Palette Series: Revlon Colorstay in Adventurous

I'm not even sure I can class this as a palette, it's more of a quad but if there are more than one eyeshadow in the same set...it's a palette in this circumstance!

Revlon released these Colourstay quads quite recently and they come in a wide array of shades. They claim 16-hour wear but in all honesty...who needs to wear eyeshadow for 16 hours? The shade I have for you today is 'Adventurous' which is a lovely earthy brown quad.  I was a sucker for that shimmery green colour!

I like how Revlon shows you which shade to use on your eyes on the back of the packaging which I thought was a nice touch. The first shade is a pretty highlight colour (if on the slight 'white' side), the second shade is a gorgeous shimmery olive green which was the deal breaker for me! I don't have anything like this in my collection and really goes well with the 'Adventurous' theme. The third shade a deep bronzy brown that is more on the gold side and last but not least, shade four is a dark aubergine/purple/mauve colour.


I wish the packaging itself was more attractive as the shades are housed in black plastic casing and comes with a tiny sponge applicator. At £7.99 for this quad, I would have thought Revlon would have 'upped' their packaging ideas slightly to make it stand out from their other eyeshadow ranges. Nonetheless, the shades are really pigmented and I really want to prise myself away from neutral shades and be a bit more experimental with these colours!


The Revlon Colorstay Quads retail for £7.99 each, come in a wide array of shades and are available in Boots, Superdrug or online.


What do you think? Do you own this quad in any other shades?

Vanessa

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Sunday Summary #9: Race for Life Edition

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Getting ready, waiting patiently!

Woooo! At the finish line!

First off, I would like to apologise for my photographs. I do not photograph well in my running gear! But anyway, today is an special Sunday Summary as today, I ran the Race for Life in my city! If you don't know, the Race for Life is one of the largest women-only event in the UK and fundraises in aid of Cancer Research UK by running, jogging or walking 5 or 10K! 


When I was a little 'un, I unfortunately lost my Grandfather to cancer so this is a fantastic event to raise awareness, celebrate the fights won and to beat the fight against cancer! Up here in the North-East of Scotland, we aren't graced with the best weather so as the grey clouds loomed above us, I was certainly anxious to get started! It was a brilliant run along the beach coast (which wasn't too bad to look at either!) and I did 5K in 35 minutes (still hoping to knock a couple of minutes from my last time!) and managed to finish before it started raining! But it was amazing to be immersed in the atmosphere and you can certainly feel a buzz around the event. Children, Mothers, Daughters, Grandmothers etc. were all taking part and it is certainly enough to make you tear up that so many people were doing this event! I would definitely do this event again next year and for anyone showing interest to sign up for one! 


Other than wanting to sleep for an eternity...this week I've been getting things sorted for my graduation, new job, making exciting plans and seeing crazy friends! Phewwww! 


Have you ran the Race for Life before? What have you been up to this week?

Vanessa

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Products I've Used Up #1

A little disclaimer before starting this post; I didn't actually finish all these products in the month of June. I've been slowly hoarding them and the end of June seems to be the perfect time to write about some of the things I've used up. I won't be doing these kind of posts every month, I'd like to get together a lovely collection of products used so it'll be worthwhile posting about. Now, let's get started...wooo!

001. Clinique Clarifying Lotion (No.1): To be honest, I didn't actually finish the entire thing. I had left it in my bathroom whilst I was using another toner and by the time I got round to using it again, there was an iffy alcohol smell and I didn't want to go putting that on my face so I had to pour the rest away. In my defence, there was only a very little small amount left so I feel less guilty! Anyway, onto the product itself, I have always loved using Clinique products but I felt like there was a whole hoard of other toners out there that was left undiscovered! This particular one is great for dry skin! 

Would I re-purchase? Probably not right now but possibly in the future!

002. Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes: My favourite face wipes ever! I've tried a few others but I always go back to these ones! I mean, they don't remove all traces of makeup with one swipe, but I find them quite effective and gentle on my skin. Plus, Superdrug, Asda or Boots always do great deals so I always stock up when they're at a great price!

