Max Factor Creme Puff Blush Review

When I saw these blushes I was immediately taken by how similar they looked to the popular Milani baked blushes available in the US. I have had my eye on the Milani blushes for months now but the only way you can get your hands on them in the UK is by buying on Amazon and I was always too worried that they would arrive smashed. The Max Factor Creme Puff blushes have the same gorgeous marbling and shimmer to Milani ones, although the range of colours of the Milani blushes is more diverse. There are 6 shades to choose from of the Max Factor blushes, where as Milani have 9 different shades. I picked up the shades 'Lovely pink' and 'Gorgeous berries' for £8.99 each at Boots.

'Lovely pink' and 'Gorgeous berries'

I love these blushes, 'Lovely pink' is such a nice subtle everyday shade and I have been wearing it almost everyday. The formula of these blushes is really soft and blendable, whilst still being super pigmented. The shade 'Gorgeous berries' is beautiful but definitely requires a light hand, I use my dual fibre brush from Real Techniques for this and you still only need to dip your brush in the powder once to get a nice hint of plum colour to your cheeks. Personally I think these blushes are great as a highlight and blush in one, they leave a subtle shimmer and make you look fresh and healthy (even when you've been up all night writing assignments! The uni struggle is real!).

I can't definitively say that these are a dupe for the Milani blushes as I don't own any, but from hearing what the Milani blushes are like, I would say they sound pretty similar. Either way I would definitely recommend that you give these a go, there are a few more shades that I might just have to pick up.

Have you tried these out? Let me know in the comments.

Precious Stars Cloth Pad Review

Precious stars is a business run by Bree Farmer, a young girl who has been using RUMPs (reusable menstrual products) since she was 15. Bree has her own YouTube channel with informative videos on how to use and look after both cloth pads and menstrual cups. If you are having trouble with your cup, or wondering about different cloth pad toppings, Bree is your woman. She really is a brilliant source of info on all things cloth pad and menstrual cup! On the Precious stars website Bree sells a range of budget cloth pads and wet bags, along with a few brands of menstrual cup and cup accessories. As Bree is such a connoisseur of cloth pads I was really excited to try her own brand of pads.

When I first decided to try cloth pads, I purchased 4 pads and a liner from the site and they arrived 2 days later. I was really impressed at how fast these came, they are made in a factory in China and sent to Bree prior to ordering so there is no waiting around for them to be made. Bree sells two styles of pads and liners, her regular range and a curves range.

'Regular' range

For the 'regular' range, there are day pads (10" long) and overnight/ postpartum pads (11.5" long). The pads are bamboo charcoal topped, with a core of microfiber terry, and either a layer of laminated minky, or a PUL backing. These pads are a bit unusual in the sense that, the pattern side goes against your underwear, as opposed to your skin like usual cloth pads. The liners of this range are 7" long and topped with bamboo terry and have the same core and backing options as the pads, but are obviously less absorbent. In the regular range, both the pads and liners come with a selection cute patterns on the back of pad/liner.

 The bamboo charcoal topping (seen on the day pad to the right above) is a wicking fabric, meaning that it wicks moisture away from your skin and into the core of the pad. This is a great topper for if you have a heavy flow, you stay super comfortable and avoid that horrid 'sitting in a puddle' sensation we know all too well. The price of these pads are very affordable, being priced at £3 for a liner, £3.75 for a day pad (10") and £4 for a overnight/postpartum pad (11.5"). One of the things I love about these pads and liners is that they are really narrow when snapped up. The pads and liners all have two snap settings, so you can choose if you want a narrower fitting pad or a wider fitting pad, The liners are 3" wide when snapped up on the first snap, and 2.5" wide when snapped up on the second. The pads are 2.75" when snapped on the first snap, and 2.5" when snapped on the second. This makes them great for petite women, or women who wear underwear that have a particularly narrow gusset,

A liner and a day pad on the narrowest snap setting

'Curve' style

The 'curves' range is a bit different from the 'regular' range, they are a more curved shape and have a different top fabric, All of these pads have a topper of bamboo/cotton mix fleece, a microfiber terry core and a PUL backing. The PUL backing comes in a range of colours but no patterns, and the bamboo/cotton mix fleece is white on all the pads. I bought an overnight pad in this style, which is 13" long and is longer in the back. The day pads are 10" long and are also slightly longer in the back.

