? Do you think they are worth the extra money?

If I'm honest I don't normally think that spending more on mascara is worth it, but that's because my lashes don't seem to respond to curling or any kind of taming, so lengthening and volumising is my only option!

L xxx

Urban Decay Perversion and Subversion Mascara and Lash Primer

Hey dolls!

As I'm sure you are well aware Urban Decay are pretty awesome. We're both big fans on here and probably own the majority of their stock between us (addicts!).

When I went in recently to pick up the Pulp Fiction palette I was made aware of the £50 spend = £10 in points at Debenhams and well, it would have been SO RUDE not to snap up some more product goodness for my already overflowing stash.

Say hello to Perversion and Subversion, the bigger, blacker, badder mascara and lash primer that UD have recently released. This combo packet comes in at £17 and there are a limited amount available so I'd snap them up pretty quick if I were you! 

I cannot fault the packaging and the wording on the boxes; it draws you in and makes you want it no matter how much you may not need 'another mascara'. I didn't think I needed but still ended up with it in my basket!

I love the black/white, night/day, bad/good, devil/angel vibes that these products give off. The good guy is Subversion, the white coloured lash primer used before Perversion, the black mascara giving you the biggest, baddest, blackest lashes. Perversion is their most highly rated 24/7 liner pencil producing the most pigmented colour you have ever seen. It's not surprising that they've produced a mascara to match given how popular it is.

The inside packaging matches the outer boxes and the two products look really good together.

They call Subversion 'foreplay' for lashes, a whipped, creamy primer that conditions and primes for mascara application. They say it works by adding weight to your lashes and giving the mascara something to hold onto. The thicker brush allows it to coat your lashes from root to tip for even coverage.

The Subversion primer contains panthenol and vitamin E whilst also being paraben and fragrance free to keep your lashes in tip top condition.



Perversion mascara is a mascara that's not too wet, and not too dry. It glides through lashes providing even coverage and 'insane control'. You can apply so many coats of mascara and it still doesn't clump or get brittle. The formula contains Hairdensyl, a blend of proteins and amino acids. Marine glycogen stimulates lash growth, honey extract provides deep nourishment, sea idrolised elastine stimulates the hair follicle and marine collagen products.

Again the massive volumising brush manages to grab every lash leaving a clump free even coating of product for a beautiful finish.

So after all that jargon, what does it actually look like?

The photo below shows the primer on my lashes on its own. It starts off being white but does dry to clear and seems to absorb into your lashes which is good. It was hard to focus on the lashes with my phone but you can get the general idea!

More importantly, with Perversion mascara applied on top:



How amazing?!

I absolutely love the effects, and this is with 1/2 coats which is my normal day to day wear. I could easily apply additional coats and still not get any clumping but would get additional volume and length.

You can see below there are absolutely no clumps whatsoever, just bigger, badder and blacker lashes which is the ultimate goal.

This mascara and primer duo are 100% worth the cash. I'm interested to see if the primer would work as well with other mascaras and I'm yet to try that and see if it has such a good results.

But I would definitely recommend this product for the effects, I can easily add extra layers of mascara without clumping or brittle pieces falling off and they don't feel crunchy either, which is something I really hate!


Have you tried Subversion or Perversion? Do you rate lash primers? Are you a fan of the highly pigmented Perversion range?

They've got me hook line and sinker, it's a firm favourite in my make up bag now and I can't see it leaving any time soon. I like it when a random purchase becomes a new favourite!


L xxx

Millie Mackintosh for Nouveau Lashes Soho Lash

Hey All

Today is my big brother's wedding day! How exciting, I'm wearing this beautiful Hybrid Dress from The Blonde Salad boutique (amazing customer service if you are looking for a great dress!). As soon as I spied it I had to have it! I love the bright lime green on it and think it'll look amazing with a tan.

I thought I'd share the lashes I'll be wearing for the big day. For ages I've wanted to try the Millie Mackintosh lashes, not only is she a beauty and always looks flawless but Tanya Burr uses them lots too. A few weeks back I took part in a challenge (I'll be posting on it soon, I've finally found a glue that rivals eylure!) that these were the prize for.

