Lancome Art (thou gone) Liner?

In my search for a decent dark black eyeliner I picked up the Lancome Art liner.  It is a liquid black 'felt tip' pen eyeliner.  The reason I chose this one is that the tip sits in the ink (which also has tiny ball bearings in so that it doesn't set in the inkwell).

Lancome Art Liner

Lancome says: "Gentle felt eyeliner.  An intense and precise line, in a single sweep.  Exceptionally long-lasting.  Shake before use."

I like the applicator.  It is easy to hold, and fairly easy to apply.  I don't find that I am skilled enough to apply in one sweep though!

Sorry that is a little out of focus, I only just noticed!

However....

On the lid and already patchy :(

I am not a fan of this product.  I find that it applies patchy,  and then dries to a black which isnt a true black.  As if this wasn't disappointing enough, I also found that this product does not live up to Lancome's 'exceptionally long lasting claim'.  In fact I found it was fading within around 20 minutes.  By lunchtime it is gone.  My lids are a little oily, however other products last longer than this.  With an eye primer it does last a little longer, but it is nowhere near long-lasting, let alone exceptionally long lasting!  Another trick I tried is 'setting' the liner with a powder eyeshadow in the same colour, but that didn't help too much.

Lancome Art Liner = Fat fail from me.

Lined: But not for long!

I wont be replacing this product once finished- especially at around £20 per liner.  I'll stick with my gel liners!

Please note I have oily lids, so you might find this product performs better if your eye lids are dryer.  You might not.  This is just my own opinion.  Hope this review helps some of you.  Sorry Lancome!

Do you use a liquid eyeliner?  Can you recommend any products?  Have you used this liner?  Have you any tips for making a liquid liner last longer?

Caudalie Eau Demaquillante - Bioderma Credaline Dupe? + Offer

Recently I reviewed the cult beauty product Bioderma Crealine H2O and today I thought I would talk about another micellar water cleansing solution.  This one is by french brand Caudalie.

Caudalie's products are made using grape seed.  Grapes are very good for hydrating the body (and making wine ;) ).  More importantly Caudalie have banned parabens, artificial colours and mineral oils, and are against animal testing.

Eau Demaquillante is slim and tall, fitting in my cupboard perfectly.  The bottle is sturdy with a screw top (slightly better for traveling that Bioderma's flip top, which has potential for disaster- or being mistaken for a bottle of Evian!).  As you would expect, the liquid is clear and water like in consistancy, but as with Bioderma DO NOT DRINK!!

Unlike Bioderma this has an aroma, unsurprisingly of fresh leaves and ..urm..grapes.  It's not an over-powering smell, just a feint clean, fruity smell.

I apply this product to some cotton wool pads a sweep over the face and neck.  This is the second product I have been able to remove all eye makeup with.  I am very impressed.

It doesnt leave any residue, but does leave skin feeling refreshed and clean- sometimes a little tighter and brighter?  It is not an exact dupe to Bioderma Crealine as it contains a few more products, however I find it quite gentle on my skin and have had no reactions.

PLUS POINTS- this product is easier to purchase that Bioderma, due to some of the larger retailers picking it up.

MINUS POINTS: Bottle isn't as big as Bioderma.  200ml for £14.50 where as Bioderma is 500ml for around £10-£15

I purchased this from Boots for £14.50 and at the moment all Caudalie products are on a 3 for 2 deal.  This means you can save money and points at the same time.  Plus did you know you can order online at Boots and have it sent to your local store for free if you spend over £20 (they text you when it arrives- it's a great service which I have used on several occasions).  Alternatively delivery starts from £2.95 which is less that it would cost me for a bus ticket.

I have also picked up some Caudalie products from Zuneta and this week they are giving away a 30ml Caudalie body lotion with every Caudalie purchase.  I love a good offer, and free delivery makes things even more appealing!

I have some more Caudalie reviews coming up.  A friend went to France recently and picked me up some lovely gifts.

