L’Oreal Lash Paradise: An Honest Review

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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March Favourites 2018

My March favourites are very beauty oriented, I have been using some great products and purchased a few new ones too! I love putting on my makeup, creating looks and seeing the final result. I’ve got a couple of fashion bits to share as well. This month compared to some others really made me think about what I’ve been using and what would warrant being included. It’s not always easy to include new things that I haven’t previously mentioned if I haven’t acquired anything new.

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara – I have had this mascara for a fortnight now and I blimmin’ love it! All the good things people say are true and I highly urge you to pick this up if you get the chance. I’m not normally a product pusher but this is a really great mascara. I’m not sure how long the formula will stay ‘good’ for but I can see myself repurchasing this if it continues to impress me as much as it already has. It may even knock my favourite Rimmel mascara off it’s perch if it lasts as long as that one does.

2. MAC pigments in Tan and Silver – I bought both of these off of New Zealand’s eBay equivalent. Tan is the type of shade that would suit most people and has hints of pink, bronze, gold and brown. Silver is pure silver, no grey or blue tinges. The colour payoff is incredible and my favourite way to apply these is with a finger. If you want a hint of sparkle brush application is good but not as good as a finger in my opinion. I haven’t tried applying either of these wet but that is something on my mental makeup to do list.

3. Glassons Black Cropped Jeans – These jeans arrived on the same day as the L’Oreal mascara and they are just as wonderful. The jeans are 97% cotton so they are comfortable and stretchy. They are a skinnier fit but they’re not tight. Black pants go with everything and these can be dressed up or dressed down. Even though they are cropped they are the perfect length for short girls like me. I have already worn these a bunch in the two weeks I’ve had them.

4. The Body Shop Mango Hand Cream – I know in my Autumn Beauty Edit I mentioned I would be reaching for The Body Shop’s Frosted Plum hand cream but I have had this mango one longer than some of my others and I wanted to use it up first. I’ve had it open for a couple of weeks now and when I opened it the weather was still very much warm and the fruity scent suited the weather. I haven’t tried anything else from the mango range but I will take a closer look at it in future.

5. ASOS Grey Fluffy Twosie – I made my first ASOS order of 2018 back in January and I am still in love with the fluffy twosie I got. The material is super soft and cuddly and I have found myself wearing the jumper quite a lot already. This will keep me toasty in winter and I look forward to putting it on on chilly evenings after work.

March’s Spotify Playlist:


What were your favourite things in March?

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Beauty Bean + Glassons Haul

Hi everyone!

I have been on an unintentional makeup low buy this year and have barely purchased anything new… until last week. I first heard about Beauty Bean through a work colleague. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular at the time and it wasn’t until I was Googling foundations that the website popped up again.

Long story short, I made an order and purchased three items. The prices are really reasonable and if you buy three or more items shipping is free. Everything is stocked locally in New Zealand and shipping was a breeze, my order arrived within days.

1. L’Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup W1-2 Porcelain Ivory

If you saw my recent post about Rimmel’s Match Perfection foundation you’ll know that I used to adore it until the formula changed and my shade was discontinued. I’m not a fan anymore and I am simply using it up because it’s not bad enough to throw away and I don’t like wastage.

Buying foundation on a whim isn’t something I normally do but I know a lot of people enjoy L’Oreal’s True Match and I’m guessing this is meant to be the more dewy, luminous version. According to the ingredients the foundation is 40% water for all day hydration and contains antioxidants, Vitamin C and Vitamin E for improved clarity. Sounds like a dream for dry skin, right? I was a little worried about the colour match but I looked up swatches online and they don’t look any darker than my Max Factor foundations which I’m a big fan of.

First Impression: The shade doesn’t look dark for me at all. The formula feels light and blends easily. It seems to layer nicely as well. I’m impressed!

2. L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara (Blackest Black)

Ever since this mascara launched I have heard nothing but rave reviews for it! The mascara goes under the name Paradise Extatic if you live in The UK and it has gold packaging. I recieved the American version of the mascara in a gorgeous, metallic light pink tube which I am glad about – I love pink! This is supposedly a dupe for Too Faced’s Better Than Sex and while I haven’t tried that, this L’Oreal mascara is half the price of Better Than Sex (in NZ). The wand isn’t plastic and is big which I like – I am used to working with a similar size wand on my favourite Rimmel mascara. I ordered the washable mascara and opted for blackest black because I love my lashes to be super dark.

First Impression: The formula isn’t wet which I like and the mascara doesn’t smudge or flake as the day goes on. My lashes look similar if not better to how they do when I use Scandaleyes Lycra Flex from Rimmel.

3. Real Techniques Sculpting Brush

This brush was added to my cart because I needed a third item for free shipping. It was a toss up between this brush and the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. Since I prefer to apply foundation with a brush I went for this. The brush has really good reviews and like many of the Real Techniques brushes has multiple uses. This brush can be used to apply foundation and also to highlight and contour. The shape of the bristles means the brush fits perfectly under the cheekbones.

First Impression: The bristles on this brush are so soft! It blends foundation quicker than my Expert Face Brush also from Real Techniques and doesn’t eat up product. I haven’t tried to contour or highlight yet but I will.

Onto the Glassons part of the haul:

Glassons is a popular clothing store across Australia and New Zealand and price wise I’d say it’s mid-range. You get stylish, quality items for a good price, clothing isn’t cheap but isn’t expensive either. I have shopped in Glassons for years and have made numerous online orders and in store purchases in the past year. Shipping was also free as I spent over $40 and the order arrived less than 48 hours after I placed it.

1. Seagrass Sloppy Cardi

This is described as a lightweight, sheer cami for the trans-seasonal weather which is exactly what New Zealand is going through right now. The mornings and evenings are cooler but the days can still be warm. I really like the colour of this, it’s almost a light khaki and I love the way it was styled online.

2. Black Flare Sleeve Knit Jumper

I love my cosy jumpers and this reminded me of one Lily Pebbles wore in THIS VIDEO. Black is a staple colour in my wardrobe but I think I only have one other black jumper. I like the flared sleeves and the material is super soft.

3. Black Cropped Jean

I have a pair of these jeans in white already and they are super comfortable. As I am short these are full length on me and the jeans are stretchy and really nice to wear. I bought these to replace a pair of black jeggings I intend to get rid of. Black pants/jeans go with just about anything!

I shared this Instagram snap of me wearing the cardi and jeans:


Have you tried any of the makeup items?

What did you purchase in your last haul?

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