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?

Review: Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara

Even though I don't usually get on with Maybelline mascaras, it was the blogger hype surrounding this one that made me reconsider and give it a go. I mean seriously, this must have been on pretty much every single blogger's favourites list at some point in time. It's got to be amazing, right? Well, no. Turns out I should have followed my gut instinct.

It's probably due to the fact that I'm looking for something completely different in my mascara than most people do. My lashes are naturally quite curly, so I'm not looking for a mascara that's great at holding a curl, as most days I don't even bother using lash curlers at all! They're also quite long, but with very light tips, so I need my mascara to really define those tips rather than give me lots of bulk at the root.... which is pretty much the exact opposite to what this mascara does.

The stubby plastic bristles are great at giving volume, but are just too short to grip the ends of my lashes, so it would take me ages to bring some decent definition to the ends of my lashes and I just don't need that level of faffing about early in the morning when I just want to get out of the house already!
On the plus side, it lasts really well and I can't say I've experienced any smudging or flaking even towards the end of the day with this mascara. Bonus!

Usually I end up discovering products that I really really love when I give in to bloggers' hype, but this is one I'll be giving a miss and won't be repurchasing. Have you tried this mascara? What did you think?

Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express mascara retails at £7.99 each.

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!

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.

Review: Benefit They're Real! Mascara

As much as I love trying out new and lesser-known brands and products, sometimes you've just got to give in to hype. And there are few products that have been more hyped up than the infamous They're Real! mascara. It seems that the whole beauty community seemed to be divided into those who love it and those who hate it. I actually thought about purchasing it for a while, but couldn't shake this feeling of unease in investing almost £20 into a product that I'm only going to have to replace and/or throw away in 3 months' time. But eventually I just couldn't resist and had to splurge a little bit.

At the time Boots were doing a deal where you could boxes of two They're Real! mascaras (one full size, one sample size) for the price of one, so instantly the money spent seemed a lot more justifiable. At least if I loved it, I'd still have a little mini tube to keep me going for a bit after the big mascara had run out. It was also great for travelling, where every last bit of space saving is very much appreciated.

I'll come straight out with the fact that I absolutely, truly adore this mascara. In a way I was hoping that I wouldn't, as it's quite pricey, especially seeing as I chuck my mascaras after 3 months' time. And sadly, no other mascara I've tried since has compared to the beauty of this one.

I think that the thing to bear in mind with this one is that if you like really fat, voluminous lashes, it won't be for you. It does layer really well, but you'd have to apply several coats to get the same effect you get from some other ones. For me, that's not an issue. I don't like plumping mascaras anyway, as they tend to just make my lashes clumpy and I much prefer length and separation in a mascara. I also can't really comment on how it holds a curl, as my lashes are naturally rather curly, so a mascara doesn't really make much of a difference either way.

The brush of the mascara is made of synthetic, rubber bristles that are almost comb-like and a little spiky bit at the tip of the wand. The short spikes are really great at gripping the lashes and the spiky tip allows you to really get into the corner of the eye and also grab bottom lashes to make sure that each and every lash is generously coated. The result is a wide awake look with what seems like a gazillion of fluttery lashes.

Top: No mascara / Bottom: 1 coat of Benefit They're Real! mascara

What I do need to mention is that the full sized mascara is far superior to the small travel sized version. As the brush on the mini mascara sits so close to the lid it becomes very difficult to control and achieve precise results. I used the mini version in the swatch picture above and you can see quite a few smudge marks both at the top and the bottom lashes. I did not get theses with the big one, so if you've tried the sample size and not got on with it, the full size might still work for you.

Benefit They're Real! mascara retails at £19.50 per tube.

L'Oréal False Lash Telescopic Mascara Review

One of the beautiful things about being a beauty blogger is that I hear people raving about certain products I never would have glanced at, which results in me buying them and sometimes completely falling in love with them. L'Oréal's Telescopic mascara is one of those things that has received many rave reviews in the beauty community, but if it wasn't for that I would have walked straight past it. Unfortunately L'Oréal doesn't really speak to me as a brand. I often find their products very old-fashioned and outdated, so I was excited to see if this mascara would live up to the hype it's created.

Eins der großen Vorteile des Beauty-Bloggens ist, dass ich oft von Produkten höre, die ich so nie probiert hätte und mich dann nach dem Einkauf oft vollkommen in sie verliebe. L'Oréal Telescopic Mascara ist eins von den Dingen, von denen überall nur geschwärmt wurde, doch ich wäre normalerweise direkt daran vorbeigelaufen. Leider spricht mich L'Oréal als Marke überhaupt nicht an. Ich finde die Produkte oft sehr altbacken und überholt, also war ich aufgeregt, herauszufinden, ob der Hype um diese Wimperntusche berechtigt ist.

