Peptalash: Before and After. My 45 day trial

At the end of June, to celebrate the release of 'Peptalash', the latest eyelash enhancement product from Indeed Laboratories (The people who released Nanoblur) Boots launched a special offer: If you bought a £24.99 tube of Hydraluron (Moisture Boost Serum with hyaluronic acid) you could get a free tube of Peptalash. I had been dying to try Hydraluron so it was the perfect time for me make the plunge and try Peptalash too.

  
I waited until I was on holidays (1 August 2012) to start my intense Peptalash regime, the same time as I embarked on a serious diet to shed some unwanted weight. So for 45 days, twice a day, morning and evening, I set myself the goal to apply religiously my bi-daily dose of peptalash on my poor 'anemic' lashes. The routine was surprisingly easy to stick to and by week two, applying Peptalash had become a habit. Sometimes, I think I was applying three times a day, to make sure I didn't forget.





The recommended minimum trial period is 2 weeks but I never listen to what instructions say: If they say that epilation would make your legs hair free for 4 weeks, I usually halve that time and count myself lucky if my legs are smooth for 2 weeks. Same for a hair colour from a packet: if they say to let it apply on your hair for 15 minutes, I usually leave the colour for double the time. So I thought I would give Peptalash its best shot and apply it for 1 month and a half (45 days) instead of just 2 weeks.






The result? I let you judge by the photos.

   
   






Has it made my lashes longer, thicker and more luscious?
Has it bollocks heck.

   
I felt that my lashes look and felt more conditioned at the time. Looking at them in real life (as opposed to looking at them on photos) I was quite pleased because I felt they looked better even though  I didn’t notice a dramatic change in length or thickness. Now that I look at the photos, I can’t help but feeling a little bit, erm, what’s the polite word, disappointed, shall I say.


Times like these I am so happy that 1) it was free 2) I wasn't sent the product for review purposes as I don't think I would have had the courage to post about it and give Peptalash not such a glorious review.

  
Long live false eyelashes, I say.
What can be done anyway with such ridiculously small, short, poker straight, thin, rubbish lashes anyway? Maybe there is no hope for lashes like mine? Maybe my lashes were a challenge too far for Peptalash.



what: Indeed ‘Peptalash’
how much: £24.99
where: sold exclusively at Boots.

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Catwalk False Lashes by BeautyUK

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False Lashes are probably definitely my favourite 'makeup item'. I've been trying lots of Beautyuk products lately and when I heard they were releasing some false lashes, I couldn't wait to try some and purchased the 'catwalk' set of false lashes at £3.99 from the website.





This was the first time I ordered some beautyuk items from the website. I paid £1.75 for first class delivery and my order reached me in no time at all. I was pleasantly surprised and received a discount voucher for a future purchase. The second surprise was the size of the box of lashes: I bet you could actually fit one of their eyeshadow palettes in there, the box was huge, complete with fully detailed instructions on how to apply them on. Did I read the instructions? Of course, not. I was too impatient to put them on.



 



The second thing I've noticed is how slightly uneven they are. You'll see that the right hand side differ a bit from the left hand side and vice versa. What you lose in symmetry is gained however in 'natural looking effect' of the lashes. The lashes are very long (perhaps longer than the lashes I am used to wear) but also very light, and once they're on and you can hardly feel they are there.







As for the application, as with 99% most of the false lashes I needed to trim them from the outside corner so that they can fit my small eyes. The lash band is very thin and very flexible and you'll have no problem putting them on. The vertical curl on these lashes is absolutely superb and they instantly lift your eyes. I bought many lashes before (corner eye lashes from nyx from the top of my head) that just won't cut it: as they're so straight, you wonder why you put them on in the first place.








how ridiculous do my bare lashes look, seriously. If nothing else, this should boost your self esteem ^_^





However, the fussy false eyelash lover in me was slightly disappointed with the horizontal curvature of the lashes. When I took them off from their support, they felt a bit straight and not as curvy as my beloved eylure 101. This was not a problem because the lashline is very thin and very flexible but if the lashline had been a bit thicker, I could have seen myself having to spend a bit more time trying to make them 'marry' the curve of my lashline.







