My New L'Oreal Trio: Mini Makeup Reviews

What started this whole mini L'oreal haul was my hunt for a lipgloss. I adore the Mac Cremesheen Gloss formula but pre-Christmas I just wasn't in the mood to splurge on makeup as I'd overdone it on jewellery (keep your eyes peeled for my upcoming Tiffany collection blog post). In the past I've read good things about L'Oreal's Infallible Gloss collection and so I set out to swatch some of their cream colours. The stand in my local Superdrug only had two shades in L'Oreal's Cream formulation (which is quite similar to Mac's Cremesheen Gloss formulation) and I ended up buying one of them. I chose L'Oreal's Infallible Cream Finish Mega Gloss in Shade 110 / I Got the Power (£6.99) and I think it might just be the perfect nude lipgloss. It feels thick and plumping without being too heavy or greasy, and I think that the colour would suit many skin tones. I also love the applicator, which delivers a great amount of product onto the lips and makes it easy to achieve an even and neat finish. Honestly, I think that it's great value for money and I'd definitely consider purchasing another shade of these Infallible Mega Glosses if I found another cream shade that I liked.

L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil Oil-in-Cream Nourishing Leave In Cream

Drugstore Beauty Haul

Drugstore beauty hauls are some of my absolute favourite blog posts to read, so when I decided to pick up some new beauty bits I thought that some of you might appreciate it if I put together a blog post. I didn't go too crazy - I'm on a bit of a minimalist kick at the moment, especially as I'm supposed to be moving in a couple of months - but I did pick up everything that I've had my eye on. If you're into simple and easy-to-wear makeup then I think you'll appreciate all of these products!

8 Beauty Products I've Been Loving this Summer

L'Oreal Color Riche Matte Lipstick in Mon Jules (430)

Drugstore Beauty: Superdrug Makeup Haul

On the whole, I'm definitely becoming more and more of a fan of high-end, luxury makeup but I'll be the first to admit that there are some wonderful brands and products available on the hightstreet. As you might be able to guess, I'm a big lover of reading beauty blogs and the majority of products that I go out and buy are recommendations from other bloggers. So, when I popped into Superdrug recently I already had quite a few makeup items on my wishlist. I didn't buy everything I wanted - a couple of things were annoyingly out of stock - but I found almost everything that I was looking for.

I made the most of Superdrug's 3 for 2 offer and as you can see from my photos I picked up six items from a variety of brands. In case you're interested in exactly what I bought - or want to know how much each product costs - I've listed them all with links below.

MaxFactor False Lash Effect Marie Curie Mascara

available online from Superdrug for £7.99

Rimmel Lasting Finish High Coverage Foundation in True Ivory (03)

available online from Superdrug for £7.99

Lottie London Tan Time Brush

available online from Superdrug for £7.99

L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper

available from Superdrug for £4.99

Makeup Revolution The One Blush Stick in Matte Rush

available online for £5.00

Rimmel Good to Glow Highlighter in Soho Glow (003)

available online for £4.99

I can't wait to start using all of these new beauty bits! Let me know in a comment if you've tried any of these products - or if you'd be interested in seeing reviews.

L'Oreal Color Riche Matte Lipstick in Cliché Mania (229)

I've wanted a hot, orange-toned red lipstick for absolutely ages, and L'Oreal's Color Riche Matte Lipstick in Cliché Mania is everything I've been waiting for. As a shade, it's got that bright, summertime sizzle that just screams hot-weather and sunshine. And as soon as I apply it I feel bolder - it's the age old red lipstick effect!

As a formula, L'Oreal's Color Riche Matte Lipsticks are really lovely drugstore mattes. They're not drying like some of my other matte red lipsticks can be and this is probably because they still have quite a creamy formula. They glide onto the lips straight from the bullet with ease, and its surprisingly simple to achieve a neat application without a lip liner or lip brush. They feel incredibly comfortable once they're applied, and they tend not to budge for quite a long time unless you're eating or drinking. I did find that once I started to drink or eat the lipstick faded unevenly, slowly disappearing from the centre of my lips before needing a touch up. 

