Review: Max Factor Smoky Eye Effect Eyeshadow

Since starting work I'm all for anything that can be put on quickly (I love sleep) so picked up this little stick to try and make that process easier.

You get a nice bronze shade as well as a light shimmery shade.

Together they create a really nice look that's simple and easy to create. Whilst it looks nice and seems like the perfect product, it creases like a mother. Even with a primer.

So if creasing doesn't occur with you, I'd definitely say go for it, but if your lids are like oils slicks like mine, I'd stay steer clear.

What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Review: Max Factor Eye Crayons

And my obsession with make-up on crayon form continues. I was walking across the Max Factor stand and these caught my eye and I just had to get them!

First up is the bronze shade. This is definitely the most wearable out of the two, and the one I wear more! 

The grey one is slightly harder to wear and creases easier. I think it definitely takes more thought to wear too.

Overall I do like these, I could live without them, but I am finding myself wearing the gold one quite alot.

Do you have these? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Review: Max Factor Wild Mega Volume Mascara

When it comes to mascara there is only one brand I go for, and that's Max Factor. So when I saw this new offering promising me voluminous lashes I picked it up. (Plus, the tube looked cool.)

When I opened it up and saw the brush I was shocked (bit over-dramatic but you get me) as it is like none I'd seen before. It's of a medium thickness, but it's the dip in the middle that was new to me. I didn't understand how that worked, but I went with it anyway.

Whilst I don't dislike this product, I definitely don't think it's the best one Max Factor have released. I wouldn't say it is that volumising, but it does lengthen my lashes. What I dislike about this is that the formula feels quite dry and goes on quite clumpy which is just a no no for me.

Overall, if you're looking for a new mascara, I definitely think Max Factor have better offerings (false lash effect and high definition.)

What do you think of this?

Laura xoxo

Throwback Thursday: Max Factor Creamy Blush in Soft Pink

I mentioned this little guy in my top cream blushers post yesterday, and it has definitely earned its place there. My aunt gave me this, as she was given it and she doesn't wear make-up. I kind of dismissed it at first, not sure why, it just didn't seem up my street. However, I was having a clear out the other month, found this, and fell in love.

The formula of these blushes are super easy to use, and have pretty good pigmentation to boot.

Whilst in the pan it looks like it could be too much, when blended onto the cheek, it gives a lovely flush without looking overdone.

What do you think of this blush? Have you tried anything from this range?

Laura xoxo

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara

From what I can gather, this is one of the blogging world's go to Mascara's. I've mentioned enough that I love my Max Factor High Definition Mascara, but curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to give this a whirl. (There was £2 off the price, who could resist?)

The brush for this mascara is very fat! It took me quite a while to get used to it, but I grasped it easily enough! The bristles are quite short, but I find that if I wiggle at the base of my lashes and bring the wand upwards it gave my lashes a full coating.

I wouldn't class this as making it look like I have a pair of falsies on, but it does coat my lashes well and gives them extra length, separates them and makes them look fuller. I was pleasantly surprised with this mascara, and I do like it. I can see why people like it so much! However, I do have quite good lashes to begin with, so I like volume and length from my mascara! 

As you can see, this mascara does just make my lashes more defined, which is nice, and I am considering getting this in brown, for 'natural' make-up days! (Oh the irony!)

Therefore I do favour my High Definition mascara, just because it gives me more volume and length, and makes my lashes look more dramatic, so I do think it wins slightly over False Lash Effect, and it is cheaper (all round win!)

So overall, I like this mascara, and would recommend it, but it's just not the best for me!

Do you like this mascara?

Laura xoxo

Face and Outfit from Saturday Night

If you read my What I Wore this Week post Sunday, you will know that on Saturday night we all ended up going out and celebrating my friends birthday, which ensued with me drinking slightly too much, feeling hungover, sorry for myself, and deciding I'm pretty much over drinking.

Also as I love seeing what other people wear I thought I'd share my outfit and my make-up.

Top: New Look

Skirt: New Look

Shoes: Barretts from Dorothy Perkins 

I borrowed this top from my friend, and I really like it, it's lovely and flowy and hides a multitude of sins (mainly, the lovely thing we call back fat!) I wear this skirt practically every time I go out, it's so versatile. This was the first time I'd worn these shoes and they were surprisingly comfy, until I accidentlly tilted to the side in the walking to the taxi and have killed my foot!

I promise my cheeks weren't actually that red and I wasn't that shiny!

