Superdrug and Boots Haul With Reviews

Hey all. I just wanted to share with you the stuff that I bought today. I got 2 nail polishes from Rimmel for 3.99, No17 Black Perfect Definition eyeliner for £2.49 pencil in 'Onyx', Nivea face and body moisturiser with jojoba oil for £1.55 and vitamin E and a Ruby and Millie slanted liner brush for £5. I'm going to offer photos and a review of everything. Enjoy!


The nail polishes (On the left is 'Tangerine Queen' number 050 and on the right is 'Green Grass' number 236. Two for £3.99 at Superdrug):





My whole hand wearing the nail polishes:



Close up:





Nail Polish Review:

Highly pigmented. What you see on my nails is only two coats of the polish applied in one go. They dry really fast (under 5 minutes) and go on smoothly. Rimmel claim the polishes are long lasting and chip resistant so I will test that out in the next week and get back to you on it. But I am completely in love with the colours. You can buy any two Rimmel polishes at Superdrug for 3.99 currently.



No 17 Perfect Definition Eye Liner in 'Onyx' (£2.49 from Boots)



No17 Eye Liner Review:

I have used No17 pencils for years now and I love them. The only downside is you do have to reapply before the end of the day if you wear this on your waterline. Otherwise it lasts all day and the colour is highly pigmented and nice and dark. I believe you can buy other colours in this pencil so if black is too harsh for you try another colour such as grey or brown. These pencils are soft and glide on quickly so you don't have to spend ages going over the same spot.



Ruby and Millie Slanted Liner Brush (£5 from Boots):




Ruby and Millie Slanted Liner Brush Review:

I have used Ruby and Millie brushes before and I can tell you the quality is really really good. I got a dome shaped shadow brush about a year ago and it hasn't shed one hair. I've used it a ton of times too. These brushes are really good. I have not tried this slanted liner one yet but I am guessing it's going to be great since I have already tried one from this brand before. In all honesty this cost me £5 which is three times as cheap as MAC brushes and it works exactly the same as my two MAC brushes that cost me about £18 each. If you can't afford MAC or hate spending too much on brushes then Ruby and Millie ones are an awesome bargain. I don't personally like Ruby Hammer that much, I've seen her on various shows and I know I don't know her in person but she irritates me with her harshness but I'll give it to this brand, it's damn good. Oh, and I will be using this in my next tutorial and explaining how to use it :)


Nivea Face and Body Moisturiser with Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E:



Review of Nivea Face and Body Moisturiser with Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E (£1.55 from Superdrug):

I happily found this today at Superdrug. It is the moisturiser I referred to in my entry about Skin Care which can be found here: http://sparklyshellcosmetics.blogspot.com/2008/06/skin-care.html
It sinks into the skin very quickly and does not have an overwhelming scent. It is a bit like baby cream or Sudo cream in all honesty but it's smooth and leaves your skin feeling really soft. It is also very light and has a soft texture so it won't be too oily on your skin. Works well mixed with foundation too.

Haul and Reviews

Hey all. Here's mini haul I had. Most of the stuff you see here was bought this month except the barry m lipgloss which I got last month for my prom. The reviews are below for each product. Enjoy :)






















Lipgloss Swatches


















Barry M Glossy Tubes #4 Lipgloss












This smells very sweet almost like strawberries but it's a gorgeous smell all the same. It comes in a 10ml tube for £3.95 and you can buy it in any Superdrug or Boots store. This gloss is peachy pink in colour and it slides on with extreme ease. You do not have to build it much to get a lot of colour. I own two barry m lipglosses but I have swatched them all in the shops and I can tell you right away they all have the same creamy non sticky texture. I looked to see if you could buy this off the website but for some reason it is not listed there. I reccomend number 1 pink sparkle as a close enough substitute for those outside of the UK. It's not peach but it is a gorgeous shimmery pink colour. This is perfect for a peachy pink nude-ish look on the lips.



