Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour

I have quite a colourful collection of lipsticks and when I first saw glimpses of these in YouTube videos before their official release, I knew I just had to try them. 

There are 14 different shades to choose from, ranging from nudes to pinks and even black and blue. I liked the look of the pink shades so I decided to try shades Be My Baby and Pink Blink. Be My Baby is a peachy nude shade and Pink Blink is a blush pink. Both are stunning colours and although they look like similar shades in the tubes, they are very different. These lipsticks promise to be bold, waterproof, kiss-proof and touch-proof. 

I found these difficult to find in stores, most of the shades had sold out so it took me a little while to get my hands on them. The first thing I noticed on first impressions is that they smell very much like chemicals, it's a strange scent, almost like fire, that's the only way I can describe it and it's quite unpleasant. I'm not a fan of the applicator either which is very basic, I much prefer doe foot applicators as it makes it so much easier to apply the product. 

Applicator

I love the boldness of these lip colours, Rimmel advise lining your lips first using the applicator and then fill in your lips, however I find this step unnecessary as it didn't seem to make a difference either way.  I find that with the lighter shades in this range such as Be My Baby it needs two coats as it's quite patchy but they dry completely matte and they are quite creamy and they feel very comfortable to wear. I forget that I'm wearing them and they don't flake or dry my lips out.

My favourite shade from the two I purchased has to be Pink Blink, it's such a flattering blush pink colour, and one which I could easily wear everyday. However I find that these are not long lasting, after a few hours I find that the colour has mostly faded and only a hint of it remains. I have taken an image of the shades side by side so that you can see how different they are. Ombre lip looks can also be created using these lipsticks, I tried lining my lips with the darker shade Pink Blink and then filling them in with Be My Baby. 

Shades Pink Blink (right) and Be My Baby (left) for comparison 

 So are these worth it? Yes, if you're a fan of the matte liquid lipstick trend then these are definitely worth a try, the shade range is wide and they offer something for everyone. The only things I would change with this product is the scent to make it more appealing, the applicator needs to be doe foot and I would make the formula longer lasting. Other than that, these are very comfortable to wear throughout the day and the colours are very bold and pigmented. I picked these up from Boots for £5.99 each.

Shade: Pink Blink

Jen

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ABH Modern Renaissance Palette

It's been a little while since I've done any reviews and since it was my 30th birthday recently, I had asked for the ABH Modern Renaissance palette, so after playing with it for a couple of months, I finally decided to write a review so we can see if it lives up to the hype.... 

The first thing I will say is that there has been a lot of hype surrounding this palette, prior to deciding whether I really wanted it, I researched and watched many YouTube videos and read many blog posts. Secondly, priced at £41, this is definitely the most expensive palette I've ever owned!

But what's it actually like? Well, I love the name Modern Renaissance and the pink velvet packaging, I've never known a brand to do this before but I like it, even if it does attract stains and dust, the name sounds decadent and the packaging feels luxurious. The colours are mostly warm, so a lot of pinks and purples with some taupe thrown in. They are very creamy and blend like a dream! They are also extremely pigmented so a tiny dab of your brush into the colours goes a long way, this isn't like a normal eyeshadow palette and the first time I tried to use it, this caught me out. I tapped my brush into the colours as I usually would, however I wasn't prepared for how much eyeshadow ended up being dispensed onto my brush so that when I applied it on my eye it was very bold and intense. If you're after subtle eye makeup looks, it can be achieved using this palette, however my advice would be to go lightly and only tap your brush into your chosen eyeshadow once and then tap off any excess. 

The shadows also have a lot of fall out, for those unfamiliar with this, basically because this is so pigmented, each time you tap your brush into the colours, a lot of powder falls out, this is to be expected however, because this is almost pure pigment and also because of the way the shadows are pressed in the factory. Another tip would be to apply these shadows before the rest of your face, therefore if there is any fall out then it can easily be dusted off without ruining your foundation. 

I have seen many YouTube tutorials and whilst I attempted to copy some of them, I usually find that creating my own looks works best for me. I prefer to stick to the purple and taupe colours, with my absolute favourite shades being Vermeer which is a shimmery highlight shade, perfect for highlighting your brow bone, Buon Fresco which is a matte lilac colour and can be used as a transition shade and Love Letter which is a deep pink and looks great on the outer crease. I then use a darker colour on the outer corners of my crease to create some slight smoke and intensity. 

There are many different looks which can be achieved with this, unfortunately I find myself swaying to the same colours each time I go to use it so recently I've been creating different looks, some days I go for all the pinks and purples and then other days I go for the taupes and oranges. Here are a couple of looks I have achieved using this palette so far... 

Gold and bronze shimmer

Purple and pink shimmer, my favourite look so far 

So would I recommend this palette? Yes I absolutely would, so many looks can be achieved with this, it's super creamy and pigmented, the shades blend so well together and in fact these are the most pigmented eyeshadows I've ever used, the colours are absolutely stunning and it feels and looks luxurious. It looks so beautiful that I almost don't want to use it. Is it worth the price tag? I would have to be honest and say yes, however there are a couple of drugstore dupes available such as the Makeup Revolution Flawless 3 Resurrection palette which is a fraction of the price at £8 and which contains very similar shades, of course you're not going to get the same pigment or colour payoff as the ABH palette though but for the price it's a nice alternative. You can read my review of that palette here. 

