Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara

I've always heard good reviews on Lancôme mascara, yet it seem a lot of people I've chatted to haven't ever tried Lancôme, well at £22 the  Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara won't be a impulse buy but I thought more people may of tried it. Lancôme in my eyes in famous for their Juicy Tubes which I loved when I was younger. Didn't we all. 

Apparently Lancôme are on of the best selling mascaras in the world, according to Lancôme themselves, I couldn't find any proof? Never the less I brought it. Claiming to curl and create volume I was excited to try this. The packaging is fairly boring, consisting of a silver box (which obviously I would throw away before I photographed it) and a black tube. Black packaging is always going to be a classy simple option but a bit of decoration wouldn't go a miss. The brush looks nothing like the photo on the Lancome website either, no way is it that bushy. Lancome made it look like a foxes tail....bit of photoshop there I think.

The brush however is quite unusual, curved, but to me not a normal curve, if you see what I mean? But I found this was great for really getting to the bottom of my lashes and coating them well. I struggled a bit with my bottom lashes as I smudged it a bit, but I do always make mess all over my face when applying mascara. Clearly one of my talents. I really love the formula of Hypnose Drama too, right from the first application which is rare for me as I normally prefer mascaras once the formula is less 'wet', but this was perfect from the off set. This is defiantly one of the 'blackest' black mascara I've ever used and really created volume without clumps (hurrah) and even curled my lashes and stayed put all day.

Overall, dare I say this...Hypnose Drama may be my favourite mascara. Ever. Okay, it's a draw then between this and my Benefit They're Real. Tough call and at £22 it's pricey but not impossible to replace.

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara - £22 available from Lancome

Have you tried Lancôme Hypnose Drama mascara?

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Makeup and Beauty Brands, who owns what?

After my post on Bourjois, this struck up a conversation in my house that concluded with my Mum stating 'Chanel owns Bourjois'. Nope, was my exact reaction and just didn't believe her. I knew Estée Lauder and Loreal own many other brands all under their umbrellas, but I honestly was totally clueless about Chanel. So this prompted some serious online research and I also found that Bourjois actually came into the picture first in 1863, not Chanel. In 1924, Coco Chanel approached Pierre Wertheimer, who was then the owner of Bourjois, to help her develop her famous perfumes. These days, it’s Bourjois and the Wertheimer family who owns the Chanel empire. So, contrary to popular belief, Chanel doesn’t own Bourjois, but the other way round. Interesting.  Here is a list of makeup brands and who owns them and who they are part of...

Estee Lauder: 

Estee Lauder, Aramis, American Beauty, Aveda, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Bumble & Bumble, Darphin, Prescriptives, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Jo Malone, Origins, Ojon, Flirt, GoodSkin Labs, Creme de la Mer, Tom Ford, Smashbox

L’Oreal: 

L’Oreal Paris, L’Oreal Professional, Maybelline New York, Lancome, Helena Rubinstein, Vichy, Biotherm, La Roche Posay, Redken, Skinceuticals, Garnier, Keratase, Matrix, Pureology, Mizani, Essie, Kiehl’s, Shu Uemura, Giorgio Armani, Roger & Gallet, Ralph Lauren, Cacharel, Diesel, Viktor & Rolf, YSL Beaute, Maison Martin Margiela, Stella McCartney, YUE SAI, Sanoflore, The Body Shop

Proctor & Gamble: 

Cover Girl, Max Factor, Olay, Clairol, Nice ‘n Easy, Ivory, Noxzema, Pantene, SK-II, Dolce & Gabbana Cosmetics and Fragrances, Hugo Boss Fragrances, Sebastian Professional, Fekkai, Wella, Vidal Sassoon, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Old Spice

Johnson & Johnson: 

Neutrogena, Aveeno, Clean & Clear, RoC and Lubriderm.

Coty, Inc: 

Rimmel London, Cutex, Sally Hansen, OPI, Adidas, Playboy, Guess Parfums, Roberto Cavalli, Bottega Veneta, Vera Wang, Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood, Chloe, Joop!, Davidoff, Chopard, Calvin Klein, ck one color cosmetics, Cerruti, philosophy skin care, most celebrity fragrances (Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Kate Moss, Halle Berry, Heidi Klum, Lady Gaga, David & Victoria Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kylie Minogue)

LVMH: 

Fresh, Dior, Guerlain, Givenchy, Kenzo, Benefit Cosmetics, Make Up For Ever, Acqua di Parma, Nude

Revlon: 

Revlon, Almay, Natural Wonder, Charlie fragrances, Mitchum, Ultima II, Gatineau

Unilever: 

Dove, Impulse, Pears, Lux, Lynx, Pears, Rexona, SunSilk, Vaseline

Thank you: Wikipedia for all that information! 

