Max Factor Excess Volume, Extreme Impact Mascara

Max Factor's False Last Effect is one of my all time favourite mascara ranges.  I love the original, and also the 'fusion' version, in the purple tube.  As much as I love it, I don't buy it religiously but I do find myself going back to it time and time again.  I went into Boots expecting to pick this up but instead was drawn to another, the Excess Volume, Extreme Impact mascara which was at the introductory price of £9.99.  This double ended mascara features False Lash Effect on one end, combined with a more glossy 'lacquer' on the other.  The latter is of a thinner consistency and has a more traditional, tapered brush with longer bristles.  This is meant to act as a 'top coat' to give your lashes a glossy finish.

My main issue with this mascara is the application.  I'm right handed and have always applied mascara to both eyes with this hand.  This is fine for my right eye, but the short wands of this mascara make it really hard to do my left eye, particularly the inner lashes.  I am getting a bit better with practise, but if I'm in a rush to get ready (which is often the case!) I don't have time for any extra faffing about.  I've tried using my left hand to my left eye, but I end up with clumpy lashes which isn't a good look at all!  Having said that, it applies well and holds a curl, and doesn't really flake or smudge during the day.  I don't think it's actually classed as being waterproof but it does need a decent makeup remover to take off at the end of the day.  Max Factor recommend an oil-based eye makeup remover, but I manage to get it all off pretty easily with my Clinique cleansing balm.  

Max Factor's Excess Volume, Extreme Impact mascara is currently £9.99 in Boots and is due to increase to £12.99 at the end of this month.  

Have you tried this mascara? Do you have the same issues with the application as me?

August Favourites

Babyliss waving wand.

I've had this for ages but I haven't used it for the longest time. Now every time I've styled my hair this month I've been using this.  I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll never be able to curl my hair with ghd's no matter how hard I try.  Using a wand, however, is so easy! This one is a more unusual shape compared to the typical conical wand, but the principle is the same.  Simply point downwards and (carefully!) wrap sections of hair around it, hold for few seconds and let go. The shape of this is meant to give more of a 'wave' than a curl, but I find it gives more than enough curl for me, and I tend to brush it out a fair bit for a more natural look.

Osmo Blow Dry Potion

 I mentioned this in my haircare routine post a couple of weeks ago, and it has definitely become a firm favourite.  It doesn't give masses of volume, but I can definitely notice a difference in how my hair looks when I've used this, it's just enough to stop my hair looking flat.  It also gives a bit of hold, which is great for when I'm using the waving wand on my hair. I hadn't heard of Osmo until I bought this, but I definitely want to try out more of their products in the future.

Benefit They're Real

I bought this product when it first came out in 2011 and to be honest, I didn't love it.  However, when I received a mini version in a gift set recently, I decided to give it a second chance.  This time around, it's love.  I'm not sure why, though I think it might be with this one being a miniature version, the wand is shorter and therefore easier to control? Has anyone else experienced this? My lashes are quite long anyway, but are quite fair at the ends, this mascara lengthens them even more and makes them such much more defined.  It's making me want to buy the full size again, but if my theory's right I won't love it nearly as much.

Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot

My skin isn't overly oily but I do get a bit of a shiny forehead as the day goes on. Despite this, I've never been a big powder user as I've found them to be cakey and emphasise any dry patches.  When Soap and Glory make up was 3 for 2 recently, I decided to give this a go, and I'm so glad I did.  It's so finely milled and pretty much melts into the skin, given a lovely matte finish.  Another winner from Soap and Glory for me!

Barry M Confetti Nail Paint in Dolly Mixture

I love topcoats, so much so, I'm planning a blog post showing all my favourites.  This is a new addition but has already become a firm favourite.  I love this because it adds a bit of interest to your nail colour of choice, but is much less in your face than glitter.  I always associate glitter polishes with winter or night time, so these confetti ones are perfect for day time.

The Body Shop Almond Hand & Nail Cream

Excuse the battered-ness of the tube, but with it being in a metallic tube, it doesn't stand a chance in my handbag! My hands get really dry at work, so a good hand cream is a must.  This one does the job brilliantly, it absorbs quickly leaving no greasy residue, and it leaves my hands super soft.  It has a lovely, non-offencive smell too.  This is just the small version, though once my Hand Food has ran out, I may get a larger tube of this for my dressing table,

Colours of the Rainbow Tag!