Other News:
E.L.F. have 20% off with the code PUMPKIN till 09:30 on 31/11/11 (Spend £10) 
 
BeautyBay still have their 10% off and free delivery as in my post from yesterday

French Connection have 20% off with the code STYLIST20

My illness turned out to be a virus, so I'm feeling rough and under doctor's orders to rest.  I've had to cancel all plans and ride it out.  I am rubbish at 'resting'!  Anyone have any 'pick me up' tips??!


Do you use cleansing waters?  Have you tried Caudalie?  How you you remove your makeup?

Get 10% off BeautyBay! Alpha H free product!

If you are quick you can 10% off www.beautybay.com using the code SCARY10 until midnight Friday (tomorrow) and bag free delivery in the UK (International delivery is very reasonable)!  Great for a little autumn pick me up, now the nights are long, dark and cold.  It beats standing in the cold and rain queuing for a bus while clutching and umbrella and loosing circulation in your hand!! 


I have shopped with beautybay a number of times and can't fault their customer service or range of products!  They have always arrived really securely wrapped and intact.  Plus a nice little handful of samples means that I am a happy customer!  (I love samples!  It's like christmas!)

Alpha H Liquid Gold

Personally I'll be stocking up amazing Alpha H products.  I have a whole skincare routine post coming up- and reviews of my Alpha H collection.  The cult classic Alpha H Liquid Gold  is down to £28.35 from £31.50 and Liquid gold night intensive serum (I cant rave enough about this product- review coming!) down from £49.00 to £44.10 and worth every penny!  These products have really helped my skin, and are very easy to use (thankfully for me!)  And in the cheesy style of a JML advert.... BUT WAIT- THERE'S MORE!

Liquid Gold Night Intensive- pretty!

Buy 2 Alpha H products from Beauty Bay and get an Alpha H Absolute Eye complex (worth £35.50) FREE!  This is such a great deal.  They also have some great Alpha H Kits starting at £23.35 (normally £26 for a resurfacing essentials kit of 4 items) or they do a 5 piece anti ageing kit containing a good cleanser and liquid gold.  I love kits as it gives you a chance to try things you wouldn't normally pick up.  Plus they are great value for money and perfect for weekends away!  I will be purchasing one of those as I want to try a few more products, but I'm not sure about purchasing full sized items yet as my cupboard is pretty full (woops!)


I am also tempted by the OPI Muppets collection (10% makes any polish £9.45 apart from the mini set which is around £11) I am in love with Rainbow connection... sparkles magpie!!  No matter how long it takes me to remove, I always find myself drawn to glitter polishes!!

Glittery glitter! Not practical but pretty!!

Another product I like the look of, but havent tried yet, is Jemma Kidd's Light as air foundation as raved about by Tanya Burr (Pixi2woo on youtube) and FleurdeForce.  Has anyone tried this?  Can you recommend it?  Tanya also raves about Jemma Kidds stippling brush- but I cant see it on Beautybay- unless I'm being blind?  Can anyone else find it for me?

So a bit of a shopping based ramble from me.  I'm off work sick, clutching a big mug of peppermint tea.  Later I plan on clutching a giant mug of hot chocolate, while wrapped in a big snugly cardigan and place a big online retail therapy order!  If I like something then I stockpile it away and take advantages of offers and codes.  Last time I tried to do this beautybay sold out of the Alpha H so I'll have to be quicker this time!

I'm also on the look out for a good pair of winter boots and a nice big chunky knitted cardigan (with belt).  I haven't found any I like yet, so if you can suggest any places to look then fire away!

Have you tried any of these products?  What is your favorite winter weather pick me up?

P.s. if you havent checked, then please see if you won a Witch skincare concealer.  Not all winners have contacted me, but those who have I'll be sending your details off shortly.

In need of a good concealer? Watch this.

I saw this today and had to share.  I don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't watched, but any thoughts?  This might be a makeup junkie's heaven!

P.s. normal posting resumes v shortly.  I had no internet last weekend/early part of this week :/ and so when I got back I had days worth of emails to catch up on!  Trying hard to fight away the obligitory office lurgie- any tips?!

Stay well and let me know what you think about the video!  Have a great weekend!