On my face I decided to go for a golden smokey eye, I usually just do a brown one, but hey, you only live once! I also decided to add a flush of colour to my cheeks using MAC's Frankly Scarlett (review to come) and then a nice nude lip.I love this lipstick as it's glossy too, so I only need to take that out.

Face:

Rimmel Match Perfect Foundation

Collection 2000 Concealer

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer

Max Factor Cream Puff Powder

Eyes:

Maybelline Color Tatto in On and On Bronze

Loreal Colour Infallible Sahara Treasure

Rimmel Glam Eyes Trio - All Three Colours

Loreal Super Liner

Brown Eyeliner from Asda

Max Factor High Definition Mascara

Maybelline One by One Mascara

Sleek Brow Kit in Light

Cheeks:

Mac Frankly Scarlett

Bourjois Bronzer

No.7 Vital Brights Highlighter

Lips:

No.17 Mirror Shine in Belle

What are your must haves for a night out?

Laura xoxo

Mascaras

It appears I have acquired numerous mascaras over the last few months, so being the sharing person I am, I thought I would do a comparison post of all the mascaras I own, and my opinions of them. Now I think I've only actually bought two of these mascaras, (Max Factor and Maybelline) the others were freebies or gifts, so I don't feel too guilty for owning this many! Unlike my little lipstick addiction!

First off, my go to mascara of choice, it appears in quite a lot of my posts and it is the Max Factor High Definition Mascara:

I really love this mascara. I found it in November and have pretty much been using it daily since. It separates and lengthens my lashes and, well, gives them great definition. I'm not that fussed about Volume in my daily look, and this gives the perfect balance, creating length and just the right amount of depth, leaving me with good natural looking lashes.

Next up is Maybelline's The one:

Now this was my go to mascara before I found my Max Factor one, and I must say, I can see why I used to love it. It is a mascara that I have re-purchased a lot, however stopped using it in favour of my Max Factor one, but to be honest, I really like it again now. (At least I've helped myself, if no-one else finds this post useful.) It gives great volume and length, and I think it is the perfect mascara for nights out, when Volume is a must, for me anyway.

The next two mascaras are freebies from magazines, but need a mention anyway. Firstly I want to talk about the Clinique High Impact mascara (free in April Edition of Cosmopolitan.)

I tweeted about this mascara a while ago when I first got it and said that it may be taking the place of my Max Factor one. It really elongates my lashes and gives a gorgeous natural finish, and I love it. It is £15, whereas the Max Factor one is around the £8 and can usually be gotten in deals, so just for that fact alone I think Max Factor will win, however this is a truly great mascara.

The other freebie is one I'm sure you're all aware came in an issue of Elle, the Soap & Glory Thick and Fast Mascara. I did a mini review on this already, but thought I should pop one here too.

I find this to be an okay mascara. I wouldn't spend £10 on it, but I think it's perfectly fine for giving some definition to your lashes. I find that it doesn't really help with curling or holding the curls of my lashes, but it's not a bad mascara either!

Now these last two mascaras are both No.7, and I received both for in sets (thank you Grandma.) First up is the Lash adapt mascara in Brown/Black (all other mascaras are in black.)

I tend to use this mascara on days where I don't feel like wearing much make-up, or am wearing a very natural eye. It feels very light weight and just coats my lashes gently. I think it does adapt to my lashes, however it doesn't have as long a staying power as the others, which is fine because as I said, I wear it on my less make-up days. I do like this mascara, but probably won't be re-purchasing it, as there is more make-up I would rather like than a mascara I wear on less make-up days if that makes sense?

Finally, the other No.7 mascara I received was the Exceptional Definition.

I really like the brush with mascara, it has little bristles at the end which is really good to get the outer lashes and smaller lashes. I don't think it's the best mascara, but it's not a bad one either. I think it does give good definition and volume, but not lots of definition and lots of volume, if that makes sense?

What is your favourite mascara? Do you use any of these?

Laura xoxo

Celebrity Inspired

Continuing with my love of TV actresses, my next inspired look comes from One Tree Hills gorgeous Sophia Bush. No matter if she's in character, walking the red carpet or just out and about, she always looks stunning.

Source

In this photo, Sophia has a gorgeous smokey, with a nude lip. She has very little else except for a bit of contouring, and I think this look really suits her, and is such a lovely look.

