Review: Bourjois Elastic Mascara

I feel like when it comes to Bourjois, it's their foundations and their blushers that seem to get all the rave reviews, but when it comes to mascaras, you just don't hear their name thrown into the pot too often. Which is rather unfair, in my opinion, as Bourjois mascaras are some of the best drugstore ones I've come across and I can honestly say I've loved every single one I've tried so far.

I love the thin drop like handle on this mascara for its uniqueness, although it's not the most practical for use. In fact it feels a little bit like you're jousting with a very bristly lance. Nevertheless this is a pretty amazing mascara. It's one of those that is really "grippy", so that each and every lash gets coated evenly and adds great length to the lash (although, as usual, ignore all marketing claims of just how much longer your lashes are going to become, as it tends to be a load of rubbish). It lasts really well, too, without any flaking or smudging.

Sadly, it seems like this mascara has now been discontinued (sorry bout that....), but you can still find these on Amazon, Ebay and some discount make-up sites. Anyway, this was a bit more of an ode to Bourjois mascaras in general. I also really love their Clubbing and their 1 Second mascara if you want to give one of them a try.

Have you used any Bourjois mascaras? What did you think?

Monthly Favourites: July 2014

1) Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask

Wow, what a mouthful.... The interesting thing about this mask is that I didn't really get on with it at first. After using it for the first time I woke up the next morning with the biggest. spot. ever. The really painful kind that takes half a ton of concealer to make it look slightly less angry. I almost decided to pass up on the mask afterwards, but somehow I persevered and now I absolutely love it. I guess it's just kind of proof that it really does draw out impurities and now after using it regularly once a week it's keeping my skin clean, but still nicely moisturised. I don't want to be without it anymore!

2) Bourjois Cream Blush in 02 Healthy Glow

I already have this in another shade, but this one is a very welcome addition to my collection. It's a peachy apricot shade which might look a tad orange against my normally pale skin, but in the summer it just adds the most beautiful natural glow to tanned skin. The formula is absolutely amazing and blends out to look insanely natural and also lasts pretty much all day. All I need to do now is get my hands on the remaining two shades, as well as the two new cream bronzers!

3) The Body Shop Papaya Body Butter

There used to be a time where I wouldn't use any other lotion or butter on my body apart from various Body Shop variations. Then I got bored and it turns out I hadn't bought another one for years! What else can I say other than: It's good to have it back. I love the way the smooth, buttery texture allows it to just sink straight into my skin and leave it soft and hydrated. Not to mention the smell is amazing and lasts for ages as well. Maybe not so great if you don't want your lotions to clash with your perfume, but personally, I'm quite happy to smell of delicious papayas all day.

4) Rimmel Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector

Never in a million years did I think my favourites would ever feature a fake tan - it might be an odd thing to say as a beauty blogger, but I'm absolutely terrified of false tan! Then I got this in my Glamour Latest In Beauty box and thought that as it's a wash-off tan, I might as well give it a go. Turns out it's an absolute breeze to use, doesn't leave skin at all patchy and offers a very natural result that doesn't look orange at all. It's the perfect little pick me up on days where I want to wear skirts or shorts and my legs are just a bit too pasty. A great product for every tan-o-phobe like me out there.

Face of the Day #06

A very short time before doing this face of the day post I received a new eye shadow palette in my monthly Love Me Beauty box, so I was dying to try it out and see if it would do any better on the lid than it did in my less than impressive swatches. I think this is probably the last time I'll be using my Rimmel powder, as I've seriously hit pan on it now and I've already got a different replacement powder waiting to be used in my make-up drawer/box.

FACE/BASE

I've been using a new foundation lately, namely the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in Shade 115 Ivory and I'm not particularly sold. Even though it's the lightest shade in the line up, it's still too dark for me by about two or three tones, but hopefully now that the sun's out I'll be able to pick up a bit of a tan and it will be a better match. I've stuck to my old faithfuls when it comes to concealer, namely the Seventeen Phwoarr Paint in Fair and the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 004 Sandstorm (also a shade too dark, I've got no idea why I picked it up in the shop). The powder is literally on its last legs right now, so I'll be replacing it with a different one very, very soon. For cheeks, I dug out what used to be my favourite blusher ever, the MAC Powder Blush in Mocha. I don't think there's a skin tone in this world that wouldn't be able to pull off this soft, dusky pink shade. I've treated myself to a new Real Techniques Blush Brush and it's made application so much easier!

