Hallujah: The L'Oreal and No 7 mascara combo!

Ok, I know, I am sounding like a broken record but it is back to the L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic mascara again. . . 

You'll remember (see this post), that despite the length it gave my lashes, I was so disappointed by it and sad as it may be, I've had real issues with the 'Great Telescopic Crisis' ever since. I couldn't just go out and buy a new mascara and forget it. It bothered me. I think, it has something to do with the fact that L'Oreal, Volume Million is just so darn good. There just had to be a way to make this L'Oreal offering work too.

Well, maybe there is, after all.

The first light bulb went off above my head when I was watching Louise's, Mascara Madness vlog and I almost had a heart attack when she revealed, this fiend of mind False Lash Telescopic, to be one of her top mascaras. Honestly, I had to rewind a little. I was thinking, 'but it seems to do so little for me . . .'

Once I had got over my initial shock, I took time to actually listen to what Louise was saying and it seems she was revealing a little trick. When she uses the False Lash Telescopic, she twists the wand as she applies and ta dah, she gets fab lashes that look longer and thicker.

Well, I just had to have a go. I grabbed the False Lash Telescopic from the dark corner that I had banished it to and wow, in a matter of seconds, what a difference. Doing the twist really does make a difference and seems of utmost importance when using the False Lash Telescopic. My lashes instantly looked healthier and seemed to curl in a more flattering manner. My lashes looked more and they were much more polished and uniform then they ever had been when coated in this mascara previously.

However and this might just be my rubbish lash line, there still seemed to be a lot of gaps in the final look and it still wasn't quite up there with some of my favourite final lash looks so I watched the rest of Louise's video and saw how both she and Zoe rate the No 7, Exquisite Curl mascara (and we all know how I like Lash Adapt) so I decided to have a play. I grabbed one of my No 7 till vouchers and an Exquisite Curl in Brown was purchased, I then layered it on my lashes to give them some curl and shape before brushing over the Telescopic for definition and this is how I'm now using the L'Oreal mascara daily which has finally given me the healthy (and yes, quite heavy) lash look I've been missing. I've got to thank Laura  for her comment on my earlier mascara review, I'm not sure I would have considered playing with two mascaras if she hadn't suggested it.

Naked lashes

Lashes after applying Exquisite Curl

Lashes after applying Exquisite Curl and False Lash Telescopic

After a week or so dabbling in eyeliner and smoky looks, I'm back on a more simplistic eye look. Colour blocking one shadow tends to be my style (obviously given how cack handed and lazy, I am) and my top three at the moment are Urban Decay Naked, All That Glitters (MAC) and Modellette (LEdn MAC) when I can scratch some final morsels from the pan. Does anybody know of a dupe for Naked from Urban Decay? I'm not far from pan and am reluctant to buy another palette for just one shadow but I'm not sure I'll be able to live without it. It is a shade I use several times a week. Also, any Modellette dupes are welcome. I'm learning to live without it but eye make up is a whole lot easier when it's in my life.

Right, so much for my short posts but now I'll finally go. I think, it is time for a little reading in the sun and then maybe a little post about the book that I'm indulging in. It is fantastic and one I'd recommend to you all.

FYI: I would like to do a mascara review on the Exquisite Curl but I mistakenly picked up the brown so feel unable to. I'm happy to wear brown mascara as a base but I would never wear a brown shade alone unless I ever find the guts and go blonde . . ! 
As a brunette, brown mascara just doesn't do enough for me. Anyways, I feel unable to fully review EC  in brown when I've only used it as a base product.  From what I can see, the Exquisite Curl Mascara does seem to give the lashes some length, great shape and a good curl.
No 7 seem to do decent mascaras and I'm interested to try more (including Exquisite Curl in Black) but for now, fully recommend the Lash Adapt if you want to try a No 7 mascara. You can see some of my thoughts here.

I should also say, I don't really see the point in buying two ok mascaras to achieve a look which could otherwise be created by another amazing mascara alone (wow!). However like I said, I already had the L'Oreal Telescopic and a No 7 voucher . . . and if you are in the same position or already have the two mascaras (or other combos) then it might be worth a play.

What's your current eye make up look? Any favourite products? I need some recommendations before I give in and splurge on some Burberry. Love, love, love the current make up look they have going on.

X

The New Look summer vest!

You know, how I can conjure up almost any excuse to shop! Well, due to the lovely sunshine, we've had recently, I've found it even easier then normal to justify my latest splurge. In order to fully embrace the rays, a quick sharp injection of summer for my wardrobe was required and that is exectly what my latest purchase from New Look has provided.

I can assure you that this hot pink (the Canon has not captured just how bright, this top is) vest is much more flattering on my pale complexion then any fake tan and instantly, transports my mind to long sunny days and sandy shores.

We all know that my colour journey only recently began and although, this top is bright, bright, bright, I do feel very comfortable wearing it. I think, the soft knit takes the edge off and just makes it so adorable. It may be that this top looks better then it feels in real tropical acclimes but lets face it, as sunny as it is here in the Uk at the moment, it is hardly sweltering and anything that adds to summer illusions is welcome in my world.

I should also mention that for me longline is the way to go as far as vest tops are concerned, I find them so much more flattering. Of course, price is always important and this little number is just £9.99 and comes in a number of different colours (link) although I can't see my colour online!

