Lash Sensational, quite possibly!

Finally a drugstore mascara I actually like.. A big hello my new BFF Maybelline® New York new Lash Sensational Mascara!

 
I'm always on the look out for a new mascara, basically because I've never found 'the one' when it comes to mascara's.. Now I'm not sure if I'm committing to a life long love of this mascara but for a drugstore mascara I have been very pleasantly surprised!

I have the normal, non waterproof one, I tend to steer clear of the waterproof ones just out of my general preference.

It holds a curl really well, has a lovely black payoff even after one coat and does a pretty dang good job of staying put all day. Minimal if no flaking and my sensitive eyes and skin have put up no objections towards it.

It definitely separates my lashes and makes them look lovely and long. I also really like the applicator which is like a rubber comb, which makes application super easy and I seem to be able to keep the mascara on my eyelashes and not on my eyelids, which makes for a nice surprise!

A couple of niggles I have are when I am taking it off at night it seems to come off in chunks, but hey that's nothing really to complain about, in the grand scheme of things its pretty good at coming off without too much fuss. And after a full days wear there is a small amount of transfer from where my lash ends touch my eyelids but nothing too noticeable.

All in all a winner for me!

Finally a drugstore mascara I like and can actually use! What's your favourite mascara?  As I'm always on the lookout for 'the one'!

Matte Revolution

When Charlotte Tilbury launched her make-up line I was pretty, ok VERY, excited and went overboard and purchased lots and lots of goodies but one goodie I feel like I completely overlooked was her Matte Revolution lipsticks.

Charlotte Tilbury, Matte Revolution Lipsticks
Left- Sexy Sienna, Right- Lost Cherry

They are gorgeous.

Unlike any other matte lipstick I've tried, they don't actually feel matte when they are on the lips. They actually feel, dare I say it, moisturising.

Swatches, Left- Sexy Sienna, Right- Lost Cherry 

They wear beautifully, like an absolute dream. No dodgy ring left around the outside of your lip after you've eaten or had a drink.

They are buttery, yes seemingly a matte can be buttery, and doesn't show up any dry skin that you might have on your lips. Very forgiving.

Wearing Sexy Sienna

Whilst being long lasting they are not completely indestructible but you can easily top it up without your lips becoming thick and cakey. Don't get me wrong they are long lasting, a good few hours of gorgeous wear.

Wearing Lost Cherry

I personally don't even wear them with a lip pencil. With no bleeding out from your lip line.

I find the formula and level of matte-ness very wearable. Day or night. And of course, like everyone I, love the packaging, kind of reminds me of original gold Estee Lauder lipstick packaging, from way back. Love. And the unusual shape of the bullet, makes for easy application.

Her colour selection is pretty amazing and will definitely be adding more to my collection soon.

The Perfect Red

I have written about this brand (Melt Cosmetics) before but I thought their red lipstick deserved a post dedicated all to itself, actually all their lipsticks probably deserve their own post, but for now lets concentrate on Belladonna 2. 

The formula is perfect, as I've said before Melt Cosmetics lipsticks are indestructible, they last all day and if and when you need a little touch up, no cakeyness, no rough bobbly bits appearing when reapplying, minimal/no smudging and well lets talk about the colour..

It is to die for.

MAC Cherry on the left and Belladonna 2 on the right

It looks sooo delicious it makes me want to eat it! And for a red it is an extremely versatile colour, just change the lip liner your using and you can adapt it to be more orange or more pink if that's your thing. Dab a little on for a less full on look or mix it up with plums or pinks and create the most beautiful ombré lip ever. My go to lip liners for Belladonna 2 are MAC's Cherry or Dynamo. 

Every single time I wear it people always stop me and ask where its from, guaranteed. It is such a pretty red that looks great on everyone. These lipsticks give you the confidence to wear a bright bold lip, and its down to the lipsticks formulation.

I have every faith that it wont be smudged down my face or half rubbed off after I've eaten or had a drink because like I said Melt Cosmetics lipsticks are indestructible and amazing!


Kissy kissy- Belladonna 2 with MAC's Cherry lip liner

After I've taken it off, or should I say tried to take it off, the stain it leaves on my lips is super pretty as well, I just go with it. A little bit of Lucas' Papaw Ointment on top and off I go. I am always pleasantly surprised at the amount of compliments I get with that lip combination, even after its off. Not quite as many as the full blown red colour but who doesn't love a compliment.

