The Body Shop: Almond Hand and Nail Cream

Hand cream is something I have never been that interested in, I like it and use it but that's all. Recently I started using the Body Shop's Almond Hand and Nail Cream and thought I would do a little review on it. 

"This effective daily hand cream cares for nails as well as hands and contains two manicurist’s essentials: sweet almond oil and panthenol."

I bought the smaller size at £5.00 because I wanted to try it first before buying the larger size, find out more HERE.

The Body Shop Almond Hand and Nail Cream

First off, this hand cream smells amazing and I love putting it on just for the smell. It dries in quickly which id important as I hate my hands getting everything I touch all greasy and mucky, it makes my hands feel really soft and smooth too. Although it is a nail cream as well, I haven't noticed any improvement in my nails since using it, although my nails have been in bad shape since I stopped biting them about eight years ago. Maybe it's something that will take more time and it is difficult to measure as nails get damaged everyday. 

I started off using this hand cream just at night as I hate having greasy hands, but when I gave this a chance during the day I found that it didn't leave my hands feeling greasy, just moisturised. Now I use it whenever I remember and keep this one in my bag, I think I will buy the bigger size for beside my bed and I can use that at night. 

My only criticism would be that the lid is sometimes difficult to get back on, especially with freshly moisturised hands, but it's not anything that would stop me from buying it. The tube is also flexible and allows you to roll in up and squeeze out any leftover product so nothing goes to waste. I am making a better effort with hand cream and trying to use it as often as I can, we are constantly using our hands and they will come into contact with chemicals, germs and goodness knows what so keeping them moisturised while using natural ingredients can only help protect the skin and help it to heal.

I usually bite the skin around my nails, I know it's horrible its just a bad habit that I'm trying to break, but since using this hand cream I have noticed that the appearance of them is a lot healthier looking, this could just be down to actually using hand cream more, but I love and believe in natural products and think that they might have something to do with this, either way it has encouraged me to take better care of both my hands and nails. Thank you Body Shop!

Maybelline: Falsies Mascara Black Drama Review

Today I have a review for the Maybelline Falsies Black Drama Mascara in Black, I bought this mascara in Superdrug for £7.99, it was also on a three for two offer, find out more HERE.

Maybelline Falsies Drama in Black

I have used loads of Maybelline mascaras before and they have all been pretty good, there are so many of them that I take ages to choose what ones to buy but their website http://www.maybelline.co.uk/ it great because it shows you the different effects all of their mascaras create.

Bare lashes just brushed with my MAC lash comb

With one coat of Maybelline's Falsies Black Drama Mascara

Overall I actually quite like this mascara which is no surprise because I always find that Maybelline mascaras give good results. I also really like the packaging, I love lace and think the bottle looks glam and that was actually what made me buy this mascara.

Maybelline Falsies Black Drama

The brush is pretty good, it is slightly scooped

Length: 3/5 This mascara did add some length to my lashes, my lashes are naturally long so adding length is pretty difficult for a mascara and it's not something that bothers me too much, but for those looking for any great length I don't think this one added anything remarkable.

Overall Performance: 4/5 I liked this mascara, the formula was wetter than what I normally like but it actually worked really well and didn't get all over my eyelids and face when applying. I also found the formula to be think enough that I didn't need a second coat, I haven't tried many mascaras that I have only needed one coat before. The brush is a normal bristle styled brush with a slight scoop, this made applying my mascara easier as it scooped my lashes upward all together in the same direction which seemed to help with definition and separation. It didn't clump during application but I didn't need a second coat so if a second coat was applied some clumping might occur.

The mascara didn't flake, smudge or transfer during the day and comes off easily with my normal make up wipes. Overall this mascara made my lashes look really nice, sort of fluttery and fuller, my lashes are usually so fine and I want a mascara to separate my lashes to fan them out to make them look thicker.

Volume: 3/5 This mascara added a standard amount of volume to my lashes, a more natural volume which I actually quite like. I just don't think it gave them a 'false' look. My lashes are so fine that without mascara you can't even see them (see the photo above) so this mascara did well at defining them and giving them some volume.

Expense: 3/5 For £7.99 this mascara is a good price, and for the results I got I am pleased with this mascara all in all, I don't think I would buy it again only because I have other mascaras which give me a similar effect and it's not really the look I am searching for that I can use everyday.

If you have a mascara that you would like me to review just let me know, if I can purchase it easily and afford it I would love to try it.

L.O.V.E RESULT
     13/20

Natural Collection: Lash Curl Mascara Review

The last Natural Collection Mascara I bought was the Lash Curl Mascara in Black. This mascara is only £1.99 and is usually in a three for £5 offer with the other Natural Collection products.

