Monday 31 March 2014

Recent Purchases: Boots and Superdrug


Bought a few beauty items recently at Boots and Superdrug so thought I would share them with you.
I had been good the entire time of the Boots 3 for 2, but I buckled at the last minute and purchased 3 items.


I had read so much about the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream on various blogs that I couldn't resist buying it. I want it for my "no make up" days. I have no idea if it will suit my skin because most reviews have been for much younger skin than mine so I shall report back soon on how it fairs on my less than perfect 40+ skin. I bought it in shade Ivory for £9.99.
I am still on the search for my Holy Grail concealer as I have suffered from dark circles since my teens so thought I would give the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Eye Cream in Ivory a try. I don't think this will be full coverage but may be ideal for my "make up free" days. I picked this up for £7.99. 
Now for my third item I really wanted the Sleek concealer palette but I couldn't find this brand anywhere in my Boots so I had to choose something else for my 3 for 2. I knew time was of the essence because hubby was due to meet me and I didn't want him to catch me buying more make up so I had to choose something and fast! I decided on the L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick by Color Riche in shade 500 Molto Mauve at £8.99. A girl (woman!) can't have too many lippies, eh?
As I am sure you are aware, the Boots 3 for 2 is no longer running but there is currently an offer on Bourjois. If you spend £12 or more on selected Bourjois cosmetics you receive a free pot of blush in Rose D'or worth £7.99.


I also decided to do a small online Superdrug order.
Now I have had my eye on the MUA Luxe Pretty Edgy Palette for a little while. At £8 it is a tad more expensive than their Professional range but I do think their palettes are great quality for the price so popped this in my basket because I want to see how it compares. Superdrug were doing free delivery on orders over £10 so I also popped a MUA Professional High Intensity lip gloss in shade "Lips Are Sealed" for £2 into my basket. When it was delivered Superdrug had also sent me 2 free fragrance samples which was a nice touch because they've not done that before. I received Jean-Paul Gaultier Madame and David Beckham Classic but I've not tried them yet.

Anyway, that's just a little taster of my recent purchases and I shall report back with swatches and first impressions once I have had a play with them.
Have you bought anything new lately or tried the new MUA Luxe range? I would love to hear from you so please comment below.

Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

*all items purchased with my own money. None of the links in this blog post are affiliated so I do NOT get paid if you click on them.

Sunday 30 March 2014

Happy Mother's Day!


Today it is Mothering Sunday here in the UK, or Mother's Day as it is now more commonly known. I decided to dedicate this blog post to my lovely Mum, Joyce. It is only since I have got older that I have come to realise what a wonderful woman she is. She always puts others before herself, even though she is going through a particularly hard time herself at the moment. I think I have finally convinced her that she can say "no" to people because she can't do it all. The photo above was taken almost 44 years ago and I think she looks really pretty in it and happy. The very chubby baby in her arms is me! 

This year I have not been able to see her today so I sent her a little gift in the post. I chose it because it was light to post and she will get her proper present when I next see her. It will be beauty related I think!
Here is the little gift I sent her.



It is a little fabric shopper bag that has been personalised especially for her. 


There are 9 words for you to chose to personalise it, plus the larger word in the centre of the bag. I wanted to post about this earlier in the week, but the company were no longer guaranteeing delivery in time for Mother's Day so I decided against it because I didn't want anyone to be disappointed if it didn't arrive in time. I purchased it from a company called Your Design. I ordered on the Saturday evening and it arrived on Tuesday morning so I was very impressed with the fast delivery considering how busy they must be at this time of year. I had not seen this site before but they have lots of different things for personalisation so I am certain I will be back. I managed to get this at a great price with a code (sadly no longer valid) but if I hadn't had the code, I would probably have paid just £1 more and bought the jute bag instead because I think that would be harder wearing.

To all the mums out there, have a wonderful Mother's Day. 
To all those who no longer have their Mums, I hope today isn't too hard for you and to all those who are trying to become mums themselves, I hope your greatest wish comes true.

Thanks for reading.
Take care,
CJ xx

*I bought this bag with my own money and I have no affiliation with the website.

Friday 28 March 2014

The Fragrance Shop Discovery Club: Perfume Beauty Box - Spring 2014


I have only recently discovered The Fragrance Shop Discovery Club (please pardon the pun!).  It is a beauty box but just for fragrance.
Each quarter you get sent a box containing 5 fragrance samples to try, along with a voucher for £5 off each fragrance if you choose to purchase the full size bottle from them.

