The Best and Worst Mascaras

FOTD: Trying New Things #3

If you're anything like me then you'll love to experiment with new makeup. Each month I get the opportunity to try quite a lot of new makeup and it's always really fun to choose some of my favourite new discoveries to share with you. So today I've gathered together four new makeup products that I've been trying out this month and shared my thoughts on each of them. 

Docteur Renaud Apricot BB Eyes* | rrp £14.50

I'm always looking for natural beauty products that I can swap into my everyday makeup routine. Docteur Rendaud's Apricot BB Eyes is a colour correcting product that helps disguise the appearance of undereye circles. It only comes in one "universal" shade which is a light, slightly peachy-pink shade. It has a very thick consistency that makes it a little bit difficult to blend if you draw it straight onto your undereye area. I prefer to draw some on one of my fingers, rub two of my fingers together to warm up the product and then I pat it onto my skin. I find that the heat from my fingers really helps to make the product more blendable. It does a good job of colour correcting and really changes the appearance of my under eyes, but it isn't a straight up concealer so I'd definitely couple this with a light concealer for maximum coverage. However, if you have very dark, blue or purple toned bags under your eyes then this will definitely make a noticeable improvement. Docteur Renaud's BB Eye Cream isn't available online, but can be ordered from Skin Evolution by calling this number: 01452 864574

Glo & Ray Fumo Silky Eyebrow Pencil* | rrp £5.50

I started using Glo & Ray's Eyebrow Pencil in the shade Terra Brown earlier this month and it has pretty much been love at first application. It marries together so many good qualities - the product itself is really pigmented but when you apply it gently it creates really natural looking hair-like strokes. Once you've applied it, the product sets down and then doesn't budge throughout the day. For the price I really don't think you could find a better brow pencil!

Claudia Louch Compact Pressed Powder* | rrp £52.50

This pressed powder from Claudia Louch is one of those products that I didn't know I needed but now I've tried it I just couldn't go back! It's a talc-free powder that's pigmented enough that you can actually use it as a mineral foundation. The powder is incredibly finely milled and just glides onto the skin leaving behind a matte base. It doesn't give very high coverage, but it does create a more even and smooth canvas upon which you can apply other products. Personally, I'm not a massive fan of mineral foundations so I like using this powder to add extra coverage to specific areas of my face. It works really well to set your undereye concealer and add a little bit of brightening coverage. I also like using it across my t-zone as it not only mattifies but also helps to blur the appearance of my pores and imperfections. It's definitely an expensive investment, but if you're a fan of powder foundations or are looking for a really high-quality talc-free powder then this is definitely a good option to consider.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink* | rrp £17.50

I featured Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouge in Pale Pink in a post earlier this month but I promised that I'd show what it looks like when used on my lips. As you can see in my photos below, it's a really pretty and wearable everyday shade and because the formula is so creamy it works really well on the lips. It doesn't last for ages and ages but because there's a big mirror inside the lid it's really easy to reapply - and it doubles up as a handy compact mirror.

What new makeup have you tried this month?

FOTD: Playing With New Makeup #2

As a beauty blogger I get the opportuity to try out quite a lot of new products each month but I'm not a big fan of featurng review and review of individual products. Last month I started a post series that I'm hoping to continue throughout the year where I put together a makeup look featuring some of the new makeup I was most excited about that month. Along with a photo of the finished look, I'll also be sharing a review of each of the new products, sharing my overall thoughts after using them throughout the month. This way I get to talk about lots of new makeup and you can see all the products in action! 

Claudia Louch Natural Skin Clinic Flawless Finish Liquid Face Make Up in Cool Neutral

RRP £52.50*

Claudia Louch Natural Skin Clinic Flawless Finish Liquid Face Makeup offers a medium coverage makeup base that's 94% natural and non-comedogenic. I find that it offers excellent coverage without feeling too heavy on the skin, and it actually still maintains a slightly dewy finish which I find more flattering than a completely matte foundation. The lasting power is also excellent - I can wear this from morning until evening without any problems whatsoever - and on my combination skin it doesn't cling to dry patches or emphasise my oily t-zone. It really is a very good foundation and more than lives up to its high-end pricetag. It's also really nice to see that it doesn't contain harsh chemicals, fragrance or parabens. All in all, it reminds me that sometimes you really do get what you pay for. So if you're after a medium coverage foundation that will wear really well and doesn't contain harmful ingredients, I would definitely check this one out. The shade "Cool Neutral" is definitely more of my summer foundation shade but it works okay on my skin so long as I bronze up (which I did using Nars' Matte Multiple in Altai). 

Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink

RRP £18.00*

I recieved this Gel Eyeliner from Bobbi Brown as part of a giveaway win at the end of 2014 but I've only recently started using it. I expected a lot from this eyeliner as it has almost cult status with so many people - including some of my favourite bloggers. What I found was that it was indeed much better than the gel eyeliners I've tried from Boots and Superdrug before, but it didn't blow other eyeliners I've tried before out of the water. It's a very easy to use product - you dip your brush into the pot and then draw along your lashline. I use a Real Techniques Eyeliner Brush and find that it gives an even colour and application and doesn't smudge once it's dried down. It doesn't give a very harsh looking black line - which is both good and bad. I quite like striking black eyeliner, but I found that Bobbi Brown's Gel Eyeliner is better for a more smudged into the lashes effect. When I did try and make a thicker, bolder line I found that because I have hooded eyelids the product would transfer onto my upper eyelid. Overall, I think it's a good gel eyeliner but for me it isn't a "holy grail" find. I actually prefer using my W7 Liquid Eyeliner Pot which is incredibly affordable and gives me that intense black line I like, with amazing staying power to boot. 

Esteé Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara

RRP £23.00*

At first I was head over heels in love with this mascara as it really does give lashes a serious dose of volume. However, what it doesn't do so well is hold a curl and I find that after I curl my lashes this mascara just doesn't make my eyes look as wide as I would like. In my opinion it's going to be a toss up between whether you like length and lift or whether you want in-your-face volume. I'm definitely going to be reaching for this mascara whenever I want a bolder, heavier looking eye, but on a day-to-day basis I prefer soemthing more fluttery.

Illamasqua Matte Lipstick in Sangers

RRP £18.50

I was so excited to try out another Matte Liptick from Illamasqua as I simply love the one I already own - Magnetism. What I found was that Sangers isn't as matte as Magnetism, which initially I thought was a shame as I assumed that it would affect it's staying power. However, Sangers is a gorgeous red shade and because it isn't totally "retro-matte" it has a creaminess to the formula that makes it a bit easier to apply from the bullet. The colour applies opaque and stays opaque, and I actually don't notice much fading for hours after application, it's a brilliant long-lasting lipstick. I think Sangers is a marriage between Illamasqua's super-matte and satin lipstick finishes, which in my opinion gives it the best of everything! I'd definitely recommend it.

If you enjoyed this post then do check out last month's FOTD. I'd love to know if you've tried any of these makeup products before and if you liked them. And if you have any recommendations about what you'd like me try and review next month then please do leave them in the comments.

FOTD: Playing With New Makeup