Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara // Review

If you have followed my blog for a while, you will know that the one thing I always wear (makeup wise) is mascara, and I have accumulated a fair few in my time! One might say I am a mascara connoisseur. Maybe. Anyway, I bought the newest mascara release from Rimmel, the Lash Accelerator Endless, as soon as I could having heard rave reviews from various bloggers who were lucky enough to sample it pre-release. However, me being the total numpty that I am dropped it on the Durham Uni Night Bus and I believed it lost to me, after only owning it for about a week.

Luckily for me though the lovely people over at Rimmel ran a Twitter competition to win one of these mascaras, and having previous knowledge of the amazingness of the mascara I entered the first day, and won! Yay! :D So thank the Lord I have the mascara again, and am able to give you guys a full (and glowing) review of it!

So what do I think? Well in short I am a massive fan! This mascara is a godsend if you want exaggerated, long and fluttery lashes. My lashes are well defined and separated, but most of all the length is incredible. I usually wear this on its own, but I can really see it working wonders layered underneath a volumising or curling mascara. That would just be epic lashes! Apparently this has a 'Grow Lash Complex + Fibres' which means it is meant to physically add length to your natural lashes. Whilst I am not 100% sure of the validity of that statement in the long run, as you wear it it certainly does emphasis and exaggerate your lashes so that they look long and perfected. Overall a great mascara that has worked it's way firmly into my top 3 ever!

February Favourites!

So what on Earth happened there?! I have only just got over the shock that it is February and now, BOOM, it's March! Woah! Hey 2013, wanna slow down a touch? hahaha Hello friends of the internet! Seeing as March has snuck right up on us, I thought it is about time I told you all about the lovely products that I have loved this past month :) This is coming to you a little later than I originally planned, as I was struck down last week with a nasty case of flu. Very convenient timing I can assure you. *grumblegrumblegrumbe*

It makes sense to work clockwise round this here image, so first up I will tell you about the lovely lip combination from Lush, of their Popcorn Lip Scrub and Honey Trap Lip Balm. These gorgeous tasting (and smelling) products not only wonderfully smooth dry of chapped lips, which I suffered from this month thanks to the Arctic conditions, but at made from all natural ingredients. This is a big plus! One product I have also been loving, which is in no way natural, however, is the Soap & Glory Dr Spot gel. This is an acid gel which works well at working deep into troublesome spots and, basically shifts them! I had a stubborn monster which graced my chin with it's presence early in the month, and at first I just let it do its thing until I remembered I had this lying around, and decided to fight it. I can assure you Dr Spot is a lifesaver, although it did take a few applications to work, and is by no means a quick fix!

This month I have been trying to shake up my makeup routine, and have begun to really enjoy using my Real Techniques Contour Brush to pat in my concealer, as I feel it makes very light work of blending it into my foundation, leaving a flawless finish. I have also begun to use my Benefit Shadow Liner more and more this month, to create more dramatic contoured eyes, and also to line under my lower lash-line to exaggerate the smokey effect. I have also reverted to using my Benefit Hard Angle Brush on my eyebrows, having had a brief flirtation with my old eyebrow pencil.

In terms of makeup, I have a few favourites I want to mention. My favourite lip product of the month has, hands down, got to be the Apocalips by Rimmel London. I love the whole line, but my favourite, and most worn colour has to be Galaxy. The colour is divine! It is super flattering, glossy, sumptuous and I have worn it almost every day. I have also been loving the Max Bold Curves Mascara by Rimmel, as it really does create long, curved lashes, which make my eyes look more awake and brighter.

Towards the end of February I purchased the new Collection Illuminating Touch Brightening Concealer, and it has replaced their Lasting Perfection for use use under and around my eyes. Whilst it doesn't have the same coverage, it does make my eyes look brighter and healthier. All month long however I have been enjoying two Maxfactor products. The first is a nail varnish that I had lying around since the Jubilee, which was the Max Effect Mini Nail Varnish in Cappuccino. This brown-toned grey was my go-to colour for February, to be honest I am not 100% sure why, but it is a classy yet versatile colour, which worked for me all month. The second is the Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink. I love how this cream blush is extremely buildable, and also blends away really nicely so that you can create a pale wash of pink, for a healthy glow.

Finally onto hair products. I have been loving the surprisingly tea tree scented Bumble & Bumble Tonic Lotion detangler and leave in conditioner. This product is extremely good quality, and also a little really goes a long way. I have also been using the Frizz Ease Perfecting Creme to smooth away frizziness in between washes this month. This is a product that was my Holy Grail a few years ago, but I suddenly stopped using. I haven't fallen back quite so in love with it, but I have remembered that it is a good problem solver product!

