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04
Dec
2013

The worst mascara I have used in a long time.

categories: Blog

And it is L’oreal Voluminous 4X.mascara. I am thinking perhaps that I got the wrong product. I wanted the orginial formual and I have one in a lilac packaging. It seems to be formulated for sensitive eyes.

It was so thin and watery and I needed two coats plus a lash primer. I hate it when you waste money on a product. But what can I say, it just was two lacklustre for my liking. Perhaps if you have contacts then this is the product for you. But for me, well I need the original formula that the Americans seem to rave about and I think it is in Carbon Black. So back to the mascara counter for me.

03
Dec
2013

Barbara Daly Make-up by Tesco

categories: Blog

Growing up I think it is fair to say that the first celebrity Make-up Artist that I can remember was Barbara Daly. I have seen Barbara Daly makeup in Tesco for a while now and It is something that I have not paid a great amount of attention to.

Barbara Daly

However recently, whilst I was on the hunt for a replacement lipstick, ( see,What happens when your favourite lipstick is discontinued aka Lipstick Dramas) I decided to give Barbara’s line a go. I was most happy to see the quad I first picked up was made in Italy And so was the lipstick. So I merrily put three items into my basket thinking that all her products were made in Italy. in fact her quad eye- shadow palette said produced in Italy for Tesco stores.It did not say anything about Barbara Daly. And another product did not say where it was made at all, so this got me wondering just how much involvement the make-up artist had in the manufacturing of the makeup line.

And if a makeup product does not say where it is from, you can pretty much guess it is the PRC The People’s Repulbic of China. Yes I have recently seen that some makeup lines are now just putting ” made in PRC.” for those of us who actually care where the make-up is made.

I decided to try out the quad. My thinking is, that if you can get your browns sorted or give a customer a good smokey eye, then it is worth trying out other products. I mean, how hard can it be? And the answer to that question is very hard Barbara, I am soooo disappointed.

I tried the colour first without a primer, but there was no colour pay-off.So I reached for my trusted Elizabeth Arden primer. This primer does help the colour stay on all day. I know because I have been using it on and off for years. I used this primer because it was colourless and I did not want to give the quad palette a helping hand.I had to work very hard to make these eyeshadows work. The darker colour does work,but lighter tones really needed water to give them a helping hand.

The best use for this palette it so use the highlighter wet, and the darker tone wet as a subtle under-eye liner. But it really needs to be used wet. My opinion is that far too much talc has been used in these eyesadows. In fact, on the ingredient list after MICA, TALC is the next ingredient listed.I cannot remember how much this quad was. I think they were only around the seven pound mark. But they are a very poor substituent for the Laura Geller Italian Baked colours that are very highly pigmented.

So the search goes on, not only for a good Italian makeup product that is an alternative to Laura Geller, but also for my lipstick replacement.

30
Nov
2013

What happens when your favourite lipstick is discontinued.

categories: Blog

So here begins the lipstick dramas. My ID Bare Escenutuals lip palette runs out of my favoutie colours. I love this palette. And Bare Minerals, as they now like to be known, don’t seem to have a dupe. I tried.

Lip colour palette well used

I bought these two lipsticks thinking from the on screen shot at barereminerals.co.uk thinking they would be a good substitute. I knew I was taking a gamble, as they don’t accept returns for wrong colour choice, but they looked a pretty good match on screen. The colours are Parfait and Spiced Raisin. Spiced Raisin is the darker of the two. I think I would use the Parfait lipstick but the spiced raisin is really too dark for my skin tone.

Lipstick colour swatch

I put the lipsticks away thinking I would use the lighter of the two, (I actually put them back in the jiffy bag they came from and left them in a cool place, on a north facing window sill that gets no direct light,)but on returning to the package some two weeks later, I noticed these beads of what can only be called, wax deposits. Almost like a crayon had sweat. I used the Parfait lipstick on my lips and it tasted like a wax crayon and smelt like a candle.

I paid £14 plus P&P for these lipsticks. I remember it wasn’t an easy transaction because their web site was playing up, and I tried to place the order over the phone only to be told that they didn’t take telephone orders. I nearly gave up, but my desire to have the right lipstick shade in my makeup bag just got the better of me. What women will do in the name of beauty!

