7 Lips in 7 Days: Mac "Diva"

Day 6
I'm super excited today to write about this lipstick as it is potentially my all time favourite lip products ever.

Firstly though, i might add that i am aware Mac isn't such an affordable brand and many people will not be interested in this for this very reason as i do agree, £15.50 for a lipstick is completely insane when there are so many cheaper products out there. But i am a collector and the sheer volume of the colour range available at Mac really draws me in. But saying this, out of the six i own, i have only paid for two myself. The others have either been gifts from my lovely boyfriend or from my friends and family as gifts. I cannot justify paying that much, that often and i know there are other ways to satisfy my lipstick hunger that are more cost effective. So in no way am i saying Mac lipsticks are any better then any other lipsticks i own and I'm not saying to run out and purchase this straight away, but i am saying if your looking for a specific colour, Mac is great and i only ever get them if i really truly love the colour and will wear them a lot.

Anyway, enough ramble and into the actual review. Diva is a beautiful deep red colour with a brown undertone that is super flattering and the perfect autumnal colour for me and my style. It's a matte formula but isn't too drying and has a really good wear time without needing too much touching up. It wears super evenly and even when you reapply there is never any bleeding or patchiness. The colour is very opaque when you apply and it still feels as creamy as a matte can be. I've tried a lot of matte formula's and Mac defiantly produce my favourite comfortable matte formula's of those i have tried up to now.  

This was the second Mac lipstick i owned, and it really converted me. It really has everything you would want from an everyday dark deep lipstick. Of course, the colour may be a bit overwhelming to some people but i enjoy very dark colours all year round and i think reds and plums do defiantly suit me more then pinks and nudes. Diva is a really sophisticated dark red that airs just on the right side of brown and just on the right side of plum to make it super wearable and flattering on pretty much all skin tones. 


And then there is that thing that everyone always says about Mac lipsticks. The packaging. There is something so satisfying about looking at them all lined up in their little bullets and collecting them. The packaging is so sleek and i personally think, despite many people believing otherwise, that this does defiantly feel like a luxurious product. There is just something about that weighted, vanilla scented, black packaged product which really does it for a collector like me.

This is one of the few lipsticks in my collection, and the most expensive by far, that i can truly say that if it disappeared tomorrow, i would have to go and repurchase it immediately, which is really saying something. Despite it looking similar to many other colours in my collection, i have never found a cheaper dupe that truly replicated it enough for me not to want Diva which makes me feel that it must be a pretty unique colour with more depth and tones then many other colours i have tried.

Overall, i couldn't live without this. I wear it at least once a week and considering how many lipsticks i own, I'd call that quite an achievement. I'd defiantly recommend checking it out and giving it a swatch if your at a Mac counter or if you are after a darker lip as fall is just round the corner. It's defiantly a treat, but it's my favourite type of treat! 

Thanks for reading guys, you can't even imagine how much it means to me!
Jo x  

7 Lips in 7 Days: L'Oreal Caresse "Hypnotic Red"

Day 4:

Back again with more lipsticks! And this was is a definite favourite if I'm going for something a little different.

 I haven't tried any other L'Oreal lipsticks apart from this one but i have heard many great things about them and judging by this lipstick, i could definitely believe them.

I heard about this from a couple of reviews I've read from numerous people, but to be honest, I wasn't that fussed about picking one up. L'Oreal products are at the higher end of the drugstore and I didn't really want to spent more money then I normally would on a product that I might not like. As people who read me more often will know, I'm more of a matte lip kind of girl. So a creamy, sheer, glossy lip product wasn't really up my street. But when I saw this on my favourite discount site, Fragrance Direct, for only £1.99, I thought i might as well give it a shot. Especially as it is such a amazing colour. 

Now I must admit, although I absolutely love the actual product, I haven't been reaching for it that often. But this isn't down to the product, it's ultimately down to me being more likely to wear bright lips when I can. But that will most probably all change when I head back to school next week and will be reaching for sheerer moisturising 'no fuss' colours more often. *sigh* But that being said, this is a really lovely everyday colour with just a subtle pop of colour to add a little something to perhaps a nude or super natural look. 

I absolutely adore the formula. It feels really light and comfortable, just like a lip balm and although it inevitably doesn't last that long on the lips, It wears away super evenly and doesn't go patchy or need too much touching up during the day in order for it to keep looking half decent.

The packaging itself is stunning. I honestly think it looks so much more expensive and high end then it is and I would happily compare it to the packaging of their sister company YSL in terms of quality of the packaging. It feels really substantial and weighty and is just so pretty. I know different lines have slightly different tints to the metal- esque tube, for example the ones with the glitter have a pink tinge, but my favourite is definitely the original.

This was the first Caresse I bought and I know have another that is just as good which suggests to me that this is a pretty consistent line of lip products which is always preferable. If you were thinking of picking one of these up, I'd be sure to check out fragrance direct first and I've even seen them in TJ Hughes, at about the same discounted price. 

