Claire

No. 7 Exceptional Definition Mascara: Review

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Hey there pals and strangers! Continuing with my well-documented quest for the perfect mascara, today I come to you bearing my review of No. 7 Exceptional Definition. If you read my Benefit ‘They’re Real’ review then you will know that this was one very difficult mascara to follow. I loved it with the passion of a thousand amorous lovers (ooh I don’t think I’ve managed to make a post creepy this early on before, 5 points to Gryffindor), but decided to see what else the mascara market had to offer. Also I will say on a side note that They’re Real began to dry up around the 6 week mark, which is worth bearing in mind if you’re not willing to spend almost £20 that regularly.

I asked the lovely Twitter world for recommendations for a mascara to try next and had YSL’s ‘Baby Doll’ suggested to me, which sounded amazing. Unfortunately, this month I had a few horrible things I needed to pay out for, such as car tax (when I tell you that I still haven’t passed my test and so fork out for a car I can’t even legally drive, you’ll be able to imagine how much this pained me), and so I decided to be sensible and seek out a more purse-friendly high street option. One that stuck out to me in a review was No. 7’s Exceptional Definition mascara, so I hot-footed it to Boots to pick this little baby up. You know how every time you go to Boots you get a No. 7 voucher? Yeah, well I think some random goat must be going in my purse and munching mine because I couldn’t find one anywhere, so had to pay the full amount of £11. Luckily the nice shiny packaging stopped me from being too angry and I went on my merry way.

The main thing that drew me to this mascara is the brush; I much prefer plastic brushes to synthetic as I find they’re better at separating my lashes. The brush is also a ‘triple effect’ one with three different types of bristles which serve different lengthening, volumising and separating purposes. So, onto the results:

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DSCN2381I’m really impressed with this mascara. As you can hopefully see from the photos, it added some good length, colour and definition to my mousey little excuse for eyelashes. The application is a little messy due to the rather wet formula, though I also found that to happen with They’re Real and don’t mind it too much. Depending on your method of application, it can clump a little – for example, that little habit of turning the brush vertical to wiggle on your bottom lashes is an absolute no-no with this. Overall though, I would say the effect isn’t much different to They’re Real and so I’m very happy indeed. I’ve been using it for about two weeks now and so can safely say that its staying power is quite good – maybe not quite as long-lasting as Benefit, but on the plus side it is much, much easier to remove at the end of the day than that stubborn little thing.

Have any of you tried No. 7’s Exceptional Definition mascara? What did you think?

Don’t forget that you can follow us on Twitter @StylingoUK and on Bloglovin‘!

Claire

MUA ‘Undress Me Too’ Eyeshadow Palette: Review & Swatches

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Good evening lovers! Over these past couple of weeks, I definitely went on a bit of a beauty buying binge and one of my favourite new products is this oh-so-popular MUA eyeshadow palette, Undress Me Too. This retails at £4, however it was nowhere to be seen in my local Superdrug and was out of stock on both Superdrug and MUA‘s websites. For some reason though, I got obsessed with the idea of owning it one day and so ended up ordering one from an eBay seller who was selling them for about £7 – I KNOW that this is ridiculous, but Lauren was in Scotland and I had nobody  to wrestle the laptop away from me.

Even though I did pay almost twice the RRP, I was still super excited when it plopped through my letterbox. Along with its predecessor, the ‘Undressed’ palette, ‘Undress Me Too’ is practically famous in the UK beauty blogging world. Both are known for being dupes of Urban Decay’s ‘Naked’ and ‘Naked 2’ palettes respectively – an association that I’m sure MUA were in no way advocating when they came up with their product names, of course..!

Now, I don’t own the Naked 2 palette so can’t comment on how much of a successful dupe it is; all I can safely say is that what we have here is a very nice little eyeshadow palette that’s pretty brilliant value for money (and even better value for money if you can buy it for RRP and not get swindled by eBay sellers). I’m not really an avid user of eyeshadows but am thinking this could be the product that changes this for me.

DSCN2371Naked / Devotion / Shy / Fiery / Lavish / Dreamy

DSCN2370Tranquil / Exposed / Reveal / Wink / Obsessed / Corrupt

As a huge fan of neutrals in everything, the shades are right up my street. There’s also a nice mixture of shimmer and matte shades in the palette, so you can create a variety of looks for different occasions. The pigmentation seems pretty good to me, and on first use there doesn’t seem to be a big problem with fall-out. The brush that comes with the palette is very basic and the packaging could be a little more inspired, but they’re really the only things to pick fault with so far. I’m very much looking forward to trying this out properly over the next couple of weeks and can see it becoming a staple part of my makeup bag.

Have any of you tried MUA‘s ‘Undress Me Too’ Palette? How do you think it matches up to Urban Decay’s ‘Naked 2’? 