Maybelline Shinylicious 803 Strawberry Whizz Ligloss













This smells like strawberries but it's not too sickly. It costs approximately £5 for a 14ml tube from Boots or Superdrug. Those outside of the UK can purchase shinylicious range from the Maybelline website or you can try Ebay where you'll probably find it much cheaper. It's non sticky and very comfortable to wear. Not creamy like the barry m range. There is a bit of an odd taste to it but it's not overpowering or unpleasant. It goes on quite as a sheer shimmery light pink so if you want more colour you have to build it. The colour is really pretty and shimmery. A perfect gloss for a neutral daytime look.


Barry M Nail Paint #289 and #285 (below)

These nail paints are buildable so if you want the colour to show strongly you will have to layer them. When you do, it's well worth it. The colours are really pretty. You can buy these online or at Superdrug who are currently offering 2 Barry M nail paints for 4.99 at the moment :)

#289 is a lovely shimmery gold shade and #289 is a turquoisey green shade. They are a bit tough to remove if you have layered them on so make sure you have a good nail polish remover.














Barry M Nail Paint #285















Barry M Eye and Lip Shimmer Pencil 5

I couldn't get the true colour to show on a swatch unfortunately so all I can do is describe it. Part of a range of shimmer pencils by Barry M. Lovely to use as a lip colour under clear gloss or as a base for eye shadow. Glides on easily and comes out a pale shimmery pink colour. These pencils are wonderful as a base for eye shadow.

Rimmel Glam Eyes Mascara

You can buy this online or from Superdrug. They were selling them for £4.99 when I got mine and I believe you might still get it at that price if you buy it before August but don't quote me on that. Otherwise the usual price is about £6.99.

The only negative aspect of this mascara I found was the bendiness of the wand. The wand is made of two combs. On one side there are short stubby tips and on the other are longer tips. The short ones produce the volume effect and the longer ones comb your lashes out and make them appear longer and more seperated. The wand does tend to bend when you're taking it in and out of the tube and this can make it tricky to put back in but it's not overwhelmingly difficult or bothersome. The wand has a tight fit into the tube too which I am presuming is to stop the product from clumping on the tip and this works very well. Your product isn't wasted at the base or tip of the head on the wand anymore with this mascara tube. When applying this also you have to rotate the wand in order to produce the volume and lengthening effect so you place it at the base of your lashes and then rotate against the lashes as you work upwards.

It's a really really cute mascara and it does the job well. I have naturally long lashes so I wanted something to thicken them when I got this and it definitely does that. It will lengthen your lashes pretty well. I am a huge fan of Rimmel mascaras ever since I tried LASH XXX so if you liked that one you will love Glam eyes.

Update! *EDIT* #2

Hey all.

I am going to remove this entry at a later date because it isn't about makeup but I just wanted to come here and write a quick entry and let you all know what's going on.

I have not forgotten or abandoned this blog. I have just had some more important things in my life to sort out and I have given my time to those things as opposed to this. I am in the process of changing my degree at uni and also trying to sort out my finances. However, that doesn't mean I have not done anything at all for this blog. I do still try and make time to do something for this blog even if I am not able to post it at the time.

Currently I've made numerous tutorials and done the photos and everything. I'm trying to come up with a nice layout for them so that you can all find them easy to look at and follow. I want to make sure the layout is good and so I'll be spending time on it within the next week and hopefully they'll all be up within a couple of days.

I have also been on a couple of shopping sprees and have reviews on some new products I've bought for you all :) Those will be up tomorrow.

Hope you're all well,

Love
Michelle xxx


*EDIT*

I am so so sorry but I got struck down with the flu not long after I wrote this entry. I wasn't able to sit up for long so I couldn't do much at all. I have also had a bit of crap in my personal life to deal with and my head has not been on makeup much lately.

I PROMISE I will be back soon!

*EDIT #2*

Tutorials are on the way. They're made but just as I finished my camera decided it needed charging so I am going to have to wait a good few hours for it to do so. I have to upload the photos onto my laptop and re-size them before I can put them up here. In the meantime I am also clearing out my bedroom because I am having it redecorated within the next month so I will be busy tonight with clearing stuff out. This will unfortunately mean my tutorials may either be up very late tonight or tomorrow. I am sooo annoyed my camera died on me, I'm really sorry to those who have been waiting for these :(

In the meantime I have a little haul and a couple of reviews coming up that you can read until I get the tutorials up.

