The eyes have it- Review

The eyes have it

I have been so slack with my blog lately so thought instead of doing a single review I would review 4 seperate eye products in one blog post!

So enough of my babbling and onto the reviews!

Maybelline Volum’ Express The Falsies Waterproof Mascara

I had been wanting to try this for AGES. This claims to give you the look of dramatic,false lashes but without the need for false lashes! Just look at the promo pic!

The website says

FALSE LASH GLAM IN A TUBE, INSTANTLY!
300% MORE VISIBLE LASHES corner-to-corner, WATERPROOF
SPOON BRUSH

I was very dubious when purchasing this product, I mean come on, false lash effect using only mascara and the lashes you are 

born with? COME ON! But I could'nt resist so went out and bought myself a tube of the waterproof formula

 The packaging

The tube is CUTE! Purple with aqua lettering is cute. The brush is a standard spoon brush but the solid part of the wand has a little flexible,bendy bit a short way down which actually makes it easier to apply the mascara

The product

One thing I noticed instantly about the formula itself is it is VERY wet! Wet to the point where I would notice little splatters around my eyes after applying the mascara the first couple of times. After a few weeks the formula tends to dry up which is great for application but is really a pain in the arse because mascaras,after being opened have a lifespan of 3-4 months,so losing 2-3 weeks waiting for it to dry up so you can use it is pure wastage. You have less chance of finishing the mascara before it has to go to mascara heaven!

The performance

I will give credit where credit is due, this baby creates awesome volume and amazing length,length like no mascara I have ever tried in my life! BUT it clumps like no other mascara I have ever tried so an old,clean dry mascara wand or lash brush is a necessity when you use this mascara. I did find after 10 hours it started flaking which was dissapointing.

Does it fulfill its claims? 

Well yes and no. It will give you longer lashes with more volume and while  I have been asked twice,if I was wearing false lashes while wearing the mascara it does not give you the lovely effect the promo pictures show and you have to work with the mascara to get it to work for you. For example having to wipe the wand to get rid of excess product,having to comb through your lashes to avoid clumping etc

Price

I think I paid roughly $26 NZD for this product but have noticed it varies store to store,so a pretty standard price for a mascara

Would I re-purchase? 

This is a really tough one. Probably not as I believe there are mascaras out there that probably give you comparable length and volume without the hassle and mess 

Simply Stunningly Gorgeous rating 4/10 

Designer Brands Fine Liquid Eyeliner in Black 

This eyeliner is an absolute favourite of mine! One of the first liquid eyeliners I had ever purchased and was in total love with it from the start!

Designer brands is an australian company that sells its products in Australia and New Zealand at prices everyone can afford!

The website says 

Create a dramatic eye with a liquid liner featuring a high quality fine hair brush to ensure perfect application.
Designer Brands Liquid Liner is available in a luxury acrylic case, it's smudge and clump free! PERFECT!

Packaging

The packaging like alot of DB's products is very clean cut,stylish and looks almost high end! It comes with a brush applicator as opposed to a "felt" type applicator.

The Product

The formulation is long wearing AND smudge resistant. The product doesnt seem to dry up or clump at all ensuring a smooth application every time.

The Performance

This is one hell of an eyeliner! As I said above the formulation is long wearing,smudge resistant and a little goes a long way.

The brush has bristles which can be a little harder to work with as opposed to say a felt applicator because there is no density and if one of the bristles stick out you can accidentally get a line of eyeliner where you dont want it,but this can be remedied with a small pair of nail scissors(and removing the eyeliner isn't ultra hard with a Q-tip!). I find the softer brush easier to work with when it comes to creating a winged look and cat flicks. The brush is super fine so its easy to create a thin line but you can also build it up if you like a thicker,chunkier line!

Does it fulfill its claims? 

Yes,yes,yes. Apart from the brush issue which isnt major,I cannot find a fault with this eyeliner.

Price

Would you believe me if I told you this fantastic liner was only $8.99 NZD?! Well ladies it is!A tiny $9 is all you will pay!

Would I re-purchase?

Without a doubt yes,and I have re-purchased this product!

Simply Stunningly Gorgeous Rating 9/10

Avon Glimmersticks Liqui Glide Eyeliner

This eyeliner came into my collection through  Avons lovely "We don't have what you ordered,so have this instead" policy. Instead of sending it back with my rep I figured I may as well try it. The concept is it gives you the look of a liquid liner in a self sharpening, pencil form. The concept is a cool concept. I couldnt find the info I wanted on the NZ Avon website so jumped on avon.com to find the info

The website says

The intense look of a liquid liner with the ease and precision of a pencil. Long-wearing. Smudge-resistant. Retractable, self-sharpening

The packaging

Basic standard pencil look. The product is retractable and "self sharpening" just like Avon's standard glimmersticks.

