Beauty Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Secret Diary of a Scavenger

Eyeko Skinny Liquid EyeLiner Review (Free With Instyle Magazine)

June 8, 2016

I can’t believe how awesome some of the magazine freebies are these days. They’re mostly full-sized beauty items – and they’re not cheap either.

I recently bought InStyle magazine because of the free Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner. I live in thick black eyeliner. I’ll probably be buried wearing eyeliner so this was a magazine freebie not to be missed.

But before I parted with my cash, a quick Google search told me that Eyeko products aren’t tested on animals and the brand as a whole “are against animal testing”. And this product in particular is vegan friendly. I didn’t need anymore convincing.

When I took the cap off I was thrilled to see a thick nib. I cannot stand those spindly applicator brushes as it’s impossible to draw a straight line across your eyelid. This is why I’ve been a die hard fan of Barrie M’s liquid eyeliner for years, but I’m starting to find that it isn’t as long wearing as it once was.

The application

The application of the Eyeko’s liner goes on smoothly over the top of my eye shadow and the thick nib makes it incredibly easy to draw my preferred “Amy Winehouse style” flick.

I’m pretty impressed with the precision and the control I’ve achieved first time.

I’m not one to spend ages on my face in the morning, so including applying my moisturiser, powder, eye shadow and eyeliner, I had barely passed the five minute mark. So far so good.

The eight hour test

I don’t re-apply my make up throughout the day, nor can I be bothered to wear make up that needs to be reapplied so if an eyeliner can mostly stay put, I’m impressed. Here’s what my eyes looked like after a full day’s work:

You can see that it has transferred to the lids but the structure of the line is in tact with some vibrancy. Therefore I would agree that it is a long wearing liquid liner. It hasn’t smudged as much as the cheaper brands.

Overall, I’m really pleased with Eyeko’s liquid eyeliner. I’ve actually been using this everyday since I first tried it and my Barry M liner has fallen to the bottom of my make up bag which usually means it has fallen out of favour with me.

This product currently retails at £12.00 – double the price of what I usually pay for Barry M. But I’m willing to spend more because the quality and precision outweighs what I normally use.

So if it wasn’t for my current magazine addiction, I would have never been introduced to this brand. Spending £4.99 to receive a full-sized product which usually retails at £12.00 was definitely worth it.

*I bought InStyle myself and all opinions are my own.

Lime Crime, where have you been all my life?

February 27, 2016

For years I thought that every lipstick had a spurious sheen. That was until Lime Crime showed me the light – and the light was matte with a velvety finish.

I treated myself to these two contrasting shades; Suedeberry and Cashmere. Both of these come from Lime Crime’s Velvetines range. Cashmere seems to be a favourite with the fashionistas. You know the ones who dress like unicorns and wear plastic platform shoes, whilst suedeberry looked like a colour I needed to brighten my wintry pallor.

What else can I say? I’m going to sound like a gushing idiot either way so I may as well get on with it. You ABSOLUTELY need these lipsticks in your life. They dry matte, they smell gorgeous (kind of like a vanilla dessert) and guess what? They’re long lasting and don’t end up all around the rim of a glass. I kind of grew an unnatural hatred towards lipstick marks on glasses through my time as a barmaid. Plus, I think it looks trashy.

Anyway, here’s my face with them on:

Cashmere

I was surprised to find that this shades suits pale skin. I can also wear it with pretty much any outfit too without it looking overly glaring.

Suedeberry

Suedeberry is like a staple orange-hued red lipstick. The orange undertone to this red as opposed to the blue undertones associated with the iconic red lippie lifts most skin tones.

It can’t quite easily be teamed with anything and everything but it looks best with black and greys (on me anyway).

Have you got any Lime Crime colours? Which shades do you recommend?

My 6 Cruelty Free Autumn Beauty Must-Haves

September 28, 2015

Autumn brings with it a whole new set of skincare and hair problems. Cooler temperatures means heaters come back on once more, drying out both your hair and skin.

Here are my top six cruelty free beauty must-haves for autumn.

1. Amphora Aromatics Skincare Grapefruit & Cedarwood Deoderant

I’ve been on the lookout for a cruelty free deodorant for a long time. So I was pleased when Amphora Aromatics got in touch and asked me to review their Grapefruit and Cedarwood natural roll on.

The smokiness of the cedarwood with the fruity notes of grapefruit make this deodorant a perfect autumn fragrance. One that you can actually smell on yourself. However, if you do any form of activity, you’ll need to wash and reapply as it doesn’t always work under stress of exertion or sustained activities. But don’t let that put you off as it will keep you fresh for a couple of hours and the scent is amazing. Plus the ingredients are made up of essential oils and natural fungi solutions that inhibit natural deodorising properties. So if you’re concerned about the number of chemicals included in many of the High Street products, consider a natural alternative which is aluminium and parfum free.

2. Richard Ward Keratin Bulking Spray

Since I’ve had my hair styled, bulking it up and maintaining volume throughout the day is now a key priority. This root-boosting spray by Richard Ward uses keratin (your “hair’s natural protein”) as a way to restore it’s natural fiber. My hair has taken quite a battering over the years from permanent colouring to bleaching and now with the heaters coming back on, my hair really deserves a moisture injection.

The spray can be used on both damp and dry hair between washes and I’ve found that both ways have given my hair a lot more bounce. If you have fine hair like mine, it’s definitely worth a try.

3. Faith in Nature Chocolate Conditioner

Thank Jebus I found this product – the shampoo too. This all vegan conditioner smells phenomenal and has a little extra in it’s arsenal; it boosts your colour between dying. Specifically for dark hair, after every wash my hair colour looks revitalisied, as if I’ve just re-dyed it. As your hair grows your roots show, but this makes the regrowth less obvious and means I can wait a couple of extra weeks in-between colouring than I normally would, which is great because I hate the boring and arduous task of dying my own hair. So long.

4. Faith in Nature Chocolate Shampoo

Again this is cruelty free and works even better when used with the conditioner. It’s consistency is like liquid chocolate and does a perfect job of washing my hair but not weighing it down with product build up.

It’s also price friendly too. I was given these two samples to review from Discount Supplements and together they cost just over £10 – that’s cheaper than the majority of the mid-range haircare brands like Aussie Hair who test on animals and also don’t have the added benefit of boosting your colour. I cannot recommend these two products enough!

5. Neal’s Yard Geranium & Orange Body Lotion

I’ve always loved Neal’s Yard but the price has always put me off – luckily I got this body lotion free with a magazine so I was able to test it out before committing to buying an expensive produce I might not like.

I mainly use this on my hands as cycling to work really dries them out due to the cold air. My hands feel softer and smooth, probably thanks to the pumpkin seed oils which is an incredibly seasonal scent what with Halloween just around the corner. If you have the budget, why not try this moisturiser if your skin is prone to drying.

6. Naked Style Little Miracle Leave-In Conditioner

As I’m on a crusade to repair years’ worth of damage to my hair, I regularly use this leave in conditioner. As I have fine hair I need a conditioner that doesn’t weigh it down but also nourishes and provides ongoing moisture – luckily this fulfills both needs!

I’ve had more compliments about how much better condition my hair has been in since using this on a regular basis so this is my secret.

What are your beauty must-haves? Have you tried any of those I’ve featured before? I’d love to know which cruelty free products you recommend.

*I was gifted the Amphora Aromatics deodorant and Faith in Nature products, however all opinions are my own.