What do you think of this? Any surprise brand partnerships in there?

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Bourjois Paris Bronzing Primer

Bourjois have got the right idea here with their new Bourjois Paris Bronzing Primer, lack of sun meaning lots of us suffering from unwanted pale skin, and in need of some faking it action, Bourjois has provided two solutions; a BB cream and a primer. Both created in a universal shade to match everyone's (everyone's?!) skin tone...I bypassed the BB cream as I just need more coverage but the primer I brought with much excitement.

I don't want to speak to soon but this looks distinctly Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Univerel-like... a mouse like bronzer that you can apply for a contour or bronze effect.... very, very exciting to see a high street version, as I've only seen this in makeup artists bags and never had the chance to try or wear it. Proof there modelling isn't glamorous, I thought being able to wear Chanel would be a job perk, but nope.    This primer is a mousse product, which I love. You really only need a tiny bit but it really does blend in beautifully, after the horror on my face when I saw quite how dark it was.

 I was dubious that this product would work and just thought once I applied foundation the colour with disappear. I did however managed a healthy, all-over glowing tan with this product. No orange, or streaks in sight. Which is a major surprise as I thought I’d hate this primer given that it looks so dark in the pot and on first application. This is such a great idea for a primer and is much better in my opinion that facial tanning, which never looks quite right. I can't comment or compare this too the infamous Chanel product as I've never had the joy of trying it. No ifs or buts you need to get this product into your makeup bag ASAP.   

Bourjois Tanning Primer from their Summer Collection - £6.99 (promotion price) available at Boots.

Have you tried Bourjois Paris Bronzing Primer?

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Max Factor Clump Defy Mascara

I'm addicted to mascara (blog name gives it away), and I'm always on the look out for new ones, I have seemed to of made it my own personal mission in recent years to try as many as I can. One that I was excited to try was Max Factor's new mascara, Clump Defy.

This mascara is all about lengthening your lashes, adding volume, without leaving your lashes looking clumpy. It seems more and more mascaras on the market now are offering a clump free finish, and generally I have been left disappointed with them as they just seem to have a really thin consistency. I have tried Max Factors false lash mascara which I hated. But I do love their Masterpiece Max so I was left utterly confused.

The wand in comparison to the Max factor False Lash is much curvier, and I did notice on first application that there was much less product on the wand as I pulled it out of the colour base, meaning there was no product overload to cause clumps. As I was applying it, the curvy wand really does help with curling and defining the lashes which I was really surprised by as so many times with a new mascara I have found that my lashes can clump together *sob*.

I found after one coat this was way too of a natural look for me, I need more drama! But...each coat of adds more definition, length and volume to my lashes. It really does need more than one coat in my opinion but it really brightens my eyes, leaving them looking big and defined. I actually got chatting the the beauty girl in Boots who did inform me that Clump Defy is better for those with longer lashes and False Lash is better for those who need a bit of volume and length...maybe that is why I didn't get on with False Lash? I really do love the mascara though, I'm finding it hard to decide which mascara is my favourite. Max Factor has definitely brought a good contender forward.

Max Factor Clump Defy Mascara £10.99 - at Boots.

Have you tried this mascara? What's you favourite Max Factor mascara?

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Seventeen Miracle Matte Foundation

I am carrying on my determination here to love Seventeen products. I mean how can I dislike such a pocket friendly brand? Well at the moment they definitely not my favourite, and the Seventeen Miracle Matte Foundation has defiantly confirmed that. 

The matte foundation is fairly new I believe and heavily promoted on the Seventeen stand as the main foundation. There's 6 shades. Soft ivory, Honey, Biscuit, Fair, Natural, Porcelain. Personally, I don't think there's enough shades, can 6 shades cater for all the skin tones out there? Very much doubt it. I feel it actually caters for the paler of skin tones and a few of the shades were quite alike and more for the pinker skin tones. Note for Seventeen there...

Being a Matte finish, the foundation won't be for everyone, I was worried as I have dry skin and that is a bit of a beauty faux pas. Containing no oil this would be a better choice for those will oily/combination skin. Oh and includes the usual SPF 15, like every other foundations these days. To carry on with the positives, I do love the bottle. I like to be able to see how much product is left, and with pink being my favourite colour of I love the lid.

