Reviews: Makeup | Vanity Claire

ClaireJuly 8, 2014

The Coral Lippy Battle: Revlon Lipstick Review

It’s no secret that Claire and I are superfans of a Boots offer. Any kind of 3 for 2, 2 for £10, spend £30 and get a free gift offer we are all over it like two tiny rats on a makeup shaped biccy. I’m hoping that one day soon that Boots will branch out into doing more offers too. I suggest ‘spend £20 and get a person to stand by your fridge who will swat you away when you head in for ice cream’ or perhaps ‘spend £5 and get 3 sincere compliments on your hair and/or face’. It would go down a treat, I can tell you that right now (…can you tell I work in marketing?).

ANYWHO I DIGRESS. Revlon were having a huzzah-worthy 2 for a tenner on their makeup (I think it is still on, GO GO GO), so it was rude not to pick up a couple of lip products. I believe Claire did exactly the same thing recently, and treated herself to a couple more of the ColorBurst lip crayons. However, I decided to go all coral up on this thang and get myself 2 orange tinged lipsticks. I’m a big coral lipstick fan, and I’ve actually had my eye on this Topshop orange lipsitck – it looks mega. For some reason I simply can’t be arsed to go and buy it, so I got these two babies instead.

When I bought them, my stupid boyfriend questioned why I would buy two lipsticks that are exactly the same colour and by exactly the same brand. Obviously, I said WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, CAN’T YOU TELL THAT ONE IS A LIP CRAYON AND ONE IS A LIP BUTTER. YOU NEED TO GO TO MAKEUP SCHOOL, YOU ABSOLUTE PONCE FACED WANKER. Love you.

My point still stands, these two lipsticks are vastly different, and here’s why – and what I like about each of them.

Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti

We have already established that us Stylingo girls enjoy bigging up Revlon’s Lip Butters (read Claire’s great Revlon review here, chummies). So obviously I knew I was going to like the Tutti Frutti shade…but the question was, how much?!

Erm, very much. It’s actually a very paley orangey shade, which is perfect for the daytime. It’s really moisturising like all of the lip butters are, and it looks really lovely on (honk honk, that’s the sound of me blowing my own trumpet). Obviously, the staying power isn’t that great considering it’s quite pale and also really balmy, but it’s not a huge issue – it fades well and reapplying is a pleasant experience had by all (but mostly me).

Revlon ColorBurst Moisturising Balm Stain in Rendezvous

These are my favourite things ever, and Claire and I are big fannys of the Matte Balm offerings from Revlon. This is the Balm Stain, which gives you all the fun of a balm with all of the party of a stain.

I really love the Rendezvous colour, it is SUPER bright and beautiful. The stain aspect of the lip crayon is good too, and it doesn’t fade too horribly either. I would say that if you plan on wearing this for more than 12 hours, you’ll probably have to re-apply. But it lasts a good 4-5 hours with eating, which is simply brill in my books.

And here’s what it looks like on:

Without the Revlon 2 for £10 offer on at Boots at the moment, the ColorBurst Moisturising Balm Stain and the Lip Butter will set you back £7.99 each. You can buy them online here and here.

What do you think & what are your favourite coral lipsticks? Let us know in the comments below!

ClaireJune 12, 2014

Makeup Revolution: The One Foundation | Review

As y’all no doubt know by now, we love cheap stuff and can never resist giving purse-friendly makeup a go – even if just out of morbid curiosity to see whether we break out in scales. Anywho, Makeup Revolution are most definitely the hot young things on the cheap makeup market right now, and I placed a sizeable order with them about a month ago. One thing I decided to throw in my online basket on a whim was The One Foundation, which boasts an impressive range of 16 shades and is uber affordable at only £4.

Packaging wise, the first thing I noticed was that this obviously bears more than a passing resemblance to MAC’s Face and Body. Brave, Makeup Rev, brave. The other thing that caught my attention was how teeny tiny the bottle is. ‘WHAT IS THIS?’ my brain yelled, ‘A FOUNDATION FOR ANTS?’* However, once I check the volume against my other foundations I realised it really wasn’t much less at all, and so the Borrower-esque appearance is more just down to lack of excessive packaging and pump etc.