I just love this brand and dare I say it, I love their trusty lipsticks even more!

Bye-Bye Dry Eyes

This stuff is amazing! I genuinely want to tell everyone about it, it's the best thing ever! What is it? I hear you ask, well, it's lubricating eye drops, that are suitable for use with all contact lenses!! Aahhh *angels sing* Honestly I love this stuff!! 

After wearing contact lenses for over a decade I know the troubles of finding eye drops suitable to use with contact lenses. You either have to chuck them out after four weeks of opening or you can buy those individual sachets, which you can never find when you need them, scratchy to use and impossible to get open. 

So you can imagine my absolute delight when I discovered HYLO-FORTE^®  (also know as HYLO^® -GEL)  This my friends, is the answer to all your dry eye nightmares!

What makes it different to all the rest? It has the super cool (patented) pump thing at the bottom, which you press and it releases the perfect amount of drop right into your eye, so no tears running down your face or that horrible anticipation, waiting for the drop to eventually reach your eyeball.

The nifty container keeps the solution completely sealed, so no bacteria can get in there, making it preservative free and suitable for all contact lenses, hurra!!! As it's normally the preservatives in eye drops that react with most contact lenses, damaging the contact lenses.

You can keep it for up to 6 months after opening after that it is recommended to be discarded.  Although it normally lasts me around 4-5 months, so perfect timing. There is said to be around 300 drops in each packet.

When I put this in my eyes, I have immediate and long lasting relief, no more burning or dryness, it is aaamaazing! You can't actually feel it go in, it doesn't sting, burn or make your eyes cloudy.  It just kind of soothes your eyes, making them all happy, I guess once again living up to its name and lubricating your eyes!

I have definitely noticed a reduction in the little red veins in my eyes, thank goodness!  And of course I also use it on my beloved puggies if their eyes are looking a little dry or if they have something in them, and it is really easy to get in their eyes with the cool pump dispenser thing it has.

Now we have established that they are amazing and if you suffer from dry eyes and wear contact lenses, you have to get this, but here is a fun fact!  The ingredient that's in it to make it all silky and delicious on your eye ball is sodium hyaluronate also referred to as hyaluronic acid and is one of the most abundant components of your skin and is proven to help reverse and counteract the signs of aging caused by UVB. Ooo interesting.

If you look closely you'll find this ingredient in a lot of the expensive eye and face creams. So after using it in my eyes during the day, at night I pop a bit around my eyes, in-between my eyebrows and round my mouth, basically where I can see those lovely fine lines starting to appear. Funny thing is it actually feels lovely on my face as well!! Multi tasking product or what! 

Now it is expensive for an eye drop, around $32 (NZD) or £15 (GBP) but oh so worth it! I just get it from my local pharmacy and I have never regretted any money I've spent on this and you never know you might have even found yourself a less expensive anti-wrinkle cream! Bonus!! 

My Loyal Friend

When I was first introduced to Aveeno Active Naturals, by my Mum, oh at least 6 years ago if not more, I totally pooh-hoo'ed it. The packaging isn't pretty, it's got oatmeal in it, has no smell and was just kind of boring. Why would I get this when I could get soo many other prettier smelling/packaged moisturisers?

Well to answer the question of my vain self all those years ago, you'll get it and use it for years because it is simply AMAZING!  Time and time again, I've tried a different moisturisers, something else that has been advertised that will be amazing, smell better or that will promise me and my skin the best 'moisturisation' of it's life and I always feel slightly cheated.

So recently I have vowed to stay loyal to my dear friend Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion that has always been there to keep my skin moisturised, loving it, treating it kindly and actually doing what is says with the whole 'moisturises for 24 hours' spiel.

My super sensitive skin always feels softer, definitely smoother and genuinely more moisturised, it doesn't sit on top my skin, it sinks in and my skin kind of just drinks it up. Best thing ever in a  moisturiser! 

Ben attacking the sponge!

And more recently I've purchased it's friend Aveeno Daily Moisturising Body Wash and I'm in love with that as well!  It actually feels like it moisturises my skin in the shower, which is weird but extremely handy as when I'm in a rush and don't have time to moisturise my whole body, I at least feel that it's had something on it to keep it happy in the meantime. 

I just love the Aveeno products and I am embarrassed at my younger self for dismissing them in the first instance, but thanks Mum for the persistence and introduction, my skin and I still absolutely love it! 