Okay so those were my favourites! What have been your favourite products of late? Are there any new products that you have your eye on, or are loving?

A Little Boots Haul // Video

So I have recently accumulated enough little bits and bobs from my favourite place on earth, Boots! A little fact for you, I live in Nottingham, where Boots originates from. Maybe that's why I love it so much? Maybe?  Hahaha. Anyways I only have a few things, but I couldn't resist showing you all because I am super excited by my purchases, specifically the Bumble & Bumble Tonic Lotion (and all the free samples I was given by Bumble & Bumble!!) On boots.com this detangler / leave-in conditioner is described as good for anyone with  "dry, coarse, porous or coloured hair", and that is me! So I am hoping this will work wonders. I usually go for an Aussie leave-in conditioner, but I have wanted to try out Bumble & Bumble for a long while, and as I couldn't find products that I really wanted on the 3 for 2 offer, I thought I would splash out a little bit on this instead!

I also am running dangerously low on shampoo and conditioner at the mo, and whilst this is a really boring and mundane purchase, I thought I would include it as I bought the Aussie Frizz Miracle ones, which is a duo I haven't seen before from Aussie, and therefore haven't tried it out yet! As an Aussie worshiper I feel it is my duty. I am yet to try them out, but I can tell you that they smell incredible.

Also, I picked up the Lee Stafford As Ruff As You Like styling clay, because I am trying to be more adventurous with my hair styling, and I thought a clay might define my hair more, and make it look less... fluffy and not done. I went with this clay because I love other products from Lee Stafford, and I think it is very affordable for the quality! I don't know whether it will work with my hair type and length, but hey ho! You've gots to try these things in life!

Finally I bought the Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless mascara. Now I know you probably think I am obsessed with mascaras (and you are probably right there) but I have heard epic things about this new release, and so far have not been disappointed. In fact I wore it all yesterday and had many many comments on my lashes. Coincidence? I think not ;) Anyway I am going to do a full review of this soon so won't go into too much detail, but yeah I love it!

So that is all, I will see you soooooon! :D x

Rimmel London Apocalips // Review

Apocalips: £5.99 // Galaxy, Apocaliptic, Luna

So a while back I picked up these three colours of the 'Apocalips' range in boots when they were on offer, because I am in a makeup rut at the moment, and fancied a change. Normally being a matte lipstick girl, I thought delving into the realms of lip-gloss may be suitably exciting. This range is a lip lacquer, as opposed to a lip-gloss, and I gather that means they are more of a liquid, shiny lipstick as opposed to the sticky sheen of a gloss. They have a wand-style applicator which is slightly curved, and this means it is really easy to apply accurately and without mistakes, which is always a win if you are like me and a little bit clumsy :)

I picked up: Galaxy: a deep plum, Luna: a peach, and Apocaliptic: a bright pink. I wanted to get Eclipse, a nude, but alas there were none left on the counter so I went for the pink as pink lips are a new obsession of mine. I love the whole theme of this range, and the names are really cool. The quality is superb, they are really soft and creamy without being sticky at all, which is why I usually avoid lip-glosses.  Also they are super super pigmented, and a little goes a long way. I initially thought I would have to wear these over a lipstick, but that is not the case at all, and they really hold their own on a bare lip. I would thoroughly recommend them and will definitely be purchasing more colours myself!



On a side note, apologies for the swatch pictures, I am still ill and this is the best I can manage :( However, because I am so in love with these I am sure I will be using them in OOTDs/ tutorials/ etc. soon so keep a look out and I will be sure to signpost when they are in action! hahaha Thank you so much for reading, please click 'join this site' to keep up-to-date :D x

Mini Make-up Haul

         
          Over the past few weeks I have accumulated a few new pieces of make-up that I thought I would share with you lovely lot! I personally go through phases where all my disposable money goes on either clothes, hair products or makeup, and I think I am hurtling into a makeup phase right about now! This all started when I was looking at my Boots Advantage points and realized I had enough to buy not one, but TWO lipsticks which were also on offer! I could NOT ignore this sign from a higher being, and thus this mini make-up haul began!

        So first up I bought these two lipsticks from Boots.com using my Advantage points! There was a buy one get one half price deal on (which I think is still on!) and so together they came to around £8.50. 