*(I’ve definitely used that joke before on here, but I feel it’s still got some life left)

As I mentioned, the shade range is undeniably impressive, and one of main selling points on the website is that there is “ONE shade for everyone”. This is definitely something to be applauded, as I know lots of pale chicas struggle to find shades light enough, and similarly dark-skinned girls are seriously lacking in options when it comes to high street makeup. I opted for Shade 7, but probably should have gone for 9 as this is a little too pale for me when I’ve got a layer of fake tan on (hence why you just get to enjoy some fun hand swatches in this post, soz). On the plus side, it’s a yellow based shade which suits me much more than pinky-toned foundations.

The first thing to note about this foundation is that it’s really watery. Shaking before pouring any out is an absolute must, otherwise you get a literally clear liquid with random particles of foundation in. When mixed it still comes out very thin though, so you have to act quite quickly before it just absorbs into your hand or brush. Needless to say, when I first saw this I really wasn’t too impressed, and my hopes for The One plummeted faster than James Franco’s sex appeal after that 17-year-old scandal.

Partially Blended

HOWEVER, you know what dear readers? The foundation actually kind of impressed me. It’s marketed as full coverage, which I would say is definitely not the case. It applies quite sheer on the face, but is definitely buildable. After two layers I was quite happy to see most of my blemishes covered, and the finish is as matte as promised.

Fully Blended

I’ve worn this to work a couple of times and I will say that the staying power isn’t super amazing and by the end of the working day I would need some serious touch ups (ooer). So in that respect it’s definitely not a foundation for days when your makeup needs to last, but I think it’s well suited for those days where you’re just popping out to run a few errands or want to go quite natural looking without actually going natural (perish the thought). It’s also a good summer foundation, especially for girls who don’t struggle with their skin and like quite a light finish. If I had to sum up my views with some sort of physical sign of approval, then it doesn’t get a full round of applause and a celebratory fist pump from me, but it does get a pleasant nod of approval.

Have any of you tried The One yet? You can click here to read our other Makeup Revolution reviews.

ClaireMay 15, 2014

Makeup Revolution Eyebrow Shaping Kit | Review

It is a well known fact that Lauren is to eyebrows what Katie Hopkins is to being a big grade A bitch – i.e. an expert. Over our time in the blogging world she’s reviewed many an eyebrow kit on Stylingo (Lauren I mean, not Katie H… that would be strange) so I feel a bit like I’m treading on her tiny hobbit toes here, but please bear with me and my idiot opinions.

Makeup Revolution are my new favey brand at the moment thanks to their super cheap and super fantastic lipsticks (which I reviewed here if you fancy a read) so I was excited to give their eyebrow kit a whirl too. The kit’s available in two shades: Light-Medium and Medium-Dark. Favouring a strong brow, I opted for the darker of the two. And here is what the little devil looks like inside…

Weeeeee, pretty isn’t it? Three eyebrow powders, one wax, a brush, some teeny tiny tweezers and a mirror in a compact, all for £2.50? You really can’t argue with that sort of value, unless you’re a div. The three shades of powder aren’t hugely different from each other, but this is actually useful considering it can be just a slight mis-match in shade that can make the difference between a good eyebrow filling job and a pure disaster. The powders are also meant to be blendable so you can find the best colour for you, but I found that the second colour along was a pretty good match for me as it is.

In terms of quality, the powders are brilliantly pigmented and apply easily. I initially took a stab at using the brush that came with the kit but it was just too little so I reverted to my normal eyebrow brush (the E7 by MUA) as the longer handle gave me more control.

I hadn’t used a wax on my eyebrows before as I don’t usually find I have much problem with them falling off my face anyway, so I can’t say I’ve noticed a big difference applying this over the top of the powder. But I think it does make the final look appear a bit more groomed and sleek.

Overall I think this compact is amazing value for money. At £2.5o it’s cheaper than it’s other bargain rivals, and it’s the perfect sturdy little kit to carry around with you. You can buy it either via the website or at Superdrug, and I highly recommend you do.

Another thumbs up from Makeup Revolution from me!

Have any of you tried this product? What do you think?

Don’t forget you can vote for us as Best Blogging Duo in this year’s Style Blogger Awards with Company magazine! Click the icon below to be taken to the voting site:

ClaireMay 10, 2014

Makeup Revolution: £1 Lipsticks | Review

Now, I’m genuinely not usually one to hop on a beauty blogging bandwagon. It definitely would have been a nippy day in hell before I forked out £37 for the Naked 3 palette, for example – I mean, do you know how many tequilas that can buy you?! Sheesh. But over the last couple of months there’s one brand it’s been hard to ignore: Makeup Revolution. With dirt cheap prices and a shockingly good amount of reviews online, I eventually caved. It’s being stocked in Superdrug, but I assumed that if the stand was anything like the MUA stand in there then it would be virtually empty (is this the same in your local stores or is it only in Coventry that people see £1 makeup and thoroughly lose their shit?) so I decided to place a little order on their website. And for those of who are remarkably unobservant, YES, those 3 lipsticks up there were part of the order!

