#Lashgang Goodie Bag

Hello!

Today I will be talking about my lovely #lashgang goodie bag! I applied to join the #lashgang which is a network for beauty bloggers. To join you had to be considered to be a established beauty blogger. I met the criteria so I was sent this goodie bag of Nouveau Lashes products! I am already a major fan of their products as I am trained in LVL Enhance Lashes (see blog post), Nouveau Striplashes (express) & Nouveau Extend Lashes. I know what you are thinking, "she got the products for free & she's trained with them she's bound to be biased". I will never give a dishonest review of any products, free or not. I will always give the pros, cons & things I like or dislike about a product/treatment. 

I received the goodie bag in a big box. Inside the box was this bubble wrapped branded gift bag. The bag is very professional looking. You can't tell from the photo but the bag itself is matte with gloss detail for some of the hair strands & it also has the Nouveau Lashes logo in the top right hand corner as you look at the bag. This was a really lovely detail. The bag was beautifully made so good first impressions. 

Inside the bag I received 5 products & the #ultimatelashselfie frame. All the products within the Nouveau Lashes range are colour co-ordinated for continuity & they all feature the logo somewhere at the front of the packaging regardless of whether the product is LVL Enhance, Nouveau Extend or Nouveau Express specific. The packaging is silver with a pop of colour on the ends & purple down the sides. Again, like the bag the product packaging is very professional & well made. After all premium brands should have premium packaging. 

So the products I received were Ultra Bond striplash glue, Striplashes in Style 3, LVL Enhance Conditioning Serum, Eye Make-Up Remover & Fine Point Tweezers. 

LVL Enhance Conditioning Serum 

So I thought I'd start with my favourite product the LVL Enhance Conditioning Serum (purchase here). I have been using this product for over a year now & it is one of my go-to daily essentials. Even if you have not had LVL Enhance Lashes done this is a great product for ensuring that your lashes are in the best condition they can be. Healthy, conditioned lashes are happy, long lashes! 

This product RRP is £14.99. Personally I think this is really good value for money. Usually mine last 6+ months. I use it on both my lashes & brows. I absolutely love this product for my brows too because it helps to keep them looking healthy, glossy & fixed in place. 

The product is like a clear mascara & applies in exactly that way. It has a mascara wand so it is really easy to use. It is recommended that you use this product twice a day, applying it from the root of the lash to the tips. For brows simply brush through them in the direction of hair growth. It can be applied before mascara or it can be used as a stand-alone treatment. One little note I do have is to really make sure you remove your eye make-up before using it at night time otherwise the clear gel starts to become not so clear!

Below is a video showing how to use the product: 

Fine Point Tweezers

My first word of advise is these fine point tweezers (purchase here) are very sharp so please please if you get them handle with care & watch your eyes! They are a pro product so should be used in a professional manor. 

Many lash technicians will use these lashes for isolating the lashes ready for lash extensions but they are great for precise application of striplashes. Keep reading to find out how! 

Striplashes 

Every girl loves a good striplash but everyone has a particular style they like. The style I have is Natural Style 3 (purchase here). There are 12 different striplashes which can be found here so there should be a style for everyone. There are three general styles natural, glamour & volume. As mentioned these are natural lashes. 

I was quite excited to try these lashes as I have never worn lashes of this style. Usually I go for a very natural filler lash to add a little volume while keeping them natural but glamorous looking. I have naturally long & thick lashes so I don't really need lashes but I feel left out if I don't wear them!

They RRP at £6.99 which is pretty much on par with other brands. While the product is a similar price to other brands the quality is far superior. The lashes are super soft & they are a premium lash & professional product used by pros so the quality is amazing.  

Like pretty much all striplashes they come with a miniature Ultra Bond striplash glue. This is ideal for on the go incase of lash mishaps but because the glue is a professional product you shouldn't have the problem of them pinging off half way through the day/night unless the application wasn't great to start with obviously. Another advantage of having a miniature glue includes is that you can try before you decide to buy the full size version. 

So before applying I checked to make sure they were the correct size for my lashes. This is really important as if the lash is too big/long it can make the eyes appear to droop down & it can also be very irritating. If they are too long, trim a little from the outer corner of the lashes & recheck for size. Once they are the correct size you can apply a tiny amount of glue along the edge/vein of the lashes. I left the glue to go tacky for about 30 seconds. 

I then applied the lashes to the centre of my eyelid as close to the lash line as possible using the fine pointed tweezers. I then started to position the rest of the lash working from the inner corner to the outer corner. The fine pointed tweezers were great to get a snug precise application & reposition the lashes if required.

As you can see the lashes are nice & relatively natural. You could get away with them for everyday use or for a little extra volume on a night time. 

I love my #ultimatelashselfie frame too!


Ultra Bond False Eyelash Glue
So I've already spoke briefly about the Ultra Bond False Eyelash Glue (purchase here) but there is still lots to say about this product! I am an avid Duo striplash glue enthusiast. It is my go to product for striplashes so I was interested to see how it compared.

Like the Duo glue is has a small hole for precise application. Just hold a gentle squeeze & run the product along the striplash as described above. It applies white & dries clear. 

