Paul & Joe, Eye & Lip Make-Up Remover

I've never tried anything by this brand. However, where I live I haven't seen anything I could buy from the company. I found this online and thought I should try at least one of their products. As I needed a remover this is what I opted for, although it says Eye & Lip I only used it for the eyes as I tend to use a wipe on the lips to remove excess lip product when removing my makeup.

The formula is rather odd; it has the consistency of oily water, that seemed to absorb straight into the skin with no residue or tackiness. With this I instantly thought that this would dry up too fast to remove any mascara or eye products, wet and removal go hand in hand in my mind. Shockingly, this did remove eye makeup rather well I would say three swipes of the eye and a little clean up and done!
The true test came when I tried the formula on waterproof mascara, this didn't fare as well as others have; it seemed to need lots of product on a pad and I did have to rub a little longer and harder to remove the makeup.
The smell was neutral, I'm sure there is some scent but I could smell nothing - so very inoffensive.
The after effect was lovely the eye area did feel really soft and the formula did not dry out the skin around the eye, very caring and gentle. I received no sting to the eye area and no burning.

Overall, this product is good on non waterproof make up, it's gentle and softening on the eye area and let's not forget the bottle is amazing. It looks so pretty on the dressing table and probably is refillable, so the price tag I paid did not really bother me too much. I probably would not buy this again as I know of better removers but in my opinion for the bottle alone I didn't mind buying it for the presentation aspect.

The Body Shop - Lip and Eye Liner's

£8.00/ 1.25g (each)
www.thebodyshop.co.uk
Made in the UK.
Eye Liner available in 5 different shades.
Lip Liner available in 7 different shades.

While I was in The Body Shop, I came across these liners. For some strange reason, I've never tried their lip or eye liners and not really heard anything about them. I thought I would pop a few in my basket and give them a try.  I've been using them for just over two weeks and tried all of the colours to create different day and evening looks.

I picked a bright pillar box red lip liner, called '13 - Rosy Red'. I have amassed many red lipsticks, so I knew that this shade would match at least a few.
When I first opened this the colour impressed me, it looked so pretty and stunning that I took a moment to enjoy the shade.
Application of the lip liner really didn't impress me though.  It claims that it has a soft texture, however, it was a hard pencil (like a drawing pencil). I found it scratchy and rough; I had to really drag it along to get any colour onto my lip line. When I did, it had good pigmentation and a very sharp out line.
I loved the colour, it matched quite a few lipsticks I tried it with, the lip liner stayed on for hours without smudging, or wearing off (even with drinking and eating). My lipstick came off before this lip liner did. It impressed me how solid the line remained and how long it stayed on the lips for. I began to appreciate these benefits and see past the application.
It had a nice even wear so it wasn't patchy or missing in bits. It did reduce lipstick bleed I noticed that my lipstick stayed sharper and neater without blurring out. I think this is a product that I will have a love/ hate relationship with.

(L-R) Rosy Red / Glowing Amethyst / Brilliant Blue / Shimmering Steel / Vibrant Emerald.

In the Metallic Eye Definer's, I picked up four different shades. I have tried many different metallic liners and I haven't found one that I liked. They were either a great eye liner but not very metallic; very sheer or didn't work at all giving no colour pay off. So I wasn't getting my expectations up too high for these liners either.
I was pleasantly surprised when I used it though as it had amazing pigmentation and it was truly metallic. I had found my metallic eye liner that did what it said it would and did it brilliantly.
The liner glided on very smoothly and gently, with no tugging or pulling. It gave me even and smooth coverage with great colour pay off and an intense metallic effect that really made my eyes light up and sparkle.
It is an excellent liner, usable on water line and tight line, as well as upper lid. The formula is water resistant, so the liner stayed put for hours before having to re-apply. I would repurchase these liners without a second thought. Simply beautiful for both day and night.

Left - Artificial Lighting / Right - Natural Daylight

Both products contain Fair Trade Marula oil. They source this from the 'Eudafano Women’s Co-Operative' (which helps women earn a fair income) in Namibia.The Body Shop are also Cruelty Free, none of their products are tested on animals. I enjoy the fact that the company are ethically minded; this makes me feel comfortable with the products that I am using and feel fair towards the source and people who created the product.

I hope you enjoyed this look at The Body Shop's liners. Feel free to let me know if you have tried them and what your thoughts on them were below in the comments section. x

B. Stunning - Vibrant Eye Shimmer

£6.99/ 1g.  www.superdrug.com

• Suitable for vegetarians & vegans.

