First foray into...high end makeup. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Foundation

I've dabbled in medium-high end makeup like Benefit for years, but never splashed out on any brand more luxe than that. But I'd wanted to try the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat foundation for a while and as I had some birthday money I decided to indulge. Shelling out £29 on a foundation did make my eyes water a bit! As it's so expensive I am saving it for my special occasion/going out foundation. 

On first application I was a little disappointed, as the coverage seemed a bit sheer, especially as my skin is still not behaving. However, it is so buildable without looking caked on, and it really does illuminate the skin much like the iconic Touche Eclat concealer, without looking greasy or oily which I was concerned about.

As I had some vouchers left over from Christmas I also bought Benefit's 'Hello Flawless' powder. I had a miniature of this in my 'How to look the best of everything' kit' but the shade was a little too dark. My replacement shade 'Gee I'm Swell Ivory' matches me perfectly and sets the YSL Foundation  really well.

They've finally landed- Revlon Matte balms

These have been reviewed and swatched to death, but I love them so much I had to share! Revlon was also on 3 for 2 in Boots so I had to indulge. I went for 'Unapologetic', a punchy pink, and 'Audacious',an orange toned coral, and got a top coat as my third item. 

Here they are against a white background so you can see the shades better:

(top- Unapologetic, bottom- Audacious)


Unapologetic (pink)

Audacious (Orange-Coral)

(Sorry for the extreme close up but this shot shows the colour better!)

The colour pay off was better for Unapologetic than Audacious, but this may just be down to my skin tone. Audacious also showed up more imperfections on the lips for some reason. However, I'm a big fan and these definitely live up to the hype- they apply so easily and precisely due to the crayon-like design, they aren't awfully drying for a matte product and they last on the lips for ages.
 Unfortunately my Boots already had a half empty stand so half the colours weren't available, but I will definitely be adding more to my collection.

P.S- Apologies for all the random photo locations: I have been moving around the house trying to find some half-decent natural lighting, which is proving ridiculously hard in this dire weather! 

Bourjois Rouge edition lipsticks

As with most new releases, these have been doing the rounds on the blogosphere and thought I'd add my two cents to the mix.

I picked up two shades- Rouge buzz (orange-red) and Rose Neon (pink) after falling in love with the colours when I swatched them instore. And with a buy one, get one half price deal in Boots...why not, eh? :)

Rouge Buzz

I was a bit annoyed when I first got this out at home, as in store I thought it was more orange toned (which is what I wanted),but at home just looked pretty red.  However, once I'd  applied it and looked at it in different lights I really am starting to love this shade. It has intense colour in one swipe, and doesn't look too glossy 

Rose Neon

I loved this when swatched, but when I applied it at home I realised this really isn't the colour for me! It's too cool toned and 'Barbie' pink, which can be a good look, but I think the glossy finish on this put me off a lot. The colour was a lot sheerer than Rouge Buzz, meaning more coats had to be applied and resulting in a really glossy finish, as you can see in the close up shot. I haven't had much luck with pink lipsticks at all [see this post on Models Own Pink Hawaiian], maybe I should stick to reds! 

You can see how glossy this one is here

As a recent convert to lipstick, for me it's really important that a lipstick is easy to apply and doesn't smear too easily, as I'm still not so used to wearing it and don't wanna end up with it all over my face! Found it a bit strange that these two seemed quite different in their application. Though they both glided with ease, I found Rouge Buzz much more wearable as one coat resulted in great colour, whereas with Rose Neon i felt like I had to keep applying to get a good level of colour. This meant it felt quite heavy and almost sticky on my lips due to the number of coats.

 I definitely prefer the look of matte lipsticks, but Rouge Buzz did not have too much of a high shine finish and meant the lips felt hydrated rather than dry and cakey like matte lipsticks can leave your lips feeling. They both faded pretty evenly too so you are left with a light colour staining the lips rather than patches of colour all over.

I'm not sure about the 'groupings' of the lipsticks into colour families (I just went for the colours my eye was drawn to), but there seems to be variety in that there some neutral shades, brights like these two, and deeper colours for evening glamour. So there's something for everyone :)

Have you tried these yet?

Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Nail treatment

Despite being an avid nail art fan, I really don't take very good care of my nails. They're brittle and never get too long, because as soon as they get any sort of length they bend and snap. They were an uneven mess and all different lengths so thought I may as well snip them all the same length and start again. Giving me the perfect opportunity to test out this:

I didn't really know what sort of nail growth product to go for, but as Sally Hansen is such a well established nail brand (and it was under a fiver) I thought I'd go for it. This is to be applied every day which meant bare nails for me for a week, but it left them looking glossy and polished, like a good top coat. I've been using this fairly frequently (though perhaps not every day as they advise) but my nails have certainly grown a lot more than they usually do, and seem stronger too. I found it kind of hard to capture in photos, but basically I went to having almost no white tip on my nails (as I cut them all off to start again) to having an even length white tip on all my nails (long enough to do a french manicure on, let's say)

There's another Sally Hansen growth product that's a tad more expensive (nearer the ten pound mark) but promises even greater results (30% longer tips in five days). This is also tempting me, but for under a fiver I was  pleased with the results of this one and looking forward to getting back to nail art :)

Model's Own Hyper Brite Lipstick review: Pink Hawaiian

I've just started wearing lipstick, and after the first nerve-wrecking application, I now feel fairly confident wearing it and can't wait to try more colours. Thus, during my standard lunch time browsing of Boots, my eye was straight away drawn to Models Own Hyperbrite lipsticks. Of the four colours [Orangeade, Flaming Red, Annalise's Pink and Pink Hawaiian], I was immediately drawn to Pink Hawaiian...still not sure if I'm quite brave enough for orange lips!

