smudge Archives - Irish Beauty Blog Beautynook

Essence Lash Princess Mascara Waterproof

Well hello there, it’s been a minute or two since I put fingers to keys and wrote a blogpost! Life, lack of creativity and well the lack of people tuning into them all contributed to it in all honesty. But sure no harm in letting my creative juices out every so often, I like writing 🙂 I picked up the new Essence Lash Princess Mascara, the waterproof version, pretty much upon its release. I always use waterproof mascara and people had such good things to say about the other formulas. And it was less than a fiver! I got mine in Penneys.

From the get go, the Essence Lash Princess Mascara (waterproof), was for me. I don’t use waterproof mascara, because I think I can dunk my head in water and be ok, although some formulas are reasonably good for that. I use it to hold a curl in my straight, boring lashes.

This mascara is quite a thick consistency and it has a bristle spoolie, which usually my lashes don’t like as much. In this instance they do though.

You get volume from the first application of this mascara. A lot of product goes on to your lashes. I don’t find that it weighs mine down in anyway, but it can clump. That is something to be wary of.

It provides volume and length really quickly and holds a curl, so it ticks all the lash boxes for me.

It can flake a little after a few hours of wear, but I don’t find that it transfers too much. I don’t use it on my bottom lashes, I find the wand to cumbersome for that. I stick to my trusted Mac Extended Play for that.

The Essence Lash Princess Mascara waterproof is a damn good mascara though. It gives maximum impact with very little effort. I curl my lashes and apply a couple of coats and I’m done. I don’t feel the need to layer too much more for a long, (well as long as my lashes can go) lashed look 🙂

Have you tried it yet? Are you a fan of the original? Let me know.

xxx

July 16, 2019/by Gem

Makeup

theBalm Mad Lash Mascara

You know I love me some waterproof mascara. If I’m talking non waterproof it’s generally because it’s really bad or really good. For me, theBalm Mad Lash Mascara is really good!

I used it for the first time in a video here using all theBalm products. You can see there that I was impressed from the get-go!

I don’t talk too much about mascara here, because I tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to them. Which is not very good when you class yourself as a beauty blogger I know. But I just have crap lashes generally. They’re straight and a bit lack lustre. So when I find something I like I tend to stick to it on a day to day basis. But, I do try lots, I just don’t talk about them because they don’t work for me. However theBalm Mad Lash Mascara does!

Reviews are obviously up for interpretation and subject to what you look for. For me, a plastic spoolie generally works better. Not all of the time, but, alot of the time.

I like when the bristles are small-ish and there’s plenty of them. It means you get a good amount of product on the lashes, but it doesn’t get too goopy and out of control.

As I have naturally straight lashes, I always curl them, unless I have a lash lift. If I have a lash lift, other formulas can work for me too, as they don’t necessarily hold a curl. theBalm Mad Lash has a tubing formula, I believe. So it forms a tube of mascara around each lash. It means it will hold the shape and also tends to be easier to remove than waterproof at the end of the day too.

On my lashes, this mascara ticks all the boxes. It elongates them, gives me volume with a smidge of clumping (I kind of dig that look), and above all holds a curl, this is the thing I want most.

The formula doesn’t smudge when I use it on my top lashes. I can get a bit of smudging on the lower ones, but I’m actually a bit of a mascara brat and tend to use a separate formula on my bottom lashes. (I love the Mac Extended Play, review here).

Overall, I am a fan of theBalm Mad Lash. If you like a bit of clump with your volume and curl, I think you would be too. It is available now from Debenhams in store or online here. What do you think?

xxx

********PR SAMPLE*********

January 1, 2018/by Gem

Makeup

Blue Eyeliner – Beautynook Obsession

I’ve always had a bit of an obsession with blue eyeliner, but as of late, it has gotten a bit out of control 🙂 I am perfectly OK with my obsession. It is a bit of fun, and adds a bit of interest to a simple makeup look.

The 80’s called and said, ‘Well done you’re doing a better job with it than we did!’ 🙂

Aqua or turquoise tend to be my blue eyeliner shades of choice, but I do dabble in other hues.

My most recent favourite and probably the one that gets the most questions, is the Inglot AMC Gel Liner in 70.

This is more of a matte sky blue.

Inglot gel liners are some of the best I’ve ever used. They last so well and come in a plethora of colours. I use this mostly in my waterline for a fun pop of colour. But a slick of it on the top lash line and lashings of mascara, looks awesome too!

TOP TIP: If your gel liner is starting to dry out, use something like Inglot Duraline. (Review here). Or Paese Drop & Fix to bring it back to life.

The shade that sparked my turquoise obsession was the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in ‘Electric’. This is just the perfect vivid turquoise shade with a bit of sparkle I have ‘Gonzo’ too which is similar, but matte.

