Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner Pencil Vs Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner

One of the best products I got in October's Glossy Box was the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Moray from Stila.  This is a really good eyeliner in a sludge green type of colour with a twist action.  It's has fantastic staying power and it is really easy to apply , especially for clumsy-handed makeup addicts like me.  I much prefer a pencil eyeliner than any other method.  The other good thing about this is that although it's a very creamy formula to apply, it sets instantly and is completely smudge-proof.  There is absolutely no way this eyeliner is going to budge - once it's on, it's on, it stays all day and will not move, come rain, sun oor sweat.  Even eye makeup remover has trouble shifting this bad boy!

However, much as I love it, I thought I had an exact dupe that I love just as much as the Stila eyeliner - Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner in Shimmer Khaki, and I did!  Shimmer Khaki is just about as dupable as dupes can get, it really is exactly the same.

I have a few of Avon's Supershock Gel Eyeliners and they are all fantastic.  Their performance is equally as good as the Stila eyeliner, they do not shift and they are easy to apply with their creamy formula, without dragging the skin.  They also come in a good range of colours.  They are my everyday go-to eyeliner of choice. 

In terms of colour, as far as I can see, the Shimmer Khaki and Moray are identical.  In the photos, Moray looks just a smidgen darker with the same level of shimmer, but in reality, they are twin shades.

No Flash - Top Moray Shimmer Khaki, Bottom - Moray

Flash - Top Moray Shimmer Khaki, Bottom - Moray

Both eyeliners come in a range of wearable colours, many of which are similar, although Stila do have some brighter shades.

The only difference I can see between the Avon and Stilla eyeliners is that Stila has a twist action, whereas the Avon needs to be sharpened.  I do much prefer the twist action of Stila, but as that is the only difference between the two. Anyway, according to Temptalia, you also get a lot more product for your money with pencils than twist-action eyeliners, increasing the bargain when it comes to the price. The Stila eyeliners cost £13 each at both Look Fantastic and Beauty Bay, whereas the Avon Supershock Eyeliner was much, much cheaper (I think I got 2 for £5). 

However, very sadly, the Avon Supershock eyeliner is now discontinued (boo!)  I've found it listed on Amazon in black for £8, but only one in stock, and also on Ebay for £8 in a range of colours.  OK, it's not the 2 for £5 offer, but still a lot cheaper than the Stila Smudge Stick.  Apparently, Avon Glimmersticks are similar in quality to the Gel Eyeliner Pencils.  I do actually own a Glimmerstick, but I've not tried it out yet, so I'm yet to compare it.

Have you tried either of these?  Let me know if you'd like to see swatches of my other Avon Gel Eyeliner Pencils and my Glimmerstick!

Thanks for reading! xx

Windswept Face, Hair and Outfit of the Day - At The Races

Hi everyone.  Just a very quick FOTD post today, as I've been out to the races for the first time ever in Cheltenham.  I'd meant to take a photo of my face before I left home, but I forgot, so ended up taking a shot in the ladies towards the end of the day.  It was very cold and windy outside, but luckily I just went outside to watch the races and stayed in the hospitality area (in the warm) for the rest of the day.

Face:

Lancome Teint Miracle in 010
Mac Studio Finish Concealer in NW20
Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil
Benefit Benetint
Accessorize Laguna Bronza

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Revlon Cream Shadow
Colours from the 88 Warm Palette by Coastal Scents
Mac Smoulder Eyeliner
Clinique High Impact Mascara
HD Brows Kit

Lips:

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Nude Pink
Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss - clear

Hair:

Naturally windswept and added to by the constant taking on and off of my woolly hat!

Outfit:

Scarf - River Island, this season
Coat - Next, last year
Jumper Dress - Next, about 4 years old

It wasn't ladies day, so thankfully I didn't have to dress up very much as it was so cold.  However, I was one of the few people not wearing tweed!  I did see some women wearing fab tailored tweed suits, and I now want one for myself, even though I'm not really a hunting, fishing and shooting type of person.  I was a bit surprised about how much real fur was being worn - I didn't think anyone wore real fur anymore, but clearly I was wrong.

