Showing posts with label eyecream. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eyecream. Show all posts

7 Oct 2013

Products I Regret Buying Part One!!

I often find blogs can concentrate on reviewing products that they love. I have to admit this has been the same for me so far on my blog. I tend to pick things that I like to write about because I find it easier to review them. However, I think that often we get more information from reviews of products that people don't like simply because it will give us an insight into why the product didn't work for that person and maybe make us more cautious of buying the product in the future.

Just a little disclaimer before I begin. This blog post is my honest opinion and the products mentioned are ones which I found didn't work for me or ones that I found a better alternative product for. This doesn't mean that they won't work for you and if you have tried them and loved them please comment below this post as this will also be helpful for other readers to see who the products do work for. This post is not being in any way offensive to the brands, its simply me telling my readers what I would not buy again.

So lets begin....

I am a big fan of the Macadamia Deep Repair Mask. This leaves my hair super soft. However, the same cannot be said about their Rejuvenating Shampoo and Moistuirizing Rinse Conditioner. These products did nothing at all for my hair. They made my hair greasy and I felt like no matter how much I rinsed my hair it always felt like there was still product left on my hair. I couldn't style my hair properly afterwards either. Definitely didn't like these products.


I bought a Mally set from QVC over a year ago and the kit contained a face primer, eye gel and eye primer. I liked the face primer and I used up all the eye gel but I really didn't like the eye primer. It says to apply this under your concealer to make it last longer and keep the skin hydrated. All this did for me was make my concealer crease and eventually disappear from my under-eye. Mally in general is a great brand but this product just did nothing for me.

Another eye product which I bought and didn't feel stood up to the claims was Boots Botanics Hydrating eye cream. As the name suggests this is supposed to hydrate the eyes but it didn't do this for me. I didnt see any difference in my eye area after using this product and I used almost the full tube.


It's all about eyes for me in this post so far and another one to add to the list is Clinique's all about eyes (rich formulation). This claims to help diminish the look of dark circles, fine lines, shadows and puffiness. I have used this for a long time now and really have not seen any of the above improvements.

Now on to some makeup....


Everyone and their mother seems to love the Collection 16 Hour Wear concealer and I did love this for awhile last year but for some reason this year it just isn't doing anything for me. If I apply it under my eyes it makes me look like I have 90 year old wrinked eyes and if I apply it to a spot I feel it just cakes over the spot and makes it look more obvious. For me their are much better products on the market than this one.


For a while everyone in the blogging world raved about the Chanel Soleil tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup base so of course being the addict that I am off I went to Chanel and spent a ridiculous €40+ on this bronzer. When I got it home I was happy enough with it and did use it. I would have a relatively sallow complexion but this is a little too orangey on me. I also don't like the way it is such a hard consistency. This means you have to really work your brush into it to get some product out and then your brush bristles end up getting stuck in the product.....not a good thing at all. To be honest its not the worst product but for the price I would have expected something amazing. I have found a much cheaper and in my eyes a much better product in the Boujour bronzing primer. You can read my review on this beauty HERE.


I trained as a makeup artist with Makeup Forever and am a massive fan of their products. Their foundations for me are second to none. So on a trip to top up on some kit essentials I decided to try one of their liquid highlighters. I bought the Uplight Face Luminizer Gel in Shade 22. The girl in the shop said it looked great on skin over foundation or mixed in with a foundation. I tried it both ways and when I layered it on top of foundation it was very intense looking and almost glittery looking and when I mixed it with foundation it just made my skin look oily and way too shiny. Also this product seemed to go off very quickly. After awhile it began to smell funny and broke my skin out very bad. This was over €30 so I definitely regret buying it because I didn't get much use out of it.

Bobbi Brown bronzers have been a favourite of mine for over a decade and on my trip to IMATS in June I decided to pick up one. The makeup artist there recommended I bought shade Medium 2. I thought this was fine because I used this shade previously but when I got it home and tried it it was completely the wrong colour for me. It was very dark and had a red tonne of it which is not suitable for my skin tone at all. I was watching a Youtube video and one of the girl I am subscribed to who is much darker than me had the exact same problem as me. So I included this bronzer in this blog, not because the product isn't good but because the shade they recommended for me was totally wrong. I would recommend the bronzers in general but just be very careful what shade they give you.


I love the look of bright undereyes and so was very excited to try the Bare Minerals well-rested eye brightener. The idea of this is that you can use it alone or over concealer under the eyes to make your eyes appear brighter. This really did not work for me and I tried it every way possible. It dried out my under eyes and made my fine lines much more visable. I have heard other people rave about this so it may be worth a  go but I just didn't like it at all.