Overall, I think they L'Oreal Color Riche Matte Lipsticks are fantastic - definitely a new drugstore favourite formula - but they're not necessarily going to knock some of my higher end favourite formulas off their pedestals. That being said, Cliché Mania is a really gorgeous colour and I definitely prefer the shade to some of the high-end reds I have in my collection. I know it will get a lot of love this spring and summer!

If you'd like to win L'Oreal's Color Riche Matte Lipstick in Cliché Mania for yourself then head on over to my twitter page where I'm giving away a brand new lipstick for one of you lovely lot to win - all you have to do is follow me on twitter if you aren't already and RT my giveaway tweet. Good luck if you decide to enter - the competition will close tomorrow, April 18th, at midday.

Have you tried any of L'Oreal's Color Riche Matte Lipsticks? What's your favourite red lipstick?

January Beauty Empties

Haircare Favourites from 2014

Makeup Multi-Taskers

My friend Candy inspired this post when she sent me a tweet saying that she'd used tinted lip balm as a blush and I just went "why have I never tried that before". I was sent into a spiral of new ideas of using my makeup and I discovered that almost anything cream based presents delightful opportunities to get creative with makeup. If you saw my post over the weekend about cream blushes then you'll know that enjoying makeup, and having fun with makeup, is something that's on my agenda this month. 

My makeup look above relied on using a whole bunch of products either "unconventionally" or using them as multi-tasking products by applying them in more than one way.

 I began by applying my new Monu Illuminating Primer* as a primer, but once I'd finished my makeup I also used it as a highlighter. It's an absolutely gorgeous, champagne-toned highlighter that wakes up skin like nothing I've tried in years! It reminds me of L'Oreal's Lumi Magique Primer which I used to love, but Monu's primer feels so much more luxurious and hydrating - a lot more like skincare than makeup. And yet it works really well as a highlighter too! You just have to be sure to not use too much, or if you do then you just have to blend, blend, blend. Alternatively, for a more natural look, you could also use a highlighting concealer as a highlighting product. I've tried using L'Oreal's Lumi Magique Concealer in Medium which offers a very natural way to add some radiance to your skin.

I popped on some of my Glo & Ray Mirage Mousse Eyeshadow in Caramel Candy* but I only used it as an eyeliner to give my eyes a bit of definition. It works surprisingly well like that, and the colour really makes my eyes stand out without any of the fuss of eyeshadow. 

On my lips I applied a healthy dose of my Illasmaqua Blush in Crush, which gave me a deep berry coloured lip. The Illamasqua cream blushes work really well on the lips as they have a thin, creamy consistency which means they're not too drying but they also don't slip. Inika's Rosehip Creme Colour* is another gorgeous multi-purpose product that looks gorgeous on both the cheeks and the lips. I'm not wearing it in my photo but it gives a lovely dose of terracotta that's an absolutely pleasure to wear. I'm going to be sharing my full review of this soon including some pictures of me wearing it on my cheeks and lips.

In my photo I'm actually wearing Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour in Apples* on my cheeks. I dotted a healthy amount onto my cheeks and then blended the product out with my stippling brush. It works well because these lip ointments have a very thick consistency with a sheer dose of colour. Although the finished result was a little bit stickier than normal the colour lasted well on my cheeks and gave a very natural looking flush. Alternatively, I've also tried using a bright lipstick as a blush. My pick was Bourjois' Rouge Edition Lipstick in Fuchsia Graffiti, it's a really bright pink with blue undertones and it sheers out when blended to give the most beautiful colour. If you've never tried this before then I'd definitely recommend it!

Review: L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution

I picked up L'Oreal's Micellar Solution as a replacement make-up remover when I finished my Vichy Normaderm Micellar Solution. I'd read on countless blogs how this L'Oreal Micellar Solution was a dupe for Bioderma and so I was quite excited to try it out. However, unlike Bioderma and Vichy's micellar solutions, I found that L'Oreal's aggravated my skin. After use, L'Oreal's Micellar Solution left my face quite red which I didn't expect at all. I do have sensitive skin, but I had absolutely no issues with Vichy's product which is aimed at oily, blemish prone skin so I wasn't expecting for the L'Oreal Solution (which the packaging states is "suitable for sensitive skin") to be a problem!