EYES

I've dug out my old HD Brows Palette in Foxy again to do my brows, but this time I used the ashy brown shade instead of the reddish one. You can't see it in the picture, but there's hardly any of it left in the pan, so I'll be on the lookout for a replacement shortly, as well. I needed a tried and trusted base for my eye shadows to adhere to, so out came the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, which makes literally any eye shadow stay on my lids all day long. I then got to work with my new Beauty UK Eye Shadow Palette in Earth Child, using the golden bronze colour in the top row all over the lid and blending the reddish brown to the left of it into the crease and outer corner. I used just a touch of the green in the top row along the bottom lash line and lined the water line with a Sephora Eye Pencil in Brown (which I forgot to include in the picture, whoops!) On my lashes I used just one coat of my new favourite drugstore mascara, the Bourjois 1 Seconde Volume Mascara in Black.

LIPS

For my lips I reached for another old favourite, the MAC lipstick in Please Me. I used to wear this one religiously until one day I decided that the colour and the matte finish just don't suit me at all. Lately, however, I've been enjoying using it again and for a matte formula it really doesn't feel drying at all, which I love.

Monthly Favourites: May 2014

1) Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

Wow, two months in a row my favourites include a Bourjois mascara! I've only just published a review on this one (you can find it here), but if you don't want to go through a lengthy post, then let me just tell you that this is my new favourite drugstore mascara. I think I even prefer it to my trusted Max Factor False Lash Effect! It gives defined, long, fluttery lashes that still look incredibly natural. It's not quite as good as my ultimate holy grail mascara, Benefit's "They're Real!", but at a fraction of a price, this comes a very close second.

2) Pro:Voke Twice A Week Brightening Shampoo & Intensive Treatment Conditioner

I've already featured this shampoo in my favourites once, but it was recently that I purchased the matching conditioner and both together definitely deserve another mention. I've tried a lot of purple shampoos and conditioners to keep my blonde hair from going brassy and no matter the price tag, none of them even come close to these. Not only are they powerful enough to really knock every last bit of yellow out of your hair, they also leave my hair feeling insanely soft and nourished - and they're less than a fiver each!

3) Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Paint in Rich Russet

This is a classic case of "the blogger made me buy it". After seeing so many of my favourite bloggers rave about this eye shadow and this colour in particular, I just couldn't help myself but make a sneaky purchase. While it's not the most amazing eye shadow ever, the neutral colour and its versatility are what makes this a stand-out product for me. It's so easy to blend it into a neutral daytime look or layer it up for a bronzed smokey eye, which makes it the perfect day-to-night product. The fact that it comes in a handy tube and can easily be blended with your fingers makes it perfect for on the go. The formula will also stay on my lids pretty much all day once it's dried down. It's crazy to think how far high street cream shadow formulas have come in the last few years!

4) Super Facialist by Una Brennan Brighten & Refine Facial Scrub

Now, this is a scrub for scrub lovers. When I exfoliate my face, I want to feel like I'm actually doing something and this fits the bill perfectly. The grains are tiny and spread very well, but boy are they effective! Do not use this on dry skin unless you like the feeling of sandpaper on your face. In the shower, however, used on wet skin it's the perfect once or twice weekly deep clean that my face needs.

Review: Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

This mascara has only popped up on drugstore and supermarket shelves not too long ago and already it's received rave reviews left right and centre. I've even seen it compared to my ultimate holy grail mascara, the Benefit "They're Real!". At a fraction of the price, it seemed to good an opportunity to pass up on the chance to try this possible alternative!

Just as I thought I'd seen everything when it comes to different types of mascara wands, along comes this strange contraption. It's essentially a big rubbery brush, but in addition to that there are lots of tiny little rubber balls interspersed between the bristles. I can't say I've ever had the feeling that my mascara wand is in need of lots of little rubber bubbles, but hey, don't knock it till you've tried it!

On the lashes the brush feels very grippy and does a really great job at lengthening the lashes while still giving definition and separation. You can add a few coats if it's volume you're after, as it layers very well, but I usually go for just one coat.

Top: No mascara; Bottom: Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

The finished result is a very defined and natural look, which I'm a great fan of. I can definitely see where the comparison to "They're Real!" comes from, even though I find the brush of the mascara wand to be a lot more difficult to maneouvre and as it doesn't have those little bristles at the top of the wand like Benefit's offering, it's a lot more difficult to get into the little corners.

Having said that, this is probably my favourite drugstore mascara I've ever tried and unlike the Benefit mascara, it comes in a waterproof version as well. It lasts well all day without flaking or smudging, and at £9.99 (currently on an introductory offer of £6.99) it's very purse friendly, too!

