Review: Max Factor Kohl in Black

Have you ever had that moment when you are away from home for a few days and you realise you have forgotten to pack your one essential beauty product? Last month, I went  away for the weekend to Aberdeen  and upon getting ready for my night out, realised I had forgotten to bring any eyeliner with me!

A quick dash to Boots was required, where I found this - Max Factor Kohl in Black. Now unlike many kohl which profess to be black and are in fact just a wimpy, washed out grey, this one is a super deep black.

I love how dark it is, yet it is still ultra soft and great for smudging for a sultry, smokey eye. I've been using it on the waterline and whilst I do find that it stays around without migrating underneath the eye, it does fade significantly after 5 hours. I haven't yet tested it on the upper lid as I tend to use pencils and kohls more on the waterline, but i would imagine it would last longer. 

Verdict

This liner was a true lifesaver in a 'make up emergency' (if there can actually be such a thing!) and gives a deep, dark look which is perfect for a sultry look. Lasting power is not fantastic however, and you may need to reapply throughout  the day.

3/5

Price - from £4.49

Where to buy- Cheap Smells, Boots, Lloyds Pharmacy

My Lip Products Collection!

I was inspired to write this post after seeing Sandra Beauty Balm's post about her collection.  I have to say that lip products are my 'thing' and I find it very hard to resist purchasing them on a regular basis!

These are the majority of my collection, although there are bound to be some hiding in the bottom of bags that I haven't photographed.  I've linked to reviews where possible.  Sorry that this will be a photo-heavy post!

I keep all my lip products in these stackable draws from Muji.  I think they were around £9-£10 for the set of two draws but I'm sure you can get cheaper ones elsewhere.  I'm almost at capacity with these so I will need to invest in a couple more draws to stack on top of them soon.

In the top draw, I have all my glosses. 

And in the bottom draw, my lipsticks.  Note that the lipsticks are much tidier!

 Here are my Mac lippies, from left to right:

I Like It Like That (Limited Edition), Cremesheen

Radicho (Limited Edition) Lustre

Chatterbox, Amplified (review here)

Laugh a Lot (Limited Edition), Lustre

Ravishing, Cremesheen (review here)

See Sheer, Cremesheen (review here)

Crosswires, Cremesheen (review here)

Viva Glam Cyndi (Limited Edition), Lustre (review here)

Cockney, Lustre (review here)

My small Chanel and Dior collection

• Rouge Dior 35, Elegant Pink (review here)
• Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet La Distinguee (review here)
• Chanel Rouge Coco Mademoiselle (review here)

Some random high end lippies

• Dr Hauschka Violet Marble 15 (review here)
• YSL Rouge Volupte 9 Pink Caresee (review here)
• YSL Rouge Volupte 27 Rose Paris (review here)
• Estee Lauder Pure Colour Crystal Baby (review here)

And more randoms, including Revlon Lip Butters

• New CID iPout Nude
• Max Factor Ruby Tuesday (review here)
• Revlon Lip Butter Lollipop (review here)
• Revlon Lip Butter Tutti Fruitti (review here)
• Revlon Lip Butter Creme Brule (review here)

Some Bobbi Brown

• Bobbi Brown Lip Shine in Naked Pink
• Avon Metallic Pink
• Jane Iredale Lip & Cheek Stain in Forever Pink
• Bobbi Brown 20th Anniversary Lip Palette

Phew, and onto the glosses:

Benefit, Paul & Joe and Laura Mercier

• Mini Benefit glosses from Christmas Gift Set (review here)

Frisk Me

Kiss You

Foxy Lady

Spiked Punch

Life on the A List

Nudie-Tude

• Paul & Joe Brilliant A Levres Gloss in 15 (review here)
• Laura Mercier Mystic Mauve

 Mac, Clinique, Becca and Carmex

• MUA Gloss in Candy Pink (review here)
• Becca in Grenadine (review here)
• Clinique Chubby Stick in Chunky Cherry (review here)
• Bobbi Brown Brilliant a Levres in Petal
• Mac Lipglass in Viva Glam VI (review here)
• Mac Lipglass in Mad Cap (review here)
• Pout Plump - had this for ever but seems to still be ok!
• Carmex Moisture Plus in Sheer Berry (review here)
• Carmex Moisutre Plus in Sheer Pink (review here)

And finally, the randoms

• Clear gloss from M&S which has now turned a little pink as I use it over my YSL Rouge Volupte all the time
• M&S Colour Intense Lip Lacquer, Orange Fizz
• I Love... Juicy Watermelon Shimmer and Shine lip gloss
• Clinique Superbalm Moisturising Gloss in Apriocot - this was a sample with a Clinique bonus time, a nice neutral colour.
• L'Oreal Glam Shine in Aqua Watermelon (review here)- very disappointed with this, no colour, very sheer and wears off almost instantly
• Miss Sporty - no idea of shade name as it has worn off but its a nice peachy shade.
• NYC Liquid Lipshine in Brighton Beach Peach (review here) - another peachy pink staple!
• Rimmel Stay Glossy - again no shade name but a lovely peachy pink with micro silver shimmer
• Bourjois Effect 3D Max in Rose gold - a pink with gold shimmer

 

Have you tried any of these lip products?  

What do you think of them?

Review: Max Factor Ruby Tuesday

Max Factor's Ruby Tuesday is a shade I wouldn't have bought of my own volition, but as I won it from a  pack of Special K cereal bars (!) I thought it was worth trying out - after all, it was a free lipstick!

I don't own many Max Factor lippies and I'm not sure why really as I was quite impressed by this one.  The packaging is fairly robust for a drugstore brand and I liked the added touch of making the bottom of the tube the same colour as the lippy within it - this makes it far easier when it comes to finding the one you are after in a  morning!