Overall, I'd definitely recommend them if your looking for almost tinted balm type of lip product because i feel like if you were looking for a proper lipstick, you'd be disappointed. But for £1.99, they are so worth a look and adding to the basket if you are putting in an order at Fragrance Direct. 

Thanks so much for reading guys and I'm sorry this is up slightly late today as I've had a super busy day today and this was the first from the series that I realised I hadn't written in advance. Whoops.

Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow with the 5th day of my mini series! 

Jo x 

7 Lips in Days: Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter "Raspberry Pie"

Day 3:

I'm back! This an all time favorite of mine and i really feel like it's the only pink lipstick that actually suits my skin colour, so i can easily say it's my favourite pink i own. 

I'm sure everyone has heard of the Lip butters by now, the lipsticks from Revlon that are super creamy, super sheer but super buildable. They come in a huge range of colours but i picked out three that i really thought looked lovely. This one is perhaps my second favorite of the lot but it was already at  disadvantage being pink.


But this lipstick is really, really gorgeous. It applies really evenly, which many people whinge about with the lip butter range saying that some colours are patchy but then, i haven't tried them all. But with the ones i have tried including this one, i can definitely say they are really great applicating products.
The pigmentation isn't the best, they are quite sheer. But as you can see with the swatches, they can be built up to a really nice opaque colour. And i can't really complain, the name 'Lip Butter' doesn't really give itself to an opaque lip and i do feel like this lives up to my expectations mostly.

The formula is definitely creamy and i think moisturizing and the finish, although not my normal favorite, being quite glossy and having a pretty decent sheen to it, i do really enjoy it in these colours and that's saying something. This lipstick is pretty much everything i shy away from in a lip product but i was so pleasantly surprised. They are creamy when you rub your lips together and so so comfortable, they feel like you have a really nice lip balm on. I also was expecting them to bleed like crazy following my initial swatch in the store but seriously they really don't. They don't last forever but they do touch up nicely and  fade really evenly and even when they initial gloss is gone from the top layer, which takes a bit of time already surprisingly, the underneath tint is lovely by itself.


I bought this on the recommendation from my favorite beauty blogger/ youtuber, who pretty much swears by this lipstick around christmas time as she called it her christmas holy grail lipstick. I think of it totally as that but then, i also think due to the lovely bright but muted colour it gives, i would definitely wear it all year round. The swatch does look super bright but i can promise you that it is a little more muted in person and i would be happy to wear it on an everyday basis.

Now onto my slight issues. I really, really, really don't like the applicator. What is with these flat circular lip products now? I really don't understand how this can apply neatly onto the lips, it definitely takes a little touching up afterwards to get it to a wearable quality. It just isn't small enough to get a really nice solid outer line and not even a lip liner will help with this problem. It's not that it moves, it's that i can't get it in the right place in the first place. It does annoy me a lot as it makes touching up on the go a huge pain. But then it's all down to personal preferance, some people won't mind the applicator, but it's not for me. It wouldn't stop me buying the product as it's nothing a lip brush can't fix, it's just a bit of an annoyance.


And can we just talk about the damn packaging. Oh my god. It's just amazing. I don't get how people don't like the packaging of these, i think they are so pretty and so compact and look much more expensive then they are. The packaging is pretty heavy and feels substantial. I could go on forever about them but honestly, the collector in me really loves seeing them all lined up in their cute little square packaging. I just love them, they make me happy.

They are by Revlon so not the cheapest brand at the drugstore but then they are really a nice product but i could see a love them or hate them sort of thing here so maybe give them a little swatch before buying. They are available for £7.99 from Boots but there is pretty much always a 3 for 2 offer on at the very least, so have a look before you take the plunge but i personally really reccomend them in this colour particularly, but like i said, if it's not for you, they have a massive variety.

Thanks Guys x

7 Lips in 7 Days:Essence Longlasting Lipstick "Adorable Matte!"

Day 2:

This is one of my newest lipsticks but it's not a new line and brand to me at all. I know that i completely love pretty much all the lip products from essence that i've tried. This line of the 'longlasting lipsticks' is super creamy and comfortable to wear and i've only actually two nudes of this line before this one. This is my brightest essence lipstick to date and i can honestly say it's my favourite. I have an awful lot of red lipsticks as you could probably imagine and i really enjoy wearing them on a pretty much daily basis so i like trying different formulations and finishes. 

This one is supposed to be matte and to be completely honest, this was a very quick swatch and at the time, the chance of it entering into an actual post was pretty unlikely so it's very messy and really doesn't show the lipstick at it's best, i can promise you it does set matte but is still really comfortable on the lips, not drying at all. The lighting also makes the colour look really fuschia but again it was super difficult to photograph so it looked anything like real life. It is definitely red. 

This lipstick is super affordable and is a really nice quality for the money, i'd definitely recommend them. So far, i only have three of this line but they seem pretty consistent in terms of formula and even with this completely different finish, the colour is still really comfortable and nice to wear without drying the lips out.