In the tube, I loved the look of it. Bright pink but with a slight coral tinge, rather than a cool toned Barbie pink that I think would look terrible on me [see the other Hyperbrite Lipstick, Annalise's Pink!) 

However, in reality, it looks completely different on to what's in the tube...

Classic hand swatch

Excuse the major bed hair...

I was quite disappointed in this. I absolutely love the colour in the tube, but on the lips I don't love it and it doesn't seem to be the 'Hyper Brite' shade it claims to be. The formula's odd too; though deemed 'Matte Hyper Brites' it really isn't matte at all! You can see the sheen of it in the photos, especially this close up

Though this means it's very comfortable to wear, and doesn't dry and clump on the lips like other matte lipsticks, it doesn't result in the look that I was after. With matte shades, I expect the coverage to be pretty opaque, but this was quite sheer. 

So there you go! Pretty disappointed with this, as I love Models Own for their nail varnish and hoped this lipstick would be as good. The colour wasn't what I was hoping for, but the wear time was pretty good [around 2 hrs] and it faded and left the lips stained a nice pink rather than cracking and clumping like other matte lipsticks. But really wasn't what I was after.

Disappointing 'Beauty Classics'

As anyone who reads magazines or has an interest in beauty products knows, there are many items touted as being 'classic' or 'cult' products that we all must own. After purchasing one such product recently and being disappointed, I thought back to many items I've tried that have failed to live up to the hype.


Lipcote 

What they say: 'The original lipstick sealer and secret of lasting lipstick. A true beauty staple, transparent, quick drying Lipcote is specially formulated to perfect and protect every shade of lip colour for a smudge, feather and fade proof finish'

My thoughts: This has been around since the 50s, and is often stated to be a beauty essential. I've only just started wearing lipstick, and am still wary of smudging it all over my face so thought I'd give this classic a go. However I was not pleased: it smells like nail varnish, stings my lips despite them being in good condition and doesn't seem to make my lipstick last any longer despite following the instructions. Overall not impressed, and buying this is what prompted me to write this post 



OPI Nail Polish

What they say: 'From humble beginnings to global recognition and beyond...OPI nail lacquer sets the bar for performance and fashion'

My thoughts: Ok, this may be a tad unfair as I've only tried one OPI polish, the light grey Skull and Glossbones from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' collection. However, I was not impressed with coverage and lack of opacity (if that's a word!) With cheaper light-coloured polishes you expect coverage to be a bit thin and streaky, and that multiple coats will be needed. But when paying premium prices, I thought that despite the light colour it would only take one or two coats to get great coverage. However, it took FOUR, and even then it still wasn't as opaque as I would've liked. I guess I can't write off all OPI products, maybe I just need to try out some darker colours.



Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream

What they say: 'The all-day, all-night, all-in-one beauty secret. This remarkable cream promotes healthy skin and seals in moisture'

My thoughts: I have tried this multiple times and have never been able to get to grips with it, despite it apparently being a 'holy grail' product for celebrities and make up artists. It's supposed to be a product with multiple uses (to help protect skin from the elements, to tame brows, soothe hands and skin, give skin a dewy sheen etc etc) but to me it just feels like extra thick petroleum, which I don't really want to spread all over my face. It can be used to soothe lips too, but didn't actually do a lot to heal my sore lips in winter- I'll stick with my Blistex thanks.



Lucas' Papaw Ointment

What they say: 'Lucas Papaw Ointment has a proud history spanning 100 years. It has anti- bacterial and antimicrobial properties'. 

The papaw plant used in the ointment was described by it's creator as "the world's greatest healing agent."

My thoughts: I think this is somewhat similar to E.A's 8 hour cream- a supposed life saving product that can be used for anything. AGAIN it disappointed me. It bangs on about how it's made from the papaw plant, and I was expecting it to have a nice fruity scent or taste, but no. Like E.A, this seems like glorified, extra thick petroleum, but is quite a bit more expensive than bog standard Vaseline. And it still doesn't heal sore lips like my beloved Blistex!  I've googled other random uses for it (someone recommended using it on lashes to help them grow thicker and even on spots, which I'm not so sure about!) so I shall trial some of these and see if I can get this to work for me 

 I know these products have thousands of devoted users, but they just didn't work for me; maybe it's my skin type or the way I apply them?  

Have you tried these, or been disappointed by any other beauty classics?