Lovely Lashes - Clinique Lash Building Primer!

If you’re looking for full, long lashes then stop right here as I have found just the product you need, Clinique’s Lash Building Primer. The blurb on the Clinique website states that this product ‘boosts the benefits of Clinique Mascara as it conditions and protects lashes’ but what it doesn’t tell you is that it offers so much more than just nourishment and protection. It volumises and lengthens them whilst also helping to hold the curl longer and doesn’t make your lashes clump together at all – in fact they look more separated than ever before.

For me, it has given a true false lash effect (without the need to be ‘styled with inserts’) with all mascaras I have tried with it, not just Clinique’s. I also found that it seems to keep my mascara in place for a lot longer; even non-waterproof types, as demonstrated at V Festival when my mascara lasted the whole day with no smudging, running or disappearing into thin air. My lashes looked exactly as they did when I applied my makeup.

The product itself is a fairly runny white fluid that is easily applied with a wand, just like you would a normal mascara; once applied you'll also notice that the lashes immediately look longer and more separated and whilst it does go on ever so slightly white, it is a lot less opaque than it seems in the tube. I would still say that you need to apply some kind of mascara over the top of it to disguise this if you’re heading out though, as it’s not a hugely flattering look when left without.

You may be expecting this product to cost a fortune, being that it works so well and that it’s made by Clinique but I bought this at the surprisingly low price of just £10 from Boots. It might be worth noting that it’s currently being sold for £9 in Debenhams in their 10% new season sale and also John Lewis (a price reduction that seems to have come off the back of the Debenhams sale) so if you hurry you may get it even cheaper than I did.

All in all, I can’t recommend this product enough as it has completely excelled my expectations and will have a permanent (or at least very long term) place in my makeup bag.

Red lips at the ready!

Just like the little black dress, red lips have never really gone away but right now they're coming back with a vengeance. The best thing is that pretty much anybody can get away with them; but you do need to make sure that you get the right shade and the right finish for you. From sheer to opaque and matte to glossy, there is something for everybody if you just spend a little time finding out what works best for you!

It’s not an everyday look, and can take a bit more work to apply properly but it can work wonders for you both in terms of the look it gives you and also how it makes you feel. Wearing red lipstick makes me feel confident, like I can take on the world (and win).

I currently love MAC Lipglass in Russian Red; it’s a full on glossy, glamorous red. I recommend you check it out.

Blinc Mascara!

Advantages: Stays put, great finish, easy to use, no flaking, bargain price, good colour choice

Disadvantages: Removing takes a bit of getting used to.

I've always had issues trying to find mascara that lives up to its claims; and I don't know about you, but I am sick of always seeing adverts for mascaras that are claiming to make your lashes super long and super thick, whilst having a disclaimer at the bottom saying that the lashes you see on the model were styled with inserts. Great, if professional makeup artists can't even make the lashes of a model look that good using these mascaras *without* the use of inserts then what hope do we mere mortals have?

I suppose I am quite lucky in that my lashes aren't *too* shabby, they're dark and generally noticeable to some degree even without any mascara on! I still find though, that a lot of mascaras don't really emphasise my lashes in the way they made me believe they would on the adverts and to me this is a big disappointment as when you spend your hard earned on something, you expect that it would do what it said it would do.

I found out about the blinc brand whilst browsing online and thought it sounded great... mascara that doesn't just paint your eyelashes, it tubes them. Yes that's what I said, TUBES them! What it does is creates little waterproof tubes around your lashes, and once applied (and set) the tubes apparently cannot run, smudge, clump or flake... even if you end up crying whilst wearing it, or do what I do and forget about your carefully applied eye makeup when you start rubbing your eyes.

Applying the mascara is very easy; you just need to make sure you move the wand sideways as well as back to front to make sure your eyelashes are not going to set when they're stuck together. If you're used to putting on normal mascara then you really shouldn't have any problems in applying this successfully.

You have about 2 minutes to get all the coats that you want on before the product starts to set and you can no longer apply any more, this is plenty of time to me as I found that I didn't actually need that many coats as I may have done with other brands of mascara that I have tried. The mascara does need longer to dry than any other I have used, so you need to be aware of this before you start messing with things or blinking excessively.

The brush is a big asset to this product as it is quite thin so is more precise when you apply the mascara, it also has a comb like effect that separates lashes as you apply the product and also allows you to get to the shorter and harder to reach inner lashes without either poking yourself in the eye, or getting mascara on your freshly done foundation and/or eye shadow; thus requiring you to restart your makeup!

Once the mascara has set, your eyelashes do feel a bit plastic to the touch but you get used to this quite quickly and it doesn't feel weird on your actual eye when blinking etc. The finish of the mascara was amazing, I was actually really shocked to see how long my lashes looked - and I hadn't even used any primer, in fact after trying it with my Clinique lash building primer I actually preferred it without; however as this isn't your usual kind of mascara this could be why I preferred it without the primer. Blinc do a primer, which may be formulated to work better with this kind of mascara so I would recommend that if you wanted more volume in your lashes than this mascara provides on its own, that you should be looking to get this primer above any others for use with this mascara.