Would I re-purchase? Yes!

003. 17 Peep Show Mascara: How does anyone know when their mascara has run out? But anyway, this is by far one of the best drugstore mascaras I have tried! It has that perfect line between thickening and lengthening without clumping too much. It brightens up your peepers and I always feel that little bit better when I have a lick of this mascara on!

Would I re-purchase? Yes! I already have when 17 were selling these at a mere £4 a pop! I rarely ever re-purchase a particular type of mascara because there is always a better one to try on the market but this one is certainly an exception!

004. Elemis Rehydrating Ginseng Toner: MummyTron went crazy purchasing skincare items on QVC and she let me try this little bottle of toner. It has a really nice fresh smell and I did feel like my skin was being rehydrated. Was a lovely feeling! Got through this quite quickly, I only wish it was a bigger bottle.

Would I re-purchase? Probably not out of my own pocket but if MummyTron bought the deal again I would snap it up!

005. Clarins Daily Energizer Wake-up Booster: Smells amazing! Like picking oranges in the morning! Okay, slight exaggeration but it really boosts my skin in the morning and gives it a fresh 'pick-me-up'.

Would I re-purchase? Yes, I already have and currently using it in my skincare routine!

006. Simple Kind to Skin Eye Makeup Remover: I always like to use a separate makeup remover for my eye makeup but I found this really ineffective. I used it to wipe the makeup on the back of my hand when applying foundation and managed to use it all up! Yay!

Would I re-purchase? Probably not. As much as I love the Simple range, this didn't tick the boxes of a good eye makeup remover.

007. Clarins HydraQuench Rich Cream: The lady at the Clarins counter was lovely enough to recommend this to me when I was suffering extreme dry patches on my face. The thick cream like texture felt really luxurious and the dryness on my face actually cleared up nicely!

Would I re-purchase? I probably would if I ever had problems with dry skin again but it comes with a big price tag so it may be an exception!

008. Clean & Clear Morning Energy Skin Energising Daily Facial Scrub: I didn't usually exfoliate my skin so I felt it was time to do something about it when I saw my skin was looking as dull as dishwater! I used this every morning with my Soap & Glory Face Mitt and I did feel a big difference. 

Would I re-purchase? Although I really like incorporating a daily facial scrub in my skincare routine, I won't be re-purchasing this as it was a very gel-like texture and I felt that if I didn't have my Soap & Glory Face Mitt I would just be spreading gel around my face. Would love it more if it kind of foamed up.

Phew! That's a lot of empties! I love it when I use something out because it gives me the chance to buy new things, and who doesn't love that feeling?!

What products have you used up this month? Have you used anything that I've finished up?

Vanessa

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Drawing a Line: An Eyeliner Review

Eyeliner was definitely one of the first make-up items I bought when I was dabbling in make-up. I find that eyeliner just completes your eye look and manages to create amazing illusions like making your eyes look smaller or bigger. I thought I would go over my some of my eyeliner finds and some recommendations for you lovely readers if you're on the market for a new one or is just starting out with make-up!

Left to Right: MUA Eyeliner, MAC Kohl 'Smoulder', Topshop 'Saddle', Topshop 'Juniper', Majolica Majorca, Stila Smudge Stick 'Moray', UD 'Zero', UD 'Whisky'.

MUA Eyeliner in Jet Black: This a recent addition and at only £1, I'm really impressed with the quality. It's really creamy but I found that it smudges really easily so I'm not quite sure how long it would last on my eyes without setting it with a black eyeshadow. I'm also really impressed that the lid comes with a sharpener so it's pretty handy!

MAC Eye Kohl in Smoulder: I usually don't have a bad word to say about MAC as I research their products a lot before buying them and I'm never disappointed with them thereafter, but I'm finding it really difficult to still be friends with this eyeliner! It is a proper black eyeliner (as shown above) and it was once a favourite of mine but now whenever I try and use it, it just drags over my lids and even when swatching it on my hand it just dragged and pulled on my hand. *sigh* I really want to love this again but I guess you win some and lose some.

