First Impressions | Maybelline Super Stay

Once I have my face on it generally needs to last for a very long time – we’re talking 14 hour days here! It’s for this reason that I’m always on the hunt for long-wear make-up, ya know the stuff that doesn’t budge no matter how much of a sweat you build up.

Maybelline have gradually built up quite an extensive Super Stay range, which claims to last anything up to 24 hours (believable?) so I thought I’d put a few of their products to the test, to see if they can live up to their reputation.



From left to right we have here the:

Maybelline Super Stay 10h Tint Gloss in Forever Fuscia (RRP £6.99):
I initially bought this to wear by itself as, when swatched, it comes off beautifully even and highly pigmented. However after trying it out on my lips later that day I found it wasn’t quite so even and needed a bit more work than I initially thought. There are a total of five shades currently in this range, all of which are gorgeously bold and there’s at least one for each skin tone. Teamed with a gorgeously bright pink or red lippie this tint gives the lips a 3-dimensional look with an almost ombré effect. The longevity of it? Now that I’m not so convinced about. The tint does dry to a slightly more matte finish, but with everyday life I doubt it could go the full 10 hours. Regardless of this it’s still a gorgeous colour and will work well with my collection, just in a different way than I planned it to.

Maybelline Super Stay 24h Bold Matte in Prune Plaisir (RRP £8.99):
When I found the tint to be less pigmented and powerful than I thought it’d be, I went back for seconds and came out with this beauty. When I first swatched it in the store I wasn’t so keen as it came off with a really glossy finish. However by the time I’d paid for my bits and left the store it dried to a completely matte finish which simply does not budge, like ever. When I got home I tried rubbing it, using water and normal make-up remover on it, and even baby wipes (which I find get everything off) and it just wouldn’t shift. This lippie is actually dual ended, and comes with a matte topcoat to seal everything into place – I’m not sure how much this part did but I used it anyway, and it definitely works well as a combo. It was this that made me go back and buy it almost instantly, and I’m so glad I did. I whacked this on with a neutral eye for a girls night out and it lasted despite the copious amount of wine that was consumed. It wasn’t even that difficult to remove, all it took was an oil based make-up remover and a cotton pad. Very impressive and the colour is to die for, it’s something totally different that I’d never usually go for! There are a total of five shades in the range, but I’m sure they’ll expand on this soon. The only thing I would say is that you can’t layer this up, so if you do find it wearing (which I’m sure you won’t) you’re better off to take it off and start again. I’m sure that this will now feature in every bold lip I venture out in for the next few months…

Maybelline Super Stay 24h Waterproof Powder in 010 Ivory (RRP £6.99):
If I’m honest I don’t know what drew me to this compact, as I’m only half way through a Rimmel Clear Complexion powder as we speak! But hey ho, I thought I’d give this one a go. The colour range isn’t great, and I felt that all shades leant slightly more to the pink side than I’d like. I went for the lightest shade, which is the furthest thing from Ivory that you can imagine. If you are really pale skinned then I wouldn’t try this one unless they bring out some more colours – as far as I can tell there are currently only four shades, which are mainly targeted at medium skin tones. In terms of staying power I didn’t find it varied much from my Rimmel offerings, but it was very finely milled and went on really smoothly. I usually go for translucent powders but as this has more colour in it I also got a teeny bit of coverage from it too. I’m happy with this one, but I’ll need to try it out more to see just how long it lasts compared to other compacts that I own.

I would definitely say that this range is something to check out: out of the three products I purchased I’m head over heels with one and really happy with another, so there’s bound to be plenty of other gems that the Maybelline Super Stay range has to offer.

Breakout Busters!

Like the majority of you, my skin does not like the winter months – a combination of cold weather, central heating and a poor diet (ooops) leaves my skin looking tired, blotchy and very much lack-lustre in appearance. On top of that this winter I’ve had some pretty bad breakouts, which I’ve pin-pointed to be from using products which my skin wasn’t all too fond of (not to worry, those have all been pushed way to the back of my cupboards).

For those days when my skin isn’t showing me very much love, I’ve found there’s only a few things that can help fight back. Other than the obvious ones (getting enough sleep, drinking more water, blah blah blah..)

In the past few weeks I’ve really been pumping my skin full off as much goodness as I possibly can to shift all the gunk that might be lurking under the surface.

Here’s what I’ve been relying on this month to keep my face in tip-top-condition (or as close as I can possibly get it to be):



Origins Super Spot Remover (RRP £14.00) – This is a bit of a cult buy, but well and truly lives up to its reputation! Don’t get me wrong, it won’t completely clear blemishes over night, but it does make them dramatically reduce in size and redness. A few nights of this and you’re good to go!