Claire

Accessorize Merged Baked Blusher: Review

Accessorize Baked Blusher Review

Good day, homegirls,

This is somewhat a late time to be getting on the Accessorize blusher wagon. In fact, I think I may have missed the first 10 wagons and I am now on the Night Wagon, which is crowded with drunk hipsters and mad people scoffing Subways.

Even so, I thought I would get involved and review my Accessorize Baked Blusher, mainly because I love it. I want to marry it. You think I am joking, but I’m not. We’ve planned a small ceremony on a beach in Cornwall; I’ve yet to find a dress.

For those who haven’t tried this blusher yet – you are lunatics. I know the packaging is quite alarming and there isn’t really any need for the butterfly pattern (Claire and I were discussing that butterflies are basically tarted up moths), but the product inside is top notch.

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I have the Baked Blusher in Scandal, which makes me feel quite the wanton woman. It’s a lovely deep rose coloured shade, with gold shimmer marbled into it. This gives it a lovely shimmer that isn’t too full on – it’s excellent for summer especially! I would say that for girls who prefer a matte blusher, this one probably isn’t for you. But if you enjoy cheeks that look like they belong to the disco ball family (in a good way), then definitely think about getting involved!

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This is what it looks like on my face.

I’ve had my Accessorize blusher for around 2 months now and it literally looks as if I haven’t used ANY of it. I’m not sure if it’s the ‘baked’ element to the product or if it is actually magic, but I can see this lasting me a very, very long time. It costs £6 from any Accessorize store (and online) but you can find these little bad boys at Superdrug too.

Has anyone else used this blush? Thoughts?

Claire

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara: Review

Hello fellow loons and happy Sunday to merry England,

I’m writing to you from the Scottish highlands today, because I have finally decided to leave the streets of Coventry (I have a house, I’m not a prostitute) and spend some time with my delightful family. Needless to say, I’m vaguely baffled by the sheer number of trees and would quite like someone to explain what these giant rocks sprouting from the ground are (…mountains, what?!).

Apart from investing in a kilt, eating haggis and stalking Nessie, it is raining so we are not doing any activities today. Big surprise, I know. Thankfully, we have wifi in our Swedish-style lodge (and a sauna, so you all know what I will be doing shortly after writing this post!), so I thought I’d spend my time off work by catching up on blogging. Claire and I have been busier than Obama this week at work (with quite a few moments we wanted to throw in the towel and become Britney’s backing dancers. Wait…we still want to do that). Claire has managed to be a good egg and blog but I have been very pathetic and rubbish, so I do apologise!

ANYWAY, I hear you thinking “I came here to read a mascara review, not hear an idiot’s witterings about Scotland” (rude..).

I picked up this mascara during the week because there was a jazzy 2 for £10 situation going on with some Rimmel products in Boots. My foundation was one of the products involved in the deal, so it was definitely rude not to get something else.

You may have read our e.l.f makeup haul quite a while ago, but I got an e.l.f 3 in 1 mascara amongst everything else I bought. We were quite excited because the brush was similarly shaped to Benefit’s ‘They’re Real’ mascara and we thought we had come across a dupe. We hadn’t. The mascara is fine, but I do have some issues with it. Firstly, it takes FOREVER to dry on your lashes. If you sneeze or make sudden movements, you may as well give up on going out anywhere because your face will be ruined. Another issue is that because it takes so long to dry, my bottom and top lashes stick together causing me to look like a god damn fool.

BECAUSE OF THESE AWFUL ISSUES…I decided enough was enough. I’ve given the e.l.f mascara a decent trial and I just don’t like it. So I figured a new one was in order and grabbed this bad boy when I was in Boots the other day.

So, what about Rimmel’s Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara?

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I gather it is a fairly new product, Rimmel are certainly still splashing the word ‘new’ all over display stands. The name promises a lot – acceleration? ENDLESS ACCELERATION? This is too much. Is endless acceleration even possible? I think I need to consult my engineer father on this one. Rimmel say that this mascara defies the laws of lash length. Has anyone got a copy of these Lash Length Laws they want to share?

I’m not usually one to comment on the packaging so I will just say that it looks like a tube of mascara. Which is a plus. I’m glad it doesn’t look like a bowl of cereal.

The brush is quite good, I’m quite the fan. As you can see, it’s a plastic one (do fibre brushes even exist anymore?) and it is fairly small and thin. The smallness is which I enjoy, it means you can get into the corners properly and not worry as much about poking yourself in the eyeball and screaming “HELP! IN THE NAME OF THE GOOD GOD OF MASCARA, WHY?!”

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The colour is extreme black, and while I would say it is definitely black, I am unsure how extreme it is. Will report back with more info if this changes or if my eyelashes suddenly become racist.

I’ve included a picture of my eyeballs with one featuring NO mascara and one featuring a couple of coats of the Lash Accelerator Endless mascara. I’m quite pleased and I think this may just be my new go to mascara.

