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Showing posts with label Liz Earle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liz Earle. Show all posts

2013/09/21

Rimmel London, Scandaleyes Waterproof Khol Kajal Eye Liner - Product Review

Hello!

Today I want to talk about a product everyone should have on their makeup kits: the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Khol Kajal Eye Liner in the color Nude. It’s a wonderful drugstore multitasking product that will suit both beginners and people already versed in makeup.



This eye pencil has been raved about by every Beauty Guru for being the first waterproof khol in a nude color sold by a drugstore brand. Before it came up on the market, there weren’t many natural colored eye pencil options to use in the waterline besides the ones from higher-end brands. The thing is: I haven’t heard much talk about this product’s versatility. And that’s just a pity because the most amazing thing about this item is that it is good at fulfilling many of your makeup needs.



So let’s jump into it:

Face

Corrector
If you follow my blog posts you must know by now that I struggle with dark circles. Under-eye concealer has long become my best ally. However, I’ve also came to the realization that counteracting my circles’ purplish-blue color before I apply my concealer makes a world of a difference. Well, this eye pencil does a great job doing so. Since it has peachy undertones to it, it really helps disguising the blue tinges. I like to apply it not long after I’ve applied my eye cream (check my review on the Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair) directly onto the darker areas (I’d advise applying it only where you need it) and then blend with my fingers. Lastly, I apply my concealer. I really like the results I get when I do this. Honestly, it will probably not work as well as the amazing Bobbi Brown corrector but let’s be realistic, it’s much cheaper.

Blush
This pencil is super creamy, therefore it blends really nicely onto the skin and that’s why I like to use it as a blush. It’s very subtle, super easy to apply and looks really fresh and natural. Once again I apply it directly to my cheeks after I’ve applied my foundation/tinted moisturizer (don’t apply it on top of powder cause it might look a bit cakey; try powdering afterwards instead). To get the best color pay off and since this product is so easily blended I like to use my Real Techniques Stippling brush (see haul) and just pat the product onto the skin with it. If you use the brush with your usual blending motions it might come out a bit too sheer to be noticeable. All in all, it’s just a quick, foolproof way to apply your blusher and you can always apply a powder blush on top to make sure you have soft rosy cheeks all day long.





Eyes

Waterline
This is no surprise. This pencil is great to use in the waterline when you want to look more awake and fresh, especially in the morning. It also reduces the appearance of any redness you might have on your eyes. Obviously it won’t last all day but it stays true to color for about two hours and then starts to slowly fade away. In general, it lasts for about six hours in my waterline which is not bad.

Eye shadow
I also really like to use this nude khol as an eyeshadow. It covers any darkness and vessels on my lids and due to its color it also helps making me look more awake. I just apply it all over my lid up to the crease and then blend the edges with my finger or a brush: it couldn’t be easier. If you have drier eyelids, I’d recommend using an eye primer underneath in order to prevent the product from creasing into those dry patches. The primer is also a good idea if you want to use this product on its own (with no other eyeshadows) because it will keep your lids looking flawless all day long. If you prefer you can add some definition to your crease (I do so with some matte brown powder eyeshadow) or just use this pencil as a base for the rest of your eye makeup.

Inner Corner Highlight
This is probably the way I use this product the most. If I’m late to go the train (which is every morning!) and have only 3 minutes left to do my makeup I usually just do my base, apply my mascara and then pop a bit of this onto my inner corners and blend it with my finger. This makes a huge difference. It instantly makes my eyes look brighter and more awake (even more than if I apply in the waterline).



Lips

Definition
It can also be used as a lip liner. What I also love to do is outline my lips with this product and then blend it out (if you have fair skin like I do this will work in a similar way as if you’d apply concealer around your lips to make them look flawless and your lipstick standout).

Filling
If you don’t have super dry chapped lips (as I sometimes have) you can also use this product to fill your lips. First moisturize your lips and wait for a couple of minutes (this is when I suggest you start doing another part of your face). Then blot you lips with a paper tissue to take off any excess that may be left. You’re now ready to fill your lips with this pencil. To finish, apply either a balm or clear gloss if you want to rock the nude look (which looks really pretty because this khol’s color gives your lips a rosy nude tone and not that awful death looking lip you can sometimes get if you apply concealer on your lips) or go for a lipstick or gloss in a color of your choice. Using this pencil will make your lipstick/gloss last longer and besides it gives you a more neutral base to apply your lip color (that means you lip color won’t interfere with the coloring of you lipstick).

Coloring
Undoubtedly this is my favorite way to rock this product on my lips. I simply apply lip balm and the go straight on with this pencil, applying it on the center of my lips. Then I just blend it out with my fingers and – viola! a quick, great looking nude lip. If on the mood I sometimes apply clear gloss on top. The only difference between this option and the previous one is that filling your lips makes for longer-lasting color.





Will I repurchase it?
Yes! I can’t see myself living without it anymore. Besides it’s really affordable. I bought through Feelunique.com (they retail it for 4,99 Euros but I got it for a bit less on a sale they had) – check my Feelunique haul post. The only downsize to it, I’d say, is that you have to sharpen it.

Do I recommend it?
Absolutely! If you don’t have it already go and buy it! Believe me, you need this product and you definitely won’t regret buying it. It’s an amazing product to have on your makeup bag and for travelling. It’s also great for lazy mornings or for mornings in which you have slept in and need to be ready in seconds. A bargain, really!

Please let me know if you have this pencil and if so, do you use it in any other way?

Yours,
M.