The Urban Decay Pencils are super creamy and last really well. A lot of more affordable brands do their own awesome version of this shade.

I have two here from Essence and Note Cosmetics that I love aswell.

I use this shade the same as I would the sky blue. On the top lash line and in the waterline. I love to smudge it out on the lower lash line too, even with some matching shadow on top to intensify it.

Now I can’t talk about blue eyeliner and not throw navy into the mix. It’s such a great alternative to black or brown.

I did have a liquid one, but I seem to have misplaced it (duh). I love a navy winged line, I think it looks great on all eye colours. It adds a hint of something different without being over the top dramatic. It works beautifully in the water line, and on the lower lash line too though. These ones are from Barry M and another one of the Essence Longlasting Eye Pencils.

I would like to thank my lovely blogging pal Sinéad from The Beautiful Truth for inspiring this post. She has been killing the blue liner at the mo. And the lovely Yav aka Makeup Monster. I had put a pic of all of the blue in my collection up on my Instagram a little while ago. It was her that told me I need to write a post. Thanks gals 🙂

The only question left to ask is….would you rock blue eyeliner?

xxx

July 26, 2017/by Gem

Makeup

Mac Extended Play Lash

Ok, this is probably the most ridiculous posts I will every write, but hear me out 🙂 I have spoke about this before in other posts aswell as on social media. I do not justify it, but I use TWO mascaras generally on a daily basis! Madness I know. I want something that holds a curl, lengthens and defines up top. Down below, I want something that lengthens, separates and doesn’t flake or smudge. This is where the Mac Extended Play Lash comes in.

Now I will say I don’t always repurchase it. I don’t find it does great things for my top lashes. For me, it’s just OK. I much prefer the likes of Catrice Glam & Doll Waterproof which I have an old review of here, or my ride or die Fairydrops Scandal Queen mascara, review here. Scandal Queen does hold tight on the bottom lashes but I find the brush a bit cumbersome and the formula a bit thick for my sparse hairs.

When I bite the bullet and reintroduce Mac Extended Play Lash into my routine, I just fall in love with it all over again. It’s a treat for my bottom lashes. And they deserve it, they don’t have a lot going on in their lives!

Extended Play just works so well, so every once in a while, I choose to be apologetically extra and pick one up. The wand is thin and reasonably small, so it makes it easy to really get in and coat all of the hairs. The formula is quite wet which I think is beneficial for your lower lashes because you can really pack the product on without it clumping or making the hairs bunch together. It does a really good job (for me anyways) of making my bottom lashes look longer and so much fuller. I generally have pretty boring short lashes naturally.

The one thing that makes me buy it again and again though is that it doesn’t budge when you put it on, but the waterproof formula is not a pain to get off either. On me, it never flakes or smudges on my lower lash line. I’ve never had this with any other mascara except probably the Clinique Bottom Lash.

Of course people use it on their top lashes as well and love it, but it really has become a bit of a cult bottom lash mascara. I think it’s fair to say I bloody love it 🙂

You can buy Mac Extended Play Lash in Mac and Brown Thomas in store. Or online from BT here. It costs €20. So tell me, do you think I’m crazy? 🙂

xxx

January 18, 2017/by Gem

Makeup

Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara

Yep, every time I find a new mascara that I like, it becomes my favourite, I know, I know. But honestly, the Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara is my new favourite 🙂

I have seen this spoken about so much online, but never really thought much about getting my mitts on it with it being an elusive Asian brand. A couple of weeks back, I did a post here on my favourite places to beauty shop online. I was going through the index on Cult Beauty and low and behold I see it for sale.

The Fairydrops Scandal Queen mascara went into my basket, no hesitation whatsoever. I was in need of a new mascara (says the beauty blogger), so that was justification enough for me 🙂 It is one of the best selling mascaras in Japan and was actually created by a Japanese ‘television personality’.

First off the packaging is super pretty. Anything metallic rose gold and I’m pretty much sold anyways.

This is the waterproof version, but the Fairydrops Scandal Queen comes in a non waterproof version too here.

The Cult Beauty synopsis of it is: ‘How much do we *heart* Fairydrops Scandal Queen Waterproof Mascara? Let us list the ways… Its wibbly-looking wand is ‘ooooh’ inducing, and guarantees that not a single lash escapes its curling, coating and conditioning clutches. The unique shape lifts and separates whilst fattening and lengthening each eyelash thanks to little (non-irritating) fibres. The smudge-, budge- and water-resistant formula is enriched with five different treatment essences – squalene, jojoba seed oil, panthenol, hydrolysed collagen and moisturising hyaluronic acid – to counteract brittleness and leave lashes looking lustrous. Aaaaaand innovative film-forming polymers have a long-lasting ‘perming’ effect, to ‘open up’ eyes and create an enviable set of full on, fluttering fringes (without the faff of falsies). Oh, and the rose gold tube is utterly covetable. Need we say more?’

