Short & Sweet Session - July 2013

Welcome to my first ever Short & Sweet Session post as described here. I was initially going to do one of these posts per sample product that impressed me at a time but decided to just group my favourites for the month together instead as this ended up being a bit more sensible to me (and a lot less time consuming too!)

This month there were only four sample products I used that I thought worth mentioning. They were as follows:

1) GKMBJ One Minute Treatment Hair Mask - I loved, loved, loved this product and am most definitely going to get myself a full size. The smell is delicious and it made my fine, straw like, frizz fest of a head of hair feel so much softer and more manageable. I also love that it only needs to be on for one minute to do its magic. This means I can slather it on after washing my hair and do something else quick like shave or exfoliate and then it's ready to be rinsed off. This is way more practical than other hair masks that need to be left on for 10-15 minutes or so. I'm not a fan at all of getting in the shower, getting out to let my mask work and then getting back in again just to rinse and any product that doesn't force me to do that but still works is great to me!

2) Kiehl's BB Cream - This has to be one of the best BB creams I have used so far. Firstly, it smells kind of like a chocolate coated coffee bean to me which I was a tad excited about every time I went to use it, secondly, it blends into the skin beautifully and leaves a lovely matte finish without a hint of greasiness, and thirdly, a little of this cream goes a seriously long way so this deceivingly small sample lasted me about 5 or 6 uses before running out. This is definitely up there as one of the best BB creams around in my opinion.

3) Remedica Vanilla & Shea Nut Body Creme - This creme is so lovely that I was almost tempted to try eating it. My sensitive, eczema prone skin soaked this creme up like there was no tomorrow and felt really soft and nourished. The smell of this creme is unbelievable. It cannot be adequately described in any other way than delicious. I felt so decadent applying this after showering and before heading to bed at night and found that the scent lasted all night and through most of the next day on my skin as well. Definitely a great, luxurious creme for those whose skin needs that bit extra pampering sometimes.

4) Aromatherapy Associates Relax Bath & Shower Oil - For some reason I'm usually not a big fan of the scent of lavender but I found that I really loved it in the form of this oil. A few drops of this in the bath fills the whole near vicinity with the subtle scent of lavender and the oil ended up making my skin feel lovely and soft and I didn't even have to moisturise afterwards. I'm intrigued now about trying some of the other scents in this range in the near future.

I'd love to know if anyone else has tried any of these products before and what you thought about them?

Have a great week!

Michelle xx

Model Co Fibre Lashxtend Mascara

A few weeks ago I decided to purchase this mascara to try and have to say straight up that it really hasn't won me over like I wanted it to.

Here is a little bit about the Model Co Fibre Lashxtend Extreme Black Lengthening Mascara from their website:

The rich, glossy formula combined with innovative, inbuilt lash fibres gives you a false lash effect from every angle. FIBRE LASHXTEND lengthens and amplifies your own lashes to give you the ultimate length in an instant.  

This unique technology ensures voluptuous clump-free lashes that are smudge and tear proof. The water resistant formula delivers brilliant extension and high definition impact and unlike many other types of mascara, FIBRE LASHXTEND is dissolvable in warm water, wiping away with ease and saving you from panda eyes.

Why you need it:

• Creates incredibly long, high impact lashes.
• Inbuilt lash fibres create false lash effect.
• Clump-free, non-flaking formula.
• Water resistant.
• Easy, no-mess removal.

 So, after hearing such good things about this mascara and reading a heap of rave reviews, I couldn't help but want to try it for myself.

The brush itself is a really good size, not too big or too small, and the packaging has a nifty inbuilt mirror on the side which is invaluable if you need to reapply on the go.

I also have to say that even after a huge 12 hour work day, no smudging of the mascara occurred under the eyes which is the norm for me and my cursed oily lids.

So, there are definitely some good points to this product.

But, unfortunately, the small fibres in the formula and me just do not get along. In fact, they take every opportunity possible to try and escape from my poor little lashes.

If you have a close look at the below pictures you can see the small fibres contained in the brush which are what eventually coat your lashes to make them look thicker and longer. You can then see the tiny fibres sticking out from my lashes once applied:

 

After only a couple of hours, those little fibres start to fall off from my lashes and love to accumulate underneath my eye in what looks a little like black snow flakes. When I have client meetings this really isn't a good look and it constantly made me paranoid every time I knew I was going to be seeing someone in close proximity. I found that I spent every single toilet visit during the day plucking black fibres off my under-eye area and after a few days it just got plain annoying.