Topshop Kohl in Saddle: I love this eyeliner. It is a soft deep bronzy/brown shade and it's pretty much perfect for those days where you don't want to go too heavy with a black eyeliner. Lovely!

Topshop Kohl in Juniper: Another Topshop eyeliner in a deep Aubergine colour. It's something a little different to what I would usually go for but I did find myself reaching for this often when I bought it! Again, really creamy and it didn't drag across the lids. Topshop...you can do no wrong!

Majolica Majorca Cream Pencil Liner: This is a little diddle one I got for free when I bought a mascara in Hong Kong and it's pretty amazing! It's the perfect shade of black, creamy, applies well but the only gripe I have is that it is a bugger to remove from my eyes! (Anyone have any good eye makeup remover recommendations?) I'm also sad that it is a small sample size so hopefully when I got back to Hong Kong this year I can get the full size!

Stila Smudge Stick in Moray: I got this from my Glossybox absolutely yonks ago! It's a really nice product and the colour is amazing with a small hint of shimmer in it! I love using this to create a winged eyeliner look and was really pretty in the Wintertime! Can't wait to use it again in the colder months!

Urban Decay 24/7 in Zero: I do have a problem with using UD eyeliners. I don't doubt their quality at all but I just can't quite put my finger on it! It is a really nice jet black shade but not as black as the Majolica Majorca one.

Urban Decay 24/7 in Whisky: I believe this shade is limited edition that came with the Original Naked Palette before they started including a brush in the set. But it's UD so 'see above'. Sorry UD, love your eyeshadows but I'm not sold on your eyeliners yet!

What do you think? What is your favourite eyeliner?

Vanessa

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Palette Series: Sleek 'Storm' Palette

We're continuing my palette series with a Sleek product today, in particular, the Sleek 'Storm' palette.

In this palette, you get 12 wonderfully pigmented shades. There are 3 matte shades and 9 shimmery ones so you do get a bit of variety and you can create a look for everyday! A comment on the packaging, I do appreciate that Sleek had taken the time to really make it look quality although it's a drugstore product. The hard case that holds these eyeshadows give you peace of mind that if you're travelling with it, it won't collapse in on itself!


I'll be blatantly honest here and say that I have been neglecting this palette for quite some time now in favour of other products. But this is the brilliant thing about making these posts is that I re-discover make-up products that lurk in my drawer and begin to use them again.


Sleek is a brand that I'm always looking out for their new products as they often bring out new collections with an amazing colour range. Although this is my only Sleek palette, I will hopefully be investing in more in the near future!


These palettes are really inexpensive at £6.49 on the Superdrug website, in Superdrug stores or on the Sleek website. As far as I'm aware, Sleek is only available in the UK but ships internationally when bought online.


What do you think? Do you own this palette or any others from the range?

Vanessa

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Sunday Summary #8

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001. I must say, it's been an awfully ca-razay week! Been up and down the length of Scotland for interviews and such like! But all good things come to those who wait and I have been offered a job! I just want to take the time to say thank you for all the lovely comments you have left me regarding this and I'm so happy this job-hunting malarky is over! It's all still conditional just now and I have some background things to go through but hopefully everything goes well! The only thing I'm dreading is the phone-call from the other company I interviewed with. Hopefully they'll reject me and I won't have to deal with telling them that I accepted another job!


002. I got my results (finally!) for my Diploma in Professional Legal Practice course! 3 A's and 4 B's later I'm grinning like a Cheshire Cat! I'm gutted that I was one A away from a Distinction classification but I'd happily settle for a Merit! Graduation in July, here I come!


003. After this whirlwind week, my life plan is hopefully back on track and I can finally start planning some events for this year! One of them is moving out MummyTron's house and getting a flat/house of my own, then I decided to get a cat when I do. I've been researching cats and how to care for them like a crazy cat lady but I've decided what type of cat to get and I'm really excited! I've never owned a pet before and I do understand that they take a lot of care and attention in their early years but one craves some companionship :) If you have a cat, do you have any tips or recommendations as to what to look for and how to care for them?


