Maybelline Waterproof Mascara || The Rocket & Great Lash...

I am slowly making my way through and testing different waterproof mascaras to see if I can find my absolute favourite. I do have naturally long lashes which I curl before applying mascara.

The last mascara I tested was the NYX Doll Eye Mascara which you can read about here.

In this post I shall talk about two Maybelline Mascaras which I bought on Amazon.

Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof - £6.50

I've never used a brush like this, it has short silicone bristles which I have found amazing for giving lift and no clumps. I really like the formula as I only really need one coat and has a fast drying time.

A picture is worth a thousand words and I feel the my photos show what I am trying to say.

One minor drawback is that it's a little stubborn when it comes to removing make up, but I have started using coconut oil to melt away eye make up and a wipe to get rid of the mess.

This is fast becoming my favourite top lash mascara I've ever tried. I use it on my top lashes because the brush is quite wide and is sometimes difficult to apply to my lower lashes...which is where my next mascara comes in.

I keep showing people my lashes and telling them they need this mascara.

FIRST PICTURE - No Mascara
SECOND PICTURE - The Rocket on top lashes
THIRD PICTURE - Great lash on lower lashes

Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof - £4.99

This next mascara has an overall more natural look than The Rocket as the formula is thinner but I love it for my lower lashes. It has a small bristled brush and is great for delicate mascara application.
The corkscrew shape of the bristles separates lashes well and coats them evenly.

I have tried it on my top lashes and it gives a less dramatic overall look, I would only do it if I wasn't going anywhere or going to the gym.

Here's a comparison of the two mascara wands - Great Lash to the left and The Rocket on the right.

And some extra photos from my phone, how they look with and without winged liner.

I love the fact these are so affordable, I would never spend over £10 on one mascara. 

Both of these have lived up to being waterproof having been drenched on the way to work on more than one occasion. 

No panda eyes for me! 

I feel there are a lot more Maybelline mascaras I still need to test but this is currently my favourite mascara combination I've tried so far. 

What are your favourite mascaras, any other waterproof suggestions?

Coco

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My Curly Hair(care) Products...

I have been growing my hair from a pixie cut for a year now and has nearly reached shoulder length. I thought I would do a 'quick' post about what I use for styling and what I used to keep it healthy whilst growing it. 

Only very recently was the first time I had my hair trimmed in six whole months! 

I somehow managed not to get any split ends, which is amazing as I did my own ombré hair that look two sessions of lightening. 

First let me tell you that I have curly hair which needs help to look decent, however I am very lazy when it comes to hairstyling. 

This first product I have repurchased a few times now and still absolutely LOVE it! As you can read it is an Argan Treatment Oil (for hair & skin). 

It has a very silky feeling and smells good enough to eat, it is very sweet but once it's on I can barely smell it if you're worried about strong scented products. 

I generally wash my hair every two days and I run this through the ends of my wet hair. I always let my hair air dry as my curly hair and blow dryers do not mix, unless I want a glorious fuzzy mane.

This helps dry my hair faster than it ever would without and doesn't leave any greasy residue. 

I feel that this oil is the reason my hair has stayed in such good condition whilst growing it out.

I have also used this at night on my face especially focussing on my laughter lines. Super hydrating and absorbs nicely into the skin.

My other hair product was recommended by my hairdresser after I asked what would be best for me. I mentioned I let my hair air dry I wanted something I could put in my hair whilst damp and let it do it's thing. I really like this product and is exactly what I wanted. This is now my second bottle. 

This Curls Rock Amplifier is a curl cream and now my hair is longer I use one pump for either side of my hair and another half a pump for the back. If my hair dries too much I just wet my hands and add the curl cream and scrunch it through the ends of my hair. 

This doesn't dry crunchy like mousses do, it lets my curls set soft and naturally but also keeps them from going mental. 

You can get both of these products for around £10 each off of Amazon where they are usually in some sort of sale.

I hope this helps if you have hair similar to mine and are struggling to find good products.

Here's the most recent (windswept) picture of what my hair looks like. 

What products have you tried and would recommend? Would love to hear your thoughts?

Coco

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Boots || Nose Pore Strips...

I recently got into using nose strips and not wanting to spend lots of money I went for the Boots own brand ones. In this pack of Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Nose Pore Strips you get 6 strips all individually wrapped for £4.99, I got these in a 3 for 2 deal but currently are in a BOGOF deal. 

I found these really easy to use, following the instructions by wetting my nose, applying the strip, leaving for 15 minutes and then slowly peeling it off. I have only used these twice so far and have already noticed a big difference in my blackheads & pores. 

I find the form of these very good for shaping around the nose contours.

They really work well for removing blackheads and made my nose super smooth after peeling it off. 

A gross yet good fact about these is that you can see if they have worked or not by seeing the blackheads stuck to the sheet. Being that they are tea tree based I thought they would have a strong scent but they really don't, it's very subtle.

I would definitely recommend trying these as they have worked for both my boyfriend and I.

Hope you had a lovely day!

Coco
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Barry M || Matte Nail Paint...

I really like the look of matte nails and have recently run out of my matte top coat so when I found this range by Barry M I was very pleased.

I've always loved Barry M nail varnishes, as they have the perfect consistency and an amazing amount of colours to choose from.

I am still very much in to the Autumn/Winter colours so when I saw this colour I instantly needed it.

This colour is called Crush and is a super deep oxblood red and dries to a satin matte finish.

I found that this dries quite fast for quite a thick varnish and with this colour you only really need one coat. (In the pictures I have 2 coats on just to be safe!)

You can get these in Boots or Superdrug for £3.99 and are usually in a deal.

I am also eyeing up the Spring Speedy Pastel range.

 What is your favourite Barry M nail paint?