I hope you are all ok, thank you for all the tags recently. They mean a lot. Again *head down in shame*, I'm sorry for the lack of posts, it all just comes down to time and I'm really lacking it lately. I'm hoping to write a few shorter posts today (Ha, that will be interesting. Long rambles are generally more my style.) and scheduling them to ease myself back in to the blogging habit.

Are you enjoying the sun, what have you been purchasing lately? I think, a decent pair of sunglasses are next on my list! Any suggestions?

X

The annual tan incident!

So just how many fake tan disasters will it take for me to realise that fake tan and me aren't a match made?!

Probably too many!

I normally have at least one tanning disaster every year. However, as I opted for a professional spray tan this year instead of a hapless, hasty home application, I dared to hope the curse may be broken.

Shakes head, *Na dahhh* Really, I should have known better.

Sure, there was a lot of good points to my Sienna X Spray Tan including the fact that . . .

- The tanning solution gave me an instant colour and I was given a choice of three shades by my therapist.

- My body, from head down, instantly looked more toned and healthy. I honestly think I look at least half a stone lighter. Got to love that! Ooh and my teeth do look quite white, kerching! :)

- The tan dried quickly. The therapist left me under a heater for 5 minutes and I've yet to find any tan on my clothes, furniture or sheets.

- The scent of the tan is summery and reminds me of sandy shores. My skin also feels incredibly soft and happy.

- The tan lasted and lasted and still lasts . . . despite a whole lot of scrubbing.

Yes, that's right, despite all of the good points, there are many reasons why I have spent the last couple of days tirelessly trying to scrub my golden glow away.

- Firstly, it is just too much. The medium shade (which I chose, oops!) was absolutely too dark for me. My face looks all wrong and kind of harsh. The tan is perfectly smooth (withstanding a few smudges around the wrist area) but when I see my reflection, all I see is tan and a little shimmer. There is no hint of me or my skin at all. I look artificial.

- What bothers me most is the fact that my own eyes (the only feature that I quite like about myself) are suddenly unrecognisable and in the words of another, 'not as bright'. The boldness of my new tan makes my green eyes appear almost brown and they just seem lost.

- In fact, some of my other features suddenly seem askew. Although I look slimmer from the neck down, my face actually seems to look a little less sculpted and I'm putting this down to an unflattering shimmer sitting on my forehead which will not be scrubbed or buffed away.

- Usually when I'm having a bad face day, I play around with my make up but at the moment, I'm soo tanned, I have no idea what shadows and blushes to pick and whatever I pick seems to either appear chunky, chalky and cheap (All That Glitters and Satin Taupe, I'm looking at you) or disappears leaving me defined by nothing but the bloody tan (MAC Bronze, anyone?!) or just obviously plain wrong (Benefit, Dandelion and MAC, Blushbaby)!  I don't have a clue what colours to use to compliment my new skin tone.

- As if that wasn't bad enough, the strength of the tan seems to overshadow my barnet. My hair suddenly looks flat, moussy and patchy. Eurgh, really lacklustre.

In short, I look wrong which is why I haven't included any face or portrait shots. I tried but everything seems overpowered by the power of the tan and tanned, I no longer feel like me.
Sidenote: Just so you know, the fact that I've been brushing on that new L'Oreal False Lash mascara (reviewed here) every day does not help me feel any better about myself. I'm really going to have to get something else this weekend. Such a letdown!
However, I have included a little pic of one of my tan lines so you can see the contrast between my natural skin tone and the tan.

Nice tan!

I just wish it suited me especially my face. I know, bodywise, I'm actually going to feel quite fat and frumpy when the tan fades away. :(

Lately I've been off the clothes and make up fad but riding the beauticians one with more regular grooming treats here and there. My original plan for the summer was to maintain a tanned complexion with regular spray tan appointments but now, I'm seriously considering digging the Make Believe (reviewed here) or Soltan (reviewed here) out for a more natural golden glow occasionally and limiting the beautician treats to nourishing facials (a big cheer for the Skin Brightening one please!) and suchlike.

Though in conclusion, I've got to admit that the Sienna X Spray Tan does do exactly what you would expect from a spray tan, it leaves you with a fabulous tan (in my case, a very tropical one) that really lasts.

It is just that until I got my Sienna X spray tan (I now know, I've never met a home tan that really really tans, they lend a mere glow in comparison), I never realised how pale I actually was and how much a proper full on tan works against my natural colouring and features.

I would totally recommend this tan to those of you who are seriously in to tanning or are naturally a little more tanned then myself (not hard!) and I've got to admit (I'll whisper this) that I'm tempted to get a top up (after all, top ups are discounted!) with the lightest shade of Sienna X just to see if this is light enough to give me a look closer to what I originally envisaged. In fact, I have had a spray tan before which went a little more to plan and on that occasion, the lightest shade available of a tan from Coco Bay was used so you never know?! Maybe the only tanning mistake this time was in fact, my choice of shade .

Oh dear, it looks like I have a few more fake tan episodes to come yet. Will I never learn?

I hope you are all OK. Have a great weekend!

What is your tanning ritual? Do you get spray tans? Any bottle tan recommendations?

X