Overall, I think this mascara is a great concept and for very short instances it can be a wonderful product to give you thicker, fuller lashes. Unfortunately, for longer periods of time, the fallout of those little fibres just isn't worth it.

Has anyone used this mascara before? If so, did it do the same thing to you that it did to me?

Have a great week!

Michelle xx 

 

Rimmel London Match Perfection Blush in 001 Light

 

As I think I mentioned in my last post, Priceline were having a big sale on Rimmel products the last time I was there so I decided to pick up a few things from this brand that I haven't tried before, which included this Match Perfection Blush in 001 Light.

What the product says:

'3 perfectly coordinated blush shades plus a hint of blue sapphire for a naturally even flush of colour.'

I have to admit that what mainly swayed my decision to purchase this blush was the pretty pattern embossed on the top. It's so silly really because after a few uses you can pretty much kiss goodbye any pattern on these sorts of products, but hey, it still gave me some brief happy moments before it started to disappear.

 (Without flash)

(With flash)

This blush is a pretty combination of a pale pink shade, a darker pink/bronze shade and a pale highlighting shade. When swirled together this is a great blush for every day use for those with pale skin as it gives just the right pink glow without going overboard. Unfortunately, I think if you had the slightest bit of tan on your face, this blush would just get lost and not show up much at all. As I usually wear porcelain/ivory foundation shades, this blush suits me quite well.

 (With flash - Left to right: All three shades blended together, pale pink shade, darker pink shade and highlighting shade)

 (Without flash)

Although this blush has practically become a daily staple for me because of how subtle a shade it is, I've never had something so difficult to photograph in my life, also due to how light this blush actually is! I had to apply these swatches very heavily on my arm just to get them to show up at all in these photos.

I've found this blush lasts quite a few hours when applied, but doesn't have the staying power of other blushes I've used so tends to disappear by the end of a long work day. Still, for the price, it's a great product for me to just slap on and go on those days where I don't want to have to spend a lot of time blending and perfecting my blush, but still want to look like I have a little bit of colour on my face.

Has anyone else tried this blush before or any of the other shades in the range?

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Michelle xx

Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in Shade 103

I did it! I finally succumbed and bought myself a Rimmel lipstick! For some reason even though these are so highly raved about and practically everywhere, I just never seemed to get the urge to purchase one to try for myself.

Well, last time I was perusing through Priceline, they were having a sale of Rimmel products and I finally decided to bite the bullet and get myself one of these babies in the shade 103.

This shade is a really pretty rosey pink that can be worn very lightly over some lip balm for a subtle touch of colour on the lips or packed on for a brighter punch of colour.

I'm pretty happy with the formula of this lipstick which is nice and creamy and not at all drying. I am also quite impressed with it's staying power (4-5 hours on me then fading to a pink stain) and the fact that it doesn't feather or bleed into the fine lines around my lips.

The one thing that does bother me a little is the taste and smell of this lipstick. It's kind of like a sickly pot-pourri scent that in my humble opinion fits perfectly fine in nanna's underwear drawer, but is a bit much for applying onto the lips.

Overall, I'm still impressed with this lipstick, especially given the budget price tag, and will most likely be on the hunt for some other shades next time I'm out.


What does everyone else think of these lipsticks? Am I the last person to have tried one?

Michelle xx

Models Prefer Brow Highlighter

I recently received this Models Prefer Brow Highlighter as part of a beauty bag Priceline was giving away with a purchase up to a certain amount and was instantly intrigued into trying it.

This highlighter comes in the current jumbo crayon form that seems to be everywhere at the moment and is a very soft and blendable formula.

It is supposed to be applied to the arch of the brow to give the appearance of more open eyes and a more defined and lifted look to the eyebrows.

I find it a little too thick and frosty to be applied directly to the arches of my eyebrows but I've found that it makes a great general face highlighter when applied to the tip of a finger and blended onto the skin. It's also great to use on the inner corner of the eye to brighten up the eye itself.

 

(Without flash)

 

(With flash)

The crayon itself it very soft so you only need a light hand to get a lot of the product from it. It really it super shimmery so a little goes a very long way.

This will become part of my everyday travel makeup bag kit as it is a convenient size to carry around without worrying about powder going everywhere and spreading through your handbag for when you want a little extra bit of highlighting to brighten the face during the day.

Has anyone else tried this brow highlighter before?

Michelle xx