Maybelline Color Sensation Popsticks in Pink Lollipop (030) review.

Hello lovelies!

The day (or month) has finally come where I have gone mad over a make-up essential that I never had a craving before: lipstick! In my previous post, I showed you my lipstick haul from Fragrance Direct and so I want to review a product that has been slightly controversial. It has generally been given a thumbs down by bloggers. Yes, it is the Maybelline Popstick!

The reason this product has been slated is because of it's lack of colour pay off. Yes, this is true. But pick your colour right and it's not too bad!

After being allured by their pretty packaging and neon appearance, I knew I just wanted one. Yes, it was because of the novelty really but for the price of £1.99 online it was an inexpensive indulgence. After seeing so many bad reviews, I decided to swatch these in my local Superdrug before purchasing. This made me settle for pink lollipop. It was the most colourful and gave the best colour pay off. The others there swatched rather clear and the product itself looked a bit boring (cherry pop and crystal pink, I'm looking at you!).

This product is totally worth it if you want a sheer, natural lipstick.

When my boyfriend first saw this in the tube, he was rather afraid of what the results would look like. It is just a bright, neon-pink lipstick in the tube. The outcome is not so scary. It is incredibly sheer, just like a balm. As I have said, this is the lipstick I found to have the most colour pay-off with it giving lips a slightly pinker tinge to them - very natural!

Is this worth the full RRP of £7.19? No, definitely not. If I had bought this for that price I would be extremely cross for what is a glorified lip balm. For £1.99? This is worth it for those days where you want understated make-up to enhance your lip colour.

Have you tried these popsticks?

Three month haul!

Hello lovelies!

Wow, it feels more than forever since I've posted on here and I just hate it. I have managed to take some time out of my half term to write this so I'm very glad. Despite not posting, my love of beauty products has not stopped and hence why I am cramming my three hauls from the past three months into one post! Yes, that is one haul per month. My make-up bag just can't help be get bigger and bigger right now :)

August - ELF 50% off sale (+ free delivery)

What I hauled:

Minty Lip Gloss in Miami 

Pressed Powder Blush in Shy

Tinted Moisturiser in Ivory

Lash Lengthening Mascara in Black

Double Tip Concealer & Highlighter in Fair

Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips

HD Blush in Encore

5 Piece Make-Up Brush Set

Most of this stuff wasn't for me. I decided to haul a load of stuff for my Mum's birthday to make her up an entire new make-up bag. So the only two things I had ordered for myself were the Minty Lip Gloss and HD Blush. Most of these products I had to blind buy as I couldn't find pictures on the internet. Here are a few things I can say about what I received:

• I personally LOVE the Minty Lip Gloss. It tingles a little when applied and ends up tasting quite sweet when applied. It is really tasty! The colour is understated and the doe foot applicator applies the right amount of gloss - perfect!. The only downside is there isn't enough of this in the tube!
• There was only one colour left of the HD blushes and I was desperate to try one so I ordered on anyway. Encore is a very deep berry colour and was a bit of a mistake to buy. It is hard to apply as you only need a minimal amount otherwise you can look as if you have a ruddy complexion! In a lighter shade, I would have probably loved this.
• Lash Lengthening Mascara was a purchase for my Mum and my goodness she loves this mascara! She claims she has found her perfect mascara ever thanks to this purchase.

September - Superdrug Haul (Free Delivery)

What I hauled:

GOSH Velvet Touch Primer x 2

Barry M Nail Paint in Silvery Lilac

Accessorize Rock Star Gift Set

This was a small haul but a lot with it. I really wanted to own an Accessorize Blusher and this was a good value way to buy it. The set cost about £6.50 and a blusher is worth £4.95. So here is what I thought:

• The gift set without a doubt was great value for money. I use the blusher often even though it is not a shade that is in the shops (this one is in 'Starlet'). I put two of the nail varnishes in my Mum's beauty box and have yet to try the other products yet.
• I have already reviewed the GOSH primer. A little disappointing, yes, but some could make this work with their skin.
• The Barry M Nail Paint is something I had wanted for a while. My boyfriend bought it for his sister last Christmas and I wanted a bottle about 3 months later. I couldn't find it in the shops so I was thrilled to see this online. The colour is lovely but hard to put on, did not dry very quickly and chipped moderately. I only have no regrets because of the colour.

October: Fragrance Direct

What I hauled:

Maybelline 24 hour Super Stay Lip Colour in Pink Spice

Maybelline 24 hour Super Stay Lip Colour in Fire Garnet

Maybelline Colour Sensational Popsticks in Pink Lollipop

L'Oreal Color Riche Made For Me Lipstick in Rose Printemps 216

 Calvin Klein Delicious Luxury Creme Lipstick in Rose Rush 137

I went a bit made with the lipsticks. I hadn't really owned any before and now I'm a trainee teacher, I want to look as presentable as possible. 'Pink Spice' was a little bit of a mistake buy as I blind bought trying to use my Google skills which showed me a completely different colour, oops! Here are my initial views:

• The Super Stay Lip Colour's are a great buy if you know what colour you're buying. At £2.99 (as opposed to £8, like in the shops) for colour that hardly budges, this is a steal. I am thinking of blind buying 'Infinite Petal' next time.
• The Maybelline Popstick lipstick was surprisingly great for what I wanted. I had read a lot of reviews online and most of them said it was a waste of money as the colour pay off wasn't great. I agree, but I actually went into Superdrug to swatch these before I made my order (yes, I know that was a little cheeky). Pink Lollipop had the best colour pay off so I added it to my basket. I love that these are neon and clear. The colour on my lips is great. It rosies up my natural lip colour enhancing my lips for a natural look.

