Bargain Brightening: SEVENTEEN Skin Wow Concealer

The past few weeks have been a bit of a clicky-pen-concealer-testing flurry in my house.  This Paul & Joe colour correcting one has been a bit of a hit for particularly blue-circled mornings, and this Seventeen* one has become a hit for a number of reasons, mostly because it's actually a concealer, where the Paul & Joe one isn't.

At just £4.99, it's a bit of a bargain too, particularly for something which can be used to brighten the undereye area, to add subtle highlights on the cheekbones, browbones and cupid's bow (not that I know anyone who does that for a normal day's makeup), and basically anything you'd use Touche Eclat for.  The similarities between it and Touch Eclat are obvious, from the golden clicky pen format, to the well-pigmented-but-not-heavy texture, to the brightening that doesn't come from glitter or shimmer.  Skin Wow blends well, and remains in place throughout the day - on dry skin days I find it does settle a little into my fine lines, but only after six hours or so, and it's only noticeable if I scrutinise my undereye area.  A little more eye cream than usual helps prevent any settling.

Given that Skin Wow is £4.99, and Touche Eclat is upwards of £20, and they're both just as great at brightening my undereye area, I know which I'll choose to repurchase.  Hint:  it's not Touche Eclat.

Disclosure:  PR sample

* I know they want me to use ALL CAPS now but I can't bring myself to do it in a chunk of text.  A title, sure, but throwing some ALL CAPS into a review feels a bit too shouty.  Apart from when I'm making a point, of course, such as right now.

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

Long but not fat: SEVENTEEN Long Lash Mascara

Seventeen's latest mascara is Long Lash mascara, and it's a bit of a bargain at just £6.99.  Designed with a skinny, short bristled brush, it promises long lashes which don't flake or smudge.  And, provided you're prepared to put a bit of work into your lashes, that's pretty much what you'll get - soft lashes which are gloriously long and last all day.

What you won't get, unfortunately, is much by way of volume, which means that if your lashes are spindly and sparse like mine, you'll end up with length but little thickness, and less definition on the lashline than you'd like.  The sticky formula of the mascara does require some good wigglin' from root to tip to ensure even coverage and to avoid clumps - combing it through without wiggling will get clumpy, fast - and even with all the wiggling in the world, you can't layer this mascara up beyond two coats, otherwise... clumps.

So, a reasonable lengthening mascara, but not for those who are lazy, in need of volume, or who like a lot of layering.  A good basic at a basic price.  Find it at Boots.

Disclosure:  PR sample

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

SEVENTEEN Easy on the Eye Palettes in Birthday Suit and The Big Smoke

Birthday Suit

Birthday Suit

Birthday Suit - eyeshadows

Birthday Suit - eyeshadows

Birthday Suit - metallic creams

The Big Smoke

The Big Smoke

The Big Smoke - eyeshadows

The Big Smoke - eyeshadows

The Big Smoke - metallic creams

The Big Smoke - on my eyes

Whew, that was a lot of photos.  And indeed, SEVENTEEN's Easy on the Eye palettes are a whole lot of palette for a mere £7.99 a pop.  There are two variations - Birthday Suit, a selection of soft nudes, and The Big Smoke, made up of smoky shades with a bent towards blue/purple tones.

Each palette contains eight eyeshadows in a mix of matte, pearl and shimmer finishes; three metallic creams, and one eye primer.  The primer is good but not quite as hardcore as UD's Primer Potion or Too Faced's Shadow Insurance, and if your lids aren't too oily you might find you can get by with it.  For me, I needed a stronger primer to get the colours to stick without creasing.

The shadows are, as you can see in the swatches, a bit of a mix when it comes to pigmentation - the mattes are a little chalky and sheer, with the shimmer finish shadows being the most pigmented.  Despite this, they're all easily layered, so you can build up the colour - something that's generally a good idea with a smoky eye to avoid looking like you've got a black eye rather than an artfully blended smoky one.  The surprise standout for me was the metallic creams - they're densely pigmented, with a ton of shimmer which gives them a beautifully metallic finish which looks a lot more expensive than the product actually is.  Granted, they're a little too creamy to work all over the eye, but dabbed into the inner corners, or onto the centre of the lid, or even applied sheerly onto the cheekbones, they do a great job of catching the light and adding a touch of colour.

All in all then, a reasonably priced palette with reasonably good quality eyeshadows inside to match - you'll need to work a bit to get the most out of them, but for the teeny tiny price, I can't complain!

Disclosure:  PR samples


This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

So Cute: Seventeen Cheek Stamps in Blushin# and The Cheek Of It

It's been a while since I tried any makeup from Boots' Seventeen range.  These Cheek Stamp blushes are a great way to get back into the brand, and have really highlighted that for all my lusting after high end brands, there are some truly innovative products on the high street.

