FOTN: Ardell Demi Wispies Review

Hi once again my cherubs. I hope you are having a fabulous Sunday. I was sent some Ardell Demi Wispies in Black for free to try out some time ago from Kilpatrick PR. I wanted to wait until I was going on a night out before using them as I am no expert at applying false lashes so if I actually got them to work I wanted to be able to show them off.

Photo taken after use. I apologise for this as in my excitement of trying them out I realised it would have probably been better for me to take the photo before use, whoops!

I am a bit of a nervous nelly when it comes to applying false lashes as I don't use them often enough too feel confident I suppose. The last time I tried was Xmas 2011 for a work do and lets just say it didn't go well. My eyes were streaming and they just wouldn't stick. It might have been the lash glue or the lashes I'm not sure, but I had to re-apply my whole make-up without lashes in 10 mins.

So now onto the review. I removed the lashes from the pack and placed them along my lash line to see if they were the correct width for my eye. They were fine, but had they been too wide I would have snipped them a bit from the inner corners to make them the correct size while keeping the sexy feline flick at the outer corners. 

I then bent the ends inwards towards each other to help the band curve into more of an eye shape. This set came with lash adhesive so I squeezed some onto the cardboard packaging and used a cotton bud to apply it in a thin layer along the false lash line. 

I waited for about 30 seconds and with my tweezers I maouvered them onto my natural lash line and pressed them against it with my tweezers gently to help them stick. I did get some glue on one of my eyelids, but this was easily removed by just peeling it off.

I applied my Ardell lashes before applying any other make-up so that if it was a disaster the rest of my make-up wouldn't be ruined. This was the best tip the lovely Celebrity Make-Up Artist Louise Page gave to me at the Speed Beauty Event. I think this took the panic out of applying them and so they were a success, thanks Louise :) I also went for a green smokey eye rather than black/grey to make the lashes stand out. Louise gave me the advice of not using too dark a colour so that the lashes would be emphasised rather than disguised. I went through the false and my natural lashes with mascara after applying the rest of my make-up to help them intertwine and look a bit more together.

I removed the lashes with a bit of moisturiser at the end of the night and peeled off the glue so that I can hopefully re-use them. I gave them a gentle wipe over with a face wipe also to get some of the mascara off.

I love the flick at the outer edge

They did seem to sit slightly lower on one eye than the other, but I think that may be just down to my eye shapes.

I look like I have just seen a ghost, ha ha

Here is a link to the Black Demi Wispies on the Ardell website, Link. My box says Natural Style, but most of the styles I found on boots.com, superdrug.com and onestopbeauty.co.uk say Fashion Lashes. Prices shown in links. If you know which ones are the same as mine please leave a link in a comment.

Other products used in this FOTN were:

Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve

Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream*

Natural Collection CoverUp Cream (Fair)

E.L.F. Studio High Definition Powder 

NYX 5 Color Shadow The Caribbean Collection I Dream Of St. Kitt Palette (White Shade)

StarGazer Bronzer (Bronceador)**

Eyeko Cream Extra Glow!

Sleek MakeUP Original I-Divine Palette (Two Green Shades Far Right, Top & Bottom)

17 Clear Definition Mascara

Max Factor Liquid Effect Pencil (Black Fire)***

Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen (Jet Black)

BYS Mascara (Jet Black)

Natural Collection Sheer Natural Lip Colour (Biscuit)

Accessorize Diamond Sparkle Lipgloss (Temptation)

*

**

*** The products marked with asterix were given to me for free by PR companies

I had a fabulous night out with my friend. We had dinner and drinks, but it all went too quickly. We will just have to do it again soon I guess so that I can have another go applying some more falsies ;) I got complimented on my eyes when I was out too. We were in a pub and the person was drunk, but it still counts right, ha ha.

Many thanks to Kilpatrick PR for sending these to me to try out.

What are your favourite falsies? Any more tips for a newbie :)

Love to you all

 

ModelCo Turbo Lash Wand & BYS Jet Black Mascara

Hello Lovelies. It's Saturday yay. I love weekends so much. If only they were longer. Today I have two products to show you so I will get straight into it.

The Kilpatrick PR team generously sent this ModelCo Turbo Lash Wand to me after I fell in love with it at their Speed Beauty Event. It was sent to me for free to review. As you can see the wand comes with a protective cover so that the wand stays clean and is safe from damage. I love the hot pink shade of this product.

It has a simple on and off slide switch.

As you can see from the mascara residue this is the side of the wand I used. 

This is the back of the wand. At the top I think it may be a comb for going through your lashes? At the bottom there is a slide off backing where you need to insert 1 AA battery (not included when purchasing this product). There is a directional arrow showing you which way to slide it off. This does click shut nicely, but I think you could snap it if you were not careful.