Face of the Day #05

I used to hardly ever wear lipstick, especially any loud, bright shades. They're just such high maintenance and not only do I end up with lipstick marks everywhere, the constant reapplication needed to keep bright lipstick looking good is just too much of a faff. However, my recent purchase of the bright orange L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire has changed everything (at least for now). I've never had so many compliments on my make-up as when I wear this lipstick. So I thought, sod it, if I have to deal with orange marks on my straws and more frequent trips to the bathroom to reapply, that's just a sacrifice I'm going to have to make. To balance out the bright lips I've kept it a bit more plain on the eyes with another new purchase, the much hyped up Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint in Rich Russet.

FACE/BASE

As you can see by the severely squished tube of Laura Mercier oil-free Tinted Moisturizer, there really wasn't much left when I did this look and by the time I'm typing up this post, it's sadly served its purpose and there's not another drop that I can squeeze out. For concealer I stuck with my trusted Seventeen phwoarr Paint - I don't think I'll ever buy any other concealer again (yes, that's a big, big statement right there). For cheeks I stippled on some Bourjois Cream Blush in 03 Rose Tendre - for a drugstore formula, this blush is pretty much unbeatable, even though the packaging does get a bit manky with time and almost all the writing wore off on mine already. For setting, I stuck with another old faithful, the Rimmel Stay Matte powder, dusted just along the T-Zone.

EYES

As my lips were pretty bright with this look, I kept the eye make-up a bit more simple with a slick of the Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint in Rich Russet. I just applied it straight to the lids with the wand, then waited for it to dry for a few seconds and eventually just smudged out the edges with my finger. You can use a brush for that if you want, but I find that fingers work just as well, if not better, as they don't absorb any product. While the Shadow Paint sets, I topped up my brows a little with my recent re-discovery, the Benefit Brow Zings in Medium. To top it all off, I applied one coat of the Bourjois Elastic Mascara on top and bottom lashes. I really love this mascara, but sadly it's starting to run a little low now, so it's going to be time to move on to a different one, soon.

LIPS

On to the star of the show, the L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire by Color Riche in Tangerine Sonate. The main reason I don't mind faffing about with topping up my lip colour all the time is because this gloss/balm/lipstick hybrid does it all in one go for you. One slick and you've got colour and shine right on your lips - no need for two or three different products. At the same time it somehow manages not to be sticky at all, so no awkward hair in mouth situations there.

Monthly Favourites: April 2014

1) Simple Kind To Skin+ Illuminating Radiance Cream

I've literally just published a full review on this moisturiser here, so I don't want to go into too much detail, as I'd only be repeating myself. To sum things up, this is a great moisturiser which is light but nourishing and works great under make-up for the day time. It is rather on the shimmery side, but underneath foundation it gives the skin a gorgeous bit of lift and radiance.

2) L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire by Color Riche in Tangerine Sonate

I bought this less than a week ago, so it's a bit of a bold move to put it on my list of favourites already, but this lipstick/gloss/tint/balm hybrid is simply amazing. It's got the pigmentation of a lipstick and the shine of a gloss, but it's not at all sticky or tacky and feels light like a balm on the lips. The orange shade is surprisingly flattering and I've already had a lot of compliments while wearing it. It seems like this is a cult product for a very good reason.

3) Bourjois Elastic Mascara

I didn't have very high hopes for this mascara originally and to be honest I'm not even sure why I bought it anymore - but no matter, I'm glad I did! This does everything I look for in a mascara. It separates the lashes, it lengthens and the plastic wand makes sure that even the tiny little corner lashes get a nice even coating. It's not the greatest at giving volume, but I don't really care about that. What I'm looking for are long, fluttery lashes and that's exactly what I get from this mascara. It's not quite as good as my all-time favourite "They're Real!" mascara by Benefit, but it comes pretty darn close at a fraction of the price!

4) Benefit Browzings in Medium

You can probably see in the picture above that the packaging of this brow kit is pretty battered. In fact, it's the first brow product I've ever purchased, but at the time it was just too bold for me and got relegated in favour of the Suqqu eyebrow pencil and the HD Brows kit. I dug it out a few weeks ago just to mix things up a little and I've been really loving it again. I guess I kind of got used to filling in my brows and making them a bit bolder, so the high pigmentation is now a bonus rather than something that puts me off. The powder in this kit has slightly red undertones which I find work well in balancing out my yellow skin tone which can look a bit flat with ashy brow products.

Monthly Favourites: June 2013

Last month has been absolutely brilliant for discovering new products that I really, really like, so it was about time to whack em all into one neat little post just in time for the monthly favourites!

