better than sex – Chanelle Hayley

I have acquired some new makeup recently and there are enough products to warrant trying out a bunch together for a dedicated post. I love trying out new makeup and enjoy watching videos and reading about other people doing the same. Before purchasing products I always research and look up plenty of reviews and over the years there aren’t many products I’ve purchased that I really haven’t liked.

Products listed in order of application. Products marked with *** are new:

1. Natio Daily Defence Face Moisturiser SPF 50+*** – Natio face products work well for my skin. Their products are full of good, natural ingredients and the price you pay for the quality you get is sensational. The main ingredients in this moisturiser are Aloe Vera and Vitamin E which are wonderful for dry skin like mine. SPF 50 in a moisturiser is great too and this one doesn’t smell like sunscreen. It feels light and non-greasy on the skin. It spreads easily and soaks in quickly without leaving skin feeling like it’s parched.

2. BECCA Skin Love Brighten & Blur Primer*** – This primer was part of a set I purchased at the end of 2019 and I have been waiting to finish up a couple of other primers before trying this one. The primer is lightweight and blends easily into the skin. It’s less runny than something like First Light by BECCA and more akin to the texture of the Hangover Primer by Too Faced. I love the sound of this, it aims to smooth, brighten and nourish the skin and diffuse the look of pores to allow makeup to apply flawlessly over top.

3. Rimmel Professional Brow Pencil in 002 Hazel

4. Lancôme Teint Miracle Foundation in 005 Beige Ivoire*** – Since trying a couple of high end foundations I see a difference in how my skin looks and the overall finish of my makeup is nicer and more flawless. This particular foundation is a favourite of one of my closest online friends (Nadine) and she has dry skin as well so I knew it would be a winner. I purchased the lightest shade available 005 Beige Ivoire which leans a little yellow but in a good way that I can make work. I don’t know if bronzer on top would be too much right now but in summer when I’m a little less fair it should be fine. The formula is extremely lightweight to allow for breathable coverage and a natural glow. The texture is quite runny as it is a water based foundation but that also helps product spread easily over the face. I usually wear one layer of foundation but to test how this builds I used two light layers around my nose and chin where I get redness. The foundation built nicely and didn’t cake or settle into lines.

5. MAC StudioFinish Concealer in NW10

6. Fenty Beauty Mini Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder in Butter*** – I got the mini size of this powder as a back up for when I have finished my Rimmel Match Perfection loose powder. Fenty Beauty’s powder is ideal for all skin types and the powder does feel silky smooth once applied. I have been enjoying using powder to set my concealer recently as it does make a difference to the overall look of my makeup. I purchased the shade Butter as it is one of the shades recommended for fair skin tones and aims to give a soft, brightening effect. I have heard a few people say this powder is messy but I’ll have to use it a few more times to see whether or not that’s true. The combination of this powder with the other base products left my skin feeling like velvet.

7. BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop*** – This is the third of these little mini highlighters I’ve purchased and they are some of my favourites! Champagne Pop is described as a soft white gold with pinky peach undertones. In comparison to the other minis I own by Becca Champagne Pop is warmer and more golden than Opal and Moonstone. This shade isn’t too golden for my liking and it’s absolutely beautiful on the skin, Becca highlighters have a lovely, soft formula that blends into the skin effortlessly.

8. Rimmel Magnif’Eyes Eye Primer*** – I have been using Milani’s Eyeshadow Primer but I notice sometimes it makes my eyelids dry and different eyeshadow formulas can be hard to apply and blend over top of the Milani primer. I’m a big fan of Rimmel and this primer was half the price of the Milani one. It reminds me a lot of Urban Decay’s Primer Potion which I love, looking forward to using this more!

9. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette*** – I love neutral palettes and I know this has been discontinued but it’s an absolute classic! I picked this up brand new a couple of months ago and it has been sitting in my drawer since. I used the shade Bootycall as a base shadow, Tease to deepen the crease and Suspect all over the lid. I used the fluffy side of the double ended brush that comes with the palette to apply Bootycall and Tease and my ring finger to apply Suspect. The shadows were incredibly easy to work with and blended like a dream. I can tell I’m going to get a lot of use from this palette.

10. Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara – This mascara isn’t brand new to me but I haven’t spoken about it on the blog before. Does this mascara live up to its name, no, is this mascara the most lengthening and volumising I’ve used, also no. It is however a decent mascara and as the formula dries out I enjoy it more. The formula was very wet when I first started using it and it didn’t layer well and would smudge. I probably wouldn’t repurchase the full size of this mascara but I’m glad I’ve tried it.

11. BECCA Glow Gloss in Foxglove*** – I purchased three Glow Glosses from Becca and Foxglove is my favourite shade out of the three. It is a muted plum with cool silver pearl and gives me MAC Syrup vibes. The formula has little flecks of glitter but this doesn’t feel gritty on the lips and it’s very subtle. The gloss does have a minty scent and a bit of tingling upon application but nothing uncomfortable and it stops after a few minutes. The formula isn’t sticky, it’s very comfortable to wear and the gloss is nicely pigmented.

The Finished Look

Overall I’m impressed with how this look turned out and I’m a fan of all the new products I tried. Standouts after the first use that I’m looking forward to trying more are the moisturiser, foundation, eye primer and eyeshadow palette.

What do you think of this look? Have you tried any of these products or purchased any new makeup recently?

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Ever since the launch of this mascara by L’Oreal I knew I wanted to try it! Every beauty review I read mentioned how good it was and even now I still haven’t heard any negatives about it. The mascara is called Lash Paradise in America and has a light pink metallic tube. In The UK, The EU and New Zealand it goes under the name Paradise Extatic and has a rose gold tube.

I purchased my tube of mascara in March off of a website and it cost $19.95, which for a drugstore mascara in New Zealand is very reasonable. In store it costs $25.00 which is still not bad but I’m all about saving money where I can. The website I purchased from actually has the pink tube which I like as pink is my favourite colour. The mascara comes in five different shades that I know of: Blackest Black washable, Black washable, Blackest Brown washable, Blackest Black waterproof and Black waterproof. I purchased Blackest Black washable, I adore super dark lashes and I don’t like waterproof formulas as they are hard to remove. I don’t know if this is true but I’ve heard washable formulas also hold a curl better – can anyone confirm or deny?

A distinctive comparison has been made between L’Oreal’s Lash Paradise and Too Faced’s Better Than Sex. I haven’t tried the Too Faced mascara so I can’t comment but the wands are the same shape and they both have pink, metallic tubes. I’m happy with how Lash Paradise performs so I’m not rushing to try Better Than Sex. Lash Paradise is also half the price.

This mascara has my favourite type of wand, it has proper bristles, not a rubber wand with plastic bristles. The wand is an hourglass shape and is a nice size, it’s not fat and chunky so mascara doesn’t get all around the eyes. The wand is lightweight as well as being easy to hold and manoeuvre.

The formula is great too! I am firmly in the camp that prefers drier mascaras to wet mascaras but even when I first opened this tube and the formula was wet it was fine. I did notice after using the mascara for a couple of weeks the formula changed and it wasn’t as good but when the formula started drying out it went back to applying well again. The not so good period was short lived and hasn’t put me off the product at all.

Two coats is optimum for me – lashes look long and fluttery without clumping and sticking together. The washable formula is a breeze to remove, I simply use a face cloth and it wipes away. The formula doesn’t flake, smudge or wear off throughout the day.

One thing I will say is that the pink metallic coating on the tube does peel away. I’m not sure if the same applies to the rose gold tube, that seems to have a frosted metal finish rather than metallic coating so I wouldn’t assume it does.

I have been using the mascara for four months now and it still performs as well as it did when I first wore it. I’m not someone who keeps mascara for three months then throws them away. As long as the formula isn’t dried up and doesn’t irritate my eyes I will use it. I tend to change mascaras roughly every six months.

Overall I love this mascara! This is on track to knock my favourite Rimmel mascara off the top spot. I definitely see myself repurchasing this which I don’t say for many mascaras and once I’ve been through a couple of tubes I will know if it’s worthy of holy grail status and whether I’ve found a replacement for my Rimmel. I’d like to try Paradise Extatic to see if there are any differences between the two apart from their name – you wouldn’t think so but you never know.

Have you tried this L’Oreal mascara?

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