Fast Face

Hello loves!

I'm sure we've all been there, that moment in the mornings when you're waking up from a dreamy sleep and suddenly BAM you realise that you've got exactly 10 minutes before you have to leave the house.

Ugh those mornings are a terror!

I'm one of those people that has to get up and leave ridiculously early for work every day as I have an hour's drive to work in the morning so most of the time I've made my lunch, set up my breakfast and laid out my clothes ready the night before. For this I have been thankful so many times!

During the dreaded mornings that I conveniently fall back to sleep after my alarm has gone off I admit I do grab a face wipe and slap on whatever moisturiser my hands can reach and that's it for skincare.

As far as make up goes I'm a speedy one for work as it is but here are my top products for a 'fast face'

1) Vichy Dermablend - one of my faves that I've just had to repurchase after panicking about my other foundations just not doing the job.

This blends perfectly with a buffing brush to give flawless skin whatever condition it's in and its my fail safe.

2) Stick concealer - Currently using Revlon's Photoready concealer. Super blendable and easy to just drawn on your face wherever you need it and its so creamy and hydrating. Undereye bags and spots be gone!

I just blend it in with an Expert Face brush and I'm done in 10 seconds.

3) Rimmel Match Perfection Loose Powder - I have the oily T-zone that brings about shine on a daily basis so I always need to set my face regardless of how late I am. A quick swirl of this and I'm good to go.

4) HD Brow Kit - I cannot deal without brows but when in a rush it can be a problem. I use the same brush every day for my brows so its pretty much pre-loaded with product and i just have to run the brush through to make sure that any loose powder isn't colouring them. Any specific shaping is normally missed but if anything this part is what takes me the longest out of my whole face, sharpie brows or wonky brows are a no no!

5) Bourjois Bronzing Powder - Also using a pre-loaded Kabuki brush I apply this to attempt some sculpting of my face. (I do wash my brushes regularly FYI but they do get a little loaded sometimes). This bronzer cannot be overdone on my face so its super easy to slap on and blend in seconds!

6) Mascara - This changes quite often as I'm a germ phobe when it comes to eyes and am very OCD about throwing my mascaras out pronto. Currently using Rimmel Scandaleyes for work as its super easy to use, doesn't clump and coats and separates my lashes easy peasy.

I couldn't quite make it into a 5 minute / 5 product face as others have but I'm pretty sure an extra one won't make too much of a difference!

Do you have many of those dreaded late mornings? What would your face essentials be?

I'll be honest I'm much more likely to slap on some eyeshadow quick to define my eyes and step on it at 80mph to get to work.....but that's probably not an appropriate suggestion for keeping your life in tact is it!

You should definitely forgo the make up and drive within the limits....

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

Review: Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal

I've always worn eye liner since I was about 12, I loved having black lined eyes and loooooooooads of mascara so that was what I wore every day even to school.

For the past 2 years I've kind of slacked off using it, not for any reason but I found I was using my Mac Eye shadow in Carbon to line my eyes using a wet brush and this worked out fine for me.

Recently however I've been missing the ease of using a pencil though and splashed out on these two from Rimmel, the Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal pencil which I picked up in nude and black, no doubt on a 3 for 2 deal a few weeks ago!

I've never used a nude or white eye liner but have seen how great they are on other people so thought I'd try it out myself, God knows I need something to make me look more awake in the mornings!

The packaging is pretty simple which I always like with the pencil colour coordinated to the casing making it easier to find whichever one you're looking for.

Also I love Rimmel's details of the union jack and crown printed onto the casing, very patriotic!

So here the pencils are scribbled lightly onto my arm, they're so soft and don't drag on my skin at all and the colour pay off is pretty good.

The staying power however is second to none, after taking the above photo I immediately tried to smudge the pencils with my fingers, with absolutely no effect!

The photo below shows my arm after vigorous rubbing (not enough to make my skin red or anything though!) and you can see both colours have amazing staying power.

They don't however stay on your eye without being able to be smudged, it's so odd!

You can still smudge the black in particular so that there are no harsh lines which I think is pretty darn good!

The photo below shows my eye with nothing but the nude eyeliner on the bottom and some mascara.

The colour is a pretty good match for my super pale skin and doesn't stand out too much that it looks odd.

On a side note, this photo is from after a night out.

After taking my make up off with a face wipe and then cleansing with Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish the eye liner was still on my eyes!

This wasn't the best thing but after scrubbing at my eyes with micellar water with no progress I eventually went to sleep.

In the morning the rest of the eye liner came off quite easily so that was fine but it was a challenge!

In my book these pencils are amazing, especially for the price (£3.99 - and on the 3 for 2 deal at Superdrug and BOGOHP at Boots!)

I would quite happily buy these again and might consider some different colours too!

Do you have these? Are you a big fan too?

L xxx