The Spring 2014 contains 5 ladies perfume samples and 2 men's samples.



This quarters box contains:
Alien Eau Extraordinaire (Thierry Mugler)
Very Irrésistible L'Eau en rose (Givenchy)
La Petite Robe Noire (Guerlain)
Eau de Lacoste Sensuelle (Lacoste)
L'Eau Couture (Elie Saab)
Uomo (Valentino)
Solo Sport (Loewe)

They all contain approximately 1ml of fragrance. I know you can probably get some samples free if you ask at perfume counters or shops, but by the time I have driven to town and paid parking, it will probably cost me more than the £5 this little box cost, plus you get the bonus of money off vouchers as well.

I've not tried them out yet, but in am looking forward to trying them and it is so much easier to do this at leisure rather than a little spritz in a shop and having to make a quick decision if you like it or not.

You can sign up for The Fragrance Shop Discovery Club here and you can cancel at any time. If you are a member of Quidco, I believe at the time of writing, that you can get £1.50 cash back for a new subscription if you go through their link (although mine hasn't tracked yet!).

I purchased this box with my own money and have no affiliation with the company.
Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes? Which are your favourites?

Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Thursday 27 March 2014

Review & Swatches: YSL Mother's Day Eye Shadow Quad £5


Well, I've finally had a chance to have a little play with my YSL Mother's Day (number 7) eye shadow palette. Now, they are not colours I would usually choose, but as it was just £5 with a £50 purchase, I couldn't resist. 



The four colours are all,shimmers, pale pink, white, gold and a plum colour.
Here they are swatched dry.




I must admit I expected much more pigment from such a high end brand. The pink and white are very glittery and I found there was considerable fall out. The gold and plum colours had much more pigment, less glitter so,less fall out.
The beauty of these shades is that you can also wear them wet.
Here they are swatched wet.



As you can see, the colour pay off is much better when used wet and there is much less glitter fall out.
Here they are on my eyes. I used them dry, the pink over my eye lid, the plum in the outer corner (used wet just to line), washed the white over entire area and under brow bone to highlight, then a light wash of the gold in the centre of the eyelid.




I have not tried them all wet on my eyes yet, because I think that would be more of an evening look. I actually liked them better on my eyes than in the palette. What do you think?

This is after 10 hours wear. I purposely did NOT use a primer because I wanted to see how they worked on their own. I think they held up quite well.



Next time I use them I think I will put on my concealer and foundation AFTER the eye shadows because there was considerable glitter fall out from the paler colours which is not a good look for me! Would I pay the full price of £39 for this quad? Probably not. I expected the pigment to be better for a higher end price point. I would happily pay around £20 - £25 for this quad, mainly because it is lovely packaging, but there are better shadows out there for much less money. That said, for £5 it is a no brainer. 



My original post about it is here. I hope to do a review about my other YSL purchases soon.
Do you have any YSL recommendations?
Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

*purchased with my own money.

Saturday 22 March 2014

Recent Purchases: YSL Eye Shadow Quad for just £5!! Plus other YSL purchases


I have lusted after YSL make up for a long time, and last weekend I finally succumbed!
My best friend told me to choose a lipstick from the YSL range for my birthday because they knew I really wanted one, so last Saturday I took a trip to town to the larger Boots to choose a colour. I told the YSL assistant that I wanted a lipstick from the Rouge Volupte Shine range because I loved the packaging and I also told her that I wanted a pinky shade not dissimilar to my natural lip colour. I wanted a shade that I would be able to wear lots. I also told her that I didn't have much time because my hubby was waiting. She picked out quite a pale pink shade but I thought perhaps it looked darker on the lip than in the bullet. She applied it to my lips (and also on my chin?!) with a lip brush and she made a right mess of it. It was way too light for me. She then chose a deeper red shade, but this time I chose to apply it myself. This time it was too dark. Then another customer came and she started serving her! To be honest I felt this was quite rude, especially because I had already stated I had limited time. Do you think this was rude, or was I overreacting? Anyway, I continued to look at the lipsticks on my own because she seemed totally uninterested. In the end I walked away feeling totally deflated and disappointed by my experience.

That said, I still lusted after the YSL lipstick, so that evening I looked on the YSL Website. I feel that the colour swatches on their website are incredibly poor so I decided to choose a colour with the help of swatches on beauty blogs and You Tube! I eventually settled on Pourpre Intouchable (number 2) which is a plum colour, slighter darker than I wanted initially but lovely nonetheless.  



