PERSONAL HOLY GRAIL PRODUCTS: Christian Dior DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum

DIORSHOW MAXIMIZER LASH PLUMPING SERUM

Due to being such a crazy obsessive product addict, there are few things that I use up, and even less that I repurchase, so if I actually do get to the point that I use something up before its sell by date, or before, it's a big day in this household, and i'll sit down and eat a chocolate mousse to celebrate. 

Anyway....

This product, the Diorshow lash plumping serum, is something that I have bought nearly a dozen times since it appeared on the market. As a teenager I was always desperate for lovely lashes like my friends seemed to be naturally blessed with, and improvised with clear mascara and powdering lashes, which, although slightly helpful, didn't really cut it, and once the grunge era was over, my cloggy lashes just looked a bit shit. Sad times. Anyway, I first started using lash primer when I got a free sample of a Lancome Cils Booster and fell in love with the results, which were, predictably, boosted lashes. However, this girl wanted to go bigger and better. Size DOES matter, WHO KNEW! So I decided, when purchasing my then favourite Diorshow Blackout mascara, which really is quite something when it comes to defining lashes as blacker than night, I decided to be 'upsold' the primer too, and my GAWD I was glad I did.

From the first moment I was in lust with this white shiny guy. I layer two coats of this thick white gloop on, which not only is filled with small fibers to plump my spindly pathetic lashes up, but also conditions, and apparently contains an ingredient called LashMaximiser (tm), heh, which is frankly a ridiculously bland name to make up frankly, and trust old hyaluronic acid, to moisturise and prevent breakage and brittle falling lashes.

My lashes have definitely got better over the years of using this, although they're not longer, but they are stronger, and the effects of two coats of this, left to dry, before applying whatever my current mascara favourite of the month is, results in pretty spectacular lashes in comparison to my normal pathetic smattering of stubby eye hairs. 

So, I heartily recommend if you're without natural lashes, and cannot be arsed to apply serums morning and night that might turn your eyeballs yellow, go and purchase this rather pricey, but super worth it primer.

It's fantastique! 

You can pick this up from Boots, Debenhams, House of Fraser and John Lewis for approximately £24.50

REVIEW: Bourjois One Second Mascara - quickie RAVE.

I love mascara. I mean, thats an understatement. I LOVE MASCARA. There are two things I am very passionate about in my make up life, that save my soul from crying forever, and they are foundation and mascara. Mascara distracts from many facial sins I find, making things instantly prettier. I don't generally trust in drugstore mascaras, and I don't know why, because i've had some crackers, but I always end up running back to Diorshow or YSL, or some crazy imported Japanese insanity.

So the other day, I read about, and promptly saw this guy in my local superdrug, and I was entranced. I mean, one second, what the hell, how good could this be.

The answer. VERY GOOD INDEED. 

This is what they claim etc....

1 Second Mascara by Bourjois

• Volumising brush with wraparound spherical bristles
• Designed to coat lashes from root to tip in one second 
• Formula to last up to 16 hours
• Rich, pigmented finish

So there isn't one thing I could argue with here. Lets look at a crappy blurry photo of my usually short, stubby, straight and rubbish lashes with this on.

So ignore my shiny forehead, and my rubbish everything else. Just concentrate on the lash. I promise you, my lashes are pointless. They have nothing. However, after two quick coats of this mascara. they were curled, volumised and happy as larry. I can't emphasize how good this stuff is. The applicator just grabs every lash and curls, whilst giving volume and ease of separation. 

I can't say enough good about this....but i'll stop now, because it's my birthday as of an hour ago and i'm a little drunk.

BAM!

Pick this up from Superdrug or ASOS for £9.99. It's great!

REVIEW - Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara

Wow Maybelline, thats quite the mouthful of a name you've got going on there. Could it perhaps be because you make SO MANY mascaras now that you've started to have a bit of a laugh when naming yet another. For years I would hear the urban myth of the Maybelline 'pink and green' mascara before the brand hit these shores, and yeah, it's pretty good, but not the most perfect thing I ever used by any stretch. This was the early to mid nineties though....so, you do expect some innovation obviously.

Rambling.

Anyway, so, I have a ton of mascaras, a ridiculous amount. What with my lashes being straight, stumpy, and non existent without a good lashing of mascara. I have tried growth serums and got nowhere, so I have to rely on the good old fashioned method of about twenty coats of mascara. I have three favourite macaras, one being the previously reviewed DJV Beautinizer Volumising Mascara, the second being Diorshow Black Out and the third is the trusty YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils Mascara. I thought I had my arsenal sorted, but surprisingly, Maybelline have finally got me with a damn good mascara. Who'd a thunk it!?

Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara

So I gave this a go, and you can see the results below after two coats. Yeah, it's not totally clump free, but it separates lashes in a dolly eyed bambi esque way that I love, right from the root up, and it curls my stubborn lashes too, which is something that only happens when I use a very thick formula like YSL. 

My eye. At some point this week. 

So as you can see, it's pretty effective. It also doesn't smudge, but comes off pretty easily with make up remover at the end of the day. I highly recommend this mascara to anyone who wants curled, defined lashes with speed and ease! 