1) Neal & Wolf Intensive Care Treatment

For months I was absolutely obsessed with Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle and while I still think it's an absolutely amazing product, I've now found something that's just as good (or perhaps even better?) for my frazzled tresses. It leaves hair silky smooth, soft and easy to work with without making it all sticky or weighed down by heavy ingredients. What's not to love?

2) Bourjois Cream Blush in 03 Rose Tender

For years I used to avoid cream blushes, as they'd leave a shiny, slobby film on my cheeks that would slide off after about half an hour tops. Oh, how times have changed and the latest cream-to-powder formulations cannot be beaten for longevity and workability. On the high street, this new Bourjois formula is my new favourite alongside my beloved Topshop blushes. I'd say the Topshop ones are better for bright, heavily pigmented colour, while those that are after a more natural and easy-to-use colour are best off with Bourjois. You can read my full review here.

3) Models Own Nail Polish in Pink Punch

I bought this shade back in December, but now that the sun's finally out it really comes into its own. I am absolutely obsessed with neons at the moment and this colour just glows in the sun light like there's no tomorrow. It also looks brilliant against tanned skin and makes me happy every time I look at my finger tips. Lasting power is about average and depends heavily on the top coat you use with it.

4) Palmers Cocoa Butter Body Scrub

I'm not a massive fan of the Palmers Body Butter and to be completely honest I only picked up this scrub because that's the only one that wasn't sold out in my local Superdrug. And I'm completely blown away. It's like a rich body butter that dissolves into creamy, gooey deliciousness once on the skin, with loads of little scrubby particles suspended within. It smells absolutely amazing and satisfies my need for proper mechanical exfoliation all the while being soft and gentle on the skin. Cannot possibly recommend this enough.

5) Amie New Leaf Exfoliating Polish

Anyone else notice that face and body scrubs pop up quite a lot on my monthly favourites lists? Admittedly, I do love that stuff quite a lot. This one came in last month's Beautecobox and I loved it from the moment I opened the little tube. It smells like Solero ice cream and really gets my skin squeaky clean, but without causing any irritation. A perfect product for in-the-shower scrubbers who need something a little stronger that won't wash off straight away.

Bourjois Cream Blush Review - Shade 03, Rose Tender

There's been a bit of a hype around this launch, so I feel like I'm a little late with my actual review of the Bourjois Cream Blush - apologies if you're fed up of them popping up all over your dashboard, haha!

One of my very first blushes was actually from Bourjois, which at the time was a brand that was difficult to get hold of for me. Unfortunately I no longer own it and I don't even remember what happened to it in the end. Anyway, I now have a new one to play with, so I'm not too sad about it.

The packaging of these is very similar to the "little round pot" packaging that is so inherent to Bourjois as a brand. However, the cream blushes are a little wider, thinner, lighter and just overall sleeker. They also house a magnifying mirror in the lid, which is a bit small to do your make-up in, but will do the job in a pinch.
Out of the four shades that have launched I got 03, Rose Tender to review.

Bourjois Cream Blush 03 Rose Tender Swatch

Rose Tender is a dark, dusky pink shot through with little flecks of shimmer in the pan. It applies a little sheerer and therefore lighter than it looks in the packaging, though I have no doubt that you could easily build it up to its true pan colour if you ever wished to do that.
Personally, I prefer to have a lighter flush on the cheeks and that's easily done applying it just with my fingers. The pigmentation is pretty much spot on in my opinion and while it's not ultra-bright and pigmented, that means that it's much easier to apply even for someone who might be a tad heavy-handed.

The blush applies as a cream and then dries down to a powder finish, just as advertised. Thankfully, the bits of shimmer translate into a healthy, flushed glow, rather than into glitter face.
There's just one negative with this blush and that is its staying power. It lasts about 4 hours on my face and then simply melts off and as it's a cream product it's not very convenient to reapply it on the go.

Is it worth the hype then? Yeeee...almost. It ticks pretty much every box apart from longevity, which I feel could be vastly improved. At £7.99 per pot though, I feel like it's a very welcome addition to the high street cream blusher department.

Bourjois Cream Blusher Launch - Are you excited?

I have to admit it's been a while since I got excited about a new product launch, but there's a few summer collections that have got me written all over them.

One of those exciting new things is the Bourjois cream blush. Now, Bourjois blushes have been around for a while - almost 150 years actually. Yeah, 150. One-five-oh. I had to do a double take when I first saw that number. Either way, Bourjois are now bringing out four new cream blushes and I cannot wait to get my mitts on them.

They describe them as a cream-to-powder formula, which is my preferred texture when it comes to blushers and the reason why I'm loving my Topshop blushers so much. Bourjois blushes actually seem to uphold a pretty good reputation in the blogging world, so I'm quite surprised I don't own any more than I do.