The Product 

The product is a stick and feels quite moist to touch and is very very soft. The colour intensity is magnificent but while it claims to be long wearing and smudge resistant,I have found this to be untrue. I also feel you dont get alot of product

The Performance 

I find "self sharpening" claim very gimmicky, while it is true you dont need to sharpen it it doesnt have a pointed tip once you start using it. Once you start using it, it flattens which means if your are trying to achieve and precise flick or a thin line, it is very hard to achieve. I also find the pencil very hard to work with as it is too long and harder to control. If you can figure out a way to apply it then it may be worthwhile because the pigmentation is fabulous and very dark,but it smudges easily and isnt very long wearing.

Does it fulfill its claims?

Yes and no. If you find pencil on the upper lash line easier to work with and want the look of a liquid then it fulfills its claims on that part. However I find its claim to be self sharpening to be misleading and I find it doesnt last very long and smudges

Price 

I'm not entirely sure as avon prices always vary but you are probably look at a price somewhere between $8 and $12 NZD.

Would I re-purchase?

Hell no! If you put the colour intensity aside it has nothing I look for in an eyeliner

Simply Stunningly Gorgeous Rating 2/10

Unbranded 88 Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette 

The 88 Palettes in the beauty community overseas is a cult classic!There are different palettes examples are 88 Matte,88 Warm,88 Metal Mania and the one I am reviewing 88 Shimmer.

Orginally released by Coastal Scents, the 88 palettes are made in Hong Kong and are re-sold by different companies. My one was from Crush Cosmetics.  

The website says

88 beautiful colours, for lovers of shimmer eyeshadow. Very pigmented and easy to blend, you will not be disappointed with this hot item!

The Packaging

A large rectangular palette housing 88 eyeshadows. Comes with a decent sized mirror and 2 double ended ,sponge ,eyeshadow applicators.

The Product

All 88 shadows are extremely pigmented and shimmery although I have noticed some eyeshadows are less pigmented than others and a couple are very powdery. All of the shadows are long wearing.

The Performance

 I have found all of the shadows to be super shimmery, long wearing and super blendable. The large selection gives you limitless options. Some of the more powdery ones can cause shadow fall out which isnt a good look and ones that are less pigmented you have to work a little harder with to achieve the colour payoff. The eye looks you can achieve are only limited by your imagination!

Does it fulfill its claims?

Simply put,yes it does. I find this to be an amazing palette.

Price

From Crushcosmetics.com.au it is currently $48.91 NZD and $35.95 AUD

Would I re-purchase?

If I ever get through them all,yes. Its only 55 cents(NZ) per eyeshadow

Simply Stunningly Gorgeous rating 8/10

So thats it for this post,hope you have enjoyed the reviews and learnt about some products you may have been questioning buying

Till next time Stay simply stunningly gorgeous! xoxo

Disclaimer All opinions expressed on this blog are mine and mine alone. I am not paid by any company to review products.

Concealers!

Concealers

Good ole concealers! They can be your best friend,they hide imperfections,disguise redness,blotchy skin,dark circles etc. But if used incorrectly they can be your worst enemy. A concealer can make the world of difference to your appearance

I am going to share with you my concealer tips and tricks I have learnt through trial and error.

My preferred concealers are liquid and stick concealers. Stick concealers offer more coverage where as liquid applies more smoothly and is more lightweight.

When choosing a concealer make sure you don't go too light. I have read time and time again to go lighter than your skin tone and well I couldn't disagree more! Using a too light shade can actually draw attention to what you are trying to hide,especially when it comes to the under eye/dark circle area. When you go too light it can make your dark circles appear slightly grey and ashy which looks awful. My advice is don't go more than half a shade lighter than your skin tone but don't go any darker than your foundation. Try to match your concealer shade to your foundation shade as closely as you can.

Concealing redness

My red areas are often around my nose and a certain spot on my cheekbone where I have broken capillaries. For this I first use a green based corrector which is designed to disguise redness followed by a concealer although if you don't have a corrector you can just use a concealer.I generally use stick concealer for fuller coverage with less product. I usually use foundation before concealer so I don't have to use too much(as the foundation should help hide the redness). But be sure to blend it in,if you don't you could end up looking a hot mess. I generally then set the concealer with pressed powder.

The under eye area

This is my most challenging area! For ages I read "use a shade lighter than your skin tone" and always looked ashy. Then I would use concealers too heavy for the inner corner and inner half of my under eye. I read everything I could and could never figure out what I was doing wrong,until I read that you shouldn't actually go lighter. How could this be right?I thought to myself,everything I read tells me go lighter and now I'm being told don't?Oh well I'll try it,I cant be any worse off than I am now! All I can say is the difference it made was WOWEEWOW!! No ashy look,I looked well normal yet flawless.
OK moving on the two thing I struggle with is getting my concealer to not seep into fine lines(and ageing me) and concealing bags and under eye circles. Now these two how -tos have worked amazingly for me(yet I have never combined the methods so if you do you could and let me know what you did and if it works for you?!)