The Cheek Stamps are a bit of a travel wonder, with everything you need for prettily flushed cheeks included in one package.  Once you've dismantled the boxes, the product within is encased in a curvy plastic compact, with a generously sized mirror on top.

Inside, you get a foamy spongy applicator thing, which is mounted on a spring, and some blusher, which is in the cap.

Unfortunately I scratched the blusher by repeatedly trying to pull off the plastic protector from the pan.  Eventually I did it, albeit ending up with a scratch on the pan and some pink under my nail.  Oh well.

Anyway, the point of the product is that when the product is all closed up, the foamy applicator is pressed into the blush.  Once you open it, the applicator has a decent smattering of blush on it, ready to pop onto the cheeks.

OH HAI, I AM A CLOWN.

You press it onto your cheeks, blend with your fingers in the mirror provided, and voila!  Pretty flush.

There's plenty of product on the applicator to get a good pop of colour on both cheeks, and the powder itself is smooth and blendable even with fingers, giving a soft, natural flush which could easily be built up a bit, if stronger colour is your bag.

At a mere £4.99, Seventeen's Cheek Stamps are a brilliant way to get a portable pop of colour this spring (and summer).  They're great value for money, the product is great quality, and you can pretend to be a clown.  What more could you want?

Disclosure: PR sample

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.

FOTD - Nars Dogon's Revenge

Today's makeup is an outing of Nars' Dogon duo, which I was rhapsodising about last year*. (Update: it's still amazing).

I also used Boots No 7's Vital Brights blush in Blossoming Pink*, 17 Falsifeye mascara*, Clinique Lash Building Primer*, Illamasqua Motto brow powder, Soap & Glory It's About Prime eyeshadow primer* and Benefit It Stick as a concealer.

*starred products are PR samples

NOTD: 17 Fast Finish Nail Polish in Sulk

This is Sulk, a lovely bottle green that leans towards turquoise with a pretty subtle shimmer finish.  It's a very Christmas-y colour, and one I wore to my office Christmas party for that very reason.  The polish is a reasonably thick affair, as the Fast Finish range is designed to give you quick drying opaque colour in one coat.  It still applies smoothly, though, with a decent wide brush.

I applied two coats - a single coat was a little bit streaky, although I imagine a thick application would probably be better than the slightly thinner coats I applied.  Either way, the polish dried quickly even with two layers, with no hint of bumpiness or unevenness on the surface of the nail.

This photo was taken after a day's wear, and you can see some tipwear starting to set in early.  It didn't increase much over the next couple of days, and I got three days wear before chips started to appear.  Not great, but not terrible either - and at the very reasonable price of £2.99 for a dinky little bottle, definitely a good polish if you're looking for a speedy manicure over a long-lasting one.  If you like the look of this, you'll find Sulk at Boots stores and online.

Disclosure: PR sample

EOTD: Emerald smokey eye

Products used:



YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils - Noir Radical*
Bourjois Sweet Kiss lipstick - Fuchsia Cosmopolite*
17 eyeshadow trio - Broken Hearted*

I really like the pink lipsticks Bourjois brought out with their Paris Delhi Shanghai collection over the summer. Worn smudged on the lips like a stain, they add a very low-maintenance pop of colour. Fuchsia cosmopolite is the most vibrant pink in the collection.

Also, here's a closer look at 17's Broken Hearted eyeshadow trio, which is a mix of two cool dark greens and a silver-blue highlight. It creates a smokey eye that's just ever so slightly off-black.

*PR samples

Lip of the Day: 17 Supreme Shine Lipstick in Hot Stuff

This is 17's latest lipstick, Supreme Shine, which promises great pigmentation and shine with a lightweight, easy to wear texture.  I just love the packaging - it's shiny, curvy, and looks more high end than it's £4.99 price tag.  The illusion is somewhat shattered when you pick it up, however, as it's very light and insubstantial feeling.

Anyway - the lipstick itself is smooth and creamy, applying easily to the lips and wearing comfortably.  The pigmentation is decent, but not earth shatteringly full - and whilst the finish is rather glossy, it's not quite as impressive as Urban Decay's latest lip offering, which does offer incredible pigment and shine.  Then again, it's not half as expensive, either - UD's product costs £14, while this costs a mere £4.99.

If you're looking for a very affordable lipstick treat which is comfortable to wear and looks more expensive than it is, 17's Supreme Shine lipstick is available in 13 shades - find it in Boots stores and online.

