Review: Estee Lauder Double Wear Mascara in Black

Since I am always ready to receive a freebie I was very happy to apply to get a sample of the Estee Lauder Double Wear, Zero Smudge Lengthening Mascara in the mail. The full sized product retails for $48 for 6mL.

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Features:

• Gold coloured metal lid and dark blue plastic tube makes this mascara feel luxurious
• Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara
• 15 hours staying power
• Temperature, humidity and perspiration resistant formula
• Large wand which reaches all of your lashes
• 6 month shelf life 
• Available in Black or Brown
• Made in Canada

Estee Lauder Double Wear, Zero Smudge Lengthening Mascara in Black. I am wearing one coat on top lashes only

Likes:

• Looks natural
• Not too heavy
• Does not Clump, if used sparingly
• Does not smudge or flake
• Highly Pigmented
• Stayed in place all day
• Comes off easily at the end of the day

Dislikes:

• If you use more than one coat the mascara starts to clump.
• Mascara starts to come away as soon as it comes in contact with water ie drizzling rain can leave your face with mascara dripping all over it

Though I wasn't sold on this product when I first started to use it, I must say that it has grown on me over the few months that I have been using it. The mascara leaves my lashes with a very natural finish which is pretty hard to beat. The mascara lasts all day but only if there hasn't been any rain and/or if I haven't been crying then I am sure that I can walk around all day without needing to check up on my mascara to see if it has flaked or smudged because I know that it will not.
Though this product has grown on me I still will not be purchasing it myself, the main reason is the price. This product is $48 for 6mL which is way out of my usual make up budget especially since I can get a similar result from using Maybelline's Full N' Soft mascara which retails for a much cheaper $18.45 and is often on sale of $15 or less if you are lucky enough to find it on sale.

Do you splurge on your makeup?
Do you find that the more expensive products are worth the extra$$$?

Review: 1Skin Solution Tinted Lip Butter - Almond Biscotti

A couple of months ago Raylene from 1Skin Solution conducted a survey on her Facebook page and as an reward the first 200 who completed the survey were sent out a sample of her new 1Skin Solution Tinted Lip Butter (RRP$AU14.50) and I was one of the lucky ones who was sent one!

1Skin Solution Lip Butter in Almond Biscotti

The colour/flavour which I picked was originally Guava Lemonade but that one went missing in the mail and when I sent Raylene an email she was more than happy to send me out another one (by then I had changed my mind and went with Almond Biscotti), to see the full range of colours and the other products made by 1Skin Solutions please visit their website.

Features:

• Simple, cute design 
• Simple and short ingredient list, which can be found on their website
• Almond Biscotti is a sheer Beige colour
• Glossy finish
• Australian Made

1Skin Solution Lip Butter in Almond Biscotti

Likes:

• Great flavour, really does taste like almonds with a subtle fragrance
• Feels like a lip balm and leaves lips feeling soft and hydrated
• Does not feel heavy or waxy
• Creamy texture that just glides onto the lips without any pressure
• Pretty good pigmentation
• Great customer service, Raylene is very quick to reply to emails and was more than happy to send me another tube after I notified her about the fact that I never received my first tube

Dislikes:

• Packaging is a little dodgy, I found that I could wind the product up from the tube but I couldn't wind it down (edit: Raylene suggested the problem with the winding mechanism may be because the lip butter is too creamy and she thinking about altering the formula of the product to remove this issue)
• Due to the softness/oiliness of the product it does start to smear all over the top of the tube it comes in after a few weeks making it a little messy looking
• Sometimes, depending on the hydration levels of my lips the lip butter will go on blotchy and/or will move around on my lips and will settle into the lines on my lips

1Skin Solution Lip Butter in Almond Biscotti, note that the colour is a little blotchy with this application

Have you tried anything by 1Skin Solution?
What do you like in a lip product?

Review: Loreal Youth Code Luminosity Serum

A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to get my hands on the L'Oreal Youth Code Luminosity Serum thanks to L'Oreal and BeautyHeaven. This 30mL serum retails for $AU35.

L'Oreal Youth Code Luminosity Day Serum, with the silver coloured shrink wrap coating on the glass bottle removed.

Features:

• Glass bottle with silver shrink wrap coating and silver coloured plastic pump
• Faint fragrance which it quite pleasant
• The serum has a pretty pearly and luminous appearance
• The pump dispenses the right amount of product to cover your face when it is hydrated but if your skin is a little dry two pumps may be needed
• Made in Germany

Likes:

• Though the advertising claims that this serum is super-hydrating I found that it wasn't too heavy in its formula. This was good for me because I could still use this serum daily, some days I used it by itself when my skin was oily and some days I used it under my usual creme when my skin was a little dry
• Absorbs well into the skin
• After a week I noticed an overall improvement to my skin tone, it did not remove or reduce any of my spots but my skin looked healthier and more even in appearance
• Excellent quality pump that pumps the same amount each time
• Can use under makeup without any issues

Dislikes:

•  The shrink wrap coving over the glass bottle which was promptly removed (it made the product look cheap!)
• A little exy for the supermarket isle, this product is aimed at the 25-35 year olds and teens would also be attracted to this product, therefore the price should reflect that

Overall L'Oreal's Youth Code Luminosity Serum is a very nice product which lives up to its claims of 'corrects dark spots & illuminates'. Though I wouldn't use the word 'correct' since it doesn't get rid of the spots, it hydrates your skin and gives it a glow therefore making the spots less noticeable. This serum comes in a great pump bottle, it absorbs into my skin in seconds and leaves my feels light yet plump and could easily be used under makeup, which therefore means that I found it to be really user friendly and I was happy to continue using it after the trial was completed.


Have you used this product?
Have you noticed a more luminous complexion?