Okay so, the wear time isn't the best, it does need touching up every couple of hours of so but it does fade really evenly and nicely and it reapplies well too because there is nothing worse then reapplying lipstick over dried flaky lipstick stains.

I really like the packaging of this product too. It's nice and sleek but feels substantial. Okay, it's plasticy but it feels sort of nice plastic almost silky if that makes sense? It's really smooth and kind of matte but kind of shiny. It's hard to explain but i like it and hopefully you can tell from the picture kind of what i'm trying to explain. But for such a cheap brand, what i'm saying is the packaging is good.


The colour is beautiful; a really satin- matte classic red which really is a lovely all year round colour as it's bright enough for summer and plummy enough for autumn. 

Overall, i'd really recommend picking up one or two of these if you have a supplier of essence nearby. As far as i'm aware it's only available at Wilko's in the UK which is a bit of a bummer as all mine are quite out of the way. However, if you can get hold of them i'd recommend pretty much the whole line as i've found it all to be consistently good and great value for money, not just the lip products.

If you'd like me to do a few more posts of any essence products let me know as i definitely have a few favourites but i don't want to overdo it with one brand. 

Thanks Guys! x

7 Lips in 7 Days:Rimmel Apocalips "Light Year"

Day 1:

So i decided that in order to get through the many many lip products that i'd like to review, this month i'd do a little 7 Lips in 7 Days series alongside my other posts so i get those done but also don't bore the people who aren't as fond as lipstick as i am to death. I might continue with these as maybe a once a month/ Once every few months type thing? I'm not sure as of yet but we'll see.
None of these are going to be particularly long posts (she says now) but i'm hoping that i'll be able to write a lot of these in advance so i can just put them up on busy days.
I've also got a few other posts in draft form at the moment and i'll put those up throughout the few days as well so hopefully i won't bore anyone.

ANYWAY, i tried these lipsticks really recently actually which to be fair was a bit slow of me as it seemed really late to the party on these. I actually ended up picking quite a number of these up in the end because i got them for a really good price, but i'll get onto that later. 
I must admit, the Apocalips are not my favourite lipstick formula but that's just personal preference as i'm definitely more of a matte lip kind of girl (and yes, i know there is a matte formula but i'll review that at a later date). 
But overall, the thing i love is the colour, and it lasts such a long time! For a glossy nude, creamy formula, the staying power on this lipstick is something else. And when it does wear away, it does so really evenly and is not drying. It's almost like a liquid lipstick with stain properties. 
But then they've got that right too in that it isn't completely impossible to remove. 

The colour itself, 'Light Year' is a really pretty pink nude. The lip swatch is probably not the best representation of the true colour as i do have really naturally red lips so most colours show up a little more pink on me. However, this shows it versatility and it's ability to adapt and look great on more then just one particular skin tone. But for me, i love it. It's a really easy to wear, everyday nude that could be paired with pretty natural skin and eyes or a really bold vampy look. I do get a lot of wear out of this lip and as it is so moisturizing, i cannot complain about wearing it most days at the moment. 
Normally, the Apocalips range is really quite expensive for a rimmel lipstick, like £6-7 maybe. But i discovered on a recommendation a while ago an amazing little website called 'Fragrance Direct' that i know a lot of you will have heard of already, where i found these available for £1.99! I believe they tend to stock mostly discontinued products and even a quick google shows that most places don't have this particular colour anymore. But honestly, the quality is still really excellent and i've made so many orders from there now and never had a problem with anything so i'd definitely recommend a look. It stocks a whole range of makeup and skincare products from Miss Sporty to Calvin Klein and Mac at reduced prices so if you're after anything specific or just want a quick splurge but not a splurge, then check it out! 

Thankyou guys for reading and i'll try and keep these coming and if you like this style of series i'll try and come up with more of them in the future! 

Jo x 

The Lipstick Tag...

Ahead of my lipstick posts i have coming up, i thought i'd write a tag that I have been super tempted to do for a long time. I'm actually really excited to get to do this so I'll just get into it as quickly as possible without all the usual ramble that I'm terrible for...

How many lipsticks do you own?

Around 97. I didn't actually realise how many I had until I just counted them which is a bit mad and I'm a bit shocked. That is defiantly excessive and not a normal amount of lipstick but what can I say, some people collect stamps, I collect lip products :) 

What was your first ever lipstick?
My first ever proper lipstick was a Rimmel Kate lipstick in the shade 30 which i actually got as a dupe for a Dior one (I'm sorry i have no idea what the colour was it was a long time ago and i wasn't paying much attention at the time) that was used on me for my prom make-up practise that i wanted in order to touch up through the night which actually ended up being my prom lipstick, complicated i know. But yeah, safe to say I love it still, i still wear it a lot and i would highly recommend it. Definitely one of my all time favourites.

What is your most worn lipstick?
My most worn lipstick is very different depending on what day it is. For everyday school, my most worn lipstick is probably 'Asia' by Rimmel or 08 in the Kate Moss collection, which are very, very similar. For any other day where i don't have to wear a nude, It has to be Mac Diva which i reach for nearly every day when i'm not at school. It's such a beautiful dark red colour which i feel goes with everything i wear and suits me the most. Definitely worth splashing out on in my opinion.  