As my husband is an IT consultant as well as a photographer, I got him to locate the error on their website and he made a note of it to show them the problem. When I told them this, the response of the lady on the telephone was to send it to them by email and they would get their IT department to “look at it for you.” At this point my attitude was that actually we were notifying them of a fault that could lose them money and she had just made it sound like they were doing me a favour. So needless to say no email was sent.

As our American cousins would say, all this just kind of “sucks.” I went to a lot of trouble to find a duplicate of my favourite colours and it seems like I have ended up with a waxy poor substitute. I did think of ordering the two lighter colours in this range. In fact I went to Debenhams to see if I could find them, but there was no assistant on the counter, and try as I might, I could not find these lipsticks, just the Moxie range. I do understand this range contains wax, but honestly, this lipstick tastes like some cheap lippy from the 80’s.

Usually at this point I would just through them away, but after I had gone to so much trouble, and I do in fact like the brand, despite some issues, I thought I would give them a call about the waxy build up. It was Saturday, in peak Christmas buying season and their website had no support. I called the number on their website and I was given a recorded message that their office hours were Monday to Friday. I don’t really have a lot else to add really. Perhaps I will call Monday or perhaps I should just use another brand.

26
Nov
2013

Balance and Brighten – A Foundation by Laura Geller

categories: Blog

I am a big fan of QVC cosmetic shopping due to having a very sensitive skin, after all there are not many places where you can try a cosmetic product or skin care product for thirty days and then return it for a refund.

One of their brands is Laura Geller cosmetics. And I just love their baked formulas. It would be fair to say that Laura Geller’s baked formulas were available in the UK through QVC long before I saw any similar brands on the high street.

Mouse Foundation Baked to a powder

The Balance and Brighten foundation starts its life as a mouse and then bakes to a powder consistency. It is sold as a foundation product but unless you have a pretty good skin to start with, it would be best to use over a beauty balm or light weight foundation. To use you just swirl around the product with the retractable brush and buff over the skin. It instantly warms the complexion.

As the pan contains a mix of colours from its originally mouse consistency it really is one of the most versatile products I have ever come across. I can use the Balance and Brighten formula as a contour product, a bronzer, an eyeshadow or even as a highlighter. To do this I just dip a brush into one of the many colours in the palette to achieve the desired effect.

What I most like about the product is that it is made in Italy. I just love products that are either made in Europe or the United State. I think quality control is much easier to handle in these regions. The next best thing is to have a formulation developed in the West and then manufactured under license in the Far East.

What I really do not like, and try to avoid at all costs, is to buy private label products that have not been developed in a controlled region like Europe or the States. Products which are developed cheaply in China and then shipped by the container load to the West concern me greatly. So I just love that Laura Geller champions the fact that her baked products are made in Italy.

25
Nov
2013

Lancome Teint Miracle, the perfecting concealing pen

categories: Blog

This is a must have product. The concealing pen has light reflecting capabilities which help sculpt the face.

One of the best concealing and highlight makeup pens

A small application along the nasal labia area gives a lift to the face. It is equally useful to add a touch down the centre of the nose and run along brow furrows. My favourite application is just beneath the eyebrows. A light touch under the eyebrows gives instant lift to the eyes. But you don’t have to leave it there. You can add a touch of colour to the highlight with gentle sweeps of highlighting eyeshadow.

All in all this makeup product is great for multitasking, the brush on application makes using this highlight and concealer an absolute dream.

23
Nov
2013

A Blush for All Seasons

categories: Blog

This Collection 2000 blush quad is great. Use the individual pigments or take a sweep of all four colours and mix it up a bit.

Although entitled Shimmer Shades, I could not detect much of a shimmer when I used it. And for me that is fine, I am not a great fan of shimmery blushers in makeup.

I am a big fan of the Collection 2000 range of cosmetics, their mascara is my favourite of all the mascaras that I have tried, and believe me, I have used a lot. So when I saw this blush quad in boots I was going to give it a whirl. After I bought the blusher set, I saw that Lisa Eldrige had used the very same blush in one of her tutorials. Like me she decided to mix the shades.

If you are looking for a versatile blusher, then look no further. The pay-off is great. The pigmentation is just right, and the price is very low.

20
Nov
2013

One of the best handcreams ever!

categories: Blog

Loccitane Dry Skin Hand Cream contains twenty percent Shea Butter. It is so thick, that it is almost hard to squeeze it out of the tube. But it goes on beautifully and sinks into the skin leaving a beautiful aroma. The Loccitane cream penetrates the skin quickly leaving the skin looking visibly hydrated and feeling soft.

