June Superdrug Haul!

A little present to myself for finishing exams...

I really haven't bought much makeup recently, because I'm well aware that I already own way too much. But there have been a few things I've really wanted recently and after much thought decided to finally pick up from Superdrug.

I have tried some of these products already, so I'll let you guys know a few first impressions.

Makeup

Ignore the moisturiser, I'll deal with that in the skincare section!

I picked up some really exciting makeup bits.

Firstly is something I've been so excited to pick up, but at first I was hesitant as I do own many foundations, a lot of which I don't currently use because even though I buy the lightest shade every time sometimes it's still not light enough for my winter colour skin!

This is the Max Factor Face Finity all day flawless 3 in 1 foundation which was £11.99, supposedly a primer, concealer and foundation all in one (which is a claim that really annoys me). I got it in the lightest shade, light ivory 40. The match is perfect for me, thankfully. I still have used a primer with it, just to make the application more smooth. But I did find amazingly that I didn't need to use concealer when I used this! It gave me the medium plus coverage I needed.

I wanted to buy this because Max Factor and Covergirl have many of the same products just repackaged and under different brand names, and I felt like I was missing out every time someone raved about the Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation, which is clearly the same product as this Facefinity foundation. So I thought I would never get to try this product out, but thankfully it recently got released under the Max Factor umbrella very recently this 2014 Summer.

And yeah, I love it so far. The first time I tried a bit of this on my skin, applying it with the Real Techniques Essential Foundation Brush (not something I normally use), the brush and the foundation together was an amazing match and gave a phenomenal effect.

This reminds me of my favourite foundation ever, the L'Oreal True Match which I actually am in love with... But I think this Max Factor one might actually be a little better! It's early days, I tried it on briefly and I've worn it out once all night,was impressed with the results both times, but only time will tell.

The only downer is that it has SPF! I guess it's good for summer, but not those nights where you know you'll be getting photographed with flash photography, as it might cause flashback- a white cast.

It was three for two on L'Oreal, so naturally I obliged and picked up three things because I've been wanting to try the L'Oreal Paris Glamshine Stain Splash's especially the purple shade, and I thought I would buy two to test out the shade range.

They retail for £7.99 each, and I got the shades Marilyn (lighter one, on the right above, and left below), and Milady (the deeper purple pictured above left and below right).

The idea between these is that they have high pigmentation but stain your lips and so have a better staying power, and they're good.

The scent is fruity and sweet, it's beautiful, and undoubtedly the colours are beautiful. I do find they work even better on top of a lipstick (nude for the light pink one, or a deep purple for the purple one) because they enhance the colour of the lipstick and kind of seal in the lipstick because of their staining power.

And of course there are naturally comparisons to the YSL alternative, because L'Oreal and YSL are owned by the same umbrella brand.

Marilyn, Milady

Everyone always mentions this, but it really is annoying that they don't have the product name on the outsides. The packaging is beautiful though, and the applicator is sort of heart-shaped and applies quite well, although not as well as the Rimmel Apocalips applicator which is the best lipgloss applicator EVER.

So yeah, so far I quite like them, they really do stain well, I couldn't get the last of the stains of these off my swatched hand 24+ hours after and using much makeup remover! But I shall let you know how my thoughts change or develop and perhaps do a full review.

Finally for makeup, I got this single eyeshadow from the Color Riche L'Ombre Pure range in 307 Smokey. This is really hard to track down online, but I'm pretty sure this was between £3-6.

L'Oreal have some amazing eyeshadows, and this is another one. It says it's 'gel infused', and I'm not really sure what that means but I think it contributes to how super creamy, blendable and buttery this product is. The colour is also a beautiful silver shade.

I did really get this because I had already got two L'oreal products, so picking out one for free, but I do actually love this product. The pigmentation is amazing, as you'll see from the swatches below.

Single eyeshadows are something I rarely get, but this colour was so beautiful and it's something I always wear as my standard eyemakeup look for a night out, so it'll be perfect for summer. I haven't worn it on the eyes yet but I know I'll get a lot of use out of it.

However I have realised that it's almost identical to another L'Oreal silver I own, the Colour Appeal (another amazing L'Oreal eyeshadow range) in 150 'Real Silver'. The only thing that's slightly different is the texture, this one having a drier texture in comparison to the one I picked up here.

Skincare

Witch naturally clear cleansing and toning wipes, £1.99, Simple kind to skin cleansing wipes, £1.48, Freederm deep pore cleansing wipes, £1.99. They all have 25 wipes in each packet. The Witch ones I haven't tried yet, but the Simple and Freederm ones I have. This may seem an excessive number of face wipes to buy, but I'm going to use them one at a time (I've started with the Witch ones), and they'll last me for ages. 

You'll see empty-reviews of these as I finish them, letting you know my thoughts on them. I know I love the Simple ones and Freederm ones for different reasons; the Simple ones are very gentle and do clean the skin, but the Freederm ones, my personal favourites of all time, I have noticed really do make a difference to my spots, and make them a lot less horrible to go through! Seriously try these if you haven't already.

