Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Eyeliner Trio - Nude Eyes: Review

A new CVS just opened near me, so of course I went on a little spree. One of the things I picked up was this trio of "eye enhancing" eyeliner trio from the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Nude Eyes range.

I paid just $12.79 for three useful-looking shades. The set is described as:

The perfect set of three eyeliners to create a nude look for any eye color.
Long-wearing, water-resistant and smudge-resistant formula for 24-hour wear.

The pencils come in handy twist-up, retractable pens.

The three shades included are Champagne (a mushroomy beige), Pewter (a grey brown) and Black. All three shades have shimmer in them.

The pencils feel like gel pencils and melt and glide on with ease, no dragging of skin required. The colours have a slight jelly-like transparency to them, which you can see in a close-up of the swatches. I like that they are not completely opaque because I usually make a mess of myself with gel eyeliners... they always look too harsh on me. These pencils are very forgiving, with both the transparency and the shimmer.

In the photos below, I used the Champagne shade along both my top and bottom lashline, layering on Pewter and then finally Black dotted close to my top lashes. I initially thought Champagne would be too light to use on its own but it gives a bit of definition and brightness to the eyes for a more subtle look.

The pencils are very layerable, and the Champagne pencil can be applied on top of the darker shades to tone them down if needed... although it will start to look more silvery grey than mushroomy beige when mixed.

If sharp points are needed, each pencil comes with a built-in sharpener that can be pulled out of its top.

I really like these pencils... they're a quick way to define and brighten eyes at the same time, and it's virtually impossible to mess up with them. They also do last all day until removed.

As these are gel pencils and because they are the retractable sort, they will probably run down really quick, but they're a bargain that I'm definitely going to be wearing on a daily basis and repurchasing.

The full ingredients of Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner Trio are:

Cyclopentasiloxane. Trimethylsiloxysilicate. Polyethylene. Ozokerite. Lauroyl Lysine. Synthetic Beeswax. Octyldodecanol. Disteardimonium Hectorite. Propylene Carbonate. Lecithin. Ascorbyl Palmitate. Citric Acid. Tocopherol. May Contain: Iron Oxides. Titanium Dioxide. Mica. Aluminum Powder. Bismuth Oxychloride. Black 2. Blue 1 Lake. Carmine. Chromium Hydroxide Green. Chromium Oxide Greens. Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide. Ferric Ferrocyanide. Manganese Violet. Silica. Tin Oxide. Ultramarines. Yellow 5 Lake.

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Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Washable Mascara review

I can never resist picking up new mascaras in drugstores... there's just something about the colourful packaging and the less-than-$10 prices. As long as the ingredients list doesn't contain alcohol (too drying), I'll give it a go. Most of my unresearched mascara purchases end up straight in the bin (I don't know why I still even look at Rimmel mascaras let alone buy them). However, Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket has turned out to be a bit of a keeper.

I bought the non-waterproof version in Blackest Black for $7.99 from CVS. Here's the description:

Explosive Volume In Rocket Time! 8X Bigger, Smoother. Now, the most explosive, beautiful lashes ever! Maybelline's Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara's patented Supersonic Brush with micro bristles loads on big, sleek volume instantly. The fast-glide formula keeps lashes smooth. Zero clumps guaranteed!

The wand has a plastic brush with lots of flexible and tapered bristles/prongs. The bristles are quite long compared to my usual Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash mascara. Towards the tip of the wand, the bristles are much shorter.



The wand comes out of the tube saturated in a thick, inky layer of the mascara, which I like because I hate mascaras which are dry on the brush and don't seem to deposit anything on the lashes.



At first I found the long bristles quite tricky to work with and kept poking my lash line with them. It's quite difficult to get thick, dark roots with the brush because of this. However, the long bristles make the brush perfect for combing the mascara evenly through to the tips of the lashes, without any clumps.

Extra layers need to be applied while the mascara is still wet and workable. As soon as the mascara starts to dry, applying more just makes lashes stick together. However, when the mascara is still wet, the brush does a good job of keeping lashes separate and defined. The formula also helps pull and shape lashes upwards.

Before I show you how The Rocket mascara looks on my generally unimpressive lashes, here is a photo of my bare lashes. They're a little messy at the moment because I permed my lashes about three weeks ago and some newer, straight lashes are growing through.



Below is what one coat of mascara looks like on my upper and lower lashes...





