Anastasia Beauty Express for brows and eyes product review

Here is the Anastasia beauty express for brows and eyes that I was lucky enough to be sent to review. Although this review has been in the pipeline for a while (my bad) I’m really excited to share it with you. Please note that while the packaging is impossible to photograph it was lovely to look at! The packaging is very sleek and inside a cardboard sleeve was this leatherette embossed case that is kept safe and shut with a handy magnet. I thought this was a nice touch as I travel a lot and don't want to risk anything popping open/exploding in my bag.

The products included are from left to right the brow wax cream, the brow powder duo and a matte and shimmer eyeshadow duo. I know this because somebody had the foresight to put a small insert into the box to tell me exactly what everything is. This is the set of shades for blondes.

There is a mirror in the lid of the packaging but I’d say that’s mostly useful for touch ups. If you’re holding a stencil and a brush I wouldn’t recommend trying to use the mirror in the packaging unless you have to. That said, it’s of a reasonable enough size. I used this kit on a train the other day! If pressed you could probably do the rest of your eye makeup in it. There also aren’t any tweezers included in the kit but if you view it as a makeup item, you’re already getting 5 different products, a brush and some very useful stencils. Which is pretty good going!

The brush is angled and I was a little surprised to see that for so many products there was a single brush. While I wouldn’t expect something to use for the eyeshadows the only quibble I had was using the same brush for both powder and wax and getting it gunky (for lack of a better word) fast. However, it’s perfectly adequate to do both jobs in one sitting, and would be quick enough to clean off. The hairs are both soft and fairly dense.

Step one involves selecting a stencil from the box. Step two involves applying the wax cream to your eyebrow to prep it. Step three involves placing the stencil over your eyebrow as shown in the diagram and filling in the area left exposed with powder. The next step is to remove the stencil and tweeze any straggling hairs outside of this powdered area. Although this means tweezing in the middle of doing your makeup it does make sense in that you’re still using the stencil as a guideline. The final step is to use the eyeshadows provided to highlight your brow bone, lid and the inner corner of your eyes. If you were to travel with this, you effectively have a whole eye look. The steps are repeated in French on the insert which is admirably thorough.

There is an impressive selection of stencils included in the pack and they are the slim high arch, full arch, medium arch, high arch and petite arch. This is one of the things I haven’t seen much of in smaller brow kits and I think it makes this kit much more comprehensive. After a few tests at matching up stencils I went for a medium arch, I initially thought I’d be using the petite one but given my over-plucking I probably wouldn’t normally match that. There is a small and useful diagram on the insert of the ‘Golden Ratio’ of where your eyebrow stencil should match up in alignment with your nose.

Here are swatches (from left to right) of the wax, two eyebrow powders and two eyeshadows. The wax is clear and doesn’t give as much of a ‘wet look’ as some products I’ve tried. The powder is buildable and the darkest shade doesn’t look out of place against my currently mid-blonde hair. The eyeshadow is very light and works as a good base/neutral tone. Unless you were to cake the products on all at once, it doesn’t look too much and in fact simply looks groomed and ‘barely there.' My ‘Scouse brow’ fears did not come true in the slightest. There also isn't too much of a red tone to the powder which I found when using my MUA pencil.

With my ELF kit I’d like to add that I used to put the cream over the powder. Don't ask me why, I just thought early on that it worked better. There is a risk of blonde eyebrows looking dark and overdone with my ELF kit (I use the Ash studio brow kit) due to the fact that both the powder and the gel are pigmented. Although it has two ends to the ELF brush I don't think I've ever bothered to really clean them (shame on me)and the one Anastasia brush gets the job done fine. The Anastasia powders seem finer and offer more of a shade range than my ELF kit.

I tried using the stencils initially without instructions but bogged myself down in too much product. This time I followed the very helpful instructions on the inside lid of the packaging and it couldn’t have gone better. The trick is to remove the stencil to check out your handiwork before you move onto the next step. I do tend to touch up a little after removing the stencil but honestly my brows look better than I’ve ever seen them. The stencils really help get your eyebrows to look more symmetrical and groomed when working with the product. As far as makeup products go when it comes to achievable immaculate, quick natural looking eyebrows? Anastasia has this one covered!