What a mammoth week eh? What have you been up to this week?


P.S...Thank you to all my followers and readers who have read and commented on my blog, I appreciate each and every one of you! To mark this brilliant week, I will be holding a mini giveaway on my blog once I reach 50 followers (GFC & HelloCotton together)...so keep your eyes peeled!

Vanessa

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Review: Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

Back when I first started this blog, I mentioned in my 7 Deadly Sins of Beauty post that I have a love/hate relationship with gel eyeliner. I think it mainly has to do with the fact that I have weird Asian eyelids that prevent me from experiencing gel eyeliner to all its potential. The only gel eyeliner I have invested in is Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner.

As you can tell, I've used it quite a lot! I bought this back when QVC had a great deal where you get a duo of gel eyeliners and a Bobbi Brown eyeliner brush as well for a steal! Cue my frustrations in making it work! The formulation itself is creamy, glides on really well and comes very black (although I don't know if it's because I've had it for a while but the colour pay-off isn't as great as when it was new). I go through really odd phases of wearing gel-eyeliner, hating it then moving into liquid eyeliner. This process repeats itself. Practice makes perfect with these kind of make-up products and to be honest, I'm still learning the technique so that's why I'm always dipping in and out of it.

As it states on the packaging, it is very long wearing. I worked through an entire restaurant shift with it on and it doesn't stray. Getting it off your eyes is another task in itself! I would recommend a really good eye make-up remover as I've often woken up the next day with traces of the eyeliner still on my eyes!

I also have the colour in Espresso which is a lovely coffee brown which I haven't had the opportunity to use it! But I will make my way around to it as I'm feeling the black eyeliner might be a bit too much for every day wear. This is the only gel eyeliner I've tried but I've heard the Maybelline one is also fantastic!

This retails for £16.50 which is very pricey compared to the Maybelline gel eyeliner (but it is available in a wide range of colours), but I feel you do get what you pay for and Bobbi Brown is such a brilliant brand you can't really go wrong!

Have you tried this product before? Any other Bobbi Brown products that you recommend?

Vanessa

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Palette Series: Benefit's Big Beautiful Eyes

Wooo! I have another series for you lovely readers! This is my palette series where we will be looking at a variety of palettes for (hopefully) every occasion! I love palettes, they're so versatile and ideal for travelling! Usually the colours contained in palettes ultimately compliment each other so there isn't really much thinking involved trying to match the colours together to create your look!

Today, we're looking at Benefit's Big Beautiful Eyes kit.

As you can see it comes with three really lovely colours and a concealer. Underneath the palette, it comes with a guide as to how to use each shadow which I found quite useful when I was first starting out with this palette.


The three colours are so wearable for a lovely daytime look and the darker brown shade is perfect if you find a black eyeliner is too harsh. The shimmery pink is very similar to MAC's Naked Lunch or UD's Sin. The darker pink is akin to UD's Toasted but very much on the lighter side. 


The brushes are really useful as well...they're actually one of the only brushes I have tolerated keeping! One brush is double ended for contouring and lining, the other for use with the concealer. The only bad thing I have to say about this kit is the concealer. Whilst I don't doubt the quality of the concealer, I just found it really misplaced to put it in the same palette with eyeshadows. With more use of the palette, I found the excess eyeshadow fall-out landed in the concealer making it beyond useful. 


The signature quirky packaging from Benefit makes this palette even more wonderful and the mirror inside certainly does have its uses. One of my first eyeshadow palettes I've owned, and I still treasure it! 


It's slightly on the pricey side currently at £24.50 (I think when I bought it it was slightly cheaper than that, the effects on inflation eh?). If you're looking for really good quality eyeshadows and the peace of mind that Benefit always churn out brilliant products then it is a worthy cause to part with your hard earned cash!


What do you think? Do you own any other Benefit eyeshadow products?

Vanessa

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