"Natural Collection Lash Curl Mascara lengthens and curls your eyelashes. Use this Mascara to model your lashes without the use of eyelash curlers." Find out more here.

Natural Collection Lash Curl Mascara

My bare lashes brushed with my MAC lash comb

With two coats of Natural Collection's Lash Curl Mascara

My completed look

Overall I really didn't like this mascara, I felt it did nothing for my lashes and even though I used eyelash curlers (it claims you wont need any) my lashes deflated almost instantly and I have never had a mascara that did this before, it is like it weighed them down too much.

Standard Natural Collection Packaging

Spiraling brush, you can see it holds a lot of product

Length: 1/5 This mascara added no length to my lashes, what made it even worse was the fact that it weighed them down so much it looked like I had no mascara on. Perhaps because my lashes are naturally longer and fine the wet formula was too heavy for them, any curl in my lashes I created using my normal eye lash curlers was lost almost instantly.

Overall Performance: 1/5 I was really disappointed with this mascara, it was far too wet and even when I applied a second coat it did nothing for my eye lashes. Because the formula was so wet it stuck some of my lashes together giving an uneven finish and after applying a second coat this just got worse. The brush is a normal bristle styled brush with a spiraling pattern, I like the look of the brush at the start, but I soon noticed that it held too much product and in some areas there were huge clumps of mascara. The formula was too thin and wet which did nothing for my lashes at all, it also clumped and smudged on to my upper eyelid during application. The mascara didn't flake, smudge or transfer during the day and comes off easily with my normal make up wipes. Overall this mascara made my lashes look worse and I would rather have bare lashes, the photos above don't look too bad but if you compare them to previous reviews you will see the natural length of my lashes, this mascara made them look shorter!

Volume: 1/5 This mascara didn't add any volume to my lashes, it just defined what was all ready there but at the same time weighed them down making them look shorter and stumpier. I wouldn't recommend this mascara to anyone with fine, long lashes like mine because it just weighed mine down too much and I haven't experienced this before with a mascara.

Expense: 1/5 For £1.99 this mascara is a good price, but I wouldn't pay that for this mascara based on the results I got, I'm afraid I will just throw this mascara out because I really couldn't use it again. I looked on the Boots website and this mascara had loads of great reviews on there, it goes to show that a mascara is different for everyone and you never know until you try it.


L.O.V.E RESULT
     4/20

I Love Lanolips!

For the past few months I have been using Lanolips products for my lips as a natural alternative to Vaseline. I wanted to use a more natural product because it's something I use all the time and its on my mouth so I guess I will ingest some. Although I love Vaseline and all of those little cute tins I decided to switch to Lanolips, although it is more expensive I can justify the price because it is a natural alternative and it delivers amazing results. It is currently £11.22 for a tube of this, click here to visit the Boots page to find out more.

Lanolips Original 101 Ointment

The original Lanolips 101 Ointment is fabulous! I use it on all dry or irritated skin, mostly on my lips but I have used it on elbows, cuticles and fingers, I tend to bite the skin around my finger nails I know its gross but its a bad habit of mine I'm trying to break and I find that using Lanolips on the worst areas overnight really helps them recover faster.

I currently own the Original Lanolips and the Lemon Aid Lanolips

In my Christmas stocking I got the Lanolips Lemonaid which I wanted for a while when I saw that Fleur de Force used it. I use the Lanolips Lemonaid as more of a lip gloss and more for during the day, I save my 101 Ointment for night time use and I always apply a little in the morning, obviously if my lips were really dry I would be using the 101 Ointment during the day as well.

"Rediscover the magic of lanolin in this heavy-duty, 100% natural ointment like no other. Lanolips 101 Ointment is the purest of pure wonder ointment, made with Lanolips' exclusive 100% Ultra Pure Grade Lanolin. Luxuriously creamy Lanolips 101 Ointment contains 100% pure Ultra Medical Grade Lanolin which literally melts between your fingers. This magical multi-purpose product has multiple uses such as extremely chapped lips, dry cuticles, dry, itchy skin, dry nasal passages and more. Suitable for even the most sensitive skin."

Overall I am so happy I switched to Lanolips, I use it every single day and I don't think I would ever go back to Vaseline, I also feel that with Lanolips it stays on better so it moisturises for longer. I would definitely give these a go if you're looking for a natural alternative or if your just looking to try something new out, this would also be amazing for those who suffer from dry or chapped lips, having a natural product may help your lips and skin heal better and improve their condition.

Natural Collection: Lash Length Mascara Review

The next Natural Collection Mascara I bought was the Lash Length Mascara in Black. This one sells for £1.99, I also bought it in a three for two offer which is on in Boots a few times during the year. Also with a lot of the Natural Collection Products you can buy three for £5.

