I never want to encourage negativity on this blog. If you've read any of my other posts, you know that I'm all about finding the good. It's frustrating when brands you love create products that let you down.
I'll do my best to remain objective. Please remember that just because these products didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you.
Right, now that's out the way.
First up, Mac. I have countless Mac lipsticks and I rely on their studio fix foundation to take me from a 6 to an 11 just in time for my nights out. This item however is a TRAVESTY. A limited edition TRAVESTY.
It is Mac's Huggable Lipcolor in Fashion Force. I bought this at the duty free in New York just after Christmas because I was looking for a gorgeous easy to wear peachy corally shade for every day wear. At least this is what I asked for from the sales assistant.
This colour isn't technically a lipstick, it's more like a "heavily pigmented balm".
What I Like
The packaging and the colour of the actual stick of lipstick is gorgeous. It all looked so promising!
What I Don't Like
It is DRY. Bone dry. I've tried it on a bare lip, on a lip balmed lip, even on a lip balmed AND primed lip. The shade does not want to be spread. The colour comes out thin, watery, and inconsistent.
When it does eventually spread, it just goops. There's no smoothness and barely any coverage. Here is what it looks like swatched on the back of my hand.
Verdict?
This sucks. Steer clear. I was told it was limited edition when I bought it. Unfortunately it's still available to buy.
Next up is the Witch Naturally Clear Blemish Stick which I bought from Superdrug but you can buy from anywhere pretty much.
I really liked the idea of it and wanted to believe that with witch hazel as a key ingredient, it would be kinder to my skin than some of the harsher blemish treatments. Alas, it may have been too kind. To the skin and to the zits leaving all parties intact.
I sometimes get really angry jawline zits - I wish I knew why - they are so painful and irritating and they hurt like hell so popping them is out of the question.
Worst of all, they scar, even when I let them be. They went away for a few months but came back recently with a vengeance.
I bought the blemish stick, applied it overnight in the hopes that I would wake up cured. This did not happen.
What I liked
The ingredients
What I don't like
It doesn't work. It's like I did nothing at all.
Verdict
Save your money. I for one will be returning to the gel fast acting gel blemish cures at least until my jawline clears up once again. I think the zits in this area need the big guns (FML).
Last up is the worst product I've purchased in a really, really long time. It's the Neal's Yard Rejuvenating Frankincense Eye & Lip Serum which I bought directly from Neal's Yard.
I normally don't spend a ton of money on skin care. The most expensive product I let myself buy is my foundation. I firmly believe if you have quality base products like foundation and concealer, the rest can be budget.
If you guys saw my first ever haul earlier this year, you'll remember the hope I had for this product. Years of not enough sleep and a not so gentle touch on my under eye area has created a bunch of wrinkles that love to cling on to my concealer and age me by about 10 years. I wanted this to work. So badly.
I SPECIFICALLY asked the shop assistant if I could wear this serum under makeup. They said yes, 100%. So I dropped a bunch of money and took it home.
What they failed to mention was that it dries STICKY. Like glue. If you try to use it under your concealer, your concelear will end up patchy as the glueyness traps the concealer and stops it blending.
You end up with an uneven honeycomb type of effect under your eyes which no amount of blending will fix. I've tried powder concealer on top of it as well as liquid concelear, always the same rubbish result.
I assume the rubbish gluey sticky consistency must be crucial to the wrinkle firming properties of this product? I mean, why else would Neal's Yard allow this into the world, put their names on it, and not educate their staff enough about it.
What I Like
You don't need a lot of product, a quarter of a pump gets you enough product for both under eyes.
What I Don't Like
The consistency. It dries sticky and turns slimey when it gets in contact with liquids, even after it's been on your face overnight. Is it meant to absorb? I dunno man.
I haven't noticed any difference in my under eye wrinkles but then again the instructions say to apply it twice a day and for the reasons above, I can only wear it over night.
It was a complete waste of my money but as it's too expensive to just throw, it now just sits in my makeup drawers, mocking me with it's poorly thought through consistency.
Verdict?
If you don't need to wear makeup in the daytime, this might work for you as you'll be apply it twice a day as instructed.
There you have it. I do hope I won't be able to make many more of these posts in the future. It's not a fun feeling knowing you've wasted your money.
If you guys have any alternatives to the items below, I would love to hear it. What anti-wrinkle solutions do you use? How do you "quick treat" your breakouts?
Sharing is caring ;)
As always, I love you guys for reading!! xxs