March’s Beauty Bag

Between #lovetomtomSBD and my big reveal, this month has flown by and it’s time for another beauty bag update. This month beauty-wise was interesting. There were some good, some freebies which are always good, and some I’m not so sure about.

Let’s get the one I’m not sure about out of the way. The latest addition to my La Roche Posay collection is the Toleriane Fluid. I’m always keen on finding any skincare products that can help my blemish-prone, oily skin so I was eager to give this a go. The product claims it ‘Hydrates and soothes very sensitive or intolerant skin.’ On first use I thought the texture was light and absorbed quickly. Both are positives for me. My skin felt like it had  a smooth ‘layer’ on but not like that of a silicone based primer. After a day of wearing it under my foundation, I could definitely see an improvement and by the end of the day I felt my face almost resembled the one I left the house with. After a couple of days using it in all sorts of ways (i.e. mixing it directly into my foundation, apply it morning and night, applying it only in the morning, wearing it with different foundations) I have to say I’m not sure I like how it feels on my skin. I can’t believe I’m saying this but it almost feels too dry. It’s not enough to turn me off the product completely and I’m going to stick with it as I feel it is a good product – I just haven’t found the right way to use it.

Now the fun bits. I have to start with this gem; Max Factor’s False Lash Effect Mascara was a recommendation from one of you lovely people in Australia. This mascara won my heart from the word go. Reasonably priced coming in at €15 and it does exactly what it says on the tube in this case. The brush separates every little lash, which is why I feel they look like false lashes. It holds a curl well and with a few applications and a good wiggle of the brush at the base of your lashes, they look amazing. If I had one criticism (seriously I’m being so picky here) I could personally do with a little more oomph if you get me. Not to worry though as I find with a dark eyeliner at the base of my lashes I can get the effect I’m looking for. This mascara is definitely staying in my beauty bag!

It’s no secret that I’m a beauty fan and my fabulous friends often leave me little goodies to try. I know – how lucky am I? The first is Wet n Wild Mega Protein Waterproof Mascara which is not as good as the Max Factor one but if your mascara needs are different to mine you may want to try this. It is a nifty size, great for your hand bag or travel bag and at only €3 it is an absolute bargain. This mascara is a good product and one I would use on my more relaxed days at home. The issue I have with it and I know this is a good complaint to have, is that I feel it’s not strong enough for my lashes which are long and plentiful. It all comes down to what you want from a mascara. Waterproof, volumising, separation, colour, dramatic. The list goes on. For me, this won’t be my everyday mascara but has the potential to stay in my beauty bag for the price and how easy it is to use.

Another goodie I found on my desk this month was a sample of Naobay Protective Hair Mask Voluming Conditioner. I have great friends don’t I? I  had never used a hair mask before so I had to do a bit of research and I liked what I read about this product. Based on the product instructions I applied it to freshly washed wet hair, waited three minutes and rinsed. I suspect I barely waited two minutes but not to worry, as afterwards my hair felt amazing! I’m still unsure if this is a daily conditioner or a once a week mask but either way my hair was soft, shiny and if it was long enough I would have swished it from side to side, in slow motion of course, like I had a wind machine in front of me. I was delighted that my hair felt this way for the next few days after using it, so a great find and one I would definitely consider purchasing.

The other goodie my friend gave me this month was a Nicka K 24H Waterproof eyeliner. First off, I have to say this is one of those eyeliners that you twist up and down and I’m not a fan of this mechanism as I find they always break. The other thing is that it comes with a smudger thing on the end and it is such a waste. If you want to smudge your eyeliner use a makeup brush, a cotton bud or even your finger! I find these smudge things are so unnecessary and don’t work and this one was no different. It is so hard that it is more scrape than smudge and really, just give me more product instead of useless gimmicks. Ok, so now that’s out of my system I only have good things to say about the actual eyeliner. It goes on very well although it can set quickly, so you have to work fast. It has great pigmentation and any eyeliner that can look half decent at the end of the day on my oily eyelids gets my attention. Nicka K is a new brand for me and I will definitely be looking for more.

xo