I Heart Drugstore Makeup TAG

What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand?

This is a tough one for me because I really only use drugstore products, and every brand excels in one things like Revlon and their lip products or Maybelline and their mascaras. Overall, I think it would be either Maybelline because I love their mascara’s, some of their foundations and some lip products to or it would be MUA because even though some products aren’t amazing the value for money and quality of most products is amazing!

What are your favorite face, cheek and lip products?

 

Is Soap and Glory a drugstore brand? I’m going to say they are and say my favourite face product is Hocus Focus. It’s a highlighting lotion that I mix in with either my moisutriser or foundation to give a nice glow to any foundation I put on.

Again, I have to ask, is Topshop considered drugstore? I mean they are reasonably cheap but you can’t get them in places like Boots or Superdurg. If it is considered drugstore my favourite cheek product would be their cream blushes. I rave and rave about them all the time because I think they are amazing. If not, then I would have to go with the Sleek blushes because they are reasonably priced and they are amazing quality. 

My favourite lip products are just too hard to choose. I love something in almost every brand but I do adore the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains at the moment. I think everyone in the blogger world has heard about these. They are essentially dupes for the Clinique chubby sticks, and the Chubby Stick Intense. They are jumbo pencil like products that have the staying power of a lipstick with the application quality of a balm. They only thing I’m not a fan of is the taste and smell. To me it’s like old tasting old chewing gum, like stale mint. I’m not sure why they have that mint taste because it’s not needed.

  Least favorite product?

This is a question I could go on and on about because while the drugstore has some amazing products there are many, many terrible products out there to. I think I would have to go with the Maybelline Dream Foam foundation though. This is something I own, or will ever own. I’ve tried it out once on my face and hated it. It didn’t offer any coverage and it felt horrid on my skin. I don’t like the packaging because you have very little control over how much comes out of the bottle. And lastly the fact that it doesn’t come off any surface worries me a lot. I work in a place that sells Maybelline products, and as soon as the testers were put out I knew it was a recipe for disaster. People testing them didn’t expect the explosion of mousse that comes out of the tube. They rub it off on the stand and when you go to clean that stand, nothing gets it off. I mean me and my colleagues have tried everything. Baby wipes, makeup remover, oil based products, nail varnish remover and even industrial strength cleaner and nothing works. If that’s what it does to the stand, can you imagine what it does to your face?  

What is the best makeup bargain?

 I would have to say it’s the £1 range that MUA offer. The lipsticks and eyeshadows are the stand out products for me and they are worth so much more than £1. I rate them over some of the more expensive brands like L’Oreal and the shadows can even beat out some of my MAC shadows.

What is your favorite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?)

 This is a tough one because I’m very influenced by bloggers and most of the products I own are popular (and for a good reason). If I had to choose just one thing, it would probably be Miss Sporty mascaras. People see the brand Miss Sporty as something very cheap and it’s often over looked but they offer a wonderful range of mascaras that are super cheap and are great quality. My current favourite is the volume Studio Lash, but they have something for everyone.

A drugstore product that is overpriced?

L’Oreal products are very expensive in my opinion but I think anything from MeMeMe is overpriced. While I love their products, I often don’t head to that stand because it’s so expensive and I can get similar products for a cheaper price. The most overpriced thing for me would either be their foundations or their dew pots.

Show your best drugstore dupe(s)!!

I could go on and on about this! I have a fair ol’ few. For lipsticks I would say the best ones are:

• 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive. It’s a good dupe for MAC hue.
• L’Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Boreal. It’s almost an exact match for MAC Blankety.
• The Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss lipstick on 02 is a close match for Girl About Town by MAC.
• Iced Fudged Mono Eyeshadow from Maybelline is a close copy for Satin Taupe by MAC. It’s a little more chunky, with a bit more glitter but it’s still that gorgeous taupe colour with silver shimmer.
• The MUA Undressed Palette is a good dupe for the Urban Decay Naked Palette.
• A number of MeMeMe products are good dupes for Benefit products like the Fat Cat mascara and Bad Gal.
• The MUA Every Lash mascara is an amazing dupe for Benefit They’re Real. 

Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype? 

This is the hardest question for me because I really cannot think of something over hyped! It might have to be the Revlon Lip Butters. That’s not to say that I don’t adore them, because I do but they aren’t as amazing as they are made out to be. They don’t last all that long and when you apply them again over the top of the first coat they can get a weird texture. Also the darker colours like Macaroon and Lollipop can bleed and you to be careful when applying them because they can get very messy. Also, they don’t fade that evenly, so you can end up with just colour on the outside of your lips.

