Max Factor false lash effect mascara review

Any mascara with the words 'false lashes' instantly grabs my attention. I'm obsessed with thick, long full eyelashes, but I don't like using actual falsies. Any mascara that claims to have the same effect as falsies is an instant buy.
I should mention that this mascara was sent to me from a friend in the UK for me to try, she knows how obsessed I am with mascara haha.

False lash effect comes in a huge black tube, shaped rather familiarly...
I've seen this somewhere before...

False lash effect brush:

Can anyone guess what other mascara this resembles? One that comes in an orange tube maybe..?
How odd that this looks just like cover girl lash blast only painted black!
More on that later, let's see if false lash effect really makes lashes look fake.

Well, no it doesn't give me fake looking lashes. I have yet to find a mascara that actually makes lashes look fake, but the closest would be diorshow blackout.
What false lash effect did do was give length, separation and held onto curl nicely.

wearing Max factor false lash effect:

I really like this mascara because it gives your lashes that fuller look by separating the lashes. I also loved the length it added.
What I didn't love was that after a few hours I would get little black specks flaking off onto my face. No smudging, just some slight flaking. The funny thing is that Cover girl lash blast did the exact same thing on me. I can't help but wonder if these mascaras are identical. I haven't used lash blast in a long time but from what I remember it performed exactly the same as this!
Overall this mascara is pretty nice, but do beware that it might flake a bit. The waterproof version could be a better option for longer wear.

Anyone wanting to try out false lash effect but can't get Max factor, don't worry just go pick up cover girl lash blast.

repurchase? possibly in waterproof version, or might just go for waterproof lash blast!

rating: 4/5

price: £10.99

Kat Von D true love palette EOTD

I had a lot of EOTD pic's I did with this palette saved on my computer, but they somehow got deleted. I only managed to find one look that I did- and I can't even remember exactly which colors I used. oops!

I really like this palette, but I don't love it. I'm not really a fan of purples, but if you like them then I'd say you need to get it.
There are four different purple shades (including a white/purple duochrome) and some really pretty neutrals (which I tend to go for).

What I use most and adore about this palette is the cream eyeshadow! It's called benji and it's this awesome warm toned coppery color. I am sad because it's just starting to dry out and I need to find something that's similar to it. Any reccomendations?

Here is my EOTD using Benji and some of the purples:

I guess I love the copper color because it really seems to make the green in my eyes stand out.
Help me find a replacement!

Trash review: Revlon colorstay foundation

The latest product I've completely used up is Revlon colorstay foundation for normal/dry skin.
I've had a few issues with my skin in recent months and this foundation has saved me!

A few months ago I had a major breakout from trying a new alpha hydoxy acid lotion, leaving behind horrible scarring on my chin.
I also started a new job where I am doing a lot of physical work and sweating a lot. On top of that it's become very humid here and my skin is now slightly oily yet still dry...very finicky.

So I need a foundation that :
1. will stay on through sweating/blotting/in melting humid hot weather
2. will not clog my pores
3. will cover up redness, scars and pimples
4. will not irritate my sensitive skin
5. will most importantly, match my pale skin!

I usually use L'oreal true match foundation shade N1, (I love this) but it just doesn't stay put all day through heavy sweating and hot weather.

Colorstay has provided my skin with excellent staying power, great coverage and best of all, no break outs! Actually, the best thing is that it doesn't irritate my skin one bit.

Ivory 110 is a perfect match for my skin! It's very neutral, not too pink or yellow. It blends in with my skin quite well.

swatch of colorstay ivory:

blended in:

I love the finish of this foundation. Very natural and skin-like. When I put it on it doesn't look like I'm wearing anything, just great even-toned healthy skin.
This lasts all day until I take it off. It performs like a high-end foundation should.


There are a couple of down sides to colorstay, but I've worked them out!

First, it can be tricky to blend. I apply a thin layer all over my face with my fingers and a second layer patted over the contours of the eye and any spots or blemishes.
One layer won't cover everything. It can look a bit streaky if you don't take the time blend it well, so I take my fluffy face brush and dust over it with some powder to set it and smooth everything out.

Second, it can be difficult to remove. I had a really hard time at first finding a way to remove it at night without stripping off my skin!
I tried using oil to soften it and then used another cleanser to take it all off but I found I was breaking out from the oils. I found an excellent cleanser that is gentle yet effective, clean and clear makeup dissolving foaming cleanser - it is amazing and it takes this off so easily! I will be reviewing that cleanser in the near future.