The four shades available are:

01 Nude Velvet
02 Healthy Glow
03 Rose Tender
04 Sweet Cherry

I personally can't wait to get my mitts on 03 and 01!
These launch next week on May 15 in Boots, Superdrug and on Asos.com and they seem very reasonably priced at £7.99 each. If you can't wait that long, Selfridges already have them in stock now.

And if you'd like to see some sneaky preview swatches, why not check out this post on Do Not Freeze?

Will you be heading out to pick up a Bourjois cream blush?

Bourjois Bio Detox Foundation Review

I cannot say that I've always been particularly open to experiments when it comes to foundation. I found my perfect match in MAC and wouldn't buy any other brand for years due to traumatic mis-matching at other brands' counters. However, about a year or so ago, I decided it was time to branch out a little. I tried some Chanel which I've rambled on about enough already, but I'd also heard some good things about Bourjois foundations. As they're drugstore they're a lot easier on the wallet and there was nobody there to argue with me about the right shade for my skin.

I eventually went for the Bio Detox foundation - not out of choice, but because this was the only one that came in a shade light enough for my NC15 complexion.

I have to state from the very beginning, that the shade match was the only reason I bought this foundation. The fact that it is organic was a bonus, but it is not something I actively seek out when purchasing cosmetics (as opposed to when I buy food). Having said that, it is pretty impressive that such a mainstream brand has brought out a product that deserves the Ecocert badge. Ecocert carries very strict criteria and at least 95% of all ingredients must be natural or of natural origin, so you're guaranteed a fitting product if this is something that's important to you.

The product is housed inside a plastic bottle that is made to look like glass with a milky white cap. The packaging looks fairly elegant apart from the lid which is a bit flimsy and tacky looking. Nevertheless this is certainly not a product I would be too embarrassed to have on display!
It houses 30ml of product which is a very good amount - more than I was able to use, but more on that later. The foundation also comes with a pump dispenser which gets a big thumbs up from me for hygiene and also making it easy to get the right dose of product. The tip of the pump does tend to get clogged a little from time to time, but this wasn't a major issue for me, as it just needed a pump to squeeze out the blockage.

The actual foundation itself is quite a thick liquid, though it is by no means greasy. Unfortunately I found this product extremely difficult to blend. I could practically forget using any kind of brush with this foundation, as it would just leave a horrible streaky mess. It fared a little better when blended in with my hands, but still took a lot of attention. I just could not rush application or otherwise I'd be looking in the mirror at a later point only to find streaks of foundation all over my face.
Since buying this product I have found out that this problem occurs due to the fact that this foundation contains no silicone. I won't pretend that I know an awful lot about this (Lisa Eldridge made a fantastic video about organic and natural make-up in which she explains all about silicones here), but basically silicone is responsible for that lovely smooth feel that makes some foundations just glide over your skin.
Here are some swatches to show you just how difficult it is to blend:

Bourjois Bio Detox straight out of the pump

Blended out a little

Blended out more....

Blended out "fully" though you can still see some lines

Due to this problem I had to be extremely careful, as improper blending would only highlight pores, dry patches or expression lines.

Now, I don't really want to give this product a bad review because of this. After all it prides itself on the fact that it contains mainly natural ingredients, so this is the result you're going to get (and I'm sure you could do a lot worse!). It's a bit like ordering a vegetarian meal at a restaurant and then sending it back because it doesn't contain any meat.

However, I would like to note that this also impaired the product's longevity. After about six months it became so thick that I struggled to get it out of the tube, by which point I knew it was gone off and had to chuck it in the bin, despite the fact that there was still a healthy amount of foundation left in the packaging.

Finally, I would recommend this foundation only to those who are serious about their natural beauty and skincare products. If you're a fan of melt-on make-up like I am and just want to try out something different, then by all means do, but chances are you're not going to get on with this. But if you are one of the former, then this will be great as it's so easily accessible and the price is very reasonable as well.

This is available for £10.99 at drugstores, supermarkets and some pharmacies.

Have you tried any natural/organic foundations? What are your experiences?

Favourite products in 2011

I've never done a favourites post before, but seeing as the year is nearing its end I thought I may as well do a round up of products I've either discovered or carried on loving this whole year. Rather than a regular post with lots of pictures I've made a video about this.
It's only my second ever Youtube video and there are still a lot of things that annoy me about it, but hopefully I'll learn and they'll keep getting better. In the meantime, enjoy and let me know about any thoughts or questions on any of the products mentioned: