Benefit They’re Real Mascara| Review

 

During the Christmas sales I bought a Benefit Box that included a travel size Benefit They’re Real! Mascara. I have only recently started to use it and have only recently finished it, so it’s time for a review! Now I understand that this is the UK’s number one selling mascara and has a cult like following from beauty bloggers, so I obviously had big expectations for this little mascara.

Benefit Say;

This jet-black mascara lengthens, curls, volumises, lifts and separates lashes for a spectacular “out-to-here” look. The exclusive brush is specially designed to maximize the performance of the long-wearing, glossy formula revealing lashes you never knew you had! Staggered bristles grab close to the root, boosting length and volume beyond belief. The precision bristles on the custom-domed tip lift, define and curl even your tiniest lashes. The end result… luxurious, silky lashes that won’t smudge, clump or dry out.

I Say;

You can’t argue with what the picture shows, this mascara definitely makes your eyelashes look amazing! I have even had a few people ask me if I was wearing lash inserts when I have been wearing this mascara. The above picture was taken after curling and applying three coats of the mascara. I found that the bristles were great at separating my lashes and getting to even the tiniest eyelashes. This mascara is also long lasting; I didn’t end up with black smudges under my eyes at 3 o’ clock in the afternoon like I do with some others.

However I found that this mascara ran out quite quickly, I do wear quite a lot of mascara but this seems to run out a lot quicker than others that I have bought and it may be down to the fact that the formula is a little wet. Obviously this was just a travel size but it does put me off investing in the full size at nearly £20 if it is not going to last that long! I am impressed with the results it gives so think I am going to buy the full size tube and see how long that is going to last me.

Have you tried They’re Real Mascara before? Do you agree with the rest of the population that it’s the best mascara on the market? Which others would you recommend for me to try next?

Love the lashes| False Eyelash Review

After reading a few blog posts by other lovely ladies I decided to give DIY lash inserts a try. I have wanted to have professional ones for a long time, but I cannot justify the expense, not so much the initial expense, but having to pay at least £20 every two to three weeks, to have them touched up; after a few months that’s going to take a big dip out of my income. I have also been weary as I am a chronic eye rubber! I’m really bad, especially when I’m tired, I shouldn’t do it anyways as I wear contacts, but it’s habit I haven’t yet managed to kick… hello prematurely wrinkly eyes!

However given that these eyelashes cost me only £4.99 from Amazon, and the glue was only a couple of pounds I thought, for £7, why not! Now I am an expert applying false eyelashes for nights out, I would never go out without them. However these individual lashes were a different story, mainly because you apply them to your lashes not the skin above them, so fiddling around with my tweezers, getting the right amount of glue, and lining them up, proved at first to be difficult. The biggest difficulty was applying them in a line close enough to each other, so there wasn’t any obvious gaps. After doing one eye, the second was a lot easier, so its clear that practice make perfect, but it took me a good half an hour to get them right.

The second, third and fourth pictures show the lashes with no added mascara. I would be happy to leave the house with them just like this if I was off to university or work, as the look long, lush and natural. The only downside is that I had applied too much glue which resulted in residue that dried in white lumps on my lashes, so when closing my eyes this was evidential, as seen in the pictures The last two pictures are with two layers of mascara over the top of them, which is how I wore them for my birthday meal.

The main draw for lash inserts for myself was the time saved applying mascara. If I had inserts I wouldn’t have to put layers of mascara on in the morning, so the big test for me was whether they would last the night!

When taking the mascara off, I used a Simple Gentle Eye-Makeup Remover, resulting in only two inserts coming loose. However after switching off my bedroom light and getting a good eight hours sleep, the morning was a different story. I awoke to what looked like a few dead spiders on my pillow, and the rest of the inserts were crooked and loose. Over the night the inserts nearer the outer corners of my eyes came loose and fell out onto my pillow, and I would say about 60% of the rest become crooked or loose. I was highly disappointed as I ended up taking the rest off as they were irreparable.

I can’t decide whether the lack of staying power over night was a result to my eye rubbing, which I never did consciously, maybe in my sleep… but I would never know, or the cheap glue. So, I am going to try again! If anyone can recommend an excellent glue with great staying power let me know, as I want lash inserts that stay the night, not wither on my pillow in the morning! So keep your eyes peeled for attempt number two, as I am determined to have luscious lashes 24/7!

L'oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara Review

One coat of Mascara

Two Coats of Mascara

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am a mascara fanatic, you will never ever catch me leaving the house without my mascara. In my opinion if I am mascara-less I look like a bug... not attractive. So because of this obsession I am forever trying out new mascaras, I am yet to find my all time favourite. 

