Category: Reviews

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Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Hot Pepper | Review

Liquid lipsticks are having their moment right now and it seems that everyone is lusting over these Bourjois versions. I’m a big fan of liquid lipsticks in general – I usually opt for a matte finish and a long-lasting formulas and liquid lipsticks always seem to be the best option. So, does this live up to its hype?

The Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipsticks retail at £8.99. I picked up the shade Hot Pepper which is a bright slightly orangey-toned red, a very typical me shade. The shade range is a little limited but there does seem to be some incredible bold colours on offer. The formulation of this lipstick is incredible, and is potentially one of the best liquid lipsticks that I have come across. It applies slightly sheer, but unlike many others (i.e. Hourglass Opaque Rouge) you can actually build up layers with this. I am all for layering lip products as this does wonders for the longevity and also means that you can actually touch up throughout the day without it getting cakey and feeling really gloopy on your lips.


However, I actually didn’t need to touch up this lipstick. This lasted so long on the lips, and the only way to remove it is with some sort of makeup remover or cleanser. It wore impeccably through eating and drinking and managed to look fresh all day long. It is matte so does feel slightly drying but it is by no means as drying as other formulas out there. 





















So if you can’t tell by my gushing for this product, I am completely in love with this lipstick. If you love your bold colours like me, then these are an absolute must have. This is potentially the perfect long-lasting formula, and I will be very surprised if I don’t ‘accidentally’ pop a few more of these in my basket on my next trip to Boots…
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Tom Ford Wild Ginger

An orangey-red is possibly my favourite lip colour to wear ever. There is something about a bright punchy firey-red that is so striking, yet really flattering and easy to wear. Every time I went to a Tom Ford counter I always had to swatch this on my hand but just couldn’t justify the price tag. Apparently my boyfriend was taking notes as I ended up receiving this as an anniversary present!

Wild Ginger is a bright orange based red. When you first apply this lipstick it is very creamy and leaves quite a creamy and glossy finish but as it wears throughout the day the sheen fades and it becomes more matte. For a creamy lipstick this is surprisingly long lasting – it stayed on my lips through eating and drinking. Also can we take a moment to swoon over the packaging? Stun-ning. 

This is obviously a splurgy purchase at £36, and I wouldn’t say that you need this in your life. If money isn’t an issue then it is definitely a great luxury purchase, or if you love the shade, maybe its something to put on your next christmas or birthday wish list! Having the lipstick, I am absolutely head over heels in love with it and I probably would repurchase or ask for it again if I ran out (however I am one of those weird people that for ages after I get it still apply it from the back so I don’t ruin the embossed TF!)























What is your opinion on luxury makeup? Do you think it’s worth the money?

–RachelElizabeth

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Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara | Review

Just over a month ago saw the 10th anniversary of this best-selling mascara, and Debenhams were selling it for only £10! I was in the market for a new mascara, and naturally, this was a deal I just couldn’t pass up. Even though I’ve had it a while now, it did take me quite a long time to decide how I felt about it. I feel now that I’ve tested this out long enough I can finally give you my verdict…


Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara retails for £22.50. The main issue I had with this mascara was that when brand new it is incredibly wet. My lashes are naturally quite long (although very blonde, explaining why they look non-existent in the before picture!) and I found that when I first got this the application did end up getting quite messy. I think I prefer and am more used to a slightly drier formulation, but once this started to dry out a little bit and I made sure I only applied to the upper lashes when looking down in the mirror, this wasn’t so much of an issue. 

Lancôme says that this mascara’s main asset is that it adds volume to the lashes. I do think that this is the case, and what is great about this mascara is that it adds volume and coats the lashes incredibly quickly, and it doesn’t take long to get a dramatic result. However, if you’re one for layering many coats of mascara, this one doesn’t do too well in that area. I find because it is quite wet, it tends to clump if you add too much. Overall I like the look that it gives to my lashes, it is extremely black, and is quite lengthening as well as volumising. 

