It’s time for my April Hits & Misses, I can’t believe I’m writing my second hits & misses posts, the time is going too quickly. This month I have quite a few of each so I’ll run through them briefly, starting with the hits.
Hits
Bobbi Brown All Over Glow – This product was released by Bobbi Brown as part of their Spring/Summer 2018 collection. I ordered it from their website a few weeks ago and have been using it since and I have fallen deeply in love with it. It’s my favourite liquid highlighter. It gives a wet-look shine to the skin that just glows, but doesn’t look over the top or oily. It’s just beautiful.
It is, unfortunately, limited edition and it’s only available in Arnotts and they only deliver to ROI and N.I. I can’t see it in stock in any of my usual UK haunts but if I spot it I’ll be sure to let you know.
Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara – I was very kindly gifted this mascara at Christmas and only started using it about six weeks ago as I had other mascaras I wanted to use up before opening a new one.
This is one I’d heard a lot about but had never tried or even looked at despite Bobbi Brown being one of my favourite brands. Their products are exceptional quality and although they’re expensive, they are, in my opinion, worth the money.
This mascara claims to be “the perfect complement to a smokey eye look”, which is true it is, but even without any eye shadow, eye liner etc this is a lovely mascara.
It is super black, it’s long wearing, it doesn’t smudge or flake, it holds up well. It gives nice separation, length and just a little volume, which I like.
It’s a gorgeous mascara and one I will repurchase when I’ve gotten through the other mascaras I have. It’s £24.50 / €29.50, so not the most affordable but one that’s worth the splurge. You can purchase this from Bobbi Brown UK, Arnotts and Brown Thomas.
Inglot Duraline – This is something I picked up a few weeks ago and have been pretty much obsessed with since. Before I had it I thought I wouldn’t have use for it, now that I have it, I don’t think I could be without it.
Despite thinking I wouldn’t have much use for it, I have, in fact, had plenty of use for it. This is brilliant for so many things.
Eyeliner drying up? Cream eyeshadow drying out? Want to make a pigment liquid instead of loose? A drop or two of this and you are sorted.
I also tried it in a liquid lipstick I have that I found exceptionally dry, so dry that I couldn’t wear it. Two drops of Duraline and I can now wear that lipstick.
You can purchase Duraline from Inglot.ie.
Collection Illuminating Touch Foundation – Collection is a really affordable brand that I haven’t tried much from. I dunno why but I tend to pass the stand for some reason.
However, one day I was in Boots and I heard two girls talking about this foundation and how great it was, so I decided to pick it up. I think I paid around €5 for this but at full price it is €8.49 so it’s very inexpensive.
It’s full coverage. Possibly the fullest coverage foundation I own. Although it’s fully coverage you can sheer it out to get a medium coverage but you won’t get a light coverage with this.
This looks beautiful when applied with a beautyblender. It has the most gorgeous luminous finish that looks flawless and lasts for up to twelve hours. It blends out beautifully, looks beautiful, gives great coverage without looking heavy or cakey, lasts well and it’s affordable. What more could you want in a foundation?!
If you haven’t already tried this, you need to. You won’t regret it! It’s currently on offer in Boots for €4.99
Morphe 35T Eye Palette – This palette is one I have had for a while now and it’s one I dip in and out of. When I use it after not using it for a while I’m like “why did I stop using you?” It’s such a gorgeous palette.
It contains 35 highly pigmented eye shadows. It’s jam-packed full of golds, bronzes, purples and browns. All cool toned. I love those type of colours so it’s no surprise that this palette wows me every time I use it.
Even if I am using a pigment or shimmering shadow from another brand I will, most likely, use this for the matte shades. It has a whole array of colours that would suit everyone. This costs €26 on Beauty Bay and £23.50 on Cult Beauty.
Makeup Revolution Beyond Flawless Eyeshadow Palette – This is another eye palette that I have been loving this month. It contains 32 eye shadows that are highly pigmented shades, including mattes and shimmers.
It’s just beautiful. I love it.It has light colours, dark colour along with pinks and mauves. There are also some darker colours too. You can be sure that whatever look you create, it will be gorgeous, just as the palette is.
These wear really well, they don’t fade or crease on me. There is some fallout from the shimmer shades and some kickback from them in the palette but aside from those two issues I couldn’t say a bad word about this palette.
This costs €9.99 on RevolutionBeauty.com which is a steal. €9.99 for shadows that are great quality and look gorgeous.