I opted for the shades Crime, a striking Barbie pink; Fusion, which seemed to be a vampy plum; and The One, a classic nude (aka my go-to lipstick shade of dreams). At only £1 it was definitely tempting to get more carried away and order all 30 shades, but I realised that was the behaviour of someone whose priorities are not in order, so settled on these shades to give me a nice range.

On first impressions, the packaging is of course similar to MUA but a bit nicer – the rose gold writing definitely gets a thumbs up from this rose gold lover. And then onto the swatches…

I LOVE Crime and The One with a fiery passion. Both are really pigmented from the first swipe, and feel moisturising when applied. Crime will be perfect for so many nights out (I’ve always been a sucker for a Barbie lip) and The One will most definitely become my new everyday nude. However, I have no idea what happened with Fusion. Not only is the colour much lighter than you’d expect, but the colour pay off is also pretty weak and it felt a lot more dragging to apply than the other two. Please see Exhibit B:

Overall though, I’m SO impressed with the other two shades that I’m going to overlook Fusion as some sort of fluke and still declare these lipsticks to be the tits. For £1 I’ll definitely be stocking up on more shades if I ever bother to venture into Superdrug and find the stand hasn’t been too massacred.

In my order I also picked up a foundation, brow kit, highlighter AND received a lipgloss, blusher and a couple of nail varnishes as a free gift (I don’t know why either, but THANK YOU Makeup Rev!), so stay tuned for more Makeup Revolution reviews over the next couple of days. That’s if the suspense doesn’t kill ya anyway.

ALSO if you follow us on Twitter then you’ll definitely have seen us harping on about the fact that we have been nominated in this year’s Company Style Blogger Awards under the Best Blogging Duo category! It’s a huge honour and we’d like to thank everyone who nominated us and has already shared their support by voting. We don’t expect to win at all as we’re up against some fabulous blogs, but it’s honestly just so nice to have made the shortlist. If you would like to vote for us then you can do so by clicking here – you can find us in the fourth category along. Thanks in advance if you do, and please let us know on Twitter (@StylingoUK) so we can send you loads of loveheart emojis to express our gratitude.

What do you all think of these lipsticks? Have you tried anything from Makeup Revolution yet?

ClaireApril 27, 2014

3 Ways to Apply Foundation

For a lot of us, foundation was one of the first staples that we adopted when we started applying makeup. Before we knew about primers, blushers, bronzers, highlighters, powders, under-eye concealers, blemish concealers, setting sprays and all of the other junk we would soon start slathering on our face (up yours, natural beauty), foundation was probably the first thing we felt comfortable with.

However, up until about a year ago I’d rarely applied foundation with anything other than my fingers or a flat foundation brush (which made me look like a waxwork, FYI) and I wasn’t really sure what the point of all the other methods was. So this post is for anyone like me who, although vaguely knows that there’s something out there called a buffing brush and thinks that maybe being buffed is a good thing, isn’t quite sure of the differences of brush or which ones works best.

Of course there are more ways to apply foundation, but in the interest of this post being finished some time before my 80th birthday I thought I would just concentrate on 3 popular methods.

Method 1: Buffing Brush
As the saying goes, you must be a muff if you don’t buff. Okay, I don’t think anyone has ever said that before but really, using a buffing brush will change your life. They have densely packed bristles and quite a small surface area to allow you to really work foundation into the skin, and you blend it in using small circular movements. It results in a flawless finish and is also pretty quick to apply (pssst, spoiler: this my favourite method).

Method 2: Stippling Brush
Stippling brushes can be identified by their pointed bristles – the heads look a bit like Pauly D’s hair on Jersey Shore. They usually have 2 layers of bristles, and you should only be using the top layer to apply your foundation. Rather than just slapping your foundation on like paint (which will result in streaking and make you look like a tit of the highest calibre) you dab the brush into some foundation and then dot it all over your face. A lot of people swear by this method as it supposedly leaves an airbrushed finish, as foundation isn’t rubbed into all the nooks and crannies of your face but is instead kind of lightly placed onto the skin. Personally, I find stippling take a bit too long on my moon face and I suffer from a big case of a CBAs about halfway through. I use my stippling brush for highlighter or cream blushes instead, but it’s worth trying with foundation to see how you get on.

