Beauty Product Reviews

A brightening eye primer that makes any eye colour pop!

I have been really keen to try one of the NYX Eyeshadow bases, as I knew they were a great base for any vibrant eyeshadow to apply over the top and are similar to the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils.

The packaging says it is 'For 100x brightening effect' and 'set's base camp for true stay on, stay put, long eye shadow colours!'

'Maximize the intensity, longevity and unashamed brilliance of your eye shadow statements with our eye shadow primer pots. Each of the three NYX Eye Shadow Bases for vibrant, pearl or neutral tones—creates a smooth canvas for colour, increases its durability and prevents fallout.' Is how it is described on the NYX UK Website. As eye primers go I am a big fan as they intensify the shadow colour, have longevity and they help grip the shadow well.

These come in White, White Pearl and Skin Tone.

PACKAGING This comes in a clear plastic pot with a white lid. It contains 7g's of product, whereas the Bobbi Brown Long -Wear Cream Shadow only has 3.5g of product. NYX Products are also hypoallergenic, cruelty free and recyclable.

TEXTURE This feels like a lightweight cream which is silky and smooth in texture and not heavy on the eye at all.

COVERAGE This covered the eye well and is buildable; it blends out with no build up or flaking on the eye.

APPLICATION I used a MAC 242 to apply the base, but you can also use your finger to apply and blend. I felt the product applied really well to the eye and when applying the eyeshadow on top, it adhered better than not using a base or primer at all, it made the shadow pop and showed it's true colour.

LONGEVITY The longevity of the product was great, I had no creasing and my eyeshadow stayed in place all day still showing the shadow's true colour with no dullness.

PRICE This is a snip at only £5 such great value for such a large amount of product whereas Bobbi Brown Long -Wear Cream Shadow is £18 for half the product which essentially does the same job.

FINAL THOUGHT This is defiantly worth every penny as it has a light weight consistency and great staying power. It also helps maximise shadow pigment and is amazing value for money which makes this is a must have for any staple make-up bag! I would love to see NYX come out with a selection of Coloured Eyeshadow Bases next.

I award this product 4.5 out of 5.

Innovative & highly pigmented for the winged liner lover!

The popular new NYX Curve eyeliner arrived in the UK last month and so I was happy to snap one up as I heard a positive hype about this product and wondered if it could help me achieve the perfect eyeliner flick. The Liner comes in Jet Black only and is on the back of the box as 'An innovative, ergonomic shape that makes applying liquid liner mistake-proof.'

PACKAGING The Curve comes boxed with information about the product on the box. The actual eyeliner itself is an unusual shape so that you are able to grip and hold the liner with ease. It is described on the box as 'Beauty Meets Function'. It also has a top to prevent the liner from drying out.

TEXTURE The liner feels like you are applying a felt tip to your eye and it even looks like a fine felt tip pen! It feels smooth to use and glides on well.

COVERAGE The curve is so highly pigmented so you can line the eye well in one go with no touch-ups.

APPLICATION The packaging is really informative helping you get the best out of your application and how to hold it correctly. I must admit it took me a couple of go's to master the technique and get comfortable with holding The Curve in this unique way, once I got used to this I found it easy to apply. The tip of the liner is so minute and fine that is helps you create a really precise line and flick to your liner, along with the strong black pigmentation that really made my eyes pop.

LONGEVITY At 11am my eyeliner still looked fresh with no smudging, even after a long workout at the gym. This stayed on all day for me and still looked perfect at 9.30pm at night!

PRICE This is priced at £12.50 on the NYX UK website which is slightly expensive, but I consider it to be a high-end drugstore brand here in the UK and considering this is a unique liner that you wouldn't ordinarily find in the drugstore, it’s worth paying a little extra for something special.

FINAL THOUGHT Overall I love the design and concept of this liner it's a great liner to have in your makeup kit for the cat eye look. I also love how black it is, it really is striking and complimentary to the eye. I am usually a pencil girl and this did take me a while to get used to holding the curve and perfecting my line but I defiantly will be using this felt tip liner more.