Make-up:

Base:

Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam - Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Maybelline Lumi Touch Concealer - Under eyes

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer - Blemishes

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

Eyes:

Front Cover Baked Bronze - all over lids

MUA Shade 19 - Outer Corner and lower lash line

Rimmel Glam Eyes Trio - Brown in eyebrows and pale colour as highlight  

Max Factor High Definition Mascara

Contour:

Sleek Contour Palette - Real Techniques Contour Brush

Lips:

Rimmel Lipstick - Asia

What do you think of Sophia's look?

Laura xoxo

Celebrity Inspired

As I'm sure you are all aware, it was the Oscars last week and I was blown away by how stunning Miley Cyrus looked. I'm a big Miley fan (Hannah Montana is such a guilty pleasure) and as soon as I saw this look I knew I wanted to try to recreate it. It's slightly similar to the first celebrity post I did of Lauren Conrad, but it does have  it's differences. Hope you like it.

Source

And here is what I used:

Base:

Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam

Rimmel Blemish Stick - on Blemishes

Rimmel Match Perfection Highlighting concealer - Under eyes

All blended with the Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Eyes:

MUA eyebrow pencil

Front Cover Sunray on the lid

Golden MUA colour lightly over the top

Brown MUA colour on an angle brush to create small V in the corner of the eyes

Loreal Super Liner 

Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara as a base

Max Factor High Definition Mascara over the top

MUA White liner on lower lash line

Face:

Sleek Contour Palette

Rimmel Autumn Catwalk Blush

Lips:

Rimmel Tantrum used with a Real Techniques Detail Brush

What did you think of Miley's Oscars look?

Laura xoxo

February Favourites

Another month over, another lot of favourites to share with you all.

Real Techniques Brushes: I am so in love with these brushes. As soon as I spotted them in Boots I went ahead and picked up the Stippling Brush and the Blush Brush (pink handles.) One cost £9.99 and the other £10.99 (I can't remember which, I think the stippling was the more expensive.) I love how these apply my make-up, they are so soft and I couldn't imagine not using them now. I then went back and picked up the Core Collection for £21.99, pretty steep, but for the number of brushes worth it. I got this pack mainly for the Buffing brush because as much as I love the Stippling, it has to be cleaned properly after every use, and at uni I don't have the ability to do that, whereas the Buffing brush is much better at going a couple of days without needing to be washed. I know a lot of people don't really comment on the other brushes in that set, however I've only had them a couple of days and used all four. The contour brush is extremely good and I used the little one for applying lipstick and the foundation brush to blend in concealer.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti Chip Top Coat: This little beauty appears in all of my NOTD's and I thought it deserved a place in my favourites. I don't know how I coped without it. For an avid nail painter this cuts drying time down ridiculously, I know longer have to wait, hands out like an idiot, waiting for it to dry. I have managed to convert some of my friends to it. I recommend it to anyone who paints their nails regularly or who doesn't have much time.

Max Factor High Definition Mascara: I know a lot of people rave about the Max Factor False Lash Effect, however I am obsessed with this one. I found it in November and have used it pretty much everyday since. It really elongates and seperates my lashes and gives such a natural, but better finish to my lashes. Couldn't recommend it enough.

Garnier Youthful Radiance Night Moisturiser: I am loving using this so much at the moment. It feels clean and fresh and really moisturises my skin over night. I did a post about this yesterday, here, if you want more details.

Clean and Clear Morning Burst: I'm loving using this in the morning. It smells gorgeous and leaves your skin looking fresh, bright and awake after a good nights sleep. It's a really nice way to start my day.

I also want to share with you my five favourite Blog's I've been reading this month:

http://www.ducklingtoswan.com/
http://www.blushworks.com/
http://www.icovetthee.com/
http://jemimaandted.blogspot.com/
http://www.thesundaygirl.com/

Hope you've all had a great month.

Laura xoxo

Celebrity Inspired

When I was younger I had such a fascination with the Olsen twins. I really wanted to be the third Olsen twin. I watched all their TV shows, their films and bought their clothes. If Mary-Kate and Ashley had their name on something, I would get it. You get the picture, and now their younger sister has appeared with a big bang and is pretty much everywhere we look now; therefore today's Celebrity Inspired look is the lovely Elizabeth Olsen.

Face:

Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam in Cameo

Rimmel Blemish Stick in Sand on blemishes

Maybelline Lumi Touch Highlighting concealer for eyes and any other place that need concealing

Loreal Perfect Match Powder in Vannilla

Eyes:

The Neutral Palette from MUA (colour shown by brushes)

MUA shade 19 eyeshadow

MUA eyebrow pencil - on eyebrows and as eyeliner on lower waterline

Max Factor High Definition Mascara

Cheeks:

Sleek Contour Palette in Light - Bronze used only

Highlighter from MeMeMe in Moonbeam

Lips:

Ted Baker lipgloss

I really like Elizabeth's natural look, she always looks so fresh faced and young. I think she will definitely be one to watch.