Beauty Blender Micro – The Beauty Blender is something I have loved and used for around two years now. I couldn’t be without it, especially for setting concealer under my eyes.
I purchased this set from Cult Beauty which contains four items, two of which are Beauty Blenders. There is a normal sized Beauty Blender and a micro beauty blender.
Before purchasing this set I always thought I’d never use a micro Beauty Blender, however since getting this one, I haven’t stopped using it.
I use it for blending concealer under my eyes and applying liquid and crème highlighters to my cheekbones and nose.
It’s just fabulous for applying liquid and crème highlighters, in particular the aforementioned All Over Glow. It applies just the right amount and helps to really blend it into my skin.
It applies the highlighter so precisely and blends it in so well so it looks natural (well as natural as highlighter can look 😝).
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Face Mist SPF 50+ – SPF is something I wear all year round, there’s never a day that I don’t wear it. I always like to apply an SPF cream before applying my foundation but during the summer months I like to wear SPF over my make-up too, just to ensure that my skin is adequately protected.
I’ve struggled to find an SPF in spray form, that I could use over make-up that wouldn’t leave me with white blobs from where it dries down. I was browsing Boots recently and spotted c face mist by La Roche-Posay so I decided to pick it up and give it a try.
It’s described as an invisible face mist with SPF 50+, which is exactly what I’ve been looking for. It’s super lightweight and the spray gives an even distribution of product across your face.
I’ve been using it now for around six weeks and I have to say, I love it. It is perfect for spraying over make-up and it does not leave any white residue on my skin or anything.
It’s a great one to throw in your handbag or backpack because it’s small in size and is quite light plus it’s nice to have on the go so you can top up throughout the day if you want to.
This is kinda pricey at full price, it’s €16.80, I paid around €10 for mine on offer and when it’s on offer again I’ll be stocking up. It’s available on Feel Unique and Look Fantastic.
Estée Lauder Modern Muse Eau de Parfum – This perfume by Estée Lauder I have been wearing for around two years now and it’s one I continuously go back to.
It’s a beautiful fresh citrus perfume with a strong scent that lasts for days. I have sprayed this on my jacket and scarf and even 4-5 days later I can still smell it on them.
I’m not normally a fan of strong scents but this one is an exception. It’s absolutely divine. It’s more a Spring/Summer perfume because of its fresh, citrusy smell, although I tend to wear it all year around, I don’t keep perfumes for certain seasons, if I like I wear it, regardless of season!
It’s not the most affordable though, I will admit. It’s is pretty pricey, but at Christmas (especially in the sales) there’s usually good reductions and even gift sets which work out at far better value.
I myself got a gift set containing the body wash, body lotion and 50ml EDP for around €45 last year so it’s worth holding out until the Black Friday or Christmas sales because you’ll be sure to get it on offer somewhere.
At full price this retails for between €59 and €116. If you want to purchase this it is available in Boots Ireland and Boots UK where it costs between £49 and £98.
Elizabeth Arden Red Door Eau De Toilette – This is another perfume I have been loving this month.
I would never have looked to Elizabeth Arden for perfume only for a friend was wearing it one time and it smelled gorgeous, ever since she wore it I have been wearing it.
It’s a floral fragrance that’s fresh, but not as fresh as the Modern Muse by Estée Lauder, it’s more toned down than that.
It’s not as long lasting but that’s because it’s an eau de toilette rather than eau de parfum, however, it still lasts really well and will stay on my coat/scarf for a day or two, although it will have faded, as most perfumes will.
This one is more affordable than Modern Muse, it’s priced between €36 and €76 depending on which size you go for. If you want to purchase this it is available in Boots Ireland and Boots UK where it costs between £27 and £54.
Misses
Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation – This foundation is one I had heard a lot about and everyone seemed to love it. Shaaanxo even compared it to the YSL Fusion Ink Foundation, so I thought “if it’s like YSL it must be good”, so I decided to pick it up and give it a shot.
When it comes to foundation I look for a couple of things; good coverage, a nice finish and longevity. This foundation gives me none of those.
It doesn’t even apply nicely to my skin. It applies horribly. It’s patchy, the colour is slightly off (that’s my own fault though), it looks oily, it feels oily and it just sits on top of my skin.
Pretty much every other foundation I can blend in, but this? Nah.
It just slides and smears around my skin until it starts pilling on my cheeks. It’s awful. I’m glad it was only a fiver and not an expensive foundation.
I don’t know if it is my skin or the foundation or what, but this did not work out for me at all.