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And here is my face with no other eye makeup on EXCEPT the mascara – I’m definitely a pleased Larry.

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What do you all think? Anyone else tried this jazzy little Rimmel mascara?

Claire

The Best Nude Lipstick: MAC vs E.L.F

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If you read this blog regularly then you may know that I am girl who is on many quests. I’m on a quest for the perfect mascara, a quest to learn contouring, a quest to find something I love more than crop tops – I am basically the Zelda of the fashion and beauty blogging world. I am also on a quest to find brilliant nude lipsticks. I have raved before about what a fan I am of them, being an avid lover of all things neutral (except for Switzerland) (this is a joke; you Swiss girls have got it going awwwwn). View Full Post

Claire

E.l.f Lip Primer & Plumper: Review

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It’s been a couple of weeks now since our mammoth E.L.F. makeup haul, and after managing to restrain myself from reviewing everything straight away (no, really – there were shackles and everything) I am finally back with my review of their Lip Primer and Plumper. This was a product that I admittedly bought on a whim, as I’m prone to a good gimmicky product every now and then. View Full Post

Claire

Collection 2000 ‘Fix Me Up’ Makeup Setting Spray Review.

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If you follow us on Twitter or Instagram, you may have seen me get over excited about the fact that Collection have a makeup setting spray for around £5. I believe it was launched towards the end of last year, but the first time I saw it in-store was about a month or two ago – I’m not sure if this was me being horribly unobservant or if it hadn’t been stocked in Birmingham until then! I got it from Boots, if anyone is at all interested.

I think Claire and I have garnered ourselves a bit of a reputation for being bargain hunters (though I think in reality, we are just cheap and driven by poverty paha), so I’m always on the hunt for cheap-yet-quality makeup products. As far as setting sprays go, I’m a bit of a novice (hairspray on the face, anyone?). After doing a bit of research, I gather that there aren’t a huge number of fixing sprays on the market. Urban Decay do one called ‘All Nighter’ for £19, which generally has rave reviews – as does the Clarins Fix’ Makeup spray, which will set you back £18.50. I’ve heard conflicting things about the Mac Fix+ (£11) product, which teeter between rave reviews and confusion as to whether it actually is a setting spray or not (some say it’s more of a brightener?). Armed with this information, I still decided to invest in the Collection ‘Fix Me Up’ setting mist because it was one of the cheaper versions, and I’m generally a fan of their makeup products.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite deliver. Claire and I have this strange compulsion to like products and feel extremely disappointed if they aren’t really what we wanted. This is mainly why I was so sad that the Collection setting spray wasn’t great – and there are quite a few reasons why it just is a bit crap. I thought I’d set them out in list form because who doesn’t love a list, quite frankly?! (probably people with list phobias).

1. IT’S FALSE ECONOMY. For £5.99, you only get 18ml. I’m sure there’s a way of working out the maths but I am genuinely useless at that sort of behavior. Let’s just say that you may as well get the 118ml Urban Decay spray for £19.

2. It’s a bit damp. The packaging describes it as being a “weightless mist” but to the packaging I say “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT, have you gone mad.” I think the problem is the spray nozzle – it kind of comes out in squirts and doesn’t cover your whole face brilliantly (I’m sorry for how wrong this sounds). It just leaves you feeling a bit soggy and rained on.

3. The product doesn’t actually do very much. This probably should be at the top of the list but hey ho, I’m a maverick. I wouldn’t say I noticed a huge difference in my makeup staying on. For a girl who is genuinely a disco ball without powder, I was really disappointed. The setting spray didn’t deliver really and to that I say GOOD DAY SIR.

So, not a great review of Collection 2000’s ‘Fix Me Up’ makeup fixer. I would say that I don’t hate the fragrance as much as other bloggers seem to – it does smell a bit cheap but I quite like it! Other than that, I don’t really have anything good to say. Sorry Collection, but you have let me down on this occasion. The hunt for a good setting spray continues – I think I’m going to give the Ubran Decay ‘All Nighter’ setting spray a go after pay day and see how that treats my sheeny shiny face. After that…WHO KNOWS?!

Any of you lovely ladies have any other recommendations?

Claire

Mini Haul: Primark, Simple and Collection!

Hey chicks!

As a lot of you will aware from our incessant celebrating, yesterday was pay day. I feel like you have never truly experienced happiness until you get that heady ‘I’M SO RICH, KANYE HAS NOTHING ON ME RIGHT NOW’ joy from getting paid. Getting paid means splashing out on those things that you lusted over last month but couldn’t afford because you spent all of your money on pay day (LOGICAL?). As soon as lunch time hit yesterday, Claire was all over eBay and investing in her current list of must-haves. I, on the other hand, was attempting to be sensible and not buy anything unnecessary. This went pretty well until I got into Birmingham after work and had half an hour to kill before going for dinner. I went to Boots, which is ALWAYS dangerous, and then couldn’t stop myself from strolling around everywhere looking for things to satisfy my deep, deep need for material possessions (nail varnish = happiness. It has been proved. By science).