MUA (Makeup academy) do some really great product at very reasonable prices but one product I have tried that really didn't work for me is the Brush-On Concealer pen. This claims to hide under eye discoloration and blemishes on the face. I tried it for both and it did neither. It is too watery and thin to give any amount of coverage.


Another Makeup Forever product that I wasn't too happy with is the Aqua Eyes pencil in 0L Black. This is a waterproof eyeliner and I have to say it does last all day. My main problem with this eyeliner is the colour, it is almost like a dark grey colour rather than a carbon black colour. Really not what I was expecting from this pencil. I wouldn't purchase this again because I believe there are alot of other much cheaper and much better products on the market.


Another eyeliner that I bought which I was let down on was the infamous Mac Blacktrack Fluidline. Don't get me wrong its not a bad eyeliner but when compared to the likes of Inglot's gel liner in No 77 it really doesn't stand up to the challenge. It is not as long wearing or as dark as the Inglot or other liners on the market. I definitely will use this on myself for everyday use but wouldn't repurchase it because I know there are better alternatives.


I also do not like the e.l.f Cream eyeliners. They are not very strongly pigmented and they dry out super fast. Not my favourite e.l.f product at all.


I always loved Hypnose mascara by Lancome and purcahsed this a few months back. It just didnt give me the same wow factor as before. With this mascara you can build up layers to create more impact. I found with one coat my lashes just looked darker and when I began to build it up it would add slightly more volume but the mascara would clump. Again this won't be a repurchase for me and I have tried many other mascaras which for me work much better.


Another mascara I am just not pushed on is Maybelline's the Falsies. It did nothing for my lashes and really didn't make them look like I was wearing fake lashes. In general I like Maybelline mascara's but this one was not for me.


Some lip glosses which I really do not rate are e.l.f's minty lip gloss or their Luscious Liquid Lipstick. I do love alot of e.l.f products which you can check out in this older blog post.

I adore some of the Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lip glosses but the shade pink apricot is not for me. It went off very quickly and the shade was in my opinion not the nicest. It isn't a peach nor a nude shade so I didn't think it looked great on the lips.



Last but not least is Stila's Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer. This is supposed to add luminosity to the skin and make it looks fresh but it just made me look overly shiny, greasy and just down right unattractive. This didn't come cheap so I was very disappointed with this purchase.

I think that is enough for now. I have rambled on long enough. I hope you found this useful and I will continue to take note of the products I don't like because I think this would be so useful to my readers as it will save them wasting time on money on buying products that really don't live up to the hype.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and let me know if you found this helpful.

What products do you regret buying? Do you love any of the products I mentioned above, as ever you are welcome to comment below and tell me what you think.

Have a wonderful day xxx


30 Jun 2013

June 2013 Favourites

I bought ALOT of new products in June because I was lucky enough to go to London for IMATS. However,as that was towards the end of June I didn't have time to test alot of the products yet so I cannot give my honest opinion on them yet. However, I did fall in love with one or two of them instantly so I think I will have to give them a mention below.

So lets get going.


My skin is misbehaving alot lately. One minute its dry and next I am full of zits, YUK!! The two masks I have  reached for time and time again in June (and in every other month since I purchased them a while back) is the Una Brennan's Superfacialist Rose Hydrate and Tea Flower Deep Clean Masks. Read my full review on these here. These really are amazing masks and are very reasonably priced. When I use these I feel I am using professional quality products but without the steep price tag.

Picture from www.michaeltoddtrueorganics.com

Keeping with skincare again. I am nothing less than obsessed with the Michael Todd Intense Organic Eyecream. I have searched long and hard for a great eyecream that I can wear both night and day and that actually makes a difference to my dehydrated eyes. Oh boy have I found it!!!! This eyecream has a very light texture so it can be worn during the day and doesn't cake your under-eye concealers but at the same time it is so hydrating and the minute I put this on I can see the fine lines (yes I have some) reduce significantly. I will definitely be sticking with this for the foreseeable future. Michael Todd is an american brand I discovered in the last few months and I cannot get over the quality of the skincare for the price they charge. You should take a look if you are in the market for a new skincare regime. I will do a blogpost in the future about this brand and my favs from the range.

Pic from www.stila.co.uk


Moving on to makeup....... I only bought this palette in London but I am seriously in love. I dare to say it but for me its the nicest neutral palette I have ever owned, and boy do I own a few! The Stila in the lights palette consists of (for me) the perfect mix of shimmery and matte shades that allow you to create endless eye looks.  Need I say more.....maybe I will in an upcoming blog post.

