Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Not worth the hype or the price tag, but still damn pretty

Thursday, November 17, 2016

If you’re someone that follows beauty releases, then you’ll know full well that there are quite a few products that tend to be carried away in a sea of excitement and then end up being somewhat overhyped. That by no means mean that they aren’t any good - most of them are still quality products but they don’t necessarily deserve the praise that they may be receiving any more than any other quality product. Then we have those that are good but are certainly not worth their $$ price tag; the kind of products that you’d be all over if they were a third (or even a half) of the price, but you can’t quite justify them as they are. Today I’ve got two such products to showcase: 
Don’t get me wrong - this is really pretty - but at the end of the day, it’s just a lip balm with an ever-so-slight pink tinge that looks beautiful but is certainly not worth the £24. I still feel slightly ashamed that I ever gave into this temptress, even claiming that I received it as a present on occasion. To sum up: pretty if you have some money to splash and are in the mood to buy something, but definitely not worth it if you’re simply in the market for a new lip balm - stick to the vaseline. 

Oh. My God. How pretty is this?! The peacock shade of this cream eyeshadow makes me swoon, fo' realz, but £22 for a stunning shade that probably won't be featured in my regular makeup routine is a tad steep. What's more, it's the colour that gets me, not the formula. Let's just say that if a drug store brand brought out an exact dupe I'd be swapping this in in a second. 


 Do you have any products that are simply stunning but are certainly not worth the price tag?
Let me know - maybe I'll be able to avoid some overhyped purchases in the future!

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So bad it's good

Sunday, October 2, 2016



The perfect mascara is so hard to find because both our eyelashes and expectations are individual (huge shocker!) so what gives your lashes such volume that they acquire their own gravitational pull may leave mine looking floppy and extremely underwhelming. Despite this, there have somehow always been clear favourites that stand out from the gazillion offerings on the high street, but this my friends definitely isn't one of them. Enter No7's Lovely Lashes* - a mascara with a delightfully hopeful name but an unfortunately awful reality. 

The first time I applied this, I almost dropped it straight in the bin - that's how bad it was - but the beauty lover in me held onto it in the hope that I could save it, that I could make it into the mascara that actually lived up to its deceitful name. Then it dried out a bit and went from a 1 in my books to a... 4? Still not great but enough of an improvement to give it another go. If this mascara is so bad then why are you talking about it, you may ask. Well, the lacklustre formula (for me, anyway) paired with the brown/black shade of it makes for the perfect *no makeup makeup* look - you know, a step up from clear mascara (which doesn't work on me with my platinum tipped lashes) but not as intense or as dressed-up as a full on black mascara. 


See, I told you! So bad it's good.

* I received this mascara without realising when I voted in the Times Beauty Award 2016!
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A spectrum of liquid lipsticks

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Much like the rest of the world and their mother, I've fallen hard for matte liquid lipsticks and they've become my go-to purchase as of late. No matter the price, I've been pretty determined to get my hands on the most popular formulas, splashing out far too much money to allow me to compare them for myself. Want to know which outshone the rest? Keep reading...

Kylie Lip Kits (£22-40, depending on shipping/taxes etc.):
★★★☆☆
Ah, the infamous lip kits by the global phenomenon that is Kylie Jenner. There's no denying that the girl has major influence (I mean, she's practically shitting money at this point) but critics weren't sure that she'd be able to pull off decent-quality products, or if the whole thing was based on the fact that she could practically sell anything and make a fortune. The verdict? They're alright. They're certainly not the best products on this list, but the fact that I ended making a second order despite the ungodly shipping and tax fees means that they must be decent (or that I'm under her spell like millions of others) Want to know more? Check out my in-depth review here.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks (€20 or £24.95 on depop*):
★★★★★
The best of the bunch in terms of texture, wear and shade range has to be the liquid lipsticks from Kat Von D, but of course these aren't readily available in the UK are they? No, that would be far too simple. Luckily, Kat Von D has launched in Sephora Europe fairly recently, but if you're based in the UK and aren't planning a trip oversees anytime soon, check out LillyJam on Depop* as I've got all of my Kat Von D shades from her and have been really impressed!

★★★★☆
The offering from Bourjois was the first liquid lipstick that I tried and remain a firm favourite of mine. A good price, easily accessible in the UK and a great texture - the only thing these are missing is a slightly larger colour range.

Sleek Matte Me (£4.99):
★★★★☆
The cheapest of the bunch and still one of the best, Sleek pulls it out of the bag with their Matte Me liquid lipsticks. Having recently expanded their shade range, there's definitely a shade for everyone and they are on par with the more expensive formulas when it comes to pigment and wear. The only niggle? The applicator is pretty horrible, meaning that you either need a lip brush or will need to spend a bit more time than the rest when applying to achieve a nice, clean look. 

Have you tried any of these liquid lipsticks? Which are your favourites? Do you have any other recommendations for me?


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An honest review: Kylie Lip Kits in Dolce K and Mary Jo K

Wednesday, May 25, 2016



Kylie Lip Kit in Dolce K - US$29


When I was picking shades to splurge on, I decided to go for bolder colours or ones that I wouldn't usually go for. I covered bold with Mary J K and decided to go with Dolce K for something different - I have a million and one nude pinks but pretty much no true nudes, which is a category that Dolce K definitely falls under. The outcome? The colour is nice, but I'm not sure if I love it one me. I have to be really feeling confident to wear it (it's only been used twice in 2 months) because I'm still not sure about it - I bet that it looks a lot better on people with a different skin tone/undertone than me, though.