As I didn't have an awful reaction to it I did continue to use the product and now that I've finished it I feel comfortable talking about my experience with it. What I found is that it doesn't have the same light, water-like consistency as Bioderma and it certainly doesn't remove my make-up as well. I wear waterproof mascara and eyeliner on a daily basis and this Micellar Solution just couldn't remove it, regardless of how many cotton pads I went through. However, it did remove the rest of my make up perfectly well so I did put it to that use. I personally wouldn't repurchase L'Oreal's Micellar Solution, I think Vichy's is much better for my skin type (it both removes make-up and helps with my combination, blemish prone skin) and Bioderma is better as a make-up remover. I'm glad I tried L'Oreal's version, because I like to know how drugstore skincare ranks against some of my higher-end favourites, but on this occasion I wasn't too impressed. 

Have you tried this micellar water? What make-up removers would you recommend?

The Stand-In: L'Oreal EverRiche Conditioner (for Dry Fine hair)

L'Oreal's EverRiche Conditioner (a seriously hydrating offering for dry but fine hair) was only ever meant to be a stand-in conditioner. I'm running dangerously low on my much beloved Kerestase conditioner but with at the thought of a £13+ replacement I decided I'd venture elsewhere first. Browsing the aisles of my local Sainsburys I picked up L'Oreal's EverRiche Conditioner because I'd been impressed with the matching shampoo. Little did I realise that the conditioner exceed even my already high expectations. It is creamy without being heavy and it has the most gorgeous apricot scent. I never knew I loved the smell of apricot lingering around my temples but it turns out I do because it feels like I've been bathed in fresh fruit. The results of this product are very impressive too. I've been putting off having my hair cut (do you do this? - the small talk is too much for me!) and with dry, split ends being the result I have a lot of boxes to be ticked when it comes to hair products. Surprisingly, this conditioner meets all of my demands:

• My hair is left soft and shiny. 
• It is smoother with fewer flyways.
• My hair is much less dry.
• My hair is not weighed down.
• My hair does not get greasy more quickly.

Basically, for the £4 I spent I got a real gem. My only advice if you have fine hair - less is more. An amount the size of a pound coin is enough for my mid-length/long hair. If you haven't already tried the L'Oreal No Sulfates ranges I would highly recommend it - this is the fourth product I've tried (I've used three of the shampoos) and I'm happy with them all.

What conditioners do you like to use? Could you recommend any other products for fine hair?

Review: L'Oreal EverStrong No Sulphates Reinforcing and Vitality Shampoo

Back in June I decided to try and stop using hair products that contained sulphates but it was hard to find product that I liked (especially shampoos) that didn't contain sulphates! And then, as if the heavens opened, the L'Oreal No Sulphates shampoos and conditioners appeared on the scene. I know they've been featured here, there and everywhere over the last few months but I have a lot to say about the EverStrong Shampoo!

L'Oreal's No Sulphates EverStrong Shampoo is aimed towards fragile or brittle hair. Now, some of you may remember that I had some real issues with stress induced hair loss in May/June and these issues have improved considerably but I am still, as you can imagine, very concerned about protecting my hair and treating it well. A sulphate free shampoo is a good place to start and this shampoo in particular did feel as though it offered really gentle, thorough cleansing. It wasn't heavily scented, it did lather in my hair (much more than I expected it to) and it was pretty easy to wash out unlike a lot of other sulphate free shampoos. All in all, I think it is a bargain of a product and I would seriously recommend it to anyone who is similarly concerned about looking after fragile hair.

I loved using the EverStrong Shampoo and I got through a tube of it in about six weeks and then promptly went out and purchased a couple of other varieties so that I can make some comparisons. I bought my shampoo from Superdrug for £3.99 although it is normally priced at £5.99. I know these are being talked about a lot, but I do think that you shouldn't be put off by any hype surrounding them. They leave my hair in much better condition than Herbal Essences, and even Aussie, shampoos ever did!

Have you tried any of L'Oreal's No Sulphate hair products? What shampoo(s) do you like using?

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Boots' Own Brand Hairspray and Dry Shampoo: a Great Way to Save Money or a False Economy?

