L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara Review

I bought this mascara about a week ago because I was running out of my Estee Lauder Projectionist, which I love but it's too expensive to keep re-purchasing.

 I find most drugstore mascaras I've tried are too dry and clumpy looking and always flake off by the end of the day but L'oreal have fairly decent ones, they are at the higher end of the drugstore mascaras. So I thought I'd give them a go and got Volume Million Lashes because I liked the look of the brush. It cost me around £11 in Boots.

The brush is a good size, and very lightweight. It's quite big but not overly so. I really don't like huge mascara wands. I once bought Max Factor's False Lash Effect and couldn't use it at all because the brush was so huge! 

Volume Million Lashes has also a no-clumps brush and as you take the wand out of the tube it takes off the excess product so you don't end up with clumpy lashes, which is what attracted me to it.

This mascara separates my lashes nicely, I don't get any clumps at all and it makes my lashes look pretty long. I wouldn't say it's amazingly volumising, you'd have to put a few coats on to get really big lashes. I like the ammount of volume it gives though, for me it's just enough without looking over the top. You can build up to bigger lashes and it still won't clump.

The mascara doesn't flake off either and another problem I have had with mascaras is that they can irritate my eyes. This doesn't do that at all.

I also really like the black and gold packaging, it's nice and classy.

All in all I like this mascara, it's a good replacement for my Projectionist :)

Clothing Haul + Revlon Lip Gloss Rave!

I haven't bought many clothes lately, I seem to be spending money on make up and skin care products instead. I did however go shopping on the day after Boxing Day for some things, and I also got a couple of tops yesterday. So I thought I'd do a little clothing haul as I've not done one in a wee while!

I also want to rave about two Revlon lip glosses I got yesterday after reading Chic Geek's post about them. I'm absolutely in love with these glosses and that's quite a big deal for me as I don't actually like lip gloss!

Firstly though I'll show you some things I got in the sales-

• Denim Shirt from Internationale

• Floral Hook & Eye Dress from Peacocks- 

I've been wearing this a lot, it wasn't in the sale but I loved it too much and paid full price, which is a very rare thing for me to do! The sizing is quite dodgy though, it's a size 10 but is still too big for a size 10.

• Blazer from New Look

This was a bargain at just £7. I've been after a blazer for a long time and it's a really good fit.

• Stripy Basic Tee from Internationale

• Embellished Playsuit from New Look

I love this, wore it for New Years Eve but I will also be wearing this a lot in the summer with gladiator sandals. It's great for nights out and was another bargain at £9!

Now onto the Lip Glosses....

Left, Lilac Pastelle, Peach Petal

I bought these after reading about them on Chic Geek's blog. They looked irresistible and I'd been looking for a decent nude gloss and also a lilac lip colour for quite a while. 

I don't really like lip glosses because I find them to look quite tacky when they have glittery particles in them, which most of them do. I also don't like the smell most of them have or the sticky texture. It's very annoying when it's windy and your hair sticks to your lips too! That's why I usually wear a lipstick and if I want to make it glossy I'll put a clear lip balm over the top. I've found that most brands (apart from higher end brands) have a very limited and not very imaginary range of colours either. 

That's what attracted me to these Revlon glosses. They don't have any glitter in AT ALL and are the exact colours I'm looking for.

They do a lovely bright coral colour as well but I couldn't afford to buy all three so I will have to wait to get that one. 

They're just the right ammount of sticky to stay on your lips but not feel horrible, have just the right ammount of colour and I love the packaging, it's really classy. 

They smell really good too, like vanilla, chocolate and marshmallows! Most glosses I've used actually smell like vomit to me, I'm not even joking! I had a Rimmel gloss which was meant to smell like oranges or something but it was awful and to me it smelled like sick...

Lilac Pastelle

Peach Petal

The nude is gorgeous. It's peachy but not too peachy, and I can see it working on any skin tone. It's not too pink or orange- just perfect!

The lilac is really lovely. You can build it up to be a full on lilac if you want to which would look amazing on darker skins, but it looks a bit strange on me! I think this colour would be amazing with 60's style eye make up.

I am so happy I've discovered these glosses, and thank you to Chic Geek for blogging about them! :)

Lumie Clear Update- Week One

Hi Everyone

Today I'll be updating you on my first week of using the Lumie Clear. For more info on the Lumie you can always read my previous post about it here.