I personally found this product to be a little stickier than the Duo glue which I didn't really like but other than that its a great stay-put product. So stay put that if you get some in your lashes it is quite hard to get out! 

Eye Make-Up Remover
It is really important to have a good eye make-up remover to remove any make-up, oils & bacteria from the lashes at the end of the day. This eye make-up remover (purchase here) is a gentle, oil-free formula which can remove even the hardest to remove eye make-up but is still suitable for sensitive skin. This product RRP at £14.99.

Because it is a gel formula it needs to be applied in combination with a damp cotton pad.  Simply do one pump of gel onto a dampened cotton pad & rub it together with another dampened cotton pad.

I then used circular motions to remove the eye make-up. As you can see it removed my eye make-up really well. I then dried my lashes with a dry cotton pad. 

My tip would be make sure you remove the excess water from the damped cotton pads to reduce the amount of water/product going into your actual eye as no product should really come into direct contact with your eye.


I hope you have enjoyed reading about these products as much as I have enjoyed using them! Thanks again Nouveau Beauty Group! Product  If you have an comments or questions about these products please feel free to message me!

Emma x

Lime Crime Velvetines Review - Faded, Bleached, Riot & Suedeberry

Hello! 

Sorry it's been a while (again). I've been super busy with clients & I've been away on holiday. It's nice to be busy though. So today I thought I'd write about my new 4 Lime Crime Velvetines matte lip glosses which I have added to my collection. I bought Faded & Bleached which are new releases as well as Riot & Suedeberry. I bought these direct from Lime Crime. I did not get charged any import tax on these items which I was praying I didn't have to. They too just under 2 weeks to come which isn't too bad considering they come from America. 


Packaging 
So because I bought them direct from Lime Crime they came in a nice pretty floral box with the Lime Crime logo on the lid & coloured tissue inside. 

I didn't know this until I read on Instagram but the box is reversible so the floral print is on the outside & you have a nice reusable Lime Crime box to keep all your make-up goodies in. 

So the lip glosses themselves come in the metallic red box with pink roses which is really pretty. The font matches the name of the product "Velvetines" as it is written in a ribbon font which is a nice touch. 

The packaging design is continued onto the lipgloss itself. As mentioned in my Cashmere review (click here) the packaging is really fun & different to anything else I've seen. The only limitation is the frosted tube makes it hard to see how much is left but other than that I love the frosted finish of the tube against the metallic red lid. 

Left to right: 

Cashmere, Faded, Riot, Suede-berry, Bleached

The two new colour (Bleached & Faded) have a flower on the lid also which is a new addition. I really like this as it's just a little extra detail. 

Application 

The application of the Velvetines are really lovely & velvety. The coverage is amazing & it doesn't dry instantly so you get a minute or so to perfect application. I prefer these to the Anastasia Beverley Hills Liquid Lips as they aren't as drying on the lips. The brush came as a regular lipgloss applicator which allowed for precise application. The only colour that the application wasn't quite as good was Suede-berry which requires a little more play to remove streaks. 

Bleached

Bleached is my new favourite colour in the Velvetines range. It is a really gorgeous light peach colour which is just gorgeous for colour. It can be worn day or night so I absolutely love it. 

Faded 

I was a little disappointed with Faded at first glance as it looked quite similar to Cashmere before I applied it. Admittedly it is similar but it has a more pinky tone rather than a grey undertone. I love Cashmere so I also loved this colour. Again it is a very wearable colour as it is not too in your face, it is a nice colour for day or night. The photo dulls this colour slightly. In person it is a little more pink. 

Riot
I really liked Riot. It is a dusty rose/red colour which I love as I have nothing like this colour. This colour be used day or night but I'd maybe sway more towards it as a night colour just because it is a little darker. 

Suede-berry

For me Suede-berry was a little on the bright side. It's a very neon coral colour. Maybe I'd feel different with a full face of make-up but for me it is not a lip colour I'd wear during the day. I also found that application was slightly streakier than the other colours so required a little more play to make application perfect. 

Swatch comparison 

Here are the swatches of my 5 Velvetine colours. Left to right: Cashmere, Faded, Riot, Suede-berry, Bleached. As you can see Cashmere & Faded are actually different although they don't appear so at first glance. 

Before drying

Dried

Thank you for reading my post about the Lime Crime Velvetines. I'm sure I will be buying more from them so I will probably have more posts to come! If you have any questions or comments please feel free to message me! 

Emma x

Lime Crime Cashmere Review

Hello! 

So today I am reviewing a product that I was very eager yet hesitant to get, Lime Crime's Velvetine liquid to matte lipgloss in Cashmere. 

So why was I hesitant to purchase from Lime Crime you may ask. I am a big Pinterest user & when I was flicking through photos & drooling over their amazing products I came across many people saying to avoid Lime Crime. Not because they aren't amazing products but because a few months ago (in February I believe) they got hacked & many people's details were stolen which is obviously never good. There was then also rumours that they buy wholesale products & rebrand them as their own & that they advertise their products as vegan friendly but they aren't. Some mentioned that their lipgloss inners were faulty so they leaked but Lime Crime replaced them free of charge which is a bit of a ball ache but the problem gets sorted. So apart for the hacking I wasn't too worried about purchasing the product, I am not vegan & if the product is good the rebranding doesn't bother me, LOADS of brands do it without us realising sometimes. 