Zeus and Ben discussing who is going to get the sponge!

How I curl my lashes

 

Now when people talk about what one make-up/beauty item they'd take with them if they were stranded on a Desert Island, I think mine would be, dare I say it, eyelash curlers..?  I could make mascara from squid ink or charcoal and coconut oil.. you know as you do...

But the point that I'm trying to get across here, is that they are that vital to my make-up routine and I kind of take them for granted. 

Curling my lashes every day is a must, as mine are so straight they actually have the tendency to hang down below my eyes (imagine an elephants eye lashes) and curling them instantly opens my eyes and makes my lashes look longer as more of them can be seen in contrast against my eyelid. 

My current eyelash curlers are by Shu Uemura. I've had them for well over 2 years and their still going strong. They fit my eye socket perfectly which is very important as you do not want to nip and damage any skin on your eyelid, cos that's just darn right painful and unnecessary.

They also don't damage my lashes by cutting them whilst curling and they manage to feather the lashes beautifully. 

How I curl 'em

The way I curl my lashes is to start by taking the lash curler as close to the eye lid (lash root) as possible and curling for around 10 seconds.

The pressure applied to the curler should be quite firm but not painful. 

Then I release and take the eyelash curlers a couple of millimetres out from where we just curled and curl again, for maybe 5-7 seconds and then I take the eyelash curlers out and curl again for 3-5 seconds and then, keep going until your a couple of millimetres from the end of your lashes, decreasing the amount of time you hold for by how far to the end of your lashes you are.  I do not curl the very tip of my lashes, you want to leave them nice and straight.

Sometimes I repeat the whole process if they don't look quite curly enough, as I said mine are pretty darn straight, and stubborn. Then I run my finger over the lashes to separate any that have become entwined whilst curling.

 

By curling them this way you get a lovely bow like curl to your eyelashes instead of a 90° angle, which I think looks unnatural and is impossible for me to get my mascara on without smudging it all over my eyelid, which in general seems to be a task for me. 

Wilber and I love our eyelash curlers!

If you have naturally curly eyelashes (slightly envious) there is no need for you to curl your lashes (think this goes without staying) but if you do have straight lashes, like myself, I would seriously think about investing in an eyelash curler.

It makes a massive improvement to my overall make-up look and I definitely notice the difference, even if I go one day without curling them!

To the beach!

 

These Charlotte Tilbury Beach Sticks have really surprised me. I have had them for around 7 months and thinking about it, I realise they have become a staple in my make-up bag.

I must admit I was a little miffed about the size of them when I first opening them. Although, after having used them for so long and being nowhere near finishing them, I see my first negative impression may have been too critical.

To be honest they are the perfect size for applying to your face and chucking in your make-up bag.

The price point for these guys is $45 (USD) each or you can purchase two for $85 (USD).  Pretty pricey but in-line with her other blushes.

I have really enjoyed using them, they are so quick and easy to chuck on and gives you a lovely healthy glow! Just like you have been at one of the fabulous beaches in which each stick is named after.

Ibiza on the left and Es Vedra on the right.

They don't go patching on me and they definitely do not sit in my pores. They just glide onto the skin and give a lovely dewy finish.

They just give life back to your face.

During the summer my body gets quite tanned and sometimes my face is left slightly behind with wearing hats and a super high SPF. But this definitely gives me a beautiful sun kissed glow, joining my head back with my body! 

They generally last all day, I say generally because I definitely put them through their pace as I find myself wearing them either, whilst exercising, walking the dogs, at the beach or just generally every day life which has recently been during the summer, and it's been a hot and sticky one.

Actually they last pretty darn well with everything I put them through!

I use Ibiza as a bronzer, which has a beautiful gold sparkle through it, that isn't that noticeable when it's blended in and Es Vedra I use it as a blush, a little goes a long way with this one on my skin tone and I just love its coral red colour, definitely makes me look alive and less monotone.

I don't normally use them on my lips but sometimes I pop a little bit of Lucas' Papaw Ointment over top of Es Vedra but I just generally don't like the feeling of it on my lips alone, I find it quite chalky, but that's just me.


I just blend it in with my fingers and it's as easy as that!

Puggie Wilber and I showing off my blended Beach Sticks.

All I have on my face is Nars radiant creamy concealer, T-zone set with powder and my beach sticks in Ibiza and Es Vedra.  Mascara, eyebrows, lip gloss and done!