Empties #1

Be prepared for a long post guys. I’m going to try and keep it as short as possible and not ramble to much. These are the empties I’ve gathered since the 15^th of September. I can only give you the precise date because it’s they day I moved up to uni, and these are the only products I’ve had with me. So, on with what I’ve used up. 

Superdrug Tea Tree Moisturiser

There isn’t much to say about this to be honest, except that the scent is so strong it makes your eyes water. It’s great for those slightly oily days or if you’re having a major breakout, but other than that it’s not too much different from other moisturisers. It’s doesn’t dry out my skin, but it doesn’t work miracles. It’s just ok. 

MAC Cleanse Off Oil

I’m so sad this is gone. I adore this stuff, and because of my spending ban I cannot purchase another just yet but I will be when I have the cash to. It’s the best makeup remover that I’ve ever tried, and it removes every bit of makeup on my face. It does leave a bit of an oily residue, but for my dry skin it’s not too bad. I either wipe it off with a baby wipe, or cleanse with a hot cloth cleanser. 

Clinique Rinse Off Makeup Solvent 

I don’t recommend this. For the price, it’s nothing. It doesn’t remover waterproof makeup, or anything remotely stubborn. It stings a little when I use it on my eyes, and it’s just not worth the money. 

Sure Woman Maximum Protection Deodorant

I debated about putting this in this post because it seems like strange thing for me to talk about but I have to ask something of you all. I brought this in Boots when it was on sale. It was normally about £5, but it was knocked down to £2.50. I didn’t think much of it at the time but now I fear it’s been discontinued. It’s the best deodorant ever! It’s smells nice and it really works. 

Simple Light Hydrating Moisturiser

If you don’t need to much moisture this is for you. It’s a simple product that does what it says on the tin. It lightly moisturises the skin, without leaving a scent or any kind of residue on it. It’s also super cheap which is great to. 

Max Factor Lipfinity Lasting Lip Tint in 04

This isn’t used up, it’s just dried out. I’ve had this for quite some time, and it’s lasted pretty well but I didn’t get that much wear out of it  because of the shade. If I would have brought it in the autumn months it would have had a lot more wear but it’s just not a summer colour so it didn’t see the light of day. 

Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in 6 Pink Parfait

This technically isn’t finished either, but it belongs here because the bullet broke and I can no longer use it. I’m sad that it’s gone because it wasn’t cheap but it’s wasn’t the best lipstick in the world either so I won’t be repurchasing it. The colour was decent, but didn’t last all that long on the lips. 

MAC Lipstick in Sweetie (Lustre)

I will repurchase this. It’s the best lipstick I’ve used in a long time and it works amazingly well for fall and winter because it’s got that deep purple hue to it that screams autumn. It didn’t last all that long, but I didn’t care because it was a fabulous colour. It gives a beautiful stained effect to the lips rather than blanking them out like some lipsticks can which I think is fabulous. 

MAC Limited Edition Lipstick in To Catch A Sailor (Frost)

I wasn’t a fan of this, and this has a similar story to the Estee Lauder lipstick. The bullet broke and I depotted it, but the colour just wasn’t worth the hassle of it all so I binned it. I love the packaging and as sad as it sounds I will miss it looking nice a pretty in my collection.   

MAC Select SPF 15 Foundation in NW20

This was a really nice foundation, and had I had it in the right shade it would have been used up a lot sooner. It’s a nice foundation for those who have combination skin and it has the SPF built in so for people like me whose moisturiser doesn’t have it in, this is great. It gives a medium coverage, but it’s most certainly buildable to. It lasted pretty well and didn’t melt off my face. 

MAC Studio Tech Foundation in NW20

I used this as a concealer because it’s just too thick to use as a foundation. Again, I would have preferred this if it were in a better shade for me but it worked well enough. It’s not the best concealer in the world, but it’s better than some. I wouldn’t repurchase it.  

MAC Eyeshadow in Crème De Violet

This isn’t technically an empty, it’s a depotted shadow but the container is empty so I put it here. I have a review of this here so read that to see what I thought. 

MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in Rich Core 

I love this, and wish it wasn’t limited edition. I used this as crease colour for more dramatic looks and as a liner at times too.  It’s a nice shadow, that was really blendable and I loved it. I could have got more use out of it but the shadow fell out of the pan and broke so it was no more. If they were to ever re-introduce them I will snap another one up.