What is your favourite brand for lipstick?
Hmm, this is quite a difficult one. I'd probably say Rimmel as that is the brand i have the most lipsticks from and i just absolutely love everything about them but maybe Mac for the colour range but not for the price. I'd have to say Rimmel as everything i have tried from them has just been on point. 

What is your favourite finish?
My favourite finish is without a doubt a matte or a satin finish. I just don't think creamier or glossier finishes suit me at all. I also think that they have better lasting power on my lips and don't dry my lips out all that much but that's probably just because i don't have hugely dry lips to start with. Matte's and satins are just what i reach for on a day to day basis and i much prefer them to glosses and would be more likely to spend more on those finishes rather then anything else.

What was the last lip product you bought?
I think it was a Maybelline Velvet Drama lip pencil or whatever they are called in 'In with Coral' which i think is a really pretty colour, completely out of my comfort zone but i just love the finish and texture and it was in the sale. I couldn't say no! The last lipstick that was bought for me was a Lime Crime Velvetine in Wicked that i am VERY excited about. 

How many lip products do you currently have in your handbag? (Including balms and glosses)
Currently, none. I swap them out every night because i can't bear there being gaps in my collection, I know how sad is that. But yeah, I'm pretty obsessive about it, I like it all to be tidy and organised. So I swap them out, there is always some in my bag during the day but in the evening I sort it all out again. 

What lipstick do you use to rock a red lip?
Depends whether it's like a dark, berry red or a classic bright pure red. If we're talking about a dark, it's Mac Diva all day. But if we are going for a bright red I'd probably reach for 111 or Kiss of Life from Rimmel in the Matte Kate Moss collection. It's a really matte, affordable but excellent quality product that I'd highly recommend!

How do you store your lipsticks?

I have a drawer I'll insert a picture of here in a cupboard sideboard set thing that i fill with 12 and 24 hole Acrylic lipstick stands which you can see in the image. I keep my glosses, liners and liquid lipsticks in just glass jars and my balms, although few, I just lie down round the outside. My lipstick collection isn't massive but I'll have to empty a new drawer soon to expand it to two drawers as i am defiantly running out of space. I actually love the way i store my lipsticks as i can keep them all organised into brands etc but also see all the colours. I couldn't stand them all being mixed together in drawers, for example.



What lip products are you currently lusting after?
As I mentioned, I'm waiting on a Lime Crime Velvetine that I have wanted to try FOREVER but other then that, I'd love to get my hands on some of the Colorpop Ultra Matte Lipsticks but of course living in the UK, that's not very easy at all. I also would like to try more NYX and Kiko, also brands you can't get easily in the UK. I've got a list of Mac lipsticks I'd like to try sometime and maybe purchase or get as a gift for my upcoming birthday including New York Apple and Velvet Teddy. Let me know if you'd like to see more of my wishlist, it's definitely something I'd love to blog about if your interested. 

Thanks for reading guys and if you have any other tags you'd like me to do let me know. Also, if there is any specific things you would like to know i can do like a Q&A if I get enough questions!


As some people might be aware, i've recently made a new twitter account for my blog so if you want to keep up to date with my life or get in touch with me, you can tweet or DM me over there! Follow me at @afewfavouritess :)

Jo x 

£20 Makeup Challenge....

I have been meaning to get round to doing this for FOREVER. Honestly I've had this in my mind to do since I started this blog because I've always wanted to see how many decent makeup products you could get for bargain prices. And even when I eventually bought the products It's still taken almost two weeks to even try them out, I know right. And i'm totally aware this is going to be an epic post so hopefully if i do it bit by bit it'll work out okay. 

But anyway, I was really happy with the products I got and I'm going to try and review them individually as I go. 

My challenge came in at £19.47, and i thought this was really good actually. I was convinced i was going to go over the budget but with the handy offer in Boots with natural collection on 2 for £3, that kind of saved me really. Unless the offer is still on, i would have gone over now, but it's not technically cheating right? :)

Products: 

• Collection Work the colour Eyebrow kit
• NYC HD colour Quattro in 'fashion bootcamp' 
• MUA Pro-Base Argan plush concealer in 'Fair'
• Natural Collection Lip Lines in 'plum' 
• P.S. Love (from Primark) Blusher in 'pink'
• Revolution Liquid Eyeliner Waterproof
• MUA translucent pressed powder 
• NYC Showtime volumizing mascara 
• Natural Collection tinted moisturiser 

For my base I got this Natural Collection tinted moisturiser in 'natural'.