Ren ClearCalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser (RRP £18.00) – I went on a hunt for this after hearing Lily Pebbles raving about it in one of her first impressions reviews, and I’m so glad I did. I’m now on my third bottle of the stuff and I find it to be one of the deepest cleansing products around, without being drying or stripping. This is clay based (as the name suggests) and it’s this that helps to draw impurities, dirt and make-up out of the skin. The cleanser itself is very gentle and doesn’t make your face feel tight, but you do feel extra squeaky clean! Ren is becoming more and more accessible, and you can now find it in the likes of Marks & Spencers and on ASOS – result!

Skinology Tea Tree Anti-Spot Stick (RRP 98p) – Tea tree oil is a bit of an obvious one for me, and for good reason – this stuff really works! You can get tea tree oil in many forms (cream, gel, essential oil, roll on, spray, etc.) and it doesn’t matter what kind you get, it all has the same effect. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic which means it’s great at helping the skin to heal – I always have one of these around, as they’re great for little nicks and cuts as well as the odd pesky blemish.

Origins Out Of Trouble (RRP £22) – While buying their On The Spot treatment a while back, the lovely girl serving me asked if I’d tried this and, if I’m honest, I’d never even heard of it before. This is when she insisted that I take a sample! That teeny sample pot lasted a good 5 masks and wow what a difference this stuff makes! It smells a lot like Vicks vapour rub, which I find oddly appealing! It contains camphor which is both soothing and slightly tingly, so you can really feel it getting the job done! I’ve just bought a full size tube of this and I’m sure I’ll be putting it to good use in the very near future.

Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream (RRP £2.59 for 125g) – I’m not sure if it’s a clinical fact that this helps with breakouts, but it seems to do the job okay for me! I find that this is a lot more moisturising than spot gels and tea tree oil. The fact that it’s a thick, almost oily cream, would make you think that it would bring the spots out and make them worse, but I find it does the opposite! This is really good for use on spots where you have drier skin (which for me is round my chin and neck), and it’s also great for all you ladies with drier skin types as it won’t strip the natural oils off of your face, but it’ll still help to zap those zits!

Botanics 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz (RRP £4.99 for 150ml) – Rosewater is excellent for giving a gentle but purifying deep clean. I use this toner in two different ways: spritzing it directly on my face; spritzing a couple of pumps onto a cotton wool pad to wipe across my skin. If I’ve used a slightly heavier cleanser (which I often do at night) I like to make sure that I’ve got all of the residue off. I tend to use a bit of this on a cotton pad, wiped across all of my face, to make sure I’ve got all of my make-up and cleanser off. My skin is prone to breakouts so it’s important to make sure my skin is perfectly clean before I go to sleep (my cream sheets thank me for it too), and this does the job perfectly, making sure that there’s nothing left sitting on my skin before I apply my moisturiser, serum and treatment. If my face is feeling particularly dry or tight I also spritz a couple of pumps of this over my face to cool and refresh my skin – this is excellent in summer if you’ve caught a bit too much sun! Rosewater is suitable for all skin types, and it’s gentle enough for round the eye area. Plus this is an absolute bargain too!

How do you deal with pesky breakouts when they crop up? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Ding dong - MAC calling!

So I’ve finally caved and purchased two products which I’ve been after for absolute yonks from MAC. To say that I’m impressed so far would be a massive understatement.


So get this, I placed my order on Tuesday very early in the morning (we’re talking around 4am here), it was despatched a few hours later and delivered to me first thing the next day! What’s even better is, as I spent over £30 I got free standard delivery. I’d definitely recommend MAC for their despatch and delivery times – plus it’s so easy to spend £30 with them that there’s really no need to pay for delivery.

My nearest MAC store is actually around 20 miles away from me, so I’ve only tried a limited number of their products. These purchases were based purely on recommendation alone, so they best be good!

As you can see I’ve gone for the MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Soft Ochre, and the MAC Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone, which is basically a primer designed for oily skin/large pores. These are two products which are perfect for my skin type (combination to oily) as they make sure that whatever you put on your face, stays stuck to your face!



MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Soft Ochre (RRP £15.00) - I went for the Soft Ochre shade as this is probably the closest to my skin tone, which means it can double up as a concealer/eye primer as well as a shadow. Soft Ochre is classed as a ‘Yellow Beige’ and it would probably match up to most medium toned foundation shades. As you can see it’s very similar to concealer in tone and shade, but the consistency of it is quite dry. Although I’ll be using this on my ‘lids to cancel out any bluey purple tones/late nights, I don’t think the consistency would work as well under the eyes. I guess there’s only way any of us will ever find that out though.

MAC Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone (RRP £16.00) - My new fave YouTube guru (itsbl0ndie) always uses this in her tutorials/GRWM’s, and so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m not a massive fan of most primers, as I find they feel too silicone-y (that’s not a word is it?) and can therefore leave my skin feeling ultra oily and shiny. However this one has a much thinner, more liquid like consistency. It feels almost like a very light gel, and it disappears into the skin so quickly you’d hardly even know it was there! I love the slim, compact packaging that this has – it’ll be ultra easy to pack into a handbag or make-up bag for travelling!

I’ll be giving both of these a go over the next few weeks, and I’ll be back to give my verdict on them soon. In the meantime, what other MAC pieces should I be keeping an eye out for? I’d love some suggestions!

The Lust List

I thought it would be a fun idea to collate all of the bits I’m lusting after each month. Here’s my top picks for January…


Deborah Lippmann Cleopatra in New York (RRP £18.00) - Ever since I saw VDM tweet a beaut picture of this I just needed it in my life! It’s a gorgeous black varnish with chunky gold glitter that I just have to have! The main downside is after perusing the Look Fantastic site, I also racked up a very long mental shopping list of new shades, this could get very expensive…


Benefit POREfessional Powder: Agent Zero Shine (RRP £23.50) - As a sufferer of oily skin I’m always looking to find something – anything – to keep shine at bay. Corrie from dizzybrunette3 made bold claims in saying when she used this she didn’t need to touch up her make-up throughout the day at all Now that is one heck of a big statement to make, and my goodness has it made me want this powder even more. Watch this space guys!

Estée Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10 and Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Make-Up Foundation (RRP £28.50 each) Now I’ve put both of these in together because that’s how I intend to purchase them! I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews over both the Light and Maximum Cover versions of this cult foundation. As you may or may not have guessed by now I’m an oily skin gal, which means that I tend to find make-up sliding down my face half way through the day (such a good look). I used the original Double Wear back in the day and although I did love it, I’d be lying if I said that there was something about it which I didn’t love – probably why I didn’t end up repurchasing it! However the staying power of it was amazing, and that was back in my younger years when my skin was even more slippery than it is now! The Light version looks like just the ticket for everyday use, and then the Maximum Cover can be either mixed in to it or used a seriously heavy duty concealer. Et voila – perfect skin (I hope…)
O.P.I. Drip Dry Drops (RRP £13.45) - I found this interesting little gem while perusing the pages of ASOS one rainy day, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued! I’m the number 1 most impatient person when it comes to waiting for my nails to dry. This often results in smudges and prints dried into them (usually from bed sheets…) so if this does what is says on the tin it’ll be an absolute life saver. It’s not too expensive, and I imagine that a little goes a long way, so this is likely to be on my shopping list when I next get paid.


Giorgio Armani Si Eau de Parfum (RRP £65.00 for 50ml) - I'm a big fan of pretty much all Giorgio Armani perfumes - I don't know what it is about them, they're all sweet but have a deep sexy smell to them too. Well, let me tell you, this one is no exception! This really reminds me of a perfume which I had back in the day (possibly Lancome Hynose?) but with a slightly mature scent to it. When you first spritz this it's very strong, but after a few minutes it softens to a warm musky fragrance. The fragrance is made up of cassis nectar, modern chypre and light musky wood, which leaves a lingering, sultry scent on the skin. Everytime I'm in Boots or Debenhams I always spritz this on myself, and the scent lasts literally all day. One for the birthday list perhaps...

That’s all from me this month folks, is there anything that you really want to get your grip on this coming month?

A Spring in Your Step

Yes I know, spring is still months away *sob* but I can’t help but feel like I need some colour back in my life.

The shelves are already stacked with gorgeous royal blue and coral tones, which are due to be huge in SS14, so why not start early with a beautiful bright mani?

From left to right these beauties are:

NYC In A Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish – 300 Spring Tulip (RRP £1.79)

Barry M Nail Paint – 294 Cyan Blue (RRP £2.99)

Sinful Colors Professional – 952 Hazard (RRP £1.99)

O.P.I. Nail Lacquer – I’m His Coral Friend (Currently unavailable online)

Rimmel Pro Professional Finish – 312 Ultra Violet (RRP £4.49)