MAYBELLINE:: Rocket Volum' Express Mascara (Waterproof)

Hulluuuu! :) I was scanning Superdrug the other day (as you do) and noticed that Maybelline has introduced a new volumising mascara - the Rocket Volum' Express Mascara! I absolutely love Maybelline and especially their mascaras (my favourites being the Colossal and Falsies mascaras). The only mascara from Maybelline that hasn't worked for me is their Great Lash mascara - it just didn't seem to want to stick to my lashes at all; but their Colossal and Falsies mascara does wonders!!

So I purchased the product with high expectations and I'm proud to say that I was very, very impressed with their new Rocket mascara as it gives enormous length and volume! With each sweep of the brush, your lashes just get longer and longer, and thicker and thicker! It's really as if you're wearing subtle falsies which is amazing because I always feel like falsies are so heavy on the eyes. I purchased the waterproof version because the weather in Hertfordshire is beyond unpredictable (or anywhere in England for that matter!!) and I don't want to have to keep popping to the loo to check that my make up has not smudged.

The brush has loads of small bristles which makes sure that every single one of your lashes are coated and you can comb on extra layers without getting spidery or clumped up lashes. The packaging is pretty much the same as a couple of their mascaras (including Colossal) and I absolutely love the chunky handle bit because it makes the application process so much easier and quicker - you can literally, just roll it down your thumb! 

It's on offer at Superdrug for only £5 at the moment so grab one before they start retailing them at the full price (£7.99)!! And let me know if this mascara works wonders on you too! :)

Wishing you all happy lashes!

♥

FAMOUS X:: HIGH FIVE EYESHADOWS

Hey guys! Back in August 2012, my local Superdrug introduced a new stand for a cosmetic brand called Famous X so there were some really good introductory offers for the few products that they had on display. I picked up 3 mini eyeshadow palettes and have been promising you guys for some swatches since then, I'm so so sorry for the delay! :'(

The colours are so beautiful and they're very pigmented - like Urban Decay eyeshadows, which is amazing because I bought these palettes for about £4-£5 each and Urban Decay palettes usually retail from about £20+. I've only used the 'Glitzy!' palette for a couple of nights out but they've shown up beautifully in photos - they stay pigmented and the glittery  eyeshadows in the palette stay glittery throughout the night! :) The only matt eyeshadow is from the 'Marbella Nights' palette which is a dark brown/almost black shade.

All the swatches are from L-R from the top to bottom:

'Glitzy!'

'Marbella Nights'

'Smouldering'

I only needed to swatch the colours onto my skin twice at most and for the majority of the 'Glitzy!' palette, I only needed to swatch it once so as you can see, they're very pigmented and the colours are absolutely stunning! They're definitely worth the buy and I'm so excited to try out some new looks with all 3 palettes!!

What colours do you think I should try?!

♥

CHANEL:: Rouge Allure Lipstick in Exaltée 93

I treated myself to my first Chanel lipstick a few weeks ago and I have to say, I was pretty impressed. "You get what you paid for" definitely works with Chanel haha :) I actually risked buying this product on eBay as I didn't want to pay the full retail price of £25 from Selfridges. In total, I paid about £19 (bargain!!) but I did do some research on the seller before purchasing.. The item was listed as "Brand New in Box" and the photo showed everything that was included. The seller had 1982 ratings, was rated 100% and buyers left feedback about the product being genuine which is exactly what I was worried about! 

I'm not really into nudes or light pinks - I wear lipstains during the day and I love brighter pinks and reds for nights out :) So I chose Exaltée which is a bright pinkish fuschia. The lipstick glides on so smoothly and it doesn't run or smudge all over the place (which is always a plus!) even without using lip liner, and I don't have to keep reapplying either. The packaging looks very high-end and professional and I love how you have to push down the top of the outer shell to bring the lipstick out because I always worry about lids coming loose in my bag and having to clean up the lipstick party that's taken place!

But like all lipsticks, they dry up your lips. I've found that this one moisturises your lips for a little longer than others before it starts to dry up. Nonetheless, I am very happy with this little beauty and I will definitely be investing in a few more Chanel lippys but I think I might give my heart a break and purchase from a store instead of eBay haha. I'm very drawn towards Coramandel which is a bright red and Pirate which is a darker plummy red so they're on my wishlist as of January 2013! :)

Swatch:

Thought it'd be useful to let you guys compare the colour of the lipstick and the colour that actually comes out on your skin :)

4 hours later:

So this is after 2 peanut butter sandwiches and 2 cups of tea and the colour's still there with no reapplication! These photos are unedited so you guys can make your own judgement :)

Top tips for buying on eBay: 

Check the seller ratings (I don't usually buy from sellers below 99%)

Read the comments from other buyers

Take a good look at the photo

If you're unsure, message and ask for more photos

Read the description and their shipping and return policy

(tracked shipping is always safer - you can always ask if they offer this)

Have you guys tried any Chanel lipsticks? What do you think?!

Let me know down belowwww (;

Peace out!

♥

SALLY HANSEN:: No More Breaks, Healthy Cuticles Now & Insta-Brite

a few months ago, moneysupermarket had an amazing sally hansen deal

where you could choose 3 products for the price of £6 (plus £3.99 del.)

and there were three different sets to choose from..

(really really sorry i didn't tell you guys earlier!)

the option with the dry-quick polish sold out super quickly

so i chose the set with these three products:

- healthy cuticles now

- insta-brite nail whitener

- no more breaks natural nail strengthener

i couldn't use them for a while because i had my acrylics nails

(and because they didn't arrive till about 2 weeks later!)

but now that they've finally decided to come off (except the ring fingers)

i've tested out the 'healthy cuticles now!' cream 

and the 'no more breaks' polish.

my nails were very weak after the acrylic nails had fallen off

and my cuticles were extremely dry and rough.

but after having only using this product twice a day for three days,

my cuticles are now moisturised and healthy-looking

and my nails are definitely stronger and thicker.

i would definitely recommend grabbing one of these

if your nails are: dry, weak, brittle and thin;

and if your cuticles are: dry, rough and unhealthy.

it retails for about £7 in boots and superdrug which is a little pricey,

but you get instant results and you don't have to use it twice daily

(although it is recommended if you want to see results quickly)

so you can just use it whenever you feel they need it.

i have mixed reviews about the 'no more breaks' polish

mainly because my nails are in such terrible condition

that they're not physically keeping any polish on the surface.

you can apply them to dry nails as a clear protective shield,

or you can wear them as a base or top-coat.

however, the product is a green mixture so your nails will have a green tint.

so i would prefer using it as a base coat rather than a top-coat

(unless you're digging a greenish tint at the moment!)

but as i mentioned before, my nails don't have an even surface at the moment,

so the polish just cracks and peels off :(

i will definitely try it again when my nails have healed and i'll let you guys know!

also, i haven't tried the nail whitener yet because i don't want to overload

my nails with too many products for the moment (poor things!)

sally hansen products usually retail for just under £10 which is a little expensive

but they actually do what they say so you won't be disappointed.

if your nails need some care, it's worth looking into :)

for now, here are some piccies! :)

Sally Hansen: Healthy Cuticles Now!

Sally Hansen: Insta-Brite Nail Whitener

Sally Hansen: No More Breaks

before:

after:

what do you guys think?

would you invest in any of the three?

and if any of you have used the nail whitener, let me know!!

P/S: sign up to the moneysupermarket deals (i think they're weekly/fortnightly)

if you want amazing cosmetic bargains or cheap getaways!

♥