Here I used just the brow powders and wax with the medium arch stencil. This should also demonstrate the fact it blends right in with my hair tone!

Will I be swapping my usual budget ELF option for this? Given the higher price on this product I’d probably want to save this up for nights out but I actually can see myself being able to pull this look off every day. When the cream and powder product in the packaging runs out I might not repurchase this entire kit right away (specifically for budget reasons) but I’m going to treasure the stencils and brush for a long time! The stencil element and clear instructions would make this a perfect gift for anyone who is an eyebrow newbie like me and if you look at it like that it’s an investment. Trialling this product has shown me it doesn’t take that long to get the knack of brows. While I may try out another powder, pencil or cream in the future the stencil is the key aspect of this set and it’s a gem. Altogether this kit represents all of the cosmetic products you'd need.

The retail price of this product is $39.50 on the Anastasia website or £27.50 at cultbeauty.co.uk but I’m definitely a convert to just how natural looking and effective it is. I would very likely look at Anastasia products and try to somehow work them into my budget/stash in the future! While I can't say this is a super cheap product, it definitely does the job, you get multiple products and it would make a great gift.

Rimmel Glam'eyes mono eyeshadow

Although at a glance this eyeshadow may not look like the most interesting (or to be honest the most loved) of cosmetics. I inherited this from my Mum who is exceptionally pale and actually found it too dark. However, on me I think that shade 130 'Tribute' is a perfect taupe crease colour!

Despite dustiness, I think this shade provides something that I've rarely had at my disposal - a gorgeous substitute for brown. Cosmetics in chocolatey shades show up as seriously dark on me and take a lot of blending! Even paler browns seem to just look quite wrong so I tend to favour shimmery gold shadows. Fortunately, Rimmel have found a pretty balance between the two that applies and blends very easily.

Yes the shadow is rather dusty in the pan, but take a look at that shade! On the back of the packaging Rimmel add that this shade complements both blue and green eyes. Upon recent application and inspection I can agree that it does actually bring out green shades in my eyes. The rather dusky gold shimmer has always seemed to me to be a brown with lilac undertones, setting it apart from several other red based golds that I have. A light application gives a subtle gold shimmer covering and heavier application can be blended easily for a smokier look.

The consistency isn't as soft as some I've come across and it isn't overpoweringly metallic. I find it is a lovely neutral with just the right amount of shimmer. While the wear is quite average I find it depends on blending and eyeshadow combinations. When worn alone I've experienced some annoying creasing but no more than when I wear some of my Accessorize shades which are far softer.

Finally a pair of swatches for your delectation. On the left is a very light sweep and on the right is a built up application. The left clearly shows the shimmer which is very fine and very pretty. On the right I think is where the shade shows its substance and gives some colour payoff. While it isn't particularly dramatic I think this shade is definitely a go-to colour that I'm glad to own! Rimmel mono eyeshadows normally retail at £4.49 and are very widely available. Considering this fell into my lap for free I think I can call that a very happy accident!

GOSH eyeshadow quad in 'Evergreen'

Before recently I had never tried a GOSH product. However if you remember way back in my first haul post, I managed to snap up a set of GOSH cosmetics in a Superdrug sale for a fraction of their usual retail price. The set consisted of an eyeshadow quad, lipgloss and 'black ink' eyeliner pencil and only cost £2.99 which is far less than just one of those products individually! I decided to take this bargain as an oppurtunity to dabble in GOSH and here is a review of the product I've been reaching for the most - the eyeshadow quad in 'Evergreen.'

 

The packaging of these products is undeniably sleeker than most seen in Superdrug. Well stocked GOSH counters are surprisingly appealing with a wide range of similarly well-presented shades. For a regular retail price of £8.49 you get 4 shadows nicely presented with a small sponge double ended applicator. Initially I was unsure about the shades in 'Evergreen' and I probably wouldn't have picked this quad up if it had been at full price. However I decided to try it out and have found some things about this product weren't quite what I was expecting...