Method 3: Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
Not to be confused with the humble foundation sponge, the Miracle Complexion Sponge is hailed as the UK’s answer to America’s famous Beauty Blender. Oval shaped with a flat part at one end and a point at the other, this works best when slightly damp so that it doesn’t just absorb the product (leaving you poor and ugly). Most reviews and tutorials instruct you to ‘bounce’ the sponge across your face to distribute the foundation; it takes a bit of getting used to but after a couple of attempts I was really pleased with the final effect. I use this mainly now when I contour (you can read my Guide to Contouring if you fancy) as it’s really good for blending and also seems to remove too much excess product.

So there we have it – buffing, dotting and bouncing, all different ways to get the same thing on your face. The choice really is yours, but for me buffing is the winner.

What do you all think? What’s your favourite way to apply foundation?

Please nominate Stylingo.co.uk for the Best Blogging Duo award in this year’s Company Style Blogger Awards!

ClaireApril 23, 2014

Primark PS Love Lip Gloss Crayon | Review

Regularly readers probably know by now that I adore Primark with a fierce love – similar to the love that lionesses have for their cubs, but a bit less bitey. I’ve already dabbled with their new-ish range of cosmetics, PS Love and recently reviewed their Volumising Ultra Black Mascara. I was actually really impressed by that product, and in fact since writing that review I’ve became even more of a fan and it’s my go-to everyday mascara at the moment.

So when I popped into Primark recently (on one of my usual ‘I only came in for some socks and have accidentally left with a shopping bag that weighs the same as a small child’ trips) I decided to pick up one or two more products. One of these was the pack of false nails which I reviewed here and the other was this here lip crayon.

I opted for a nude shade because, frankly, everything is better in nude (lips, shoes, Kit Harrington…). First up I’m quite fond of the packaging – the plastic lid is a little on the cheap side, but I think the gold detailing is quite a nice touch. Plus the crayon winds up which is really handy, as sharpening is sooooo 2003 (I remember having some sort of glittery eye crayon from Barry M – no I don’t know why I thought that was a good look either – and it was literally the biggest nightmare to sharpen. Blue glitter err’where).

Then we get onto the actual application of the product. And my overall opinion can be summed up in the following noise: meeeeeeeh.

The colour payoff actually looks much better on my hand than it does on the lips. To be honest, it’s barely noticeable once on. Obviously it’s a lip gloss crayon so it’s a much more sheer formula than we’re used to with a lot of other lip crayons on the market right now. And in defence of the product, it does feel smooth and glossy to apply, and leaves a sheen. However, it’s certainly not as glossy as a proper gloss (has the word ‘gloss’ started to look like a made-up word to anyone else by now?) and if I’m honest the staying power is minimal.

Overall I think this is one of those hybrid products that doesn’t quite hit the mark in either things it’s trying to achieve. I’d be intrigued to see whether the other colours in the range offer a stronger colour payoff, but won’t particularly be rushing out to buy one with my own money. I know they’re only £1.50, but I can buy like, three Greggs sausage rolls for that (maybe even four if they’ve got an offer on).

It’s rare for me to say anything bad about Primark, but even lion cubs are probably little shits sometimes.

Have any of you tried the lip gloss crayons from Primark? What do you think?

Please nominate Stylingo.co.uk for the Best Blogging Duo award in this year’s Company Style Blogger Awards!

ClaireApril 13, 2014

Everyday Makeup Routine: The Update

Last summer, back when this blog was in its first stage of infancy (I think we’re now in the hormonal teenage phase, how else can my obsessive watching of Twilight be explained?), I did a little everyday makeup post. That was almost a year ago now and I’ve spent lots of time, money and effort since then scouring the globe (or Boots) for new things to put on my face to make it look like another face – so I figured it was about time I did an updated version for y’all.

I know, pant-wettingly exciting isn’t it?

The Products

Face:
To start I mix Seventeen’s Stay Time Foundation in shade Natural with a similar sized amount of Seventeen’s Wow! 3 Way Higlighter to create a dewy base. I used to be a matte lover but this has 100% become my go-to base now, and if ever I decide to use a different foundation or BB cream I always end up regretting it and missing my glowy dazzling skin. I then use Seventeen Stay Time Concealer and Seventeen Instant Glow Cream Bronzer to contour – you can read my full post on contouring here. To set all this magic and wonderment, I use a light dusting of MUA’s Matte Perfect Loose Powder. I wasn’t initially expecting much from this powder as I’ve used another MUA one which was, in a word, poo – but I’ve been so pleasantly surprised at how long it can keep shine at bay for.

