PRODUCT OF THE WEEK - SMASHBOX BROW TECH TO GO:

Fresher Fenn O'Meally shares her product of the week:

Smashbox-

BROW TECH TO GO

What have we here? A defining, precision filling, long wearing waterproof eyebrow pencil… and yes it’s really waterproof! For a while now, I’ve been trying to find the right eyebrow pencil that fills the brow line smoothly yet doesn’t smudge! And here it is, come rain or shine, your brows wont budge.

So what are the little brainboxes behind Smashbox offering? A travel-perfect pen that comes double sided, with a long-wearing pencil at one and a gel at the other. Whilst the angled pencil provides precision shape, the gel, which is to be swept over the brows after applying the pencil, provides a soft coating for a long lasting fill.

With this product there really is no longer the need to constantly top up, tweak, and fine-tune those devious brows throughout the day. Fair enough, at £19 it’s slightly pricier than your average eyebrow pencil, but with a solid wax, it’ll last you longer and most definitely turn that frown upside down! 

#5 WHAT'S IN MY MAKE-UP BAG?

Ellie Morson shares what's in her make-up bag:

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation - £36.00

This is definitely my most expensive item in my makeup bag and retails at a staggering £36.00. I’d never normally spend this on a foundation, however I’d heard great things about this product and as ASOS stocks the Nars line, I took one of their 25% student discount opportunities as a chance to try this out. I have combination skin and find this is really good at keeping the dryer areas of my face looking hydrated, whilst keeping my more oily prone areas in check too. I wouldn’t personally say it’s sheer; rather it has quite a strong coverage. I also don’t think it’s particularly ‘glowy’ (that I’ve noticed anyway), but rather it seems to have a semi-matte finish, which I like. Other plus points include its longevity – I don’t feel the need to touch up during the day and it also photographs nicely. Considering the price though, I don’t think I’ll repurchase once it’s gone.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19

This concealer is an absolute steal at £4.19. I do tend to suffer from under eye circles and this is amazing at covering those up. This is really creamy and not too thick for the under eye are, just blend out a couple of dots and you’re good to go. Both the quality and price make this an absolute must-have.

Mac Eyeshadow in Brun - £9.00

Mac’s Brun eyeshadow is a dark muted brown and I lightly use a small angled brush to run this through my eyebrows. It just helps to give them a little bit more shape and definition and to help them match my hair colour a little better.

Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner - £14.00

If ever I had a must have product, it’s probably this one. I’m constantly repurchasing/ claiming my trusty boots advantage points on this Clinique eyeliner, despite the fact that that one little pot lasts me ages.  I used to use liquid eyeliner all the time a few years ago but after having become used to gel eyeliner, I don’t think I could go back. This has all the appearance of a liquid eyeliner and none of the mess, not to mention it’s a lot easier to avoid mistakes. It’s extremely pigmented and leaves a nice, smooth and dark line which lasts throughout the entire day. You could go all fancy and buy an eyeliner brush, however I just use a small synthetic craft brush with it and it does the job just as well.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero - £14.00

For my lower lash line, I’ll just use a slick of this. It goes on easily, without tugging, whilst still remaining incredibly black and lasting throughout the entire day. Not to mention that I can’t remember when I first purchased this, only that it was a long, long time ago now and that it has lasted ages and still has a lot of life left in it yet.

Maybelline Colossal Mascara - Volum' Express - £7.19

I’m a huge lover of most of the Maybelline mascaras and I think I bought this one on a whim when I saw that it was on offer one day. Like many of the other Maybelline mascaras, it doesn’t fail to disappoint. I’ve found Colossal Volume Express to be more defining than some of their other mascaras, however it still offers really good volume, giving nice thick, yet separated lashes for the day.

Mac Lipstick in Cherish and Patisserie - £14.00

In terms of lipsticks, I have two that I pretty much alternate between on an everyday basis-  Mac’s Patisserie and Cherish. Both feel comfortable on the lips, with neither of them feeling sticky. They also last a fair amount of time compared with others I’ve tried in the past. Cherish is really nice natural nude colour, airing more on the peachy/brown side of the nudes. Meanwhile, Patisserie is more of a rose/brown nude and is slightly glossier compared with Cherish.  I adore both and they’re nice to vary between on a day to day basis.

