Beauty: W7 Absolute Lashes Mascara

Hey All

Since going cruelty free I've been needing to find alternatives for some of my favourite non cruelty free products. I've always been a big fan of Benefit They're Real (and many of they're other products) and not being able to repurchase is a shame but I've actually started to find some good alternatives.

Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara Set

Hey All

Towards the end of last year we were invited along to the Dior counter in Debenhams to see the Launch of their Christmas range (post here). Annoyingly buses meant I was a little late so missed some of the demonstration but L told me that this mascara was applied and it looked amazing. I'm a total mascara junkie and as I hadn't tried any Dior mascaras yet I decided it was time to change that.

I love when companies do mascara sets that come with something else. I usually treat myself to one of the Lancome one's that come with either mini mascaras of eye make up removers. I love that this one comes with a little eyeshadow set. I'm a make up on the go type of girl (which translates to I'm too lazy to get up early in the morning so I'm the person doing my make up on the bus!)

The colours in the mini palette are so handy for everyday looks and have all the colours you could need. The brown in the middle is the perfect crease colour and the dark black is great for lining the eyes. I'm really impressed with the quality of these and can't wait to try more Dior eyeshadows! A girl can never have enough right?

So onto the mascara! I love the packaging, it's metal esque simple and feels weighty which I like as it makes me think more high end. Black and silver is always a great combo and looks classy as I'd expect from Dior. I love the brush. I'm a traditional mascara brush type girl over plastic any day. The wand also has a slight curl to help lift those lashes up!

C has a new even fancier pants camera now so I managed to recruit him to take photos for me so he could play with his new lenses. My lashes naturally are fine, fair and have a slight curl.

The thing I love about this mascara is how black it is. I love super dark lashes. This is after one coat of mascara. As you can see my lashes are well separated and slight more lifted up from the roots.

After two coats the lashes as super dark, with a good amount of volume and thickness to them. I love how thick my lashes look at the roots.

I can see from the photos it makes my lashes look nice but I really can't put my finger on why I'm not loving this mascara. I don't know if I just wanted more. I felt like this about YSL shocking (review here) at first though so think it may just need to be one that grows on me . I personally find I prefer a mascara once they've been used a bit so they aren't as wet and new. (is that just me?)

This set is still available from Debenhams here for £25 which basically means the eyeshadow palette is free as it's £25 for the mascara alone!

Have you tried Diorshow Iconic Overcurl? Did you love it? 

Love M

xxx

Top 10 Products I Miss

Hello!

Today's post is a bit of a nostalgic one, I've been doing really well at saving money and using up my stash. I honestly have been doing so well at not buying things I feel like I might be ill!
It's been such a long time that I haven't bought anything essential that I was looking back and thinking of all the products that I would buy if I could....here's my Top 10 products that I miss:

Aura Manuka Honey Mask

Love this, need to repurchase to save my skin!

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

Need to repurchase this too, this lovely cleanser not only makes my skin feel super clean but also it exfoliates my skin without any abrasiveness and leaves it feeling tip top.

Lush Ocean Salt Scrub

This is not only a facial scrub but also a body scrub, it smells DIVINE and to be honest just sniffing it is great but I felt like this wasn't rough on my skin at all. Not only that but the fact it is made up with completely natural ingredients just makes it that much better.

Viper Venom Wrinkle Fix

Me and M both love this serum - it sinks in super quick and doesn't leave a greasy residue. Not only this but I SWEAR my skin looked so much better after using this and my little wrinkles were much improved.

Origins Make A Difference Cream

Another favourite of mine, this rejuvenating treatment just seem to get rid of all spots, soothe dry skin and generally make my skin appear a lot healthier and happier. I try and buy Origins products in sets so that I can try out new things that they have brought out, I've only thought one of them was a bit hit and miss so it has always been worth it!

Benefit They're Real Mascara

This is quite possibly the best mascara, it manages to separate curl and volumise my seemingly poker straight lashes and although I begrudge paying out for it, it really is worth every penny! There's nothing like the brush to separate out every lash and give the full fan effect.

Macadamia Hair Repair Masque

For day to day, my hair is happy with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle - but this makes my hair feel like silk and it goes super shiny and manageable. It just makes life so much easier when your hair plays ball!

Clarins Lotus Face Treatment Oil

All of these seem to be skincare don't they?? Can we tell I maybe have an obsession....
I loved this oil, it was a dry kind of oil so absorbed right into my skin and didn't leave a greasy layer at all. I'd love to try the dry/combination skin version now that I'm a bit older and my skin needs more hydration than before.