As mentioned above this is a little pricey for a drugstore brand and I would probably think £10 would of been a better price, but this is a unique liner for the budding make-up artist or cat liner lover! I award the NYX The Curve a 4 out of 5

PACKAGING The packaging is really pretty and very striking so you know exactly what it is and what colour you are buying. It comes with full instructions, tips & tricks as well as the coloured polish, one bottle of caviar pearls depending on your choice, a funnel to pour the pearls back in and a plastic tray to catch all the pearls when your applying. The bottles are really cute and dainty looking with a little black bow on the coloured polish.

TEXTURE The Caviar Pearls are really tiny smaller than hundreds and thousands to fit comfortably on the nail, but if your not used to texture on your nail it does feel a bit weird to start with. COVERAGE The coloured polish applied evenly in two coats but I wouldn't apply no more than two coats as it could appear to thick on the nail. The pearls should cover all the nail if you have painted an even wet coat to the nail for them to adhere too.

APPLICATION There is plenty of instructions on the back of the box and a leaflet to help even an amateur nail painter! There is also pictures, tips and tricks to get the most from your application.

LONGEVITY The box advises it can last up to 48 hours, mine only did last the day as it is hard not to do anything without knocking a pearl off, so I suggest firmly pressing the pearls into place and sealing the edge of the nail with a top coat to ensure maximum wear. PRICE The retail price is £18.00 for the set which I don't think is to bad for a premium nail brand considering you get one bottle of polish, the pearls, a funnel and the instructions and bottle of colour on it's own from the Ciate website is £9. Don't forget this is a Nail Art collection something a little bit more special, from a premium nail brand, so I would expect to pay a bit more. If you are not willing to pay this price you can always go to your local craft store and get creative with your own DIY Caviar Manicure!

Overall I think this is a great product, very simple but clever, I don't think this is an everyday wearable manicure as the pearls do come of quite easily, but it is great for a night out, special occasion or wedding and is a fun and easy way of updating your nails!

This was a totally random purchase as I needed a new mascara at the time and just saw this and I thought I would give it a try.

PACKAGING The packaging is plain and simple with a cute title, the wand is a thick fat wand to help coat each lash.

TEXTURE The mascara texture is thick and clumpy and after about two weeks of using this it became a big runny mess and I had to throw it!

COVERAGE It coats every lash with a nice pigmented black, nut does not give any length or volume, it literally just coated my lashes.

APPLICATION The wand I think is too thick and although it coats every lash, but that's about all it does.

LONGEVITY Mine lasted all day and I didn't get any smears or panda eyes from this.

PRICE Is good for a drugstore brand mascara but not worth even spending your money on there are many more highstreet mascara's for the same price that do a lot more for your cash!

It's taken me a while to get this palette and I'm not sure why! What an amazing concept full of neutral colours to suit anyone, so versatile.

PACKAGING It comes in a sleek chocolate brown velvet box, with added brush, mirror and decent travel size of the amazing primer potion. A perfect size for travel.

TEXTURE The shadows are of a smooth and silky texture and apply easily to the eye.

COVERAGE The colours are buildable but go on well with just one stroke of the brush as they are highly pigmented.

APPLICATION The shadows are the perfect size for application and the brush makes application easy. With 12 colours to choose from you can mix and match to your heart's content!

LONGEVITY They last pretty well, but I always like to ensure I have primed my lids for maximum longwear.

PRICE I thought the price was a little expensive when I initially saw this and I have to be honest I think that's what delayed me buying this, but if you weigh up you what you get, 12 Eyeshadows, Small Primer Potion and a brush then it's defiantly value for money!

I used Honey to test out for a full day from 7.45am to 11pm going about my daily routine.

PACKAGING The packaging is sleek and colourful depending on what shade you get, they are defiantly identical in look to the Clinque version. The lid is easy to pull on and off and the silver end is an easy retractable device so you can twist the right amount of lip balm out.