Unfortunately this is as far as my liking goes for this foundation. It does apply fairly well, but blending it in was a complete nightmare. The stuff just wouldn't blend in. At all. Considering I has exfoliated, moisturised and primed my skin I wasn't expecting this. The product just stuck to my cheeks in dark lumps making my makeup routine twice as long. When I finally made my face presentable, I found the foundation stayed put for a while, only to 'bunch' on my face again and then to go all patchy..arghh stress. I did like the colour and the matte finish so I was very disappointed that it just didn't stay put and go on smoothly.

This won't be a repurchase at all, shame as at £5.99 I really wish I could love it.

Seventeen Miracle Matte Foundation - £5.99 at Boots

Have you tried Seventeen Miracle Matte Foundation?

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NOTD: Essie Too Too Hot

Okay I did it....I went and got my man nails done. This is a first, mainly as work hate girls having 'done' nails. Natural is the way forward in the unwritten models handbook. But it was a couple of my friends birthdays so I wanted to feel a bit special and glamorous so off to the salon I went.

Someone should of really prepared me for how many varnishes they have to choose from. I went in the mind set of wanting red nails, but was that an easy choice? No! They had about 10 different red shades to choose from. I was not the most popular client...I did make them try every shade before I chose my final one. Well this was a big decision that I was not taking lightly. Plus, nail colours always look different on your nails rather than in the bottle. I finally settled on a Essie Nail Polish, Too Too Hot. A nice summery red which reminded me of a phone box red. I love this colour and was very happy with how it came out (Fake or not...)

Essie Too Too Hot - £7.99 from Superdrug

Have you worn Essie Nail Polish Too Too Hot before? 

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Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Nude Eclipse

I am a avid MAC Lipglass Cremesheen Glass girl, so the recently released the Rimmel Apocalips, are a new venture for me. Nude Eclipse is the lightest shade from a range of 8; the next two lightest shades are Luna, a orange with hints of coral and Celestial, a pink made for girly girls and the range also includes bright reds, pinks and plum shades all with space-related names (although this was pointed out to me).

The Apocalips are described as 'lip lacquers', which means the pigmentation of a lipstick combined with the creaminess and shine of a gloss, but with a unique finish. The formula is extremely pigmented and creamy and applies well to the lips, but with hardly any stickiness meaning less hair stuck to lips situations. The wear is at least 4 - 6 hours but will dry matte by this time, easily fixed by a quick top up. 

Overall, I like the formula, pigmentation and design, Nude Eclipse is a very, very pale salmon pink that does have a slight hint of 'concealer' about it but which can look beautiful with a tan (which I will have at some point) and a smokey eye, or worn over a deeper colour and sheered out. Nude shades are often my colour of choice as my make up normally focuses on my eyes, this colour complements darker eye make up perfectly. The photo doesn't really do it justice (or even really show up...I did try.) but honestly, it is a lovely colour. This colour may be too pale for some people, but with a range of other colours I would recommend you have a look!

The Rimmel Apocalips - £5.99 from Boots.

Do you have any of the Rimmel Lip Lacquers?

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Seventeen/ 17 Va Va Voom Mascara

I am such a mascara addict its unreal. Any new one that comes onto the market I just have to try, I can't resist. Although, I'm really picky of my mascaras. Out of the many (many, many, many...) I've tried, there are only a handful of those I'd ever buy again. I don't really mind going through the process of curling my eyelashes, combing them, applying a few coats while waiting on the product getting slightly tacky in between, etc...but most of the time I don't have the time (or be bothered) with the whole rigmarole and would prefer to slick some mascara on my lashes, ready to go and to look fab first time. So long story short - I have high mascara standards.

I brought the 17 Va Va Voom Mascara a very long time ago but never rushed to try it, so long ago in fact it looked like this...

...so you can tell how long I've had the tube! With this in mind I thought I'd best open it up and have a bash with it before Christmas. The external packaging has been re-vamped and now looks like this...

However the formula and brush remains the same, and yes I did ask.

So - as the name suggests this mascara is all about making the lashes big - just what I'm after - always, always. The brush is a big bristle one rather than plastic - it's one of the biggest I've used and I've used a fair few. I had to be careful not to get the mascara on my top lid when applying at the roots of the lashes but it's just practise I guess, and no I still make a mess.

The formula is actually pretty thick which can 'up' the clump factor but - again - with a bit of wiggling/practise I seem be able to avoid too many clumps and just use my eyelash comb if needs be. It's a good solid black, stays put all day without flaking or smudging but is easily removed with cleansing without excessive rubbing, pulling out eyelashes etc.

Okay so this isn't going to rival my favourite mascara at all. Better than I expected it to be but still no where near enough to create the eyelash drama I like. But at £6.29 it's worth it if your after a more natural look or just don't warrant the effort on your eyelashes.

Have you tried the 17 Va Va Voom Mascara before?

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