Whilst browsing their website, I saw that they had a Mother's Day offer of an eyeshadow quad (worth £39) for just £5 when you spent £50. I didn't need much persuading! After perusing some more beauty blogs and You Tube videos I decided on a lip stain gloss, Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres, in Rouge Vintage (number 5). Just the colour I wanted, perfect!



For me, the eye shadow quad (number 7), has 3 wearable shades, the gold shade I'm not too sure about, but I may change my mind once I've experimented with it.



I shall do a full review, including swatches, of all 3 products soon, but I wanted to get this blog post written in case anyone is interested in purchasing the quad for just £5. I'm not sure when this offer ends, but Mother's Day is March 30th in the UK, so I am guessing it is prior to that.
Delivery is free at the moment in the UK and I ordered on Saturday night and it was delivered by DHL on Thursday (signed for). I also received 2 free samples - a vial of L'Homme Eau de toilette, which I shall give to my other half, and a 7ml sample of YSL Forever Youth Liberator serum.

I was so unhappy with the YSL sales assistant, but in the end she did me a favour because I now have 3 lovely new products for £50.
Once I've had a play with my new things, I shall report back.
I bought all these products with my own money, except for the lipstick which was a birthday present from my wonderful best friend. Love you lots!

Have you bought any YSL products? Do you have any recommendations?
I'd love to read your thoughts.
Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Thursday 20 March 2014

Hula Hooping!


If you've read any of my previous blog posts, you will be aware that I am currently embarking on a weight loss plan and have lost 23 lbs this year. So far, this weight loss is through dieting alone, The Harcombe Diet, and I have done no exercise. I have never really been into exercise and sport. I was always chosen last for the team in PE at school, so cruel, please tell me they don't still do that?!  About ten years ago I did sign up to the local gym and I was so dedicated to becoming fit that I went 3 or 4 times a week, doing both cardio and weights. It wasn't something I enjoyed but I endured it because I wanted results. However, after a year, I gave up because my body did not change at all and I became disillusioned. Since then, exercise has been sporadic - walking mainly, Wii Fit and I tried the 30 Day Shred (although it was a 3 day shred before I gave up on that!!). As you can see, I'm never going to be a gym bunny.

Now I am losing weight, I do need and want to tone up. I decided to give hula hooping a try. I have very fond memories as a little girl playing with my little hula hoop. Anyway, these days it's not a green plastic hoop but a big weighted hoop. I purchased the Pro Fitness Hula Hoop from Argos for £14.99.





It comes in a small box, unassembled. It is very easy to put together, slotting each piece into each other. Once assembled I was surprised how large it was and it was heavier than I expected. It weighs 1.36kg. One disadvantage is that, once assembled, it appears it will be quite a hassle to take to pieces again for storage so you will need somewhere to store it complete.

Well I am way out of practice and on my first attempt I managed 5 hoops before it fell to the ground. I think it will take me quite a while to manage any more in one go! At the moment I am doing 50 hoops which doesn't take too long, but still in sets of 5 hoops before it drops.  I am hoping I can build it up to more and whittle down my waist. Although the hoop is covered in a foam type covering I do still have quite a few bruises, mainly on my hip bone but I am hoping it will get easier. 

When I was in my late teens, early twenties, pre children, my waist measured 22.5 - 23 inches. It is currently 28.5 inches. I know I will never get it back to my pre children size, but iI can whittle off a couple more inches then I shall be happy. Watch this space...

Have you ever tried hula hooping with a weighted hoop? How did you get on? Did you bruise too?

Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Monday 17 March 2014

Recent Purchases: Real Techniques & Beauty Storage


Just a few small purchases for me this week, all beauty related.
Well, my obsession with Real Techniques brushes continues, and this week I bought the Travel Essentials Kit from Amazon. To be honest, I really only wanted the pink Multiple Task brush, but I believe you cannot buy this separately so had to buy the full set. I bought it from Amazon for £13.99 but, at the time of writing, it is now £13.07 so even cheaper!


I also bought the Real Techniques Lash & Brow Groomer from Amazon for £5.75. Did I need it? No, I already have a brow brush, but the obsessive in me wanted it to match so I popped it in my basket! *blushes* I think I am just about covered with my RT brushes now, although I do have my eye on the retractable lip brush...

Now with all these new brushes. I needed somewhere to store them, so this acrylic Cosmetic Cup caught my eye. Also from Amazon, at just £4.99 I thought I would give it a try.


