Category: review

First Impressions: Constance Carroll Rouge à Lèvres – 20 Begonia

A few weeks ago I picked up this lipstick from the drugstore. It is from a brand that is not much mentioned, it is from the UK and it is called Constance Carroll. Not sure where you can find products from the brand, and here you find mostly lipsticks and blushers, although I know that the brand offers a whole variety of products. I got two lipsticks and I decided to do a first impressions post on this one as it has a very interesting shade, perfect for Spring/Summer.

Constance Carroll lipstick in 20 Begonia
The shade is a bright coral-peach shade that is very shiny and easy to apply on the lips. The packaging is nothing special but the price is very cheap, so that is to be expected.  The finish of this lipstick is Pearlescent, which is a very shiny finish, no lip gloss needed.

Shade 20 Begonia, Finish Pearlescent
Swatch of Begonia
It has no distinctive scent to it, which I find is best with lipsticks that are cheap as the alternative can be a very annoying and over-powering scent. I got this for about €1.20 from the drugstore.

Do you own any products from this brand? Do you like this shade?


First Impressions: Sigma E25 Blending Brush

As you may know from the banners that are on this blog, I am a Sigma Affiliate. This basically means that if you click on one of the banners that are on my blog it will take you to the Sigma website and if you make a purchase, I will receive a very small commission from it. I have become involved with this brand as I truly believe in their products and am proud to be a part, however small of a company which offers such amazing brushes and if you haven’t heard yet some new Sigma makeup is coming up soon.

Anyways this post is about a reward I got from the Sigma Affiliate Reward program, which gives rewards in the form of brushes to Bloggers or YouTubers that are affiliates. I was sent the Sigma E25 Blending Brush, which I have heard many good things about.

Sigma E25 Blending Brush
The Sigma E25 is very different from any other blending brush I own. It is rounded on top and it is chiseled on the sides. I find it is very good to apply product with the side and then turn it sideways and blend away the edges. This brush is also recommended as good to apply cream products or to lay out an eyeshadow primer. I find it great to apply color as it does not apply too much and keeps the look very soft and blended.

The brush head
The Sigma E25 travel size Blending brush is the same as the full sized one, except for the handle which is shorter and a silver shade. I find that there are other blending brushes which perform much better, but I do love it to apply color and color bases on the eyelid. Will definitely, recommend this brush for makeup lovers as it is a must have. The full size E25 retails for $9.00 on the Sigma website.

Do you have this brush? Would you recommend it?


Product Review: Elf Natural Radiance Blusher – Glow

The Elf Natural Radiance Blusher is in the Regular line from Elf at only £1.50/€1.70 per product which is a real bargain as the products are really very pigmented. I only have one blusher from this collection and it is the one called Glow. It is a coral-peach-pink shadow with lots of shimmer, so if you don’t like shimmer stay away from it. I find that the shimmer is much more evident in the pan than when applied.

Elf Natural Radiance Blusher in Glow
As you can see the packaging is very much more crude than the Studio line or the Mineral Line. However, the products themselves are just as good. The compact is a little tricky to open but once you know how to do it, it’s all right. You have to slide the top part backward and the bottom part downwards. I find this works amazingly as both a blusher and highlighter in one. You get 2g/0.07oz of product in this compact.

The compact opened, you get 2g/0.07oz of product
As you may tell from the funky look of my blusher, the powder is not very well pressed and even though I take good care of my makeup and I am careful to handle them gently, this blusher broke and turned to dust. Thus, I pressed it down myself and it has retained its form perfectly now 🙂

Glow swatched on my hand, you can apply this sheer or build it up especially in the Summer
I find this color to be really gorgeous and want to try many more of their blushers. I already own some from the Studio line and I love them, but I think the Regular line blushers should not be overlooked. For more products and information about this product you can look on the Elf website.

Do you own any of these blushers? What do you think about this product?


Product Review: Noxzema The Original Deep Cleansing Cream

I have combination/oily skin and it is very sensitive and acne prone. Thus, I use a variety of cleansers and product to control my acne, the oil in my skin and make sure that I don’t over dry my skin or cause any allergic reaction to products. As you can tell, its a lot of work and I found that changing products you use during the day and at what time and how frequently really helps to create a balance. I am no expert here, so all I can tell you and give you advice on is how my skin reacted to products and how they helped me and my particular skin. For someone else the products I use may work completely differently. All I can say is that I did go to a beautician who carried out a Face Map, that helps me know which areas to target and what kind of products are correct for which area of my face.

But, enough of the rambling! The product I am going to introduce to you is called Noxzema The Original Deep Cleansing Cream. I have a couple of Deep Cleansing Creams that I make use of that have varying powers, by which I mean they do not work the same way and do not deep clean the same.

What they claim:
❤ Deep cleans without over drying
❤ Removes dirt, oil and makeup
❤ Leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and healthy-looking

The cream looks quite thick and firm in the tub,
once you get it in you hands it melts into a light cream.

The consistency of this product is really weird and when I first got it I was curious on how it would perform. You can apply this product on both a wet or dry face. I love applying mine on a dry face. I take a little bit of product, rub in my hands until it breaks down and then apply it all over the face except the eyes as I feel this is too powerful to apply on the eyes. I like to leave it on for a minute or so and then I rinse it off. The product has Eucalyptus Oil in it and you can smell it. I love this scent it relaxes me and my skin too. After you rinse it off you are left with clear skin, that feels free from any excess oils. If you touch it right after you rinse it, the skin feels really strange, the only way I can explain it is it is not soft. But after you pat your face dry, it goes back to normal.