If you want to invest, this is available from boots for the bargain price of £5.99

DJV Beautinizer Volume Lash update

Recently I gave a first impressions review on the DJV Beautinizer Volume Lash mascara that was rocking my tiny world. Well, I just wanted to give you this little update with my thoughts on this mascara.

All you girls who suffer with straight, short, miserable lashes that want some real results, I would not recommend ANY OTHER MASCARA. I'm serious. The Cult Beauty review on the site says...

"Name a potential mascara fault and this genius product solves it. If this mascara was a man, Cult Beauty would marry it!"

And every word of this, I back up, nearly. It's not a clump free miracle as 'such' but frankly, a bit of buggering about with a lash comb for these kind of results, who cares!?

Okay, so here, is a bullet point way to apply this bad boy.

1. Apply to clean dry lashes, a lash primer thoroughly, my personal preference is Diorshow Maximiser (available for a discounted price at Escentual right now £19.55), which not only plumps the lashes superficially, but treats and nourishes them.

2. Then, working on one eye at a time, apply the beautinizer in a zig zag motion to build product up at the roots, whilst tilting your head back and looking down at the mirror. This method gives you maximum space to encourage a curl, whilst also giving you the ability to splay the lashes out, inner to outer corner. 

3. Next, using a lash comb, carefully comb through the lashes. My personal preference of lash combs, and i've tried a great many, are either the Real Techniques Lash/Brow Groomer (currently on offer at a 15% discount at HQ Hair), or my personal favourite, the recently release Mac duo lash comb/brow brush, available for £5 from Mac Cosmetics online. I love this comb more than any other due to it's thicker more spacious comb, which means you can achieve a proper wide eyed sixties look. It's brilliant!

4. Repeat the above steps, two more times if you need to. Up to you really!

5. If there's still not enough curl for you, and here's why I love this mascara, you can then use a lash curler, like Shu Uemura lash curler (£20 from House of Fraser), which really does live up to all its hype, on the roots of the lashes, and that curl will stay ALL DAY. Believe me! If your curl does eventually drop, you can just use the curlers then, with no damage and no stickiness. Amazing. 

As an aside, if you want to go PROPER mental with the length and this isn't crazy enough, you can use some lengthening fibres such as Divaderme Lash Extender fibres, which come in black. They're great btw, so I might just do a separate review. I've been using them for about two years and I have yet to find a better alternative! 

So ladies, go forth, have AMAZING lashes. It makes you feel right lovely!

Review - Djv Beautinizer Volume Mascara

So the other day I received an promotional e mail from Cult Beauty detailing the pro's of 'the best mascara you'll ever use'. Now me, being a mascara junkie, immediately started salivating. I buy ANY mascara if I see a hint of a good review. I have had buzzing, spinning, mechanical, downright terrifying mascaras pass through my ownership. Cult Beauty have said if you, or I, don't love this mascara, we can have a full refund. Now, it's pretty pricey, for my budget, at £18, but I couldn't stop obsessing about it, so Cult Beauty got my £18, and I received my Djv Beautinizer Volume Mascara.

There she is, apparently the best mascara i'll ever own!

A little background on my lashes, they are thin, sparse, whatever you want to call it, and straight, and do NOT hold a curl. My usual routine includes Diorshow Maximiser, Shu Uemura Lash Curler, Diorshow Blackout Mascara and much combing with my Real Techniques lash and brow groomer. So, yes, rather a lot of elbow grease in getting my lashes looking acceptable.

The official website says....

Volume Lash is a lash coating plumper which seamlessly coats each lash with the thick, 3D film-coating formula. Features finer, uniformly sized particles that contain 2.4 times* the ingredients strengthening the adhesion to lashes for seamless volume with one stroke (*in-house comparison).
This quick-dry, budge-proof formula is also fragrance-free and leaves your eyes irritation-free.

So today, I tried this new mascara, without any lash primer, or lash curler, but with a lash comb. See those results.

My pathetic lashes. Look how short, thin and miserable they are!?

And here, again, straight, stubby and thin. Boo!

Lashes with two coats of DJV Beautinizer Mascara on and lash combed.

So, er, it's quite a dramatic change isn't it!? Now, this is the kind of results I like. A LOT. However, it didn't come without it's difficulties. One coat, I could see the claim of 'no clumps' wasn't quite true, as it did clump straight away. I gave my lashes a couple of combs through, and went in for a second coat, before the first dried as per the instructions, and combed again, and this was the result. Pretty impressive no?

Other downsides were that it did flake a little, and I did fall asleep for a little while due to feeling rather poorly, and I woke up and it was clump city. How often do you expect to look good after a sleep though? 

Frankly, I love the results so much, I don't care about the cons, because the pro's are so awesome. Also, taking it off was a breeze, just a warm flannel and off it came! 

If you want to jump on the mega volume train, you can join me by purchasing it from Cult Beauty here for £18, and if you hate it, you can get your money back.  I doubt you'll want to though, it's GRRREAT!!!!