This post has been a little bit slow in the making. It all began during my spending ban, I ran out of a couple of (what I would call) 'essential' items and I wanted to replace them as cheaply as I could so as to keep true to the challenge of a spending ban. Two branded products that I replaced with Boots' own brand equivalents were Batiste's Original Dry Shampoo and L'Oreal's Elnett Satin Hairspray in 'Normal Hold'. Boots' ownbrand equivalent products were a bit cheaper so I decided to pick them up, I got Boots' Dry Shampoo in Paradise Island (a tropical scent) and Boots' Firm Hold Hairspray. If you're frugal like I am then this post may well interest you, I'm going to compare the branded and ownbrand products to see if this is an area in which I could consistently save myself some money.

Batiste is what I imagine to be the 'standard' dry shampoo; it's one of the easiest brands to get hold of, it isn't extortionately priced and as far as I'm concerned it does a good job. A 400ml bottle of Batiste (like the one shown in my pictures) costs £4.99 when there is no offer on and a 200ml bottle costs £2.99 (this is the same size as the own brand Dry Shampoo in my pictures). The own brand Boots' Dry Shampoo normally costs £2.29 for 200ml (although I bought it on offer for £1.50). So between the two different brands there is essentially only a 70p difference - it doesn't sounds like much but I probably go through 400ml of dry shampoo a month so over a year any savings do add up.

However, the Boots' Dry Shampoo was probably the worst dry shampoo I've ever tried, and I've tried numerous different brands and versions. The own brand shampoo was much harder to use - it didn't spray as finely, it left a white cast on my hair regardless of how delicate I was with my applications and it didn't really make my hair look clean! I also got through the own brand dry shampoo much faster than I had anticipated too, for once there really wasn't anything on this product's side. Batiste wins this battle hands down, there wasn't really any competition. Although it does sadden me to say so because I like an underdog.

Next up is L'Oreal Elnett Satin in Normal Strength and a 200ml bottle costs £4.20, although I must admit that this is a newly emerging favourite of mine so this test isn't entirely unbiased. The Boots' own brand hairspray for 450ml is only £1.60 (I can't find the price for 200ml) - here, unlike the dry shampoo, there is the potential for a considerable saving as you get more product for a lot less money.

The L'Oreal Elnett Satin in Normal Strength is great for when you want flexible hold. I like using hairspray to help keep volume in my roots, or to keep flyaways at bay, but I hate being able to feel product in my hair. With the Normal Strength version it is so light that you never feel it in your hair, even if you use quite a lot of product, and this is the quality that makes me love it. Boots don't make a flexible hold hairspray and the 'firm hold' is actually the hairspray they make with the least hold. For its price it is actually a very good product, it does a good job and it isn't too noticeable in the hair. It isn't as feather-light as the L'Oreal hairspray but I think that is to be expected. Although I would prefer not to, I could definitely get used to using the own brand hairspray without it being too much of a pain, and unlike with the dry shampoo it would be a small swap that would save me quite a bit of money! 

 I found this to be a good experiment even though it was a bit hit and miss! Do you ever opt for own brand products? Do you have any 'budget buy' recommendations?

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Review: L'Oreal Elvive Extraorindary Oil Mist for Fine Hair

After a long love affair with expensive, high end hair oils when my birthday rolled around I decided to try out a cheaper "high-street" version. I really wanted to see if you could get the quality of Macadamia Oil or Moroccan Oil on a student budget. The product that I settled upon back in July was L'Oreal Elvive's Extraordinary Oil Mist for Fine Hair. There is also a version for "normal hair" but I can't comment on it because I haven't tried it.

I picked up the version for Fine Hair because I have relatively fine hair, I just have a lot of it. I also thought that it might make the oil more multi-purpose, and indeed I think this version of L'Oreal Elvive's Extraordinary Oil is a lot more useful than my Moroccan Oil - although perhaps not as intensely nourishing. After I have had a shower I use leave in conditioner, tangle teezer my hair, towel dry it and then apply a hair oil to the mid-lengths and ends. Some days I will spray two pumps of oil into my hands and then smooth this through my hair and other days I will spray up to three pumps into my hair and then use my tangle teezer to work the product through my hair. Both methods work in a similar way and give me similar results. If you have very, very fine hair maybe one to two pumps would be plenty, or if you have thick hair then maybe you could try out three or four. The result when I use the product in this way is that my hair is left almost completely frizz free, smooth and shiny - emphasis on the shiny. It doesn't help straighten my hair but it leaves my naturally wavy hair a lot neater looking and the waves are defined in a way that I don't see when I skip hair oil from my routine.