Mac Powder Blush in Harmony – £17.50

Though not an everyday product, I do reach for Mac’s Harmony a lot. I love this product, simply because of its versatility. It’s a soft rose brown ‘blush’ from Mac, without any of the more orange tones. I have mega pale skin so a warmer/ more orange based brown can sometimes cause me to look a little tangoed. However, this is a nice neutral brown shade which I tend to use either as a blush/ bronzer for a hint of a tan on more summery days and for going out. However, this also doubly serves as a really good contouring shade, allowing me to enhance cheekbones and get rid of any sneaky dub-chin action that I tend to get. Much love for this product.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent - £3.99

Finally, I could not live without Rimmel’s Stay Matte powder. As I mentioned, I have combination skin and whilst my cheeks can tend to be dry, my t-zone always gets oily. This does a fab job of masking that oil. I only use this across my forehead and nose, but it does well at keeping the shine at bay. I’m not a massive fan of the packaging, (I don’t always feel that the lid’s secure). However, for the price and product itself, you can’t go wrong. It’s also a nice size for on the go touch ups, which is always a plus.

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK: VO5 'give me texture instant oomph powder'

English Student Ellie Morson shares her product of the week with us:

As someone who has fine hair, I am constantly trying to find new ways of inserting more texture/ volume into my hair routine. Having fine hair, as well as dealing with the weight of having long hair can make it difficult to have any form of energy going on and my hair seems all too satisfied to sit limply on my head.  Enter the V05 ‘give me texture instant oomph powder’.  It costs £4.07 and I think the name alone was worth me purchasing it. I absolutely love this stuff, though it won’t be for everyone.

It’s ridiculously simple to use. I just section off areas of my hair/ specific places where I want a bit more texture and shake the powder onto roots. It resembles talcum powder, though it’s never left behind any stark white colouration in my hair, (that’d be embarrassing). Once I’ve placed it onto my hair, I just massage it into my roots for a few seconds, which creates instant texture and volume – amazing!

The downside – unfortunately there is one. If you love clean feeling hair, then I would not advise this product. This powder does give a fair amount of build-up and can leave the roots feeling quite dirty, (despite not appearing greasy in the slightest). So, if you’re someone who loves to have their hair feeling squeaky clean, then the chances are that you’re not going to love the feeling of this in your hair. The closest texture I can liken it to when on the hair is that it almost feels a bit coarse and spongy, as though you’ve overindulged in hairspray the night before.  That having been said, it does easily wash out.

However, for me the pros outweigh the cons. I don’t mind enduring ‘dirty’ hair for a bit of texture. This powder offers a cheap way of building some body into the hair and also allows me to skip backcombing, which is a definite plus. Whilst it most definitely won’t be for everyone, this powder is certainly a cheaper alternative to other, similar competing powder products available from different brands, so it may well just be worth trying out if you’ve been after some more texture.

PRODUCT REVIEW: CLINIQUE - THE THREE MUSKETEERS

First year student Fenn O'Meally shares her love of Clinique with us:

Un, deux, trois… Oh yes Clinique have done it again. A new essential we all MUST get our hands on. But this time its not a new and improved ‘high impact mascara’  or even a vital ‘airbrush concealer’. Nope, now we’re going back to basics, back to ‘au natural’ with three ouber-easy steps that will leave your skin quite literally glowing. But how? Well for now lets just say the mighty minds behind Clinique have managed to cram all the fundamental ingredients for a healthy glow into three detoxing bottles.

So where do we start? Well luckily the helpful crew at Clinque have done all the tricky planning for us with 3-STEP, all we have to do is apply. First things first is a good old rinse! Whether its 7am or 7pm, there’s nothing better than a luscious lather to awaken the skin, and with Clinique’s liquid facial soap (Step 1) you simply can’t go wrong.  Take a pea-sized amount into the palm of the hand, combine with water, and form circular motions over the face and neck, then rinse with tepid (luke-warm) water. The simple non-drying formula leaves the skin feeling so perky and smooth, it’ll put any baby’s bottom to shame!

Once you’ve pat dry and taken a little breather, its time to move up a step, and delve into Clinique’s nose tingling, skin brightening, Clarifying Lotion. Using a cotton ball, allow a small amount of the lotion to soak in then sweep over the face and neck, focusing on the T-zone especially.  You’re small efforts will be awarded with a brighter, smoother complexion… It’s all-right for some!

So here we are, the last hurdle, Clinique’s little bottle of fortune. The Dramatically Different moisturizing lotion. So what have we? Softening, smoothing, moisture balancing lotion potion… simply smother over the face and neck (with a pea-sized amount!) and let your skin rightfully bathe in the final stage of Clinique 3-STEP!

I know it’s a tad on the dear side, and it’s not like we students have money to splash out on facial products galore, but I honestly think the more you value a product, the more careful you are about how much of it you use each time. My 3-STEP regime has lasted a good two months so far, and I’ve still got more than half of each bottle left. At £20 for all three, it would be ignorant not to… Well, at least, that’s my justification!