"Natural Collection Lash Length Mascara creates smooth eyelashes by coating them thinly and evenly-emphasizing even the shortest lashes.  For stunning length and definition to your lashes use Natural Collection Lash Length Mascara." Click here to find out more about this mascara.

Natural Collection Lash Length Mascara

My bare lashes brushed with my MAC lash comb

With two coats of Natural Collection's Lash Length Mascara

My completed look

Overall this mascara didn't give my lashes the look I was after, I felt it clumped quite a lot and gave me an uneven finish. It added a small amount of length to my lashes but nothing amazing even though I applied two coats.

Standard Natural Collection Packaging

I liked the brush of this one but it didn't comb my lashes through very well which lead to clumping

Length: 2/5 This mascara didn't really add much length to my lashes, definitely not as much as it claims. Any length I did get I had to apply a second coat which clumped really badly and got all over my eye lids and was just a mess as the formula was too wet.

Overall Performance: 2/5 I don't think this mascara performed very well, it clumped a lot during application and when I was finished applying it, it still looked clumpy. I had to apply two coats to get any effect and this came with a lot of clumping, I think the style of the brush held a lot of product and didn't comb through the lashes very well. The brush is standard but slightly more point and all of the bristles are the same length gradually getting shorter, the bristles are quite tightly spaced together, I think this made the clumping worse because it didn't separate the lashes at all. The formula was too wet and during application it got all over my eye lids and below my eyes. Although the mascara didn't flake or smudge during the day my lashes did deflate after a few hours of application making them difficult to see at all, I prefer a mascara to hold my lashes in a curl all day, this is the first mascara I have tried that deflated at such a quick rate. It did come off easily with my normal make up wipes.

Volume: 2/5 Although this mascara doesn't claim to add any volume to the lashes, it gave me some volume to a certain extent, however I feel this may be down to the clumping and I would much prefer a smoother effect to my lashes.

Expense: 2/5 For £1.99 this mascara is well priced but for the price I paid and results I got I wouldn't use this mascara again and I definitely wont buy it again. It does get loads of great reviews on the Boots website and I'm sure this mascara works wells for some people, it just didn't work for me.

L.O.V.E RESULT
     8/20

Natural Collection: Lash Build Mascara Review

A few days ago I bought some of the Natural Collection Mascaras, they were on three for two and I have some points to spend on my Boots Advantage Card. This mascara retails at £1.99 which is a great price, this collection is also often on a three for two offer in Boots. The first one I tried was the Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara in Black.

"Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara glides on smooth to build great-looking lashes. Perfect for those with sparse & short lashes. Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara creates thicker lashes for extra volume." Click here if you want to find out more about this mascara.

Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara

My bare lashes brushed with my MAC lash comb

With two coats of Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara in Black

My completed look

Overall this mascara was fine, it didn't really give me enough definition and volume despite applying two coats, however it did give me a really nice, soft natural look to my lashes and some people like this natural look so it would be great for those who want this look.

The packaging is standard and the same as all the Natural Collection Mascaras

The brush is very standard with lots of bristles and I found it held a lot of product but didn't clump

Length: 3/5 This mascara didn't add any length to my natural lashes although this mascara doesn't claim to be a lengthening one I did like the effect it gave my lashes, it defined them without clumping but I don't think this would be suitable for those with shorter lashes looking for length.

Overall Performance: 3/5 This mascara performed well to an extent, it didn't clump at all even while applying a second coat, I did feel that the second coat made no difference to the appearance of my lashes. The brush is very standard and is thicker at the bottom and peaks at the top, the brush held a lot of product which I though would lead to clumping but amazingly, it didn't. I found the consistency of the formula to be slightly too watery, I don't mean too wet because it wasn't I just felt that the formula was too thin and didn't make any difference when applying a second coat of mascara, however it did give me a nice natural look and this would be great if this was the kind of look you were looking for. It separated my lashes nicely which again gave a nice natural look to my lashes, fine for days I'm not doing much. The mascara didn't flake, smudge or transfer during the day and comes off easily with my normal make up wipes. Overall the formula just wasn't build-able which the mascara claims to be.

Volume: 1/5 Unfortunately for a lash building and volumising mascara this one just didn't deliver what was promised. I feel I didn't get any added volume to my lashes, close up in the photos above it looks decent but if you were further away you couldn't make out my lashes. Don't get me wrong I did like the natural look and I can use this look on days I don't make as much of an effort, but I think for a volumising mascara this just wasn't good enough for me, but if you just want to define your natural lashes or want a really natural look then it might be worth giving this one a go.

