Bourjois Volume Reveal Mascara - Review

My eyelash struggles are well documented on ElleandMimi.com so I will spare you the boring details. Suffice to say, they are pretty short, fair and straight. For the past year I have been getting Nouveau Lashes LVL Lash Lift and tint every 3 months which has certainly helped with the straightness and fairness but unfortunately there is not much of a cure for the shortness! (review of LVL Lash Lift here and 12 month update here)

 

My recent 'holy grail' mascara has been the L'Oreal Lash Lift which does a great job of providing volume and length however I am always on the look out for other options that may work for me.

 

Bourjois are a great drugstore brand however I have never been particularly taken with their mascaras until I saw the Bourjois Volume Reveal Mascara complete with 3 x zoom mirror and 'lash catcher' brush!. I am always the first one to fall for a gimmick and this was no exception!  I picked up the mascara in black (the non waterproof variety) for the offer price of £6.99 - the usual price will be £9.99.

The packaging is quite bulky and triangular in shape but don't let that put you off! The first thing that I noticed was the scent which is quite strong but the wand is what I would consider to be a perfect size. Neither too fat and bristly nor too skinny and plastic. Initially I felt that the brush was quite 'spiky' and a little rough on my eyes and I had reservations as to whether it was going to work for me however, the product built up extremely well with no clumping. It was very easy to build length and volume and I spent a few minutes getting the exact look that I wanted. Once applied I was very happy with the final look. The mascara made my lashes look much longer and thicker than I expected and I was delighted with the finished effect.

I have to be honest and say that I didn't really use the mirror. I tend to apply mascara on a morning using my makeup mirror and never touch it up during the day so although the mirror is perfectly functional, for me, it is a little redundant. If you are someone who likes to reapply mascara during the day then I imagine the mirror to be a handy addition.

 
To summarise I would definitely recommend the Bourjois Volume Reveal Mascara. It built excellent volume and length and was easy to remove at the end of the day with my usual cleansing balm. It hasn't quite taken over as my new 'holy grail' mascara but it's coming in a close second!

Love Elle x

Have you tried the Bourjois Volume Reveal Mascara? What are your thoughts?

The New Revlon Mascara Collection

Revlon recently made the very risky move of completely overhauling their mascara collection and have streamlined it to a wardrobe of 5 mascaras to cover all of your mascara needs. All of their previous mascaras have been discontinued and the new 5 are currently the only available Revlon mascaras in production. We got our hands on 3 of the 5 and after a couple if weeks use we wanted to give you our thoughts and recommendations as the worlds fussiest mascara wearers! 

The Quest For The Perfect Mascara

I have spoken previously about my sad eyelashes (hence the LVL treatment that I have resorted to getting every 6 weeks!) and over the years I have been on a seemingly endless quest to find a mascara that suits my lashes. I have been told by experts that my lashes are a) short b) fair c) fine which is polite talk for the fact that I have poor eyelashes that are beyond redemption!

Having tried many different mascaras with varying degrees of success I really wanted to pass on my experience and recommend some options for anyone with the same stubborn eyelashes as me!

Let me start by saying that some years ago I found my ‘holy grail’ mascara. I purchased the Covergirl Volume Exact Mascara in waterproof and was amazed that, after curling with my beloved Shu Emura eyelash curlers, the mascara went on clump free, held the curl, gave volume and lengthened my tiny lashes. I used this mascara for many a happy year and as it was not available in the UK I stocked up when visiting the USA and purchased from Ebay if the stocks got low.

A couple years back when Mimi was in the USA I asked her to pick me up a fresh supply of my favourite mascaras. She searched high a low and could not put her hands on the Lash Exact anywhere. I did a bit of research and discovered the devastating news that my perfect mascara had been discontinued.....back to the drawing board.

 

In an attempt to find a dupe I purchased what seemed like hundreds of mascaras (some went straight in the trash after one or two uses), both high end and drugstore and some were okay but in the world of mascara okay is just not good enough!

 

I recently found an old Instagram post from when I was trying a TON of mascaras to find one that suited me! Oh dear....



Just a selection of the mascaras I tried!

 

About a year ago, completely by chance, a kind beauty blogger wrote a post in which she explained that Max Factor is to the UK beauty market what Covergirl is to the US market, that is, Max Factor is actually the sister brand of Covergirl! She also explained that many of the products are  the same or similar but with different names.