So after a week of use I have definitely seen an improvement on my chest, it's not red and the inflammation has gone down, it's actually almost clear now. My face is pretty clear too although a blemish did come up yesterday. It does seem to dry them up and shrink them really quickly though.

I'm not going to change any of my skincare or start using any new products (okay maybe my Clinique toner...) just so I can be sure that the Lumie is working and I know it's not something else.

You're meant to use this once a day for 15 minutes on each area for 12 weeks, so I'm pretty happy with the results I'm getting in the first week.

The 15 minutes can seem like a long time especially if you have to hold it, but I use it while watching the TV and it's not too bad. I think you have to be pretty dedicated and want to get the results with it because it is very easy to become lazy and forget about it. 

So that's all I have to say so far really, I will update you every week and let you know how it goes! 

If you have any questions just leave a comment below :)

HAUL and SWATCHES: Clinique + L'oreal

Yesterday I popped into Boots to get Clinique's Clarifying Lotion which is part of their 3 Step System. While I was at the Clinique counter I noticed they had an offer on for 750 Boots Card points if you buy 3 or more Clinique items. So I decided what the heck I'll get 3 things.. here's what I got-

I've always thought toners to be a bit of a con and never quite understood the point of them. But and after a bit of research I think my skin could do with one. Thought I'd go with Clinique as I really like their skincare and already use their Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel.

The Clarifying Lotion sweeps away any dirt or oil that your cleanser has left behind, and helps clogged pores and oil etc.

I got it in number 3 which is for combination/oily skins. I was thinking about getting number 4 which is for very oily skins but after reading reviews people said they found it a bit harsh, so number 3 should be a good middle ground.

The other two Clinique items I got were the Airbrush concealer as I'll be needing a new one soon and the Instant Lift for Brows. 

This is the first concealer I've ever re-purchased, it's so good! 

I've seen Sam at Pixiwoo use the eyebrow pencil in her videos and thought I'd try it out. I like that it has a highlighter with it which is a similar colour to Hush Cream Colour Base from MAC.

Top to bottom- Airbrush Concealer in Fair, Instant Lift for Brows in Soft Blonde, highlight colour.

I also got the L'oreal Volume Million lashes mascara, as I'm nearly out of my Estee Lauder Projectionist and even though this is probably the best mascara I've ever used, at £18.50 it's just way too expensive to keep re-purchasing.

I went with L'oreal because their mascaras are said to be the best out of the drugstore brands, and I liked the look of the brush on Volume Million Lashes.

Have you tried any of these products?

Lumie Clear- Natural UV Light Acne Treatment

Lately my skin has been acting up a bit due to the weather. I was trawling the Internet looking for new treatments and stuff, and I remembered about the Lumie Clear which I saw in Boots in the January sales.

Lumie Clear is basically two LED lights, one red and one blue. The blue kills the bacteria in your skin and the red helps reduce and soothe inflammation.

It's rather pricey at £152 at Boots, but you can get it for £149 on the Lumie Clear website and a bit less than that on sites like Amazon.

I decided to invest in one, and bought mine from Boots as I got 2000 bonus points on my card if I bought it which translates into £20 on my Boots card- happy days!

I've heard before about how UV/LED lights can be used to treat all kinds of skin complaints, but before hearing about the Lumie Clear I'm pretty sure this kind of treatment was only available in places like Harley Street clinics in London, so it wasn't easy to access and would have been hugely expensive.

What attracted me to the Lumie Clear was that it is a natural way to treat acne, so I could stop using the creams from the doctor which while they work, the also dry my skin out and cause me loads of hassle. So while the Lumie is pretty pricey, it's more of an investment because you'll be saving on all the acne creams and treatments you buy.

Although my skin has been pretty good for nearly a year now, I still get the odd break out and as I said before my breakouts have started to become more regular the past few weeks due to horrible winter weather. 

I find that when I go on holiday somewhere hot and sunny, or when it's summer time here my skin always improves. This is down to all the sunshine and heat we get, and the Lumie Clear is sort of mimicking that sunshine because it's using the same light we get in the sunshine.

Lumie, with the very sexy goggles provided! 

It comes with a stand as you can see... so you don't have to hold it. 

Or you can take it off and hold it like this...(I prefer this way)

You're to use this for 15 minutes on each area you want to treat, once a day depending on how far away you're holding it. For example if you're holding it directly on the skin, you only have to use it for 15 minutes, but if you're wanting to cover a bigger area you'll have to hold it slightly further away so the light can stretch to cover the area. They say if you're holding it 4cm away from the skin to use it for 30 minutes. 

It comes with a 15 minute timer which starts when you turn it on and goes off 15 minutes later, so you don't have to worry about checking the time. I also like that you can use it to treat anywhere on the body.

So my Lumie Clear arrived last Wednesday and ever since I've been using it everyday, sometimes doing it once in the morning an again in the evening. 

The areas I'm treating are my cheeks and chin and my chest. I've already noticed that a small breakout on my chest has cleared up extremely quickly, so that's good news. 

I've decided to do a weekly update and let you all know how I'm getting on. 

I'll update you on Wednesday! :)

Anti Chafing Gel... as a primer?!

As most of you reading this probably watch YouTube make up videos just as much as me I'm sure you've heard about the anti chafing gel primer craze.

For those of you that haven't, lots of people are using anti chafing gel as a primer because it contains the same ingredients as most expensive primers out there. The active ingredient being Dimethicone. 

So I read up about this, read some reviews and decided to go and buy some and see if it's any good. I have used primers in the past but they have never done anything for me and sometimes made my skin break out or make it even oilier, so I was pretty skeptical but had high hopes from the things I was reading about it online.

My skin had been getting oilier than usual for some reason and I was hoping this would be the amazing product which would solve everything! 

I bought the Lanacane Anti Chafing Gel in Boots and it cost me around £6 for 30g of product. As you only need a tiny amount for your face this will last you ages. So it's pretty good value especially compared to the expensive make up primers out there which have pretty much the same ingredients.

It comes in a tube making it hygienic which is always a good thing. The first time I used this I only applied it to my nose and forehead, because I was worried about whether it would break me out, being silicone based and containing Corn Starch. Thankfully it doesn't seem to break me out at all which is lucky.

I apply it after I've let my moisturiser sink in. I then wait for 5 minutes or so until the primer has had a chance to set, then apply my make up. 

It definitely makes my skin really smooth and my foundation goes on nicely, not that it doesn't go on nicely without a primer though.

I was really hoping it would control my oil more than anything, but unfortunately this makes my skin even oilier. So this doesn't work for my oily skin at all! It does however make my face smooth and although I use mineral make up which lasts ages on my skin anyway, I think it makes it stay on even longer than usual. Just makes my face incredibly greasy and shiny!

Amount needed for your entire face- be careful not to use too much! :)

I don't feel like I need a primer to be honest. My skin is less oily without a primer and I don't like putting extra  things on my face when they're not really needed.

If you have dry or normal skin this would be great for you, and I do think this is great as a primer. You'd be saving a lot of money too. 

I think I'll definitely keep this for when doing make up on people with dry/normal/combo skin types.

Do be careful not to put too much of it on your face though, you only need a tiny pea size amount, otherwise it will start to flake and peel off making you look rather strange...

And if you're known to break out from skincare products or have sensitive skin it's a good idea to do a patch test first!

Have you tried this as a primer?

FOTD- Natural Everyday Make Up

Today I decided to do a natural everyday look combining the spring trends into it.

I used Painterly Paintpot from MAC all over my lids, then Jaan eyeshadow from my Athma palette over that.

I then used Vanilla from MAC under my brows to highlight and a small ammount in the inner corners of my eyes.

I put a little bit of Arena eyeshadow from MAC on my lower lashes, lined my upper waterline with Collection 2000 brown eyeliner, smudging a tiny bit on the corner of my lower lashes with an angled brush.

I then curled my lashes with my Tweezerman curlers, and applied one coat top & bottom of Estee Lauder Projectionist mascara.

For my brows I used MAC Brow Set in Beguile and Omega shadow on an angled brush to define the ends of my brows a bit more.

On the cheeks I used Barry M blusher in number 5 and Lily Lolo mineral bronzer in South Beach to contour slightly.