I thought that I would like this pad as I tend to need more back coverage, especially at night, however it has become one of my least favorites. The topping fabric of this is strange, when I first received the pad is was nice and soft, but after two washes it has lost its softness and is slightly bumpy. Also, I could not show a picture of the other side because it stains horribly. I used this pad once and I cannot, for the life of me, get the stain out. I have tried my usual stain remover and it lightened slightly, but is still really visible. I also found that the area I stain treated is now rougher than the rest of the pad, This makes wonder how long this particular pad will last, Bree says on her website that these pads can last for several years but if this pad is already showing such wear I doubt it would last. I also found that after 2 washes, the cotton topper has shrank slightly and left the PUL backing slightly baggy, as you can see in the above photo,

Overall is it a mixed bag with these pads, I really love the 'regular' style pads, however I have had some problems, I have one PUL backed pad in the 'regular' style and one in the 'curved' style and have had the same problems with both. Firstly, the PUL is smooth, and so these pads slip around in your underwear, which isn't ideal. I found myself getting frustrated with these when I go to the bathroom as, when pull down your trousers, the pad flips upside down and hangs by the snaps. The second issue I had with these is, they leak. The Precious stars label seems to be stitched through the waterproof layer, on two occasions I have leaked all around the label, and nowhere else. This is a frustrating flaw with the pads, as it makes the waterproof layer pretty useless.

To wear these pads you would just have to hope that you didn't bleed in the area of the label and make sure you were careful not to saturate the pad very much. When this occurred the second time, I contacted Bree through her website, she replied after with some suggestions that I could try to 'seal' the PUL layer. She suggested washing the pads on a hot wash and also ironing the back of the labels, but neither of these things helped. After a few emails back and forth Bree was nice enough to refund me for the pads. If she fixed this problem, the 'regular' pads would all be a great budget option, but for now I'm not sure that I'd recommend these. Personally I really disliked the 'curve' style, the topper develops an unpleasant texture after a few washes and  they are impossible to get stains out of. I'd be interested to know if anyone else had any issues with these pads, if you have any experience with these leave a comment below and let me know what you thought of them.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara

I bought this mascara a while back to try out from Boots because of its lash-boosting claims, This mascara is infused with a 'grow-lash complex' that 'stengthens, renews and nourishes lashes, promoting natural lash growth'. The idea is that you use your mascara everyday and after a month you will have Beyonce lashes, or at least notice a difference. I used this everyday to university for about 2 months and, personally, I didn't notice that my lashes were any longer or fuller than before I started using this. Saying that however, I do really like this mascara.

The narrow wand on this lets you get right down to the root and the formula is super lengthening. I especially love this for doing my lower lashes, with big chunky brushes I always end up dotting mascara under my eyes or accidentally poking myself in the eye. With this brush I can really get in there and build up product on the lower lashes, which is great for balancing out a smokey upper lid.

I would recommend this for ladies (or men!) who struggle with short lashes that are hard to build up product on to. The wand makes getting every lash much easier and the formula is amazing for lengthening. For those of you who prefer a volumising mascara, I would still recommend Maybelline's 'The falsies' mascara, you can find my review for that here.

Let me know if you have tried this mascara and if so, what you thought of it.

Soap and Glory Glow All Out Luminizing Face Powder

 This product isn't a new thing by any means, the Glow all out luminizing face powder by Soap and Glory (9g). I picked this up from Boots a few months back for £11 and have been using it a lot lately. The packaging of mine is a thick cardboard material with a magnetized closure and a decent sized mirror, however they have since changed the packaging into a sturdy plastic compact (which I much prefer). As with all Soap and Glory products, the title is a play on words.

The actual product is a smooth shimmery powder that is a light cool-toned pink shade. It provides a subtle shimmer over the cheekbones and really goes well with pale skin. If you are quite dark in skin tone however, this may not be the highlighter for you. As the powder is pinky and cool toned, I think it would look ashy on darker skin tones, a bronze highlighter tends to look better. If you have cool toned skin and are looking for an affordable highlighter, I would really recommend this. It gives the cheek bones a nice subtle shimmer and lasts really well throughout the day.

Have you tried this product?

Tanya Burr Lip glosses Review

I love a good lip gloss for everyday wear and so I couldn't contain my excitement when I heard that, one of my favourite YouTubers and make-up artists, Tanya Burr was coming out with her own line of glosses (I think I may have actually squealed!). Tanya has paired up with eye candy to produce her line of lip glosses and nail varnishes, which are available from Superdrug for £6.99 each. There are a total of 12 lip gloss shades, each with a cute personalised name from Tanya herself. Tanya is said to have named each shade after her favourite things, I picked up 4 shades, from top to bottom I have 'Chic', 'Smile Dream Sparkle', 'Aurora' and 'Champagne toast'.  I prefer nudes and muted pinks on my lips and so got a few of the more wearable colours.

The glosses themselves are extremely pigmented, buttery and smooth on the lips. The shades above from left to right are 'Champagne Toast', 'Chic', 'Aurora' and 'Smile Dream Sparkle'. All of the glosses have a lovely sweet scent when applied, however the scent does not linger or cause headaches like some other glosses. The staying power of the glosses is also great, they will stay put for a couple of hours no bother and also moisturise your lips at the same time. My personal favourite shade is 'Champagne Toast', which is a lovely sparkly nude shade. This is great for daytime and also looks beautiful at night with a strong eye make-up. 'Champagne Toast' looks similar to 'Chic' on the lips however 'Chic' does not have any shimmer (Can you tell how I justified having to buy both shades to myself?). Overall these glosses are amazing and I would definitely recommend them, you will struggle trying to find a better quality gloss for under £7 and I have no doubt that a few more shades will soon be joining my collection.

