March makeup round up
I’ve bought a few bits of makeup recently, so I thought I’d shove it all into one blog post. No lengthy intros I’m afraid. My life is rather dull at the moment, lip gloss is as exciting as it gets.
Elf face palette in ‘pomegranate’
Well, the first thing I’ve learnt from this product is I can’t spell pomegranate. Anyway, I’ve been waiting ages for the face palettes from Elf to become available in the UK. They are a small palette comprised of a blush and a highlighter. The blush shade is a lovely rose-red shade. I do find it a little patchy to blend out, but once done it gives a nice colour to the skin. The highlighter, a golden shade, is a little too dark for me but I’ve worn it anyway. I am considering trying it as eyeshadow but I’m not sure it’s eye safe? A nice little affordable palette.
Would I repurchase? Yes.
Essence skin’ lovin’ sensitive primer
Well Essence, you had my curiosity but now you have my attention. A line of makeup, specially formulated for my sensitive skin!? I didn’t quite believe their claims so I have thus far only purchased the primer. It’s excellent, as it says on the tube, it doesn’t cause me to breakout or irritate the skin. It leaves a smooth base and my makeup sits better and stays longer. I’m considering purchasing a backup as Essence discontinue products like nobody’s business.
Would I repurchase? Yes.
Essence Glow Glow Girl instant highlighter in ‘fairy lights’
An interesting product. This is a tube of liquid highlighter. It’s great for when you’re in a rush; you can dab it on and blend it out and it’s set in seconds. It gives a nice, subtle glow. I’m curious if there are any other shades in this line; in the UK we only seem to have one? The shade ‘fairy lights’ is what can best be described as a sparkly beige.
Would I repurchase? No, but I would try more of Essence’s other liquid highlighters.
Essence what the fake! plumping lip filler
It’s been a long time since I used a plumping lip gloss. I used to live in the plumping ones from Soap & Glory, anyone remember those? I thought this would be clear but it has a very subtle shimmer. It boosts of being infused with hyaluronic acid –my best buddy- so of course I had to try it. It tingles on the lips, but is bearable, and yes it works, my lips do look plumper and fuller. I have tried it layered over lipstick and it works the same way. I really like it. Again, this is a product that says it’s ‘1’ of a line but there is only one available. I hope there are more shades, and we get them here.
Would I repurchase? Yes.
Nyx Shine loud lip pigment in ‘never basic’
Oh, I so wanted to like this product. I was desperate to try it, although despite what the young ‘uns on Tik-tok think, this is not a revolutionary product. Rimmel and Maybelline have been making something very similar for donkey’s years. Kiko also has a version. It still being the season of the plague, I was unable to swatch any colours and bought this online. Big mistake. Huge. All the swatches online are horrifically inaccurate. I thought ‘never basic’ was a nice berry. It’s a dark red-brown. I hated it at first, but then I wore it on a rainy day and it suited my black mood and I’ve come around to it. The paint part of the lip pigment is extremely sticky. You thought you Maybelline matte ink was tacky? Boy, this is next level. The first time I tried it made my lips look horribly wrinkly. After reading a tip online, I then applied it with my smile stretched wide, like Jack Nicholson’s joker, and it looked 100% better. After the pigment is dry, you then apply the gloss, and the lipstick will survive forever, apparently. I don’t know what is in that gloss but it felt like a soothing balm from high above. The lipstick lasted reasonably well. It did tend to wear away in the inner mouth part, and since it’s such a dark colour, it was quite obvious. I also found that if I reapplied the lipstick, it got all over my teeth, and was impossible to get off.
Would I repurchase? I am genuinely in two minds. It’s a good product, but not amazing, and £11 for one is quite pricy. I am tempted to try a lighter colour, perhaps a pink, but there’s no way I’d buy any more online. I’d have to swatch it in person.