The packaging is something I didn’t like, it’s a glass bottle, which is nice, but it doesn’t have a pump, instead it has a wand type applicator which I’m not keen on.
Benefit They’re Real Mascara & Cha Cha Tint Lip & Cheek Stain – This mascara by Benefit is one that received a lot of hype when it was first released and I’m generally someone who does (well I used to) be reluctant when a product gained as much hype and momentum as this did.
Everyone loved it, there literally wasn’t a bad word to be said about it by anyone. A few months back I was given a small travel size and decided to try it out. I’ve tried it a few times and quite honestly it does nothing, absolutely nothing whatsoever for my lashes.
It gives no volume or length, next to no separation. It doesn’t even look like I have mascara on. I was pretty disappointed I have to say.
The Cha Cha Tint is another Benefit product that has been a fail for me this month. I got it as a sample a while ago and never used it until around two weeks ago. I only tried it twice and honestly, I won’t be trying it again, it just isn’t nice at all. It’s a very watery formula that is almost neon-orange in colour.
When I applied this to my cheek and tried to blend it out, I couldn’t. It just wouldn’t budge at all. I understand it’s a stain, but it just left blob shaped patches of orange on my cheeks.
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner in Moss – This eyeliner was something I spotted in TK Maxx just before St. Patrick’s Day so I decided to pick it up, partly for the novelty of green eyeliner and St. Patricks Day and also because I just wanted to try it out as I haven’t tried many Stila products. It was €12.99 I believe.
This was a huge fail. It claims to be waterproof; but it most definitely is not waterproof whatsoever. It comes off if I rub my eye with my finger. Even water wipes can take it off and not leave a trace of it behind.
It doesn’t have good pigmentation. When I applied it I could still see my own skin through it, so I tried to go over the line and it ended up removing what I had applied and left missing patches of liner. It doesn’t build at all.
It just wasn’t good to be honest and it wouldn’t entice me to try other Stila eyeliner or other colours of this eyeliner in particular. I know that’s tarring them all with the same brush and I shouldn’t do that, but this was so bad I would be dubious about how good or bad they may be and I don’t want to end up with two eyeliners that can’t be used.
Nip & Fab CC Cream – I recently reviewed L’Oréal’s Nude Magique BB Cream in it I mentioned I was looking for a BB or CC cream for summer (and hopefully warmer) months.
The Nude Magique was a fail, so I hoped this would be better. Alas, it isn’t.
The Nude Magique has a lovely finish and lasts well, but the lightest colour is orange, this is the same when it comes to the colour. It’s like a light-orange colour.
The formula isn’t nice either. It’s very watery and just smears around my skin. It doesn’t apply nicely at all. When I try blending it out it just smears around my skin.
It has a strong smell of paint which is very off putting and so overpowering it gave me a headache. Thankfully this was around €5 in TK Maxx so it wasn’t expensive.
L’Oréal Paris Infallible Fixing Mist – Fixing mists are something new to my make-up routine and so far, the Urban Decay All Nighter is my absolute favourite.
I picked this up just after Christmas in the hopes of having a cheaper alternative for everyday wear considering Urban Decay costs €31 a bottle, which makes it pretty expensive for every day wear.
This mist by L’Oréal claims to be anti-shine, anti-crack, anti-fade and have a micro fine texture. Frankly, it’s none of those.
It is by no means “micro fine”. I end up with blobs of this rather than a fine mist that it proclaims to have.
It left my face looking cakey, like I had layers upon layers of foundation on, which I found surprising given that it is a fixing spray which would generally take away any excess powder and help to make your make up look fresh, not give you a caked and heavy appearance.
It left white droplets on my face. The only way to remove them was by using a cotton bud with makeup remover on it.
I used this a few times before binning it. It was so awful that I wouldn’t even give it to a friend or family member. It’s definitely one of the worst out there and I don’t recommend it at all.
Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara – My last miss of the month is this Estée Lauder mascara.
The formula is quite wet and it doesn’t dry so my lashes clump together.
I tried this maybe 4 or 5 times and just couldn’t get on with it at all.
I dislike the wand also. When you take it out of the tube, there is a blob of mascara at the end of it so you need to wipe it off so you are wasting product too.
It’s pretty expensive at €31, so if it’s one you were thinking of getting I would see if you could get a mini size or free sample or something before splashing that much on it.
That rounds up my hits and misses for this month. I’m hopeful that for my May Hits & Misses I won’t have as many misses. What products have you been loving this month? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post x
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