I've also found that this hair oil is light enough to use on dry hair. I like to use it after I've straightened my hair, applying one spray of oil to my hands and then working it through the ends of my hair to add some hydration back into my hair as well as adding shine. I also like to use it on the ends of my hair on days when I don't wash my hair and use dry shampoo. I find that it doesn't weigh the ends of my hair down and instead refreshes the ends of my hair and also helps stop any frizz that might be developing. 

Overall, at the very reasonable price of £8.49 for 100ml on Feel Unique I think that L'Oreal Elvive's Extraordinary Oil Mist for Fine Hair is a bargain, especially if you take advantage of FeelUnique's regular 10-20% off discounts. I wouldn't use this as a leave in treatment like I do with heavier oils but for day-to-day use it is incredibly high performing and fits a number of different hair needs. If you have thicker hair then I'd definitely consider the Normal Version of this product as I have been really impressed with this version and think that it is great value for money. 

Do you use a hair oil? Do you like the sound of a 'lighter' option hair oil?

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L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique BB Blush Universal Rosy Blush

L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique BB Blush  £7.99

Something about a double dose of a letter has made the beauty world go crazy. BB, CC, DD... whatever they are, whatever they stand for, it seems as though people are desperate for them. And you know what, I'm obviously one of those crazy suckers because I bought L'Oreal Paris' Nude Magique BB Blush on a complete whim months and months ago. You know the beauty lurkers I mentioned last month, well this product would very happily sit in that category!

I tried a tester of this blush in the Boots store where I bought it and I absolutely loved the velvety feel of it. You squeeze an amount (the amount will depend on how pink you like your cheeks) of this onto your fingers and it is a gel formula - hopefully you can kind of see that in my photos. However, when you rub this into your skin it doesn't stay a gel it transforms into a velvet-textured powder pretty darn quickly leaving you with a relatively long wearing stain. The 'magic' part of this blush is that the gel that you squeeze out of the tube is clear and when you start working with the product it transforms into a pink shade. This is a massive gimmick and doesn't really help anyone in any way but it is quite a fun aspect of the product and is part of the reason I bought it.

All good so far, until I tell you just how difficult it can be to make this look wearable in the short time it takes for the gel to set into its powdery finish. If you're used to working with products like Benefit's Benetint or other gel products (I know Soap and Glory do one called Cheek Mate) then you will be prepared to deal with L'Oreal Paris' Nude Magique BB Blush. However, make-up newbies and people who rely on their make-up brushes to do all of the hard work  then this is not a product you should pick up! 

The colour that the gel transforms into is supposed to be universally flattering rosy blush. I don't actually know if this changes into a different colour depending on the skin tone that it is applied to it but on me it turns into the exact colour that I think of when someone says the word "rosy". I like the shade a lot and it looks similar to the colour I go naturally when my face flushes, but it's hard to apply lightly and evenly and I feel as though it never looks that natural looking when I wear it.

The jury is honestly still out on this. I know that I like it, the texture is nice and the colour is pretty, but I think it is definitely something which takes a lot of time to get used to using. It definitely won't be suitable for a lot of people who might pick it up thinking that anything with "BB" on it is going to be super easy to work with. I do use this occasionally and I will continue to but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, it might be worth a swatch though because it feels very nice when you apply it to your skin!

Have you tried this? Do you ever use gel cheek products?

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On My Nails This Week: MUA's Frozen Yogurt with L'Oreal's Confetti Topcoat

In keeping with the promise that I made to myself to tackle some of the beauty products lurking in my stash I added L'Oreal Paris' Confetti Top Coat to my nail polish choice for the week, Make Up Academy's Frozen Yoghurt. After last week's dalliance with an Essie nail polish (link) I am really feeling the low quality of this polish formula. MUA nail polishes are (I think) a bargain at just £1 but the brushes are thin and the polish is thin too, meaning I had to use three coats before it became opaque and even. Also, the final finish isn't very shiny which didn't affect me as I knew I was going to add a top coat but it is worth bearing in mind if you love shiny nails. 