I chose this design because I liked the 3 sections inside it. I thought I could use one section for powder brushes (pink), one for the face brushes (gold) and the third for eye brushes (purple). I know it's not a huge problem having them altogether in the same pot, but in the morning rush if I can save a few precious seconds searching for a brush, then all is good!
When it arrived I was very pleased with it, and I liked the dimpled effect on the outside, so much so, I ordered another one! I was keeping my eye liners, lip liners and eye primers all in separate pots so why have 3 when one can do the job?! Simple but effective storage.


Well, that is all of my purchases this week. What have you been buying? I would love to hear about your purchases.
I do have some make up on order from Superdrug, Boots and YSL so, fingers crossed, that will come this week.
Hope you all are having a great day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Thursday 13 March 2014

The Harcombe Diet - 23lbs lost in 9 weeks, 23lbs to go - half way there!

I've been on the Harcombe Diet since 31st  December 2013 and, although I still have a fair way to go, I just wanted to share my news.
After 9 and a half weeks on Harcombe, I am halfway there! 
I have lost 23.2lbs (1 stone 9.2lbs) and I have another 23lbs to go until I reach my goal weight. I know it will take some time to lose the next half because my weight loss is slowing down but I am really enjoying this way of eating. I do not feel deprived at all. Yes, when I smell the family cooking toast, I do miss it because I love toast, but I don't miss it enough to start eating it again. I do think bread is my downfall so I will be steering clear for a very long time.

As well as losing 23lbs, I have lost 16.25 inches overall -  4 inches from my waist and, let's be honest, it's size that counts more than weight. I am feeling so much better about myself which is a huge thing because I do suffer from low self esteem.


"Before" 31st Dec 2013
"After 9 weeks" 23.2lbs loss - 9th March 2014
Please excuse the poor quality "before" photo. I wasn't writing a blog when that was taken, so it was taken just as a record for me, I didn't realise I would be showing it for all to see! Eek! I also think the photo was taken hurriedly so I could cover up again! As you can see from the after photo, the results aren't too dramatic YET and I still have a fair bit of weight to lose, but I WILL get there and stay there this time. I shall keep you posted...
This is a HUGE deal for me, putting these photos "out there" for all to see but I wanted people to see a real diet with real results not "photo-shopped" before and after photos. *Disclaimer* only alteration is that I clicked "high def" enhancement on the before photo to try and make it clearer, less blurry.

Anyway, just wanted to give a quick diet update. If you are interested in reading about my take on The Harcombe Diet, read my original post here. There is also tons of information on the official Harcombe Diet website. I have no affiliation with the Harcombe Diet, just a very happy, and a little slimmer, customer!

Have you ever tried The Harcombe Diet? How did you find it? Would love to hear your thoughts so please comment below, I do read all comments.  Thank you.

Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Sunday 9 March 2014

Magazine Freebies! March 2014


I've been grocery shopping this morning and picked up a couple of magazines with great freebies.

First up was Elle magazine, for £4 and the freebie was a Percy & Reed Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm worth £18.

It says on the tube that "this is, as they say, the cream de la cream. A miracle leave-on balm, to be exact, which helps give you (deep breath): moisture, shine, smoothness, definition, softness, light hold, high humidity protection and manageability. Or, short version, all you need for beautiful, healthy looking and flawless hair. Perfect."

Now apparently this is classed as a primer for your hair and you apply to towel dried hair. I can't wait to try it but I'm having my hair cut tomorrow so I shall have to wait a little longer than usual.  I shall report back once I have tried it, though.  

The other magazine I bought was Glamour magazine priced at £2. 

This had a choice of Model Co freebies - mascara (worth £16), lip liner (£15), eyeliner (£15) or lip gloss (choice of 2 colours £15 each). I had seen the magazine last week with the mascara and both liners but no glosses so I gave it a miss because I don't need those. However, when I saw it today with a lip gloss freebie I grabbed it! (Like I need any more glosses!). They only had the one colour "Berry Pink" which was probably the colour I would have chosen of the two anyway.

Swatch below...

As you can see, it is a very sheer pink with a bit of a shimmer and when you take the wand out, it smells of strawberries!  Yum!

Here it is on my lips...

