Mascara Drama: Revlon's Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara

Revlon's Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara

It has been a while since my last blog post. I've been busy trying new products, attending makeup sessions in London and working away like a busy bee! So to mark my return, I wanted to share with you all a mascara which has recently hit the market in the UK.

When I bought Revlon's Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara, from the in-store display, I thought it promised to encourage your own eyelashes to grow longer. Products to encourage eyelash growth have been on the market for a while, but when I saw this mascara on the high street I naturally had to try it and tipped my hat to Revlon for their ingenuity. I've always been told that my eyelashes are pretty long anyway (one makeup artist actually asked me if I had used a product to encourage growth - that's actually when I discovered that such products even existed) but there is no harm in trying to get them longer!

Anyway, on closer inspection of the product and the fact that there is no indication of how long it should take for the lashes to demonstrate growth, I realised that in fact the product does not promise to encourage lash growth, but actually just promises to volumise your lashes, and has a conditioner to keep your lashes, well, .... conditioned. I suppose the caveat to this clever marketing is that Revlon promises that the mascara has a "lash enhancing complex that conditions your lashes day after day" which I suppose in turn could be taken to encourage growth because conditioned lashes are more likely to grow longer? I'm making this up as I go along... It is a bit of cheek really, because I was gunning for a revolutionary product from Revlon but in spite of all the promises, I think it is generally just a shoddy mascara. I am kicking myself really - I should have known better but I was fooled by the packaging and the marketing. It doesn't do a lot for my lashes and the wand as well as the brush head both feel and look cheap. The mascara makes my lashes clump a bit but in a 'sticky' way that is difficult to separate - that must be the conditioner getting to work...

Anyway, I'm going to give the mascara another go to see if I can be persuaded. After all, it was £9.99, and so far doesn't stand up to my favourite mascara at the moment Max Factor's 2000 Calories Mascara which is a snip at £7.99 (I absolutely LOVE it). There is a recommended technique to applying Revlon's Grow Luscious mascara which I have not yet tried; namely, you are meant to apply just to the tips first and allow to dry, then reapply by wiggling from the roots. I launched straight in with wiggling from the roots when I used it, so maybe a change of technique will produce better results. Will update you all to let you know how I get on.

xXx

Let me know if you have tried this mascara, and tell me your thoughts...

Budget Buy: Maybelline's Fit Me Foundation

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation

You might have read in one of my previous blog posts, that I used Maybelline's Fit Me Foundation on both myself and my model Jane and loved it. So, I thought I'd share a more detailed review of the product here on my blog.

I purchased the foundations in three shades from each end of the spectrum, starting with a pale and slightly pinky toned Ivory 115, a medium and middle of the road Buff Beige 130 and a darker toned Caramel 350 which I could use to mix with the other two if I wanted a darker shade. I wanted a foundation that wasn't going to break the bank while I practice techniques but also one that was actually good, as there is no point using poor quality products even if only practicing. The foundations came at a snip at £7.99 each and they were on offer of 3 for 2, so I took the plunge and bought them, hoping they would work nicely.

I've always been dubious about products that promise to match your specific skin colour, as I couldn't really see how a product that has a certain colour pigment is suddenly going to adapt to your skin colour as soon as it is applied. But I've got to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I found the foundation to provide pretty flawless and yet natural coverage. The texture is silky and when applied used a stippling brush (by far my favourite brush at the moment) blends into skin beautifully.

Maybelline actually advertises the product as a "transluscent gel based formula merg[ing] seamlessly with your skin", and quite frankly, I think their product designers and marketing buffs have hit the nail on the head on this one. I don't know if a huge part of the reason why I love this foundation so much is because I have miraculously, for once, chosen the correct colour shade for my skin, or whether the foundation is just true to its word and does in fact merge seamlessly into the skin. I think it is most likely a combination of the two.

The added bonus about this foundation (now I am addicted to it and wear Buff Beige 130 straight out of the bottle, no mixing involved) is that it lasts all day. Even though I am a chronic and regular 'face toucher' (my own face that is!) Maybelline Fit Me foundation literally stays put on my face all day long. Its going to take a lot to wean me off this one.

So, I'm going to apply a second coat of foundation tonight, over the top of my day makeup, before I head out on the town in the confidence that I know it will last all evening...

xXx

Have you used this product? What are your thoughts?