Haul: Long Time No See, Mr. Drugstore!

It's definitely been a while since I've had a proper look around drugstores as I have recently. STILL being unemployed, the department stores are becoming less and less affordable! And after having a revelation with my VIVO blush crush, I decided to hunt for some gems lurking around the aisles of Boots and Superdrug.. and this is what I came out with :)

It does make me sad that all this cost me less than a foundation I had splurged on a week earlier..

A bit of an on-trend product here, is the 17 Wild Metallic Eyes mousse eyeshadow in Wild Bronze. I've used it once, and it is a gorgeous wash of bronze that kind of creases if you put too much product - it's definitely meant for a sheer effect. I initially wanted all the colours, but after swatching, I may or may not go back for just one more - Wild Nude :)

A necessary purchase was a new topcoat, and while I used to think nothing of spending £6-7 on one, I've now resorted to £4 to save pennies anywhere I can. So I went for Rimmel's trusty 60 Seconds line's Clear polish in 740. My main objective of using a topcoat is the fast drying effect, so I thought this line (that I already have about 3 polishes from!) would be perfect :)

Need I say more? My first tube is on its way out, and with a 3 for 2 currently at Superdrug, I had to repurchase! This is my HG nude lipstick, Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Nude Delight.

Yes, that is a chafing gel - Lanacane Chafing Gel to be exact.. After being told by George that it is a great mattifying primer, I went through the slightly embarassing process of picking it up in front of 5 people in a Boots which is usually empty - I did half think she'd told me about it to put me through it all! :P It hasn't worked wonders yet, but I may be applying too little..

On the bottom there is the infamous L'oreal Super Liner - except I got the wrong shade. I got it in Black Crystals which has glitter in it and is definitely not as black as it should be. However, I bought it to have in my on-the-go make-up bag so not too fussed. Surpised to say that the applicator is quite nice!

My biggest giggle of the haul, is the Rimmel Glam' Eyes eyeshadow quad in 002 Smokey Brun. I'm pretty sure the last drugstore eyeshadow I bought was the Sleek Storm palette in Spring 2010.. so it's been a while! What made me get this was my urge for a high-end eyeshadow palette for on-the-go, which I have been trying to supress until Duty Free when I'm heading off to Japan.. so this is meant to keep me in tact until then. Not to mention, I fell in LOVE with the shades, especially the taupey shade on the left! I love the sleek packaging, but only wish it had a mirror, so it would be more on-the-go friendly!

Anything stand out to you?

What's been your favourite drugstore purchase recently? ENABLE ME! :)

<3yu

Major Hair Dye Fail! :(

Unless this is the first post you are reading by me, you know that I had reddish dark brown hair with highlights at the bottom. Now the only issue I had with this was that the bright highlights were really accentuating my dryness and frizziness, so I decided to go for an all over light-ish pink-based dark brown and hope my highlights would still peep through as it was way lighter than my other hairs.. I used L'Oreal Sublime Mousse in 40 Pure Dark Brown that looks like this:

Total fail by the way, if you couldn't tell by the title.

I ended up with pretty much my natural hair colour, which is black with a tint of brown:

Like, how does that even happen?

Okay I know there's the rule of going for a lighter colour when choosing, but I'm not sure if it was a really bad image on their part or if I should've known better. Here are the things I thought about the image on the box:

1) It's definitely more than a shade lighter than what I ended up with.
2) It's a very milky brown.. mine's reddish, in bright bright BRIGHT sunlight.
3) The swatches made it look like even dark hair people will end up with a bit lighter brown as on the box.

The thing that bothers me the most is not how I look, as it's my natural hair colour and I like the fact that I can wear darker eye make-up without looking overboard. It's the fact that it's spring, and I now have dark hair colour, and my highlights are gone.

I'm hoping for the colour to keep washing off in the next couple of weeks, but until then, does anyone know any miracle cure? Maybe an at-home way of highlighting?

I'm so pooped :(

<3yu

Tubing Mascara Review 2: L'Oreal Beauty Tubes

I am sorry for the late update to my tubing mascara review series, but there are going to be around 10 reviews about the popular tubing mascaras. The second one I'm reviewing is L'Oreal Beauty Tubes mascara, and the mascara that is responsible for dragging me into my love affair with tubing mascaras. I think that I probably will us tubing mascaras for the rest of my life. I was strolling through a drugstore, and saw this. I had given up wearing mascara although they give me the length that I desperately needed, because I always end up with panda eyes within a few hours. I saw that this promises no smudging and easy water removal, yet is water resistant. Curiosity won out, and I thought why not especially since it's on sale. 