Disclosure: PR sample

NOTD: 17 Magnetised Nail Polish in Teal

Following on from Sarah's sneak preview earlier this week, here we have Boots 17's magnetic polish in all it's glory.  Magnetic polish is the best thing since, well, crackle finish.  This isn't actually a new trend - L'Oreal and Lancome offered magnetic polishes way back in the distant past, and then for some reason they disappeared. Now, joyously, they are back.  17 are leading the pack with a budget version which, at just £5.99, creates an interesting, multi dimensional stripe effect which even a clumsy moo like me can manage.

Staggeringly, the above photo shows a single coat of the Teal shade applied and magnetised (which, by the way, is the correct spelling - this being a British product and all).  The polish has to be applied thickly, and the magnet in the cap held above the wet polish more or less immediately - so application is on a finger-by-finger basis.  I'm impressed that a single coat gives such decent opacity, and even without the magnetic effect, this colour is rather gorgeous.  It doesn't layer well - so if you mess up a nail, best to remove the polish all together and try again, or the magnet effect will grow less clear for each coat.  

I really like that the magnet on the cap is separate to the top of the brush you use to apply the polish - much more maneuverable.  The little lip is a great idea - rest it gently just above the cuticle, and most nails get the full effect of the magnet (although if you're me, you might accidentally touch the magnet to your polish a few times until you get the hang of it).  I do wish it were a little wider, though - my thumb nails are quite wide, and have to move the magnet quickly around the nail surface to get the effect across the entire area.  

Either way - magnetic polishes look certain to be a bit hit for autumn.  You'll find this one, along with its Lilac, Gunmetal, and Blue cousins, at Boots, where it will cost a very reasonable £5.99.  What do you think?  Love the look, or over it already?  Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: PR sample

Review - Boots 17 Falsifeye mascara (and free gel eyeliner)

It may look like a big, tasty crabstick, but in fact this chunky rectangular object in bright 80s Barbie pink is actually the latest volumising mascara from 17, Falsifeye. (Got to love a good pun in a product name).

It belongs to that "big tube, big brush, big lashes" genre of mascaras.  I've never really understood how big brushes are meant to create big lashes, but there must be something in it based on the amount of brands that go for this strategy. (Or maybe it's just a psychological device.)

Falsifeye comes with a GWP at the moment - a pot of gel eyeliner with a miniature brush. I didn't realise this was a GWP at first, thinking it was a new part of the permanent range. I'm surprised that 17 would go to the trouble of producing a new product format just as a one-off GWP. Perhaps this is a harbinger of a permanent range of gel eyeliners in the future?

The liner is not particularly pigmented, but it glides onto the eye more smoothly than the swatch here suggests. It also doesn't set, which makes it a bad choice for precise cat-eye looks. However, it works much better as a smudgy kohl.

Back to the mascara... like most of 17's mascaras, the formula is on the dry, siliconey side. Their mascaras never err on the side of splodgy or goopy, so they avoid the sticky, clumpy problems that wetter formulas can sometimes create on the lashes. On the downside, they tend to dry out faster, although if you throw away your mascara after a few months like we're apparently supposed to, this won't be a problem.

The results are excellent in terms of volume. This is two coats. The picture also shows the gel eyeliner on the upper lid, worn smudged.

I did find it difficult to apply this precisely, because of the giant brush. You can see here that despite my best efforts, quite a few speckles of black ended up on my lids. This could be a real pain if you've carefully applied eyeshadow beforehand, so it's worth being aware of this tendency before you apply it.

Falsifeye is available now from Boots, costing £6.49 for 9ml

Boots 17 Vintage Love Metallic Nudes swatches

The stand in my local Boots had been absolutely ransacked of these palettes when I visited on Saturday afternoon last week. They were only released a couple of days before, but obviously the general public liked the look of them as much as I did. Luckily, a helpful shop assistant found one last remaining Metallic Nudes in the drawer under the stand for me to buy, so here it is:

I absolutely love the way the shades are laid out inside the palette. It's like an abstract butterfly. The mirror inside is excellent too - large and good quality. Oh, and there's a sponge applicator for my nail-art supplies! Handy.

Of course, some swatches. The lower two are taken in artificial light, and show just how shimmery these shades are. They're perhaps a bit OTT for daywear, but gloriously pigmented. I especially love the pewter shade, which has just a hint of green-gold to it.

This is an absolute steal at £5.49. There's a complementing blue-toned palette called Pretty Pastels which is more suited to cool skins, and I'll be picking that one up too, if I can track one down.

You can buy the Vintage Love collection now at Boots stores nationwide and online. It's limited edition and not likely to be around for long, so if you're tempted, act quick! For more on the rest of the collection, see our original Vintage Love post.

What do you think - will you be on the lookout for these palettes?