 

Off I headed to the Max Factor display! The mascara that was said to be the most like the Covergirl Volume Exact was the Max Factor Masterpiece Mascara in waterproof. I picked one up and was excited to give it a whirl! I was delighted to find that it is the perfect dupe for my holy grail Covergirl mascara and does the exact same job! I love the size and shape of the brush as it is the perfect size for my short lashes and the formula is not wet at all. It grabs all of my lashes and hold the curl in place all day. This has now become my must have mascara and I always have a back up in my make up stash just in case!


Max Factor Masterpiece

Shout out to some other mascaras that I tried during my quest and quite liked and also one that is Mimi's favourite;

 

The Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara: is a really good high end mascara with a great size brush that gives good curl and separation. The waterproof version does a great job at holding a curl all day long.

 

Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof:  Mimi's favourite drugstore mascara that gives buildable volume and a really great 'false lash' look.



Maybelline Lash Sensational

Max Factor Masterpiece Transform: This is a strange looking brush but don't let that put you off! It works really well to grab all of those small lashes and gives a very defined look. For our friends who are unable to get Max Factor products this is the same as Covergirl The Supersizer available from Ulta and drugstores.


Covergirl The Supersizer

NYX The Skinny Mascara: I discovered this in Ulta while in the USA and it intrigued me! I loved it so much I bought a back up before we left! It is amazing for bottom lashes especially very fine ones like mine.



NYX The Skinny Mascara

Being a mascara junkie I am always interested to see a new mascara hit the market but more often that not I am disappointed with the results as I have such difficult eyelashes to please. If you do have similar lashes to me I can highly recommend the LVL Enhance Lash Treatment that we have reviewed in a previous post as it has really been a life saver for me and along with my Max Factor Masterpiece I can now at least fake the look of somewhat normal lashes!

 

Are you a mascara addict? Have you a favourite that I should try? I'd be delighted to hear your recommendations in the comments below.

Elle x

USA Beauty Haul - Sephora and Ulta

While we were holidaying in Florida during August we could not resist a trip to the beauty stores (lets be honest we made about 5 trips but who's counting!) We always like to check out the products that are US exclusives or difficult to come by in the UK and we got our hands on some treasures!

Lets start with Sephora (also known as the Mother Ship!). Our first trip to Sephora was at our favourite Orlando shopping destination, Mall at Millenia, where we picked up some of the excellent Sephora brand make up brushes. We have tried some of these brushes in the past, I own a crease brush and a blending brush, but we had not tried the Pro Brushes nor the Value Sets so we were interested to take a look at what was on offer. I had the Sephora Small Pro Stippling Brush on my must have list and snapped up one of those up along with the Pro Tapered Crease Brush which is amazing for a precise crease shadow application. Another must purchase was the legendary Beauty Blender. Now I realise I am a little late to the party on this one and I know it is available in the UK but it's sooo much cheaper in the US and for this reason I thought it was time I gave it a whirl. After 3 weeks use I can safely say that it has changed my foundation/concealer life! I am loving it for blending foundation, CC cream, tinted moisturiser, under eye concealer - you name it! I also picked up a new Beautyblender Solid Cleaner as Mimi said I used all of her last one (!). Another potentially life changing item was then secured - the Anastacia Brow Wiz. Until tragedy struck! On the flight home the holy grail item was safely packed in my make up bag in my case however when I got home I noticed that it has somehow snapped in half during the journey. I see a repurchase on the horizon.

I really wanted to try one of the Fresh Sugar scents and after smelling all of them settled on Fresh Sugar Lemon which is a lovely blend of their traditional sugar sent with lemons thrown in. I love it! Finally, when approaching the cash register and making my way through the aisle of temptation I grabbed hold of the Elizabeth and James Nirvana perfume duo and the cute Sephora TSA Approved Travel Bag to use on the flight home.

Next it was off to Ulta where I stocked up on my favourite L'Oreal Color Riche Balms which I now own in every colour with duplicates of my top two! I was very restrained in Ulta and only picked up a couple other items including the NYX Skinny Mascara that I wanted to try as a bottom lash mascara. So far so good! (lets be honest here, I bought two!) Of course it wouldn't be a trip to Ulta without throwing in a few - okay SIX - nail polishes into the mix! I love these L'Oreal nail polishes and Essie is our favourite nail polish brand so we had to get our hands on some new shades.

Special mention to the Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation. I have seen some Beauty YouTubers praising this product and it is so affordable I thought I would give it a try. It is now my daily go-to foundation and I wish I had picked up a spare!