Eyes:
Your eyeballs are apparently the window to your soul, so it’s important to dress your windows nicely. My favourite mascara of all time is still Benefit’s They’re Real and although I usually have a few on the go (mascara hussy alert) Benefit is always my failsafe. I then always add my cackhanded attempt at an eyeliner flick with Collection’s Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner, which remains the best eyeliner I’ve ever used. The Barry M Natural Glow Eyeshadow Palette also gets used everyday, though not for its eyeshadow purpose – the darkest shade in the palette is what I use to fill in my brows.

Lips:
Nice and simple, my go-to lipstick for everyday use is MAC ‘Pret-A-Pretty’, which I reviewed in full here.

The Brushes

I think there’s some sort of quote about an artist only being as good as his tools or some shit, but I don’t remember it properly. So: ‘brushes and that are dead important” – you can make that my quote if you like. Everyday I use my Real Techniques Powder Brush for setting my powder, my eBay stippling brush for applying highlighter to my cheekbones, my MUA eyebrow brush for my brows (obv) and my Real Techniques Beauty Blender for my foundation and contouring products.

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is the stuff I trowel on my face each and every day. Nobody said it was easy being a girl, did they?

What are your everday makeup products? Let me know below!

ClaireApril 3, 2014

Rimmel ScandalEyes Rockin’ Curves Review

It’s been a while since I have royally slagged something off. I think I can blame my recent rants about pretty much everything on the fact I’ve not had a proper complain here on Stylingo.

Thankfully, I can finally come to some sort of rant closure and finally I have something to properly complain about. And that something is bloody Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin’ Curves mascara. In fact, it’s not just complaining. It’s full on hatred.

This is without a doubt the worst thing I have put on my face, even worse than that time I thought mixing yoghurt and porridge oats would be a pleasant face mask experience. Since my love of lists is almost as much as my love of complaining, here is my beef in list form.

What in god’s good name is the brush about? It’s literally the stupidest thing I have ever seen. Why would you make a curly wand like this? WHY. It means that at any one time, you can only get a few of your lashes. It means that your hand flaps about because you don’t know what’s going on. It basically means that whoever designed this temporarily lost their minds and/or should be sacked.
I was promised curves. Where are they? My eyelashes look like a big ball of utter wank (pardon). They look like tiny stubby midgets balancing on my eyelids. What they don’t look like is rockin’, or curvy.
Why is my face crumbling like pastry? I have never experienced a mascara that crumbles like this. By the end of the day, it looks like I have been down t’pit. It is also extremely annoying and slightly uncomfortable when it flakes off and falls into your eyeballs. No, Rimmel. No.
Why is the packaging so embarrassing? I’m sorry, but snakeskin and a pitiful attempt at a ‘cool’ logo makes me want to throw up. It also makes me wonder why I bought it in the first place, I must have felt some kind of 3 for 2 Boots pressure and temporarily lost it.
Why have you given me eyeball disease? I can’t rightly blame this on the mascara, but I have a sore eyeball now and I strongly suspect it is because this pathetic excuse for a mascara has been flaking all over the place and making me touch my eyes more than I usually would. Owwy.

So anyway. The only positive I can give Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin’ Curves is that it makes my blonde eyelashes black and therefore makes me look like less of an albino. That is all.

Don’t bother buying this girls, it will be the most upsetting thing you ever do.

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ClaireMarch 21, 2014

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation 010 Light Porcelain

Good afternoon to you my dear chums,

There’s nothing better than a delightful foundation review to get you ready for a weekend of erm…slathering foundation all over your face? Which is why I have done the selfless thing of providing you with a review of one of my favourite foundations ever. And I am a girl who has tried a lot of foundations. It has become a slight issue.

This is 100% the foundation that I always come back to. I’ve used some amazing bases from excellent brands like Bobbi Brown, Mac and Estee Lauder, but to be quite honest with you, nothing has quite matched up to this. The main reason I love it so much is because of the price. At £6.99, it’s a huge bargain that you can’t even try and shake your head at.

Another big plus for me is that it actually does what it says on the bottle. While in principal I strongly disagree with calling it a “25 hour” foundation (what use is that to me? When and why on this green earth would I wear foundation for 25 hours?), it really does last a long time. It well and truly lasts all day on my face, even without primer. And that, my friends, is an amazing feat. Makeup never stays on my greasy, cheek infested face.