Now this was actually a bit of a let down in the selection. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this, but the colour was strange. Really quite dark for a 'natural'. It blended out okay and as I was using my fingers this was a bonus for me and I feel like it'd be much nicer with a brush or a sponge. But my disappointment in it was the actual texture. It was really quite oily? I was expecting a more creamy consistency but this really sat on my dry skin and as it was a 'moisturiser' I was actually hoping for it to blend and work into the skin so much better. It gave very little coverage but this was to be expected from a tinted moisturiser. 
I really didn't love this product and i guess if you were really desperate, you might be able to make this work if your skin is very different to mine but this was not a highlight of this range of products and i wouldn't recommend it even for the cheap price of £1.99. Seriously, just buy a couple of Revolution lipsticks with that instead, it's not worth your money.




The concealer is up next and i'll start with the positives, as it goes, the product is quite pigmented and opaque and has pretty damn decent coverage. The texture is pretty creamy which is nice and it blends out effectively. I can't complain as overall, it's a pretty nice product. It has average lasting power i'd say, it's nothing special to me as concealers and foundations tend to sit pretty well and are reasonably long wearing anyway on my skin. It's comfortable and isn't too greasy, although i wouldn't recommend this as an undereye concealer as it does sit on the skin a little and suggests to me that it'd fall into fine lines. The finish is pretty matte and it does stick to dry areas but it's definitely not the worst in that department, for the money it really holds its own. 
However, here come the negatives. The smell. It smells like wax crayons. That reminds me of cheap nasty lipstick; Not something i want to be putting on my face. That is a massive downfall to me and puts me off it so much which is sad because i like the product but i'm really not into the smell as it does last all day and you do get whiffs of it every now and again. Plus, I'm not really sure what happened but the stick snapped. Like completely. Whilst lay in a bag in my makeup cupboard. Hmmm. Regardless to say, not impressed by that. I'd recommend this product if you could deal with the smell and the scary prospect of an unusable product. But for £3.00, it's really not bad! I can't say that i'd repurchase but i'll definitely use up the one i have. So it's alright, that's my verdict.

I don't know about anyone else, but i cannot stand my skin feeling

tacky in the slightest. So next, despite people saying about how you should 'leave the foundation to work into the skin' i powderderd. And this powder was okay i guess, nothing tremendously special but then, you know, it was only £1.00. I do feel however that it hasn't had a fair trial as i did have to use my fingers to apply the powder which of course is not that great. I definitely think the formula is actually pretty decent for such a budget product, the powder is reasonably finely milled and potentially could apply pretty nicely with a brush but i don't think it'll give much oil control just from my impression of the texture but for me, that's okay as i'm not particularly oily, but i'm sure this could be an issue for some people. So this one is a bit eh, but if it massively amazes me with future use i'll let you know.

Next up, i did my brows. Now surprisingly, i was pretty impressed by this product. I have a few issues but generally it was alright for the money. There is a lot that could go wrong let's face it, and this was decent. In the palette, you get three colour powders, a really dark brown, bordering on black, a sort of medium brown and then a blonde shade. It also came with an eyebrow gel which for me is handy as i do have unruly brows sometimes; and a little double ended brush, one side with a angled brush and one with a flat eyeshadow-esque brush. This is all very nice and the powders have okay pigment nothing groundbreaking but it does the job and the gel does what it says on the tin. My issue with this product is the actual colours. I understand that they are catering for everyone but really? I'm not blonde so can't comment on the actual tone of the powder which i know a lot of people struggle with, but if you were blonde, what need would you have for a black eyebrow colour? Even if your a light brunette like me, it's quite difficult to use. And vice versa, a dark haired person is not going to have a need for a blonde colour. And then this of course means that you are potentially paying for two colours that you will never use? Hmm... The cost of this product was the most expensive of the bunch at £3.99 as no where seems to do super cheap brow products so overall i was pretty disappointed and unless you have a need for all three or could think of a way that all of them could work, i don't think your getting value for money, so i wouldn't recommend. The brush i actually used a lot during this challenge. I used the angle edge for my brows and the flat brush for my shadow instead of the little sponge applicator i got in the palette but i wasn't really impressed with the brush either. It just didn't really pick up any product and i couldn't blend a thing. The brush feels nice on the hand, pretty soft, but i think that is where the fault lies, it's almost too

soft. Overall, not impressed with the brush but then it was never going to be amazing in a cheap pallette. So i guess overall, it's an okay product for the money if you disregard the variety of colours but for a little bit more there are lots of nicer products that you get better value for money for. 






Then, my eyeshadow was applied. Or rather i tried. This i thought looked really lovely and stood out to me in the shop. The colours are really nice and i felt like i could put a nice golden look together with it. I made a conscious decision to stick to shimmers rather then trying a matte and it doing nothing as they are notoriously hard to formulate in cheaper brands. So i really did give the eyeshadow the best foundations to be a pretty decent product. That was the plan. But i was let down. the colours are, like i said nice but when swatched, the only one that comes across as something of anything was the darkest colour in the palette which was disappointing. And that was properly swatched on my finger. As soon as i tried to apply this was the little brush from the eyebrow set or even with the horrible little foam applicator that came with it, there was so little pay off, i had to really build it to get a decent effect. And it just got messier and harder to blend the more i did it which wasn't the best as they felt so creamy on the swatch. Needless to say i wouldn't recommend these even from the stupidly low price of £2.99 but honestly even for that it wasn't worth it. For another pound you can get a makeup revolution palette, whose formulas i adore and are amazing value for money as you get so many more colours; i would highly recommend any of these over the NYC any day. 