That’s alot of waffle I know, but it gives a more specific explanation of the mascara so I wanted to add it in 🙂

It has a soft bristled wand that has three spheres, not the best explanation but sure we’ll go with it. It’s more of a you have to see it spooley.

The unusual shape does take a bit of getting used to, but once you do you can use the spheres (we’re calling them spheres for the purpose of this blogpost, k?) to your advantage.

The one on the tip of the spooley is great for getting in at the small inner lashes and for flaring out the outer lashes too.

The formula, in my humble opinion is pretty bloody awesome. It layers really well without completely clumping up, holds a curl, adds fibrous length and doesn’t budge! It doesn’t crumble or make your lashes feel hard either!

So, here is the Fairydrops Scandal Queen mascara in action on my slightly curled eyelashes:

Before.

Applied to top lashes on one eye.

It’s brilliant for the bottom lashes too and because the wand is really light, it’s not too difficult to coat all of the baby hairs that live down there 🙂

It’s clear to see I am a fan I know. Sorry for all of the gushing, but I love it ha!

The Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara in waterproof is available from Cult Beauty here and costs £18.50.

xxx

August 12, 2016/by Gem

Makeup

Nyx Micro Brow Pencil

I had seen the Nyx Micro Brow Pencil when Nyx first released them all over social media. I was still using my Soap & Glory Archery pencil and was happy with it and although we now have Nyx stands in Ireland, we rarely get the new releases in store, so I couldn’t see it in the flesh. Then, I saw Sinead from The Beautiful Truth raving about it and had fomo, so I ended up picking it up.

And may I add, I am so glad that I did.

I’ve done the Anastasia Brow Wiz in the past. It’s a great pencil, but the damn thing just kept breaking on me. I think I lost probably half of the pencil to the floor. They’re not cheap, so that wasn’t ideal. I then discovered the Soap & Glory Archery Pencil, a very similar looking pencil. I love it, but it only comes in three shades.

The Nyx Micro Brow Pencil is super similar to both of these.

One one end is a spooley which is always appreciated.

Then, the other end contains the retractable brow pencil.

The pencil itself has a really fine nib.

I like my brow pencil to have a bit of hardness to it, so you can draw onto the skin without it crumbling and so you have control over what you are doing.

I have the shade ‘Ash Brown’. I did some googling and looked at some swatches beforehand and I got lucky, it works really well for me. I would deem it a neutral brown so no red or warmness to it.

You can buy Nyx online from Boots here and they have 8 shades to choose from. I ordered my Nyx Micro Brow Pencil from Asos here. They have 7 shades and I got free shipping because I ordered a few other things aswell.

The Nyx Micro Pencil definitely ticks all of them boxes for me. I have been using this for a good solid month now and the pencil has yet to break, it’s pigmented and easy to apply. It works really well for days where you just want to do the bare minimum to your brows or when you really want to beef them up.

So here it is in action:

My Brow With No Product

I Comb Through With The Spooley Before Application

I always hold my brow pencil with a loose grip and quite far back to get a lighter application.

Before

After

My brows are quite frankly a pain in the arse. I try in vein for a little symmetry and I rarely get it. I find with the Nyx Micro Brow Pencil, it’s a little easier to achieve some sort of brow shape that doesn’t make me want to cry. That alone is worth a tenner in my book 🙂

The formula does set, but you get a little play time beforehand. For some reason I get super oily around my brow area so I would usually then set the pencil with powder which I still do most of them time. But I have used the Nyx Micro Brow Pencil on it’s own to test it out throughout the day and it lasted really well on me. No smudging or oxidizing.

I think it’s safe to say I’m a big fan and now that we are getting our own Boots Nyx stand in Liffey Valley (opening the 4th of August apparently), hopefully we’ll be able to buy in store very soon too. Wohoo!!

xxx

June 22, 2016/by Gem

Posts

Have you tried it yet? Are you a fan of the original? Let me know.

xxx

You know I love me some waterproof mascara. If I’m talking non waterproof it’s generally because it’s really bad or really good. For me, theBalm Mad Lash Mascara is really good!

Overall, I am a fan of theBalm Mad Lash. If you like a bit of clump with your volume and curl, I think you would be too. It is available now from Debenhams in store or online here. What do you think?

xxx

I’ve always had a bit of an obsession with blue eyeliner, but as of late, it has gotten a bit out of control 🙂 I am perfectly OK with my obsession. It is a bit of fun, and adds a bit of interest to a simple makeup look.

TOP TIP: If your gel liner is starting to dry out, use something like Inglot Duraline. (Review here). Or Paese Drop & Fix to bring it back to life.

Yep, every time I find a new mascara that I like, it becomes my favourite, I know, I know. But honestly, the Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara is my new favourite 🙂

And may I add, I am so glad that I did.