Overall, I am quite happy with my purchase. The Catwalk lashes are a bit longer than I would personally usually go for but oh boy, they gave me such drama, I can't wait to wear them again. I hope beautyuk will make them available in Superdrug soon.


how much: £3.99
where to buy: online at http://www.beautyukcosmetics.com/ (accessories section)
disclaimer: I bought these lashes myself.

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Shopping Spree at Girls with Attitude

Absolutely delighted by the DIVA eyelashes by Girls with Attitude (my post here) I couldn’t wait to try other other lashes from the brand. So when Girls with Attitude announced on twitter their special offer (25% off all orders over £10) well, it was a no brainer and it was perfect time to buy some more. I don’t usually do haul videos or blogposts as I find them to be bragging a bit and not as meaningful if they’re not accompanied by a review so this exception to the rule. Besides I am crazy about lashes and I just had to tell you about this offer. I am not by the way affiliated by any way, shape or form with Girls with Attitude. 


So I placed an order for 3 pairs of  lashes. The original amount was £12 but with the reduction I only paid £9 in total, including delivery! All orders placed on the website have free UK postage and they accept payments via Paypal. Finally this offer ends on 11 December.






So , I got a pair of fancy lashes,  crazy lashes and absolutely bonker lashes. We’ll start with the fancy ones, shall we? These are called GLAMOUR. My friend on twitter and blogger Catherine from Perfectly Polished Nails has been raving about them so you bet I just had to give them a go too. 






I love the gradual effect on this to mimic natural lashes. I don’t know if I will find them dramatic enough for my liking (I have zero lashes) and if these lashes are more suited for people who have already some lashes and want to blend their natural ones seamlessly with these babies, but we’ll see and I can’t wait to try them.






Then, we have the STARRY EYED false eyelashes (£3) I chose this from the ‘bargain bucket’ section from the website, well the sale section. I would imagine this model is discontinued. I love the little discs of colours on these but I feel I am going to have to double these lashes with some others to have a fuller lashes look {I love playing with lashes and doubling them up} Incidentally, this packet was soooooo hard to photograph, I kept on seeing my reflection on the mirror case!









And finally (brace yourselves – girls with a sensitive shy nature might want to turn away now) I bought the DRAMATIC COUTURE. These were on sale at £4, instead of the original price of £10. I imagine this is because they have been replaced by a newer version. When am I going to wear this? I haven’t got a clue but fear not, I’ll make sure to photograph them when I wear them! I don’t think these are going to be as nightmarish to put on as the blue feather eyelashes I wore last year (look posted here) but should still score a whopping  5 on the scale of application ease (1 is easy,  5 is difficult) but I do like a challenge and I am stubborn ^_^  So Katie Weasel from the X factor, you think you got the craziest lashes? Bring it on :) haha!

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Splash Proof Sealer: I'd be lost without you. Review, Tutorial & FOTD

Do you own something in your beauty collection which would leave you upset if you suddenly misplaced it? I do. A few months ago, my stomach literally churned when I thought I had lost my splash cosmetics sealer.


 


This was originally given to me by my very thoughtful and generous  friend Jo, makeup artist in Bristol. Jo knows how much I love using ‘full on’ loose glitter on my lids for going out / party makeup. One first try of this and I immediately understood why she was raving about it: This little sealer is simply the BEST base I have ever used to make loose glitter adhere to your lids. And when I saw  my ultimate YouTube makeup  guru petrilude was using it too, I was literally squealing with excitement. (If you click here, it will direct you to precisely the bit where he’s talking about it at 4 minutes 14 )










In my pre splash days, I would use regular eyelash glue to make loose glitter adhere to my lids, but the removal process was very tedious and I always felt it was harsh to the poor tender skin of my lids. When I use the splash proof sealer I apply a fine layer of  product on my lids, then dab the glitter with a sponge applicator (I love sponge applicators and not ashamed to say it) and the glitter stays on all day or all night and it does not budge one bit.