In terms of wear, I find that when I wear this alone without any eyeshadow on, it can transfer on to my eyelid and brow bone, but bear in mind that this happens to me with loads of mascaras. If you have oily eyelids or you find that mascara smudges on you then you may want to skip this one. However, I find it wears well when I have got eyeshadow on as this helps to keep the eyelid from getting oily throughout the day. It also keeps my lashes looking really curled throughout the day. 











































Overall, I don’t think I’m 100% sold on this mascara. Its quite upsetting as this is such a popular mascara and I had quite high hopes for it, but not everything works for everyone. It is no means a bad mascara, I do like it and I will use it up, but I don’t think it is my perfect mascara, and it is definitely not the best I’ve tried. Have you tried Hypnôse before? Let me know if you haveany mascara recommendations!

–RachelElizabeth
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Makeup Geek Eyeshadows | Review and Swatches Part 2

So this is part 2 of my first venture into Makeup Geek eyeshadows. If you missed part 1, you can check it out here. This second instalment is focusing on the darker shades that I got. I felt like I had been lacking some really good matte browns in my collection, so I made sure to get some really essential shades that I can wear all the time.


Latte is described as a ‘matte medium brown’. This is slightly cooler than some of the other shades I bought, but works really well as a crease colour. The texture, the payoff and the blendability of this shadow are excellent, and I can definitely see this as becoming a staple in my collection.
























Frappé is described as ‘medium maple brown matte’. It isn’t too dissimilar from Latte but it is different enough in undertone as it is much rosier and warmer to warrant having both (at least that’s my way of justifying it…). Much like Latte the formulation is again really excellent, as it is really pigmented and smooth, and really easy to blend into the crease. 























Cocoa Bear is described as a ‘matte reddish brown’. This is a really interesting shade as although it has really obvious red undertones, it is still really wearable as a crease shade (I find it much warmer in person than in these pictures below). As I mentioned in part 1 of this review, I have been really liking warm smokey eyes on me recently, as it really brings out the blue in my eyes. Again, this is a beautifully formulated eyeshadow, and probably one of my favourites that I ordered.























Mocha is described as a ‘deep matte brown’. It is much cooler than Cocoa Bear but it isn’t overly cool or too grey. This sort of colour is an essential for me as I always use them as eyeliner on more natural days. This is another richly pigmented and smooth shadow that I would highly recommend. 






















In terms of size, these are the same as Mac eyeshadows, and therefore you could put them in a Mac palette if you wanted to. I ordered a Z Palette from Love Makeup, but you can order them from the Makeup Geek website – the one I wanted wasn’t in stock when I placed my order. I got the small palette and it fits 9 shades in perfectly, but they come in several sizes depending on how much you want to fit in. 

I am overall really impressed with the shadows that I ordered, and I have been reaching for them on an everyday basis. For the price, you really can’t go wrong as they are all incredible quality. If you are interested in other shades, there are swatches of all the shades on the Makeup Geek website, which I think is super helpful. I would definitely say they are comparable to Mac eyeshadows, and if your budget doesn’t quite stretch to the likes of Mac, then I would 100% recommend checking out the shadows Makeup Geek. I am very tempted to order some more!

–RachelElizabeth
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Makeup Geek Eyeshadows | Swatches and Reviews Part 1

The Makeup Geek line was released a few years ago now, but it has recently been getting a lot more hype on YouTube. If you didn’t know, the line is the creation of Marlena, MakeupGeekTV on youtube, and currently consists of brushes, eyeshadows and pigments.  I have been eying these up for a while, particularly because it seems that she has personally put so much effort into her line, and is very much in control rather than going through another company. Staying on the safe side, I ordered 9 neutral eyeshadows in the pan, and I must admit, this was one of my most exciting orders in a long time. This post includes 5 of the 9 shades I ordered, so if you are interested in the others I bought, check back tomorrow… 

Each shadow in the pan is $5.99 (approximately £4) available here, making these an incredibly affordable option compared to the likes of mac. Shipping was very cheap and arrived in two weeks, which isn’t bad considering it came from the US. Be warned, I did have to pay £14 in customs charges which is a bit annoying, but it didn’t hurt quite as much as the shipping and the shadows themselves were very affordable. 


