Avon SuperExtend Mascara Review

Avon isn't really a brand that I've ever really considered using. Probably because its not available to buy in stores (as far as I know) and it's not really talked about as much as it should be. My sister in law recently became an Avon representative and gave me a catalogue to have a look through. I've not shopped at Avon before and besides occasionally dipping into my mums makeup when I was younger, I don't think I've really ever tried any of their products. It's is the kind of brand that I always associated with mums and with a more mature audience, recently though I feel like they have been marketing towards a younger audience.

So I was surprised to find when flicking through the catalogue that there was actually quite a few products that I was interested in trying. As it happens the mascara I was currently using had pretty much completely dried up, heartbreaking I know. So I decided to steer away from the brands I usually go for and try something completely new. I know how to live guys. 

I went for the SuperExtend winged out mascara because I love the look of long winged out lashes. I love winged eyeliner as well but I just cannot get the hang of it, practice makes perfect I guess! Also one of my favourite mascaras is Maybelines The Falsies, I love the way this wings out my lashes so I was hoping for a similar effect from Avon SuperExtend mascara.

And I was not disappointed! This mascara is available in 2 shades, blackest black and brown/black. I went for blackest black because I like black mascara that is actually black and I don't like mascara that's a bit wishy-washy. Like I always say, go bold or go home! (I have never said that in my life) 

The product goes on well and isn't at all clumpy, its actually quite a thin liquid. The downside to this is it takes a bit of building to get thicker lashes but if you are lucky enough to be born with thick eye lashes then this wont be much of a problem. What this mascara is great at doing though is lengthening and as promised, it is pretty good at winging out my lashes. 

The wand is quite small with small bristles which means it is great for catching even your smaller lashes. I's also found it much easier to do my bottom lashes with this mascara compared to ones I've used in the past. Even if I didn't use this on my top lashes I would probably reach for this when it's time to do the bottom set. I like to keep my bottom lashes quite natural looking but since my lashes are blonde, I like to put something on there and this does the trick!

It lasts well and doesn't go flaky during the day and leave you with those super attractive black speckles under your eye. It's not waterproof but still has good staying power and isn't going to start streaming down your face the second your eye starts to water. 

The packaging, to me, looks a little more high-end and almost a bit more 'grown-up' than the mascaras I usually go for. Not that that's a big decider for me at least but still something to consider.

It can be quite subtle and great for everyday wear but also be built up to be a little more dramatic. This mascara wont be replacing my favourites but I'll definitely be using this in the future. 

xxx

Freedom Pro Brow Review

I only started filling my eyebrows in a few months ago and I really don't know why I didn't start earlier. The reason I started was because I dyed my hair a darker colour. My natural hair is blonde and unfortunately with blonde hair, comes blonde eyebrows! They didn't look too bad when my hair was blonde, they weren't great but not awful! Then I died my hair an warm amber colour and they just looked kind of  cold and washed out...so then I decided it was time to start filling them in. 

I started using a matt eye shadow to fill them in but it was a little dark so I only did it very lightly and couldn't really fill them in or shape them properly. So when I was out shopping with my friend (who is a little obsessed with eyebrows) I bought some brow powder. We were in Superdrug and to be honest there wasn't that much of a selection for lighter brows. I wanted my brows darker but I felt like a brown would be a bit to dark, not to mention that it would be a bit of a drastic change, going from blonde brows to dark brown. 

Luckily I found this brow powder from Freedom. I hadn't even heard of the brand before but it was super cheap so I thought I might as well give it a go! And well, I've used it pretty much every day since. I was actually surprised how good it was for the price and I feel like a lot of people wouldn't pick this up, simply because they would assume this wasn't a good prouduct. 

I find that you sometimes have to use quite a bit to get good coverage but this isnt a big issue. Saying that, it goes a long way, I bought this one around Christmas and as you can see I've barely made a dent. It also stays put, another thing I was really surprised about because most of my make up seems to wear a lot during the day. I think a main reason for this is because I walk to work and back but this prouduct seems to withstand the wind, rain and sweat. Pretty gross I know but my eyebrow area seems to sweat more than the rest of me, which makes the prouduct even more fabulous. 

They also have a great range of shades, which you don't always get with drug store brands, especially when it comes to eyebrows. There are 11 different shades to choose from so you'll definitely find a shade for you. Blonde is the lightest shade available. As well as the duos, they also have single pots of shadows. These come in the same shades as the duos but they don't have the lighter shade. I'll probably go with one of these next time as I don't tend to use the lighter shade in the duo. 

This prouduct is definitely worth a try and with a great selection of shades in both the duo and the single shadows, you'll find one to suit you. The duos are currently £3 in Superdrug and the single shadows are £5. Maybe you'll find a new favourite! 

xxx

Urban Decay Primer Potion Comparison

I was lucky enough to receive the Naked Palette for Christmas last year, it still feels odd saying last year! I also received samples of 4 of the Urban Decay eye primers. I wasn't actually aware that there was more than one version of the Primer Potion but it was great to actually try these all out so I could decide which one was best for me. I've used different ones over the past month and I'm going to share my thoughts on each, they're actually all very different!

I'll start with the original... This primer differs from the next two I'm going to talk about as it dries transparent. It helps to even out the skin tone across your lid but wont add any colour. This is one of my favourites of the four. I think this would be a good one to go for if you tend to wear different types of eye-shadow as it would work for shimmery or matt shadows.

Next is Eden. I'm really torn between this and the original primer. This primer dries a nude colour which I find is really great as a base and helps to make nude colours stand out a bit more. It just kind of gives you a clean slate to work with. It is matt, which is great for me as I tend to stick to matt shadows on a day to day basis. If you're into your shimmers and glitters then this might not be the best for you.

The complete opposite of this is the third primer, Sin. This is a shimmery primer which is a pinky colour, its actually similar to the shade Sin in the first Naked Palette. This primer really helps to make shimmery shadows pop and look that little bit more shimmery. It's actually a really nice colour all on its own!

The least used primer was the Anti-Ageing primer. I didn't use this much simply because it's not a prouduct that's really aimed at my skin type. It is similar to the Original primer because it dries transparent. Its a different texture which actually makes it a little easier to apply. This is thinner and less tacky than the others, this feels more like a moisturiser. I don't know if this has any effect on the staying power of the shadow but it seemed to work just as well.

I am so torn between whether to go with the original or Eden. I'm thinking I'll probably end up going for Original to start with, simply because it is a bit more versatile. Of course there's always the option of getting both...