Sleek Pout Paints | A Review

Sleek Pout Paint, £4.99 link.

I originally brought these because I’ve always wanted to try OCC Lip Tars, but wasn’t sure if I could get them in the UK and if I could I was a bit worried that the price would be a bit extortionate. I have been asked to make a comparison between the two but I really can't because I still haven't tried the OCC Lip Tars. I can the packaging of the Sleek Pout Polish was better because of the dispenser but I believe that the OCC Lip Tars have now changed to a similar tube.

I hate to start on a negative but I want to be honest. I have used these once and I won’t be using them again.  It's not because they are not great quality or anything like that it's simply because they are so high maintenance and require a nice steady hand to apply. I suppose that if you have the patience for them they are brilliant but I just can’t be asked with all the hassle. I don't have a steady hand and want something easy to apply like a Revlon lip butter or something similar.

You do need a decent lip brush to use with these because they are to messy to use with your fingers and they stain your hands quite a bit so a mixing palette (to mix the colours of course) and a lip brush are must haves for me if you want to use them to the best they can be used.

The colours are super intense and you need the smallest bit to go over your entire lips, which is good I suppose. I just think that, for the colours I would use in the range, I could get them in a lipstick form and have less issue applying them. 

You can see the swatches here. The amount you can see here would probably go over about 6 peoples lips and it’s one hell of a job to get it off your hand without any staining.

Sleek Pout Paint in Cloud Nine, Milkshake and Rosette

The Body Shop Mositure Foundation

This is a new discovery of mine and I must say I think it’s love. I have only ever tried one other body shop foundation and I was unimpressed, but this knocked my cute panda socks off!

It’s the perfect foundation for those who have dry skin, and don’t want anything heavy. It still offers a decent coverage, and I think it conceals redness really well too.  I have the lightest shade (02) and it's perfect for my skin tone. It has a slight yellow tint to it which cancels out my pink skin tone to make it  look neutral which I love. I think most of the shades were yellow based, so if you don't like that then this might not be for you.

It leaves a REALLY dewy look, so I set it, and mattify it, a bit. It does need to be set in someway thought because it does tend to slide around a bit. I think if you have super dry skin with no oilyness, a setting spray will do but if you have oily/combination or normal skin I would say a light dusting of powder would be best.

Overall, it's pretty much to bomb.com. I can't really add a glow to this like Hocus Focus because it's very liquid-y to start with and the added liquid makes it too thin to use. 

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Review *spoilers*

This post is too long and I'm sorry but I have a lot to talk about so bear with me please! 

 I’m a huge twilight fan. No, you don’t have to tell me how sad I am because I simply don’t care. I adore the books and have read them several times and I love the films to. Today, I wanted to bring you a little review of the last movie which hit cinemas on the 16^th of this month. I’ve been to see it twice now and I’m itching to see it again! 

I will try to keep my thoughts and ramblings a little organised but forgive me if I don’t. 

The first half of this post won’t contain any spoilers of the movie but might about the book so if you haven’t read the book or seen the film, click away now. 

Bella Swan in Breaking Dawn Part 2, link

Kristen Stewart really comes into her own in this movie. I’ve never been one to knock her acting because she’s one of my favorite actresses but this film is the best I’ve ever seen her act. She really stepped up to the mark. She’s great at playing a vampire, and for all those people who think she has just one look for her face, it changes in this movie. If you aren’t a fan of hers or are on the fence about her acting skills, this film will help you like her a little more. 

This movie was great at evoking emotions. I’m a crier, I will say that but this film really played with my emotions. I went from laughing to crying and feeling all sorts of different things. I cried a few sad tears, and then some happy ones in the last half of the film. I had some brilliant laughs and “aw” moments in the entire thing. There were a few rather loud (and embarrassing) gasps at point too.

Renesmee Cullen, Breaking Dawn Part 2. link

Mackenzie Foy is a brilliant little actress. She plays Renesmee really well because she seems older than she is (I think she was 10 at the item of filming) which how Renesmee is meant to be.  Lautner and Pattinson are as great as ever, and it was nice to see Pattinson playing a carefree Edward for at least a little bit of the movie. 

*SPOILERS* 

For anyone who doesn’t want any spoilers of the movie, I’ll say CLICK AWAY NOW because there will be spoilers in the rest of this post.