It also has fantastic coverage. I have pretty uneven skin and coverage is really important for me in a foundation – this is definitely a heavy coverage foundation, so if you’re into the fresh faced thang, it might not be for you. HOWEVER, if you are like me and enjoy masking any hint of your features, then this is one of the best.

As a heavy coverage foundation, this one is quite thick and a bit gloopy (like Augustus Gloop). I believe it is oil based too, which isn’t for everyone I know. However, while it definitely is a heavy foundation, it’s also surprisingly light for the coverage you get. I don’t tend to feel like I have a lot on my face, which is fabulous for those of you who aren’t keen on that “heavy” makeup feeling. I also like that it’s oil based, because the oil seems to help it last longer through some oily wizardry. Whether you prefer a dewy look or like a matte/powdered face, this works really well.

And here is a little swatch of Rimmel’s Lasting Finish 25 Hour foundation, the bit on the right has been semi-blended. I got it in Light Porcelain 010, which is several shades lighter than what I usually trowel on my face. Unfortunately, my life has been ruined so I can no longer tan (sob and woe) because of skin problems. All of my foundations were a bit dark, so I had to launch myself at the Pale Gail side of life with gusto. Light Porcelain 010 a nice pale colour (the palest they do I believe), which works really well for my skin tone. It’s a warm colour, which I think would suit most pale gals and blends well when you apply. I like to use my little foundation egg to apply this magic foundation, but a stippling brush works just as well.

And now you can see it on my gompy face. I considered doing a before and after, but I didn’t want to alarm anyone. Safe to say, I have a very spotty chin at the moment, but I also permanently suffer from dark circles and some discolouration of my cheeks. Rimmel’s 25 Hour Foundation covers these nasties absolutely perfectly. The picture on the top right is without flash, but I’m sure you can see how well this covered my GIANT MOONFACE.

What do you think? Have you used Rimmel’s Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation before?

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ClaireMarch 18, 2014

Primark ‘PS Love’ £2 Volumising Mascara | Review

Everybody who knows me knows that I love Primark, A LOT. In fact, if I ever turn up on the missing persons’ list then the first place people should check is my local store, as the chances are I could have just been crushed by a pile of jeans, or be in the changing rooms trapped inside a dress (which yes, has happened to me – twice…)

Anywho, Primark have been gradually expanding their collection over the last couple of years. By stocking a range of beauty products, from fake tan and eyelashes to face wipes and moisturisers, they were certainly becoming a one-stop for all of those ‘popping into town for a few bits’ needs. This goal seems even closer to being achieved now with this month’s release of their brand new beauty range, PS Love. With prices ranging from just £1 – £2.50 and including false nails, lip crayons, eyebrow pencils, eyeshadow palettes and more, they’re seriously reaching out to the cheap and cheerful shoppers out there.

OBVIOUSLY I couldn’t resist trying at least one item from the range (even though makeup from anywhere other than Boots or Superdrug makes me anxious), so opted for the Volumising Mascara in Ultra Black. I’m a huge mascara fan (and you can click here to read our other mascara reviews) so was intrigued to see what Primark were putting their name to and whether it could deliver for just £2.

Firstly, I was quite happy when I opened it to find the brush is a plastic one. These are definitely my preferred type of wand, as I find they separate my lashes much better than fibre brushes. It’s also nice and chunky, which bodes well for the volumising claims. Other than that, it’s quite a crude brush (by which I mean it’s very basic in design, not that it tells saucy jokes). We’ve grown used to a mascara market saturated with bendy, curly and twisted wands that are designed to catch each and every lash, so using something as no-frills as this definitely feels a little weird and you have to go quite steady to avoid a) making a total mess and b) taking an eye out.

However, once on the formula of the Primark mascara is actually pretty good. The ‘Ultra Black’ claims are 100% founded – it really is black. It also goes on nicely; not too wet like some mascaras but also doesn’t feel like it’s clumping your lashes together. The best part for me is that it lasts really well, with no flaking throughout the day – and it really does stay VERY black.

So what’s my overall opinion? At the end of the day, the Benefit team aren’t going to be losing any sleep over the PS Love mascara knocking They’re Real off the top spot or anything; but for just £2 this really isn’t bad. In fact, it’s better than a fair few drugstore mascaras that I’ve paid four times as much for. Even if you only pick one up to keep as a spare, I would say it’s definitely worth the money.

Have any of you tried this, or any of the PS Love range yet? What do you think?

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