Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour Rose

I have one cardinal cosmetic rule – don’t purchase anything with a colour (foundation/concealer/lip products) unless I’ve seen it in the flesh, so to speak. Generally I’m pretty good at sticking to it, but occasionally along comes a product that you’ve no way of trying beforehand but looks so pretty that you can’t resist taking the risk. Unfortunately, the risk blew up in my face this week when I bought the Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour Rose. It’s a lovely lip balm but the colour, although dark in the tube, comes out too pale on me for my liking. That being said, I would have no problem purchasing a non-tinted version as the balm itself is very rich and moisturising and leaves my lips kissably soft.
 

Mary-Lou Manizer review

Meet Mary-Lou Manizer, a seemingly innocent honey hued luminiser that catches everybody’s eye. This highlighter, shadow and shimmer diffuses light so your skin looks softer and younger while adding a subtle glow. Layer it on your lids for luxe-looking lashes, sweep it on your check for a sexy sheen, or use it as an all-over finishing touch before you head out for the night.

 

TheBalm’s Mary Lou Manizer Luminizer is a fine powder highlighter encased in a sturdy but lightweight  silver compact with a generous sized mirror. The powder is very finely milled and gives a warm glow with little to no fallout. It gives an incredibly subtle look if you apply in natural daylight to avoid overloading your skin. It can look quite sparkly in bright sunshine, but sure when do we ever get that in the UK?!? It lasts most of the day on my (dry) skin and the fact that the tiniest little swipe is all you need means that the 8.5g of product will last you forever. So far I’ve only used it on my cheekbones but I’m looking forward to using it as an eyeshadow over Christmas.

 

I bought this for £12 during one of Feel Unique’s summer sales but it normally retails for £15 which I’d be happy to pay. 

Manic(ure) Monday - Nails Inc Saville Row

This is one of the first polishes I tried from Nails Inc and it has remained one of my favourites. It's a rich, deep plum colour that is just perfect for these Autumn days.

Bobbi Brown Rich Chocolate Palette - first impressions

Last week House of Fraser held one of their regular “brand events” where they discount entire brands by up to 25% (10% for beauty).  I’ve had a gift voucher lurking in my purse for a while now and was hoping to lose my MAC virginity with it, but alas MAC was not one of the brands included in the event. However, Bobbi Brown was, and (after frantically emailing my local store to make sure they had it in stock as it doesn’t seem to be on their website at all) the Rich Chocolate Eye Palette was soon in my possession.

 It’s absolutely stunning.

Seven shades, 5 matte and two shimmer, of the most gorgeous chocolatey eyeshadows you could imagine, each one good enough to eat (tip: don’t). They range in the more subtle daytime shades to the left of the palette, blinging it up for the party season towards the middle and finishing up with a sinful dark shade that will be perfect as eyeliner.

 

From left to right the shades are:

Bone Eye Shadow 

Stone Eye Shadow

Frappe Eye Shadow

Caramel Sparkle Eye Shadow

Champagne Truffle Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow

Cocoa Eye Shadow

Rich Chocolate Eye Shadow

Eye Makeup Remover Mini Reviews

I’ve had a run of bad luck with eye makeup removers recently, but I don’t really want to focus too much on negatives so I thought I’d give you a quick review of each and then (attempt to) forget about them. 

First up is the first I tried – the L’Oreal Paris Dermo-Expertise Absolute Makeup Remover Eye & Lip. It was fine right up until I used to it take off Benefit’s They’re Real mascara and then my eyes burned like crazy, and they have remained slightly sensitive ever since. I used the whole bottle but it meant I had to be careful about what makeup I used on my eyes until I finished it.

 

Nivea Visage Extra gentle Eye Make-up remover: So gentle it removes absolutely nothing. It moves your mascara about a bit, but just succeeds in making you look like a panda. I think I used it twice before breaking into my emergency travel stash of No7.

 

 

L'Oréal Paris Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution: And now I come to the bit I didn’t want to write. I was so so looking forward to using this, but unfortunately it’s a mixture of the previous two removers combined. It takes off my mascara and eyeliner ok on my top lashes, but will not shift what’s on the bottom lashes without a lot of effort – and you don’t want to be too vigorous around the delicate eye area. Added to that is the fact that it leaves me with one specific area of redness and irritation on my right eyelid.

 

 

All in all I’m not a happy bunny and am very glad that all three were cheap! Have you tried any disappointing products lately?

 

I am officially in love

This was actually a hard post to write! I found it quite difficult to articulate just how much I adore the L'Oreal Paris Glam Shine Stain Splash that I bought last week, but I'm gonna give it my best shot. Where to begin??? The colour (Lolita) is absolutely divine - I know many people will think "but it's just your lips...but better" but it just makes them look SO GOOD. The effect can be really subtle, or can be built up for a stronger look without being too in your face. It's perfect for both minimal makeup days, or days where you maybe want to focus more on your eyes but can't quite leave your lips totally bare.

The lasting power: I was not expecting anything great, despite the "stain" part of the name. I saw gloss and thought "easily wiped off." No. No no no. The first time I tried it, I had something to eat after about an hour of wear, looked in the mirror and it had only come off slightly where my lips meet - a quick press/rub together and it was good as new. It barely leaves a mark on cups/glasses when drinking also.

I was honestly not expecting both colour payoff and staying power, I really thought I'd get one or the other and now have a craving to check out the other colours in the range - I might need to flog a few more non-essentials on ebay first though!

Manic(ure) Monday - MUA Amaretto Crush

This is a brand new purchase which has become a firm favourite. MUA's Amaretto Crush is an absolutely gorgeous pink that is not too bright and in your face, but still extremely summery and pretty. It's been on my nails for four days now and has only worn off slightly at the tips. With a decent top coat you should be able to extend the wear even longer.

And just look how dinky the bottle is! (As a somewhat dinky person, I occasionally get over excited about similarly petite products. You should see me in the travel toiletries section of Boots)