I picked up the "Clean Definition" one, as that's what I usually go for in a mascara. (There seem to be some naming issues which you can read about right at the end of this post.) I want my lashes to be long and separated and I'm not overly bothered about volume and curl.
The packaging is actually quite interesting, as the tube is shaped like a telescope, relating to the mascara's name. This variety has a silver chrome-like exterior which attracts dirt and finger prints like nothing else, so please excuse the extremely grubby pictures (I was also in a huge rush when I took them).

Ich habe mir die "Clean Definition"-Version geholt, da ich so etwas normalerweise von einer Mascara verlange. (Die Namensgebung ist hier etwas eigenartig; ich erzähle mehr dazu ganz am Ende.) Ich möchte, dass meine Wimpern lang und gut getrennt sind, während mir Volumen und Schwung relativ egal sind.
Die Verpackung ist eigentlich ganz interessant, da die Tube wie ein Teleskop geformt ist, in Anspielung auf den Namen. Diese Gattung hat ein silbernes, chromähnliches Äußeres, das Schmutz und Fingerabdrücke wie ein Magnet anzieht, also entschuldigt bitte die verdreckten Fotos (Ich hatte es auch furchtbar eilig, als ich sie geschossen habe).

As you'd expect from a lengthening and "clean definition" mascara, it has a rubber type wand with fairly short plastic bristles, though not as short as, say MaxFactor False Lash or Covergirl Lashblast. Oddly enough, the wand also bends if you press down on it, which seems a weird gimmick to add to be honest. I have no intention of ramming it into my eye hard enough to make it bend, so I don't know where the added flexibility would add anything.

Wie man von einer verlängernden und "Clean Definition" Mascara erwarten würde, hat sie ein Gummibürstchen mit recht kurzen Plastikborsten, die jedoch nicht ganz so kurz sind, wie beispielsweise MaxFactor False Lash oder Covergirl Lashblast. Merkwürdigerweise lässt sich das Bürstchen auch biegen, wenn man draufdrückt, was ich etwas eigenartig finde. Ich habe nicht vor, es so stark in mein Auge zu rammen, dass es sich verbiegen könnte, also weiß ich nicht so recht, wobei diese extra-Flexibilität eigentlich helfen soll.

The formula is on the drier side, though I have experienced absolutely no flaking from it throughout the day. Unless I manage to smear some on my eyelid upon application (which happens often enough, but that's not L'Oréal's fault) it will stay put without running or smudging. Nevertheless it's easy enough to remove at the end of the day, so a definite thumbs up from me for that!

Die Konsistenz liegt auf der trockenen Seite, doch sie hat beim Tragen noch nie gekrümelt. Es gibt den ganzen Tag lang kein Verschmieren oder Verlaufen, außer wenn ich beim Auftragen mein Lid erwische (und das passiert leider etwas zu oft, aber daran sind L'Oréal nicht schuld). Trotzdem ist es sehr leicht, die Tusche abends zu entfernen, also gibt es in dieser Hinsicht ein definitives Daumen hoch!

No mascara (and squinty eyes)

With L'Oréal False Lash Telescopic on top and bottom lashes

The effect it gives is quite nice - very natural, lengthened lashes that are perfect for day time. There's absolutely no clumping and the clean definition that it promises is definitely there. Believe it or not, the picture above actually shows several layers of mascara (three or four, I'm not so sure anymore) and that's the only bad thing I have to say about this product, really: It's just really hard work. The wand doesn't grab onto lashes very well and coupled with the dry formula it means you're stood there applying for a good five minutes before there is any noticeable difference on the lashes.

Der Effekt ist ganz nett - sehr natürliche, verlängerte Wimpern, also ideal für tagsüber. Es gibt keinerlei Klümpchen und die "Clean Definition", die sie verspricht, ist auf jeden Fall erkennbar. Kaum zu glauben, aber das Bild weiter oben zeigt mehrere Schichten Mascara (drei oder vier, ich bin mir nicht mehr sicher) und das ist das einzige, was ich an diesem Produkt auszusetzen habe: es macht viel Arbeit. Das Bürstchen greift sich die Wimpern nicht so gut und zusammen mit der trockenen Konsistenz heißt das, dass man gute fünf Minuten da steht und Mascara aufträgt, ehe auf den Wimpern irgendein Unterschied erkennbar ist. 