Model's Own lipstick in Deep Fuchsia: This is a very clean Barbie pink lipstick, with a very creamy formula. I was hoping it would have more blue undertones, but I still really love this lipstick! I don't really wear pink lipsticks as I feel they shrink my lips, but this I think suits me! Application wise, it is highly pigmented and applies really smoothly. It also lasts a very long time as long as you don't eat or drink! ahaha. Overall I love this brand, and would definitely pick up more of their lipsticks, and I also do like the colour a lot, despite it being a little bit more Barbie than I wanted! 

Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 26: This is an apricot- peach nude, with a fairly high level of pigmentation. I really like the idea of rocking the nude lip with either a strong eye or with delicate, natural and soft daytime look, and this is a nice addition to my small nude lipstick collection. I chose this colour because of it's orange-y undertones, which I thought might warm up my complexion. I am not 100% sure of how well this suits me when I am not wearing foundation/ bronzer/ blusher, and I haven't yet tried it on a night out. I also think I need to try it using a lip liner as my lips are quite rosy and this lipstick isn't strong enough to completely cover this! All in all though I like the finish and formula, and am hoping I will work out a way to make the colour work with my face! 

      Next up in my mini haul is this nail varnish! I wanted a neutral-grey colour, originally eyeing up Essie, for a sophisticated-ish look. But the Essie counter was quite sparse and I didn't really know what sort of neutral colour I wanted, so instead of jumping in at the deep end, and forking out £7 ish on a colour I wasn't sure about, I opted for the trusty Rimmel stand! 

Rimmel London 60 Seconds Nail Varnish in 500 Caramel Cupcake: Ok, so this is slightly browner than the nail varnish I was searching for, but nonetheless I really am a fan of the colour! It is slightly darker than my skin tone, which is mostly what I wanted, and the brown-ness elongates my fingers. Overall a very classy finish I think! I am also a longtime fan of this particular type of nail varnish, because the square applicator makes it very hard to mess up, it really does dry in 60 seconds, and with 2 coats the finish is opaque and my nails feel strong! An all round good product, that I would thoroughly recommend! 

        So when I went shopping with my friend Hailey to try and find her a birthday dress, I stumbled upon this in Topshop. I tested it out on my hand there and then and fell in love. As you do. However, Hailey is very good at keeping me on track shopping wise, and therefore I didn't buy it. Fast forward one week until the day before her birthday, and still in love, I couldn't resist! So I bought it to wear on her birthday, and I have no regrets, we are still very much in love ;)

Louise Gray for Topshop Long-Lasting Eyeliner in Intensify: A deep electric navy-blue liquid eyeliner with a hint of shine. The Louise Gray for Topshop line has been out for a while, and whilst all the products look very exciting, I didn't really think the colours were very wearable. This however, in my opinion, is. This eyeliner is very easy to apply and lasts FOREVER! It is actually quite hard to remove, but I like that as any creation you make lasts all night long, even in the hottest of clubs. The packaging is also lovely! So unique and pretty! I would definitely recommend this eyeliner, as it is a pretty and dramatic colour, and it is outstanding quality :)

       So these last two purchases were bought from necessity - I promise! My lip balm is pretty much gone, and the last of my bronzer smashed the other day. #sadtimes. Feeling adventurous, I decided not to stick to the same products as before and venture into the unknown realms of Lush and Maybelline.

Lush Lip Balm in Honey Trap: mmmmmm. I think this is my favourite thing I have bought, ever. It tastes fantastic. It smells delicious. And it moisturizes your lips for a really long time! It says it is a "white chocolate balm for vanilla-honey kisses". I am not sure I can taste/ smell the white chocolate, but the scent and flavour of honey is outstanding and there are definite vanilla hints, which is my current favourite thing! On your lips it feels smooth and soft with the subtlest tingle. Mmmm. Yummy. It was slightly on the pricey side though, and the tub is very small. You do only need to use a tiny amount, though, but with my constant desire for it as it is sooo good, I worry I will use it all up soon!! :P

Maybelline Dream Terra Sun Bronzing Powder in 01 Light Bronze: Out of all the products I have bought in this haul, this is the one I am least excited by. I picked it up mainly because it is mid-priced and by a respected brand that I haven't used before, and the colour is very light, which I thought would be perfect for warming up my pale skin slightly. However it isn't very pigmented at all! It is extraordinarily light, which may mean I will be able to build it up nicely, avoiding an orange overload, but as of yet I am not convinced. To be fair, I haven't tried it on a properly made-up face yet, and maybe it will work better on a foundation base. However, at the moment, I wish I had stuck with my 17 bronzer!



    So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this post :D Be sure to comment, follow and like on facebook! :D byeee xxx