The shadows themselves are fine and contain some noticable shimmer particles that - although they are rather heavy in the grey - aren't unappealing. I wasn't sure if I expected party metallics or vivid mattes but this quad has nothing near either and is actually quite mild. The shades within 'Evergreen' are a subtle white highlight shade, a pale green shade that makes for a good neutral base, a deeper rather pretty sea green and a green shimmer based grey that isn't really worth bothering with in my opinion. The greens give pleasant results and personally when I'm in need of a quick neutral eye I find that this quad can often suffice. I have worn them for 6+ hours and found minimal creasing so I can't argue with that.

Despite the reasonable range in the colours, I think it's fair to take issue with the pigmentation. These photos were taken with a flash and these swatches were very heavy! The 2 paler shades are shimmery and quite sheer which I think is acceptable for a highlight but there is no single shade in the quad that gives the colour payoff when worn that I was expecting. There is versatility up to a point but I find that the dark grey isn't dark enough to give more than a grubby smudge when used with the provided applicator. I also find it considerably tones down the vividness of the greens! I prefer to use the other shades and sometimes use the white as a highlighter in other looks. Unfortunately none of these shades are pigmented enough to give any really dramatic contrast and I don't feel the finished look from this quad ends up anywhere near 'smokey' which is what I had originally hoped for.


While I have reached for this to provide some neutral blended greens there is not much potential for drama. Instead there are some bases that while pleasant, weren't what I was expecting from the brand at all! If I was looking for some brights with strong pigmentation (which this summer I most definitely am) I'm not sure GOSH is the brand I'll reach for... and I'm a little bit disappointed!

Accessorize have shiny covered!

Hello there dears! I promised reviews in my haul post and although I’ve been under the weather, I’m delivering quite a few swatches today from the Accessorize makeup range.

 In the gift-set I got from Mike, were these 2.5g eye shadows for £2 together while they would usually have been priced at £4 each. The casing for these solo eye shadows is practical, pretty and easy to open. All of the individual shades that I’ve seen have been shimmers so Accessorize must be sticking to their roots and favouring all things shiny!

From left to right - ‘Baby pink’ is a very sheer shade with a definite shimmer and a rosy undertone. ‘Sage’ is my personal favourite and a smoky, rich metallic olive.‘Truffle’ is a shimmery taupe with a pink-grey undertone. When these shadows hit the light they have serious shine but they remain creamy not gritty with glitter. Whilst I experienced some creasing with ‘Sage’ when it was heavily applied, I can’t say the same for ‘Baby pink’ and ‘Truffle’ so I think they are quite reasonable on that front considering they are near-metallic shadows.

 Speaking of shiny, the swatch from the lipgloss says it all! The shade is a deep rosy pink with gold shimmer particles. While it is a deeper shade of pink than I expected, I think it is absolutely gorgeous and it creates a real impact... whilst smelling like cake too!

My only hang-up about this product is the fact that when applying, some of the plastic edges to the packaging feel quite scratchy on my lips. I think that is a real shame for such an otherwise appealing product! I really think that this looks lovely on.

Now in the palette, the shades names aren’t included but I’m sure most of them are from the existing collection and a little guesswork simply has to be employed. The wee spongey applicator included in the palette isn’t something I’d use regularly and the area around the shadows themselves seems to get quite dusty with residue. At least I can say that the mirror is very helpful! The exterior casing – although pretty – seems to pick up every piece of dust and finger print. However the contents is key here and the shades are fantastic!

On the top row (starting from the left) there is definitely ‘Baby pink.’ This is followed by a bright purple, a grey-green, a pastel mint green, a light metallic silver-based shimmer and a light yellow based shimmer.On the bottom row (starting from the left again) there is a black, a black with purple shimmer, a rich red toned bronze, a blue with a hint of green, a dark brown with a copper shimmer and a shimmery taupe.

 

While I would only describe a few of these shades as ‘duochrome’ (the black with purple highlights is definitely) I’d say that the fine shimmer particles definitely add an extra dimension when they hit the light. The only shade in the palette I felt was sub-par was the bright purple in the top row. The shimmer in that shade wasn’t as defined and although the pigmentation was bright it had patchy coverage. I think it is fair to say that it is the only 'dud' of all the shades I swatched so I'm willing to write it off.

I think that Accessorize have really done well with these products. I find them really easy to use and exceptionally pretty. They may focus on the sparkly more than the understated, but these products really do offer a nice dose of girlie indulgence!