Bioderma H2O Crealine

This product has been on the beauty underground for many years.  It's been a sort of industry secret, only to be shared in recent years by makeup artists and skincare experts such as the Pixiwoo sisters (http://www.pixiwoo.com/) and Lisa Eldridge (http://www.lisaeldridge.com/).

Bioderma is a french made brand, and mostly available on the continent.  However there are a few retailers who have managed to make it available in the UK.

Why is this product so good?
It's an oil free gentle cleanser.  It contains nothing- well obviously not 'nothing' but it skips perfumes, parabens, silicone, mineral oils- basically all the stuff that might irritate your skin.  Not only does this makes it suitable for all skin types (young, old, dry, oily etc), it also means that it is unlikely to cause breakouts or reactions.  Being oil free also makes it suitable for use with eyelash extensions.

As if that wasn't enough, it doesn't dry your skin or strip the natural oils harshly.  This has made it a firm favorite for backstage use at fashion catwalk shows and shoots.  Have you ever done your make up, only to remove it and then reapply- multiply this by a few times and generally your skin will feel dry, tight, red and angry!  Bioderma gently cleanses skin, removing dirt and makeup, while not making your body think it needs to produce more oil (Yes Clinique, I am talking to you!)


Bioderma doesn't smell weird.  It looks like (but does NOT taste like!) water.  You can buy it is various sizes, but I like the 500ml size, which at the current rate of use will last me well over 4 months.

I use Bioderma in the evening to remove makeup and dirt pre face wash cleanse (or clarisonic).  If I haven't been wearing makeup I pour some onto a cotton wool pad and gently sweep over my neck and face.  If I have been wearing makeup then I will use 2-4 cotton rounds and move in small circular motions.  If I have been wearing heavy eye makeup then I use Lisa Eldridge's method





I have used several sorts of eye makeup remover and have mostly always woken up with panda eyes in the morning.  Bioderma really impressed me  I have used it and woken up with mascara residue on my face!

Obviously this is cheaper if you can buy it in France (minus train/plane/boat fare of course).  However in the UK you can sometimes purchase it at www.zuneta.com or ebay for around £10-£14.  If anyone can recommend other online please link below.  It sells out very quickly!

Just in case you are in any doubt, I will be repurchasing Bioderma H20!  I also sometimes use an oily eye makeup remover, but that's a new post!


Have you used Bioderma?  How do you remove your makeup?  Do you have a eye makeup removing routine?  Where do you buy Bioderma from?

(P.s. if you buy it in the US can you share your source?  I have had a few emails asking me for help in sourcing it and I havent found anywhere yet!  Thanks!)

P.p.s. Chanel giveaway closes very soon. Witch skincare giveaway is closed- and to the cheeky people who have subbed, entered and then unsubbed, that is not in good spirit!

Witch Skincare Winners!

The 10 Winners of a Witch Skincare concealer are......

(8 UK winners)
Pyari
Littleboo
Llama
The Vain Girls Palette
Glimmo
Bex Smith
Evelyn
Dan

And the 2 international winners are;
Gabriela in Spain
Ikercsajok in Hungary

Congratulations you guys!  Please send me an email  titled 'Witch Winner' to the address in the side bar, with;
Your UK shipping address (apart from Gabriela and Ikercsajok- unless you have a UK address too!)
Concealer shade (Light or Medium).

I will then contact Witch and request your prizes are sent out ASAP.

Thanks for all the tips!  I will be publishing some of the best ones in a future skincare post!

Well done, and sorry if you didn't win this time.  I have several other prizes to giveaway so stay tuned!

Gosh Holographic Nail Polish

Gosh Holo Polish

Just a quick post today.  My camera has been playing up, so hopefully it will decide to work again shortly!  I went out with a friend for drinks the other night and this was my nail venom!  Gosh Holographic polish.  It's no longer for sale on the Gosh website, but sometimes you can find it on the stands in Superdrug (or tucked underneath ;) )  It retailed for £4.99 although can be seen for astronomical prices on ebay every now and again!  I think this is the only holo polish I have in my (ever growing) collection.  I might be wrong though!  Anyone have Gosh Holo polish in their collection?

Great for the festive season / black tie events!