This is just a mini haul post on what I bought yesterday – I’d say none of it is HUGELY exciting, but still, a haul is a haul. You have to excuse the awful photos, I had to resort to my iphone after I’d had a couple of glasses of wine and apparently this is what happens. WHAT KIND OF BLOGGER DO I THINK I AM?!

IMG_1459I have a little bit of explaining to do with regards to each item actually and they all come with wonderful stories that I know you are all dying to hear, so feel free to make yourself a cup of tea and snuggle down. I’m justifying this little shopping trip because most of the items were entirely necessary and I did vaguely try and be thrifty NO JUDGEMENT PLEASE, MONEY GOD.

IMG_1461This little bad boy I have been lusting over since I spotted it in Boots a few weeks ago. I was actually having a lovely chat with @StonesGotStyle on Twitter about it and we both were thinking it’d be a BRILLIANT product if it delivered on the makeup fixing front. For the price, I think it really could be a winner, particularly when compared to more expensive brands. I’ve got it on today and so far so good – although I would say it’s not really a fair trial as I manage to smear all of my makeup over my face when I’m at work no matter what I’ve got on. I’m going to try it out on Friday when I head out with Claire and the gals – expect a full review very soon. It also smells lovely, as a side note!

IMG_1463Why have you put a lip balm on a haul post, you ask? Well, it does seem a bit pointless BUT I think it’s good to know what lip balms work and smell good. There have been so many times I’ve just gone with Vaseline because I couldn’t make up my mind about other brands and to be honest, Vaseline is a pile of greasy nothing. For anyone else who struggles with chapped lips in the summer, this lip balm is perfect. It smells and tastes yummy and actually works – I’ve been using it for a while now and I can safely say I’ve not used a better everyday balm.

IMG_1464I CAN’T RAVE ABOUT THIS CONCEALER ENOUGH. Honestly, it is full on amazing. I’ve tried similar illuminating concealers and they have all been WUBBISH. I’ve also heard this is the best dupe for Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Éclat and for £5, it’s definitely worth giving it a go. I bought it in the ‘Glow’ shade as it’s the darkest one they do and use it under my eyes and down my nose for contouring purposes. Occasionally I’ll use it on spots too, although I try not to as it is a mixture of a highlighter and concealer (and who wants to highlight their spots?!). Saying that, it does work well as a simple concealer too. I could go on about this product for YEARS but will save you all the torture and just recommend you purchase and give it a whirl!

IMG_1465Claire and I had a moment the other day when we realised that big earrings were no longer cool. It was quite a heart wrenching moment; our standard jewellery ventures used to be a giant pair of chandelier earrings. But this just simply can’t be done anymore, sob. We’ve come to the conclusion that necklaces and rings are the big players in the jewellery world now, which is fantastic apart from the fact I have sausage fingers. ANYWAY, it turns out I haven’t been quite able to let go of my love of earrings and decided to buy a load of hoops from Primark. At £1, it was pretty rude not to. My theory is, because the 90’s are well and truly back, I can get away with a bit of Jennifer Anniston hoop. I’m planning a big topknot and hoops for Friday, so I will take a picture and see if this is achieved! I also got this set of rings because I love a bit of neon and they’re a great way of adding a bit of the trend into a boring outfit (note – Primark have some LOVELY neon jewellery in at the moment).

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If you follow us on Twitter, you might have seen my #bbloggers beg the other day for some eye makeup remover recommendations. I have a new mascara, which I love, but it refuses to come off. It’s not actually waterproof but has a terrible habit of sticking to anything and everything. I had a lot of response and I really wanted to invest in a No7 oil based remover that one of you lovely people recommended. However, I left my voucher at home and in a bid to be sensible, decided to go with something a bit cheaper. I also looked for the Neutrogena wipes that were recommended but unfortunately the Boots I was in didn’t stock them, so I went for the next make up remover suggestion! So far, I’ve been really happy with this Simple one and it takes all of the naughty mascara off in a few wipes. I’m actually very happy with it and for the price, I think I will buy it again. So big thanks to all of you who gave me some suggestions!

IMG_1468Finally, this was my last purchase yesterday! There’s not much to say apart from the fact that my shoe situation is terrible and I needed some black pumps for work. They’re quite cute, so I’m happy! I have my eye on a pair of nude t-bar studded ones in Primark actually, and will probably buy them in the next few weeks.

WELL, that was my slightly mad pay day haul yesterday. I’ve told myself I’m on a spending ban now, but lets see how long that realistically lasts….