Let me know if you have tried these and what your favourite shades are.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder Review

A good highstreet powder can be quite hard to find but I think I've struck gold with this one, this powder is available at Boots and Superdrug for £3.99 and comes in 6 shades (although all shades are quite fair, so may not be great for darker skin tones). The packaging is decent with a clear plastic lid to cover the powder, although this allows you to see the shade of the powder and so is quite useful, I would rather the lid was opaque and contained a mirror. However for the price you can't complain.

As for the actual product, I have the shade 'Transparent' and, although the powder looks like it has some colour in the pan, it doesn't add any colour to the face when applied. This is perfect for me as I have to pack on quite a lot of powder as my skin is very oily and some coloured powders can show up orange on my pale skin (thank you English weather!). This powder is great for the price, it applies beautifully and keeps me matte for much longer. I apply it with a large powder brush, once I have buffed in my foundation, to set my make-up and get rid of any shine on my T-zone. If you have a very heavy hand with this product it can look a bit powdery but this can be fixed with a nice make-up setting spray, alternatively you can leave it and after an hour or so natural oils from your face will be absorbed by the powder and the powdery look will go away. For the price, this powder is amazing. It keeps your face matte for the whole day, doesn't add unnecessary colour to your face and is cheap as chips. What more could you ask for? 

Let me know what you thought of this powder, do you like it as much as I do?

Bourjois Liner Feutre Review

I've been on the hunt for a good eyeliner pen for a while now and I recently picked up this one by Bourjois. The packaging is decent, a black plastic pen with a lid that clicks on nicely (no falling off and ruining the inside of your make-up bag!), which I approve of. This is available from Superdrug and Boots for £6.99.

The pen itself is pretty good, the nib is quite chunky but has a nice sharp tip that allows you to get right into the inner corner. You can create a neat flick with this liner and the finish of it is nice and matte (I am personally not a fan of glossy eyeliners). 

The formula of the liquid itself is quite quick drying and so the liner doesn't transfer to your lid after application. However my main issue with this liner is how it wears throughout the day, I have oily skin (including eyelids) and after 2 hours this eyeliner is smudged all over my eyes. The formula is definitely not for oily skinned girls (or guys!) unless you are going for a panda inspired look. 

Another issue I found with this liner is that it smudges so easily even after it has completely dried. You can apply this, let it dry and then accidentally smear it across your face 10 minutes later when you push your hair out of your face. I took the above photo after wiping the swatches gently with my hand (after allowing them to dry completely) and as you can see the result was a smeared mess. I cannot wear this liner without it making its way across my whole face by the end of the night. Overall I would not recommend this eyeliner, for a high street product £6.99 is quite expensive and the formula of this is definitely not worth the money. 

Let me know if you had the same problem with this eyeliner.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream Gel Eyeshadow Review

Cream eyeshadows are extremely popular at the minute, either as an 'all over the lid' wash of colour for on the go, or as a base for powder eyeshadows. I picked these up after hearing great things about them from YouTube beauty gurus. Some of the colours looked a bit bright for my personal taste however there were a few nice neutral shades, I picked up 'On and on Bronze', 'Permanent Taupe' and 'Eternal Gold'. These eyeshadows can be bought at Superdrugs and Boots for £4.99, in the UK there are 11 shades available however I have heard there is more selection in the US.

The packaging of the eyeshadows is impressive for a high street brand, the pot is thick glass with a black plastic lid. They are quite heavy and expensive-feeling, which is a nice touch seeing as they are quite cheap. From the first time I used these I was hooked, all 3 shades are extremely pigmented, creamy and easy to apply. I apply these with a clean fingertip however they apply just as easily with an eyeshadow brush. Once applied you need to blend them quite quickly as they set within a few minutes, once they have set they are hard to budge which means they stay on all day. I can wear these for around 6 hours by themselves without creasing, however they do last longer with an eyeshadow over top. I struggle to find eyeshadows (cream or powder) that won't crease on my eyelids as they are quite oily, I am yet to find an effective eyeshadow primer that isn't super expensive.

From left to right are 'On and on Bronze', 'Permanent Taupe' and 'Eternal Gold'. My favourite from the shades I picked up is 'On and on Bronze', which is a lovely bronze-copper shade with some shimmer running through it, it looks great on its own with lots of mascara as a neutral daytime look. My least favourite would have to be 'Eternal Gold', for some reason when I bought this I imagined it being a nice champagne shade that I could use all over the lid with some liner. It is a very vibrant yellow-gold, it's a nice shade but just a bit too 'gold' for me. Overall I would definitely recommend these, they have amazing staying power and a nice selection of shades, I will definitely be picking up some more shades. 

Let me know if you have tried these, what shades are you loving?