Another favourite of mine this month is the eyeliner that comes with the Stila in the lights palette. Its called Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in the shade Damsel and it is the perfect deep brown colour that really compliments the palette well but the most important thing is it stays put for a long time, even on the waterline. Two favourites in one....loving this palette.


I wrote about the Boujour Bronzing Primer in my Summer Lovin' blogpost in mid June. I am crazy about this product. I use it over my foundation as a cream bronzer. It in no way makes my skin look orange or cakey but instead really just makes my skin look radiant and healthy. I will use this even in the winter!!! I am sure of it. Because my skin is breaking out a good bit I am avoiding using fake tan on my face at the moment just incase it irritates it and so I find this is great to help even out the colour of my face to my body.

Pic from www.feelunique.com 

Some days I get oily skin (even though I wouldn't have oily skin...I know skin drama). Soooo to keep this at bay I am loving the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Shade 001 Translucent. This seriously is one of the best oil control powders on the market and it costs like €5.99 (I actually found this here for €4.99, BARGAIN). I would say Rimmel powders in general are a definite must have for every makeup bag. They are great quality for a teeny tiny price.

Pic from www.maccosmetics.com

Mac's Cultured Lipglass has been a fav of mine for a while now but I seem to have become obsessed with it in June. Its the "perfect" pink shade of gloss that just adds sex appeal to your pout without being OTT and dramatic looking.

Pic from www.cocoabrown.ie


I am not into the overly bronzed look lately. I really love having a tan but I hate the "you've been tangoed" look that some girls adore. Instead I love to look naturally golden. I think it suits me (and most people) better and the fake tan seems to wear off better if its not layered too much. To achieve this look I am using the Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan which I reviewed here. This is such an easy tan to use but gives a lovely tan without looking overly fake and unnatural.

Pic from www.theperfumeshop.com

My favourite scent of the month is Roberto Cavalli Eau de Parfum. What can I say??? You need to smell this to experience it's beauty. The only way I can describe this scent is that it's an oriental floral type scent that to me screams strong sexy woman. And the packaging keeps with the strong sexy team, I just adore the lid, it reminds me of a crown.....

Ok so that's it for my monthly favourites. I just want to mention quickly that I am still loving and using the below products which I have mentioned in previous monthly favourites. This is a true testament to these products because I try ALOT of new products so to continue using something is a big deal and really means that it really works well for me.
I still love all the products mentioned in my April Favourites aswell as the MUA pro brow kit, the Sigma Mrs Bunny Collection (full review here) and Avon's supershock gel liner pencil from my February Favourites. I do still like the other products mentioned in my favourites but I have either found a better alternative or am currently testing another product of this type...stay tuned for updates in the future!

Well I think I have done enough rambling for one day. I hope you all enjoyed the post and be sure to let me know your favourites for this month. Have a beautiful day no matter what you get up to xxxx


23 Mar 2013

My recent Boots Haul

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend so far. I know I am. Before I head off into the land of study I thought I would do a little post on my recent trip to boots and let you know what products I picked up. I originally went over to get some hair products and came back with much more than I expected to or could afford but thats the joys of being a beauty addict I guess.

In this post I will only let you know what I bought but if you want a review on any of them please let me know and I will definitely do one or if I like them enough you may see them in a future favourites post.


A picture of everything I purchased (sorry about the picture, its pretty awful). 

So here is a list of the goodies I bought:

  • Umberto Giannini Flirty Curls Scrunching Jelly 
  • Umberto Giannini Shapely Curl Mousse (I have curly hair incase you didnt guess)
  • Balmi Lip Balm in Mint (in love with this stuff already)
  •  No 7 Eye Makeup Remover
  • Dr Jart ++ Water Fuse Beauty Balm
  • Una Brennan Rose Hydrate Intense Moisture Mask
  • Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask
  • Clinique all about eyes Rich
  • Clinique High Impact Mascara Black

Clinique also had a gift with purchase on so I got a beautiful bag with loads of lovely goodies in it. I was looking for an eyecream and when I seen that the gift had some great products in it I decided I would buy another product and get the gift free (as you do). The gift came with:
  • Rinse off Foaming Cleaner
  • Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief
  • All about eyes (normal formula)
  • Quickliner for Eyes Intense Eyeliner
  • Mini High Impact mascara
  • Chubby Stick Moisturising lip colour balm (the main reason I wanted this gift)

I have tried some of the products out from this haul but not all of them. I would love to hear your thoughts on any of the above products and please let me know if you would like a review on any of them. Have a great weekend everyone...xxxx