This month I bough the newest mascara L'oreal has to offer- False Lash Telescopic, endorsed by Cheryl Cole herself. 

In L'oreal's opinion using this mascara will give me lashes that are off the scale, they will look elongated beyond their tips, resulting in telescopic length. 

The Good

• Small brush which is great for lower lashes and the corner of your eyes.
• Quick drying, so applying layer upon layer is easy
• Builds up quickly.. I felt happy with one coat of mascara
• Did not clump

The Bad

• Small brush which did not pick up a lot of mascara

Overall- 4/5

I am really impressed with this mascara. The only downside is I would like a bit more volume, but with the extreme length it gives I can't be too fussy.

FOTD

This is actually my first FOTD, and to think I've been blogging for 3 months now... what have I been chattering on about!

So this is my face I wore for a few celebratory drinks last Friday after I had handed all my assignments in. We went to a lovely new bar in Newcastle near Central station (really can't remember the name!) Anyways I had a few glasses of Prosecco to celebrate, and went for a glamourous casual look.

Please excuse my messy hair, and the hairs on my face from a makeup brush, only just realised them now.. amateur mistake.

For this look I used;

Face- Concealer- Rimmel Match Perfection

          Foundation- Rimmel Stay Matte 

          Bronzer- Rimmel Sun Shimmer

          Blush- Rimmel, Shade Pink Rose

Eyes- Mascara- Rimmel Scandaleyes

          Eyeshadow- Urban Decay- Naked Pallette- Shades- Sin and Half Baked.

I'm showing my Rimmel addiction here!

Christmas Time In Pictures

This is the past week for me in pictures.  I have had an extremely busy Christmas week. I only had 3 days off work, and still managed to clock up 360 miles travelling to see all mine and my boyfriends family. When I arrived back in Newcastle my father and his girlfriend visited for a few days, so it has only been till today that I have had a day to myself. Not that I am complaining I have had a great Christmas.

I hope you all had a lovely week.

Look Perfect Despite Not Feeling It| How to Cure a Hangover

So its that time of year, when a lot of people burn the candle at both ends of the stick. Meaning some of us can end up becoming unwell and looking even worse. Due to myself working in hospitality I don't get much time off work, so I am guilty of not having much sleep, too much alcohol and energy drinks, and a poor diet. Here are a some tips that I follow or have heard of through the years.

Tired Puffy Eyes

We've all woken up with little piggy eyes, despite getting what we thought was enough sleep.

These puffy eyes, are actually caused by things such as dehydration from excessive alcohol consumption, or from sleeping in dry stuffy rooms. 

To reduce the symptoms try letting gravity do its work, so prop your head up while you sleep with an extra pillow. If this does not help, try gently tapping the eye area lightly with your finger tips, working from the inner eye by your nose, toward the temple. 

If this does still not work, use the good old trick of cupping each closed eye with a chilled stainless steel teaspoon for five minutes. 

Bloodshot eyes

Eyedrops! Eyedrops! Eyedrops! These work miracles, as often bloodshot eyes are the telltale of a tired or hungover person. For those who wear contact lenses, so cannot spend the day putting eye drops in many companies now have solutions that you can spray on your closed eyelid and they still have the same effect.

There also exists a homemade remedy, however I have not tried it, so do not know whether it works, but to me it sounds painful due to the witch hazel. Anyways you are to add a couple drops of witch hazel into an egg cup of mineral water, then place it snugly over the eye allowing it to wash the eye for around 10 seconds. 

Chapped lips and noses

Shiny, peeling noses are often around this time of year to the risk of colds and flu. The easiest way to get rod is of a slick of one per cent hydrocortison products such as Hc45 cream, which is available at chemists. 

Chapped lips need protected and healed from products such as Vaseline, use this especially at bedtime. 

Always avoid matte, pale, frosty lip colours of you do have chapped lips as this highly emphasized the flaky lips, instead use moisturizing lipstick with a sheer gloss or satin texture. 

Dry, Flaky skin

Due to low humidity, central heating and other dehydrating elements pf the colder months, our skin becomes dry, flaky and dull.

I am an avid believer in exfoliating, but it is needed even more so in the winter. We do not shed our skin unlike reptiles, so we need to give ourselves a helping hand. Exfoliating will rid the old dead skin cells, and reveal more fresh healthy cells. Always layer on the moisturiser afterwards though, otherwise you will see no benefit. Outdoor exercise will also help boost circulation and will improve the look of your skin. 