PS. You can now contact me on Formspring and Twitter!

MUA Makeup Academy

Now here is a budget UK brand that has caused quite a stir amongst beauty bloggers already – MUA Makeup Academy. The key point about MUA is that every item in the range is currently £1. For £1 you could purchase any product from the range shown on their site. They also offer pressed powders which aren’t yet shown on the site and they very recently introduced some rather nifty brow pencils and pencil eyeliners into the range.

If you – like I was initially – are still doubtful of the quality of the range then I’ve included a quick overview of some of the eye products I own that I use very regularly!

I’m beginning with my favourite eyeshadow shades as it was the eyeshadows that first drew me to the range. Although I first selected a matte and neutral shade, MUA has gained a lot of popularity for the vibrant pigmentation of the shimmer shades on offer.

 (From left to right - shades 1, 4 and 9)

Shade 9 is a bright purple duo-chrome shade which gives an intense colour payoff. The eyeshadow is probably better used with a brush and is nice and blendable. This shade is beautiful and works nicely with the pale pink/lilac shade 4.

Shade 1 is an extremely shimmery white that works well as a highlighting colour to wear on the inner corners of the eyes and set off other shades. I literally use this daily as it is subtle when applied sparingly but can be built up easily for more vibrant looks.

If there are negatives I can say that the eyeshadows do crease somewhat after several hours when applied heavily. For evening looks they can migrate after a night out but I still opt to use them for both daytime and evening looks as I find the colours  so enticing! I imagine that with a decent base of primer these eyeshadows would last much longer. Also as a slight negative, the lid of my shade 1 eyeshadow recently broke at the hinge and now rarely stays on... but I think that’s probably through such regular use and transportation in my bag as all my other lids remain intact!

The mascaras I own by MUA are shades 1 and 5. Shade 1 is a clear mascara (that I usually use as an eyebrow gel) and shade 5 is black. Although I have never been able to achieve very extreme or dramatic results with shade 5, I still like it. The very soft brush allows for more subtle layers of mascara and I find it is easy to avoid clumping whilst still notably defining my lashes.

Shade 20 is a matte black eyeshadow which is a good staple for any collection. With just a little of the shadow it is easy to achieve a very dark and smoky effect. Although the matte brown (shade 19) and matte purple (shade 18) have never really worked for me and don’t seem to have very impressive pigmentation, shade 20 is a knockout.

(Clockwise from top - MUA eyeshadow shade 20, eyeliner pencil in 'Snow white' and brow pencil in blonde)

Despite the fact that the products only cost a small amount, it is obvious that a lot of thought goes into the design in this range. The brow products have a comb at the end whilst the brightly pigmented eyeliner pencils have a sharpener built into the lid. Another nice touch to these latest products is the addition of shade names.

I had debating buying a white eyeliner pencil for a while so when MUA released theirs I snapped up "Snow white" immediately. For £1 I got a creamy, long-lasting liner that I’d highly recommend for those experimenting with more dramatic looks. I’ve been tempted by some of the other shades in the range after trying this pencil out. For tamer looks there are some delicate pastel shimmers on offer; but I’m tempted more by the royal blue and vibrant orange offerings!

The brow pencils so far only come in 2 shades – a lighter caramel shade for blondes and a deeper brown for brunettes. I own the blonde shade (unsurprisingly) and found it did indeed bring quick and lasting results. For me, the brow pencils are best used sparingly and blended out due to my rather fine brows and the distinctive pigmentation of the pencil. When used with caution, you can still achieve satisfactory results!

One of the exciting things about MUA is that in the year the products have been available, the range has evolved greatly. In Superdrug’s DARE magazine recently there was a photograph of a new MUA professional range eyeshadow trio that caused quite a stir. Similar in appearance to a Bourjois eyeshadow trio, the MUA trio was shown in the shades of bronze, blue and grey. According to MUA on facebook, the range will contain many new products priced £1.50-£4 including the £2.50 trios, new nail polish shades and a face primer. The most expensive item will be a 12 shade eyeshadow palette at £4.

Thank you to the wonderful Emma for helping me photograph these products and let me say that I for one am very excited about the new range!