2013/09/14

Liz Earle, Daily Eye Repair - Product Review

I want to apologize in advance for such a long post but this product deserved it. If you are short on time, as always: skip to the end of the post and see my answers to the two questions in orange (Will I repurchase it? Do I recommend it?). I hope you can fall in love with is product as I have. :)

An eye cream that really works? That’s right!


I have lots of problems with my under-eye area: from super dry skin and fine lines (and I’m just 22!) to puffiness and the dreadful dark circles – I’ve got it all. Until I came across this little guy I had given up on brightening eye creams. I’d tried both drugstore and high-end super-raved ones, but nothing worked – worst even, they would leave my under-eye area feeling super dry and hence made my concealer look cakey. So I resorted to a really hydrating eye cream (my favorite so far was the Estée Lauder Hydra Complete Multi-Level Moisture Eye Gel Crème) and a brightening concealer – that’s it. I wasn’t really satisfied but there wasn’t much I could do about it.

The packaging seems carefully thought about, with these lovely drawings on the sides.

And then, the Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair came into my life. I didn’t have high hopes for it, I’ll admit. I got it, as my free full-size product, a while ago when I purchased the Liz Earle Monthly Essentials. But then I tried this preciousness and got hooked from day one.

Ingredients

This is an amazing product. I don’t know how it works to achieve that but it does, it ticks all my boxes (yes, all of them and some extra ones, I didn’t know I had).


But first things first - what the brand has to say about this product:
“Use this triple-action cream every morning after moisturising to help reduce the appearance of fine lines. Light-reflective particles brighten dark under-eye shadows, while SPF10 mineral sunscreen helps protect this delicate area from UV light.”
After testing this product for a while I can assure you of something: this ISN’T a triple-action cream. It’s an at-least-FIVE-that-I-remember-action cream.
This eye care product meant for the mornings, has a thick creamy consistence and a slightly herbal scent – so far I bet you’re not so impressed, right? Let me just tell you this – forget the scent for a while (it doesn’t last, anyway, and it’s not strong at all) and apply this white cream under your eyes. I bet you’re thinking “How the hell will I be able to apply my makeup afterwards?” Yes, I know it looks a bit too dense for a morning cream but if you’ll just pat it under your eyes – yes, you’ll notice, it isn’t at all. “Maybe this isn’t moisturizing enough for me…” - it might occur to you. That’s because in less than a minute it looks like the product was completely absorbed and you no longer have that sensation of just having applied moisturizer to your skin. So why was I raving about this product after all?



This product is definitely the underdog that ends up coming out on top. It doesn’t seem anything special right after you’ve applied it but then:
  • You’ll notice that you under-eye area is brighter and you look more awake. How? Do you know those light-reflecting concealer/highlight products (like the YSL Touche Eclat), that are so super flattering? Imagine those in a translucent/no-color-to-them version. This is what this product looks like. You can’t see the light-reflecting particles (not even on a magnifying mirror – don’t worry) you just look more awake and really well-slept. It’s really beautiful. And after, perhaps, two weeks of using this non-stop I started to notice that my dark circles were getting less and less prominent, even before applying this product in the morning. Since day one you’ll notice that your need for concealer will decrease (because of the light-reflecting particles your eyes will immediately look brighter) and given time the appearance of your dark circles will get better and better- they’ll be less and less noticeable.
  • Hydration-wise you’ll have to wait up until the end of the day to see for yourself how this product works. Right after applying this eye cream, you may have your doubts about is replenishing powers, but the reality is that more than 12hours later if you touch your skin it still feels as nourished as if you had just applied your cream. I’ll be honest I had never, never tried an eye cream that kept my skin as hydrated for such a long time (usually after 6-8 hours I need to reapply them because otherwise my under-eyes get really itchy and I feel uncomfortable).
  • You might also notice that you don’t have as many fine lines after a couple of weeks of using this (at least I did!).
  • Another achievement for this product was reducing puffiness. It doesn’t promise to do so but the thing is, after a week I realized that my lids didn’t feel so heavy anymore (but dismissed it). However, after 3 weeks I couldn’t deny it anymore – the difference was visible (to me, obviously – this probably won’t have your friends asking you if have just done some plastic surgery to that area – but it was enough of a difference to make me feel more confident about a part of my body I used to hate).
  • Last but not least, two important extras: it contains SPF10 – which is not the highest but since I always wear sunglasses - and would never apply sunscreen around my eyes anyway (except on the beach/pool) because they’d be to drying – this is just a nice bit of extra protection (and ageing prevention too!); besides, this cream results from lots of nice ingredients instead of a bunch of chemicals put together on a tube.




Will I repurchase it?

YES! YES! YES! It’s just a wonderful product that works like no other I’ve known. Already a holy grail in my collection!

This product makes me look fresher and feel prettier every single morning. And at night, after taking all of my makeup off, my under-eye area still feels and looks properly taken care of and ready to enjoy the full benefits of whichever night cream I choose to apply.

Moreover, it’s much cheaper than many, not so effective, eye creams I’ve tried (it retails for 17,75euros (10ml tube) on the Liz Earle Website - but a little goes a long way!)

Do I recommend it?

In all honesty, I couldn’t recommend it more: no matter how old you are, whether you have a problematic under-eye area or a flawless one – just give it a go (they have it in a travel version too).

This product just works: it brightens the under-eye area; diminishes dark circles, wrinkles and puffiness; it’s very hydrating, but not too much, so it just works brilliantly under makeup; has SPF on it which also helps preventing ageing and wrinkles; it’s made out of very nice ingredients; it isn’t ludicrously expensive and finally it’s suitable for all skin types.


Please, let me know if you have already tried this eye cream. Do you share my thoughts on it?
Any suggestions for future posts are very welcome! :) Thank you for your time!


Yours,

M.