Then i did my eyeliner and i actually do really like this. It's very black and i know that sounds obvious but some are really streaky and not that great for a really solid black line first time but i can definitely say you don't get that with this. It's also just the right consistency, not too watery but not too thick and gloopy for

it to glide on smoothly but not run everywhere and make a mess. It's waterproof which isn't a dealbreaker for me. I tend to lean towards none waterproof formulas but then this one is pretty damn good and stays on all day even with my watery eyes which is really nice. The applicator won't be for everyone and i would liken this actually to a felt tip liner product rather than a classic eyeliner in this format. It's a nib not a brush and isn't that flexible as they go but i quite like that, it gives me more control over my handling and gives me a less wobbly patchy line. But like i said this is personal preference. If i was to criticise one thing it's that the nib is very pointy, like to the point where it will scratch you if you pull it the wrong way which isn't great. But i can deal with it in exchange for a pretty decent product for only £1.50. I would definitely recommend this, i can do a really lovely thin delicate line with it and it lasts all day without a problem. I will probably repurchase and for only £1.50 from Superdrug, you really can't go wrong!   



Okay, so Blush. I have wanted to try some Primark beauty for a while but just haven't gotten round to picking anything up and this seemed like prime opportunity. It was actually a bit of a faff trying to get this because I was looking everywhere for a blush for two pounds from somewhere and I came across this and thought why the hell not?

The reason why not was that my boyfriend was already at the till of the HUGE Primark cash register queue and I was not willing to wait another age for a two pound product. But after wandering round a bit more, finding another blush and still not being satisfied, I headed back to Primark just before closing time and finally bought it when there was no queue. YAY! And I'm happy to say it's really actually worth it for two pounds anyway. It's nicely pigmented and isn't too chalky. It is a little and does have a bit of throw up when you run your brush into it but when you're using your fingers like I did in this challenge, it was fine. Reasonably easy to blend and although the colour looks quite scary, it's really not as bad as it looks.
There wasn't a good range of colours I should add and I think this was actually the lightest of the lot (I know!) so I would have gone for lighter if there was the option but I was happy enough with the blendabilty of this to make it work. The packaging is nice, it does feel more expensive then it was which is always nice and it does feel substantial. It does have a little mirror which is always nice but I feel a little pointless in a blush compact but hey, I won't complain, it's a nice touch. So yeah, in all, it's a nice product, I probably wouldn't repurchase this one in particular but for those who are into a brighter blush, I'd defiantly recommend you try if your on a budget. If there was more colours, I'd be more tempted. I'd recommend you try one of the cream blushes from MUA or the little cheapest blushes in the white packaging from Makeup Revolution for the money if your looking for a larger range of colours but similar quality.



A huge highlight for me was definitely the mascara, which surprised me slightly actually. I’m usually not a huge fan of the fibre bristle wands, for someone who doesn't have anything particularly impressive in terms of lashes, i feel like they don't really grip onto my lashes enough in order to really properly volumize and lengthen them to how i like them.

I prefer the plastic thin wands with plenty of long bristles to really catch my lashes and curl them to make them stand out a little more. The NYC Showtime mascara is usually everything i don’t like from a mascara. But this is something a little bit different. I cant be sure what it is to be honest with you, but it really does something for my pretty pathetic lashes.

For £1.99, this is seriously a definite recommendation for everyone , on a budget or not. I feel like i’ll reach for this quite a lot and i’d definitely repurchase and think twice before turning my nose up at a brush like this again, because like it or not, a formula may be absolutely amazing but without the right brush, no one will love it. i got mine in superdrug and i’m led to believe it’s pretty widely available and for two pounds, you just can’t go wrong! 


Finally, we're coming to an end. The last product i picked up was this lip liner from Natural Collection because i hedged my bets that a lip liner would give a better matte lip then a actual budget matte lipstick. And my verdict is that it's okay. It's not the best lip product ever, it definitely dried my lips out, it is of a dryer formula then other slightly more expensive liners I've tried in the past, but that's to be expected. It's a really nice opaque colour pay off and it's not too patchy. I really like the colour, a really deep wine red with a super matte finish which is really one of my favourite lip colours. The pencil is reasonably soft and doesn't drag too much and is reasonably comfortable to wear provided you put a little bit of lip balm on first before applying the product. It lasts a reasonable length of time, no longer then a normal lip liner by itself but it's pretty good. Overall, i probably will repurchase another one of these products if I see a colour i fancy. They are cheap and are decent quality but i don't prefer them over other brands such as Rimmel for example so for the money, i'd just say invest in a little more for much better quality. But as a one off, they are reasonable.