Now, the naming completely confuses me. I bought this one in Germany and it says "Telescopic Clean Definition", yet when I look it up online it now seems to be called "False Lash Extensions". In the UK it's called "False Lash Telescopic" and all three seem to be one and the same product. Anyone got any light to shed on this?
The mascara (whatever it may be called) will set you back £10.99

Der Name verwirrt mich sehr. Ich habe meine Tube in Deutschland gekauft und drauf steht "Telescopic Clean Definition", doch online heißt sie jetzt auf einmal "False Lash Extensions". In der UK heißt sie "False Lash Telescopic" und alle drei scheinen ein und dasselbe Produkt zu sein. Hat irgendjemand eine Idee, was hier vor sich geht?
Die Mascara (wie auch immer sie heißen mag) kostet €13,95. 

Barry M Glitter Liquid Eyeliner Review

I recently picked up three Barry M Glitter eyeliners on a trip to Boots which I also featured in a haul post here. These usually retail at £4.99 each but were on a 3 for £10 offer and I also got a free silver glitter polish for free, so it was hard to resist. I really wanted a golden one, but they were sold out apart from one dried out tube, so I chose black, blue and lavender instead.
They were a bit of a fun impulse buy for the festive season, but from what I've seen on the spring/summer catwalks a pop of colour on the eyes is going to be a big trend this year. (Okay, I had no idea about this at first, I admit I got lucky)

L-R: Blue, Lavender, Black

The brush on this product is great: thin, stiff enough not to spread product out everywhere and the perfect length for easy application in one swoop. The colours are lusciously bright, but one major flaw in this product is that it has a clear base. This means it's practically impossible to spread the glitter out evenly and get a clean line on your eye. In order to remedy this I used different products as a base and then applied the liners on top.

On the top picture I used a black kohl before applying glitter eyeliner, on the middle picture I used a blue gel liner as a base and for the bottom picture I applied purple eye shadow with a thin wet brush. I found that using eye shadow as a base did the best job at prolonging the liner's longevity, followed by kohl, whereas gel liner made it smudge very quickly.
You can see on some of the pictures that bits of the glitter have transferred onto my eyelids and this is the main problem with these liners - they have a very, very long drying time and you need to keep your eyes closed for a good two minutes before it's safe to blink without getting glitter everywhere. Not a great product if you're in a rush!
Nevertheless I thought they were great for adding a pop of colour onto the face as apart from the fact you need a base they are extremely easy to use once you've got the hang of using liquid liner.

However, I've also discovered an alternative use for these which offers a more subtle hint of colour if you don't want to go all out with a glitter line. Applied on the tips of eye lashes they give a great sparkle to the eyes but are much less in-your-face. It's also a lot easier using one of these liners than to fiddle around with loose glitter and the drying time is no longer a problem unless you have ridiculously long and curly lashes!

Make sure you apply the liner from both sides (inside and outside) for a hint of shimmer every time you blink.

You can buy these for £4.99 from the Barry M website, but to be honest I wouldn't pay full price for them as I don't feel they perform well enough for that. Barry M often run offers such as 3 for 2 in Superdrug or Boots, so if you're after one of these I'd thoroughly recommend waiting till one of those deals is on again.

Maybelline Volum' Express Cat Eyes Mascara Review

I haven't posted in what seems like ages, as I've had quite a lot going on with work and visits to the doctor and then I went to London for a couple of days. My boyfriend had to go to an exhibition for work and asked if I wanted to come along and when I found out that he was staying on top of the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford I had no choice but to go. I might make a haul post of what I bought when I was there, as there's quite a bit - I had to entertain myself somehow!

But back to the topic on hand. I bought this mascara a while ago, but thought I'd give it a good go before I start posting reviews about it.

This costs £7.99 and you can get it pretty much anywhere... Boots, Superdrug, supermarkets...
I have never actually tried a Maybelline mascara before, so I thought I'd give this one a go, seeing as I liked the leopard print packaging as well.

As you can see the wand is curved which is supposed to give extra volume and curve lashes. I found it extremely flimsy and always worry that it will snap when I put it back into the tube. However, the thin bristles do a very good job at grabbing every last one of my lashes and keeping them separated.

This is to give you an idea how it looks applied on lashes:

Before

After

The one thing I noticed straight away with this mascara is that it simply doesn't do what it advertises. This is NOT a volumising mascara. That doesn't mean it's bad. It did a really great job at lengthening and separating my lashes. For a little bit of volume you need to apply two coats, but beware that any more than that and it will clump like mad.

I'm pleased with the result, but would use this as an everyday mascara as the result is quite natural looking, especially if you only apply one coat. For that price it's a very decent product, though not for you if you're after anything more dramatic.