It is a very natural looking pink, not far off my actual lip colour.  Although it smells of strawberries, it doesn't taste of them. I've only worn it for about 20 minutes so I cannot vouch for its longevity yet but it does feel a little sticky. I love that there is a little mirror on the packaging so ideal for when you're out and about. I think this is a lovely gloss for £2 but if I would pay the full price of £15 for it still remains to be seen...
It also comes with a 25% off H&M card. It is for one use only and valid between March 3rd and April 4th 2014.

Have you found any great freebies lately?  Please let me know.

Thanks for reading.  I would love to hear from you.
Enjoy your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Recent Purchases: Skincare, Beauty Box, Clothes, etc...


I bought a few things this week so I thought I would share them with you. I didn't buy much so it's not really a "haul", but here are my most recent purchases.

Firstly, clothes...

I received an email from Tesco advising me they had a Florence and Fred online sale. Now I'm sure you all already know that F&F are the clothing brand for Tesco. Our local Tesco is very small and their range of clothing is pretty poor so I have never bought any of their clothes. Anyway, I took a look online and saw quite a few things I liked, so placed an order. I got them delivered to my local store the next day. Unfortunately, I returned most of the items because they didn't suit, but I did keep the items above (plus a couple of tops for my sons). The Twist Yarn Jumper was reduced to just £9 which I thought was a good price. Although the website states it is green, I'd say it is more of a turquoise colour. It is a cotton mix and very soft. I think I shall get a lot of wear out of it this Spring. The other item I kept was an Embroidered Skirt. I thought for £12 it was an absolute bargain. It is white with a black embroidered detail and a scalloped hem. I think this will be a skirt I wear time and time again over the summer. It is an A line shape, which seems to suit my pear shaped figure. I think this comes up on the large size because I fit in a size 10 which I definitely am not, although I do have a smallish waist I suppose. Apologies that it is so creased in the picture, I really should have ironed it but because I will be putting it away until the warmer weather, there seemed little point!

Next up, beauty items...

One of my biggest downfalls, regarding spending, is reading other beauty blogs and their recommendations. I was reading ReallyRee's blog at the end of last month and she did a glowing review for This Works In Transit No Traces cleansing pads. I try not to use cleansing wipes very often on my face but there are occasions when I use them such as when I am ill, a very late night or on the VERY rare occasion that I really cannot be bothered! Previously I used Boots wipes or (cover your eyes please...) baby wipes. Argh, yes I know, slapped wrist.  Anyway, at the time of reading Really Ree's blog post, I saw that Beauty Bay had a 15% off sale, making the This Works Cleansing Pads just £12.86 instead of £15.13. I also popped a Head Jog Paddle Brush into my basket. I really liked the ladybird design but I felt I was 35 years too old for that, so opted for purple instead! I've not used the cleansing pads yet, but shall report back when I do, but I love my new paddle brush.
Last week, I also subscribed to my first ever You Beauty Discovery Box. Now I have contemplated subscribing to a beauty box for some time, but I have always been put off by not knowing what I'd be receiving. Some people love the element of surprise, but not me. I like the idea of the You Beauty box because you select 2 items that you wish to receive and then you also get a few extras too. At £6.95 per month I also think it is a great price and you  are not tied into a subscription so can cancel at any time. For the March box I chose a Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter which usually has a RRP of £12 and this came with a muslin cloth. I've not used this before but my Mum raves about it so I'm looking forward to trying it. The other item I chose was the Dr. Lipp Nipple Balm which retails around £11. So for £6.95 I received £23 worth of products plus some "extras" - tweezers which I love as they are vintage looking, plus some organic tea bags. Will have to research if they are caffeine free because I don't have caffeine any more. I am really pleased with my first box and I hope the choices next month are just as good.
This week, I also purchased a Revitalash and Revitabrow Advanced kit (not pictured) from QVC and have written a separate post on them here.

Finally, a few items for the home...

I have been after somewhere to store my eye shadow palettes for some time.  I have been storing them in my Muji drawers but I found that, because they weren't right to hand, I tended to use the same palette day in, day out. I didn't want to pile them on top of each other so when I saw this Acrylic Letter Holder for just £6.99 I thought it was ideal. I measured it and it fitted perfectly on top of my Muji drawers. I don't have many palettes so this is just the right size and now they are all to hand, I am finding I am using a different one each time.
Lastly, one of my guilty pleasures - scented candles. I wasn't intending on buying a candle but on the last day of February I realised I had £8 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers that were due to expire that day so I needed to spend them and spend them quickly! I didn't fancy driving to my nearest Tesco so took a look online at Tesco Direct and found this lovely Yankee Candle Medium in White Linen and Lace for £9 which I had delivered to store the next day. It has a lovely clean, crisp fragrance, although I've yet to light it.