Kylie Lip Kit in Mary Jo K - US$29/£20


Onto the bold choice, Mary Jo K is a real stunner. A true blue-toned red, MJK is a perfect red for my cool-toned skin and honestly makes me feel a million dollars. However, this colour isn't as unique as Dolce K, with similar colours available from pretty much any other company. Although I prefer the shade of this one on myself, it doesn't feel 'as worth' the price because it doesn't scream Kylie. I don't know if I'm making much sense, but the fact of the matter is that because this isn't a very Kylie colour, I feel more reluctant to pay for the brand.


Texture/performance:


As expected from products of this type, the matte lipsticks in the Kylie Lip Kits are pretty drying. Are they the worst I've come across? No, but are they the least drying of the bunch? Absolutely not. I'd probably rate them a 7 out of 10 on the drying scale, so not terrible but not great either. This was no surprise, though, especially when worn by someone with super dry lips to begin with. What was a surprise was how 'gross' (for lack of a better word) these became on the lips after a couple of hours, on me at least. A few hours in they were flaking off and, in some places, balling up and becoming really clumpy. That means that when I came to reapplication time things became an uneven mess very quickly and the only way forward was to completely remove everything before attempting reapplication. What does this mean? Well, if you only need to look good for a few hours then you're fine, but considering how hard these are to remove without a proper makeup remover, you don't want to be out and about and needing to reapply.

I also found that they wore worse in the middle of my lips than any other matte liquid lipstick I've tried meaning that I found myself not wanting to smile as to reveal the excessive wear. I did like the lip liners, though - I didn't have any problems with their wear or application, but I wouldn't buy the kit just for them.

Another thing to note is that the lipstick doesn't come with a built in stopper, like most products with similar packaging tend to have. It didn't make a huge difference to the user experience, but it does feel a bit stingy coming from an 18 year old with a bazillion supercars - just sayin'.


The verdict:


 So are they worth the hype? No, not really. Sure, they're pretty nice and Dolce K does give me that Kardashian/Jenner feel, but in my opinion, they are neither worth the price nor the excessive stress that one has to endure to get your hands on one. There are much better and cheaper options out there that you can find in your local Boots from brands like Bourjois, NYX and Revlon.

Still eager to try one out for yourself? If you're in the UK then I'd highly recommend downloading Depop onto your phone and browsing LillyJam's shop because she has most colours in stock for £39. Although the direct conversion from US$ for us is £20, once you factor in the shipping fees and possible customs fees then £39 per kit is about right. Lots of the people on Depop are frauds, especially when it comes to selling these lip kits, but I've bought from LillyJam a number of times and have never had a problem. So, if you absolutely have to get your hands on one but don't want to have to deal with the stress of ordering it from the website, then that's probably your best bet.

Have you tried any of Kylie's lip products? Do you think they're worth the price? Let me know!
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The Essential Essentials

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

The beauty world is frivolous - we often find ourselves caught up in the glitz and glamour of the newest launches yet often forget to hype up the products that remain behind the curtain, unseen to all but the user. That's right, I'm talking the essential essentials - the deodorants, the hair masks, the razors - ya know, the unsung heroes of the beauty world. Well, today I'm going to give those poor bastards the shout out they so desperately deserve and talk about my favourite behind-the-scenes beauty bits.

DEODORANT: Sure Women Maximum Protection Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Cream 

As with many of us, I've tried my fair few of deos over the years and have passed over many that have proved themselves unworthy - I'm telling you, a Hong Kong summer will strike down even the strongest of contenders! Then I tried deodorant-creams, the ones where you twist them up and white stuff comes out of holes at the top (a brilliant explanation, I know) These are by far the longest lasting, most efficient antiperspirants I've come across. I'm a fan of clean scents so I love this one by Sure, but Dove makes similar ones which are just as good.

RAZOR: Gillette Venus Snap Razor

I'm not particularly fussy when it comes to razors but the reason that this one has become a favourite of mine is quite obviously because of its petite size. I have a constant case of the travel bug and am therefore getting away whenever I can, so the smaller the better! I wouldn't bother carrying it around in its little case, though, because that makes it three times bigger.

BODY MOISTURISER: Garnier Intense 7 Days Ultra Replenishing Lotion

I've mentioned my love for the Garnier Intense 7 Days creams here and here so you know that I'm a fan. This stuff soaks in really quickly and gives me super soft and silky legs - something that I didn't have for years because of my terribly dry skin. A year or so ago I stopped being able to find my favourite one, a peach scented gel-cream, but this shea butter lotion does the same job (but doesn't smell quite as good) and keeps my pins in tip top shape!

HAND CREAM: Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Therapy

I'm a big fan of hand creams - my stash would probably last the average person a good few years - but this is definitely one of the best. So what makes C&E hand creams so special you may ask? Good question. It's really just a mix of their amazing scents, their nourishing properties and the fact that they sink in super quickly and don't leave you with greasy or sticky hands. It's a yes from me!

FOOT FILE: Scholl Velvet Smooth Foot File 

I know that feet can be a bit of a touchy subject, but I simply couldn't finish this post without including this bad boy. Without getting into too much detail, this foot file is electrical so you don't have to do all the hard work when it comes to getting rid of any dead or rough skin on your tootsies. I do this every night followed by a thick coat of cream before I go to bed (the model I have only works when your skin is dry, but there are models that work on wet skin as well) I seriously couldn't imagine my life without it and that's a big statement to say about a foot file. 


What are your essential essentials? Do share!

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