Brush Cleaning

Hi all,

I've developed a wonderful case of conjunctivitas in my right eye so I am currently unable to do tutorials. I'm using eye drops for it and I am hoping it will clear in about three days with any luck but if it doesn't I'll have to see my doctor. Until then I am not allowed to wear eye makeup or put anything in my eyes (like my lenses) so I'm unable to make tutorials at the moment since they involve me putting eye make up on. It's very annoying because I have three I wanted to be put up but I don't want to risk my eyesight so instead I thought I'd do a blog about how to care for your make up brushes.

What you will need:

(If you have sensitive skin) Some very mild baby shampoo or unscented, unfragranced soap. Basically the most natural soap you can find. Tesco have their own brand soap which is cheap and I've used it on my brushes and it has been fine. If you use any kind of cleanser or face wash beware that you will use your brushes on your eyes afterward so make sure whatever you use has a gentle formula.

Latex gloves (If you're allergic to latex you can buy non-latex gloves): It might sound silly but repeatedly washing your brushes in your hands with soap can cause rashes or dryness so these are purely to protect your skin. If you have lots of brushes to wash these will most definitely come in helpful!

A sink or bowl full of luke warm/cool water


How To Wash Your Brushes

First take a little baby shampoo or soap in the palm of your hand (gloved or not - it's up to you) and mix it into a little bit of a lather with some water.

Then take your brush, wet it with the water and then gently sweep the bristles of your brush into the soap back and forth without too much pressure. Try not to be too rough because this can cause the bristles on your brush to fall out/fray over time. You may have to rinse your hand and use a little more soap. Once no more colour shows in the soap, rinse the bristles in clean water (being careful to keep only the bristles under the water as excess water can seep into the brush handle and cause the glue to break down over time) and then squeeze the bristles to remove excess water.


Drying your brushes

After washing my brushes I gently sweep the bristles of my brush back and forth on an old towel to help remove excess water/dampness.

Lay your brushes flat to dry. Try not to leave them near a radiator as the heat from a hot radiator can melt the glue inside the brush. Place them in a warm, dry place. Larger brushes may need a whole day to dry whilst smaller ones will take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours.

Drying your brushes flat ensures they will keep their shape. Don't dry them in an upright position. Always lay them out flat because if you dry them upright the water will run into the glue that attaches the bristles to the handle and it will eventually cause your brushes to shed or break.


How Often Should I Wash My Makeup Tools?

Washing your brushes is important because your skin builds up dirt and grease during the day and this leads to bacteria build up. Everytime your brush touches your skin it picks up some of this bacteria so it's important to keep your makeup tools clean so that you don't end up with any nasty rashes or eye infections.

The makeup on your brushes will eventually start drying up or going off within the bristles so it is important to get rid of the makeup that is stuck to your brushes as soon as you possibly can. If you don't the bacteria in the dried makeup will eventually start giving you spots or nasty infections.



Alternative Brush Cleaning Methods

You can buy jars with special scouring sponges in the bottom either from cosmetic stores or arts and crafts stores and what you do is add some brush cleaning formula (this you can buy from cosmetic counters) to them and clean them that way. Brush cleaners often have conditioners in them to help your brush bristles last longer. They will also clean them thoroughly. This saves you having to get soap and water on your hands at all but the pain in the arse part is having to clean the sponge regularly!


How To Clean Mascara Wands

You might not think it's very important to clean your mascara wands but trust me, it is. Your mascara wand touches the one part of your eye that is specifically there to catch dirt so you can imagine how it will build up over time on your mascara wand.

To do this you can use a little mild soap and basically follow the same procedure of dipping the wand into the soap and then rinsing with clean water. As long as the dried excess mascara is off then it'll be fine. You can go ahead and dry the wand off with a paper towel and put it back into the tube right away because you don't want your mascara to dry out.

Tips

I always keep some babywipes nearby for when I have finished applying eye shadow or when I want to use another colour on the same brush/applicator. Just clean the bristles over with the wipe a couple of times. This will help keep the colours from mixing and it will help keep your brushes cleaner until you are ready to wash them. I got 80 babywipes for about £2 at Superdrug but you can get them at any drug store or supermarket equally as cheap.