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 the beauty blog | |||||||
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Category Archives: EyesDollface Reviews: Max Factor Smoky Eye Effect Eye Shadow in Bronze Haze
I don’t often wear eye shadow. This week, however, I’ve become something of a convert, and have been wearing Max Factor’s Smoky Eye Effect Eyeshadow, which (disclosure coming up!) was sent to me as a press sample. As you can see from the image, this aims to simply the smoky eye, and takes a two-pronged approach to doing so. On one end of the tube, you have your base colour: Dollface Reviews: Hylexin eye cream for serious dark circles by Bremenn Research Labs
Ever wondered who actually buys all of those expensive skin creams you see in Sephora et al? The ones which carry too-good-to-be-true style claims on their boxes about how they’ll get rid of your dark circles, or make you look 16 again overnight? Yeah, that would be me. In my defence, I don’t buy all of them. I have, however, more than once been described as the “ad man’s dream”, and this means that I will linger too long in front of those stands, looking at the shiny rows of products and thinking to myself, “Well, if it works, it’ll be a bargain, really!” This is how I came to find myself standing in line at Sephora this summer, waiting to purchase a tube of Bremenn Research Labs Hylexin: the new wonder cream for dark circles under the eyes. Well, that and the fact that I was desperate. Totally desperate, people. As long-time readers will know, the last year or so has been a never ending battle between me and the dark circles under my eyes. Actually, the phrase “dark circles” doesn’t really do justice to what I have. They’re more like dark canyons, which people could get lost in for days. They make me look ill and exhausted, and by the time my summer holiday rolled around, I was ready to try just about anything. I have to back up a bit here, though: earlier this year, as you may remember, I’d had some success with Nivea’s Aqua Sensation Anti-Shadow Eye Cream, which I’d been pretty pleased with for the price, although it hadn’t totally shifted the circles. It had long since run out, though, and by the time I reached the bottom of the jar, I’d started to find it much less effective than it initially had been. It was clear that something much stronger was required in my fight against dark circles, and as I wandered around Sephora, carefully avoiding all the mirrors so I wouldn’t have to see my vampire-face looking back at me under those harsh lights (Pretty sure they do that to convince you to buy more makeup, by the way. It totally works.), it became clear to me that the “something” I needed was going to be Hylexin. Now, this costs $59, which is a lot for me to spend on an eye cream, and an indication of how much I wanted it to work. Before leaving on my trip, I had actually done quite a bit of reading about this product, and had discovered mixed reviews of it: those who loved it seemed to REALLY love it, while those who hated it said it did absolutely nothing whatsoever for their dark circles. On balance, however, I’d found more positive reviews than negative ones, which was why I decided to take the plunge. Oh, and the fact that there was actually a photo of my under-eye are on the box helped too: Smashbox Limitless Eye Liner
Anyway, the pencil sharpener search can be called off with Smashbox’s Limitless Eye Liner, because, as you van see, it comes with its own sharpener inside the cap, so you’re always guaranteed a perfect point to apply it with. That’s not the only reason to buy this, of course: it’s also waterproof, and claims to last for eight hours without smudging, plus there are five colours to choose from. I’m drawn to ‘peacock’, which is a gorgeous looking teal colour, but you’ll find your standard black and brown here, too. This is $19 at Smashbox. L’Oréal Paris Dermo Expertise Collagen Micro-Vibration Eye
I guess we can file this one under “Why Am I Not Surprised?” After all, everything else seems to vibrate in the beauty world these days, so why not skincare? This is eye care, to be exact: it’s L’Oréal’s Dermo Expertise Collagen Micro-Vibration Eye cream, and as well as delivering many of the benefits we’ve come to expect from an under-eye cream (reduces puffiness and dark circles, claims to reduce wrinkles), the vibrating pen it comes in can also be used to gently massage the under-eye area, helping to improve circulation and will also help to “drain” the area, apparently. Priced at £16.99, this is available exclusively at Boots, and delivers 130 micro-vibrations every second. Anyone tried it? Dollface Reviews: Eldora Handmade False Eyelashes in style C144
Given my obsession with eyelashes, when UK based eyelash-maker extraordinaire Eldora got in touch to ask if I’d like to try out some of their lashes, I naturally jumped at the chance. I asked for some fairly natural looking lashes as, sadly for me, my lifestyle just doesn’t often call for the more extravagant feathered or glittery styles the site offers! I was really pleased with this set, though, which you can find on the website as style C144. As you can see, they’re really natural enough for everyday use, although they’re still long and spiky enough to give your eyes some nice definition and make them look bigger. The lashes come with their own adhesive, and are as easy to use as any other false lashes I’ve tried, which is to say “a little bit fiddly if you’re not used to them, but only a little bit.” I’ve been wearing them all day, and although they look fairly obvious in the photo at the top of this page, when viewed straight on, I think they look natural enough to get away with for just about any occasion. This particular set costs £4.50, but there are dozens more to choose from at the Eldora website. Dollface Reviews: Nivea Visage Aqua Sensation Anti-Shadow Eye Cream