Dull complexion

Diet and exercise will always help your complexion, there is really nothing better. So despite the cold months and stodgy food, please still keep up your exercise regime. 

Boost your complexion even more so with the use of a good moisturiser, a radiance-enhancing one will work best. Really massage the lotion into your face, then let it absorb into your skin for five to ten minutes before applying your foundation. 

The dreaded hangover

You feel awful because of the alcohol leaving you dehydrated, which affects the blood vessels around the brain giving you an awful headache. 

- The things you can do to minimize the symptoms are lining your stomach before you go out with a good meal. This helps slow down the rate the alcohol is absorbed. 

- Drink water before, during and after drinking alcohol this is the best thing you can do as it slows down your drinking, and helps flush your body of the alcohol and stops dehydration. 

- Treat headaches with paracetamol rather than aspirin or ibuprofen painkillers as these can irritate your stomach.

- Eat protein rich meals (if you can keep it down) scrambled eggs, or a chicken wrap are ideal.

- If you are feeling sick, ginger helps as it has anti-nausea qualities. So have a smoothie with ginger included in it, also  a smoothie will help replenish your body with vitamins. 

- Eat yoghurt, better still live yoghurt. As the "friendly" probiotic bacteria in your gut can help to boost recovery from alcohol-induced liver damage. 

What are your go-to tips to ensure you look alive after a heavy few nights? What hangover cure do you use? 

Moving Moles Aka Beauty Spots| Fake Beauty Spots

My beauty spot above my right eye :)
(Please excuse the really old picture)

So thankfully I am blessed with a lovely mole on my face, which I call my beauty spot. I do not mind my little mole, it is in a discreet area, and I like it.

I share this information with you due to the fact that recently thanks to the lovely Miss Kelly Rowland, fake beauty spots are becoming more popular. She has been seen throughout X Factor UK with a fake beauty spot on her lovely face. It has been very obvious as she likes to move this beauty spots location, from her lip, to her cheek, to her other cheek, back to her lip.

I personally do not use the fake beauty spot, and my friends do not either. Although I have do know a couple of people who have cleverly disguised a spot as a beauty spot with the clever use of some eyeliner.

So I would like to hear from you lovely ladies on your opinions about this beauty trick. Is is something you have done before, if so what products did you use to ensure said spot did not end up as a smear at the end of the evening. Or if you think it is ridiculous?

Winter brings dark nights and dark eye bags

So as much as I love winter, I do not love eye bags, but according to anti-aging experts winter ages a woman's eyes by four years and eight months! Great, so we all look nearly 5 years older!

These science boffins discovered that due to the reduced sunlight hours,and the reduction in the time we spend outdoors during the winter months we have paler skin which emphasizes bags. We also feel more tired due to lower levels of vitamin D (generated by the body in sunlight).

Lacking vitamins D and K has considerable effect on the appearance of dark circles and puffy eyes. So not great news to us tired students who sleep very little at this time of year also.

A few ways to help us girls get rid of dark eye bags;

1. Sleep! Even if it is 15 minutes, it tricks your body into thinking you have slept for longer, and we all need our beauty sleep!
2. Using a cooling compress (wet cotton wool/cucumber slices) to help temporarily shrink the blood vessels, reducing puffiness.
3. Eye creams that contain vitamin K and retinol can also help.
4. Eat less salt (healthier diet) as it encourages fluid retention, thus puffiness.
5. If all else fails, hide it through makeup. Personally I use Rimmel Match Perfection 2 in 1 Concealer and Highlighter. It really is a great highlighter and the tube lasts a long time. 

What are your tips for reducing puffy, dark bags?

First Review| Rimmel Scandal Eyes Mascara

 My first review, is on my beauty must, at all times, mascara! Mascara is the one product I would not leave the house without, I feel like I'm naked without it. As a result I go through a lot of mascara, and I am quite picky and opinionated.

So this mascara is Rimmel Scandaleyes. It is one of their recent releases, and this is my second tube,

so as you can see I don't find it too bad. I will talk you through the pro's and con's.

Pro's

• Does not smudge or wear off during the day (I work in hospitality, so I am around a lot of heat, steam, moisture etc, and it rarely wears off and give me panda eyes.)
• Builds up very easily, so can apply many layer easily without it flaking.
• Gives the look of very long lashes.

Con's

• Very Very large brush, so can be a bit difficult to handle to begin with.
• Dries up quickly compared to other mascaras.

Overall I would give it a 7/ 10, mainly because it takes some getting used to the large brush. Have you ever tried this mascara? What do you think of it?