Mascara, Mascara and More Mascara

I’ll start by being honest and admitting that I have some of the shortest and straightest lashes known to man. This makes it a bit of a struggle when it comes to finding a mascara that works for me, and often I resort to falsies instead. However, I have managed to find three that work well from a high, middle and low end brand.

I’ll start with the cheap and cheerful Miss Sporty Fabulous Lash in Extra Black. Believe it or not this is only £1.99 which is the quarter of the price of the average mascara! I really love this mascara as it’s very lengthening and it has a wispy effect. It can make lashes look quite thin so if you prefer thicker lashes then you can easily put a thickening mascara over the top.

LJL Rating: 8/10

Maybelline Lash Sensation mascara in a long time fave of mine.  It costs a little more at £8.99 but it does everything I need it to. It lengthens, curls and thickens and an extra coat can easily be added for extra definition. It is a little more expensive but I think it’s worth it because you don’t need to worry about applying other mascaras over the top.

LJL Rating: 10/10

Finally, the popular Bad Gal Bang from Benefit makes the list. It’s known for its thickening and voluminous effect. It certainly works. No other mascara has ever given me such full looking lashes. I have to admit that it can look a little clumpy so I prefer putting on a lengthening mascara first (usually Miss Sporty’s above or Benefit’s ‘They’re Real’). The full sized version is around £18 but I have the mini version for £8.99 and it’s lasted me half a year and I use it nearly every day because you don’t need much product.

LJL Rating: 9/10

 

Lip Plumpers: The Filler Alternative

 

Lately the world seems so concerned with cosmetic surgery, and it can become very tempting at times to take this route. Lip fillers in particular seem to dominate a lot of what we read and hear about in the beauty community. For those who would rather avoid the procedure and save the money and the pain, I have the perfect alternative: Project Lip Matte Lip Plumper.

I am OBSESSED with this! Nothing is more disappointment than buying a beauty product that just does not do what it sets out to, but this is not the case here. You only need to apply a little amount of the product and instantly you can feel the tingle and see the results.

Personally, this saves me a lot of time as I usually have to overline my lips and wear lighter lipstick shades to give the appearance of a fuller lip, but it boosts my confidence to just wear the plumper on it’s own to show off my newly plumped pout. As the product is matte, it also works well as a lip primer if you did chose to wear a lipstick over the top. The only downside is that the first two times I used the product, it did sting for a while, but it didn’t leave any damage so it wasn’t so bad.

The product is £12.95, but it does last a long time. Also, I tried cheaper alternatives via Barry M’s and Elf’s lip plumpers and they did absolutely nothing to my lips so in this case I think spending a little more is justified. With that being said, my LJL Rating today has to be a 10/10.

 

All About That Base: My Fave Foundations

L’Oréal is one of my favourite brands when it comes to base products. I wear makeup daily and I find that the right foundation is hard to find, but I’ve found two that are perfect for me. 

The first is L’oreal’s Matte Infallible Foundation. This has got the best coverage I’ve ever seen. It dries quickly and provides a mattifying, yet smooth base. I have dry skin, so matte foundations are usually a no go, but this isn’t drying. It can get a little cakey if you wear it for long hours in the heat, so I recommend it as an Autumn/ Winter foundation if your skin is dry or combination. For only £7.99 it’s definitely worth a try.  LJL Rating: 9/10  

For Summer, I have to suggest L’oreal’s True Match Foundation. I love this formula as it’s lightweight and really comfortable on the skin. It gives a smooth finish and makes skin appear soft. The product is quite thin and I would say that it provides a medium to full coverage, but I have found that a little of the product goes a long way, which also makes it better value at £9.99. I think that the packaging is lush as well- I love a classy look!  LJL Rating: 10/10

 

Not Worth The Hype: NYX Liquid Lipsticks

I’m sorry to say that I love NYX but these just don’t work for me.

I only have the shades ‘Bedtime Flirt’ and ‘Baby Doll’ and my experience hasn’t been great. Yes the colours are stunning but that’s not enough. The image below (Bedtime Flirt) is the product after only an hours wear! During that time I didn’t eat or even talk and it begins to separate, crack and bleed against the lip line. In terms of the application, the brush is awful. It’s super hard and the angles work against the natural lip line. The drying time is slow and when the product finally does dry down it starts to crack.

NYX’s lip creams are also popular. Now these aren’t as bad as the lip lingerie’s but I can’t say I’m much impressed by them either. I have the shades ‘Cairo’ and ‘Athens’ and they have the opposite problem. I find that they don’t dry at all, and although they sit comfortably on the lip, it makes eating and talking a problem. The two key issues I have are the lack of pigment- they aren’t too noticeable, and then there’s the size.  In order to get some colour to your lips, you need to build the products a little but then due to the lack of product you run out within a few uses. I used mine about 4 times each before they ran out. For £7 (Lingerie) and £6 (Lip Cream) you’re much better off with the cheaper alternatives such as MUA’s Liquid Lipsticks which I adore!

 

Let me know if you guys have had the same experience or if I’m doing something totally wrong!

 

My fave Beauty Bloggers

 

This was always going to be a hard choice, but I’ve chosen three so lets get to it! My absolute fave has to be Manny MUA. I absolutely adore his channel. The best thing about him is that he frequently posts, whether on Twitter, Youtube or Instagram, so he’s worth following. His level of sass is hilarious, I am literally cracking up all the time when watching him. He does tend to use a lot of high end makeup but I find his tutorials really helpful for looking at makeup techniques.

Stephanie Toms is brilliant for finding out about the best beauty bargains. She is the most honest blogger when reviewing makeup, brutally so, but that’s what sets her apart from other bloggers. Her tutorials are always a great length and they are the most diverse from tutorials on her most expensive makeup, to makeup she hates (this was a good watch!) Her TK Maxx video inspired my TK Maxx blog so check it out!

Finally, I adore Ling.kt. She’s very natural on camera and truly adorable. She does a whole range of tutorials and reviews from high to low end and she also posts a lot of fashion photos which is useful is you love fashion as much as beauty. I really recommend following her Instagram as she often posts one minute sped up tutorials which is great to learn basic techniques and get a summary of the products she uses.