Coco

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Primark || Lipsticks...

I have gone through a lipstick buying phase. I've never really worn lipsticks on a day to day basis as I thought it was too much effort but recently I have been really getting into it. 

I saw a few YouTube hauls on items from Primark and this made me realise I have never really looked in the beauty section. I swatched a few in store and bought one, then seeing how pigmented they were I went back for more. Their lipsticks range from glossy & hydrating to super matte. 

Below you can see the swatches of the lipsticks I have in my collection, they don't have names but I'm sure they won't be too hard to find.

This one is my favourite to wear, it is a dusky pink and is very comfortable on the lips.

This was one of the first ones I bought, a super nude which is almost a bit too blue/grey toned for my skin but I think mixing it with another colour should make it easier to pull off.

This one in gold packaging is the most matte out of all of them, goes on super pigmented but does dry out and get a little uncomfortable. When you look closely this one and the one above have gold glitter in them.

And this last one is my latest acquisition, a similar consistency to the first one, really creamy and feels super hydrating.

They all have a sweet scent to them and are definitely better than I thought Primark lipsticks would be and their packaging is really quite lovely. The prices of these ranged from 80p to £1.50.

Have you tried any recently?

Coco

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My Brow Journey || HD Brows...

I thought I would do a quick post on my brows, from what they were to where they are now through having HD brows done.

Here are pictures of what I looked like 2 years ago and what I look like now. I over-plucked my brows for many years all due to the fact I have a scar in my right brow (left in the picture). I thought plucking to disguise the scar was best, I didn't even think about filling them in. 

Then I met my very good friend and HD browist who changed my brow game for good. 

My hair is naturally a dark blonde, almost brown colour but my brows are much fairer and as I dye my hair brown I need the brows to match.

Above is what my eyebrows looked like before I started growing them back. Below you can see after growing them for a few months then what they look like after the HD brow sessions.

Here is what my eyebrow looks like (below) without being filled in after my most recent session. You can see where my scar is and this is where I would need to fill. And right at the bottom you can see pictures from on the day of the HD brow session. My last session was a month ago so my eyebrow still had a good shape to it.

Getting HD brows was one of the best things I ever started, it really helps frame the face and make everything look more symmetrical and perfected.

If you live in the South West of England or are near Plymouth definitely contact Aline if you're considering getting them done. 

Website Aline Kaloudi

Facebook Aline Kaloudi MUA

Even if you don't live here, check out her work anyway as she is an amazing make up artist!

What do you do to keep your brows on point and looking good? 

Have you ever considered HD Brows?

Coco

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Signature Fragrances || Endure (*) Sample...

I contacted a perfume company called Signature Fragrances and they sent me a 2ml sample of a pure perfume called Endure (*) shown above.

This company creates unique scented perfume oils ranging from sweet to fresh, floral to oriental for both men and women. And the thing I like is that you can buy samples sizes of 2ml for £6.45, the full size of 6ml costing £21, which means you can buy a smaller size to test before you buy the full size. And the full sizes come in amazing, unique glass bottles. 

As they are pure perfume oils you don't need much and they last and last throughout the whole day. 

Due to having little to no alcohol in them they don't evaporate like other perfumes.

The perfume I received called Endure was from the Sweet section on their site and before I even looked at what the notes of this specific perfume were, I said to my boyfriend - "I'm sure I can smell parma violets..." and sure enough it is part of the heart notes.

Top Notes - Blackcurrent, Bulgarian Rose & Mandarin Orange

Heart Notes - Opoponax, Jasmin, Parma Violet & Rose

Base Notes - Vanilla, White Musk & Incense

The company has great ethics, recycling & reusing etc which you can read about here - 

Ethical Sourcing.

Below I used a picture from their website of what my perfume would look like if I bought the full size. I think this style of bottle is lovely and makes any dressing table look classy and elegant.

I think this is a great website to buy amazing quality perfumes in gorgeous bottles. 

You should definitely go check out their website Signature Fragrances and see if they have a perfume that suits you!

Coco

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Makeup Revolution || Flawless Matte Eyeshadow Palette...

I recently bought this eye shadow palette as I really wanted a full matte palette.
I got this from Makeup Revolution and is called Flawless Matte, where you get 32 matte shades ranging from creamy whites, browns to black. The perfect palette to to create natural or more smokey looks. It also comes with a massive mirror.

I swatched a few of my favourite colours -

1. Nut - a yellow toned hazelnut brown.

2. Muse - a skin toned dusky pink.

3. Rosewood - a deeper more brown toned dusky pink.

4. Warm - a red toned dusky pink.

5. Rust - a rusty pastel orange.

6. Olden - a warm brown.

7. Earth - a deeper nut brown.

8. Carbon - a carbon black like the name suggests.

I love this palette and I feel it is my new favourite as it's the one I keep going to every morning. My absolute favourite colour out of the above shades is Rust, having green eyes it makes them pop and is a great colour for making a warm smokey eye. 

All the colours in this palette are soft, silky, pigmented and super easily blended.

In the same order I bought a few of their new make up brushes. From left to right, E101 Pro Eyeshadow Brush, E102 Pro Eyeshadow Contour Brush and E103 Pro Eyeshadow Blending Brush.

I have really enjoyed using these brushes and they do exactly what they're made to do. I have used the eyeshadow brush, which is quite small and firm to build up colour and also works great along the lash line. The contour brush is the perfect shape for fitting in the crease of the eye. and the blending brush is great for finishing off any make up look by blending away and harsh lines.
All their brushes are made from fine synthetic bristles. They also have brushes for the face and brush cleaning products.

Check their 'NEW' section of their website as they are always adding to their growing collection of amazing products.

Coco
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