Rimmel Scandal'Eyes waterproof kohl kajal eyeliner in 06 deep blue and 01 black review

So I forgot to do it before, but I've edited some of my photos because I'm a crap photographer (sharpening in an effort to fix blurriness is really all I've done), so I figured in the interests of transparency I now need to label all the pictures I've altered (although considering how bad my photo editing skills are I think it's pretty obvious which ones have been edited, and which haven't). I'll be going back through my posts and labelling the pictures so after today all pictures on this blog that have been altered will be labelled as such. (technically I've altered all of them since I add a watermark but you get the idea).

Seriously Rimmel why the heck have you called it a “kohl kajal” liner? Kajal = kohl!

    Anyway, when these eyeliners came out last year, I was interested in some of the colours, but didn’t have very high hopes as I already owned a Rimmel pencil eyeliner that creased on me and wasn’t as black as I wanted. But when I swatched the blue (the black tester was always missing, or there weren’t any blacks at all) I was pleasantly surprised by the richness of colour and the smooth application. I bought 06 deep blue on sale in 2013, and bought 01 black late last year (also on sale), hence why the blue one is a bit shorter.

Polished London dry shampoo in Blightly Brunette review

Today's review is on another dry shampoo . . . as you can tell from the title.

taken from Priceline website

    These are the cheapest dry shampoo (by size) in Priceline and I really wanted to try them especially since they clearly had 3 colours instead of just light and dark hair. However I hesitated as it was a large can and I didn’t want to get such a large can of dry shampoo when I wasn’t sure if I wanted dry shampoo at all. So after being unimpressed by Cedal dry shampoo for dark hair, I bought blighty brunette because I have almost black hair, so the normal ones were unlikely to match. 


    The colour of this dry shampoo was a good darkness, though a tiny bit light for my hair, it would probably suit most brunettes. I would say the colour was neutral to cool, though one of the reasons I noticed polished London dry shampoos was because they had a dry shampoo for red shampoo, so if you have auburn hair you have that option instead of blightly brunette. 

    In terms of what dry shampoo is actually meant to do this one was about the same as the Cedal dry shampoo for me though. It didn't get rid of the oily feeling and didn't add lift. If I sprayed a little it didn't do anything, and if I sprayed a lot, my roots would feel slightly sticky. I did feel like it got rid of the greasy feeling when I’d sprayed to the point of stickiness, but why swap one uncomfortable sensation for another? Unlike the Cedal one, I really didn't like the smell of the Polished London dry shampoo; I don't know how to describe it, it was just one of those weird chemical smells that your nose instinctively wrinkles at, not like cleaning chemical smells but more like "what is that funk?!". Thankfully the smell didn't really cling to my hair, but it stayed in the bathroom air for more than an hour. 

    Another thing is that for such a seemingly large bottle this dry shampoo lasted about as long as my mini Cedal bottle i.e. not very long (I don't use dry shampoo regularly so I can't really give an estimate).

    I’d recommend this dry shampoo to people who want that grit/stickyness in their hair for better styling (apparently, as my hair type isn't the kind that benefits from grit). Sharon Farrell on Youtube for example listed this product in one of her monthly favourites for that reason and I suspect that this would best work if you have soft, fine (as in thin), not shiny hair, a bit like cotton. I’ve only seen this hair type among Caucasians, and since my hair is nothing like that, (thicker individual strands, naturally smooth) this product does nothing for me and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with a hair type similar to mine.

Effectiveness: 4/10

Feel: 4/10

Packaging: 6/10

Avene thermal spring water review

    As if a stingy hoarder like me would ever pay for friking water in a can right? If you haven’t noticed in my previous reviews, I pretty much only buy “drugstore” (i.e. Priceline) products and they’re almost always on sale. Since my mum liked to use one of their other products I figured I’d try an Avene product while Priceline had a sale. So now you get a review of one of those fancy shmancy French thermal waters! I never understood the deal with these thermal spring water spray-cans, but after trying the Avene one I can see at least part of the appeal. (note: I don’t know why they need to call it thermal, it’s not hot anymore, but I guess it sounds fancier than spring water)

(edited because out of focus)

Nivea Pure & Natural moisturising day cream (for normal to combination skin) review

    Ok so I kind-of-accidentally skipped uploading anything last thursday, my excuse is my brain was fried from heat and fanfiction and what I had prepared just wasn't ready. So heres Tuesdays reviews up early! (actually last thursdays shut up)

    I bought this cream almost on a whim, unlike 99% of my skincare and makeup purchases, because I was going on a trip and I needed a moisturiser stat. I didn’t particularly like the look of any of the other moisturisers on sale (because even in a hurry I never pay full price -_-), and I’d been meaning to try out the new Pure & Naturals line anyway. 

