*Freebie Alert* Clinique Mascara Swap

From the 14th to the 20th of May Clinique are hosting their Mascara Swap event in Debenhams nationwide. There is no purchase necessary, so all you have to do is trade in your current mascara (even if it's on its last legs) for your choice of a deluxe mascara sample of High Impact or High Lengths mascara.  I haven't tried either of these so will definitely be popping by for a sample! xxx

Eyeko Mascara Wardrobe

Many of you might have noticed that Eyeko has had a little makeover. After first launching in 1999 the founders decided to update the brand and focus the product range. Eyeko is now all about the eyes!

The main product Eyeko has been concentrating on is mascara. I was already a big fan of the original Big Eyes Mascara so I was very much excited by their new offering - a trio of mascaras (£15 each) designed to give you a mascara wardrobe for your eyes!

“With three different bristle brushes - Skinny, Fat and Curvy  –developed to give a better grip for longer, bigger and curlier lashes with treatment formulas that solve a multitude of lash problems from premature breakage to lack of hold."

Each mascara also includes an innovative Eyeko shield (just seen above). Essentially this is a plectrum, which can be used to protect your lids from mascara smudges during application.

Curvy Brush Mascara

This mascara features a superior curling formula with Shea Butter and Keratin for conditioned lashes that hold a 90degree curl for over 12 hours without making eyelashes feel brittle. The multi-action brush with tiered bristle clusters is designed to plump, define and curl lashes.

This mascara was easy to apply and gave a clean, natural look to my lashes. The wand grips lashes well and is easy to manoeuvre in order to coat all lashes evenly. This is a great mascara to use if you have naturally long lashes and need a bit of lift. Personally, I prefer a fuller, longer lash look and would reserve this one for more natural makeup days.

Skinny Brush Mascara

Eyeko's skinny brush mascara is designed to elongate the lashes. The bristles are sparse and evenly dispersed to coat each lash with the pigmented black formula, which combines natural oils and waxes with pro-vitamin B to condition and promote lash growth. The formula is indeed a rich black and lasts well throughout the day without flaking.

It seems that Eyeko have taken their Big Eyes mascara formulation and improved it! I love the lengthening and volumising effect and the deep inky black of this mascara. The brush makes application effortless as it holds enough product to coat the lashes and is small enough to use on the corners and the lower lashes. The Skinny Brush mascara is my favourite of the three!

Fat Brush Mascara

The super sized brush with dense bristles coats and extends lashes for maximum volume. The fibre-enriched formula with extracts of keratin boosts and nourishes lashes.  

The large brush delivers impact by adding volume and depth to the lashes. However, the large brush can be a little difficult to use, especially if your eyes are on the smaller side. 

Which is your favourite mascara in the Eyeko trio? What do you look for in your perfect mascara? Which is your current 'go to' mascara? xxx

Estee Lauder Double Wear Mascara and FOTD

Being a girl who values her sleep above all else most mornings don't lend themselves to photo opportunities. However, I have been meaning to share my new love for Estee Lauder's Double Wear Zero-Smudge mascara, so I made sure to get a few snaps this morning. Excuse the droopy, sleep deprived eyelids!

I am wearing:

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25Hour foundation

Bobbi Brown corrector

NARS Laguna bronzer

ELF mineral blush in pink

Urban Decay eyeshadow in sin

Urban Decay 24/7 liner in stash

Estee Lauder Double Wear mascara

Estee Lauder Signature Lipstick in Pink Champagne

Back to the mascara...

Estee Lauder's Double Wear mascara (£19) is a recent discovery for me, but I have been getting so many compliments while wearing it I thought I would have to share. The slim brush is perfect for wiggling deep into the roots, and accurate enough for creating wispy bottom lashes with no smudges. It also works hard to lengthen and separate lashes while lasting all day with no smearing, even on my hay fever afflicted eyes. I may even go as far as saying it's HG material...

Have you tried Estee Lauder's double wear mascara? What are your favourite mascaras at the moment?

Day 2 Night Guide feat. Rimmel

Sometimes the best nights out are impromptu gatherings that happen on the spur of the moment so it's essential to know how you can transform your look from day to night in a flash!

Wardrobe wise if you have enough warning my tip would be to wear a short dress as a top (as long as the neckline isn't too low), with a skirt over it to lengthen and a cardigan to hide bare shoulders or any sparkly details. These can then be whipped off at the end of the day to reveal your party dress ;).

The more spantaneous the night you the more creative you have to be!

• Add a few accessories (I always have a necklace, statement rings or a brooch floating around in my bag).
• Always keep some killer heels in your office drawers for emergencies. 
• If you want big, voluminous hair just scrape hair backwards and tie it in a loose bun after lunch (make sure to tuck the ends in so they don't get kinks). When you are ready to let loose shake your hair out and rake it through with your fingers while keeping your head upside down and you should have gorgeous soft, bouncy waves!
• Keep a little clutch in your handbag which you can take out in the evening with all your essentials - it's never cool to be that one girl in the club with a bag the size of a pram ;).