I personally love the shade of MUA's Frozen Yogurt, it is a mid-purple so it isn't too pastel-y for mid-summer but it is still oh so pretty (purple is my favourite colour so it isn't hard to woo me). The L'Oreal Paris Confetti Top Coat isn't exactly a dream to use (the brush has gone cray-cray, like, bristles all over the place) and I personally find it a little bit thick. I like one coat of it for a subtle speckle but I prefer two to three coats for a more in your face effect, I find it gets noticed more often and I get more compliments. Vanity drives this nail choice. Anyway, together I find it to be a very pretty combination and I'll definitely be wearing these two together again!

Do you like these two polishes together? What have you been wearing on your nails this week?

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Tackling the Beauty Lurkers

Although it might come across as otherwise, I really do try and avoid impulse purchasing. Whenever I buy things on a "whim" they tend to become beauty lurkers. What I mean by this is that they end up sitting about my room being aesthetically enjoyed but never being put to the use that they were intended for. My beauty lurkers tend to be "hyped" products or products that sounds appealing to me because they're really cute or simply because they're a novelty. I've pictured five products in the image above and all of these are at the top of my lurk-list - I want to use them! I have to use them, to save myself from the otherwise nagging guilt! I've recently started a spending ban (I'm on day seventeen!) to try and stop these sorts of problems and now I'm going to make a concerted effort to spread the love across the whole of my beauty collection.

Number one on the list is Topshop's Lip Bullet in Heartbeat. I picked this up during a period of Topshop mania and although I really like it (it's creamy and opaque in one swipe) the colour is a very loud orange and after wearing it a couple of times I started to chicken out! Since then I haven't reached for it and I feel bad because I purchased it full price and it's a great product. Come on confidence, it's bright lip o'clock!

Second on my list is Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in Tempting Turquoise. After a brief love affair with blue mascara I abandoned wearing blue for ages, when I saw this turquoise colour it looked so on trend. I picked it up because I thought I could look really hip and summer-y with a wash of blue around my eyes. It does look nice but it is so out of my neutral comfort zone and I've only used it once.. I'm going to be giving this way more of a try in the coming weeks.

Ah, the L'Oreal Confetti Topcoat. When this came out I couldn't find it anywhere, for weeks and weeks! So when I finally saw it on the Superdrug website I don't even remember buying it - it was just instantly, thoughtlessly, added to my basket. I've used it a few times and I really do love how it looks but it really hasn't gotten as much use as I would have liked. It'll be adorning my nails soon!

Next up is a Maybelline offering, it's the 24hr Color Tattoo in Permanent Taupe. I own a few of these now, and they were all inspired by On and On Bronze which is honestly the most stunning colour, especially for blue eyes I find. Permenant Taupe is the only other 'neutral' colour I picked out and of the bunch it looks like it should be the most wearable. However, I actually find it a bit muddy and it closes my eyes up a bit. I'm hoping to play around with this a bit to find some sort of way to use it (even if it is just as a base) and maybe I'll do a FOTD when I find something I like.

Lastly, and this was really quite an indulgence, is a Christmas limited edition from L'Occitane, the Marvelous Flowers Shimmering Oil. I rediscovered this when I was lusting after the Nuxe Multi Use Dry Oil and was wondering whether I could justify the price - well, no Angelica, you can't, not when you have a high quality dupe already. It's a really hydrating body oil, but it is full of shimmer! I love putting this all over me when I'm off on a night out but those are few and far between at the moment so I've found a new use for it. I've started using this on my decolletage in the evenings as a sort of delicate, hydrating (and hopefully anti-ageing?) product. No Nuxe for me until I get through it! 

It has just occured to me that this post is quite similar to 'shopping the stash' posts but I refer to products like these as beauty lurkers anyway so I think I'll keep my title! Maybe this will become a series, who knows. I have a lot of beauty products that I've never talked about before and most of them deserve a little more attention.

Do you have any beauty products lurking in your collection?

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My Lips But Better: L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash in Romy (Review and Swatches)

Please excuse my under eye circles - only three weeks till I graduate so I'm too busy to sleep much!

L'Oreal's GlamShine Stain Splash is a wonderful hybrid lip product that combines the greatness of a range of lip products into one gorgeous little tube. These GlamShine Stain Splashes have been heralded as the YSL Glossy Stain dupes- having not tried any of these myself I can't really comment, but I will be able to tell you all about the GlamShine Stain Splashes (and how much I've been enjoying the shade I picked up).

