Seventeen Falsifeye HD Mascara

My all time favourite mascara (along with the majority of the population) is Benefit's They're Real, but as someone who religiously changes mascara every three months due to very sensitive eyes it can become a very expensive habit to keep. I'm always on the lookout for a drugstore alternative that I love, but have never been able to find one. Previously I've been using the Clump Crusher by Lashblast and I liked it, but it's an American brand and the UK equivalent is double the price.

While picking up some essentials (and non-essentials!) in Boots the other day I came across the Seventeen Falsifeye HD mascara. In the past I haven't liked Seventeen mascara at all, and generally avoid them but remembered that Fleur de Force had spoken about it quite positively in a video recently. I think Seventeen are really stepping up their game recently and I've been impressed with quite a few products recently so thought it would be worth a try.

 

 

And I love it! It's a bit early to say whether I love it more than They're Real but it's definitely the best drugstore alternative I've found. The brush is very similar- plastic and conical with a mixture of short and long bristles. The only major difference with the brush is that it doesn't have the little ball with teeny bristles at the end but the cone shape means it's thin enough at the end to angle and catch eyelashes in the inner corner. The formula is quite wet, which I prefer because I find it less clumpy plus it doesn't go crumbly and flake off throughout the day.
 

 

Lashes are well defined, lengthened and hold the curl all day. For those that like the fluttery look, this would be the perfect mascara to try out. It's available from Boots in either black or brown/black for £6.99 for 9ml and is more often than not on some sort of offer, so you're bound to get it for less. I think I'll be sticking with this one for a while! :)
 

No mascara

 

One coat on my right eye

 

 

Two coats on both eyes

 

 

Have you tried this mascara? What's your favourite drugstore mascara?

August Favourites

So here we are, almost at the end of another month. And with the end of August comes the beginning of Autumn! I'm so excited for Autumn this year, I think it's because the past few months have actually been quite summery in Glasgow, whereas our spring, summer and autumn seasons normally all blend into one and seem to last forever. I can't wait to get the winter boots and coats out! :)

Anyway, also with the end of August comes another lowdown of my favourite products of the month:



Clockwise from bottom left: Essie nail paint in 'peach daiquiri;' Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray;
Clean&Clear dual action moisturiser; Soap&Glory Girligo;
Covergirl Clump Crusher by Lashblast; Rimmel Apocalips in Stellar








Essie Nail Paint: Essie are my favourite brand when it comes to nail polish. Amazing formula, great staying power, a gazillion colours and a reasonable price tag. Peach Daiquiri has been my go-to colour this summer, and this month I've been reapplying it each time I've done my nails. I usually get bored after a few days and switch-up the colour but I haven't wanted to. High praise indeed! This is a perfect summery coral- more on the orange side than the red- and will be perfect throughout autumn and winter to break up dark outfits.

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray: With the hot weather we've been enjoying, make-up has just been sliding off my face. Instead of adding another layer to my face with a primer, I've been using this instead both before and after applying my foundation and it works a treat, saving me from having to reapply my foundation at some point throughout the day. The mist is so fine that it doesn't even wet the skin, so it doesn't add any extra time to your routine.



Clean&Clear Dual Action Moisturiser: I have very dry skin, and like to use quite a thick daytime moisturiser (No7 Protect and Perfect- never too early to start with the anti-aging!) but with the heat lately I just haven't wanted to suffocate my skin under thick products. The Clean&Clear Dual Action Moisturiser is an old favourite that I used to use when I was a teenager. It's nice and light, but still does a great job quenching thirsty skin and is a great price (approx £3.50). It has antimicrobial properties too in order to prevent spots from actually reaching the surface, although I haven't used it religiously enough to really comment on that. I do remember never suffering too badly with breakouts when I was a teen though, which might be partly to do with this!

Soap&Glory Girligo: Similarly to my facial moisturiser, I haven't wanted to use my usual thick creams and butters on my body so picked this spray moisturiser up on a recent shopping spree. It has the classic S&G scent, very similar to Hand Food and The Righteous Butter and is a great lighter alternative. A word of warning though: stand on a towel to apply this as it does disperse into the air and land on the floor a bit and if you have tiles or laminate flooring you WILL slip!

Covergirl Clump Crusher: I picked this up while I was on holiday in America early this year and have been using it religiously this month. It has a curved, plastic applicator to really get into the lashes and give them some curl. The formula is great too- no clumps, and hasn't irritated my ridiculously sensitive eyes. The UK equivalent is the Maxfactor Clump Defy, which I'll probably replace this with, although it does tick me off that the UK price is at about three times more than the US for the same product (£10.99 vs $4.99).



Rimmel Apocalips in Stellar: I got this in America too, where they're branded as 'Show Off Lips.' This shade is 'Stellar', which equates to 'Stella' over here. It's a bit strange as all the others have the same name on both sides of the pond but hey ho. This is a gorgeous BRIGHT pinky-coral, perfect for those days with big sunglasses and minimal make-up, instantly making you look like you've made an effort. The formula is a bit drying, so I always apply a lipbalm underneath, but lasts for absolutely ages. As long as you give it a minute to set it'll last a good six hours. Check for lipstick-on-teeth regularly though!

I hope you've all had a wonderful August :)

Review: Orly Rubberised Basecoat

I'm the first to admit that I'm lazy when it comes to nail polish application. Basecoat...colour layer 1...colour layer 2...topcoat...yawn!

 

I've always either skipped a basecoat altogether, or just used a clear varnish thinking that basecoats were a money-wasting invention and if a clear polish prevented staining then that would do just fine.  Well, I put my hands up and take it all back. This little baby has changed my nail painting routine forever! It makes my varnish (whether drugstore or high-end) last so much longer. I'm talking from 2-3 days without chipping to well over a week. As the name suggests, it adds a rubbery coating to the nail, making the coloured varnish appear gel-like.

 

 

 

For the purposes of this review, I used the basecoat on my right hand (my writing hand) only in order to give it a proper test. I applied two coats of Essie 'Peach Daiquiri' and my Rimmel topcoat to both hands as normal and I think the results in the photo speak for themselves!

Comparison on Day 4 (basecoat on right hand)

 

 At £5 for 5ml, it's reasonably priced, and considering I've been using this around 75% of the time I paint my nails (usually once or twice a week) since January and it looked barely used it's definitely worth it. A keeper in my book!

Budget Buy: Argan Conditioner

Just a quick little post today to share a product that I've been really pleasantly surprised with over the last couple of weeks. I picked this Argan Oil conditioner up for 99p from B&M purely because I was in a rush and thought 'well how bad can it be?' Turns out that it is not bad at all, and something that I'll definitely be re-purchasing.

As with all Argan Oil products, this promises to rejuvenate and rehydrate hair to leave it strong, smooth and shiny. I can't say it makes my hair any shinier (although I've never found a product that delivers well on this) but it certainly does make it extra soft and easy to manage without weighing it down or making it greasy- I can still go two or three days in between washing with this. The consistency isn't overly thick, so I use this as an everyday conditioner rather than a treatment, although if you were to leave it on for an extended period then I'm sure it would do the job. In fact, I shall do this and report back! Coconut, olive and avocado oil are listed in the ingredients, but I wouldn't say the scent reminds me of either, I just liken it to a fresh fruity scent. It does linger in your hair after drying and even through to the next day though which is amazing!

As I said, I bought mine from B&M, and I've also seen this before in the likes of Home Bargains, Poundland and Wilko so it's easily accessible, and for 99p you really can't go wrong!

Do you have any budget buys you've been pleasantly surprised by?