Expense: 3/5 For £1.99 this mascara is well priced, but the price I paid and results I got, I couldn't justify buying this one again, that being said I did like the look it gave to my lashes, it separated them and defined them giving me a lovely natural look and I will use this mascara again until I have used it up.

L.O.V.E RESULT
     10/20

 

 

Chanel Beaute Des Cils Mascara Base

Last week I bought the Chanel Beaute Des Cils Mascara Base because my Dior one needed replaced and I thought I would try a different one for a change. I never bothered with mascara primers before but I decided to try the Dior one about six months ago and now I think they are fantastic! They are great for days you need your make up to last longer and they really help to hold your lashes in place all day, some primers are also enriched with lash caring ingredients which is beneficial for the condition of your lashes. You can also wear some of these lash caring primers at night although I never have.

Chanel Beaute Des Cils

The Chanel primer was £24 which is expensive but I wanted to try it for ages and the Dior one I normally use is £23 so its not a huge difference in price for me, also because you don't need to use it everyday it lasts longer so you don't need to buy it all the time.

"Beaute Des Cils is the 'specific beauty care' for lashes to be used on its own or as a primer. Worn under mascara, it intensifies and prolongs the makeup effect. Applied daily, it protects and acts like a rejuvenating treatment thanks to its nourishing and fortifying formula. Watch your lashes grow stronger." Find out more here.

Without Chanel Beaute Des Cils

With Chanel Beaute Des Cils

You can see the consistency and how it really coats your lashes, after a while it dries clear however some thicker areas of the primer stay white so I wouldn't recommend using this on it's own during the day. After it has dried applying mascara is easier as I usually find I only need the one coat but if you don't let it dry fully I feel like you just wipe it off with your mascara.

Chanel Beaute Des Cils

Brush Applicator

Overall I do like this primer it's just I think I prefer my Diorshow one as I feel it gives better results and I prefer the brush of my Diorshow Maximizer because it really holds my lashes in place all day, I feel that with the Chanel one they do lose some of their shape as the day goes on, not a huge amount but enough to notice the difference between this and my Diorshow Maximizer. The Chanel one is really good though and I will use it up but the next time I run out I will go back to my trusty Diorshow Primer. I also feel that the Diorshow Maximizer gives my lashes a bit more volume than the Chanel Beaut Des Cils. These are the only two eye lash primers I have used so let me know what your favourite one is so I can try others.

Tanya Burr Lip Glosses

Today my Tanya Burr Lip Glosses arrived from Superdrug! You can view her full range here on the Superdrug website. I have wanted these since they came out and I finally ordered a couple for £6.99 each which is a good price for a quality lip gloss. There is a great range of colours available and they all have the best names!

Tanya Burr Lip Gloss

The colours I ordered were, Picnic in the Park and Just Peachy, I just choose these colours from viewing the pictures on the website, from what I have heard they are really pigmented so I thought the colours would be true.

Left- Picnic in the Park, Right- Just Peachy

Just Peachy is a pale peachy, pink colour, I think it may be slightly too pale for me but I don't currently own a pale/nude pink lip colour so I'm glad I have this now to try out some new looks. 

Just Peachy

Picnic in the Park is my favourite of the two, I just love the colour its a brighter more coral, pink so its great for a fresh spring look.

Picnic in the Park

The glosses are a nice consistency with amazing pigmentation, the colour you see in the bottle is the colour that come off of the wand. It lasts as long as you would expect a lip gloss to last, especially a non-sticky one and because the pigment is so strong the colour lasts a lot longer on your lips and sort of stains the lips even when the gloss has worn off. I love Picnic in the Park it is just beautiful I am going to wear it all the time now and I can't wait to buy more of Tanya Burr's lip gloss collection! 

Love Lashes x

Welcome to Love Lashes x...

So a bit about me, my name is Melanie, I'm currently studying a BA in Media and Communications, I live with my fiancé in Scotland. I'm obsessed with fashion, make up, beauty, healthy living and everything that sparkles!

I am a huge mascara junkie, I buy it all the time cos' I'm constantly in search of that one holy grail mascara. I have tried hundreds, literally hundreds, of mascaras and still haven't found the one, and at the same time I forget which ones I have already tried... so I buy them again. What better way to remember than to actually document them all right here on Love Lashes x, maybe that way other mascara enthusiasts can benefit from my reviews (with pictures) as well. I love make up and beauty in general, so if I do feel the need, I will branch off from mascaras and let you know about other products I have tried and tested too.

I want to try every mascara out there... maybe that's a little excessive, but as many as I can at least, from the most expensive designer brands to the cheaper drugstore ones, if there is a mascara you want me to review just let me know, I'm open to suggestions.