It's National Lash Day!!

Long time no speak! I have been AWOL again due to life being difficult, spending a lot of time in and out of hospital, and trying to get myself on a better path with my failing health (I will be posting about this separately in the near future)... but I've decided that I need to get back into my writing, as frankly, I bloody miss it.

Today is all about lashes, as it's National Lash Day; and I'll be honest, I didn't even know this was a thing until last year... but who's judging?!

So I figured it would be a good time to show you my new favourite ever mascara, which has totally surpassed my previous favourite (Max Factor False Lash Effect) that was my go to for many years!

This mascara is EPIC, like literally... that's its name! But it truly is epic as it instantly transforms my eyes, and gives me long, thick, curled lashes in just one coat (more coats are allowed if you wanna go va-va-vooooom with your lashes); giving me a false lash look, without all the faff, and glue damage!

I mean just look at the difference:

It's 4D fiber infused, so none of this 3 step fiber faffing that I've had with previous fiber mascara products that usually put me off using them in the past, in favour of sticking with regular one step mascaras!

And to celebrate National Lash Day, there's up to 30% off full lash regimes* (growth serum, lash primer and 4D EPIC mascara) until Monday, saving you £18.30 - effectively giving you the primer or serum for FREE!!

Plus, you get 14 days to try it - and if you don't love it, you can return it for your money back. Can't say fairer than that, eh?!

Hurrah for mascara!





*Affiliate link, my views are not affected by this.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

A Recent EOTD (Well Night, Actually)!

This was my EOTN on Saturday evening when I went for a few drinks, at short notice so it was a very quick eye make-up, made very easy by the fact that I used the latest Chanel Illusion D'Ombre's in Illusoire and Épatant to create the look.

I also used Urban Decay's 'Polyester Bride' from my Ammo palette to highlight under the brow, a slick of Avon's gel eyeliner in black on top and bottom lash lines, and Bourjois Volume Fast & Perfect Rotating Mascara on my lashes.

It only took me about 5 minutes, purely because the Chanel gel shadows are so blendable and easy to work with and whilst it wasn't the most technical eye make-up, I thought it worked. This photo was taken when I got home, it didn't occur to me to take one beforehand. What do you think?

Avon Luxe Lace SuperShock Mascara!

I was so wowed by the gel eyeliner in the Avon SuperShock collection that I got all caught up in trying that out and posting about it that I completely forgot about the mascara that I was also sent at the same time.

Well, I’ve now taken the time to try it out (many times) and it’s a good job I did as I was missing out on a fantastic product by letting it slip under the radar. The brush is rather big, which at first I thought would make it difficult to use but actually does a perfect job of applying the product to my lashes evenly and without clumping; which leads me to the formula which is equally as fabulous, thickening and separating my lashes even with just one coat. Lovely.

The mascara lasts brilliantly, I’ve never found myself with panda eyes when wearing it and actually on the one night that I rather naughtily (and shamefully... and quite possibly drunkenly) fell asleep before I’d taken my makeup off (including the mascara), I woke up to find my mascara fully intact – very impressive.

This is available for £8.50 at the Avon website... or your local Avon lady but I’ve also noticed that there’s another SuperShock mascara on the Avon website without the Luxe Lace packaging that could quite possibly be the same formula for £5.25 at the moment.

News of the World Models Own Set - Swatches!

As you may have read last week on here, News of the World’s Fabulous Magazine have joined forced with Models Own to give away free Models Own eye kits (read HERE to find out how) worth £24. I was very kindly sent a PR sample so that I could have a play around and tell you more about it before it hit the shelves.

My Thoughts:

The tools are better than I had anticipated, and I even temporarily got over my inherent fear of using this kind of eyelash curler to test it for you, and I have to say it's not bad at all – I would definitely consider using these regularly (if I can properly get over the fear of trapping my eye in them haha).

I love the colour of the tweezers, and they’re pretty decent too; they feel a bit thicker than my tweezerman tweezers but are still very useable and do the job just fine.

Below I have swatched both the shadows and also the liner - apologies that they're perhaps not the best swatches, but I am dosed up on painkillers and struggling to get a post up today.

