Origins Ginzing Foil Face Mask

I am fairly new to Origins as a brand as I have only tried products from the Ginzing Range, however I absolutely loved the revitalizing range. The mix of coffee beans and orange zest really invigorate the skin and make it brighter and more radiant.

I saw via social media that there was a new mask to the GinZing range, and I wanted to try it straight away. I went to my local Origins counter in Boots and asked for a sample of the mask where the lovely lady gave me one to try as well as a mini sized GinZing moisturiser #megababe.

From what I'd seen online, it looks like a gold piece of foil on the face, so I was skeptical to think it actually looked like that, and thought maybe a little bit of photo editing had been used. Sure enough though, the mask appeared to have a metallic consistency, so I was impressed that it could live up to the expectation.

To apply the mask, I used an old foundation brush. I wouldn't apply the product with your hands as it is really thick, and feels like what I can only describe as melted down gold (whatever that feels like). The mask had a really citrussy smell, and when going under the eye area, it felt like the fragrance was wafting into my eyes so felt a bit stingy temporarily.

The lady at the counter said to leave it n for as long as possible so it hardened. I left it on for about half an hour which was really comfortable, and I knew when it was ready to peel due to that cracked feeling when I used any expression.

So next was the fun bit! With the help of my 9 year old sister who was itching to peel off the mask, we peeled it off in large chunks.

It took about 5 minutes to peel off, and it came of in bits rather than one whole mask. I needed to wash off any excess at the end, but it was really easy and not messy at all (provided you have a bin nearby). When peeling off slightly hairier areas near the eye brows and hairline, it felt a bit tender but other than that it was a really enjoyable and satisfying event!

Afterwards my skin felt unbelievably smooth, and appeared brighter due to dead skin cells being removed from the mask.

I would highly recommend this mask. At £24 for 75ml I think that is a good price for a mask that shows instant results. I used my whole pot in one go, but I imagine you can get at least 10 uses out of one tube. Is is suitable for all skin types and is a fun way to spend a Friday night!

Rimmel Lash Tinting Mascara

We are always looking for ways to make our eyelashes thicker, longer, and more fluttery. 

With plenty of eyelash treatments out there, such as tints, LVL's and eyelash extensions, natural beautiful lashes are easy to achieve. However these treatments take time, obviously cost money and need a lot of upkeep. The Rimmel Volume Colourist mascara promises to tint eyelashes as well as being a great volumising mascara. 

I have tinted my eyelashes before, but being able to combine the tinting with an everyday routine saves time as well as ensuring continual upkeep. It claims that you will be able to see the results of darker lashes after 2 weeks, so as it has been just over 2 weeks since I started wearing this new product, I thought it was time to see if this could be the new lash treatment to go for.

The mascara itself is this strange cube shape, and has a fairly standard wand.

Although the mascara claims to add volume, I felt it had a lot more to offer in terms of length. My lashes didn't look very thick, however the looked very long, be it a little skinny.

I wasn't wild on the effect at first, but I have started to get used to using it everyday, and having a longer lash.

So did the results of the tinting prove true? 

For me personally, I can see a slight colour change at the roots of my lashes, but not anywhere near the tips, which is were you want the tinting ideally as that will give the appearance of longer lashes.

As you can see my lashes are very fair. From the top, there was hardly any difference at all, but then when applying mascara, I use upward motions so the top of the lashes would have barely been effected by the mascara.

before 

after

From an more open eyed view, I think you can see more obviously where the tinting has worked on the roots of my lashes.

Before

after

Overall, I would say the claim of tinting lashes may be a little bit optimistic. Obviously I realise that they can only put a bit of dye in to make the mascara wearable everyday, but I was hoping for a little more from the mascara.

Before

After

I wouldn't give up on any eye lash treatments for this mascara. However the mascara is a good everyday wearable eye lash look. For £8.00 a tube, it maybe something you want in between treatments as a maintenance mascara.

Stick Makeup

Hi everyone, hope you have been well!

Today I am reviewing and trying out some high street makeup items that have caught my attention.

In this day and age, everyone is looking for a quick fix on everything, and for me personally, if there is a way I can speed up my makeup regime before work in the morning then I will take it.

'Stick Makeup' is a great way to speedily apply makeup as well as carry around due to mini size. 