Shimma Shimma is described as a ‘metallic champagne’. It is a frosty light pinky-beige shade, which is perfect for highlighting and sweeping all over the lid to brighten. This shade is so creamy and pigmented and is really easy to work with. I did find that the shimmery shades seem to fade a little throughout the day but that’s nothing that a good primer can’t fix. 























Peach Smoothie is described as a ‘light peach beige with a soft matte finish’. It is a pretty light pastel peach shade. This was a little disappointing as it doesn’t pack as much of a punch as I wanted it to, and it feels a little dry in texture. It is however, still decently pigmented and is nice to sweep over the eyelid to create a warm eye look. I’ve been gravitating towards slightly more orangey shades for the summer and I find this to be a great base colour for those looks.






















Glamorous is described as a ‘shimmery bronze gold’. On my skin, at least, this pulls a bit more coppery and orange than gold. However, I find shades like this look more gold and less orange the more tanned I get, so bare that in mind if you are a darker skin tone than me. Other than Shimma Shimma this was the only shimmery shade I ordered, and this is the same beautifully buttery formula. It’s incredibly pigmented and absolutely stunning for bringing out blue eyes in particular.























Crème Brulee is described as a ‘medium sand colour with a soft matte finish’. This is probably one of my favourites that I ordered. It is a mid-tone brown shade which leans more on the warm side, and is really nice for a transition colour in the crease. It is much more buttery and smooth than Peach Smoothie, and blends beautifully, which can be an issue for matte shades. I think that everybody needs a shade like this, a couple of shades darker than your skin tone, which can be used in pretty much every eyeshadow look.























Chickadee is described as a ‘matte yellow orange’. This shade was another buttery matte shade, but it is slightly powdery when you swirl your brush in it, but I didn’t find that this affected how it applied or blended. Now you’re probably questioning my statement that I bought all neutral eyeshadows, but hear me out on this one. To warm up any smokey eye, it looks absolutely stunning to put a shade like this right above the colour that you have put in your crease. I also bought this with the intention of experimenting with colour, and orange looks absolutely stunning on blue eyes. 























So that concludes part one of my Makeup Geek Eyeshadow review, but make sure you check back tomorrow for the rest of the shades I picked up…

–RachelElizabeth
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Sleek Eyebrow Stylist | Review

























I’m not one to try too many brow products – I’ve found one I like (Mac Eye Brows in Fling if you’re wondering) and I have consistently repurchased. This may come as a surprise as I am quite fickle when it comes to other makeup categories… However, when there is a lot of hype around a product, I do become a little intrigued, and normally it’s not too long before it’s in my basket and coming home with me.

The Sleek Eyebrow Stylist (£5.99) comes in three shades. Having blonde hair, I picked up the shade light. My eyebrows are quite dark, but I tend to pick lighter shades so that they don’t look too stark against my hair or skin. This pencil is quite a sheer formula, which I quite like in a brow pencil – it makes it much harder to go overboard. It’s also quite a hard pencil, which is great if you want a more natural look, and will last longer than a creamier formula as you won’t use as much product. In terms of the shade, it matches perfectly with my brows – it isn’t too warm and orangey or too cool and grey. It sits in the middle, creating a natural looking shade. The pencil is quite thick, which makes it hard to create individual brush strokes, but if you only need to fill in sparse areas, this isn’t an issue. It also has really good lasting power.

The addition of the spoolie is one of the best aspects of this product. A lot of brow products are including them now, and I think that they all should. Brushing the brows up before applying the pencil allows you to shape your brows, and then brushing them through after application makes them look much more natural.

Below is a before and after of my brows:























As you can see, I have pretty full brows, but they are a little bit sparse, particularly at the front. This brow product is great for natural looking brows, and I would say great for those who haven’t tried brow products before. It’s pretty foolproof, and almost impossible to have a heavy hand. I really like this brow pencil – I don’t know if it has quite overtaken my love for the Mac offering, but it is definitely a close one. 

–RachelElizabeth
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Tanya Burr Lip Gloss Review & Swatches | Just Peachy & Picnic in the Park

It’s always exciting when YouTubers or bloggers are able to further their career outside of their channel or blog. Blogging is really a force to be reckoned with in the beauty industry, and it shows the influence that all the big bloggers have over the mainstream customers. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that Tanya Burr has released her own lip glosses and nail polishes. I was a little wary at first, as they were only available online, but once they were released in stores in Superdrug, I definitely had to pick some up.

