Crybaby Semi-Permanent Mascara

Crybaby Semi-Permanent Mascara is one of the latest professional lash treatments to hit the UK. It’s not extensions, nor is it just a tint – first your lashes are curled, then the coating is mixed to your preferred look (be it thick and dazzling, or more natural) and applied just like a regular mascara.

Back in June, my colleagues and I were lucky enough to train with Crybaby and to become qualified Crybaby Technicians! During the training, we all were each other’s ‘models’ and so got to try this out for ourselves. Here’s my before and after photos:

Before (make up free!)And after!

You can get a great result with this – although be warned, if you have short, straight lashes, this isn’t going to perform any miracles. Just like regular mascara, it works with what you’ve got.

Crybaby Mascara lasts 2 weeks – no smudging or running. Around the two week mark, it will start to break down and you can choose either to let it wear itself off or have it professionally removed. While you have the product on however, you cannot curl your lashes or use any oil-based eye make up remover or mascara (so you might have to deal with an awkward ‘growing it out’ phase).

I kept mine on for exactly 2 weeks to see how well it lasted. There wasn’t too much of a difference – the curl fell slightly and the coating was wearing off. It definitely still looked like I was wearing mascara, but it was a less dramatic look. For the last few days if I rubbed my eyes, some black specks would come off and would occasionally fall in my eye, which was slightly irritating.

If you’ve got a wedding or other special occasion coming up or if you simply don’t have time to fuss with mascara every morning, this could be for you. But I must emphasise, if you’ve got short lashes to begin with and want a really dramatic look, you’re probably better looking at extensions.

A Crybaby treatment seems to be around the £30 mark in most salons, or less if you only need your upper lashes done. Visit the Crybaby website to find your nearest salon.

Review: Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector

I’m sure by now you’ve all heard about the new BB cream by Garnier – the ‘miracle’ product that’s a sunscreen, moisturiser, primer and foundation all in one. Now, I have been dying to get my hands on this and they finally turned up in my local Boots!

The cream itself is thicker than I’d imagined but wasn't overly cakey. It has a beautifully fresh cucumber scent. It’s also just a bit too dark for my pale skin, even in the lightest shade, so hopefully they’ll release a larger range of shades. The coverage is good – this claims to ‘blur’ imperfections and, with less obvious blemishes, it really does give you that airbrushed look. However, if you’re dealing with redness or big angry spots, you will need to use a concealer underneath.

Unfortunately, I found this product relentlessly shiny, a big no-no if you’ve already got oily skin. I don’t know if this is because of the moisturising aspect, or if this is the ‘radiance’ and ‘healthy glow’ advertised on the packaging, or if it’s just my skin being weird, but I hated it. No matter how much powder I caked on top of it, I was shiny all day. To me, it didn’t look radiant, it looked sweaty.

Overall, this wasn’t the product it had been built up to be. If you really want to save time with your morning routine, this could be for you, but I won’t be buying this again.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and all products were purchased by myself.

Review: ELF powder, foundation, lipgloss & more!

ELF cosmetics are so cheap they seem a little too good to be true, but after reading a few good reviews I decided to try some out. I went to their website (here in the UK, they are only available online) with the intention to order two, maybe three products – and came across a discount offering 50% off when you spend over £30 and…I went a little crazy! So I present to you: an oversized ELF review!

Studio Lip Stain in Birthday Suit

I bought this in the hope that it would be a cheap alternative to Benefit’s Posietint – and at £3.50 it’s definitely cheaper. This product has two sides, one with stain and one with a clear gloss. The gloss is actually quite nice and not too sticky like I’d expected. However, when you apply it over the stain, it stains the brush. This stain does not stay put and it will transfer to anything. I’ve found I have to re-apply every hour or so. That being said, it’s a gorgeous bubblegum pink shade and if you don’t mind re-applying, it’s nice for everyday wear (but when I need my lip colour to stay, I think I’ll stick with my Posietint).

6/10

Mineral Foundation

I have to admit – this is my very first mineral foundation. I’ve been itching to try one but it seems like they’re all a little pricey right now. This one was £3.50. Since I bought this, my old cream foundation has been abandoned. My favourite thing about this is how light my skin felt – smooth and natural, not caked on. The coverage is a little sheer, but combined with a good powder my skin looked flawless. But beware: this can get messy!

9/10

Studio Minty Lip Gloss in Seattle

This is a simple, clear gloss with, as the title suggests, a delicious minty flavour. I love using this after lunch – even if I’ve brushed, flossed and downed a box of Tic Tacs, I’m paranoid about having less than fresh breath at work! This makes me feel a little fresher. Other than that, I wouldn’t say it’s anything special (and it’s a little too glittery for my taste).

6/10

Eyelid Primer

This was another attempt to find a cheap alternative to an old favourite – and this one actually won me over. I’ve been using Benefit’s Lemon Aid before but I’d say this is even better. The colour isn’t as sharp – it’s a very sheer beige, but it has staying power. Barely anything will last me through a full day of work, but this does. When worn with eyeshadow, it looks as perfect at the end of the night as it did at the crack of dawn – with no creases! It’s a very liquid product and it comes with a lip gloss wand applicator, which took a while to get used to. But overall, I love this primer – at just £1.50, it’s definitely taken Benefit’s place.

10/10

Studio Makeup Mist & Set

Another cheap alternative – I’ve been drooling over MAC’s Fix+ for a while now, but never actually bought it. These products are both supposed to set your make up in place, giving it longer wear and eliminating that cakey, powdery appearance. If I’m honest, I didn’t see a difference with this product, if anything, my make up wore off faster. It smells nasty, but only when you first spray it on. I’m going to keep using this to see if anything changes, but so far, I’m not impressed.

1/10

Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter

My never ending quest to hide my dark circles continues! Mine are pretty much permanent, no matter how much sleep I get, no matter how much water I drink, they remain. This didn’t really do the job. It’s another lip gloss applicator with two ends – one to conceal, one to highlight. This product is very fair (the highlight end being pure white) so unless you’re a pale little ghost like me, you might want to go up a shade. The concealer isn’t bad, but it fights a losing battle against my perma-circles. If you just need something to hide a couple hours lost sleep, this could be for you. I didn’t love the highlight end, it’s just so white! It doesn’t blend very well either.

3/10

Studio Pressed Powder

I actually only ordered this to get my total above £30 and qualify for the discount, but I am so glad I did! I love it. It is the first powder I’ve owned that actually gives me lasting coverage, as well as keeping the rest of make up in place. The puff it comes with is kind of useless (I also ordered a pack of ELF powder puffs and while they’re not exactly high quality, they do the job). The only thing I dislike is that it’s a little orangey, even though I ordered the lightest shade they had. I will more than likely be ordering this again.

9/10

I also ordered their Zit Zapper, Total Face Brush and their brush shampoo but I haven’t really had a chance to test them out yet. When I do, you’ll be sure to hear about it!

What do you think about these low priced products? Have you tried them? Love them? Hate them? Let me know in the comments!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and all products were purchased by myself.