It's one of those products that I didn't think I would love as much as I do but I keep going back to them, as they always give me a fool proof healthy look.

Definitely my go to products when I just want to get out the door! 

Hip Hip Hooray

I know whilst I was in the midst of my teenage years, if anyone had mentioned oil and skincare to me in the same sentence, I would've ran a mile in the opposite direction. So what's changed? 

Everyone seems to be jumping on the oil bandwagon these days, when it feels like not so long ago we were trying to strip our skin of all the oil it had. Well this is seemingly where we've (I've) been going wrong. By stripping the skin of its oils, it is then is forced to produce more and that's where we begin our horrid, oil/stripping/more oil being produced cycle..

Recently I have been trying out Trilogy's Certified Organic Rosehip Oil, it started off as more of an experiment but over four weeks in, I am still using it and what's more I'm liking the results. 

Just a little FYI, I have an oily T-Zone and prone to adult acne around my jaw line and I have been using a couple of drops of the oil nearly every night. 

In the first few days of using it my spots went kind of crazy but in a good way, they all came to the surface and then cleared up quite quickly and my skin has been quite good since. 

The main overall benefits I am seeing are the scabs where old spots used to be are healing up much more quickly than before, they just flake (eww) off instead of being scabby for weeks, making my foundation application much easier and old acne scars are fading much quicker as well.

My skin has been slightly less oily and with my fine lines, I don't really see any difference but I think that would probably take more than 4 weeks to see any positive effects, well they haven't gotten any worse, that's positive I guess!  

A couple of drops of Rosehip Oil

Immediately after Rosehip oil has been rubbed into the skin, no icky oily residue.

It's not greasy in any way and is quickly absorbed into the skin.  I've actually been putting it on my décolleté and loving the youthful glow it gives! It's also handy for my cuticles and dry knuckles. 

If your dubious about trying an oil because you have oily skin, don't be, go for it. But I would definitely recommend a plant based oil, they have smaller molecules, which means it is absorbed into the skin faster than minerals oils. Mineral oils also have a nasty habit of sitting on top of the skin creating a barrier and clogging pores, eh. no. thank. you! Little random fact.. mineral oil is also referred to as liquid paraffin and is derived from crude oil (like where petrol comes from) don't think I'd like to put that on my face. 

Rosehip, Jojoba and Hazelnut oils are a few good ones to look out for. Rosehip for more mature skin with fine lines, Jojoba and Hazelnut more for oily young skin.

My skin feels much healthier and happier since I've been using this. I will definitely be continuing to use this little fella and keeping an eye out for more positive results, especially with those fine lines and possibly testing out Jojoba and Hazelnut as well! 

Bedroom black

Over the past year I have been steadily growing my collection of Charlotte Tilbury goodies and one of those goodies, as you've probably already guessed, was her Rock'n'Kohl Iconic Liquid Eye Pencil in Bedroom Black.

When trying it out for the first time I was actually quite shocked by how good it was, now my expectations were pretty high as her other items have been sooo good but this did not disappoint.  It just glides on the eyes like well a lipstick or liquid (guess the clue is in the name) it just seems to melt into your skin at the point of contact, which means no tugging on the delicate eyelid area.  But at the same point it doesn't transfer, you have a small amount of time to play with the product, blend it out or create a lovely smokey eye but then once it sets that's it.  Perfect!

I also like using this product to tight line my upper eyelid and to use in-between the lashes as it is so soft and creamy.  It has also been a dream to use on my waterline as well, as I normally avoid wearing eyeliners in my waterline due to the fact that my eyes are super sensitive and they are very prone to becoming red, super quickly, if you get those rogue floaty bits in your eye (you know the ones) when using eyeliners in waterline, but my eyes don't seem to react with this eyeliner and there are minimal/no floaty bits when applying this in the waterline.  Yay! 

The consistency of the product very much reminds me of a gel eyeliner but in a pencil format, which I really like.  And the colour pay off it amazing, its bedroom black alright!

It has been my go to product to create a black flick, like above.  And to create the tail of the flick I took some product from the pencil tip on an angled brush, I used a MAC 266, to get that sharp tapered end, like how you would use a gel eyeliner but I find this much easier to work with.  It doesn't transfer onto my eyelid when I open my eyes and it stays put all day long.  This little beauty certainly has been a pleasant surprise. 