Flash:

No flash (daylamp):

The shadows are lovely colours, they do feel quite powdery but I think with a little blending this really wouldn’t be a problem and they are very easy to blend because of their texture. I’m actually very impressed. The pigment isn't too bad really, I do feel that you need to build the colour up a bit more than I'm used to but actually that probably gives you a bit more freedom to do a lighter eye look with them.

No Flash:

With flash (purple arrow pointing to where I've used it as a light highlighter):

They do have a shimmer to them too, but it’s not over the top and I do feel these could be used for daytime looks as well as evening without looking ridiculously overdone. The gold would also be quite good, in my opinion as a highlighter if used quite sparingly as it has a nice sheen to it and I do like products that can multifunction – especially if going away over night!

L: Flash, R: No Flash (day lamp)

I am especially impressed with the eyeliner, I like that it has a firm applicator as I feel more in control when applying the liner. I have also found that the liner had fantastic staying power, much better than I had anticipated. It has a great deep black pigment which I love, but it is a bit shiny – this doesn’t bother me at all, but I thought it worth a mention for the sake of anybody who it would bother.

The swatches below show a thinner line and thicker section, just to show the application - it's not my best application I'm afraid, sorry.

Top: No Flash, Bottom: Flash

All in all I still think this is a great offer and that the products included within the set are worth owning and do present great value for money, especially as they basically only cost the price of 2 Sunday newspapers (or completely free/a bonus if somebody you know buys it, or if you buy this paper usually).

Swatches - Sleek Limited Edition 'Sparkle' i-Divine Palette!

Due to being poorly, going to a festive party and then falling over on the ice (and landing on my head), these swatches have ended up going up a lot later than I had intended. Also, in the swatches, please excuse any cuts and scratches that you notice, they are some of my injuries from the aforementioned fall.

Sleek MakeUP’s Sparkle i-Divine palette has been a fantastic purchase for me already, I had been anticipating its release ever since I first saw Sleek mention it on their Facebook page and I’m not disappointed. I must admit that I had my reservations about the red and yellow in the palette from the first ‘palette pictures’ that were released, but actually these are a lot better than I had imagined they would be; especially since the yellow is actually more gold, and the ‘red’ is a lot more wearable than first thought, and can be blended with the blues to create even more sparkly purple hues.

My favourite colours from this palette are Galactic, Twinkle, Illusion, Festive, Mistletoe and Glitz & Glamour; but really they’re all rather lovely colours and will all get used lots over the party season!


Top row (with flash):

Top row (with flash, under day lamp):

Bottom row (with flash): 

Bottom row (with flash, under day lamp):

Top & bottom row (no flash, under day lamp):

As ever, the quality of the shadows is great and lasts really well on the eye – basically everything I have come to expect from Sleek palettes, and yes there is a bit of fall down from the shadow on application but this is easily solved by taking appropriate measures to avoid your foundation base being ruined.

These will not be available for long, as they’re limited edition so if you want one then I suggest you go buy one as soon as you can – especially since they’re still only £5.99 (such a bargain in my opinion)!

Sleek Molten Metal Cream Eye Shadow Duo!

I’ve just seen this amazing new eye duo from Sleek MakeUP on FashionInsight, it grabbed my attention right away as I am a big fan of metallic eyes, and metals are hotter than ever right now (yay)!

Two cream shades are included in the duo, pewter and toasty gold and are said to be highly pigmented (as to be expected with Sleek), show up on all skin tones and can also be used on the cheek bones, lips and as a highlighter too, if you like!

They’re also said to be long lasting and crease free, unlike a lot of other cream eye shadows that are available.

Unfortunately it’s not out until January 9th 2011 (which seems a bit odd as I think this would be perfect for Christmas and New Year), but it is said to be a permanent addition to the range and will be sold on the Sleek MakeUP website and in Superdrug stores (UK) and will either be £5.99 or £6.99 (a bit of confusion here as the release states both prices).

Personally I cannot wait to get my hands on these, especially to see if they truly are long lasting and crease free as I’ve avoided a lot of cream shadows for this precise reason – could Sleek MakeUP have perfected the cream formula enough to win me over? I hope so!

Swatched: Models Own - Black & Green Sparkle & Black & Gold Sparkle!