Thanks for reading! xx

Poppy King for No 7 Lipstick - Seduction

This retails for £12 and is a limited edition.  I used a voucher and got it for £7, but I still think it's quite pricey for No 7, particularly as it is smaller than a normal No 7 lippy.  Although, it does come in a beautiful box, but the packaging of the lipstick itself is nothing special - I would've prefered it if they'd carried on the box theme on the actual lipstick tube.

I almost didn't swatch this colour, as it looked scarily dark in the tube.  However, I'm pleased I did as it's a very pretty colour and much more wearable in the flesh than in the tube - it's definitely my favourite from the Poppy King No 7 collection.  It's almost like a darker Chanel Mademoiselle. 

I find that it isn't drying on my lips and feels quite moisturising.  However, wear time is no better than average and it tends to have become patchy by the time I drink my first coffee of the day, leaving a bit of a ring of colour.  It would be better if it was slightly longer lasting.

I think it's a nice lipstick in an unusual and pretty colour.  However, there's nothing particularly special about the formula and it's quite expensive for No 7.

By the way, has anyone got any tips for taking good photos of your lips?  I generally quite like my lips, but they look horrible in lip swatch pictures - I've literally taken 50 photos in all different poses to find one I liked.  My camera also shows up the wonkiness in my lips (due to a scar from a bike accident when I was 7) which isn't really noticable in real life!  Any tips would be much appreciated!

Have you tried any of the other colours in this range?

Thanks for reading! xx

James Brown Photo Fabulous Range - Moisturising Conditioner and Intensive Treatment

I recently bought the James Brown Photo Fabulous Moisturising Conditioner and the Photo Fabulous Intensive Treatment for Glossy and Moisturised Hair as they were on offer in Boots for 2 for £8.  I then repurchased both of them when I ran out of conditioner on holiday - I'm not entirely sure why, as they didn't blow me away the first time!

The packaging is distinctive, with the black background and grafitti style writing.  I'm not sure how much I like it, but I don't think it works with the more delicate James Brown London logo, but that's just my personal taste.  The packaging is actually quite functional, with flip lids at the bottom and the product doesn't get stuck in the opening.

I'm going to review both these two products together, as I basically think there is no difference between them.  OK, one is supposed to be an everyday conditioner, whereas the other is a treatment, but I can't tell which is which!

Firstly, they smell amazing.  They have the heady, heavy and not at all natural smell of a hairdressers from the 1990s.  Just like Vidal Sassoon's professional haircare range.  Can you still buy this?  Any hairdressers out there, please let me know!  The product is quite thick, and I need rather a lot of it to coat my hair.  It's not that easy to apply and I need a lot of it to detangle my knotted hair after shampooing.  Most conditioners are easier to apply than either of these two.

I always leave conditioner in my hair for a good 5 minutes, but these don't really feel like they're doing anything.  When I rinse it off, my hair feels and looks OK, quite soft and shiny but nothing fabulous.  Certainly not Photo Fabulous!  I don't find either of them to be particularly moisturising and they don't leave my hair all that glossy.  There are definitely better and cheaper conditioners and treatments out there, as these really don't work for my hair.

Other than the gorgeous smell, one good thing about them is that they don't make my hair greasy and my hair lasts two days without a wash.  Whilst I don't hate either of these products, I don't rate them either and I think they're over-priced for the quality.  Although I've repurchased them once, I won't repurchase them again!

Thanks for reading! xx

Houston We Have a Problem Body Moisturiser Challenge - Update #2

This challenge is going so well - I'm actually on track to use up loads of body moisturisers!  I had so many, they were slightly stressing me out, taking up loads of space and I was worried about getting more for Christmas - where would I put them all?!

I had 26 moisturisers, but this went up to 27 when I bought one as part of a gift set - oops!  My challenge is to get down to 16 before Christmas by using them up. I chucked one away which had gone off.  I've used up 3 which I blogged about here and I've now used up another 4 products!  I'm really pleased - I've gone from 27 to 19 already!  Only 3 more to go until I've met my challenge!

From the left, the first three moisturisers are from the posh hotels my boyfriend stays in on his trips abroad... I never get to go with him, but he's on strict instructions to bring me back all the beauty goodies he can!  The Ahava Mineral Water was from a Glossy Box.