I haven't actually been tagged by anyone to do this tag, but after watching so many videos and reading lots of blog posts about it, I felt inspired to do it myself.  It was actually harder than I thought it would be; I seemd to have lots of things of one colour (purple nail varnishes, I'm looking at you!) but then some colours (green!)  I struggled with.  I've tried to get a variety of products though and think I've done pretty well!

RED

Urban Decay Super-Saturated Lip Colour in 'F-Bomb'

I don't own many red lip colours but with this being one of them, I don't feel the need for any more.  It's a bright medium-dark red with just a hint of shimmer and a lovely glossy finish. I bought this to wear for a masquerade party, and teamed it with a blue dress and gold accessories and I loved the way the whole look came together.  It's really long lasting and I keep meaning to pick up another one of these in a more wearable colour.

ORANGE

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

I don't need to say too much about this brush do I?! It does a brilliant job with pretty much every foundation I've used it with and is so soft.  Best foundation brush I've ever used! When my original one started shedding, as if the hairs hadn't been glued in properly, I contacted Real Techniques who sent me another one straight away for free! Amazing service too!

YELLOW

Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter

A bit of a cult product this one.  A brilliant multi-tasker that not only soften cuticles but is great for dry skin on your elbows, knees, feet, pretty much anywhere! My only gripe is that you get TOO MUCH product.  You generally get a year-18months of this before it goes 'off' and starts to smell funny. I've thrown out only half empty pots because of this. I'd rather pay the same amount but get less than waste so much of it that someone else could have used.

GREEN

Benefit Porefessional

I've seen this mentioned for both green and blue and since I can't find anything else for green, I'm putting it here! Recently I've found my pores to be quite enlarged on my forehead and sides of my nose.  I find a small amount of this over those areas helps disguise them and allows for a smoother application of foundation.  This is a mini size that came with a birthday gift set.

BLUE

L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara, Waterproof

I tend to stay away from waterproof mascaras for the simple reason that they're too much effort to remove. Lazy I know, but I hate the way I have to tug at my eyes to get it all off at the end of the day.  I recently broke this rule as I was to be a bridesmaid for my cousin and I knew there'd be tears.  After deliberating in Boots for ages, I decided on this one and I'm flipping glad I did! It gave a nice amount of volume to my lashes, and separated them brilliantly. And it stayed put all day!

INDIGO

Tangle Teezer

I held off getting one of these for so long and now I have two! This one stays on my dressing table as I'm worried the teeth will get damaged in my bag.  It's more gentle than any other brush I've used and I love how it can be used on wet or dry hair.  My hair is pretty long and tangles easily but this brush sorts it out no bother.  It feels weird using a regular brush now.  I also have one of the compact ones with the 'lid' which I keep in my handbag.

VIOLET

Travelo Perfume Atomiser

Such a simple concept put an absolute life saver when it comes to carrying your favourite scent around.  There's not a great deal to say about these; their compact, light as a feather and super easy to refill. They are a little pricey (I think the RRP is around the £11 mark) but they can often be found cheaper on various discount websites. Mine contains my Stella perfume, and I'm tempted to buy a couple more for my other perfumes too.

PINK

Benefit Bella Bamba

I love Benefit's boxed powders and this one is no exception.  Bella Bamba is a gorgeous pink colour, and is Benefit's only '3D effect' blush, which apparently just means it brightens, sculpts, and defines. I have a good selection of Benefit's blushers and this is by far the most pigmented. However it's really blendable so it can be easily corrected if you overdo it a bit.

MULTICOLOURED

Camden Lock, Nails Inc Graffiti

I was tempted to use a nail varnish for so many colours, but wanted to keep a bit of variety so I've saved it til the end.  This, as the name suggest, was part of the Graffiti collection by Nails Inc that was out late last year.  This is easily the most colourful of the set and contains different shapes and sizes of red, green, blue silver and gold glitter.  This makes a brilliant topcoat and would look great over pretty much any colour.  I prefer to use a pastel shade for a slightly more subtle look.

Have you done the Colours of the Rainbow Tag? Link me your blogspots and videos below and I'll be sure to check them out! If you're reading this and haven't done the tag then I tag you!! :)