Loccitane Dry Skin Hand Cream

Loccitane are known for their fabulous toiletries and can often be found in high end hotels and in the business section of certain airlines. This how they first came to my attention, and to be fair, it is a great marketing technique. Once you have tried their products, they are hard to forget. And now stores to seem to be popping up in shopping malls across the country, however Loccitane likes to call them boutiques. As they are a French company, I think they are entitled to do so.

My favourites from the Loccitane range are the Shea Butter soaps, in particular the Verbena fragrance. They are rich and creamy, due to Shea butter, and work in perfect harmony with the handcreams.

So if you get a chance, pop into a Loccitane boutique and check out the divine fragrances. Your nose will thank you for it.

19
Nov
2013

Revitalash Advanced lash conditioner

categories: Blog

At first the claims of this product seem far- fetched. However after using Revitalash Advanced for 3 months I saw an improvement in my lashes. My eyelashes seemed fuller and stronger. After that period I became a little complacent about the condition and decided not to use it every night, but just for a couple of nights a week. This did seem to work. But as with most things, life gets in the way, and I forgot. My application became very haphazard.

Revitalash lash conditioner

Because of ill health, I recently decided to start using this again. I want the longer looking lashes I had a year ago, which was at the end of the three month trial period. I knew it wasn’t my imagination because even a good friend of mine asked if I was wearing false eyelashes. Who wouldn’t want their own lashes to look as good as false eyelashes?

So despite recent ill health I am going to leave the Revitalash Advanced out in my bathroom where I can see it, to encourage me to use it as part of my nigh time routine.

Whilst expensive, the use of false eyelashes also mounts up, and really I just prefer my eyelash curlers, my Estee Lauder eye lash primer, and a good coating of mascara. So if I can have the look of false eye lashes without the hassle, I am going to take it. To find out about my current thoughts about the best mascara, (which may surprise you) just click on any of links in this article.

18
Nov
2013

One of my favourite Liz Earle skin care products

categories: Blog

Liz Earle Instant Skin Tonic Spritzer, has a lot of things to recommend it. This product is great to set your make up after powdering, or for refreshing your make-up during the day.

The perfect tonic for your skin

I have mine in a 30ml bottle which can be refiled from the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic. As it comes in at under a 100ml it should be great for air travel when your skin so desperately needs extra moisture.

For years I have been either using Evian water spray, or more recently, Eau Thermal Spring Water which is cheaper to refresh my make-up. But neither of these products is convenient for popping in your handbag or make-up bag . The 30 ml spray is ideal for this. And what’s more, the smell is devine.

This Liz Earle spritzer is a must have. I got mine in a set from QVC, but cannot find it as a stand-alone product on the Liz Earle web site. So if you see it in a kit, grab it when you can.

13
Nov
2013

Liz Earle Lipstick – Azalea

categories: Blog

I bought this lipstick shade last year in Leeds in one of the Liz Earle Stores. I bought it along with another shade Rosewood. The Rosewood lipstick I initially found more wearable, however yesterday I decided to go for a completely different make-up look and the Liz Earle Azalea shade seemed to fit the bill.

The initial problem for me with the Azalea lipstick was that it seemed to have pinky undertones and that just did not fit in with the more coral warm shades that I seem to favour. I am blonde and blue eyed with a fairish skin tone, and the Azalea lipstick just didn’t sit right. But yesterday when I was wearing teal, the bluish undertones in the lipstick just seemed to pop. So I highly recommend it if you are going to be wearing blues.

The other product I wore was an Avon Khol eyeliner in cobalt blue. I would have been better off with a teal eyeliner shade, ( which I have in another product line, ) but at the time I forgot all about it. I love Avon products, but I hate, the way they sell them. I love the old Avon, the one of the fifties, sixties and early seventies. But the way they treat reps today, well, I just don’t agree with it. Wouldn’t it be great to have the old Avon lady back; the one that sat in your living room and opened her cosmetics box and brought out a tonne of lipstick shades to try? Those were magical days.

Well I digress. So Azalea lipstick from Liz Earle, it’s a winner when worn with the right colour. If you have dark hair I think it would look great without the additional worry of wearing blue tones. But for very fair blondes, make sure you wear it with the right blue.

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