The applicator dispenses just the right amount of product, but sadly as I discovered with clear lipgloss, you are best to apply the product on the back of your hands first and then transfer it to your lids as you don’t want to the wand to get dirty with the colour you have on your lids, and then colour contaminate the whole tube.





When I turned myself into a little devil on new year’s eve, I used this sealer on my eyes and some random red cosmetic glitter I bought on eBay. I usually never take step by step pictures of my makeup, but for some reason this time I did and I thought I would share them. Please Excuse the deep/crazy smoothing of my magic camera.


First, and before applying any makeup, I applied my false eyelashes (very controversial but this is the way I like to do it)  and worked on my crease. I applied some twofaced shadow insurance on the whole surface of the eye, then applied brown eyeshadow, blended it with vanilla or blanc type from MAC, then applied some black. Looks Like there’s a lot of black huh? Well, wait till my fat droopy lid covers it aaaaaaaall up.





See, by magic, my lids have covered all the black! Man these are my no.2 favourite lashes in the whole world but more on them in another post. Look below how neat they look and that they barely need any eyeliner at all. I am in love.






Then, it looks like I’ve applied some red eyeshadow on top of the brown and some red shadow on the main lid too. I took the red from the 120 eyeshadow palette from eBay.





And then I applied the sealer on my lids, and voila:
Better pictures of this look on my red devil post and on youtube if you fancy it.
My eyebrows look a mess but that didn’t prevent me to pull that night :)





To remove the glitter, I stuck some regular sellotape on my eyelids to remove most of it, and then, I pressed a cotton pad wet with oily makeup remover, and pressed it to make it soft and easy to lift off.  The removal process was a doddle compared to when I would use eyelash glue when i had to scrape it off.


The splash sealer is very affordable (about £5 I believe) but it’s not very easy to find, which traumatised me a bit when I thought I had lost it. In the UK, It seems to be sold in ‘dancewear’ places, with theatrical-ish makeup. Here’s a list of stockists if you are interested.  In America, I believe you can find at ULTA, under its real original name of L.A Splash Cosmetics. Blimey, you’ve made till the end of this long post. Well done. I am finding it hard to be concise when I am really excited about a product.
Thank you for reading. Let know about some makeup items of yours, which would leave you in total disarray if you lost them. I’d love to hear xx

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Reptile at Sunset – Editorial Makeup

Guess what? Yes, I am taking part in another makeup contest on YouTube. The contest is hosted by sweet and talented Hugo aka teporchuchis on youtube. The mission was to create an editorial look, you know the kind of look you would find in a fashion magazine, or on a catwalk, and probably not in the frozen veg section at Asda. First things first, let me show introduce you to Teporchuchis. Now this is the kind of makeup he’s been treating us to, no pressure at all lol :)



If I had a comfort zone in makeup, an editorial look would be totally out of it. I’d like to say that I enjoyed every minute creating this look, but I really had a hard time lol. But I really wanted to take part in the contest, not so much in the hope of winning it, but to support Hugo in his first contest, being a big fan of his.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is my ‘reptile at sunset’ look. Brace yourselves as I try my hands at eyebrow block covering. This was before the ‘reptile pattern’ thingy

The lashes are made up of 2 pair of lashes, the lashes I’ve wearing about 1000 times and some fancy ones from W7 which I bought at TJ Hughes. Here’s me attempting some reptilian pattern. I spare you all the cursing this has caused :P

Thanks for reading. Any tips on eyebrow blocking are more than welcome :) xx

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Little bird goes clubbing

Yes, this is another contest entry. It’s for youtube Sara from SWalkermakeup. The mission was to create a party look, so you bet I just had to take part? Don’t you love makeup contests? I love them: not only it gives me excuse to play with makeup, it challenges me to create something new. And boy this was a challenge. I wanted to wear those lashes I bought in sale from Boots aaages ago.

To wear them, I had to trim 2 thirds off them, then to thin them a little, and then double them up with my beloved drama lashes from Claire’s accessories. This is the final look. I hope you like it :)

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