Overall, I really like this foundation and have already repurchased.
I've tried so many foundations so it's great to finally find one that really works for me.
I should mention a while ago a tried colorstay in ivory for oily/combination skin and it was just a disaster on me. The color oxidized into an orange/pink after applying and it started to break me out. Obviously this was the wrong choice for my skin type.

One of the great things about this is that it isn't too expensive. One bottle lasts about 3 months which is average for me and liquid foundations. It's readily available and often goes on sale.
I say give it a try if you are looking for a long-wearing comfortable foundation.

repurchase? yes...again and again!

rating: 5/5

price: $16 CAD

Urban decay midnight cowboy lipstick photos and swatches

I have always liked Urban decay products, but now I actually love them. Well, most of them anyways.

I got a mini lipstick (so cute!) in the color midnight cowboy in a set a while ago. I thought I'd show some swatches.

It's a lovely beige color, with gold microshimmer. It is quite sheer, I used it heavily for these swatches.
On my lips it isn't very intriguing, just sort of adds some shine and a slight beige cast. I liked it but I found that the shimmer was a bit gritty.
Also this color wore off really quick. I usually get a couple hours out of UD lipsticks but this one maybe 1/2 an hour and it's gone!



Do you like urban decay lipsticks? Any colors I need to check out?

NOTD: Joe Fresh twilight swatches and photos (pic heavy)

For once us Canadians have something cool that other countries don't. It's Joe fresh style nail polish in twilight.
This polish is so amazing I almost had a heart attack when I found it at Zehrs supermarket. Only $4 CAD, ya that's amazing.

The colors in this polish are really really unique.
To start we have a blackened green jelly-like base. Then it is just loaded with flakies that change colors from copper to orange and deep green to emerald green.



The formula isn't the greatest and it works best over a base coat. I used one coat of rimmel 'night before' to start with. In case you were wondering this is a dupe of claire's 'magic' nail polish.

My apologies as my nails are messy since I was in a rush doing these swatches and trying to get ready to go out!

Rimmel night before (1 coat):

Then I applied 2 coats of Joe twilight. It was glossy, and absolutely gorgeous. I must have stared at them for 15 minutes or so.

Joe twilight (2 coats):

After taking about 30 shots I realized that this polish looks best in person. Photos cannot capture it's beauty!


Then I decided to try it matte and I applied one coat of rescue beauty lounge matte top coat. It looked really cool. The flakies popped more and my nails looked like some rock candies.

After applying RBL matte top coat:

Love this polish so much! I don't know if it's LE or not, but you can find it (hopefully) in stores that carry Joe Fresh style cosmetics. They include loblaws, superstore and zehrs markets.

trash review: Lancome renergie microlift eye R.A.R.E. superior lifting eye cream

A while ago I snuck into my moms skin care stash and found this eye cream. She didn't like it so I took the liberty of trying it out.

This is the best eye cream I have EVER used. I have tried many, many other brands including vichy, clinique, Neutrogena, even La Mer! - and I'm telling you, this is the one. It is so great that made it onto the #1 spot of my top 10 favorite products of 2010 list.

The reason I use an eye cream is to keep the undereye area moisturized of course, and hopefully 'plump out' any bags and dark circles from lack of sleep or those fine lines that really show when my skin is dehydrated.
Most eye creams don't do anything but irritate my eyes. They are usually the same as any other facial moisturizer, perhaps a little thicker.

Lancome Microlift eye does everything. It plumped up my under eye area, making those pesky fine lines totally disappear. It brightened underneath my eyes, and took away all signs of fatigue.
It literally took years off my eyes.

Here is an example of the result on my hand. In this photo here I have applied a swatch of the cream. Notice how you can see the little lines on my hand?
This photo is after blending the cream in and letting it sink in. All the lines on my hand are plumped out! My skin looks radiant and moisturized.

This stuff works!
Unfortunately, after I stopped using it all signs of fatigue and dehydrated skin came back. To see consistent results you need to continually use this product.

There is only one thing that I do not like about this cream and that is the packaging. I really dislike jar packaging because I'm a little bit OCD around germs. So I actually scoop some out with a spatula to use it. If only it came in a hygienic pump tube or something.

It's not always easy to find $80 to spend on an eye cream. In fact, I am hunting for something a little less expensive to use that delivers the way this does. So far I'm most happy with Philosophy Hope in a tube eye & lip firming cream. It costs $43 which is half that of Lancome and delivers excellent results as well. For now I'm content using hope in a tube, but when I have some extra money I would definitely consider getting some more Lancome renergie microlift.


repurchase? yes.

price: $78.50

rating: 5/5