I wasn’t a fan of the art-sy beginning. None of the other films really had this and I found it a little slow. I’m not sure if I thought it was too long because I was eager for the film to start but I just thought it was too much.

The highly anticipated sex scene really isn’t anything to write home about. With the way everyone was talking about it I thought it would be a lot different than it actually is. It’s artistically done, but not the animalistic scene we were almost promised. I actually thought it was quite cheesy, especially when you had the plant pot covering some private areas. 

Renesmee Cullen, Breaking Dawn Part 1 link

The baby was totally creepy. I think it was quite true to the book, with her being very advanced for her age but it creeped me out to no end. It was very obviously CGI and even though they did a great job putting Foy’s face on the baby, I think I would I have preferred a  real baby without all the CGI effects.

So now I want to say some things that aren’t negative but aren’t rave worthy. I wanted more Jacob and Rosalie banter to. In the book, I was laughing out loud at some of the dog and blonde jokes that were made but they were just lacking in this film. Bella’s eyes got yellow to quickly for my liking but that’s just my preference. I imagined her eyes being red through the whole thing and they weren’t.   The sex scene could have been a bit more ‘animalistic’ like promised but I get that they were trying to be family friendly.  One bit of the books that I loved was the baby biting Jacob. I’m not sure why but that was something that stood out to me in the books but nothing is said about it in the movies which made me a little sad.  

Garret and Kate in Breaking Dawn Part Two link

 Let’s talk about a little about the nomadic vampires that we meet in the film. Two stood out to me and that was Garret (Lee Pace) and Alistair. I adored Lee Pace. I think he’s a great actor and I was pleased to see him in the movie. I think he captured Garret really well, and I loved that character even more in the film that I did in the book.  Alistair wasn’t a big love of mine. I remember liking him the book, and the actor was really good in the movie but the character just annoyed me. Maybe I’m just not remembering him in the book well and he was just a douche in the books to.  

Charlie and Bella in Breaking Dawn Part 2 link

I did love that we got to see a little more Charlie in this film. Billy Burke has always been a scene stealer in these movies and I loved seeing him more. The moment that Jacob takes his clothes of in front of him had me laughing so hard. He‘s a fabulous actor and has some great comedic timings when he needs it. I would have loved to have seen more of him but I understand it wouldn’t have fit in the movies. I wanted more Jasper too, but that’s a complaint I have with all the movies and the books. He’s a fascinating character to me and would have loved to have seen him explored more. 

I loved the fight between Jacob and Bella. It was probably one of the most anticipated scenes for me and it lived up to what I imagined. KStew really plays it well, and Taylor Lautner plays the scared dog pretty well. It was just great!

Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan link

So, how do I even begin to talk about this twist. We’d all heard about it, and I knew there was a fight because of the trailer but I, in no shape or form, expected what happened. It blew my mind. I was near on sobbing when Carlisle lost his head and was set on fire. Then Jasper died and everything went to shit. I loved seeing Aro meet his end, and Bella was totally badass in that scene but I found it really hard to take it all in after they set poor ol’ Carlisle alight. It brought the scene where Edward thanks he back to mind and I just wanted to have a good cry to mourn him. I’ve never heard a sigh of relief bigger than the one I heard when it turned out to be a vision. Some people were disappointed it was a vision but I was so glad. Having read the books, I knew what was meant to happen and didn’t think that a film series that has been so true to the books would deviate that far away from the books. I was sitting there almost wishing it all the be a freaking dream! 

So, I have some questions. Consider them rhetorical if you want but if you have some answers or theories please don’t let me stop you.

In that twisty vision, did Marcus want to die? He says finally when they rip him up, but why? It’s been a while since I’ve read the book but I cannot for the life of me think of why he wants to die. I thought he was all happy with the whole ruling the vampire world thing.  

Why does Ciaus want a fight so bad? I just wanted to tell him to shut up when he kept insisting of taking out the Cullen’s. He really is a little “trigger happy” when it comes to destroying a good family. Any old excuse and he’s all lets tear them apart! I just don’t understand. 

Now, last but not least, lets discuss the ending. It made me cry! I have to say that. Kristen Stewart said it well saying that it really twists the knife. If you were a little sad it was ending, this made it even sadder. The flickering of the book pages at the end was nicely done and I liked that it finished in the meadow; even if the flowers did look they were on steroids. I like that it showed all the movies because it really round it off well. 

 

The perfect piece of our forever, link