The only negatives I have about this is the fact that sometimes if you're not careful which colours you choose to blend together they can turn into a muddy colour and that it is quite a tricky palette to use, I find that I have to take my time when using it and plan out which colours I want to use, one false move and the shadow ends up all over. I hope you enjoyed reading this honest review. 

Jen

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Soap & Glory The Rushower Scent-sational Dry Shampoo

I find that dry shampoo is definitely a marmite product in the hair and beauty world, some people love it and others hate it. I personally love it because I hate washing my hair and I don't always have the time as my hair is so thick and takes ages to dry so when I'm working early I reach for a dry shampoo. Now I am something of a dry shampoo expert, I've pretty much tried them all and I had heard amazing things about this new dry shampoo by Soap & Glory, one of my favourite brands but is it any good? Let's take a whirl...  

Firstly, I love the vintage style packaging, I find that Soap & Glory are always girly and quite quirky with their designs and this looks adorable on my dressing table. I actually want to keep it out on show as opposed to hiding it in my hair products drawer. The second thing I noticed was the scent, this smells just like their pink body spray, it smells absolutely incredible! It doesn't smell like a dry shampoo, it smells like perfume and I noticed it throughout the day. It contains quick release technology so that everytime you ruffle or move your hair it releases the scent. I feel like wearing it even when I have washed my hair just so I can smell that lovely fragrance all day! 

Performance wise however I was uncertain, the pros are that it smells delicious and can be used on any hair colour, it's invisible too so you won't see any white powder or residue in your hair. The cons are that whilst it helps keep greasy hair at bay, it offers no volume whatsoever which is something I need in a dry shampoo as I find that if I haven't washed my hair for a few days it tends to look a bit flat and dull. The best range of dry shampoos I have tried are by Batiste which offer plenty of volume, and although powdery are by far the best on the market. Tresemme also make a decent dry shampoo, it's invisible but the drawback is that it doesn't smell nice and is expensive. In the past I have found that A Model Recommends by Ruth Crilly are the best range of dry shampoos for volume. 

At £4 for an average sized can of the Soap & Glory dry shampoo, I find this to be slightly expensive, however I will definitely use this again but purely for the smell, as it doesn't help with volume which is disappointing. I will use the can I have but I won't be repurchasing once I run out. I had high hopes for this but I think in future I'll stick to Batiste dry shampoos as I know they work. Let me know your thoughts on it. 

Jen

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Makeup Revolution Flawless 3 Resurrection Palette and Iconic Matte Nude Lipstick

If there's one thing I love in life it's a Makeup brand that is both cruelty free and value for money, sadly it's difficult to find a brand that manages to do both but somehow Makeup Revolution does! I had seen many people raving about one of their newest palettes and even comparing it to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette so I knew I just had to have it! I also picked up a nice, nude matte lipstick to try as I haven't tried much by this brand and thought I'd give it a go... 

First things first I absolutely adore the packaging of these products. They're super shiny and they really feel like luxury cosmetics as opposed to cheap, drugstore brand. Makeup Revolution is only sold in Superdrug and it seems to be gaining popularity recently as it is known for creating dupes of famous, high-end products for a fraction of the price! The palette is a lovely rose gold colour when it's closed and it has a nice, big mirror inside which I love. I have included a close up of the shades so you can see the variety of colours it contains. 

I can't comment on whether it's a good dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette as I don't own it, however looking at images of the Anastasia palette, the shades do look very similar as it contains a few pinks. 

I have so far created a few different looks using this palette as there are so many different shades to play around with, I always use an eye primer to help the colours last longer and look brighter, there is a little bit of fall out when you dip your brush into it however I find that the colours blend really well together. Here is one of the looks I created along with some swatches... 

I find that the colours do tend to fade slightly towards the end of the day even with a primer, but for the price I absolutely love this palette and will definitely be purchasing some more once I use this one up. 

The Iconic Matte Nude lipstick in the shade Inclination is just as impressive as the palette, I usually go for brown/nude shades and this immediately caught my eye, it goes on smoothly and it lasts quite a while, the colour is stunning and reminds me of those brown lipstick shades that were so popular in the nineties. 

Overall, I am so impressed by the quality of Makeup Revolution's products, I bought the palette for £8 and the lipstick for £3 from Superdrug and I will definitely be buying more from them, the fact that it's a cruelty free brand also helps. 

Jen

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Essence Camouflage 2 in 1 Makeup and Concealor

I seem to collect foundations at the moment and I had heard really good things about this budget foundation by Essence with people even comparing it to Estee Lauder Double Wear which is my all-time favourite foundation! But if I can find a cheap and decent dupe for it I will try it, so I popped to Wilko and picked one up to see if it lived up to the hype...