I like the results of The Rocket mascara... it volumises and thickens my lashes in very little time, as advertised. It gives me quicker and more noticeable results than my usual Buxom Lash. It doesn't really lengthen my lashes much but it doesn't claim to.

I have tried this mascara on my lower lashes, but I prefer using a mascara with a proper brush (not a plastic one), otherwise they can look very sparse and messy. I usually use Clinique High Impact Mascara on my lower lashes.

This mascara stays on all day with no flaking or smudging, even when used on my lower lashes. However, the major downside is that it's unbelievably difficult to remove. It's called a "washable" mascara but it doesn't seem to dissolve with eye make-up remover, hot water or cleansing oil. I really need to press and wipe at my lashes a lot before the mascara comes off. Even then, little flakes remain and stick to my skin like glue. I don't really know what Maybelline are talking about when they say this mascara is "washable". It's like trying to remove tar!!

Aside from the effort required to remove this mascara, I really like it. I just need to work out the trick to removing it...

The full ingredients of Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Washable Mascara are:

Aqua / Water / Eau, PEG-200 Glyceryl Stearate, Styrene/Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Cera Alba/Beeswax/Cire Dabeille, Paraffin, Copernicia Cerifera Cera/Carnauba Wax/Cire De Carnauba, Butylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Ethylenediamine/Stearyl Dimer Dilinoleate Copolymer, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Lithium Magnesium Sodium Silicate, Dimethicone, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Silica, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Dimethiconol, Disodium Edta, Polyurethane-35, Tetrasodium EDTA. May Contain: CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499/Iron Oxides, CI 77007/Ultramarines, CI 77891/Titanium Dioxide, Mica, CI 75470/Carmine, CI 77288/Chromium Oxide Greens, CI 77289/Chromium Hydroxide Green, CI 77742/Manganese Violet, CI 77510/Ferric Ferrocyanide.

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Barbara Daly Super Sheer Loose Powder review: A nice little find

I picked up this Barbara Daly loose powder as an emergency face powder when I was in the UK for Christmas and had run out of my usual Urban Decay Razor Sharp Finishing Powder. The only shop within reasonable driving distance was a huge Tesco.

I love shopping for cosmetics in supermarkets... It's the thrill of browsing lesser-known brands, mixed with the convenience of being able to pick a little something up with my groceries. Barbara Daly Make-up is exclusive to Tesco, but it's rare to find a Tesco that stocks it, so I was excited to finally see it out in the wild.

The description of this powder is:

Our ultra-light, non-caking, non-drying finishing powder gives a natural, translucent finish.

Barbara Daly Super sheer loose powder is ultra-fine and silky smooth, containing light-diffusing particles to give skin a flawless finish. A must-have for your make-up bag, its soft formula is great for setting your make-up, reducing the appearance of pores and giving a flawless, professional finish.

The packaging is very... compact. At only 3.5g, it's pretty small for a powder. It comes with a mirror in the lid, and a small, square-shaped puff which is too small to be effective. I did try, but it was literally impossible to get any powder on my face with it. I might as well have been dabbing powder on using two fingers... that's how tiny it is.

The powder is dispensed through holes which can easily be covered and uncovered by twisting the stopper.

The powder feels ultra-light, as described. It's not quite as fine as Urban Decay Razor Sharp Finishing Powder but it is still notably fine and silky. The powder is pale to the eye, but is designed to be translucent (although I think it may be more visible on dark skin).

This powder goes on invisible on my skin with no chalkiness. I just lightly brush it on for an immediate mattified and airbrushed finish. The description mentions "light-diffusing particles" but I was happy to find that there are no shimmer particles in this powder.

It works really well over my Amarté Natural Finish BB Cream, and doesn't leave an obvious "powdered" look.

While this powder stops my face looking full-on shiny for most of the day (it diffuses the shine so it doesn't look as "oily"), I find that I need to blot with a tissue around my nose within a few hours if I want to maintain a truly matte appearance. It doesn't hold up to oil as much as a silica and silicone-heavy powder (e.g. Urban Decay Razor Sharp, or ELF HD Powder), but I still think it performs well.

I find I can re-apply this powder later in the day without it caking or changing colour.

This powder was only £7, but I'd put the quality up with any premium branded loose powders. I would say it's perfect for anyone who wants a finishing powder that doesn't leave a powdery or cakey finish, and who doesn't need aggressive oil-control.