I put its staying power to the test accidently by rubbing my eye without even thinking about it... panic set in, I knew I had mascara on but forgot it was this one so was expecting the worst. Thankfully I was wearing this as it had not budged, not even one millimetre - hallelujah, finally mascara that stays put! It can be used every day if you wish with no adverse effects to your lashes, and will actually last the full day without any loss of impact of the effect it creates. This is perfect for those people who don't have chance, or inclination to keep reapplying their makeup through the day; for those that go from work to the pub or even for brides on their wedding day.

I really couldn't believe it when I found that I could apply it in the morning and it still be looking like I'd just applied it when it was well after midnight. I have actually (accidently) slept in it after wearing it and forgetting to remove it (blame the alcohol that night) and it was still in its place the next morning, now if that isn't impressive then I don't know what is.

The longer lasting formula also applies to the product whilst in the tube, because of its chemical formulation it does not dry out as quickly as traditional oil based paint mascaras.

To remove the mascara you need warm water and a bit of gentle pressure from your fingers or a washcloth to tease and then slide the tiny tubes off your lashes. There's no residue left once removed, and it is suitable for those with sensitive eyes and also those who wear contact lenses. It also does not drag your eyelashes out when you take it off, which I admit I was worried about; I mean I want nice looking lashes when using mascara but not at the expense of them being pulled out of the skin, never to be seen again. This does still take a bit of getting used to, but it's worth it as you save money on eye makeup remover by using this and money saved is always a bonus!

The retail price of the mascara is £18 but it's currently selling in boots at around £14.68 which is a total bargain. It's also available in a variety of colours including black, dark blue, medium brown, dark brown, dark green and dark purple and is not tested on animals. I was using the black one, which was sent to me by the lovely people at blinc to test and review for my website.

More information about the product is available on the website: Blinc UK

Summary: No more bad eyelash behaviour! Highly recommended.

Festival Beauty - Learning The Art Of Travelling Light!

So with V Festival coming up this weekend it is now time for me to decide what beauty bits I will be taking with me. After previous festivals I have ended up taking everything but the kitchen sink, including most of my beauty items and been overloaded with things to carry every time - usually because I was in too much of a rush to sort through it all and choose key items that I would definitely need/use.

I have decided that this time I will be streamlining my luggage and taking only essential items, and items that have multiple uses. It’s also going to need to be something long lasting as I don’t want to be heading back to the tent all weekend to make sure I have some chance of looking the best I can do whilst there and also so that I don’t look like something out of a horror film at the first sign of the dreaded rain!

The first item I will need is a moisturiser and I have chosen to take my Eve Lom day cream, purely because I know it works well on my skin so won’t have to worry about it making me look shiny!

I’ll also need:

Primer – Lancome La Base Pro, Perfecting makeup primer with smoothing effect. This should hopefully ensure that my makeup stays where I put it.

Foundation - instead of taking foundation AND powder, I will be taking my Laura Mercier Mineral Powder which has a SPF of 15 which will remove the need to take both a dedicated facial sun cream and also a regular cream foundation too.

Concealer - Jemma Kidd I-Rescue Bio-Complex Cover as it's good for the eye area, and also general blemishes that had better not appear but I'll be prepared for if they do.

Bronzer – Benefit Hoola; it hasn’t failed me yet!

Blush/Highlighter – Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Gold as this is a very subtle ‘colour’ for want of a better word. I just want it to give my skin/cheeks a healthy sheen more than a definite colour and this is perfect for doing just that! I can also use it under my brows to give them a bit of oomph instead of having to take my separate highlighter.

Eyeshadow – Urban Decay ‘Ammo’ eyeshadow box! This is perfect as it contains a mix of colours all in one handy palette; and the colours in the palette are versatile enough to go with a lot of things I am likely to wear, so it saves me taking loads of my single pots with me.

Eyeliner – Urban decay 24/7 liner in black, nice and simple.

Eyelash Primer – Clinique Lash Building Primer to condition my lashes but also to boost the performance of my mascara.

Mascara – I would usually go with Benefit Bad Gal or Clinique High Impact Mascara but they are not waterproof, so I will be taking my Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara with me as it is waterproof and I don’t want panda eyes if it rains (as I do not intend to be crying haha)! I may also take a clear mascara for my eyebrows, if I find something that grabs me before I leave for V.

Lip Gloss – I will be taking 2 of these so I have 2 choices of colour. Lancome Juicy Tubes, in 33 ‘Pamplemousse’ and also Lancome Juicy Tubes, in 98 ‘Strawberry Funk’.

To remove my make up, I will be taking Lancome Galateis Douceur (gentle softening cleansing fluid for eyes and face) which should remove the need for me to take my Bi-Facil eye makeup remover, followed by their Tonique Douceur (softening and hydrating alcohol free toner).

I won’t be making a huge deal about my hair products whilst there as I’m pretty sure I am going to get rained on, if the weather forecast is anywhere near being accurate so I will just take a brush and some accessories to tie it up when it comes to that time. I’ve learned my lesson on that score and whilst it isn’t ideal, it is a festival so it isn’t the end of the world. Hopefully my make up will stay nice and deflect attention from the abomination that will/may be my hair! ;-)