Clinique Airbrush concealer is under my eyes and as always I'm using a very sheer layer of Lily Lolo mineral foundation and the mineral concealer where needed. Then finally Lily Lolo mineral matte finishing powder which I recently bought.

On my lips I have Vaseline Lip Therapy tinted lip balm.

Hope you like it! It's such a gorgeous day today, when the sun is shining I always feel really good :)

Spring/Summer Make Up Trends for 2011 & Coral NOTD

I've been flicking through some magazines recently and the Spring/Summer make up looks this year seem to be quite 70's, with neutral brown smokey eyes, nudes and corals. But at the same time acid brights are in too so there's something for everyone.

Bright corals (images from Google)

Neutral eyes and soft lips

Acid brights at Christian Dior  

I really like the neutral/coral trend as I tend to stick with neutrals anyway and I love coral... So I am loving this years' make up!

I like seeing acid brights on other people but just not on me. If you're looking for some inspiration, Nic at Pixiwoo has recently done a really good acid brights tutorial- watch it here.

Another good thing about the neutrals/coral trend is that I have a lot of products for it in my make up bag already! I've picked out some things I'll be wearing this spring...

My MAC Athma Palette from the Mickey Contractor collection arrived the other day- it's the first time I've ever bought anything from a MAC collection. This is a really nice wearable palette and has a couple of nice shadows which are great for neutral eyes and aren't overly sparkly. The other two colours are a dark reddish brown & a matte black

I especially like Jaan (above) and Vivah (below)

I'll also be wearing MAC shadows (left to right) Era, Arena, Amber Lights

Era is a nice neutral with a lovely sheen to it, Arena is a good peachy colour and Amber Lights is a daring shimmering gold/orange, which looks similar to Vivah in the picture, but Vivah is more brown

Barry M coral blusher & MAC Hush CCB for peachy glowing skin.

Peachy pink, nudes and coral lipsticks

(left to right) Rimmel Tell No One, Vasaline lip tint, MAC Shy Girl, Rimmel Nude Delight, MAC Honeylove

• Tell No One- a bright, long lasting coral
• Vasaline Lip Tint- gives a sheer flush of pink while moisturising your lips
• MAC Shy Girl- a new lipstick which I got along with my Athma palette, it's a lovely peachy/pink nude colour
• Rimmel Nude Delight- a nice sheer nude although it doesn't stay on very long
• MAC Honeylove- a matte nude, can look too heavy and dark on me so I sheer it down and use lipbalm with it

Today to escape from the dull wintery weather I painted my toenails in a bright coral from Barry M. 

I used this colour on my nails when I went on holiday and loved it. Barry M polishes are really good and I really like the finish they give. They're also one of the very few I've tried which don't chip on my nails.

Excuse my ugly foot and lazy nail painting effort..!

Another polish I have which ties in with the trend is a nude polish- Frozen Fantasy from Estee Lauder. I got this with a free gift ages ago and haven't really used it that much, but I think it's a perfect colour for spring especially if you don't want bright nails. 

So there's my take on the spring trends! Take care x

Mud, Glorious Mud!

Today I'm reviewing Lush's Glorious Mud body mask!

I got this around two weeks ago and have been using it every couple of days.

It's an exfoliating mud mask for your body with rhassoul mud, vanilla and aloe vera.

The smell when I first got this was a really over powering vanilla/chocolate smell but I have got used to it now and it doesn't bother me.

The mask comes as a brown cube and looks like a pumice stone. In order to use the mask you have to put it under running water, where it fizzes up and becomes a mud-mask consistency.

Glorious Mud after about 5 uses (love the picture quality of my new camera!)

If you want your mask to last then I advise to hold it under the water for only a couple of seconds then get all the mask you need and put the remaining back in the packaging, otherwise it will all just fizz away and you will be left with nothing.

This mask makes my skin feel really smooth, soft and clean and I am really liking it! I still have quite a bit left because I'm trying to get as much use out of it as possible!

Be careful however because this can get everywhere.. You'll have to clean the bathroom after using it!

I really like this mask and definitely recommend it :) 

What To Do With Your Boots £5 off Voucher!

For everyone in the UK reading my blog I thought I'd do a post on how to spend your Boots £5 off voucher.

Boots do these £5 vouchers quite a lot and they are always handy. At the moment they have one out which is valid until the 30th January (I think!).