I only wish the packaging was better. Although at a glance it's perfect - neat and tidy, contains an applicator and has a mirror - it's difficult to get enough powder out of the little holes, and the puff is just too small to be useful. I find it easier to just move the powder to another loose powder compact. I have a really old refillable loose powder compact from Bare Escentuals which I use all the time for loose powder.

Other than the packaging, this loose powder is fantastic and I'd recommend checking it out next time you're in a big Tesco or on Tesco.com.

The full ingredients of Barbara Daly Super Sheer Loose Powder are:

Talc, Silica, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylene/MA Copolymer, Mica, Zeolite, Methylparaben, Iron Oxide Yellow, Iron Oxide, Sorbic Acid, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Tetrasodium EDTA, Butylparaben, CI 77499, Orchis Mascula, Cyclopentasiloxane, BHT

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The Body Shop Moisture White Shiso Cleansing Oil review

While in The Body Shop last weekend stocking up on the Ginger Scalp Care shampoo (which is amazing for itchy scalps by the way), I picked up this Moisture White Shiso Cleansing Oil. I'm not usually a fan of The Body Shop skin care, but this cleansing oil sounded interesting.

Here's the description:

This rinse-off cleansing oil removes make-up and impurities. It contains our unique shiso formula. Gently dissolves make-up and lifts away impurities. Does not dry out skin. Specially developed for Asian skin.

Although I've been using hot cloth cream cleansers and milk cleansers for a few years now, I've never tried an cleansing oil. Unless I count using mineral oil to remove waterproof mascara when I was a teenager, which worked really well but used to blur my eyes.

This cleansing oil comes in a standard pour bottle. Personally I'd prefer a pump for convenience but it's fine... it just needs a wipe around the bottle opening every so often.

The main reason I wanted to try oil cleansing was because I wanted to be able to remove make-up and cleanse my skin in one step, instead of using face wipes, eye make-up remover, then cream cleanser etc. I've also come to dislike using face wipes because there's always loads of dry ones in the pack, and sometimes I feel like they're too abrasive on my skin, particularly when I'm removing eye make-up.

I'm pleased to say that since I started using this cleansing oil, I've managed to simplify my evening cleansing routine.

To show you how, here's my hand with a variety of water resistant and waterproof make-up on it..

This is a splash of cleansing oil going on...

This is the cleansing oil gently rubbed into the area for a few seconds. The make-up has dissolved with hardly any friction required.

This is my hand after being rinsed with water. Clean as a whistle!

I'm happy with my first cleansing oil so far. I much prefer using just one product and then rinsing it off clean.

I've tried a few different methods of using this cleansing oil, and my preferred method is as follows:

1. Start with dry skin. Pour about a teaspoon of the cleansing oil onto palm
2. Use fingers to dab oil generously on areas prone to build-up of sebum or make-up (e.g. sides of nose, chin, and eyelids)
3. Dab remaining oil to rest of face
4. Use fingertips to spread and massage oil in circular motions, concentrating on aforementioned areas of concern
5. Leave eye area to last so that the oil has had more time to start dissolving stubborn make-up and thus needs less rubbing
6. Rinse thoroughly

I don't find that the cleansing oil works as well mixed with water, so I always use it on dry skin.

After rinsing, my skin really does look and feel clean. When I rinse, the oil comes off completely, taking all traces of make-up and dirt with it. If I use a white towel on my face afterwards, it doesn't get left with remnant make-up.

The first couple of days I used this, I thought my skin seemed a little more dry after rinsing than when I've used a cream/milk cleanser. I really wanted the oil to be moisturising as well as cleansing, but it doesn't seem to be. I guess I wouldn't want any "dirtied" oil staying on my skin anyway...

I'm definitely going to keep using this cleansing oil. I like that it leaves my skin perfectly clean and also saves me time and effort in the evenings.

This cleansing oil was $15 for 125ml (4.2 fl oz).

The full ingredients (I'm not a fan of fragrance being listed) of The Body Shop Moisture White Shiso Cleansing Oil are:

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Emollient), PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Isohexadecane (Emollient/Solvent), Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil (Emollient/Skin Conditioner), Glyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate (Surfactant - Emulsifying Agent), Water (Solvent/Diluent), Fragrance (Fragrance), Perilla Ocymoides Seed Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Antioxidant), Butylphenyl Methylpropional (Fragrance Ingredient), Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract (Conditioning Agent, Humectant), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster)

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Amarté Natural Finish BB Cream review: I love this!