The shade I bought for myself is called Romy and, as you can see in the above photos, it is a really natural pink shade that does wonders to subtly add some colour to your face. Romy is my ultimate MLBB shade, it is just a fraction darker than my bare lips and I find it really flattering and incredibly easy to wear. I tend to wear this most on days when I'm not wearing a lot of make-up and want something that will  instantly make me look more 'done-up' without being too bright or high maintenance. I have, however, also paired this with an intense smokey eye on nights out and thought it looked really gorgeous worn like that too. 

The formula of these GlamStain Splashes is unlike anything that I've come across before. They apply very fluid, feeling almost like water. They then thicken and start to feel very thick whilst retaining the lightness that you get when you apply them. When they are dried they are like a thin layer of glossy gel over your lips which lasts incredibly well when you aren't eating or drinking- for literally hours. The colour is relatively sheer with one application but they are very buildable and don't feel too thick or heavy even with two or three layers. In the photo of my lips I'm wearing two layers and this is how I like  to wear Romy. I get a visible, opaque colour and the glossy finish is noticeable without being too intense.

I'm not a big fan of lip glosses normally, I find that they last poorly, are easily smudged and they are often way too sticky. GlamShine Stain Splashes are the opposite. They last remarkably well (and even fare okay when eating), I have had no experience of smudging and they are not sticky in the sense I dislike. My only gripe with these is that Romy does not leave behind much of a noticeable stain when the gloss finish fades. It may be that the shade is too close to my natural  lip colour as I've read in other reviews that the staining power of the darker shades is better. Nevertheless, I haven't noticed much staining power but as the glossy finish lasts so well this isn't too much of a problem.

Overall, I absolutely love Romy. I think it is really subtle and gorgeous, perfect for more natural looking make-up and I really think this would be a great 'date' lip product as it improves the look of lips without being too obvious and the lasting power is brilliant for something so glossy. I'm  really happy I picked this up! You can find L'Oreal's GlamShine Stain Splashes in Boots for £7.99.

If you've tried these I'd love to know what you think about them! 

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REVIEW: L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipsticks in Sweet Berry and Aphrodite Scarlet

Currently available from Boots for £8.19 or  Superdrug for £6.99

I know I'm pretty late to this bandwagon, but I've been loving sheer lip colours lately so I went ahead and bought these a week or so ago, you might have noticed them in my haul post. I know a lot of people have reviewed these and there is a lot of hype surrounding them but baby, believe it all, these lipsticks are just beautiful. They are worthy of a review, even if it makes me seem incredibly late to the scene. 

I picked up Sweet Berry and then loved it so much that I went back to buy Aphrodite Scarlet too. I tend to wear either nude/MLBB shades or vibrant pink shades the most so these two colours seemed like perfect choices for me. They are both quite pigmented, but don't be put off by their colours in the bullet as they swatch quite sheer and on the lips they give a beautiful sweep of colour which is quite glossy. They don't feel drying on the lips which is great as my lips aren't in the best condition right now and get irritated when they feel too dry. The wear time of these lipsticks isn't amazing but it isn't awful either, on me they lasted about two hours before I felt I needed to reapply. However, given the nature of the colours there was no rush to reapply as they fade quite subtly and evenly and I could just about reapply without a mirror if I was in a bit of a daring mood. 

All in all I would strongly recommend these lipsticks to lipstick lovers and lipstick newbies alike. They're easy to wear, pretty and they come in a great range of colours. If I go back to buy more (which I'd like to in the future) I would pick up Rebel Red, Dating Coral or Tempting Lilac. All three are also gorgeous shades that look very easy to wear and I can see them complimenting a range of skin tones. Of the two I own I've actually worn Sweet Berry the most as it looks quite natural on me (not at all like the shade it looks in the bullet) but Aphrodite Scarlet is a colour that I've fallen in love with. I can see both being lipstick staples from here on out. 

top: sweet berry bottom: aphrodite scarlet

top: sweet berry  bottom: aphrodite scarlet

Do you own any L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipsticks? Do you have any sheer lipstick recommendations?

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