I was struggling with shades as they appear to only do three so after doing a few swatches I decided on Nude Beige. I really think cosmetics companies need to draw inspiration from L'Oréal and Estee Lauder and widen their range of shades available to appeal to a wider market. When I swatched this shade in store it appeared to be slightly on the orange side but when I applied, it was actually just the right shade for me. 

It recommends that you apply this using a sponge applicator, however I always use my fingers to apply foundation as I find that beauty blenders, brushes and sponges soak up way too much product. Application was easy and it blended like a dream! It says this is a concealor and foundation in one but I didn't really notice the concealor, I still felt the need to apply my Collection concealor afterwards. It leaves a satin and slightly dewy finish which is by no means on the shiny side, I happen to think that satin finishes look the best as it gives your skin a healthy glow. This is how it looked just after application, now I have to admit that I did use the Bare Minerals Perfecting Veil powder to set it but only because I have super oily skin, especially during the summer months. 

I loved that the look and feel of this foundation! It felt very light weight and yet it's full coverage, it also worked as a great base for my contour, blush and highlight. I concentrated some of it on the blemishes on my cheeks and even on my mole to test coverage out and it covered both. But the real test would be how well it performed throughout the day, I put it through its paces as I spent a hot day out shopping and then unfortunately I was rather ill so this is how it looked after round eight hours of wear and no touch-ups, bearing in mind I had been ill at this point so please forgive my look in this image... 

As you can see it was slightly oily on my t-zone and nose but this didn't really bother me. I did find however that after a few more hours after this was taken that it began to transfer easily, I touch my face a lot and whenever I was, because it had become oily I found it was coming off very easily which then made it very patchy around my nose and chin. I tried it again the next day and I found that it lasted better for some reason, so I'm undecided on its staying power since I've had mixed experiences. I find that regardless, it will go oily around my nose but that could just be powdered over. 

All in all I absolutely love this foundation for the price of £3.80! Not many people have heard of the Essence brand but I love it! You can only buy it from Wilko so I suggest you run out and grab one! Is it a decent dupe for Estee Lauder Double Wear though? I would have to say yes it is, obviously it doesn't last as long or perform as well under difficult conditions as the double wear but for the price you can't grumble. 

Jen

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Lala Land

I thought I'd do something a bit different today and do a film review. Yesterday I watched Lala Land after seeing and hearing all the hype surrounding it, I was curious to see what all the fuss was about and I'll admit that it didn't really appeal, I like musicals but I'm very fussy with them. I'll try to keep my film reviews fairly short and sweet as most people will already know what the film plots are about and I'll try not to put many spoilers in my reviews, if I do then it will contain a spoiler warning.

Basically this is set in modern Hollywood hence the title, at first I was confused as I could not tell whether it was meant to be set now or in the fifties but it soon became clear once I saw one of the characters using an iPhone! The film revolves around two characters who are both trying to get somewhere in Hollywood and in the meantime they keep bumping into each other and soon end up dating and encouraging each other to audition and take chances in order to further their careers, sadly though this isn't the love affair viewers are hoping for and things quickly go down hill for the couple as one progresses further and the other is left behind. This is basically what happens throughout the entire film, which is slightly repetitive after a while, one character progresses and the other gets left behind and then just when the other character finally catches a break, the other character hits a setback in their chosen career, they're never quite on par with each other. It grows tiresome after a while, however as I have studied film making at university, I was mostly interested in the cinematography which is visually stunning. The film opens to people singing and dancing on top of their cars as they're stuck in a traffic jam, unfortunately I think that the opening track could have been so much stronger, I found it forgetful and I couldn't remember it and consequently I found most of the soundtrack to be forgettable. Usually after seeing a musical I'll be singing the songs for a while afterwards but with this I couldn't remember any of them. I also think there was a lack of chemistry at times between the two lead actors, I found Emma Stone to be very charming and good fun but Ryan Gosling was too moody and miserable for my liking and therefore they just didn't gel.

Overall though despite its flaws I really enjoyed this film, I love the references to old Hollywood and the costumes are incredible, and as I mentioned previously, the cinematography is amazing, it's beautifully shot and well made but I can't help but think that it's slightly overrated, however it's definitely worth a watch, go for the visuals and not the music which to me is a let down as I was expecting some big numbers in this, with a few tweaks and a stronger soundtrack this could have been truly amazing. I think Lala Land was inspired by Begin Again which has a similar plot only it's set in New York instead of Hollywood and I also noticed elements of The Notebook, if you enjoyed both of those films then you will like this. I'd give this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

About

Welcome to my little corner on the web, I'm Jen and I'm from Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England and I love coffee, make-up, good food and cats. I really appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to read my blog. I only ever write totally honest reviews and I am not sponsored or paid by companies to review their products. Everything I review and blog about is paid for using my own money. My blog doesn't attract many readers but I do this as a hobby and if it helps just one person find something they love then I'm happy, I've always had such a passion for cosmetics and I'm a self-taught make-up artist, I'm not qualified but I've learnt by watching tutorials on YouTube and picking up tips from make-up artists over the years. My dream one day is to run my own business and develop my own line of cosmetics. Let me know if you enjoy reading my blog and if you'd like to see anything featured, you can email me at: victoriaroseuk@gmail.com

Jen

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