Well, Dollfaces, you can colour me amazed. As many of you know, I’ve been complaining about the dark shadows under my eyes for a loooong time now, and I have to admit, I’d actually reached the point where I was about to give up on them. Absolutely nothing worked: creams, concealers, highlighters, lifestyle changes - no matter what I did, I still looked a lot like a raccoon, and, short of booking myself in for expensive surgery, I’d started to feel that I’d just have to learn to live with the Shadows of Mordor, as I’d come to think of them. Obviously I wasn’t exactly thrilled about this. I actually think dark shadows are more ageing than wrinkles, and I was permanently walking around looking like I hadn’t slept in weeks. I was tired of shelling out for products that didn’t make much of a difference, though, so when my current eye cream ran out and I started scanning the Boots website for a replacement, I was guided mostly by price. That’s the main reason I decided to take a chance on Nivea Visage’s Aqua Sensation Anti-Shadow Eye Cream. At £5.99, it’s definitely one of the least expensive eye creams out there, and while I’d learned not to trust the claims of shadow-blasting creams, I figured it couldn’t hurt that this one promises to “effectively reduce puffiness and the appearance of under eye shadows “. So I bought it, and started using it as soon as it arrived. As far as the appearance and texture of the product go, there’s nothing much to write home about. It comes in a 15ml glass pot, and is a white cream of medium consistency, with a very faint fragrance. It contains cucumber to refresh and de-puff the eye area, vitamin E to nourish and protect, plus magnesium, ginseng and light-reflecting pigments to get rid of those blasted shadows. I had absolutely no expectations at all about this product: I thought that, at best, it would probably be a reasonably good under-eye moisturiser, so you can only imagine my surprise just a few days later when I looked into the mirror one morning and noticed that my eyes were looking better than usual. Quite a bit better, actually. Now, I’m not going to tell you the dark circles have disappeared altogether, because they haven’t. They are, however, looking significantly better, and are more like the “normal” dark circles people with pale skin tend to get, rather than the “I am actually a vampire and I haven’t slept for fifteen years” look I was previously sporting. I’m using much less under-eye concealer than I used to, and I really notice a difference in the under-eye area. I don’t think there are any other changes that could account for this, so I’m assuming Nivea has done exactly what it promised to do, and trust me, no one is more surprised than I am. I noticed an improvement after just a few days use: I’ve been using the cream for about two weeks now, and while I can’t say that the shadows get less noticeable every day (they don’t), I’m still very happy with this, especially given the low price. Is it just a fluke? I really hope not, but if you want to try it for yourself, this is £5.99 from Boots.
Posted in Beauty Product Reviews, Eyes, Skincare
Tagged eye cream, nivea, under-eye shadows
9 Comments
Guerlain Jeu D’Ombrelles Eyeshadow Palette
This is another beauty product that falls into the “much too pretty to actually use” files for me. I mean, look at it! Wouldn’t it be a shame to mess up all those pretty patterns by actually swiping a brush over them? I think so, which is why if I bought this, I’d probably just take it out to admire it every so often, rather than actually using it. If you think you could bring yourself to spoil its beauty, it’s Guerlian’s Jeu D’Ombrelles Eyeshadow Palette, and the pink and white colours are inspired by the play of sunshine on a lake, while the purple and pink ones are supposed to call to mind oriental flowers in a garden at dusk. Or, for the more pragmatic among you, it’s purple, pink and white eyeshadow. If you want to buy it this is $59 and you can get it at Neiman Marcus, among other places. Sephora Favourites Eye Studio: Get The Look – Cat’s Eye
I love this idea from Sephora, who’ve basically grouped together all of the products you’ll need to create a specific look – in this case a cat’s eye, with flicked eyeliner. Sure, if you’re a beauty addict you’ll probably have everything you need to do this already, but as with all of the Sephora sets, I find them a nice way to try out some new products I might not otherwise have picked up – and this would also make a nice gift for a makeup-loving friend. The cat’s eye look is one of my favourites, so this kit was of particular interest to me, and it also contains one of my favourite product’s – Anastasia’s Go Brow, which has an eyebrow pencil on one end and a highlighter on the other. (I find this pencil is the perfect colour for filling in my brows, although the highlighter is a little dark for my skin). Along with that you also get Sephora’s own Long-Lasting Eyeliner in black, Stila’s Kajal Eyeliner in Pearl and Too Faced Mini Lash Injection in Pitch Black. This costs $35 for the lot, and there are also versions which will help you create a Smoky Eye and a Natural Eye, too. Get them all at Sephora. Dollface Reviews: Jelly Pong Pong Mascara and Lash Extension Set (a.k.a. false eyelashes)“Lash extension set?” I hear you ask. “What’s that when it’s at home?” That’s what I asked, anyway, and the answer is that it’s our old friend, false eyelashes, which, in this case, come complete with a small tube of mascara, should you want to make them look even longer and darker than they already are! These were sent to me by Jelly Pong Pong, and I had lots of fun trying them on today: it’s just a good job no one arrived at the door, though, or they may have wondered why I was so very overdressed for an ordinary Tuesday afternoon! These are easy to apply (or as easy as false lashes get, anyway: they’re always going to be a little bit on the fiddly side) and I love the look of them when they’re on. One word of warning, though: they don’t come with adhesive, so you will need to purchase that separately if you don’t already have some. The kit is £15 and you can buy it here. Dollface Reviews: Jelly Pong Pong Shadow Taffy – melted-down eye-shadow
Look, everyone, a present! But who is it from? Well, it’s from Jelly Pong Pong, and it’s a box of their Shadow Taffy, which they describe as “Melted-down eye shadow in a unique taffy texture. Thicker than a cream, more long-lasting than a mousse, one smooth glide is all you need to coat your lids in superb colour. Infused with iridescence so that it doubles as a highlighter.” Isn’t this the cutest packaging ever?
I love this little guy. I think I’ll call him Frank.  | |||||||