The colour in the tube is a fairly neutral red, which perhaps leans a little blue-toned.  It reminds me a little of Mac's Russian Red.   When swatched, it looks slightly pink in tone and I could see this suiting a wide range of skintones from fair to dark.  

It glides onto my lips easily and is opaque with one swipe and it felt very smooth and silky, not at all drying and had a slight sheen finish.  I didn't experience any bleeding when wearing this and found it to wear for around four hours before the fading became noticeable.

Verdict

I was previously unfamiliar with Max Factor's lipsticks and this one impressed me greatly.  If I didn't know, I would think it was from a higher end brand due to its opaque, long-lasting colour.  I will certainly be taking a closer look at the Max Factor lipsticks from now on!

4/5 

 

Price - £7.99

Where to Buy - Boots, Superdrug, large supermarkets

Desires and Deals #3

Happy Mother's Day!  I hope you have had a lovely weekend.  I live a few hours from my mum so unfortunately will not get to see her this weekend.  I did however send her a card and some gifts and am looking forward to catching up with her in two weeks time when my dad and her are coming to visit.

This week, the buzz in the blogsphere has been all about the release of the Revlon Lip Butters so I have chosen some other new releases to highlight - although I am also planning on picking up some of the lip butters over the next couple of weeks too!!

Desires

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24 Hour Cream Eye Shadow, £4.99, Boots, Superdrug

I really enjoy wearing cream eyeshadows these days and these new shadows from Maybelline are supposed to be very similar to the more expensive Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream Shadows.  I don't think I would be wearing them for 24 hours but I am always on the lookout for hard-wearing cream shadows and I will certainly be taking a look at them.  They are currently out of stock on the Boots website but they should be available in store.  Superdrug should also have them available, and all Maybelline products are on 3 for 2 there at the moment.

Max Factor Flipstick Colour Effect, £8.49, Superdrug

These new offerings from Max Factor feature a double-ended product with one rich creamy colour and one iridescent shade.  This allows you to wear each colour separately, blended together or to wear the stronger colour underneath with the iridescent shade just blended into the centre.  I like the idea of this but I will need to take a closer look at them before purchasing.  There are six shades currently available from light pinks to bright red.  I particularly like the look of Gipsy Red (yes it is spelled this way, not Gypsy!).  They currently have £2 off in Superdrug and are £6.49.  I can't yet see them on the Boots website but I'm sure they will turn up soon.

Etat Pur Skincare

I love the sound of this new skincare range which promises to work in tandem with your skin to provide 'pure and active solutions'.  There are no amazing promises of looking 10 years younger whilst using it (who really believes all that advertising blurb anyway), just the belief that you will be taking care of your skin and not pumping it full of chemicals.  By filling in an online questionnaire, they suggest the best products for your skin type and the great thing is that none of the products are overly pricey either!  I'm certainly going to be investigating these as my skin has been going through a stressed, tired period recently with numerous breakouts, so going back to basics will hopefully help it.

Deals

Dolly Leo - 45% off 

Dolly Leo is unfortunately closing down, and as part of their closing down sale they are offering 45% off everything until 25th March.  There are items from brands such as Pixi, Suqqu, Becca and Nude. The code is dollyleoforever. 

Escentual - 1/3 off all French Skincare Brands until 31st March

Escentual is offering 1/3 off brands such as Vichy, Avene and La Roche-Possay until the end of March.  The discount will automatically be taken off at the checkout. 

Jimmy Choo EDT and EDP - Cheap Smells

Both the EDT and EDP are being sold at up to 35% off this weekend on Cheap Smells.  I've only had a quick spray of this in Debenhams and I liked it a lot. I found it quite fruity but not overpoweringly so.  I have to say I'm very tempted by it!

I hope you had a lovely weekend, whether you were with your Mum,  being pampered as a mum yourself, or even just out enjoying the sunshine.

Have a good week.

Victoria

x

Mini Haul - Alpha-H, Davines, Max Factor and Dior

A quick post to show what I have bought / received this week.  Sorry for the quality of the photos - I wanted to get these up and my flat has awful lighting!

Alpha-H  Daily Exfoliator and Alpha-H Handcream

I was after a new daily scrub and I’ve heard good things about the Alpha-H range.  I purchased the handcream as Beauty Bay were doing a promotion where you got a free Alpha-H eyecream if you purchased two products and I always need handcream!  The eye cream didn’t arrive though as it was out of stock grrrrr!!

Davines Nou Nou Illuminating Shampoo

I’d heard several people rave about this shampoo for coloured hair.  I’m wishing I had also picked up the conditioner too as I didn’t realise I am almost out of my Tigi Dumb Blonde.   I may have to do another order!  Not that impressed by the packaging though, it looks a bit like something I could have done!

Max Factor Lipstick in Ruby Tuesday

I won this a while ago from a giveaway with Special K.  It looks rather bright so I’m not sure if I will have the confidence to wear it outside the house – it may be donated to my mum as she is the Red Lipstick Queen!

Rouge Dior 351 in Elegant Pink

Another prize from a giveaway, this time from Pink Lady Apples!  I love winning lipsticks!  I haven’t tried any Dior lipsticks before and this looks like a very wearable, bright pink so I’m looking forward to giving it a try.

As an aside, Boots are currently running a giveaway where you could win one of 5000 Benefit Lip Glosses.  You need to buy 2 bottles of Diet Coke, scan the leaflet listing the promotion (I found this attached to the fridges next to the coke) and swipe your Advantage card.  I love Benefit glosses so fingers crossed for this one!

Have you tried any of these products?