In other news, thanks for all the Witch concealer giveaway entries.  That giveaway is closed and I will be drawing the winners as soon as I get a chance to breathe!  My Chanel giveaway is still open, and I do have some entries to verfiy so dont worry if your comment hasn't appeared.

I was going to do my updated skincare routine, but of course I have just has 2 cysts appear (hormonal ones!) so I need to attack those before I plaster my face on here!  I am toying with putting some video footage in it.  Good idea?

What is your favorite festive polish?  Dont forget you can plug your blog using the link in the side bar!

As much as I love it, I dont find that it lasts too well.  As with a number of polishes, the particles are larger than with your average 'colour' polish.  Colour polishes tend to stick fairly well for several days and then chip or peel in large chunks.  Glitter or partial polishes just tend not to bond so well with the nail and therefore chip pretty quickly, even with a base and top coat.  That said, I wouldn't really wear this as a daytime/work polish so I don't mind that it doesn't last for weeks!

Chanel Epatant dupe & Ins and out!

Avid readers and tweeters will know how much I love the latest collection from Chanel.  However the price isn't great.  Chanel is a classy brand, but also carries a higher end price tag.  I recently posted on the Illusion d'ombre shadows I purchased.  I said that there were some dupes for some of the colours and here is one.

Chanel Epatant is a sort of gold / khakis / taupe shadow.  Whilst looking through my (probably too big) collection I spotted this....

Left: Benefit Skinny Jean, Right: Epatant.

Benefit Skinny Jean creaseless cream shadow.  The consistency is different to Chanel.  Benefit is a (solid) cream, where as Chanel is a sort of spongey gel consistency.    They can both be applied with a flat eyeshadow brush or (clean) finger tips. You can also use them as a liner.

Left: Benefit. Right Chanel (Flash/ no flash)

As you can see, the colours arent an exact dupe, but they can look pretty similar.  The chanel has a bit more of of a metalic sheen (not glitter!) but if you are in love with the taupe/metallic trend then either of these will suit your needs.

Benefit Creaseless cream shadows retail for around £14 from stores (including Boots online), where as Chanel retail for £22.50.  I know that both of these are expensive, and that the Benefit may be classed as high end for some people, so if you have any cheaper alternatives please share below!

• Don't forget, I am giving some of these Chanel eyeshadows away. Click HERE!  Please note I have had to disqualify some entries as they hadnt followed the rules- read carefully!

IN

• Hot weather in October.  I have loved breaking out the summer skirts again.
• Elixir lipstick challenge. A different colour each day- I will be sharing 7 pictures with you very shortly!
• Bioderma cleanser.

  
OUT

• Cooler weather- spiders indoors!  I refuse to kill them (shame on those who do- or wash them down the sink).  But I'm not keen on them either!  Cup, card and out they go!  Going to put some citron oil over the door threshold as apparently that makes they stay away...
• Christmas and Halloween stuff in the shops.  I'm not keen on the commercialism of Halloween anyway.  Most people seem to use it to cart their kids round and beg sweets of people they dont know :/ on that note, it's far too early to have Christmas stuff in the shops.

On that note, what are your dupe recommendations?  What are your ins and outs? 

Giveaways: Witch and Chanel

My giveaways are still open.  I'm a bit run down at the moment, so I thought I would post this instead of a post involving face pictures.  To top it off I have a eye-sty so I cant wear any eye makeup at the moment.  Very sore!

I have 10 liquid concealers to give away from Witch skincare.  These are designed to fight spots while covering them up a little.  There are currently 11 entries so you have a good chance!  Open internationally!  Closes SUNDAY 9th October 19:00 UK time.

Witch makeup : http://computergirl2007.blogspot.com/2011/09/witch-make-up-competition.html



Plus my super-duper Chanel giveaway is still open.  If you have never tried Chanel then what are you waiting for?! If you have tried Chanel then you will not want to miss the products I am giving away!

Chanel Giveaway: http://computergirl2007.blogspot.com/2011/09/chanel-giveaway-positive-thinking.html

Thanks all!

P.s. No taker for the guest review product in my last post.  If no one volunteers by the weekend I'll be rethinking my offer.