2true crystal lipgloss

A while back now I reviewed and was very impressed with the 2true colour drench lipgloss I won and somehow I've been lucky enough to win a 2true crystal lipgloss in their monthly website competition! All 2true products are £1.99 each or 3 for £4.99 so none of them break the bank!

This time instead of a neutral shade I won a vivid pink glitter gloss. Since going blonde I've embraced pink lip shades but the most recent pink gloss I tried left me non-plussed. However once again I was pleasantly surprised with my 2true gloss! This product is definitely aimed at a younger audience with a smaller price bracket but that doesn't mean I don't recommend it for anybody else! The pigment in this adds a subtle tint and the glitter particles are delightfully multi-tonal. In the picture below you can really see this quite well!

I was surprised to find a small brush instead of the usual lipgloss wand but I don't really mind it. The brush is small and easy to control and has really won me over. With some normal lipgloss wands I feel that they carry too much product whereas as the brush is so small this option offers you a little more control. The only problem I can find with this is that when I open the gloss, as the brush is narrow I have to be careful of excess product trying to come with it. Just open it slowly and dab off any excess and you'll be fine!

This gloss is shiny and sparkly without being overpowering. While you can definitely feel you are wearing it, it doesn't budge easily! I blotted mine and still could see the shine, tint and glitter. While it feels slightly tacky to the touch and when you press your lips together, I still think it wears rather well. I wouldn't advise anyone to apply it too liberally due to the tackiness but I'm very tempted to try it over some of my mini Benefit tints (from this month's Glamour magazine) to give it a little bit more impact.

This gloss is really pretty and if you like sparkle I'd recommend it. Even if you don't like sparkle, the particles are small enough to be quite subtle! For £1.99 I'd be pleased to get such a pretty gloss with such a useful brush, but I think that my colour drench neutral gloss is still a little more wearable! I think I'll personally wear this in the evenings over a deeper tint or pink shade. Either way, it's a pretty shade with a delightful price tag.

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!

2true Colour Drench Lipgloss

Whilst perusing online a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the 2true cosmetics website.

Any regular visitor to Superdrug will probably have noticed the range which boasts a wide selection of products at £1.99 each or 3 for £4.99. I’ve tried their glitter eyeliners before but was seeking out information on their lipglosses when I noticed they hold a monthly competition. Since I’m not one to say no to a chance of winning, I filled out the short form for my chance to win a product and thought nothing of it after that...

In fact, I completely forgot about it until my prize arrived in the post the other day! Luck was doubly on my side as I won one of the lipglosses I had been reading about. Shade 1 in their Colour Drench lipgloss range doesn’t actually look that inspiring in the tube. The gloss looks a deep beigey pink in the tube with a standard application wand I wasn’t particularly impressed until I tried it out.

As you can see from the swatches, the shade actually has peachy undertones and on my lips gives a nice dewy shine. The consistency of the gloss seems thick but I don’t find it sticky at all. The wear of this gloss seems good and upon further inspection it nicely smoothes one of my awkward bright matte lipstick shades. The pigmentation is subtle but notable and it even has quite a nice subtle scent to it whilst remaining tasteless. I would have been very pleasantly surprised by this pretty nude shade had I gone out and bought it for just £1.99 so I’m even happier that I ended up getting it for free! Don’t be fooled by the price of this product and swatch a few shades next time you’re instore

PS. Take my advice and enter a competition this week!