Review - Mascara's from Cover Girl and Mirenesse

I don’t recommend spending big dollars on mascara if you can get away with a less expensive brand. Mascara should be replaced every 3 months although I sometimes stretch mine a few more months. Once it starts to dry or becomes difficult to apply neatly, pitch it! Getting an eye infection or a stye is not worth the few dollars you are saving. NEVER add water or thinners to your mascara and certainly never share with you sisters or friends.


Cover Girl – VolumeExact Mascara

Love it! This mascara works wonders on my sensitive eyes. I don’t bother buying the waterproof version as the regular type works a treat. I was given this mascara in a gift pack, and would never have bought it to try assuming that the cheaper cosmetic brands are irritating. Boy was I wrong! I am frequently complimented on my eyes and/or lashes when I wear this. This mascara is volumising not lengthening, so it does not contain fibres.

My tip to applying this mascara is to carefully sweep once or twice in a downward motion on the TOP SIDE of your lashes – being very careful not to poke your eyelid and muck up your carefully applied eye shadow! Then apply as you usually would, wiggling upward from the undersides of your lashes.

You will need to remove this mascara with a makeup remover, although most of it will be taken off with a foaming face cleanser or make up remover wipe.

Product size: 7.2 ml
AUD Price: $15.95 ($2.22 per ml)
Find it: In Australia, buy online from Woolworths, or pick one up at your local department store such as Priceline, Kmart or BigW.
Photo credit: www.covergirl.com


Cover Girl – LashBlast Volume Blasting Mascara

I decided to review this mascara after hearing lots of people rave about it on YouTube. Made by Cover Girl it performs brilliantly. The spindles on the brush are set very close together making this mascara a little fiddly to apply, but at the same time the closeness of the brush spindles allows for greater separation of the lashes. This leaves you with loads and loads of lashes.

To apply this mascara carefully wiggle the wand through your lashes from root to tip. The brush is quite fat so be careful not to get the product on to your eyelids. Work quickly to apply the product to every lash before it dries.

For greater curling, gently press the eyelashes upwards with your finger while the mascara is still wet. Hold for a second and release! Be sure to clean any mascara off your finger before you wipe it on your clothes.

You will need to remove this mascara with a makeup remover, although most of it will be taken off with a foaming face cleanser or make up remover wipe. Many of my fellow YouTube gurus recommend this product in the waterproof variety too, and I might try that one next time to compare.

Product size: 7.2 ml
AUD Price: $17.50 ($2.43 per ml) but I bought mine on special for $13.50!
Find it: In Australia, buy online from Woolworths, or pick one up at your local department store such as Priceline, Kmart or BigW.
Photo credit: http://www.covergirl.com/

Mirenesse – Secret Weapon 24 hour Mascara

If you are someone who sleeps in their makeup on a fairly regular basis, or has super sensitive eyes, I highly recommend this mascara. The original formulation is AUD $35.00, but there are new variations with the same formulation but different brushes. Look out for the new SEXY Secret Weapon with the plastic fantastic brush – tried it – love it too although it is a little more expensive at $39.95.

This product has won many awards. Even better, Mirenesse is an Australian company and operates mostly as an internet business. You may find the odd chemist stocking a few products here and there, but check out the Mirenesse website for where to buy. This mascara is free from paraben, fragrance, mineral oil, petrolatum, alcohol and SLS (soap) and will suit even the most sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

This mascara will not dry your lashes, and the product wraps itself around each lash creating a little tube of color. There is no fall out, no smudging and no panda eyes even after sleeping in it. Jump in the shower and let some water fall on your face. With your eyes closed, hold your lashes to you cheek and slowly open your eyes. The little tubes will remain under your finger. You can take the same approach to removal by using a wet cotton pad, and wiping downward gently. You will see the tubes left on the pad.

Product size: 10 grams
AUD Price: $35.00 ($3.50 per gram)
USD Price: $27.00 ($2.70 per gram)
Find it: Buy it online from Mirenesse at http://www.mirenesse.com/ and select your country for accurate pricing. You can also buy Mirenesse from TVSN, and may even pick up a great set that includes mascara.  Find TVSN at http://www.tvsn.com.au/
Photo credit: www.mirenesse.com

Review - Burt's Bees Essential Body Kit

Recently I had a voucher from adorebeauty to use and I elected to put it towards the Burt's Bees Essential Body Kit for AUD$24.95. This kit is a collection of Burt's most popular all-natural creams, lotions and salves and is a great gift, or an excellent way for you to try out the best-sellers from Burt's. The products are not tested on animals. I had never heard of the range before, so was keen to test out all the goodies.

The kit comes in a clear plastic zippered pouch and contains:

- Citrus & Ginger Root Body Wash (29.5ml)
- Peach & Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub (15g)
- Hand Salve (8.5g)
- Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme (8.5g)
- Radiance Day Creme (7g)
- Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion (29.5ml)
- Replenishing Pomegranate Lip Balm (4.25g)
- Peppermint Foot Lotion (14ml)

I must say when I first opened my parcel I was a little disappointed at the size of the kit. Although the sizes of all items were clearly stated, I was expecting a larger sample in my mind. Note to self – read the details more carefully before ordering! The second thing I noticed was the smell. While all the goodies are locked in their bag together, the mish mosh of smells is quite strange and overpowering. As soon as I took the contents out of the bag and separated them, their own natural fragrances smell so good you could eat them.

My personal favourite from the kit so would have to be the Peppermint Foot Lotion. I was recently spotted sitting at my desk with my shoes off rubbing my feet with this delicious lotion. The refreshing peppermint smell turned heads, and my dry cracked heels were instantly transformed. I would definitely buy this product in its full size, however I believe adorebeauty currently only stocks the Coconut Foot Crème in the full size which is 123g and retails for AUD$24.95. I am sure this would work as well – but with a coconut smell in place of peppermint.

The other outstanding product is the Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion. I suffer from terribly dry and angry red looking skin on my upper arms. After a few days of using this cream, the skin was notably less red and softer to touch. The lotion is paraben free and phthalate free and is unlikely to irritate sensitive skins. The full size product is 236ml and retails for AUD$24.95.

One item I found a little disappointing (from a packaging point of view) was the Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme. While the tin was adorable and its contents smelt so good I could have spread it on my morning toast, I found trying to get the product out of the tin and onto my nail bed frustrating. I resorted to scraping the top of the crème with the back of my fingernail to grab enough to cover my nail beds properly.  I am not a fan of sticking my fingers into things, so I would love to see this packaged in a tube as an alternative - but not sure how that would work with the product texture.  I applied this balm to my dry sandpaper like elbows and my cuticles and it softened them right away.

All in all this was a great exposure to the Burt’s Bees product line. There are also baby gift sets and travel sets available for purchase and this is a perfect way to try out lots of the products before committing to the larger size.

You can check out the range at http://www.adorebeauty.com.au/adorebeauty/brand/138/Burt's+Bees/suppliers