For makeup keeping it simple is the key! If you have enough time and handbag space take your makeup with you and start again with a fresh face in the evening. I have done that once this year - for the office Christmas party, the rest of the time I have simply relied on a few staple, multi purpose products.

• Keep your makeup neutral  and you can easily add colour to it later without trying to compete with the morning's eyeshadow.
• An eyeliner pencil, 2 eyeshadows and 1 brush are all you really need to create a subtle smokey eye.
• Keep a bright lipstick in your handbag at all times -  this is the quickest and easiest way to add some colour for the evening. Use it on your lips and cheeks to create statement lips and a healthy rosy glow. I love MAC's Vegas Volt and GOSH Barbie.
• Don't go overboard on the powder if your skin gets oily throughout the day. Use tissue to blot away excess oil and apply powder lightly to areas that need it.
• Keep a refreshing face spray such as Liz Earle's Instant Boost Skin Tonic in your handbag. This is great for a little pick me up (especially if you work in an air conditioned space), on planes and for setting or refreshing your makeup throughout the day.
• Add an extra coat of volumising mascara to pump up those lashes.

I have recently been testing out the Rimmel Glam'eyes Day 2 Night mascara that creates two different lash effects - volume and length, with just one brush. The double cap allows you to pick which style you want by twisting off a different part of the cap.

The length part allows less product on to the brush, which helps define, separate and lengthen the lashes.

 This is great for the day to create a lovely natural, clean lash look.

The volume part allows much more product onto the brush giving a fuller, darker and more dense lash look perfect for night time!

However, as the formulation is quite wet it can make a bit of a mess if you are not careful. This definitely isn't sneeze proof, as I discovered to my horror this morning when my hayfever kicked in midway through application ;).

Overall I think this is a great mascara - affordable and versatile. For me the best way to get a dramatic lash look without clumps is to use volume first to lay down the majority of the product and build up my lashes and follow with length to define and separate.

Have you tried the new Rimmel Day 2 Night Mascara? What are your tips for going from day to night my lovelies? Do you have a special routine or time saving tips? xxx

*Sponsored Post*

Eyeko Big Eyes Mascara

The search for the perfect mascara is a quest that every woman embarks on. I am yet to find the ideal, though some have come close!  Recently I have been testing out the Eyeko Big Eyes mascara RRP £8.50.

When this sample first arrived at my door I wasn't too sure what to expect. Firstly this mascara stands out as it is packaged in a squeezable tube, more like a lipbalm or toothpaste than a mascara. I think this is a great idea, many a morning have I spent pumping and wriggling dried up mascara in the hopes of

scraping some off the sides; with this you can just squeeze the tube so none is wasted. The brush is pretty thin, with loosely packed spiral bristles. This is great for precision and grabbing every lash, as well as the bottom lashes. However, as the formula of this mascara is rather 'wet' it doesn't separate the lashes well enough and they do tend to stick together and can look a bit clumpy. To overcome this problem I have been using it with a different wand (L'ancome Hypnose) and with a more dense brush it works perfectly. I think that given a few weeks the Eyeko brush could work well too as the mascara starts to thicken a little as it dries.

As you can see the formula is a fantastic deep black, and the mascara does lengthen and volumise, while retaining the natural curl to my lashes. The above was taken after 2 coats.

The Eyeko mascara lasts well throughout the day without flaking or smudging, though it can be a little difficult to remove as it disintegrates into pieces, rather than dissolving. As far as drugstore mascaras go I do think it's a good formulation if you are looking for a dramatic lash look, I just wish the brush was fuller so it would separate my lashes.  Have you tried Eyeko's Big Eyes Mascara? Let me know what you think! xx

Simple Sunday Makeup and Maybelline Pulse Perfection Review

A very relaxed, quick and easy makeup look to bring out your natural beauty.




Products used:
Maybelline dream liquid foundation
NARS laguna bronzer
MAC ladyblush cream blush

E.L.F. Butte/Pecan cream eyeshadow
MAC feline khol power eyeliner
Maybelline pulse perfection mascara
Bodyshop colourglide lipstick

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend!
xxx 

Shopping in Westfield

I went shopping in Westfield yesterday and just wanted to share my purchases with you as I love reading other people's hauls :).I got a new Lancome Hypnose mascara and an spf30 sunblock for the face. You can see I can't wait till summer!! I then got a free gift which included a cute eyeshadow palette, a juicy tube, some face cleanser, perfume, moisturiser, mini virtuose mascara and a little makeup bag :). Yay for free gifts :).
The swatches for the eyeshadows are below without a base. They are not the most pigmented, but have a nice texture.
From MAC I got the 109 brush, lip lacquer in babied and a cremestick lip liner in sublime culture.

It's a shame I did not have these French Connection earrings when I was doing my Peacock inspired tutorial ;).

I also spotted this top in H&M and had to have it. Who doesn't love Marylin?