These are the Soho Lash. I wore them a few weeks back and love how they add volume and length without looking OTT so as soon as I put them on I was instantly sold for the wedding.

I love that they come with mini tweezers. I am forever losing tweezers so having them in the pack means they'll always be nearby when I need them! For once I also actually like a glue that isn't eylure. The glue dries quickly and sticks well. I always find it takes me two attempts to apply lashes.

I like that they lightly fan out and provide a more subtle volume!

On they thicken the lash line and draw subtle attention to my eyes!

Ignore the glue on them, clearly I was having a bad lash day this day! They have a soft curl and blend easily with my natural lashes.

With the glue they last all evening, are easy to apply and I'll easily get a good few wears out of them. The whole range is coming on holiday with me. I love a bit of false lash and love how these can be worn in the evening without looking too much.

Have you tried the Millie Mackintosh lashes? I'm so glad I finally got my hands on them!

Love M

xxx

Lancome Hypnose Mascara

Good morning lovelies!

I hope you're looking forward to your Saturday, me and M have got friends staying today and we're so excited! We're hoping to get a bit of shopping done before some food and then some cocktails and dancing the night away!

Ideally I'd also like to see some of the Wales v Ireland Six nations match....I'm your typical welsh girl loving the rugby and I love nights out after a match so I'm really looking forward to it.

That aside, I've been using another of my Christmas presents (that I bought for myself...) and have been LOVING the effects.

M has long been a big fan of Lancome mascaras and her comments eventually wore me down and I couldn't help but pick up the Hypnose set that they had out in Boots.

The set contains a full size Hypnose mascara along with three miniatures of the Doll Eyes, Drama and Star.
I've heard so much about all of these mascaras, not just from M, but from many bloggers so I was really looking forward to trying these out.

Starting with the packaging I obviously love it. Black and gold simple tubes with the Lancome flower at the top next to the name of each mascara.
I love simplicity so this ticks all the boxes for me although the Hypnose mascara does have a slightly curvier shape than the three miniatures and I still love these.

The Hypnose mascara brush looks pretty normal to be honest and I didn't expect much from it. I do think that some fancy brushes are far too over the top and don't provide anything different to a simple brush but I did think it might have looked a bit more....special? I don't know, looking at the above photo it doesn't look very different to any Rimmel or Collection mascara that are obviously much cheaper and so I didn't expect a lot even after the reviews I've read.

I've mentioned before how I am lucky with my lashes, they are long and thick but generally straight as they REFUSE to curl. Whatever I do (even heated curlers) they don't stay curled at all. I've been tempted to have them professionally done but haven't ever got round to it, any one who has had this done please get in touch!

Because of this I don't find that I need expensive mascaras as I don't generally need the additional length or volume.

Having used this mascara only a few times I was quite honestly surprised and amazed at how much I loved it. It separated my lashes super easily, lengthened them and even, dare I say it, made them appear to be more curled.

You can see from the photos below how my lashes looked after applying just ONE coat of the Hypnose mascara:

I am such a convert to this mascara now I'm finding it hard to leave it alone!

I loved the results and with just one coat for application  that doesn't clump and gives amazing results means that the mascara will also last a bit longer.

I am yet to try the miniatures from the collection (Drama, Doll Eyes and Star) as I've been saving them for when the original Hypnose runs out, but I've got high hopes if they're as good as the first one I've tried!

Have you tried any Lancome mascaras before? Which are your favourites?
Do you have a favourite 'premium beauty' mascara? If so which one?

I'm intrigued to know which other mascaras can be as good as this!

L xxx

Rimmel Scandaleyes and Scandaleyes Flex Mascara

Morning all!

I've got a double review/comparison review for you today. I picked up both of these Rimmel mascaras over the past few months and thought as they were the same it was easier to review them this way.

The Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara (orange packaging) was free a few months ago when you spent a certain amount on Rimmel in Boots. I picked up my usual Stay Matte Pressed Powder and probably a Kate Moss lipstick to get this as I'm a big fan of Rimmel mascaras.

I'm lucky in that my lashes are long enough as they are, but as they're very straight I do need help with mascara to curl them and create more volume. Because of this I've only ever bought high street mascaras because they work well enough for me and Rimmel is my go to when I need one asap!