Do you like scented candles? Which is your favourite brand and fragrance?

Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

**all items were purchased with my own money and any clickable links are not affiliate links so I do not receive any rewards should you click on them. 

Friday 7 March 2014

Trial: Revitabrow Advanced 60 Day Trial - Day 1

Last week I succumbed to the latest of QVC's TSVs (Today's Special Value).  It was for a Revitalash and Revitabrow Advanced set.
Now back in my 20's when plucked eyebrows were the order of the day, I did over pluck my brows.  It wasn't a problem to start with because they grew back and then I'd pluck them again, etc.  However, one of the advantages (?) of getting older is that you don't need to pluck so often because the hair takes longer to grow back, if it grows back at all!  This is all well and good unless you've over plucked and want the hair to grow back!  My problem area is between my brows.  I over plucked years ago so that I didn't have a monobrow but went too far and now have too large a gap between my eyebrows.  I have tried pencilling them in but it just looks odd on me so I decided to give Revitabrow a try.



From the Revitabrow website:

"Eyebrow Conditioner
condition ● revitalize ● beautify


Enhance the look of luxurious eyebrows for dramatic, natural beauty.
RevitaBrow Advanced delivers a proprietary blend of scientifically-advanced peptides, revitalizing extracts and nutritive vitamins to help beautify and enhance the look of bold, defined brows.

Daily strengthening conditioners • Precision application • Advanced performance"



The Revitabrow Advanced comes with a doe-foot applicator and the instructions say to apply at night onto clean dry skin. The application is simple, just use short brush strokes in the brow area.  The consistency is like water and it does not sting or tingle.  From what I've read, the majority of people see results within 6-10 weeks so I am giving this a 60 day trial and I shall report back. 

Here are my before pics and hopefully in 60 days, or earlier if I notice any significant difference in my brows, I shall report back with my after pics.





I was fortunate enough to purchase this kit at a QVC TSV price of £48.96 plus P&P. Yes, it is still expensive but it did contain 1.5ml of Revitabrow (2 months supply) and 4.5ml of Revitalash.  I shall be doing a 30 day trial on the Revitalash in a separate blog post.Watch this space...!  
It is still available on QVC but it is now at the full price of £80!!!! 
I purchased this kit with my own money and any views are solely my own.

Have you ever used Revitabrow or any other similar product?  Did it work for you?
I really hope this works for me so fingers crossed.

Thanks for reading.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Review: Max Factor Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint

Hello,

Today I am reviewing the Max Factor Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint which I won in a giveaway back in January from Supersavvyme.


I have used several lip stains before but they all came with a lip gloss top coat so this is the first time I had tried this design. The colour I won was number 03 which I believe is called Pink Princess. It is a medium pink colour. 
The applicator reminds me a lot of a felt tip pen.  

My lips "au naturel".

I first used it to line my lips and then filled it in. This is with one coat.


I didn't think the colour was very deep so I applied a second coat.



I didn't feel the extra coat really added much depth in colour. Once dried it felt, not sticky, but a little tacky.  I also didn't like the matte effect.  Usually I would have put a balm, lipstick or gloss over the top to give more depth and moisture but because I wanted to review the longevity of the tint, I wore it on its own.

4 hours and one cold drink (no food) later... I think it is bearing up considerably well.



After 5 hours and lunch... I still don't think it is doing too badly.



After 7 hours... It has faded considerably and can really only see the outline on my top lip.

After 10 hours... The lighting is different because the other photos were done in natural lighting but this photo was taken after dark so the lip tint appears darker than the last photo but it wasn't.  This was after I had eaten my dinner, so after 2 meals and several cold drinks.



My overall impression?  A thumbs down I'm afraid. I would not purchase this because, although it did last through one meal, I felt it was very drying on my lips which I think can be seen in the photos.  I cannot find anywhere online where Max Factor state how many hours this should last, they only  state it "lasts longer" which I agree, it does. However, what is the point in having the colour on your lips if you hate the way it looks? Perhaps next time I use it, I will apply a gloss or lipstick on top and see if that also lasts the 5 hours. I certainly won't be wearing it on my lips on its own.
Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint is available at Boots for £6.99

What is your favourite mascara or lip stain?  Do you have a Holy Grail?
Thank you for reading and I would love it if you found the time to comment.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Take care,
CJ xx