The Shui Water one was very blah - not really much fragrance and a gel-like consistency.  Luckily, it took 3 days to use it all up.

The Meridian and Luk Kwok Hotel moisturisers were actually quite nice.  Both only lasted about 2 or 3 days each, but were nice and moisturising without being too sticky - let's hope he goes back to these hotels!

The Ahava Mineral Water moisturiser lasted a little longer and was also nice.  It was easily absorbed, but felt like it was actually doing something, moisturising my skin.

I'm quite glad I've started with the smaller body moisturisers, as I'm flying through them really quickly.  I'm going to bust this challenge, no problems!  Perhaps I should try to step it up a bit and get down to 10 before Christmas?  That might be pushing it a bit too far, but you never know, I might get there...

Thanks for reading! xx

Liz Earle Foot Scrub

I have terrible feet and I've blogged about them before.  I spend a lot of time, money and effort on trying to sort out my feet - it's certainly not the most glamorous part of my beauty routine.  A good foot scrub is an essential part of my footcare routine in my bi-weekly full-on pedicure.  I've found one that I liked before in a Sample Sunday trial, but most foot scrubs I've found to be not up to the job. And, don't even talk to me about body scrubs as foot scrubs - most are pathetic on my hobbit-like tootsies.

However, the Liz Earle Foot Scrub is actually rather good.  It's very dense, coming out of the tube in a paste-like consistency.  I like this, as it means that it goes further than less dense products.  It's also packed with the actual scrub particles which are made of pumice.  I think foot scrubs should be made of pumice to do a good job.  The scrub particles are just the right size to get to work on my feet, large and scratchy enough to tackle the dry bits on my feet, without damaging my skin.

Now my feet are probably much worse than most other peoples.  Seriously, they are bad!  So, on it's own, the Liz Earle Foot Scrub needs a bit of help.  I tend to use it in conjunction with a pumice or foot file for my pedicure sessions and use it alone on my heels and balls of my feet as a daily top-up between my attack pedicures.  It works really well in this way, getting rid of loads of dry skin and keeping my feet in good condition.  However, for the majority of people with normal feet, you could probably ditch the foot file and use it on its own.

The smell of the foot scrub is dominated by pumice.  Whilst not unpleasant, this is a more generic "foot scrub smell" than the gorgeous Liz Earle scents that most of their other products are fragranced with.  It doesn't put me off at all - I actually prefer that this isn't delicately fragranced, as I like a heavy-duty smell for a heavy-duty product.

I think this this is good quality product and it's quite reasonably priced.  I've tried many foot scrubs that retail around the £5-£7 mark, none of which I like at all.  At £10.75, this is a tad more expensive, but it's well worth the extra money for the job it does.  It's available from the Liz Earle website here.

So would I repurchase this?  Yes, I definitely would!  It's now become a staple of my footcare routine

Thanks for reading! xx

DISCLAIMER: This item was provided free of charge for review purposes.  This has not influenced my review in any way - I always express my honest opinion on any product I review.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick - Sky Line Pink

Revlon's Sky Line Pink is one of the lipsticks I picked up from my haul in Glasgow.  Sky Line Pink is from their autumn/winter collection. I've always liked the 1960s look of heavy eye makeup and pale lips, so I thought that this would be a perfect pale lipstick for the look.  This look doesn't necessarily suit me, so I need a hint of pink in the lippy otherwise my face just looks washed out.

This lipstick does have a pinkish tone to it, whilst still being very pale.  It's pretty wearable, and it delivers the colour I want, whilst not really suiting me as much as I wish it did!  It's also quite a shimmery formula, although I think this shows up more on the swatches than on the lips.

The formula is really moisturising and creamy and it is easy to apply with no dragging.  It lasts OK, but as it's a paler colour, when it starts to wear off, there's just bare lips underneath, so lots of applications are necessary.  I think I would prefer it if it were less creamy and more matte, as it would stay on slightly longer.

At £7.49 in Boots (but there are frequent offers on), this isn't the cheapest lippy on the market.  However, it's not too expensive and you do get a decent sized product for your money.

What's your favourite pale pink lipstick colour?

Thanks for reading! xx