So let's talk about the original Scandaleyes mascara. First off I liked that this one came in its own individual wrapping, this is great as it means nobody else has used it or tampered with it.

The orange packaging is bright and funky and easy to find in my endless make up bag!

It's also a chunky product which I prefer, a small skinny tube isn't as easy to grab and handle as a tube like this. The brush is pretty average looking but all the same looks like it will pick up most lashes and distribute product evenly.



I have no other make up on in these photos so please ignore my pale skin and bare brows!

Below shows my lashes with one coat of Scandaleyes:



Below shows 2 coats:



Here are my lashes from above (as you can see they are long but very straight!)




My other purchase was more recent and I picked up the new Scandaleyes Flex mascara which contains Lycra. I'm intrigued as to how Lycra can help in a mascara and change the formula enough to warrant new packaging and a relaunch etc.

The green packaging is vibrant and fits with the bright orange of the original Scandaleyes. The brush is also very similar but possibly a bit fluffier than its original which would help to distribute the product and separate lashes more completely.

The photo below shows 1 coat of the Lycra Scandaleyes Flex:





The photo above shows two coats of the mascara, you can see they are much heavier with product than the first but the lashes are still separated and well defined.

Below is a photo of my lashes from above:



As a last comparison as you look at this picture, the Lycra Scandaleyes Flex is on the left eye (my right) and the original Scandaleyes is on the right eye (my left).



There is minimal difference although possibly the original Scandaleyes brush doesn't carry as much product in one application and so isn't so thick on the lashes.
Both of these are great for every day use and I would definitely recommend them especially for the price!

What do you think of Rimmel mascaras? Have you tried the Scandaleyes range? Do you prefer the mascara with or without Lycra?

L xxx

Rapid Lash Eyelash Enhancing Serum

A good few months back Rapid Lash tweeted asking for people to try their Rapid Lash. Rapid Lash is something I've always wanted to try but couldn't part with the money for it myself. Who wouldn't want longer, better conditioned and more fluttery lashes.

Rapid lash is a serum that you apply to the lashline before bed. It comes in an applicator similar to a liquid liner and is a clear liquid.

Rapid lash contains 6 key ingredients that help to condition and improve lashes. Polypeptides help prevent lashes breaking and help improve volume. Biotin maintains healthy lashes. Panthenol (provitamin B5)seals moisture into the lashes to keep them nourished. Amino acids boost protein synthesis helping the lashes grow more. Soybean Oil is full of vitamins to improve lashes and lastly Pumpkin Seed Extract which is high in zinc and amino acids to support growth and make lashes look more voluminous.

So the biggest question is does it work. I find to be honest to remember every night is hard. I think I've probably used it 5 nights out of 7 for the first 8 weeks and probably 3 or 4 since. It is starting to run out now but it has lasted about 16 weeks so far.

Here are my lashes before. I have very fair lashes. I've always thought they were reasonably long but the last year or so they haven't felt as long.

And the after. I've found it hard to photograph and show the difference on mine as my lashes are longer at the tips but also seem to be blonder and fine the bits that have grown. For me I didn't notice any difference for about 8 weeks. I then started to notice when I'd applied my mascara my lashes were looking fuller, longer and they looked more fluttery.

I'm gutted my tube is coming to the end as I really like this. Due to money situations spending £39 on this isn't something I can justify. I think this type of product is the product I'd love as a present. It's one of those splurges I can't justify but would love to receive.

Have you tried rapid lash? Would you consider it?

Love M

xxx


Rapid lash were kind enough to send us both a tube of their infamous lash serum and although I am very lucky to have long lashes I have very sensitive eyes and my constant eye rubbing of my red and dry eyes (bad habit!!!) has caused them to fall out a little and they've felt a lot more coarse.

Unfortunately for me I didn't have any positive effects in terms of lash lengthening but I did have a massive improvement in the condition of my lashes. For this purpose pictures are totally pointless as its by touch that I can feel a difference.

It was really interesting to use a lash serum so I really appreciate the opportunity to try this out. The condition of my lashes definitely improved, but sadly my lashes didn't lengthen as I would have liked.

L xxx