Aesop Parsley Seed Serum

Sadly this was only a little bottle of serum that came in a Selfridge's Beauty Box a few years ago, I put off using it as I wasn't convinced but as soon as I began it was magical - I really want to save up and go for a spree in Selfridge's Beauty Hall again and this would be number one on the list!

Lush Solid Serum Full of Grace

A recent addition to my product experience. I picked it up in store and my hands felt amazing, I knew if my hands felt that good then my face would feel even more amazing! And I was right.
My skin feels like it's being fed every time I use it, it's a winner and it's made of lovely natural ingredients too, I have to confess I have actually picked one up since I wrote this post!

What's your favourite product that you miss? Do you like any of the products that I miss?

I should probably branch out from being so skincare obsessed....!

L xxx

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

Smashbox Full Exposure Palette

Hey all,

It's been a busy few weeks for me and I am currently on a hen weekend - at this point it is likely I am in a haze of bronzer and hairspray to make sure I'm looking as glamorous as everyone else there!

I've had this palette for a few weeks now and I've been dabbling around with it for work and weekends, I am of course talking about the Smashbox Full Exposure palette:

This palette contains 14 neutral shades, 7 shimmer and 7 matte, from nudes to blacks. It also includes a double ended eyeshadow brush and a mini mascara, and a booklet to tell you how to apply eyeshadow for different eye shapes.

The packaging is alright, I always have a bit of a dislike for cardboard/paper packaging like this. The Naked palette is the same but at least UD learned their lesson and brought out metal casings for the rest. I think most other brands would do well to do the same as however pretty the packaging is it's rubbish if it only lasts a few weeks after purchase! Mine of this has already got a good few dents and the corners are rounding off.

It also disappoints me that the shades aren't named, some people may think it's a petty thing to pick up on but why on earth are Urban Decay so good at what they do? Naming these eyeshadows S or M for shimmer or matte and then assigning them a number seems like a really half assed attempt, why bother at all naming them something so uninspiring!

That said, the colours themselves do make up for it:

I love the layout of the palette, it's lovely and symmetrical for an OCD person like myself. I LOVE that there are seven shades and a matte and shimmer version of both of them, it makes creating eyeshadow looks extremely easy.

There are both warm and cool toned neutrals to balance out the shade range giving you way more options than other palettes.

You can see the warmer toned eyeshadows above, the shimmers are unbelievably shimmery and I mostly can't stop looking at them. The golds will be perfect for the summer nights with a golden tan to match, I can imagine getting a lot of wear from these for some subtle shimmer for nights out.

The cool toned eyeshadows are something that I've been wearing a lot more, both matte and shimmer. The cool mattes are the ones that I've been leaning towards for work and the cool shimmers are great for Saturday nights out. The darkest shimmer that matches the matte black is the sparkliest shadow I think I own, it's beautiful!

As for the brush I can't make up my mind about it. I do like it, it does blend well and the double ends allow you to apply different finishes from either end of the cool/warm spectrum and not worry too much about the colours mixing together. However I do feel sometimes that the eyeshadow doesn't pick up very well from the pan and it just falls off the brush, which normally means that it ends up all over my cheeks instead of my eyelids - not a good look!

I'm afraid my photos of swatches seem to have gone walkabout - courtesy of my laptop getting the blue screen of death and I am currently unable to get hold of anything that's on there eek!

So instead I will direct you to this link, where Fleur de Force of course has some fabulous swatches to show the shades, finishes and colour pay off very easily.

I do have some photos of the look that I normally create from this palette - this is using the cool toned matte shadows:

I then also just apply some of the shimmer shades on top so that I can go straight from day to night with minimal effort. Just add some lighter shimmer to the inner corner of your eye, a medium shimmer to the centre and the darker shimmer to the outer corners and you're good to go!


The Smashbox Full Exposure palette is a worthy contender to the Urban Decay Naked family. It costs similar at £37, comes with a double ended brush, mirror and a freebie (mini mascara compared to UD's mini Primer Potion).
I love the balance of the cool and warm tones, and the shimmer and matte finishes. For me, the cool toned mattes are the best of the bunch and I've been wearing them a lot. All of the shimmers are beautiful, so the only shades that may not get used as much are the warmer toned mattes - I just never seem to reach for them.

I'd say this palette is a great starter kit for those that don't have any other palettes as it gives you the best variety of tones and finishes in one place with mirror and brush for ease.
I do feel that they could have done a bit more with their packaging and shade names though.....

What do you think of the Smashbox Full Exposure palette? Do you have it in your collection?

Will you be snapping it up for summer holidays? What's your thoughts on naming the eyeshadows or leaving them numbered?

L xxx