I've been looking for a BB cream for ever. The idea of consolidating moisturiser, anti-ageing treatment, sunscreen, foundation and concealer into one easy step is just too appealing to me as someone who isn't a morning person.

I've been scouring BB cream reviews and photos for months, but all the Asian BB creams seem to result in a chalky, unnatural-looking mask for anyone who isn't naturally pale. And most of the "western" BB creams have been deemed too sheer and a waste of time. I started thinking that the treatment+foundation concept was too good to be true.

But, I think I might have just found my perfect BB cream in the form of Amarté Natural Finish BB Cream. I received some mini samples to try and have so far squeezed two days out of them - enough time for me to conclude that I love this product.

This BB cream is SPF 36 and comes in two shades - Light Tint and Natural Tint. Light Tint has a pink tinge and is suitable for anyone who usually buys the palest foundation shades. Natural tint is darker and more beige, and is suitable for anyone with a medium, olive or tanned skin tone.

Below are the two shades on my cheek (Natural Tint on the left, Light Tint to the right). I can get away with either of these shades because they blend out really well, but you can see that the darker shade, Natural Tint, is an almost perfect match for my beige skin.

This BB cream is quite thick and pigmented, like how you might imagine a heavy duty concealer would be. But the consistency is really smooth and refined, which makes it easy to spread and pat onto the skin. I use it straight after my serum and eye cream, without a moisturiser underneath and I've found it hydrating enough even for my dry skin.

After applying the BB cream all over my face, I pat extra under my eyes as it works amazingly well as a concealer. I can also apply it to my eyelids without it irritating my eyes.

Here are the before and after photos, with just the BB cream, no concealer or powder. In the before photo, my skin looks fairly smooth but I have hyperpigmentation, redness around my nose and chin, and a purple tinge under my eyes. In the after photo, you can see that the BB cream has diffused my freckles and also completely covered up redness and undereye circles. My eyelids are also more even toned and less tired-looking.

The finish is neither dewy nor matte, and if I didn't have the type of skin that gets shiny during the day, I wouldn't even bother to apply powder because the finish is so nice on its own.

As one of the main ingredients in this BB cream is titanium dioxide (used as a physical sunscreen), the finish reminds of mineral foundation. Light is diffused which gives a really even and luminous appearance, all without any shimmer.

I stopped wearing mineral foundation many years ago due to it flashing back in photos and generally making my skin look shiny wherever light hit it, so I was worried that a BB cream containing mineral sunscreen would do the same. However, I took the below photo with flash, and there doesn't seem to be any major flashback or whiteness.

As the coverage of this BB cream is medium (it will cover redness and minor spots), it means I definitely need to add contours and blush back on my face to avoid looking too "flat". Here's how the BB cream looks with a light dusting of powder and my face drawn back on.

I've found this BB cream to last all day without melting off or disappearing (the only thing is if I've applied too thickly in areas with creases like my nose to mouth lines, it starts to show a bit). Most impressive is the fact that it covers my dark circles all day, which I find difficult to achieve even with heavy duty concealer. It must also have some oil control properties because I tried going without eyelid primer today, and my eyeshadow has hardly creased at all. So that's one more product I can skip in the mornings!

Ok, what's the catch, I hear you ask. It's $80 for 40 ml (1.4 fl oz). That's a lot for a BB cream. But I am definitely going to buy the full size pump bottle because 1) it makes my skin look flawless all day, 2) I have no upper limit on skincare as long as it does good, and 3) this one product is replacing several products which in total cost more than $80 and take me much longer to apply.

At the moment you can buy Amarté products directly from their website at amartecosmetics.com or at dermstore.com (which usually has 10% off if you add a product to your favourites list). The Amarté website mentions that the brand is coming to "luxury retailers" soon too.

The full ingredients of Amarté Natural Finish BB Cream are:

Water, Titanium Dioxide, Propylene Glycol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Glycerin, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Human Oligopetide-1 (EGF 2-nano), Caviar Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Elemental Sulfur, Allantoin, Collagen, Dimethicone, Iron Oxide, Ferric Oxide, Tri-iron Tetra-oxide, Stearyl Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Talc, Phenoxyethanol

Disclosure: PR samples

[Update: I bought the full size bottle of this BB cream and I have been using it every day. My skin has been looking good with and without the BB cream on, and I've had no blocked pores from it. I love it! One pump of the bottle covers my whole face so I think the bottle will last a long time.]

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