I recently did swatches of my Models Own glitter/sparkle eye shadows - well now I have 2 more to show you; this time it’s black with green sparkle and black with gold sparkle. I love dark colours and a bit of sparkle, so was attracted to these pretty instantly. In the Models Own Glitter & Sparkle there are a total of 12 colours available on the website and I could easily see myself owning at least 10 of them (magpie that I am) - especially as they're just £5 each, and even less if you buy multiples from the Models Own website!

Application was a bit more difficult than I am used to if I am honest as the powder and glitter don’t really work together when trying to get a nice finish as the glitter can tend to clump in one area rather than go on evenly. This isn’t a deal breaker as the finished effect is rather lovely; it just means that you need to spend a bit more time applying it very carefully! There is also quite a lot of fall-down, which is to be expected really, as it's a powder so make sure you protect your base, or do it after applying the powder.

I would definitely say to use a primer when using these so that the shadow stays put – because the loose particles could get displaced more easily than usual. Again, it’s no deal breaker as I generally always wear primer as it gives a better, longer-lasting result and doesn’t cost the earth to buy.

The pictures have been done with and without flash, and I’ll indicate which is which as I place them on. Also the thin line is where I've applied it went - to see how it applied and the effect it gave after doing so; it wasn't really any easier to apply this way and I'll let you decide how successful the effect was.

With Flash!

 

Without Flash!

Swatched: Avon SuperShock Gel Liner - Silver!

You'll probably remember that I swatched the black version of this liner earlier in October (here) and now I have the silver version I thought I'd show you how equally amazing it is.

Like the black, the silver lasts well on the skin (not quite as long as the black, but still a respectable amount of time) and is brilliantly pigmented, it's also superbly metallic to boot; it can even be used over the whole lid for a long lasting metallic hit.

I love it so much and it was a complete bargain at £3 in Avon's half price sale online!

Without flash:

With flash (in varying lights):

Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner - SALE SALE SALE!!

Remember the amazing Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner that everybody has been raving about? Well not only is it available to buy RIGHT NOW, it’s also available at HALF PRICE! Yes it’s just £3 for the liner at the moment on the Avon website (colours available are silver and black) so if you're hankering after one then now is the best time to buy one. I'm not sure how long it's on for so I wouldn't delay if you want to be sure to get it at this price.

Also if you spend over £20 then you get free delivery by using the code ATD, saving you another £3.50 (not that I’m encouraging you to spend more, but if you wanted to then there’s more available at half price here: http://avonshop.co.uk/beauty/c/make-up/half-price-make-up.html).

For even more money off, please visit TopCashBack for an extra 10.1% cashback. All you need to do is register with the site via my link, search Avon and then use their link to shop/checkout etc. It costs nothing to register and use the site and it’s great – I use it for a lot of my purchases and it’s always nice to see your money building back up in there, ready to be spent on more goodies.

Swatched - Sleek Bad Girl Palette!

Now I've got my mitts on one of these palettes, I thought I'd do a quick swatch for you. I took pictures in varying lights/slightly different angles and all with flash (as it's been a dull day, at best), if it brightens up in the next few days then I will take more photo's with no flash.

I haven't put the product on as thickly as I could have done (which is more noticeable on the lighter colours) as I wanted to show you a true colour pay off on the skin, without having to pile it on. Obviously if/when you use the palette yourself, you can build up the colour as much or as little as you'd like, but the darker colours are highly pigmented - as you should see below.

 
Innocence - A shimmery white - but still quite subtle as doesn't apply heavily.
Gullible - A shimmery flesh tone, subtle and doesn't apply heavily, as above.
Blade - Shimmery/metallic silver (the lightest silver in the palette).
Gun Metal - Shimmery/metallic... gun metal grey.
Underground - Deeper grey (heading towards black) with slight metallic/sheen.
Noir - Fairly matte very dark brown, verging on black it seems.
Intoxicated - Metallic very dark olive green.
Envy - Even darker green that verges on the grey side, still metallic/shimmery.
Obnoxious - Fairly matte dark navy blue.
Abyss - Even deeper blue, seems fairly matte.
Twilight - Gorgeous metallic purple.
Rebel - Fairly matte purple that seems a bit more on the plummy side.