The lip glosses retail for an affordable £6.99, and for those outside of the UK can be purchased here on Feelunique. I’m not normally a lip gloss gal, so when looking through the shades, I decided to go for some lighter shades that were more appropriate for everyday wear. The first shade I picked up was Just Peachy. I will warn you that this is a very light shade, and worn on its own (swatched below) it is almost too light for me. It is slightly milky and slightly accentuated any imperfections in my lips, so you will need to exfoliate and hydrate before using this one. However, when using this over lipstick, it works great at toning down and lightening shades, so is perfect to pair over shades that are maybe a touch too dark for your skin tone. 


The second shade, and probably my favourite out of the two, is Picnic in the Park. This is a pretty mid-tone pink shade, that I found really brightened up the face. It has a similar milky texture as Just Peachy but it applied much more smoothly onto the lips. Both shades have a nice amount of shine, and are sticky in formula but nothing too overbearing. I find that stickier lip glosses tend to hang around longer on the lips, and these glosses lasted a good few hours before fading. 

Just Peachy























Picnic in the Park























I’m not completely blown away by these, but they are decent glosses. I am all for supporting any bloggers or YouTubers, and I think Tanya has done a pretty good job here. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Manicure Monday for a post on one of the nail polishes in the range. Have you tried any of Tanya Burr’s products?

–RachelElizabeth
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Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge | Review

I have never been one for makeup sponges – I have always associated them with the cheap sponges that come with high street powders that I used to use and how dirty they would always become. Surprisingly, I was never sucked in by the Beauty Blender. I’ve always opted for brushes, and honestly the price has always put me off. But when my favourite affordable brush band (and one of my favourite YouTubers Pixiwoo) comes out with an alternative that everybody is obsessing over, that is definitely coming home with me. 

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

My primary use for this sponge is for liquid foundation. When using it damp, it provides a flawless-looking coverage that isn’t too sheer or too full coverage. In terms of comparing it to other forms of application, it sits somewhere in between using your fingers and a brush (fingers being the sheerer option and the brush building to a more opaque coverage). I find that it works well for most formulas of foundation, except those that are water-based (e.g. Mac Face and Body) because the sponge tends to soak up more of the product. I like to use this when I don’t want too heavy coverage and have a bit more time on my hands – I find that this method takes far longer than any other application method.

The shape (similar to the Beauty Blender) is oval, one side being rounded, the other half flat and a pointed tip. The rounded side is the one I use for the majority of my face. I like to dip the damp sponge into some foundation on the back of my hand, and use a stippling/rolling motion across the face. The flat edge of the sponge is really good for getting the foundation in those tricky to reach areas such as the contours of the nose and underneath the eyes. 

However, it doesn’t just stop at foundation. If you like to use concealer to highlight under your eyes and on the high points of your face, this is great at blending it seamlessly into your foundation. Same goes with any other cream products – blush, bronzer, highlighter etc. Another tip is that if you go a little overboard with blush or bronzer, then simply tap this over and it will sheer it out. 

So am I now a sponge convert? I’m not so sure, as I love applying my makeup with brushes. But this is a really nice method for applying foundation. One con for me personally is that I have to clean it after every use because I’m a bit of a germ freak when it comes to face brushes. Whereas I can spot clean my brushes with a bit of Mac Brush Cleanser, for this I have to really work at it with baby shampoo, which admittedly I often forget to do meaning I end up choosing another method. However when I do clean it, I really enjoy using it. It’s really affordable so I would definitely recommend picking it up.

If my explanation didn’t quite cut it for you, check out Sam’s video explaining all its uses and applying it on camera here.