This mascara is pretty great, but it took me some time to figure out how to apply it. You apply the white end which contains the primer first, and then immediately apply the red end with the mascara inside without waiting for the primer to dry. If the primer dries, this will become really clumpy. I find that most of the length comes from the primer, and the primer also makes the application smooth. Also, for those of you hating primers, the mascara adequately covers the white with just one swipe. 

1. Smudging: This is by far the most important aspect of all mascaras to me, because before tubing mascaras, all mascaras smudged on me. Before, it was not a matter of whether it smudges, but whether how much or when it smudges. However, L'Oreal Beauty Tubes never smudges on me! Actually, like fiberwig, there might be a tiny bit of almost unnoticeable smudging if it's a really humid long day. However, I'd say that it's less prone to smudge than fiberwig, so I'll give it an 9 in terms of smudging. 
2. How long does it last on my lashes: This mascara lasts for around 10 hours before starting to flake horribly, and another 2 hours before it starts getting a little smudging. And if you wait for 16 hours or so, some tubes will fall off. But I'm guessing this is not an issue for most people, wanting mascara to last beyond 10 hours :) So a 7.5 in terms of how long it lasts. 
3. Flaking: This mascara flakes on me, but very minimally. I would say around one flake each hour. When the flakes get into my eyes, it doesn't really sting or hurt, so that's good. After around 8 or 10 hours, it starts flaking horribly to the point that I'd rather not wear mascara than have it flake. So a 5.5 in terms of flaking. 

4. Color and longevity of the tube: Isn't it weird that I put those criteria together since they are not so much related? But I don't know about you, but I don't care that much about either the color or longevity of the mascaras I buy, which is why I thought I'd give each of those 5 points instead of 10. In terms of color, this gets the perfect 5, since it is jet black on me despite having to cover up the white primer. Don't worry, it is not gray. In terms of longevity, after daily application, a tube is still usable after 5 months (not that you would want to use a mascara that long, but anyway...). My friend say it still lasts after 9 months, but I'd be horrified to let it go near my eye. Sorry I'm a freak about such things. So a 4.5 in terms of longevity. Together, this mascara gets 9.5 in this section. 
5. Application: The application is pretty fast, taking around 1.5 minutes for both eyes. I just brush on the primer, wiggle it through my lashes, and then hurry to apply the mascara before the primer dries. I don't apply multiple coats with this mascara because it doesn't really help. Actually the application is pretty perfect for me, the brush not being gigantic. However, I sometimes have to clean up my lids after application. So a 9. 

6. Length: This is where this mascara behaves mediocre. It promises 80% length, but after a year of using it, I can't seem to be able to get that length, however many coats I apply. It gives length, but I would say it's more like 30% to 50%. Now, that's not bad for a mascara, but fiberwig does better, and I need need long lashes. It's like my lashes but a bit longer and plumper. So a 7 for me. 
7. Volume: Some people love this mascara because it's the only tubing mascara that gives volume. This is almost true. The volume is nothing to write home about, just lashes that are a little bit plumper, nothing like Dior show or whichever volume mascara you love. If I have to give it to you in numbers, I'd say the diameter of each lash is longer by 20 to 30%.  So a 4 in terms of volume. 
8. Removal: This is the best part. It really slides off neatly in tubes. No rubbing involved. You just step into the shower and off it comes. Or if you wash your face in the sink, 5 splashes will get rid of most of your mascara. It's great, so a 9.5 within the context of all other tubing mascaras. 
9. Clumping: This is not really an issue with this mascara if you know how to apply it. However, if you wait for the primer to dry, or apply a second coat after the first coat dries, hello clumpy lashes! I never get this issue anymore because my brain reacts to this mascara and makes my hands super nimble. So overall, 6.5 in terms of clumps. 
10. Sensitivity: This one is pretty good in terms of sensitivity. No stinging and not much discomfort should it flake into my eye. However, I am aware that some people wear contacts, so the flaking might be painful for you. I'll give it a 6 in terms of clumping.

As I add it up, this mascara gets a total of 73.5 out of 100. It's not bad considering my HG only got 71.5. Of course, if I were to calculate the scores for myself, I'd more than double the points I give for length. This is also why I tried to give points for each sector so that you can add it up for yourself, giving each section as much emphasis as you'd like (depending on what's most important to you). However, keep in mind that this score is in relativity to other tubing mascaras. If you want to compare it to general mascaras, I'd add at least 10 points before comparing it. :)