By the way, I don't souly use makeup wipes to remove my makeup. I use the Bioderma and Nivea double effects to remove my eye and face makeup. I haven't been using makeup wipes at all for probably up to a year now, but I decided to try them again just to use for a final cleanse of my skin and make sure all the last bits of face makeup are removed. I've missed having makeup remover wipes!

The Clean and Clear Dual Action moisturiser, £3.59, is a repurchase for me. I finished it back in April after it being one of my first moisturisers ever (and wrote an empty-review of it), and when I saw it I felt like I wanted to try it out again. It actually did help with spots and sank into the skin so nicely, making it feel refreshed and, well, clean. It's also oil-free so it kept my oily t-zone under control.

So those are the things I picked up!

What have you most recently bought from the shops? What makeup are you currently loving? Let me know in the comments below.

E.L.F. Loves and Loathes: Lips Edition

E.L.F. Loves and Loathes (Lip Products)

This is second in a three-part blog post set, I've done eye products already and I'll be doing face products next to finish it off.

E.L.F. is an online brand but in other parts of the world you can even get them in drugstores! They're so popular because their products are really cheap, and yet they aim to dupe a lot of more expensive products out there.

Can I just firstly say that these are my opinions and my opinions only- some of you may love the products I hate, and vice versa!

So let's get into it!

I'm gonna start off with the loathes, just to get them out of the way...

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BAD PRODUCTS (1)

1.
Glossy Gloss
£3.95

I really hated this product, and I'm not that big of a lipgloss fan anyway, but these ones really were not good.



I wasn't expecting high pigmentation, and there certainly isn't high pigmentation.

Sweet Salmon

Ballet Slippers

I like the smell, it's vanilla-y. But the gloss is very thick and sticky. The applicator is very stiff, meaning when you apply to the lips you end up wiping some of it off.

However there's no doubting the packaging- it's beautiful!

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'GOOD' PRODUCTS- these products are alright but not amazing (4)

1.
Conditioning Lip Balm
£3.95

This product is okay. It gives a sheer tint to the lips, and this colour is pretty.

Mellow Melon

It's not amazingly conditioning, as the name suggests, but it's alright! It doesn't cake onto the lips and looks more natural, so I like this.

I quite want to try the nude colour called 'Nice & Natural' because that looks really good. Also, you get loads of product in the well-packaged studio tub.




2.
Mineral Lipstick
£5

These are a good product, and I do want to try out more colours in the line. I probably actually don't get enough use out of them actually.

Runway pink, Rich raspberry

The bonus to these as oppose to the next product I'm going to be sharing with you- the essential line lipsticks, these ones are slightly thicker (in a good way, they're still not too thick), meaning they'll have a longer staying power, which is good. They are really good quality.

Runway Pink

Rich Raspberry (sorry I know the application on this one was awful)

They have a slightly less shiny finish than the essential line lipsticks.

3.
Moisturising Lip Tint
£3.95

Another alright product. I use the nude one quite a lot. Again, they're not that moisturising but give a nice tint of colour to the lips without being a full-on lipstick.

Natural, Berry

Natural, Berry

They look quite nice on the lips, I often wear the nude one out or to school. It's nice.
4.
Custom Lips
£1.50 each

These are okay, it's nice to have a lipstick in this sort of arrangement but they didn't have the pigmentation that I would've wanted, or come to expect considering the quality of the rest of the ELF lip products.



In order, left to right top then bottom, I have the colours wine, sugar plum, earth rose and berry brown. They're quite thin and look nice and natural on the lips. The colour selection isn't that great though.



I also had a custom eyes palette, but it was really awful. The colours were chunky and chalky- really awful. The lips ones are better no doubt.

**

AMAZING PRODUCTS (4)

I do think E.L.F. lip products on the whole are amazing, and this is their best category.

1.
Lipstick
£1.95

The colour range is amazing, the smell is amazing (like fruity sweets), the texture is amazing. I love these.

Nostalgic, Classy, Gypsy, Captivating

These are my favourite lip products and perhaps products on the whole from ELF, and they're from the essential line so the price is even lower than other products.

same order as above and below 

lips with no product

Nostalgic- I love this colour, and it works amazingly to mix with others too

Classy 

Gypsy

Captivating

The only problem is the photos on the website are so misleading!! Always check out swatches before buying from ELF- that's my top tip!

Nostalgic, Classy, Captivating, Gypsy

2.
Lip Primer and Plumper
£3.95

This product has one side that supposedly plumps the lips- it's a clear smooth product that does give a tingling sensation. As to whether it actually plumps, who knows.



The other side is the prime side. It's a sort of creamy concealer which nudes out the lips, meaning you'll get a more accurate colour to your lipstick. This is a key product to own, and I use it all the time. It really helps light lipsticks show up better.