Hopefully, it won't be too long until I write my next post again (or be able to comment on a few of yours!).

Rêve by Van Cleef & Arpels EDP review

Hello lovelies!

To mark the middle of this week I thought I would review a fragrance! I love reviewing fragrances and have have just about managed to gain my sense of smell back!

I acquired this sample from a website that offers products for reviews. It is called 'What's In My Handbag?' and basically you sign up to 'try' various products by answering a few questions. When I spotted that I could try Rêve, I thought 'Why not?', I had nothing to lose. I had heard nothing about Van Cleef & Arpels before so had no idea what to expect.

My sample arrived within a week which I was more than happy with for a freebie! And the sample size is rather generous too. Most samples I have picked up from the shops before are around 1.2ml or 1.5ml and this was 2ml so I was happy with how much you are given to test out.

Inside, it states: 'Discover the enchanting garden of the new fragrance REVE: bouquet of delicate white Flowers, juicy Pear and mysterious Amber...'

In my honest opinion, this fragrance is quite 'safe'. White floral perfumes seem like a safe bet for perfumers and this for me does not stand out from the rest. I can smell white flowers and some of the pear notes, but I would have loved the Lily notes to be more prominent than the others to make this scent really dreamy.

The bottle of this scent is simple. It is a nice spherical bottle and not too complicated. Had this scent been outstanding, I could justify the simplicity of the bottle. And ironically, I feel if this bottle was unusual and pretty, I could probably purchase this on these grounds.

So for me, this is a rather underwhelming product. If I was bought this, I would not complain but I still would not spend my money on this product either. This gives me the same feelings as 'See' By Chloe - a little too safe and a bottle that does not help the product either.

But why not give it a go in the shops? I am sure it will smell fantastic on someone.

GOSH Velvet Touch Primer.

Hello lovelies!

Huge apologies for being away from my blog for so long. I have been ill this week and have had a huge amount of work to do for my teaching course. I hate being away from this place too long!

Anyway, I want to review something I purchased while Superdrug were offering free delivery on their orders. After falling in love with primers the past few months, I wanted to expand my collection with some good quality ones. After being impressed by my current Revlon one, I decided to try GOSH Velvet Touch Foundation Primer. Having seen it had won a 'Beauty Steal' award from Superdrug, I assumed the product would be very good! They also had it for Buy one get one half price so I purchased two which totalled around £12. I was so confident in this product that I thought it was worth buying two while it was cheap.

This primer was 30ml and came with a pump tube applicator. The formula is clear and the product was gel-like. I had never had a primer with a consistency like this before!

Was I impressed by this product? Definitely not initially! I had such high hopes for this product and was hugely disappointed to begin with. I usually apply a moisturiser on before a primer and this product just clumped on top of my usual moisturiser that I felt I had to be careful applying the stuff! It made my skin feel oily and did not sink into my skin as I expected it to. It certainly didn't leave my skin with a velvet touch!

It redeemed itself though as this product did make my make-up last all day which was a bonus. And a primers biggest purpose is to make your cosmetics last all day, right?

In fact, I feel like I was initially very hard on this product as I was expecting it to match my Revlon PhotoReady primer. I have tried this since and it has not been too bad. It does not feel as oily if applied without moisturiser and my skin can now handle wearing this on top of a moisturiser without clumping.

Would I class this as my beauty steal? No. For £9.99 it is now retailing for (which is pretty average for a primer currently), I would not recommend it. I like a primer to sink into my skin and leave me wanting to touch my skin rather than smearing my face with gel. I do not mind this product now but I would recommend that others spend £2 more and invest in Revlon's primer.

Revlon Photo Ready Primer Review

Hello lovelies!

Today, I'm going to review one of my relatively new primers. After having a tricky start with primers a few years ago (they seemed to always roll up my powder and I generally did not see the point in them), I rediscovered my love for them when I realised that actually, they are a pretty neat product. As my Avon Magix face primer was coming to an end, I knew I needed to purchase another primer pronto! But since I didn't have an Avon lady to turn to any more, which high street primer should I purchase?

I decided to storm the discount make-up store in my home town to see if their were any bargain primers. There wasn't really many to pick from and so I decided to pick up Revlon Photo Ready Primer  as I know that Revlon is renowned for being a good brand. This product had not been reduced by much and retailed at £7.49. However, since many other cheaper brands offered primers at this price I thought it could not be too bad.

When I first pumped this product out I was rather sceptical. Having been used to Avon's thicker formula, I was surprised this pumped out as runny as some moisturisers. However, I persevered with this product because I had heard some good things about it both on the internet and from my Grandma.