-RachelElizabeth
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Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation Review

Hourglass always have products that I’m pining for – their releases send the blogging world into a frenzy and it seems like everyone and their mother is loving something from them right now. I’ll say this as a warning: this is an expensive brand, especially here in the UK. But the products that I have tried are incredible. Today I bring you one of their foundations – oily girls, listen up…

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation


Claims:
Consider Immaculate the miracle foundation for oily skin. This breakthrough liquid to powder formula absorbs oil, camouflages imperfections, and delivers a long-lasting velvet matte finish—without the need for touch-ups. In a consumer study, Immaculate’s advanced formula was shown to target oily, acne-prone skin. 

Side note – the claims list is quite lengthy on the Hourglass website. Read more about what the brand has to say about this foundation here.

Verdict
First off, this is an absolute godsend for oily skin. I have struggled with foundations staying on my skin for years and this is by far the best I have found. What I like a lot about this foundation is that it isn’t too thick or too full coverage like many of the foundations targeting oily skin (Estee Lauder Double Wear or Revlon Colorstay for example). It provides a medium coverage and is surprisingly buildable – when I first tried it I expected it to start looking cakey but somehow it doesn’t. The lasting power is pretty impressive – I can easily expect this to last a full day without touching up, but as with all foundations I find it performs better with the usual precautions: primer, powder, setting spray etc. It has a slightly mousse-like texture and dries to a powder finish. It contains no SPF, meaning it will have no flashback in photography. I found that in flash photography it looks great, so would be great for a night out. 

In terms of packaging, it is just what you would expect from a product from Hourglass; the signature gunmetal in the lid and the gorgeous slightly shimmery silver bottle. The pump is great – it dispenses a nice amount of product and keeps it sanitary which is ideal for a foundation targeted towards acne-prone skin. 

However, there are some negative aspects of this foundation that I need to address. Little does not go a long way with this product. I find myself having to use multiple pumps to cover my entire face and with such an expensive product like this that is a little bit worrying. It comes with the standard amount of foundation (30ml/1 fl.oz) so you aren’t getting much product for your money. You should definitely steer away from this if you have dry skin – it isn’t as bad as some foundations on highlighting dry patches but it isn’t going to do them any favours. 

In terms of the skin benefits that the website claim it to have, I can’t comment. I bought this in my natural skin tone, and I only use this in between self tanning. It is interesting though that many women have claimed that their skin improved in terms of oiliness, blemishes and texture after using this foundation for 4 weeks – I can definitely say that I have not had any adverse reactions and it hasn’t broken me out. 























All in all, if you have oily skin and you really struggle finding a foundation that will wear well on you, I would highly recommend saving up and giving this a go. If you live near an hourglass counter, or the next time you go in, definitely ask for a sample as it is an extremely pricey purchase. Next on my hourglass wish list are the ambient lighting blushes – how have I not purchased any yet??

–RachelElizabeth
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Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms | Review and Swatches

I was a little late on the bandwagon on these – every Boots and Superdrug I went in to, the stands were really messy and half of the shades were missing. But finally, after rifling through the drawers underneath the displays, I picked up three shades on 3 for 2 at Boots. I have been so excited for these ever since I heard American bloggers and youtubers talking about them months ago, and I am so happy these have finally hit the UK. The Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms retail for £7.99, and are still currently on offer at Boots.
























I picked up three shades: Standout, a deep blue-toned red, Shameless, a true rich purple and Elusive, a neutral yellow-based mid-tone pink. I’ve found that all shades perform quite consistently, which is great to see across a range. They apply with a slightly satin finish, but I found that they dry much more matte. The pencil shape makes them really easy to apply – they are much more precise than a regular-shaped lipstick. All three are very creamy and incredibly pigmented. What is great about this formula is that isn’t too drying, which can be the downfall of some matte lipsticks.

The only con I’ve noticed is that they aren’t as long wearing as other matte formulas that I own – especially the Mac mattes and the Nars Velvet Matte Lip pencils. Saying that, they do hold up relatively well throughout the day, even when eating food and drinking. The formula just means you have to take extra steps to making it last longer – I find blotting and reapplying several layers works well. 

Standout



Shameless














































Elusive













































All in all, I would definitely recommend these lip products. They haven’t topped the list of my favourite matte formulas, but they are definitely good option. If you are new to matte lips, these might be a good place to start as they’re easy to apply and not to expensive. Have you picked up any of these?

–RachelElizabeth
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