• Available in 10 different shades.

• Shade shown: 057 - Copper.
• Dermatologically approved.

B. are an exclusive range available at Superdrug. The range includes skin care and cosmetics; all are suitable for vegetarians/ vegans and are paraben free. None of their products are tested on animals, they are a 100% cruelty free company.

'B. Stunning' is a range of luxurious cream eyeshadows, that give a metallic finish. They can also be used as a cream liner, so it's a multi-purpose product. I really enjoyed using this for both shadow and liner, as a liner it gave a beautiful shimmer underneath the eye that really opened up the area and made it brighter. As a shadow this is really easy if you're in a rush to get out the door, you can just blend this over the lid and you instantly look put together.

The cream is super blendable and does not drag or pull when you're working with it, I find it similar in formula and usability to M.A.C paint pots. This, like the paint pots lasts all day without creasing or balling.

I think that both ethically minded people and paint pot lovers will enjoy this product, it performs like a high end product with a low price tag. It's versatile, and the colour is buildable, They offer a range of colours to suit any look and have a beautiful finish.

I will be adding more to my collection and I would highly recommend them.

Collection - Work The Colour, Eyeshadow Pencil

£3.19 each.
www.collectioncosmetics.co.uk
Tailored for all skin tones and eye colours.
Available in 6 shades.

The shade that I purchased was Vanilla Sky, as you can see from the swatch it is a beautiful pearl shimmer. Brilliant as a highlight colour for the tear duct and brow bone area.

It has a velevty soft texture, that glides on the eye smoothly without dragging or pulling. It is super blendable and easy to work with.
The colour lasts all day (even on my oily eye lids) and has mininal creasing.

It has a low price tag, meaning that it's great value for money. I normally expect much less from something that costs this little but you really do get a product that works and works well.

I will definately be repurchasing the other colours, I would recommend this to anyone looking for affordable products that work well, who are perhaps trying to find a pretty highlight colour with a little shimmer to it.

Avon - Supershock Gel Eyeliner

£6.00 each.                   www.avon.co.uk
Tailored for all skin tones and eye colours.

Eyeliner is one of the most fun items of cosmetics that I think pulls a whole look together. It frames the eyes, making them bold and beautiful. For this reason I hold eyeliner high up on my importance list, also meaning that I want the most from it.



Avon produced Supershock to tempt me, after trying this I am a firm fan. It was soft and gentle on the eye, easy to apply and glided on like a dream - no dragging or pulling.

The colour was rich and intense after one swipe, leaving me with opaque bold colour. A nice true colour formula that transferred exactly the same from pencil to eye. On sharpening the pencil I found that it did not crumble at all, perhaps this is down to the gel like formula.
The liner did not dry out the eyes, but contact lens wearers may need to take extra care as it can irritate the eye after a few hours.

The liner lasted all day, even on the waterline; I had no need to re-apply until late in the evening. Very easy to smudge out to create a stunning smokey eye. It did not move or budge, once the liner is on it stays put without any blurring, transference or flaking.

Great value for money; I like that Avon have regular money off savings on this item, meaning you get it even cheaper. It is easy to find online or from an Avon agent (ordering through an agent the item can take a little longer to reach you).

Overall I really like this product, I will repurchase it and will be trying the other colours in the range. I would give my recommendation for this, I think anyone looking for bold, dramatic, long wear liner would love this.

Soap & Glory - Lid Stuff in 'What's Nude'.

£10.00/ 4x 1.5g (6g Total Product)         www.soapandglory.com
Made in Italy.
Tailored for any skin tone and eye colour.
Available in What's Nude, Smokey Dokey and Off The Wall Flowers.

4 shades of fabulous flawless - finish, super colour, 8 hour wear eyeshadow (that won’t flake, won’t fade and won’t crease). Amazing, intense second- skin-like colour finish in matt or metalic shades plus a superior creamy finish.

Hands down my new favourite eyeshadows. I adore these colours, you can mix the shades to create a new colour, brush on for a sheer colour, or build up layers for a bigger, bolder lid colour. SUPER blendable, long wear (all day) and a beautiful array of finishes and colours.
These rivaled my pro shadows and cost the same price for one pro shadow to four in this quad. So brillinat value for money considering the quality is so high.
I swatched the shades in 'What's Nude' once, so you could see the sheer start, another layer and the colours are more intense, bolder and richer. Highly pigmented, so a light dab on the colour will be more than enough.
The texture is creamy and fine milled, soft and on applying has minimal fall out.