Here is the Bonus Cleaning Brush that came with this wand. I tried using this to clean the wand after use, but as you can see from the third photo not much came off of the wand at all. I'm not too bothered though as I am sure this is easy enough to clean with a wipe.

So now I will tell you about the mascara I used with this tool.

This is the BYS Mascara in Jet Black. It says it's new on their website so I can't tell you if the formula has changed, but I bought this at BINTM Live! 2011. That was last November, but I have only opened it recently as I was using up other mascaras. It comes in a 15ml tube.

The wand of this mascara is quite long and that's exactly how it makes your lashes. This is a very lengthening mascara and it separates really well while giving a little volume too. The only downfall it has for me is that it has quite a wet formula so if you blink instantly after applying this it will transfer onto your eye make-up, but if you take your time and are careful this works wonders. This mascara really is jet black too. You can buy this mascara from makeup.uk.com for £2.49.

Now onto what this mascara and what the Turbo Lash Wand can do when used together ......

No mascara or heated curling.

After 2 coats of the BYS Jet Black Mascara was applied to the top lashes only. I always coat the top side of the lashes before applying to the under side as any products used on the eye like eye shadows that may have fallen onto the lashes will be covered by the mascara. I think it gives a denser pigmentation, especially when you blink or look down. Just a wee tip :)

After heat styling with the ModelCo Turbo Lash Wand.

Here are the steps in using this wand.

• Insert the battery into the back. Apply mascara as usual. The ModelCo LASHXTEND mascara is recommended, but I just used my own. Switch on the wand and wait approximately 1 minute.

• Place the wand at the roots of the lashes and gently push towards the eye lid. Hold for approximately 20-30 seconds and repeat as necessary. I manouvered mine carefully around my lashes to make sure I got them all, but I lifted the wand off and placed it back where I needed heat styling so that I didn't swipe though the lashes and remove any mascara. 

You can buy this wand from modelcocosmetics.co.uk for £22.00. You can also get this product from boots.com at the same price where they currently have an offer of triple points when you spend £15.00 or more on selected beauty products. This is also apparently available at Debenhams, but I could not find it on their website, sorry.

I think this mascara works really well on my lashes and I would definitely repurchase it. It's so cheap, but works so well.

This ModelCo Turbo Lash Wand definitely give my lashes that extra oomph though. I wouldn't use this heating tool every day as my lashes are in quite good condition and I want to keep them that way. I can't thank the Kilpatrick PR team enough as I totally love this product.

I hope you found this post helpful. I think you can see the results are good from the photos. What are your favourite BYS and/or ModelCo products and why? Which ones are not your favourites and why?

Love to you all

ModelCo Face Base & EcoTOOLS Make-Up Applicators

Hey Darlings. I hope you are all very happy and well. I'm good at the moment and enjoying my last week off before returning to work on Monday. The sunshine has come at a good time, but I really need a sun lounger to fully appreciate it. I really want one that lies flat and isn't too expensive so if you have any recommendations on where I can find one please let me know :) Today I have a few reviews for you so I will get started.

First up is ModelCo Face Base Skin Primer. This product was sent to me by Kilpatrick PR for free to review. The idea behind this product is to smooth out the skins surface in preparation for make-up application. In other words to help disguise those fine lines, wrinkles and pores. This product is to be applied after your moisturiser, but before your foundation application to help your make-up last up to 10 hours. It can also be used as a face moisturiser. It is meant to protect the skin against drying and seasonal conditions, rehydrating and leaving the skin feeling velvety smooth. This primer is also oil-free and suitable for all skin types. It has a translucent formula as you can see from the tube.

I have used this primer quite a few times and I do enjoy applying it because it really does feel silky and velvety smooth to apply. It really does feel like it leaves a gorgeous layer on your skin. Now I have only used this as a base for my make-up, but I would be happy to use this as a moisturiser. I have to be honest and say I haven't noticed a change in the way my make-up lasts or the way it looks. I don't think it has any effect on my fine lines or pores either, but I will continue to use this product as I enjoy it's moisturising properties and the way it feels on application. This product is available on the ModelCo website for £30.00 (45ml), Link. This product is also available at boots.com for the same size and price. On the information I have this is also available at Debenhams, but I can not find it on the website sorry.

Next up I have some make-up applicators to review for you. The first one was sent to me for free to review by Kilpatrick PR. This is the EcoTOOLS Bamboo Blush Brush. This make-up brush comes from the 6 Piece Brush set which you can view on the EcoTOOLS website here. This brush has a bamboo handle, recycled aluminium ferrule and soft, cruelty-free bristles. The brush I have came with a resealable pouch as shown on the left. The brush is made from hand cut synthetic hair which is apparently the easiest type of brush to wash as it keeps the shape of the brush and dries it more quickly. 