The voucher is for £5 off any No7 or Ruby & Millie product. 

I sometimes find it difficult on to know what to buy, as I don't use Ruby & Millie products or No7 that much any more.

So here's what I bought with my vouchers (I had two!) 

No7 Quick Thinking face wipes

 I needed more face wipes and thought I'd use my voucher to get some. These are £7 usually but with my voucher I had to pay just £2

I've never bought them before because £7 for 30 face wipes is crazy! They're good wipes but I usually buy Simple wipes and they're just as good.

No7 Lip Brush. (excuse the lipstick on the end of the brush!) 

I have been after a lip brush for ages so this was a great opportunity for me to get one! This is usually £6.50 but I had to pay just £1.50 so very happy with that purchase! 

I've also noticed that they have No7 Eyelash Curlers for £6.50 so if you're in need of some eyelash curlers you could use your voucher and they'd only be £1.50.

So that's what I got, maybe it's a help to you if you're stuck on how to use your voucher.

I also got a new camera the other day so my pictures will be much better quality and you might see the odd video from now on!

xxx

Versatile Blogger Award

I was recently tagged in P.S. It's Vida's Versatile Blogger Award post who's blog is one of my favourites. I have never received an award or been tagged in the blogging world before so this is all new to me. Seems like fun though so here we go...

The "Rules":

1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award

2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy

4. Leave your recipient a note, telling them about the award.

7 Things About Me

1. I am obsessed and addicted to YouTube make up tutorials! My two all time favourite channels are Pixiwoo and Pixi2woo. These girlie's are so amazing that I actually don't watch any other make up channels now... 

2. I love food. All types of food! Especially Thai Green Curry at the moment...

3. I plan to go travelling in a few years time. There are so many places I want to visit!

4. I love music. Without music I would be miserable! I am always singing (terribly) and always have a song stuck in my head. More often than not it's a song I don't like or is from a sofa advert off the TV...why is that?!

5. I want to be a make up artist. My goal is to work on photo shoots, music videos, catwalks and on TV/Films etc.

6. I really interested in psycology and the way the mind works.

7. I got a new camera the other day and hopefully I can start doing make up tutorials soon!

7 Blogs I Love- actually I'm bending the rules and doing 8 blogs!!

1. Made Up By Hannah <3

2. The Bristol Beauty Blog

3. Chic Geek

4. P.S. It's Vida

5. <3 MUSIC, FASHION, CLUTTER <3

6. KawaiiFreakxXx

7. Kelanjo
8. Belle Du Jour

Check these blogs out, they're fantastic. 

&

Thank you Vida for tagging me!

xxx

MAC Cham Pale, Stylishly Yours and Mickey Contractor Collections

I've been drooling over the MAC website today and have been looking at the Cham Pale, Stylishly Yours and Mickey Contractor collections.

I love the skin colour eye pencils and the paint pots in the Cham Pale Collection, and along with everyone else out there I'm dying to get my hands on Virgin Isle Cream Colour Base! (Which is out of stock..grrr am I ever going to get my hands on it?!)

The Mickey Contractor collection is also rather interesting, as this Mickey fella is MAC's Director of Make Up Artistry for India and has made a collection of his ''must haves''.

His main focus is natural skin and gorgeous eye shades. I am in love with the Athma x4 Palette which is in the collection. So much so that I have just ordered it!

So here's what I'm liking out of the three collections. (All pictures in this post are courtesy of Google)

Mickey Contractor Collection- 

The Athma Eyeshadow Quad- Lovely wearable colours

Swatches- (left to right) Jaan, Folie,Vivah, Carbon.

Fluid Line-

Swatches- Ivy, Siahi. Gorgeous colours!

Gana Powder Blush- I think this would be a lovely highlighter

Stylishly Yours Collection-

Infamous Virgin Isle CCB-

Moive Star Red CCB- Could be an alternative to Virgin Isle although it's pinker..?

Cham Pale Collection-

Chromographic Pencil NC15-NW20- Have been after a skin coloured pencil for ages.

Paint Pots-

 Swatches- as this isn't my picture it's hard to tell what the colours are. I have ordered the last colour though which is Dangerous Cuvee and is a shimmery grey.

So they are my stand-out products, have you bought anything from the collections?