By no means am I a makeup expert, and would actually say that I am really inexperienced with makeup, particularly face makeup. Foundation seems to slip from my face, and a primer and powder are things that I see as an after thought. Therefore the latest beauty trends such as strobing and contouring really had me flumoxed. Even after watching endless videos on how to achieve the chiseled Kim Kardashian cheek bone, I still have no idea where to start.

Therefore I purchased these really inexpensive items in order to kick start my face slim down without breaking the bank at the risk of failing.

The first thing that makes me uneasy about contouring and strobing is texture. I don't know which is better or lasts longer out of powder or cream, or whether one is best suited to drier skin. If you can shed light on this I would love to know!

I went for cream products as I have dry skin and find them nicer on my skin. I also think for a beginner such as myself they are easier to handle.

So my contouring product is this Maybelline V Contour stick which costs £6.99.

I got mine in the shade light so the effects aren't too dramatic on my face.

The point of contouring is to add dimension to your face by highlighting parts of your face you want to bring forward and contouring to create shadows. I have also seen videos where artists have completely reshaped their nose or jaw line, but today I will be doing very basic stuff. Rome wasn't built in a day!

I applied the contour on my forehead, side of the nose and of course under the cheekbones to add depth.

I used the light side of the stick under my eyes, down the center of my nose, forehead, cupids bow and chin.

I then used my beauty bender to blend out the shades.

As you can see, my chubby little face has a bit of depth under the cheekbone which is where I want the most of the focus to be.

I think this product is a great way to get started, and to practice before purchasing more proffesional and expensive products such as the clinique highlight and contour chubby sticks that are a very similar idea. I would love to eventually try products such as the Anastasia Beverly Hills contour palette but I think I need more practice before spending that kind of cash. My only problem with this product is that eventually the two colours could potentially merge rendering the whole product useless, but I will keep you updated on that.

So next is highlight, and Barry M have bought out two shimmer strobe cream sticks in this pinky shade that I have, but also in a more brown toned bronzing highlight. For me, I chose the pinky toned one as I have fair cool toned skin so felt the bronzed one may look a little funny on me unless sporting a golden tan, and the pink more complimentary to my skin tone.

I just add this to my chekbones after applying my cream blush, and then once again use my beauty blender to get rid of the line created from the stick.

I think this adds a really subtle but pretty strobe to the face, and it is one of the products I can see myself re-buying.

Makeup on a stick is a great way to carry around makeup, as all your need are your products and perhaps one brush or blender to get flawless skin. I may investigate foundation sticks in the future, to see if the stick is the way forward!

Let me know if you have any recommendations or handy hints on contouring.

Grandiose Eye Liner

Hi all! Today I am reviewing the new Lancome Grandiose eye liner that launched a few weeks ago.

If you have read my blog, you may have seen that the Grandiose mascara blew my mind and jumped straight to my number one mascara beating Benefit's 'They're Real' and the 'Chanel volumizing mascara. You can read a review of that here: Lancome Grandiose Mascara

What makes the Grandiose mascara so individual is the swan neck wand, which is a theme they have continued to the eye liner.

The ball point handle means you can have it straight or create angles with the brush making it SO easy to apply. If you have trouble with eye liner, or maybe you just want an easy alternative, then this product is perfect for you.

Clicking the wand into different angles means getting a continous line into the inner corner of the eye  is a breeze.

It is also a great angle to go as a guide line for the outer cat flick

The reason I commited and bought this liner was because I tried the new three shades on my hand and they lasted all day even after washing my hands and going about my day. The eye liner comes in the classic black, a beautiful brown and a stunning blue.

 It is also worth mentioning that the launch of this liner comes with a new edition of the mascara, the Grandiose extreme, which I will realistically be buying very soon as well, as it is longer lasting, even blacker than the original mascara, and promises to give even more oomph. Along with that, there is also a new eyebrow mascara which comes in 3 shades from blonde to brown, and also a clear gel for the fair haired or if you prefer no colour.

I absolutely love this product. My only flaw would be that I find the formula slightly dry, so I keep having to dip into the pot a lot to charge up the wand when applying, but I think that dry formula is what makes it stay longer compared to a wetter liquid eye liner.

This eyeliner retails at £23.00 at all Lancome suppliers.