This product has helped me with the reduction of blackheads and pimples and it really works to clear up my skin. I had heard this product being recommended by someone on YouTube and it immediately perked my interest into trying this out. I got mine from eBay for about €16, where I got three tubs of this product each containing 70g. I love using this before bed as part of my cleansing routine. As I said I use different cleansers in the morning and I sometimes change products during the week if I want a more intensive treatment or if my skin is extra sensitive I will use something less powerful. I believe the product has been repackaged now, but you can read up more on the Noxzema website, where they have various ranges of products. I also make use of the Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Wash.

What do you think about this product? Have you ever tried anything similar?


Product Review: Essence Quattro Eyeshadow in Ciao Bella

This is my only Essence eyeshadow palette and I will definitely be looking at more products and eye-shadows from this brand as I was pleasantly impressed with the quality. The palette is called Essence Quattro eyeshadow where ‘quattro’ means four and it is in Italian. As the name implies you get 4 eye-shadows and the palette is called ‘01 Ciao Bella!‘ which is also in Italian and means ‘Hey Gorgeous’. Not sure if you are interested in all that but letting you know just in case.

01 Ciao Bella!, you get four shades and you get 5g/0.1oz of product
This palette contains very natural shades that can be used for everyday looks or for more dramatic and then you can add some darker shade for more depth and drama. You get a light cream shade, a light beige shade and two brown shades. All the colors are very shimmery and the payoff is really great on them. I got this palette from a local store for €3.61.

The four shades
The colors swatched, from Left to Right:
first two colors are the top two shadows (L-R),
last two colors are the bottom shadows (L-R)
The color swatches shown above are the eye-shadows swatched dry and as you can see the color payoff is really great and colors are really gorgeous. I have used these both dry and wet and the colors perform amazingly wet too. You obviously get a more vibrant payoff wet, although even wet you can see that colors come off strong. I like using this palette for everyday looks or if I am going out and put the light colors all over the lids then use a dark color to darken the crease and line my eyes.

Have you tried any Essence eye-shadows? What do you think of these?


Product Review: Montagne Jeunesse Dead Sea Mud Masque

The Montagne Jeunesse Dead Sea Mud Tired Skin Reviving Masque Dead Sea Minerals Enriched (what a mouthful!!) is the first masque from Montagne Jeunesse that I have seen which is geared towards men. The packaging itself is also very different from the others I’ve tried and seen and the scent of this masque is not the usual fruity sweet smell.

Instructions on the back of package
I found this masque to be quite powerful on my skin. I washed my face with warm water and patted it dry as instructed and then applied an even thin layer to the skin. The masque start to dry quickly and you can feel it tightening the skin a little and a tingling on the skin. After about 10 minutes I removed it with warm water to dissolve it and then splashed my face with cold water to close the pores. My skin felt very dried out from any oils, and as the package says it felt like I had exfoliated my skin with it too.

The masque consistency
Afterwards I applied a nice moisturizing cream to my face to replenish and hydrate my skin. I must say I was a little scared of the effects this masque would have on my face,  but it did not break me out and it did not give me any dry patches as I thought it would do. I bought this masque for €1.20 from a local store in Malta. So, conclusion I like this masque, it helped reduce some pimples I had and  left my skin feeling very smooth. If you can get past the rather unique smell this has, then do try it out, and even though I am not a man I still love to try new and unique products. 

Have you ever tried this masque? Which is your favorite masque?


First Impressions: Inglot Eyeshadow Pearl 434

This was my first purchase from Inglot and I actually got this in December last year when I was shopping and just couldn’t resist getting something from Inglot anymore. I am sure many of you have heard of the brand before and so have I for quite some years now. But never before have I been so obsessed about owning some of their products. The quality of these products is very comparable to MAC and other high end brands, although I wouldn’t know as we have no MAC stores here in Malta and so is the price supposedly.

Single shadows come in this round pan packaging
I got this shadow from the shop at Sliema here in Malta and the range available is really breath-taking! There is a wide range of eye-shadow, blush, foundation, bronzer, nail polish, concealer and very unique false eyelashes that I am really craving. This round pan eye-shadow contains 2g/0.07oz of product and I paid €13 for it. The color is Pearl 434 and it is a greyish violet as you will see from the swatch. I have used this eye-shadow several times now and as you can see there isn’t much of a dent in it yet. The quality of the eye-shadow is really good and the payoff and duration is amazing and long-lasting.
On the back of the pan, color Pearl 434, you get 2g of product
The first time I did a swatch of this shadow in the store, I was just looking around, with no real intention of buying anything. After I went shopping for clothes and realized that the swatch was still on my hand even though hours had gone by and it had no primer underneath. After that I had to go back and purchase it 🙂

A little swatch on my hand, has a metallic finish to it
I recently bought some other products from Inglot which I will feature soon. More eye-shadows of course and I am currently trying out their creamy concealer and see how it compares to drugstore versions. For more colors and closer look to more Inglot products, you can go on the Inglot website. For a review on my Inglot Eyeshadow Duo you can look HERE or you can check my Inglot haul.

Have you tried any products from Inglot? How would you compare them with other brands?