All in all, i was happy with the look i created and for the money, i thought it was really impressive.(Excuse my face though, this photo was taken at about 11PM after a long ass day) I honestly did not imagine that i'd be able to create a good wearable look for under £20 so i impressed myself and i'm happy to say there are definitely products that i will use again outside this challenge. 


Thanks for reading guys and if anyone does this challenge i'd love to see so make sure you let me know and i'll have a look! 

Jo x 

Makeup Revolution Blush Palette...

This is brand new, I mean like hours old; But I just had to review it right now. It's probably not fair as i haven't had it for long enough to really give it a thorough test but my first impressions of this product are EXCELLENT so why the hell not? 

Makeup Revolution never cease to impress me with their many, many products and release after release, they never fail to disappoint.  Like all brands, of course they have their ups and downs but overall they are massively consistently good and this palette was no exception.

Due to shining reviews from some of my favourite bloggers out there, i decided i had to pick one of these up. But it took me so, so long to ever really feel the need to purchase. But today i was wandering round town waiting for my brother to have an eye test and had a quick look round Superdrug and saw this palette in the Makeup Revolution stand. One of the main things that have always put me of this was that I'd never seen it in store which would mean i would have to order online which i just couldn't be bothered doing. But when i saw it in Superdrug and was reminded that i have 30% knocked off exclusive products i decided i had to have it. I picked up the colours that most appealed to me which was 'Golden Sugar' and honestly I'm so glad I did.

The colours are super pigmented but are quite sheer- if that makes sense. What I mean by that is that the colours are gorgeous and one swipe, as you can see in the swatches, is full of colour and really pretty. But, they are super bendable and can be blended to a really sheer, subtle flush and can be built up which is great for people like me who tend to apply too much blush and end up looking like a Russian doll, not a look for me. 

The colour selection is so pretty and wearable in this palette which is the main reason i bought it but it does have quite a lot of baked- esque products in it which result in a slight sheen with the product which obviously won't be for everyone but I went for it because i normally stick to matte and was hoping for a bit of a change. But for those people, I should add that there are plenty of other shade selections available with lots of mattes in which may be better suited, so don't rule the product out just because of the colours. 

The product claims to be a 'blush' palette which isn't entirely accurate. It does have three blushes, two highlights and I'd say three bronzer's/contours which i think is actually quite nice. They can all be used as cheek colours alone or alongside other products which i guess it kind of the intention of the palette, So don't be completely surprised if it isn't totally what you were expecting when you order online or whatever.

But here is the best bit, besides me absolutely adoring the actual products and this is coming from someone who doesn't wear blush normally, this palette is only £6! Yes i know. £6 for 8 cheek products is pretty damn impressive in my book especially as they are such good quality. I haven't tried the individual blushes from MUR yet but they are defiantly on my list after trying this as if for 75p a blush, they are this impressive, i have very high hopes for the blushes priced at £3. I see myself reaching for this palette a lot from now on and truly love it at the moment but I'll defiantly keep you updated on any issues I have with it in the future.  

Makeup Revolution is available from Superdrug in the UK and is also available online and i'd highly recommend their palettes, not only their blushes, as every one i have tried so far has been pretty awesome.

Thanks for reading Guys! 
Jo x 

Black Nails....

This is a really touchy subject for me. Black Nail Polishes are classically a really difficult thing for me to buy. They are usually either too watery and sheer so they give you a very grey, patchy finish which isn't great or are too thick and opaque and take forever to dry so almost always end up smudged and ruined. See my problem?

Well, when i came to pick up a new one the other day i thought I'd

go for the pretty consistently good Barry M nail polishes in 'Black' (What Really?! :) ). But honestly, i was so so let down. It's exactly what you don't want from a nail polish. Watery, streaky, sheer, grey and takes ages to dry so it smudges something chronic. I was super disappointed by this as all the Barry M nail polishes i have tried in the past have been pretty decent so i was hoping for good things from this polish. I might have to try the Gel Formula Black when i can get my hands on it- or when there is a fabulous offer on in Superdrug.... 

But onto one that i do think is worth trying although there is a risk the formula has changed since i purchased my last bottle a year or so ago. This one is the Maybelline Colour show collection and my

bottle is 'Blackout'. This is a formula i swore by a while back and i must have bought a couple from there since but i kind of just forgot about it as you do. And when i finally reached for it again, months and months later, it had dried up and was almost empty. And then i just didn't go back to it, which in hindsight was a stupid move but there we go. It's a really opaque formula but not streaky or thick at all, it also sets to a really nice glossy finish and sets pretty damn quickly and is really quite chip proof which I really think is great. My only complaint is that it kind of sets in the bottle, even with the lid on tight, it doesn't really last that long, it might have just been me but that's my experience. 

I also can't say I've tried any of the other colours from this range so I can't tell you it's constantly good but if they are anything like this one, I'm an idiot for not testing more out. 

The Maybelline and the Barry M are actually the same price, so i would 100% choose the Maybelline one in the future but as i mentioned, that is not flawless either. So if anyone has any suggestions for their favourite black polishes,any ideas would be most appreciated. 

