Disappointing Beauty Products #5

However hard you try some products just won't work for you, some won't float your boat and when others don't live up to the hype it can leave you feeling a bit disappointed. Here are my five latest disappointing products.

Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Lip and Cheek Tint

While I know this is a beauty favourite amongst many, it left me feeling a bit 'meh.' I don't know if  I expected too much from this because of the hype this has. It gives a nice natural flush but it doesn't last all day and isn't very pigmented. It's a nice colour on the lips though it doesn't last long after a drink or snack. It just seems very overpriced to me. (Benetint isn't actually bubbly like in the photo. I'd just dropped it so it had been shaken up and down before I took the photo.) You can read my full review here.

Balance Me Lip Salve in Sheer Red

Balance Me claim this "lip plumping intensive salve boosts hydration as well as treating to a sheer veil of gloss and colour." It's also petroleum free which suggests that it might be more moisturising than petroleum (such as Vaseline) which only acts as a barrier between the lips and environment rather than truly moisturising lips. However I did not find this very moisturising or hydrating at all. I also didn't like the peppermint taste but I know that some people may find this refreshing. The colour though, is gorgeous and is much more pigmented than I expected from a tinted lip salve. However I think I was allergic to this since it made my lips really sore and dry especially around the cupid bow for about two weeks, after just one or two uses.

Limited Collection Lip Liner in Nude

I was hoping this would be a great Kylie Jenner lip liner but unfortunately it's very pale. Much paler than it looks, while my lips are somewhat pigmented they're not that dark either. It could be useful as a lip eraser when you want to cancel out your natural lip colour but I'd rather just use foundation. If you have very pale lips this may be for you. However if you're after a Kylie Jenner lip liner, this isn't it. There were some good points though, the pencil is soft and long lasting, especially for under a fiver so it may be worthwhile checking out the other colours in this Marks and Spencer's  range.

MUA Eye Primer

I don't know whether this tube was an old one off the shelf or if it had been left for too long in my stash or whether it was from a bad batch, but I didn't find that it kept my eye shadow on at all and my eye shadow creased. It seems to help in the first hour or two but after that it did absolutely nothing. The eye shadow had half disappeared on my lids whereas Elf s mineral eye primer would leave it looking immaculate after 17 hours! I didn't feel that my eye shadow colours looked more vibrant either, this isn't my main concern but it would be a nice bonus. There also didn't seem to be much product in the tube. I don't know whether this was just a one off or not.

Revlon Neon Nail Polish Duo in Fluorescent 150

These nail polishes are watery and streaky. The idea is that you paint your nails with a white base layer which is supposed to make the fluorescent layer you paint on top 'pop' and look more vibrant. However the streaks and brushstrokes on the white layer show through no matter how good you are at painting your nails, because the formula is so watery. If you're looking for a bright neon polish I'd check out Models Own Nail Polish For Tans collection. You can read the full review of the Revlon Polish here.

What products have you been disappointed by recently?

 Thanks for reading!

Four Spring Lip Picks

Revlon Super lustrous Lip gloss in 21 Pink Crystals
This gives a nice peach gloss to the lips, despite the name being Pink. It also has gold glitter running through it but this isn't noticeable on the lips. It is quite sticky though so be warned! This is one of my Finish 5 by cinco items and you can find a more in depth review here.

Bourjois 3D Effect Lip gloss in 46 Rose Lyric
This is a long time favourite of mine, mainly because it tastes like Love Heart Sweets rather than of vanilla and mint. It's also only the tiniest bit sticky. There are tiny particles of glitter to enhance the glossiness or the '3D Effect.' The glitter isn't noticeable on the lips however, which is good.

Revlon Lip Butter in 050 Berry Smoothie
This is pretty much my go-to shade because it suits most make up looks. It's a reddish pink. It's also comfortable and moisturising to wear. I love the lip butters they are both sheer like a tinted lip balm and pigmented like a lipstick at the same time, though they are not know for being long lasting. This tastes and smells like vanilla but it's fairly subtle.

Clinque Chubby Stick in 06 Woppin Watermelon
This is moisturising, comfortable to wear and the light pink colour is subtle, being like a tinted lip Balm. It is the perfect texture being neither sticky, tacky or waxy. It also doesn't have a taste or smell which is great for those with allergies. It automatically twists up as well. For the full review and lip swatches see here.

Revlon Neon Nail Art Polish

The concept behind Revlon Neon Nail Art Polishes is that a layer of white polish underneath another colour will make the colour 'pop.' This is why NYX Jumbo Eye shadow Pencil in Milk (White) is so popular, because used under other colours it makes the colour on top much more vibrant.
I bought this for a St Patrick's Day themed manicure and was interested in buying a green polish rather than looking specifically for neon nail polish. I also thought that with the two colours I was getting two colours for the price of one, and if I didn't like one polish the other would be ok. In the end I used other polishes because Revlon's version just doesn't work well.The white does make the polish a little brighter, a little more neon but the finish is very streaky and uneven. I have Revlon's number 150 Florescence- a white and bright light green polish. You're supposed to apply two coats of the white polish and two coats of the green. I started by using one coat of Bourjois So Perfect Base Coat before using the Revlon polishes.

The white polish is thin and runny, but isn't all that bad to be honest, and needs two coats to be opaque, I have read other reviews (unfortunately after I bought this) complaining that the white polish is really streaky but I think it's OK. However the green polish is very thin, watery and very transparent. This may be deliberate, so that the colour underneath shows through in order to make the green pop. However it applies very unevenly and ends up looking very streaky and blotchy. Some of the white polish showed around the edges as well, though I did my best to rub it off . It reminds me of trying to use a yellow neon highlighter pen to hi-light  black print and the highlighter merges with the ink to a weird green colour. It took separate two afternoons (10 hours in all) to try to get this looking presentable. It doesn't look great and I hope the camera picks this up. I didn't use a top coat because after all the effort of 4 layers and still looking bad I couldn't be bothered to apply more. However it does have a nice shine without a top coat.