 

Bioderma, how does it work?

The Back Story

I love make-up, I love everything about make-up, how it can make you feel, how it can be transforming, magical, therapeutic, expressive, an outlet and sooo much more to sooo many different people.  I just love make-up. 

The only thing I dislike about make-up, is taking it off.  I used to dread taking off my make-up, due to the fact it would hurt.  To be clear it would hurt my eyeballs, yes my actual eyeballs, as I have extremely sensitive skin and most of all eyeballs, if any make-up remover/cleansers got in them, one ouch and two I would look like I was ready for a casting of the black swan.

The Hunt

I scoured the beauty world to find something that wouldn't react with my eyes, and yet take my make-up off properly.  So in turn I tired a lot of make-up removers/cleansers.  A lot.

And I'll tell you what, eventually, with the help of the delightful thing called the internet and YouTube, I found it!!  I found the one, the one that has helped me get over my one and only dislike of make-up.  I discovered BIODERMA Crealine H2O. 

I think if memory serves me correctly I was watching one of Lisa Eldridge's YouTube video's and there is was.  I was intrigued, I trust her opinion, she knows her stuff, so what was this mystical bottle?

So I researched it, purchased it, used it and well it was.. glorious!!  It was like heaven!!  It just kind of, dissolves your make-up, even water proof mascara and best of all no pain if it gets in your eyes.

But how?

BIODERMA is a French Pharmaceutical company whom specialises in dermatology, basically they have super intelligent people working on things for the skin that actually work.  They have a range of products which I would like to try more of but first things first back to BIODERMA Crealine H2O. 

As the bottle was in French (didn't do too well at French at school) I didn't really understand what it was and how it worked, I was so very intrigued.  It was like water but got rid of waterproof mascara?

Actually even after reading the English translation I still didn't quite understand it, micellar water?  What is that?  So I have asked the help of my beloved husband whom is a Pharmacist and has a much higher grasp of Chemistry terms than myself to explain it to me in a way I would understand..  So here goes.

How it actually works? (in layman's terms)

BIODERMA Crealine H2O is basically like some of the two part oil in water make-up removers/cleansers that you shake to mix up, but with a little extra magic thrown in. The main ingredient is water, at a higher ratio than most other removers/cleansers. This is due to it being a micellar/micellaire water based cleanser.  It is also free from SLS, parabens and benzoates, which are known to cause sensitivity reactions.   Good to know. 

So what is micellar/micellaire water?  Basically the oil part is wrapped up into little spheres (a micelle) by a surfactant. The easiest way to explain a surfactant is to think of a sperm, yup just like that. So the head is attracted to water and the tail is attracted to the oil, this attraction forms tiny spheres of oil with the tails going in and the heads facing out, protecting the oil from grouping together in the water.  Just imagine a load of sperm all around the oil or an orange covered in cloves. 

Now in the case BIODERMA Crealine H2O the surfactant is such a small size that the micelles they form can't be seen by the naked eye and so it appears clear. When you put it onto a cotton pad and remove your make-up the surfactant (mixed with the water) and oil both help break down the make-up, the oil parts removing oil based (waterproof) make-up and the water part with surfactants removing the rest.  There are also a few lovely things in there that help firm and refresh your skin as well. 

Try not to think about sperm next time you are taking off your make-up and please note there is NO actual sperm in BIODERMA its just an analogy.  If you don't understand it, don't worry, just think of it as fairy dust in water. 

Why I love it?

Because it makes taking off my make-up a joy.  Just put some on to a cotton pad, put it on your eye, leave it there for a few moments and wipe away, your make-up comes off without any scrubbing, rubbing or soreness.  My eyes don't nip, no redness and what's better is my skin adores it.  I feel actually clean after using this and it feels like there is nothing on my skin, no slimy oily residue, no smell, nothing.  Must be those little micelle thingies working their magic. 


See no rubbing required!

Another major plus, you can reapply make-up straight away.  As with some make-up removers, if you try and reapply your make-up after taking it off, it will just slip right off your face but not with this bad boy it's like a completely fresh face to work with.  Yay!! 

This is by far one of best things I have ever purchased.  I just couldn't live without it.  If you are considering trying this, go for it.  It has lived up to every positive review I've read and more.  I love it!! And Beautylish has just started stocking it as well, which will hopefully make it a lot easier for everyone to get a hold of! Whoop whoop!