Thankyou Guys! x

Holiday Gifts for the Boyfriend....

As you probably aren't aware, i headed off to visit a good friend of mine last week who lives in Germany and i really did have an amazing time whilst i was out there, it was a really nice break from everyday life and Hamburg is such a stunning city, honestly, it was amazing. 
But.... That's not what I want to talk about in this post. I'll probably drop it into another post in the foreseeable future all by itself but at the moment, what I actually want to talk about is what i got on the plane. I also noticed they were available in Duty Free so if your looking for a gift for a man in your life or for yourself, these are really good value. I actually got the set as well with an extra 20% off which I thought was amazing so I got these for so much cheaper then they normally cost. I also bought a Bare Minerals set at the same time which I'll review soon too alongside all the other make-up I bought in Germany (Whoops).

 
ANYWAY, oh my god I'm rambling. But my point is, for my boyfriend I bought an Armani Perfume Sampler set with five different scents in 5-7ml tester bottles.  And i thought it was super good value. The bottles, okay, aren't that big. But for someone, like my boyfriend, who enjoys changing his scent up but can't afford to buy full sized products in everything, it's really excellent. 

I knew this kind of appealed to me following my Dad buying me a Daisy Marc Jacobs set last year and me really enjoying it and funnily enough, for it to last a really long time, so i was happy to purchase this set. 

The set itself has something for everyone which really does appeal to me. There are sweet fragrances, more deep musky fragrances and more herbal scents also. This makes it appealing to everyone and it doesn't really matter whether you don't use it or not because, they are so small and such good value for the money. I also think that if you found one of them that you really liked, you could purchase the full size, so it allows you to have more then a tiny tester in a shop to decide whether the full size is worth the money. I don't know really, it's just my opinion from my experience with the Daisy ones last year. 

I think in the end this little set cost me about £21 so for 5 small but quality perfumes I'd say that was pretty decent and my boyfriend was super happy with them. 

Thank you for reading guys and hopefully I'll be able to get some more posts up now I'm back and I'll be able to start some series' that i have been planning for a while. 

Jo x 

Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion....

This is a new love of mine for summer. On a trip to Tesco, completely not intending to buy a body lotion, i picked up a body lotion. I saw this one on offer and after taking a quick sniff of it, i decided it smelt too good to leave on the shelf. And i was kind of interested in the product itself. But it really was the scent that did the deal for this product. 

The product itself is pretty cool as it goes. It's a body lotion with a hint of self tan so when you apply it goes on as a gorgeous body lotion that is super fast absorbing and light and doesn't leave that horrible tacky feeling on the skin, but then when you wake up the next morning it gives you a really subtle glow of a slightly sun kissed look to the skin that isn't too much or patchy.

My only gripe with this sort of product is really my own fault. If you apply one layer of this product it's great and leaves a lovely glow to the skin. Then, if your like me and your skin needs a little of something applying to it everyday and you reapply the next day, consequently layering the product up, it starts looking quite patchy. I feel it is the sort of product that doesn't need layering but it would have to be used in conjunction with another product in between showers to stop it looking a bit rubbish and 'dirty mark' like. I think it is an apply after a shower sort of product and then something needs to be used in between which of course isn't ideal.

But when i do apply this in one coat, it does fade really evenly and naturally and doesn't look like your caked in fake tan or anything like that. The other thing about this product is that because it does contain fake tan, it will stain your hands if you are to apply with your hands. You do need to give them a wash after applying which is always a bit of a pain but i've found a handy way of avoiding this. Use a tan mitt. That sounds so obvious but my boyfriend's mum gave me one she got for free the other day, a little velvety one from Bondi Sands which does the job so well and works so evenly and looks so natural. So if you have one, give it a try but it's not an absolute necessity. 

The smell like i mentioned before is amazing, oh my goodness. It's an apricot fragrance and it's just lovely. Really light and fruity and fresh without being overpowering or strange on the skin. The actual texture of the lotion is almost gel like, not too creamy and it works into the skin really quickly so it avoids that horrible sticky feeling. I also really think it does something for the skin, it really works dry skin and makes it so much softer and smoother which you know, is the idea of a body lotion. 

I've heard a lot of these Garnier body lotions and so many people rave about them and this is so cheap and so effective i really am using it nearly every day at the moment and i am really seeing a difference and a benefit to my skin as well as a lovely different effect to my skin which is always nice especially for the summer. The tan without the damage for pale people or people that aren't that comfortable using fake tan. This is a great alternative to fake tan and does two jobs in one and there is no fear of it going really terribly wrong as it's so subtle. 

Anyway this is my current favourite body lotion and i'd really recommend this product. It's really cheap and available widely and is often on offer as i've noticed now. If you can get a good deal i'd recommend a try as when my friend tried it she was a total convert after my recommendation to her of it. I believe it's £5.49 from boots but i'm sure i got mine from Tesco for much less then that, maybe half price? So keep an eye out, it's a really great product if you can get your hands on it. 
Thanks Guys x