This brush does feel incredibly soft. I would not have recognised this to be a synthetic brush, but then I am no expert on make-up brushes. I have tried this with my bronzer for contouring and as a blush brush and although it does the job for both which is handy if you don't have enough room to take both brushes on the go with you for travel I prefer it as a blush brush. It feels very gentle on the skin. The bristles of the brush are domed, but the sides of the domed bristles are shaped to be more flat than circular. If you prefer your blush applied more circular on the apples of the cheeks then this may not work as well as other brushes as it has a more direct application. I prefer applying my blush in longer strokes toward my temples to emphasise my cheekbones so that's why I think this works well for me. You can buy this blush brush on boots.com for £7.99 or the set for £15.99. boots.com also have an offer at the moment on selected EcoTOOLS products of buy 1 get 2nd 1/2 price. 

The brush on the right is the EcoTOOLS Bamboo Finishing Kabuki. I was given this product for free as part of goodie bag. The goodie bag I was given at this Speed Beauty Event where I was invited by Kilpatrick PR. I have not been asked to review this product, but I will anyway. This has a contoured handle for ease of use. It is made from synthetic taklon bristles which are 100% cruelty-free and has a bamboo handle. This brush can be used for powder, blush or bronzer. It also comes with a resealable pouch for storage. On the EcoTOOLS website it says this pouch has a zip-top closure, but mine has a plastic press closure a bit like a resealable sandwich bag.

I have tried this kabuki in three ways. I wanted to see how this worked as a foundation brush as I use a flat top brush at the moment for foundation application. This left streaks in my foundation, but I think that's because my usual foundation brush is a lot more dense and the bristles not so far apart. It felt uncomfortable to use in this way also as it felt a little bit spiky.

I washed the kabuki so that I could try it with powder products. It took a couple of days to dry and returned to it's original shape. The thing I think that ruins the shape slightly is when I take it in and out of the resealable pouch as the only way to grab it is by the bristles which splay out a little at the edges when being pulled from the pouch. I noticed one hair come out when I washed the kabuki, but I can't say if that will happen each time as I have only washed it gently once. 

I tried this with blusher and I didn't feel like this was the right shape for it at all. I don't feel like I have much control over where the blusher is going and again it feels a little spiky on the skin, but I am hoping the kabuki will soften with more use. Don't get me wrong it's not scratchy just not as soft as the Blush Brush. 

Lastly I tried this kabuki with my bronzer to contour my face. I contour under my cheekbones which this is great for due to the flat top that has movement so it's not too defined a line. I go around my temples, the sides and tip of my nose, under my jawline and over my neck and decolletage. I try to do this quite lightly all over as I am so light skinned and concentrate more under my cheekbones as that's where I want more definition.  This is the most perfect brush I have used for this area of my face so far and I would recommend it for this alone. The handle makes controlling the brush really easy too. I just wish the pouch was different. Here is the information for this product on the EcoTOOLS website, Link. You can buy this on boots.com for £9.99 where again you can take up Boots selected EcoTOOLS products buy 1 get 2nd 1/2 price.

The last products I have to talk about are these EcoTools Bamboo Cosmetic Applicators. These came in the same goodie bag mentioned above at the Speed Beauty Event. I did receive these for free. I was not asked to review them, but I will.

These have bamboo handles and soft, smooth, firm tips to line, shade and blend. They are meant to be used flat to apply a wash of shadow over the eyelid or use the tip to line, shape and contour. They can be used to apply concealer under the eyes or on blemishes over the face.

These look at first glance to be the type of eye shadow applicators you get in eye palettes. I usually just throw mine away as I normally do a lot of blending and contouring on my eyes with various brushes, but I gave these a try.

The tips feel a lot smoother than those that you get with eye palettes. These I found fine to use with applying a flat, light colour, but for contouring and darker shades these would not work well for me. They are great for travel as they are so small and you get 20 in each pack. There are 3 different sizes in the pack. I admit I have only used the applicators shown in the top of the pack in this link though. They are not too bad for lining the eyes with shadow. I can not say how they work for concealer as I have not used them for this. I could not find these on the boots.com website I'm afraid, but they should be available in store. EcoTOOLS are also available at Superdrug and Tesco, but I could not find them on their websites, sorry.

So that's all of my reviews for this post. If you want to try any of these products I think they all work in some way, but the one that stands out for me is the kabuki.

Thank you to Kilpatrick PR for sending me two of these products to review and for gifting me with the other two at the Speed Beauty Event. I have two other products sent to me by Kilpatrick PR yet to review and they will be coming soon.

Have you tried any of these products and are you a fan of them? Which products do you like/dislike from ModelCo and/or EcoTOOLS and why?

Love to you all