Since having LVL Enhance lash treatment I have steered away from waterproof mascaras. Therefore, when the new Covergirl Super Sizer Mascara caught my eye I was tempted to give it a whirl. You are supposed to 'twist' the brush as you apply at but that seems a bit weird to me so I have stuck to the traditional application method! The fine wand grabs hold of and makes all of your lashes stand out and it holds a curl nicely. So far, so good!

Usually when we travel to the US we find lots of things that are not available in the UK however I think that the UK beauty market is getting much better and we seem to be able to get our hands on most things and most brands that they have in the US with a few minor exceptions. This meant that I did not purchase nearly as much as usual - good for my bank balance!

Look out for our Bath and Body Works haul coming soon!

Have you tried any of the above mentioned products? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Elle x

Holy Grail Products

Elle’s Picks

 

 

Maybelline Instant Anti-AgeThe Eraser Eye Concealer (light)

Since discovering this concealer on a trip to Ulta in 2013 I am unable to do without it as part of my daily make up routine.  As your eye area ages the last thing you need is a thick under eye concealer that gathers in fine lines and makes you look tired and older. That’s why I love this concealer. The formula is nice a light and it never creases or looks cakey on me. I know that some reviewers are not a fan of the sponge applicator but I rather like it as it helps the product to glide on easily and gives just the right amount of coverage. It is a daily make up must have for me!

Max Factor Masterpiece MascaraWaterproof (black) 

I literally could talk for days about mascara! I am on a seemingly endless quest for the perfect mascara for my (short stubby) lashes. However while my search continues I am (almost) satisfied by the Max Factor Masterpiece. It has to be waterproof and it has to be black. The brush is not too thick and it disperses just the right amount of product. The product is a good consistency in that it is not too wet a formula and being waterproof it really holds a curl once I have used my Shu Eemura eyelash curlers (another holy grail product…) I recently purchased the Max Factor Masterpiece HD Waterproof to try and I will report back to you on how it compares to the original.

Lanolips 101 Ointment

My addiction to lip balm is a joke in our family and I can safely say that in over 20 years my lips have never been free from some kind of lip balm, lipstick or lip product! My obsession with Lanolips is such that I actually have two on the go at any one time. I keep one on my bedside table and one in the living room next to my chair so that I have quick and easy access at all times! Lanolips is an Australian product with 100% pure Ultra Medical Grade Lanolin. It is a natural substance taken from freshly shorn sheep’s wool. That may sound weird but believe me, it makes for a wonderful product that melts onto your lips and keeps them hydrated for hours. Its great for those no make up days and it makes a fantastic travel companion, especially if you are flying long haul.

 

Mimi’s Picks

 

Anastasia Brow Wiz

 

It's hard to believe that until a year or so ago I didn't even touch my brows!!!!! Now I can't leave the house without them preened! I am a sucker for hype so even though I was a brow virgin I thought I would give it a go. I have never looked back! I have tried all the "dupes" and honestly, nothing comes close to this product. I log straight onto Cult Beauty whenever I hear the dreaded winding click!!!! I love how easy this is to use, just twist up the pencil, use a light hand and brush out with the spool  end. The best part of this product is it does not move. EVER! I purchased this in Sephora whilst in Orlando and it's safe to say that if the brows can't be defeated by 100 degree heat they can tackle anything!

MAC Lightscapade

I bought this highlighter on a whim years ago when they released it as part of the Hayley Williams collection and it is still going strong. This is a beautiful soft icy highlighter which is often hard to find without looking chalky or glittery. Unlike my other favourite (MAC Soft and Gentle) this highlighter really can be worn any day and with any look. Try a quick sweep for a subtle glow or pack it on for an ultra glowy look! If this ever does run out (I've had it 2 years and there's barely a dent) I would be running to MAC to repurchase!
 

Nuxes Lip Balm

 

This was a hand me down from Elle who bought it and wasn't so keen. However, as someone with perpetually sad, chapped lips this is exactly what I crave. I mainly use this at night before I go to bed and in the morning just before I put my make up on. It is so thick and soothing on the lips and works great under lipstick. It has a very unusual scent almost like oranges which I love. This really helps me out if I want to wear a bold lip. I scrub my lips using the Lush lip scrub, lather this on and I’m good to go! 

What are your ‘Holy Grail’ products? We’d love to hear from you!