To borrow a phrase from Dragon's Den, I feel that Revlon have 'over engineered' the idea of neon nail polish. This concept involves painting an extra two coats of polish when I'm sure you must be able to buy a neon polish straight of the shelf without all this hard work and effort. I feel Revlon  repackaged some nail varnish to convince us that it was something new and completely different to whatever else was out there, so that it becomes 'special' and a 'must have.' Basically it's a gimmick that doesn't work. The concept is terrible. I'm amazed that Revlon let this product out of the testing lab! It's priced a £7.99 in Superdrug, and on Amazon (£1.59-£15!) but luckily I bought this in Poundland so I didn't waste much money, but even for a pound there are much better nail polishes out there- I recommend Poundland's Make Up Gallery in Midnight Black nail polish. I am going to keep it to see if I can use the white polish as a base underneath some glitter polishes so that it doesn't go completely to waste. But my advice is not to waste your money on a gimmick that doesn't work well enough!

4 Moisturising Lip Picks for Winter

Come winter, chapped lips seem inevitable, meaning you can forget about applying drying lipsticks. For days when you want to add colour but lipstick just feels uncomfortable to wear or too full on, try reaching for one of these instead. They range from most pigmented and opaque (#happy lips, lip butters) to sheer (TBS Born Lippy.)

The Body Shop Born Lippy in Plum
This gives a subtle berry tint to the lips and is very moisturising. There are other shades in the range but this is the darkest, I chose the darkest assuming it would have more colour pay off and it doesn't disappoint. It's doesn't look odd when it wears off either. I prefer the Born Lippy lip balm in stick form rather than the pots because I find the formula more moisturising and hygienic. This lip balm smells slightly of plum and prunes and tastes a little like plums. As always with The Body shop this tinted lip balm isn't tested on animals and is priced reasonably at £3. You can get this from The Body Shop here 

Clinque Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Balms
This is the one that started a revolution in the make up world. The twist up form was easy to apply and didn't need sharpening. It became so popular it started a copycat trend amongst other cosmetic brands. These Clinque chubby stick lips have a perfect formula for they are not sticky, tacky or waxy in anyway. Clinque Chubby Stick balms are not scented and have no taste which is great for those with allergies. They are very comfortable to wear. Full review and swatches see here. If you are after a more opaque colour then Clinque also do a Chubby Stick Intense line.They are available at Clinque Online here , Boots, Superdrug and department store for £17.

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters
I have four of these sheer but moisturising lipsticks, in Macaroon, Berry Smoothie,Tutti Frutti and Raspberry Pie and reckon they're worth the hype.They smell of vanilla but it's fairly subtle. The wear time of these aren't great but I found them to last a bit longer than the No 7 version, Sheer Temptations lipstick which is similar. A swatch of the Raspberry Pie can be found here. Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters are priced at £7,99 at Superdrug here and Boots here £7.99

Make Up Revolution Amazing Care #Happylips in Love Red
This has a moisturising outer layer containing argan oil. Because of this I expected that it would be sheer like a tinted lip balm, but I was pleasantly surprised that this can be built up to a bright red colour (although it looks pink in the swatch below it's actually a cool toned red.) and is a lot more pigmented. These happylips are perfect to wear in the winter when your lips tend to feel drier because this is really very moisturising and so comfortable to wear. It can last through a drink but not eating. There is no noticeable smell but it does taste like vanilla. Altogether there are 5 shades in the line. £3 Make Up Revolution here

My bronzer Collection

Updated April 2020 

Although summer is fading and autumn fast approaching, a bit of bronzer can prolong a summer tanned look. I have medium olive skin and while I am amazed to find that there's still a lot of orange bronzers out there, especially in the drug store I've managed to find and recommend ones that aren't.I generally use Zoeva's Angled blush brushes (127 Luxe Sheer Cheek and 128 Cream cheek) to apply these bronzers below.

Sleek contour kit in light 

Although this is sold as a contour kit/palette the warm brown makes it more suitable for bronzing. It's very pigmented, fairly long wearing and includes one of my all time  favourite highlighters. For such a cheap price this is fantastic value for money. When I hit pan I will definitely go out and buy another.  Sleek online and Superdrug £6.49

Benefit Hoola Cream Bronzer 
Easy to use.

Ben Nye in Contour No 2  
Although sold as a contour powder the warm brown makes it ideal for bronzing.This is extremely pigmented and so requires a light hand and although I apply using a slanted contour brush I would recommend a fan brush so that you don't over apply, see my full review here. I absolutely love this, the pigment, the price everything and will definitely repurchase if I hit pan on this. Available from Treasure House of Make Up at £11.22 they are also available in the USA with other stage makeup brands such as Graftobian and Mehron.

Boots Natural collection in Milk Chocolate

 This is actually an eye shadow, one day I decided to try this as an Bronzer and the warmth of the brown really brings a healthy tanned glow to the face. At it's also very cheap and would suit paler skin tones. I would definitely repurchase as this is a double duty product.

From Boots £1.99

Boots No 7 Perfectly Bronzed Duo bronzer 

This is from a holiday set but is exactly the same as the one in current No 7 regular line which comes in a mirrored compact. Although this has tiny sparkles of glitter they don't really show up when worn so I've put this in the matte category. A good colour for a bronzer and I would repurchase this again. From Boots £12

The Benefit Cosmetics Hoola line is their best seller for a reason but  I would say the best value and all rounder are the Ben Nye Contour powder and Sleek Contour Kit.