It's a nice product, and there aren't many other specialist lip primers out there, so I recommend trying it out.

Stained lips before applying the product 

After I applied the primer, and patted it in well

As you can see, the problem is that it's a tiny bit drying. It's still better than wearing concealer though!

 3.

Matte Lip Colour

£3.95

This is a nice product, and I especially love the colours I own. These are a matte-looking lipstick in a roll-up pencil form.

Tea rose, natural

 Because they're matte, they're slightly more drying than the ordinary lip product. Also they're not completely matte either, and I've noticed they still have some sheen.

Tea rose- a muted purple 

Natural- a slightly orangey nude shade

I really want to try out the one in nearly nude!

Also they're roll-up, meaning no sharpening, which is always a bonus.

4.

1 Mineral Lip Liner and 2 Lip Liner and Blend Brush

£3.50 and £3.95

I love these lip liners, they're the best quality ones I've tried. Despite there being two different forms (one comes with a blending lip brush on the other end, and the other does not) the product is 100% the same, just with different colours.

Lip liner and blend brushes in Wine and Grapefruit, Lip liner in Raisin

These are so amazing. They're longwearing, highly pigmented and work as an amazing base under lipsticks or alternatively just alone for a matte finish. Wow. They have a colour selection for all skin tones. It's perfect.

Also both of these products wind up so there's no need for sharpening once again (the packaging is amazing), and they come with caps so your product stays clean and safe.

Same order as above

I quite want to try the essential line lip pencils, just to compare. I think everyone should try these out, they're so cheap (as is everything), and I must add before this post finishes that you should always wait until ELF are having a 50% off sale, which happens more than you'd expect. Therefore although all the prices here are extremely cheap, just imagine them half off! It's unbeatable.

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I hope you guys found this somewhat interesting or helpful!

What are your favourite lip products from ELF? What are your least favourite? Let me know in the comments below.

Review: Barry M Touch of Magic Lip Paint

REVIEW: Barry M Touch of Magic Lip Paint

Today I'm doing a review of this super cool deep pink stain which is £4.49 from Barry M.

Nope, it's not a green lipstick.

Unfortunately.

I'd be quite up for a green lipstick.

Ooh I think they actually do a green one in this line. Crazy.

Barry M lip paints are known for being quite drying, but this one just isn't. It's a really moisturising longwearing deep berry stain that when brushed over the lips transforms from the green as seen in the bullet.

I'm gonna show you how it works:

Moisturised lips

 Colour starts to appear as soon as it touches the lips. And it gets deeper and deeper over the duration of about two minutes.

One coat over the lips:

It gets even deeper and richer in colour.

As you can see, the appearance is extremely glossy and even has a natural finish, as the product stains the natural lips rather than coating them- meaning you won't get that annoying gross emphasis of all the cracks in your lips that makes them look really dry.

And the best thing is- it's a stain! So this colour will last you all day. I really mean that- even when you scrub with remover it just won't come off.

So I guess it really just depends if you like this colour. It might not be a stain for everyone. But I like it. And it definitely does stain the lips.

I'm not quite sure why it needs to be green in the bullet, but it's fun I guess??

So there you go!

I really want to try some more Barry M lip paints after this! They have an amazing colour selection of unique colours you don't usually see much of at the drugstore.

I want them all!

Have you tried any Barry M lip paints? Which lipsticks are your favourites? Let me know in the comments below.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipsticks

Swatches of 101, 22 and 16 

YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD a lot about these lipsticks around, so here's just another blog post about them. I got mine from Superdrug starting around two months ago; I bought one and really liked it, so I went back to buy another, before going back for the third time. And I love the three colours that I have.

These are the 'Lasting Finish by Kate' lipsticks and I have the original ones (the black bullets) in number 22 and 16, and the newer release matte finish (red tube) in number 101.

Number 101 is a muted beige-y pink colour which is slightly darker than my natural lips so it gives a more sophisticated look without being too heavy. This one is more sheer than the other two. Number 16 can be a bit too much as it's a bright coral/peach, but I really like wearing it either lightly dabbed over my natural lips or by mixing it with a plain nude such as Nostalgic by E.l.F. to create a custom light peach colour which is amazing for spring. If you like pinky-corals, then 16 really is for you. It's just perfect.

101, 22, 16

Finishing with 22: this one is my favourite. The colour is a classic red and the fact that it has blue undertones instead of orange ones helps to reduce the appearance of yellow teeth. The formula of these lipsticks is amazing, especially highlighted in this  extremely pigmented red colour. I usually find lipsticks hard to wear as I find most just look too obvious: like a thick layer of pure product across your lips, covering them up. But these seem to glide on and then sink into the lips and become part of your own skin: like real makeup should. This is especially true with the non-matte formulas which tend to look more natural.

Any other stand-outs from the collection I should try? Let me know in the comments below.