Was I wrong to doubt this product on its consistency? YES! As I layered this onto my skin on top of my moisturiser, it melted into my skin creating a beautiful velvety finish. It evened out my uneven skin tone and my minimised pores. It really felt fantastic to put on ready to layer my other make-up on top.

However, how long did it help my make-up last? ALL DAY! One of the most important things about a primer is to help your make-up last the duration of the day. After doing my make-up at 6 am, coming home at 5 pm I can still feel my face powder present on my face. I was (and still am) very impressed with how long it helps my make-up last.

Would I recommend this product? Definitely. In fact, if you need a new primer, buy this one now! Even at its full price, it is worth it. For me, it feels as though it is a premium quality primer (although I have not tried the critically acclaimed Smashbox version) at a high street price.

What is your favourite primer? 

I Own It! : Lancome La Vie Est Belle

Hello lovelies!

Another 'I Own It' post from my previous reviews from samples I have received while on my travels.

I have been treating myself a lot recently because of my recent good luck but this happened to be a gift from my boyfriend. After getting an email from The Fragrance Shop regarding a 'happy hour' where there would be 20% off everything online. I suggested to my boyfriend to purchase something for my birthday/Christmas while the perfumes were going cheap. But he was very kind and told me he would buy it as a special gift.

So I asked for Lancome La Vie Est Belle because it was one of my favourite samples I had picked up on my shopping trips. After realising that this perfume is not one of the cheapest on the market, it was worth picking up while it had 20% off. This meant it could be purchased for £46 rather than £57.50. Since we are moving into the colder months, Eau De Parfum's are my desired fragrances of choice as they last ages and they won't become unbearable with the heat.

The thing that drew me to this perfume the most was its sweet scent. My summer fragrance of choice had been Prada Candy L'Eau and I wanted something equally as sweet but slightly stronger. This fitted the bill. 

One of the most attractive things of this perfume is the bottle. It is very simple yet very attractive (I apologise for the rubbish picture). I love that the bottom half of the bottle is glass as it looks modern yet classic. Some could argue it is a waste of 'packaging' (like my boyfriend) but a pretty bottle is a deal clincher for me.

On me, the fragrances most prominent is the initial scent of blackcurrant and then the base of praline and patchouli. I think I can also pick up the orange blossom scent because although I do not know it at the time, most of the fragrances I own contain notes of orange blossom.

Another interesting thing about this product is that the box actually has Braille on the side. It is quite nice to see that Lancome are catering for a wider audience.

I love this fragrance and that is why I own it. It may not be a scent for everyone but if you are a fan of Lancome fragrances, this may be for you.

See my other review here. 

Rimmel Cocktail Colours Nail Polish in 'Apple Berry Smoothie'

Hello lovelies!

It is time for a nail polish post which I have not seemed to have done in ages! And this polish I am going to review really is very fabulous indeed.

Back in the Spring time, Rimmel launched a new range of nail polishes to go along side there base products (60 seconds, Lasting Finish etc.). These were the 'Cocktail Colours' range which at that point in time, I thought there were only three colours: Shirley Temple (orange), Hawaiian Punch (pink/red) and Baby Bellini (purple). All these shades were gorgeous and extremely sparkly (without the grittiness of being an actual glitter polish) and I knew I really wanted them. After doing my research online, I realised that these weren't the only colours Rimmel had produced in this line. In Europe, they had realised Apple Berry Smoothie (blue) and Cutie Colada (lime green). I was actually rather gutted that Rimmel hadn't released these shades in the UK and had settled to thinking that I would never get hold of these polishes.

That is until a recent visit to my local discount cosmetics shop. While browsing their many shelves of nail polish, I spotted a couple of sparkly Rimmel polishes at the back. And to my surprise, the colours were Apple Berry Smoothie and Cutie Colada. Being the last ones on the shelf, I quickly snapped them up into my basket. Even better though, these were being sold for £1.50 rather than the usual retail price of £3.99. So that day, I was a very happy chappy.

Anyway, back to talking about the polish...

First things first (and I know I always say this), but I really do love this polish. Before I picked up this polish, I had not had a blue quite like this so this was a shade welcome into my collection. With this being quite sparkly too, I was very happy to wear this.

I can really understand why Rimmel released the 'Cocktail Colours' collection in the spring/summer because of its shine. We have had a couple of really sunny days this week and while walking to the train station from university I could not help but be mesmerised by this polish as it glistened in the sun. It makes me want to get the entire collection!

Another positive about this polish is its longevity. The pictures you see here are from four days of wear. The only signs of wear my nails have currently is some slight tip wear on my right thumbnail but I think this is because I have a bad habit of opening blister packs with this nail. I have no doubt that this polish could last up to a week if looked after.

If I'm honest, I cannot really think of many negatives for this polish. If I wrack my brain, the only downside of this nail polish is how sheer it is. This needed three coats the be relatively opaque which although is not unreasonable, I still quite like a polish that is fully opaque in two coats.

Overall, I really like this polish. Rimmel have maintained a standard of quality without the price tag. Additionally, the colours of this collection are FANTASTIC!

Do you like Rimmel Cocktail Colours?