I totally recommend this palette, the colour payoff is superb and it actually lasts really well - after doing the swatches I left the colour on for a while and I didn't notice that much deterioration in the end result. It also didn't come off too easily when I was trying to remove it so I'm confident that I could wear these colours on a night out and not have to worry about it sliding off my face before the night is done.

Sleek Bad & Good Girl Palettes Out Tomorrow - Don't Forget!

This is just a quick post to remind you that the Sleek Bad and Good Girl Limited Edition Palettes are out as from tomorrow. I'm so excited to get my hands on the Bad Girl Palette and will be sure to do my own swatching once it's in my possession!

Will you be buying one, both or none of them?

Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner!

I love it when a product comes along that excites me, and I’m very lucky to have been offered a chance to try such a product before its official (re-)release. Now you may be surprised to see that the product in question is an Avon product as although they’re widely known, they’re not usually the first brand you may think of when it comes to products that people should be (and are) raving about.

Their SuperShock Gel Eyeliner has been on sale before (as shown above), but is no longer on the website – it appears to have had a little makeover itself, now sporting a fancy pink lace design (below).

Eyeliners can be very hit and miss, performance wise; liners that are soft enough to smudge usually don’t stay where you want them to, and liners that stay put can be too hard to smudge. I’ve been through my fair share of liners and this one is one of the best that I’ve used.

Firstly, it’s so easy to use, you do not need to keep going over the same skin area to try and get a good colour depth as the colour payoff on the first stroke is incredible. Even the lightest stroke gives great colour and you can easily make the liner as thin or as thick as you desire. Below is a quick swatch (sorry about picture quality, my camera is still out of action) showing a quick and very light sweep of the liner on the bottom, and a normal sweep on the top.

If you want it smudgy then you have a window of opportunity to do it before the colour seems to set in place, and once it has done so then it stays put. I love love love this as there’s nothing worse than having your eyeliner ending up everywhere but the place you had wanted it to be.

I do think that Avon *may* have slightly missed a trick in making it retractable, rather than a normal sharpening pencil – unless, as I suspect it’s something to do with the formula possibly being too soft to use in this way, in which case I forgive you, Avon.

This appears to be the only real downside that I have found, as this means that the liner needs sharpening (using a good sharpener) more than usual as it is a bit softer than a normal liner (although I’ve found this with Urban Decay 24/7 liners too). However, for the price of the liner this isn’t such a big deal and you’re still going to get plenty of wear out of it before you need to repurchase.

I think that there may only be around 4 colours to choose from in this range (judging off the previous incarnation) but I don’t see this as a massive issue, so long as the staples are included, and I expect they will be. Maybe Avon will branch out the range once it proves to be popular.

This liner is a complete bargain, especially when you consider how well it works and how it lasts once applied. It will be priced around the £6 mark, although Avon regularly run special offers so you may even be able to get it cheaper, and it’s available from October 28th.

New Sleek i-Divine Limited Edition Palettes - Bad Girl & Good Girl!

JUST CONFIRMED - These palettes will be released on October 27th, get it in your diary!

Yesterday I saw pictures of the next Sleek Limited Edition I-Divine Palettes to be released. They are named Bad Girl and Good Girl; Bad Girl is made up of sexy and smouldering dark colours whereas Good Girl is a very girly, and very pink collection.

Personally I am looking forward to Bad Girl (shown below) more than Good Girl as GG is way too pink and sickly, with nothing to contrast it with that I just can’t see how it would work for most people. I do love pink as a colour, but from the pictures this just doesn’t grab me. I actually thought it could be lip/cheek colours at first glance, which would work much better with the colours included in the palette in my opinion.

As you can see above, Bad Girl looks amazing, I really am wetting myself (not literally you’ll be pleased to know) with excitement about it, and I have linked below to the full original post with pictures and swatches so you can see for yourself. Oh and there’s some pictures of Good Girl on there too, for those who fancy a look.

Go visit - http://www.theglamorousgleam.com/2010/10/sleek-makeup-i-divine-bad-girl-good-girl-palettes-swatches-review.html