Formula 10.0.6 So Totally Clean deep pore cleanser original formula review

    Whew what a long name. Ok so today’s review is going to be on this no-rinse cleanser from Formula 10.0.6, which is honestly the only such product I know.

Like a toner you just soak a cotton pad, wipe and that’s it, no need to rinse, no need to get your hair (and shirt) wet if you’re as clumsy as me. And man does this thing do the job! I use this to clean my face in between showers and it takes off every bit of dirt that’s on your face, it’s really refreshing.

Neutrogena alcohol-free toner review

(late i know but i was distracted by inception fanfiction so please forgive me)

This is a well known and well loved product so this review is almost pointless but hey, I bought it, I’ll review it.

    I’ll be honest I don’t really know what toners are for, some say it’s moisturising, some say it’s for cleansing after your face wash, which is honestly one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard, I mean if you need cleaning after your cleanser, get a better cleanser!

    Supposedly toners were originally used in England (and other European places?) because their tap water tended to be ‘hard water’ (i.e. water that contained dissolved calcium and magnesium carbonates), which can make your skin feel a bit weird, so after washing their faces they’d use the toner to take the ions off. This is not a problem in Australia unless you live in the middle of nowhere and your only source of water is bore water. As the Wikipedia page attests however, toners are marketed for a variety of things so if it claims to do something unique, go ahead and try it. It’s just that toners are a rather pointless step in skincare unless they claim to do something unique. 

(Also it’s kind of a waste of cotton pads.)

Garnier Clean Sensitive gentle cleansing milk review

    Ok so as far as I can tell, this product isn’t for sale anymore, however I think the new Garnier cleansing milks have a similar formula, and this could serve as a rough guide to whether you’ll like cleansing milks overall (that’s what I did anyway). I really should have dumped this bottle like 2 years ago but since I barely used it in the beginning, I had an almost full bottle and I just couldn’t dump it. (hello, it says hoarder in the blog title).

    First off, my understanding of the cleansing milk concept is that they’re sorta like a pre-mixed dual-layer makeup remover, containing both watery and oily ingredients emulsified together. You apply it to your face or a cotton pad and wipe the makeup off, no need to rinse after. This cleansing milk isn’t the consistency of milk but more like a cream moisturiser. It’s not runny and I feel the need to rub it into my face when I’m using it, to help break down the makeup. The bottle is sturdy but squeezeable, and the lid is great for keeping the product air-tight and making sure thers minimal mess. The only annoying thing is that since the lid is curved, I can’t stand the bottle upside down to get at the product at the bottom.

Revlon quick dry top coat review

(I know it's nearly christmas but I have no christmas ideas whatsoever so maybe next year I'll be able to do something fun, but this christmas you'll just get reviews :I )

    I've never tried using quick drops so I can't compare this topcoat to those mythical magical liquids but compared to other topcoats I’ve used, this dries pretty fast. I haven't timed it so I can’t say exactly how long it takes but it takes less time than the average Revlon nail polish. Another good thing is it doesn't have that problem, where it looks and feels dry but as soon as you touch fabric or something, bam the textures transferred. When it feels dry, then it is dry, and hard.

Ulta3 nailpolish in orchid and waterlily review ( . . . and a little bit on the brand overall)

I own two ulta3 nail polishes and the only reason I don't own more is because I’m picky when it comes to nail polish colours. (Read: I have a duochrome addiction.)

 . . . Also because the bottles are often damaged. What can I say, it’s cheap and people seem to think that means they can do whatever the hell they like.  

Natio Acne Clear Pores detoxifying face scrub with jojoba beads review

from the beautyheaven website because I finished mine last year

    This face scrub from Natio is part of the acne solutions range that came out last year I think, and since I generally have a favourable view of Natio's skincare products I figured I’d try a product. The line has 2 moisturizers, a cleanser, a scrub and a spot treatment. I was in need of an exfoliator, so I got this face scrub. I can't remember how much it cost but the Natio website puts it at 12.95 for 100g.

    To begin with, this face scrub isn't just gentle, it's kind of weak. There weren't a lot of beads in my scrub, and they were tiny and didn't exfoliate much anyway. I have slightly sensitive skin, and i'm pretty sure I could have gotten away with using this daily. I used it every two days and felt fine, no redness, no raw feeling etc. I didn't mind the herbally scent and it honestly wasn't that strong,