What do you think about the Olsens ? Do you like her look?

Laura xoxo

FOTD

I used my Real Techniques brushes today and thought I'd do a quick Face of the Day along with a mini review.

These brushes are amazing. I used my Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation (although I'm not a massive fan, I don't want to let it go to waste,) along with the Stippling Brush and it blended in so lovely and made it look so smooth. I really like using this brush and can really see why so many people really rave about it.

I also used the Blush Brush to apply my bronzer today and this brush is so so so soft and fluffy and contoured my face so well. I have fallen even more in love with these brushes after using them today. Worth every single penny. There was no fall out and the my make-up applied so well.

Make-up Used:
Murad Primer in Dewy (from January GlossyBox)
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
Maybelline Lumi Touch concealer
Rimmel Blemish Stick
Max Factor Cream Puff Powder
Front Cover Frosted Almond all over eye
Front Cover Baked Bronze in crease
Loreal Eyeliner for Hazel Eyes
Max Factor High Definition Mascara
Bourjois Bronzer
Rimmel Winter Glow Blusher
MeMeMe Highlighter in Moon Beam
Rimmel Pink Excess Lipstick

What are your favourite everyday make-up items?

Laura xoxo

Celebrity Inspired

I don't know about you, but I am obsessed with the TV show Pretty Little Liars. I've read the books and wait excitedly for every new episode. One of my favourite characters in the show is Aria, played by the gorgeous Lucy Hale, so that is how we have today's Celebrity Inspired look.

Source

And here is what I looked like:

Here is what I used:

Face:

Maybelline Dream Air Foam in Cameo

Rimmel Blemish stick in Sand on my blemishes

Maybelline Lumi Touch concelear around the eye area

Loreal Perfect Match powder in Vanilla Rose

Eyes:

I used my MUA neutral pallette, the colours used are shown by the brushes

MUA eyebrow pencil on my brows

MUA white eye liner on my lash line

Loreal Precsion Liner on my upper lash line

Max Factor High Definition on the Lashes.

Cheeks:

Collection 2000 Mosiac Bronzer to define my cheekbones and jaw bone

Rimmel Winter Glow blush duo on my cheeks

Sleek Pallete highlighter on my cheek bones

Lips:

Rimmel's Sugar Plum

Here is a close up of my eyes (excuse the bluriness)

And that is the completed look. I hope you like it.
Do you watch Pretty Little Liars? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Diclaimer: This is an inspired look. I am not claiming for it to look exactly the same.

Liquid Eyeliner

I am such a liquid eyeliner convert. I feel bare if I don't have some form on in my everyday make up, so I thought I'd do a post about the liquid eyeliners I've tried and what I like the most.

The three liners I've been using are Rimmel's Flash eyeliner, Loreal Super Liner and Max Factor Masterpiece glide and define.

This is the first pen liquid eyeliner I used and it worked really well.  It was really simple to use and felt like it glided on easily. The packaging is simple and effective and the soft tip helps you with a variation of line lengths on your eye. The only downside of this eyeliner is I found it didn't have much staying power. Overall I would give it an 8/10.

After a while I really wanted to try this eye liner by Max Factor as I am a big fan of their products. This eyeliner is small and compact which is good as it saves space in your make up bag, but also makes it difficult to find in a hurry. I found this eye liner had a very good staying power, and the size was really useful when winging the eye liner out, but I found the application quite difficult and you had to shake it quite often to get the liquid to surface. Overall I would give it a 7/10.

My latest and favourite eyeliner is this one by Loreal. I love this eye liner. The long handle makes it simple and easy to use, the nib is soft and gentle and by using different pressure allows you to be in control of the width of the line. It has good staying power whilst on and comes out fully coated in liquid. You can get really close to your lash line which I like as I'm not a fan off thick liner in the day time, and I just generally can not fault this product. I really want to get it in the range for Hazel eyes, and keep this black for the night time. Overall I would give it a 10/10.

Here are some swatches:

Rimmel, Max Factor and Loreal.

As you can see the Loreal is much more pigmented than the other two.

What is your favourite liquid liner? I'm always happy to try new things.

Laura xoxo