Method to reduce under eye concealer creasing

Its almost impossible to stop concealer seeping into fine lines and creasing but this method can help avoid it
You will need
-2 tissues
-An eye lid/eyeshadow primer
-A concealer that matches your skin tone
This method is pretty basic
1:Make sure you have not used an eye cream,if you have gently blot the area with a tissue to absorb excess moisture/oil
2:Apply an eyelid primer to the area you are applying concealer. Eyelid primers help stop eye shadows from creasing and work the same under the eye.You can use any eyelid or eyeshadow primer,I use Australis eyeshadow primer but have also used an avon one as well. Many brands have them available
3:Take your concealer and apply under the eye as usual
4:Take a tissue and separate it so you are left with a very fine tissue "film".Gently pat it over the concealer,this helps soak up excess moisture/oil without disturbing or removing the pigment
5:Avoid using powder to set as powder can exaggerate fine lines
Voila! Crease resistant concealer

Reducing dark shadows
This method is more than concealer but its an option if you have the products needed.The under eye correctors I talk about are widely available if you look for them.It is preferable to use a salmon or bisque coloured corrector(eve pearl and Bobbi brown both have them) but if like me you struggle to find one,I use australis gold colour corrector which works a treat
You will need
-2 tissues
-An eye lid/shadow primer
-A colour corrector designed for dark shadows,bruising etc
-Concealer that matches your skin tone
1:Make sure you have not used an eye cream,if you have gently blot the area with a tissue to absorb excess moisture/oil
2:Apply an eyelid primer to the area you are applying concealer. Eyelid primers help stop eye shadows from creasing and work the same under the eye
3:Take your colour corrector. Apply sparingly to the darker areas,including the inner corner of your eyes,including a little bit on the sides of your nose if needed.Keep applying until the shadows are faded or completely gone.
4,Apply your concealer as usual. Don't be too heavy handed as the corrector should have taken care of concealing the shadows,you are just applying the concealer to blend everything together nicely and create a more flawless look.
5:Set with loose,translucent or pressed powder

Concealing under eye circles and bags

This I have struggled with for AGES! You can chop and change this method to suit you,I use 2 shades of concealers for this method but you can probably get away with one,this is just the way I have always done it. At the end I will also link the video I did back in Feb for this method
You will need
-2 shades of concealer,one slightly lighter than your skin tone and one that matches your skin tone
-A pressed powder(or loose if that is your preference)
1:Take the lighter concealer,with it draw a line from the outer corner to the inner corner of your eye
2:Draw a line from the inner corner straight down,parallel to your nose to parallel to your nostril.
3:From the outer corner of your eye draw a line and connect it where the line ends near your nostril
4:You have now made a weird triangle,blend the concealer in,make sure you blend it right up to your lash line and into the inner corner of your eye if you so desire.
5:If you wish you conceal the veins on your eyelids dab a little concealer over the lid
6:Take the darker shade of concealer and repeat steps 1-4
7:Take a pressed powder and lightly set the concealer,also run this over your eyelid
 Now here is a pic of me with one eye done and the other not,you can see a difference!

Concealing pimples

I have found more often than not concealing large pimples can make them look worse. If your pimple is a Papule (a red lump containing no pus or white head) it is generally easy to conceal. A Pustule on the other hand has a "cap" or "head" on top,caking concealer on these can really highlight the area and make it worse.I'm not going to talk about cystic acne as I have never had any experience with it.

-My best suggestion for concealing pimples is DON'T! You want to let your skin breathe and heal. But seeing as I don't adhere to my own suggestion a few tips I have are
-When applying concealer to a pimple,do not use the brush,applicator or the actual concealer straight onto the pimple. Put some on your finger and apply with your finger(or a clean brush). You do not want to contaminate the product,if you need to add more clean or wipe your finger/brush before dipping it back into the product.
-Use some type of spot treatment under your make up. Tinted spot treatments are available,these are perfect for treating and concealing
-When using concealer on a Papule, gently brush from the outside in towards the pimple blending as you go to conceal the redness,you may just need the lightest strokes over the actual pimple to conceal.
-When you have a Pustule use the same method as a Papule,run the brush up the reddened sides of the pimple but try to avoid concealer on the head/cap as this may cause it to tear or rip off which can make it worse and spread
-Don't over conceal. This only draws attention to the pimple making it look worse.

So thats it ladies,hope I have helped and please remember to blend,blend,blend. That is one make up rule you should never forget or skip.
Till next time,stay Simply Stunningly Gorgeous!

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Links
Youtube video for under circles and bags
Simply Stunningly Gorgeous Facebook Page