Anyway! To purchase direct from Lime Crime you have to pay postage & there's the possibility of import tax too etc. making it quite expensive as it is a US based brand. I then went on a hunt for a UK based distributor but found nothing other than Amazon who were charging more than double the price! But anyway, I eventually got my hands on it!


Packaging 
The packaging of this product is different from any other product I've seen. It is metallic red with pink roses. The font matches the name of the product "Velvetines" as it is written in a ribbon font which is a nice touch. 

The packaging design is continued onto the lipgloss itself. Usually I like professional, quite plain but glamorous packaging but this makes a change. It is fun looking! I really like the contrast of the frosted plastic against the red metallic lid however, the frosting does distort the colour & make it look slightly different. It also makes it hard to tell how much you have left in the tube. 

Colour & finish

This colour (Cashmere) is definitely not a colour for everyone. It is a very cool taupe colour. I personally love this colour as I like cool lip colours & it is something a little bit different. I love that it is a matte finish. This helps it to stay on your lips for hours. When it tries it really sticks to your lips. It's actually really quite hard to get off but for me this is a bonus as I hate patchy lips & the less you have to reapply the less product you use overall! The colour does dry a little lighter than on my hand (the product is still wet here). 

One thing I did notice about this product as soon as I opened it is that it smells amazing. I can't think of what it smells like but it smells really sweet & creamy. Even if this shade isn't for you I would 100% recommend this in a different shade to anyone!

Application 
The brush came as a regular lipgloss applicator which allowed for precise applicator. It went on really smoothly & as the name suggests velvety. The thing which is great about this product is that it doesn't dry to quickly so you have a little bit of play time to make sure your application is perfect & you have achieved good coverage. 

So on the lips I expected it to be quite drying with it being matte but it actually wasn't considering my lips are naturally dry! Here it is on the lips. I probably should have left it to dry a little longer before I took the photo as it does go more matte than photographed.

Thank you for reading about the amazing Lime Crime Cashmere. Don't be put off buy some of the negative comments about them as it's a really lovely product! I have actually just placed an order for 4 more colours a few moments ago so that says enough about the product really. Expect future blogs on the colours Riot, Suedeberry, Bleached & Faded. Bleached & Faded are two of the latest colours to be released so they are the newest colours to be added to the Velvetines collection. If you have any questions feel free to leave me a comment! 

Emma x

Benefit Roller Lash

Hello, sorry it's been a while! 

As mentioned, I waited until I went to America to buy a lot of the make-up I had my eye on. Benefit's latest mascara Roller Lash was one of the products on my list! For the past few years I have generally stuck to using Benefit They're Real! mascara. I still love this product but at the moment Roller Lash is a clear winner for me. I will explain why below...


Packaging 
The Roller Lash packaging is very fitting with the name. It can only be assumed that it was given the name "Roller" because it curls the lashes & the use of rollers is a very traditional method so it has a very vintage retro feel with it's cute pink & silver diamond check design on the top & diamond cut out edges along the sides. There is also silver sparkly stars down the sides. The general appearance of the packaging very cute, girly & as mentioned retro. I love it!

 

The mascara itself is consistent with the packaging - colour, font etc. It has a pink rubber grip handle with diamond cut outs. This is comfortable to hold & has good grip. Below the handle on the main part of the mascara, there is a band that looks like the traditional hair rollers used for perming/curling hair so again this is very fitting with the name & theme of the mascara.   

Overall, the packaging & design of the mascara is very well thought out & consistent. Benefit obviously have a very good, creative design team!

Application 
For me it is the applicator that makes the mascara so great. It has 2 edges, a straight edge & a curved edge. The straight edge I find is perfect for elongating the bottom lashes while the curved edge hooks around the lashes & really push the top lashes up & curl them. 

My lashes are really long & generally thick so usually I have to curl my lashes & then use mascara & even then they drop back down after a while. This mascara really makes my bottom lashes look long which I love because it makes your eyes look really doll-like. Because the mascara curls your lashes upwards it makes your eyes seem more awake & open, again this is another reason why it gives a big doll eye effect. If you wear a nude liner on the bottom water line of your lashes this really makes your eyes pop! The generally look kind of reminds me the classic Twiggy look (but that might just be me!).

Before

After

Overall, this mascara is a definite winner for me! I will be trying to find some similar disposable brushes to use on my clients because it really is an amazing mascara! I have been wanting a mascara that makes my lashes look really long, thick & keeps them up so my eyes look bigger & this mascara ticks all these boxes. I'm sure it will be a favourite of mine for a long time. When I find a good product I tend to stick with them!

Thank you for reading my blog! GET BUYING ROLLER LASH! You really won't regret it! If you have any questions or generally comments please feel free to comment or message me!

Emma x