I would highly recommend these palettes. Brillant quality, low price (in comaprison to shadows of same quality), last all day - even on oily eyelids, beautiful finish and colours. I will be repurchasing these!

I have all the Eye Lid shades; so if you would like to see all the eyeshadows swatched, just let me know and I will start swatching and photographing for you.

Johnson's Face Care - Gentle Eye Makeup Removal Pads

£3.29/ 30 pads        www.johnsonsbeauty.co.uk
Made in the UK
Tailored for all skin types.
Eye Make Up Removal Pads gently cleanse eyes of make-up, even waterproof mascara.

The formula contains pro-vitamin B5 to condition eyelashes and gentle lotion to care for the sensitive eye area. Eyes are left beautifully clean and make-up free, without the oily residue. Opthalmologically tested and suitable for sensitive skin.

I have tried a few items from this brand before and have quite enjoyed them. However, this product did not meet that enjoyed list.
I felt the pads themselves were dry/ had very little product on them. I dropped a little water on them to get them at least moist. On using them I left one pad on each eye (non-waterproof mascara) for over a minute, then gentle wiggled them downwards (this is how I usually remove my eye makeup) and the results was disappointing. Only a little product came away with the cotton rounds, most was still on my eye.
The only way these worked was rubbing the eye makeup off quite roughly, which to me personally is not the way to remove something from an extremely gentle area.

These were cheap, I loved the packaging, the fragrance was mild and lovely and I enjoy the brands other products. Perhaps I got an old stock item and it had dried up too much, but I don't think I will be running out to repurchase them anytime soon.

L'Oreal - Skin Perfection, Purifying Micellar Solution

£4.99/ 200ml            www.loreal-paris.co.uk
Made in Germany.
Tailored for all skin types, even sensitive.
As gentle as water on your skin but acts like a make-up remover, toner and skin soother all in one.

A cleanser for face eyes and lips, suitable for sensitive skin. Dissolves make-up, unclogs pores and removes impurities and tones and soothes the skin.
Swiftly dissolving all traces of make-up, the 'micellar' solution acts like a purifying magnet on the skin's surface to capture and draw out excess oil and impurities rather than spreading them around your face like some wipes can.
Hypo-allergenic. No Alcohol. No perfume. Dermatologically tested.

I have used my fair share of micellar solutions over the past few years; easy to use, fast makeup removal, no water needed.
An essential part of any makeup artists kit. This on cotton wool, in my opinion, is far better than any wipes, it's also more gentle, pulls the skin less and isn't as drying and harsh on the skin.
This impressed me, it gets the job done correctly, quickly and brilliantly with no residue left on the skin.
It contains very similar ingredients to Bioderma, but at a fraction of the price.
It works brilliant on people with very sensitive skin, no redness or drying to the skin at all. I always restock my kit with this cheaper dupe now and I highly recommend trying it out for yourself if you haven't already done so.

Brilliant value for money, high performance, suitable for even the most sensitive skin, gentle and unclogs pores, even after the heaviest of makeup coverage. Massive thumbs up!

Dr. Organic - Dead Sea Mineral Eye Rescue Rollerball

£8.99/15ml       www.drorganic.co.uk
Made in the UK
Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans.
Tailored for both male and female consumers.
An eye cream which uses natural ingredients to effectively reduce puffiness, tired eyes, dark circles and improves micro-circulation.

Dr. Organic is committed to creating unique, natural products, free from parabens, SLS, artificial colours, fragrances and harsh preservatives.
A bioactive base formulation of Dead sea mineral salts with natural and organic extracts and over 20 essential oils. This targeted formulation energises skin cells which increases oxygen consumption and lypolytic action, resulting in the breakdown of fat deposits. Instantly addresses fine lines around the eyes, puffy, sagging skin and dark circles.

I enjoyed the packaging as it was clean and mess free. Very easy to use.
The rollerball made application quick and easy. The product lasted well over three months. (used day and night)
A lovely cooling effect to the under eye, making it feel refreshed. The scent was mild. No burning or irritation occurred while using this product.
The formulation did decrease the puffy, sagging skin under the eye but the fine lines and the dark circles remained the same - no visible difference in my opinion.

I would place this at average value for money.
The rollerball is personally not my preferred method of application due to hygiene reasons. The formula only addressed the puffy and sagging skin and failed to effectively target other problems.
However, if you are looking for a firming and tightening product for under the eye area and suffer from tired, puffy looking eyes, this product would be worth a try.