TEXTURE The balm has a spearmint smell which is a nice luxurious touch to this drugstore product. The texture feels smooth and really moisturising even after 2 hours of wear, it's not too heavy either if your going to be wearing it all day.

COVERAGE You get a full coverage in just one application and the colour is buildable if you want a more dramatic look. The colour did change as the day went on, it changed into a brick red stain which I wasn't so keen on, I preferred the original colour when I first put it on.

APPLICATION The balm is a dome shaped like lipstick/lipliner so this makes application easy and precise.

LONGEVITY I applied Honey at 7.45am, by 11.30am the colour had faded into a stain, so I re-applied and by 3.30pm I couldn't feel anything on my lips, but I could just see a light stain to the lips. I re-applied once more at 6.30pm and this lasted me into the evening. I think re-applying twice is overall not bad for a lipstick or balm like this.

PRICE I think they are a little pricey for a drugstore brand but great at the current offer price.

Overall I think these balms are a good alternative to the Clinque Chubby and more affordable at half the price for a girl on a budget although I'd still look out for them on offer. I did like the colour when I initially put the balm on but I have to say I am not keen on the stain colour that it leaves on the lip. I think the colour range is average and the red colours are too brown in tone, but hopefully Revlon will produce an array of colours like the Lip Butter to compete with the popular demand. There isn't a highstreet version of the chubby on the market yet, so Revlon are defiantly ahead of the game and I find them as a brand even more appealing as they continue to be more trend savvy.

They're Real is the latest edition to the Benefit mascara family and probably their best yet! Having tried lots of high-end mascara's I flip between brands as I feel I always want something better to amaze me after a while, I think I just get bored with using the same mascara, so when I heard about Benefit They're Real I just had to try this and I really think it does what it says on the box!

PACKAGING The packaging is quirky, kooky & fun, just like all the Benefit products, it has stats on the side of the box about what people thought of the mascara and the name is genius! The actual tube is a sleek, silver tube which is compact enough to carry in your handbag or for travel.

TEXTURE The mascara is a black, of medium consistency and not to thick, clumpy or runny just right.

COVERAGE The wand is amazing with spike like bristles on the end to catch and coat every lash, it is the ultimate lash catcher! It gives you a great false lash effect with out the clumps.

APPLICATION With an amazing wand and great mascara consistency it helps make the application really easy to apply, just make sure you don't poke yourself in the eye with the spiky end!

LONGEVITY This mascara stays all day for me, no panda eyes and by the end of the evening it still looks the same and I think this is thanks to the texture of the mascara as it is not too thick or clumpy.

PRICE Average for a more high end brand but I think defiantly worth the money if your looking for a mascara that's a little bit special.

My overall thoughts on this mascara are it is defiantly one of the best on the high end market I can't really fault it I would just say it's a shame it doesn't come in waterproof as I would recommend this to brides.

COVERAGE - Coverage is great highly pigmented and they come in so many different types of coverage to suit everyone, eg: Satin, Glaze, Frost, Lustre APPLICATION - Application is easy, a great bullet shaped stick makes it easy to apply or you can apple with a brush. PACKAGING - Neat, sleek, classic, easy to open, nice size that fits into even a small clutch PRICE - I think price is good for a mid range brand and for what you get a decent sized amount of lipstick and an amazing colour spectrum! PERFECT FOR - Anyone!

Long-Lasting and perfect for Brides!

I finally purchased this to see what all the fuss was about, this is a great eye primer! COVERAGE - Goes on great smooth and silky and helps eyeshadows show there true shades APPLICATION - You only need a tiny amount to cover both eyes so the tube lasts for ages. PRICE - Price is a little more pricey than a drugstore primer, but you can sometimes get offers on this primer if you shop around and I think for the product it is and how it lasts it is very much worth the price. PERFECT FOR - Anyone! Especially Brides