Review: Maybelline Eye Studio Hyper Diamonds Eyeshadow in 'Charcoal Diamonds'

Another great Maybelline eyeshadow palette, this time in simple variations of grey, black and white. I decided to buy this product because I don't really have a Maybelline shadow set that's just dedicated to these kind of charcoal shades, and so I'm hoping this will provide a good colour palette for a basic smoky eye.

Characteristics:

• 5 Shades: Black, white, and a medium, light and dark grey.
• All colours are shimmer tones.
• Comes with a small sponge applicator, with one end thick and the other thin.

Positives:

• A good range of charcoal hues that allows light and shade.
• Good pigmentation for most colours.
• It lives up to its 'Hyper Diamonds' name, as each shade shimmers beautifully.
• Lovely packaging, especially the shapes of each shadow.

Negatives:

• There are only four sides of the sponge applicator, but 5 shadows.
• The white and light grey colours are almost transparent, so these can really only be used as highlights.

Overall, I would rate this product ★★★★☆

Come back soon to see a tutorial using this eyeshadow palette :)

Double Review: Maybelline One By One Volume Express Mascara and Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

• One By One Volume Express Mascara

After a few months experimenting with different mascaras, I’ve decided to try out another Maybelline product. This mascara promises to add volume to your lashes, without creating clumps. You can find the product here.

Characteristics:

•    The brush is designed to prevent clumps.
•    It is a volumising mascara.

Positives:

• The shape of the brush works really well at preventing clumps - there were literally none, no matter how many coats I did.
• Black pigmentation gives a nice dramatic look to the lashes.
• The mascara is actually quite lengthening if applied well to the ends of the lashes.
• The packaging is really pretty and uses nice colours.
• Having a thin edge allows the brush to get into the inner corner without accidentally pressing mascara on your eyelid.

Negatives:

• To achieve volume I had to use quite a few coats, which is disappointing because that’s the main thing I wanted from this mascara.
• The final result didn’t look as natural as other mascaras that I’ve used.

Overall, I would rate this product ★★★☆☆
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• Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

This product is the first gel liner I’ve ever tried, as I heard from several people that gel liner is a lot easier to apply than liquid. After using this I wouldn’t say it’s easier to use than liquid, but it certainly takes less time to get the desired shape right. You can find the product here.

Characteristics:

• Waterproof and smudge proof formula
• Claims to last 24 hours.
• Comes in a small pot holding 3g of gel liner, with an application brush.

Positives:

• It doesn’t smudge or need time to dry.
• It’s quite pigmented as long as enough is applied. This means that the liner is buildable, allowing both subtle and dramatic looks.
• The brush provided is easy to use and create shapes with.
• It’s a good price.

Negatives:

• The pigmentation strength of the black is not as strong as a liquid liner would be.

Overall, I would rate this product ★★★★☆

Review: Maybelline Eye Studio Eye Shadow Quad in ‘Sapphire Siren’

Review: Maybelline Eye Studio Eye Shadow Quad in ‘Sapphire Siren’
In my time of makeup use, I’ve always found Maybelline to be a reliable drugstore brand for eyeshadow. This product has proved once again that it is possible to find an eye shadow with strong pigmentation, for a lower price. The Eye Studio Eye Shadow Quad  comes in a range of different colour palettes, which can be found here (scroll down).
Characteristics:

•    Comes with a sponge applicator, one double sided end with thicker width and one double sided end with liner width.
•    Two blue tones, white and black.
•    All colours are shimmer, there are no matte shades.

Positives:

•    The applicator sponge allows for good pigmentation.
•    Each colour compliments one another.
•    The layout of the four shadows makes it easy to create a certain look (which is also pictured on the back of the packaging).

Negatives:

• I would recommend using your own brush when applying this shadow to the crease, as it’s easy to misjudge the shape with the provided applicator. A small angled brush would also be best for applying eyeshadow beneath the waterline, as the sponge comes out with quite a thick line.

Keep an eye on my blog, as I’ll soon be doing a tutorial on how to use this palette to get a nice blue eyeshadow look.

Overall, I would rate this product ★★★★☆

Review: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set in 'Smoked'

This diverse set of eye pencils allows you to do a variety of eye looks without necessarily using a black eyeliner, but still maintaining that dark smoky look. One of my favourite things about this product, and Urban Decay items in general, is the packaging. Each pencil is stored in its own place within the neat black box, that accentuates the unique colour of each pencil.
The eye pencil colours included are (As pictured left to right) Uzi, Zero, Demolition, Smog, Empire, and Mainline.

Characteristics:

•    Waterproof formula.
•    Smoky hues.
•    Long Lasting eye pencil.

Positives:

•    Each pencil is versatile, meaning that you don’t only have to use these with a smoky look.
•    Offers a variety of shades
•    Very smooth application, it glides along the skin.
•    Difficult to smudge
•    It’s not completely opaque, but can easily be if you apply more pressure or layer it.
•    The pigmentation is good both on the waterline and the outer eye.
•    It’s easy to achieve a fine line.

Negatives:

•    It is a little difficult to get them out of their packaging, but if you press down on the lid they should pop out.

Overall, I would rate this product ★★★★★

Book Review: Lauren Conrad - 'Beauty'

 

Lauren Conrad's 'Beauty' certainly does not disappoint, giving an insightful description of the world of beauty and what it should mean to us. The book is written and designed in the same format as her previous book 'Style', once again having a neat and elegant layout. However this time the content does not mention fashion, but focuses solely on physical aspects such as hair, skin, and makeup.

Conrad has ensured that her readers recognise the emotional importance of feeling beautiful, emphasising that the beauty we're often faced with in the media is not real. She uses different models for the photographs in the book to show that everyone has a unique look and it's all about finding what suits you best, as "we define our own beautiful."

Once again the book is separated into two sections, prep and play:

•    Prep is the section that talks about taking care of your body and health, before you start adding things to it. It includes tips on skin care, hair care, fitness, and living a stress free life. This section also helps you to figure out what products and looks are good for you, based on your specific characteristics.

•  Play is all about how to achieve different looks for every occasion. Here you'll find chapters on how to do multiple hair styles, braids, makeup looks, and even nail art. There is also a chapter detailing how to apply each type of makeup, what difference each makes, and the tools you'll need. This is perfect for beginners, but also helps experienced makeup users brush up on their knowledge.

Finally Lauren ends the book with a chapter on the progression of beauty throughout history, reminding us that our look will always be transforming, so it's important to experiment and most of all have fun!

One of my favourite things about 'Beauty' is the images that accompany the text. Each tutorial within the book has a photo for each step, a big improvement from 'Style'. If I had to choose between the two, I would say that 'Beauty' is slightly better due to the attention to detail, however I would highly recommend both!