Recent (or fairly!) good and bad beauty buys….

[alltoomuchrightnow]

Mine (most of my mistakes are not cheap! and a lot of my 'striking gold' is… hmm)
Obviously it's a very personal thing, will dependent on your skin type ,the weather conditions etc however I can say I've been using these through cold winter to humid summer (all this year , all UK) (apart from the Maybelline)

Bad - Urban Decay all nighter makeup setting spray - doesn't even make so called long last & waterproof eye makeup stop drifting not even over only a few poxy hours As for face, I don't need it for that… powder (below) is good enough with touch ups now and then.

Living Proof (from Space NK)- Salli Hughes recommendation… Prime Style Extender for hair - is not weather proofing, does not make my hair stay cleaner longer etc etc. Makes my fine `(but lots of it) often lank, hair more lank and greasy looking. Bought it for my fringe. Just makes is heavier and dirtier looking.

Maybelline Super Stay Better Skin foundation - goes on patchy, shows any dry bits, seems to 'pool' in my quite large pores, emphasising them, ugh

Good - just stocked up on Seventeen (aimed at teens but perfect for oily 40 something!) Phwoor paint concealer and their powder (forget name but it's matte and long lasting, black case) - at the moment it's buy one get one half price

Nars larger than life pencil eyeliners.. fantastic colours and first pencil to ever stay put on me. Not fool proof… it will drift after a while.. (i'm blinky, watery and oily) but still best i've discovered and i've tried most in nearly 30 yrs of wearing makeup!

[alltoomuchrightnow]

i.e. the Maybelline i've only used this week..hot and humid

[alltoomuchrightnow]

The hair primer is meant to repel oil and dirt. Maybe it does..but it doesnt make my fringe look cleaner or less greasy

[WildBillfemale]

BAD - Dermalogica multi active toner - the only one they do which leaves my face a sticky mess and it's pricey (This is the only turkey I've found in the Dermalogica range it's usually brilliant).

GOOD - I'm a bit of a brand snob and usually avoid the likes of Nivea and Olay however after reading excellent reviews of Olay 'total effects blemish control moisturiser' I succumbed and have to say it's pretty good - if you are struggling with aging skin which still has breakouts it may be worth a try.

[AnythingNotEverything]

After years of YSL I'm wearing Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Reducer and Rimmel BB cream. Very pleasantly surprised.

Covers my sleepless nights well

[calonwyn]

Good:
Body Shop lipstick in bright orange. Weirdly 'right' on my face and very long lasting.
Jo Hansford shampoo/conditioner from TKMaxx - allegedly £16 or so each, for £8 - good bouncy clean hair.
Paula's Choice BHA lotion - cleared up my red skin nicely (I think it was that anyway)


Bad:
Percy & Reed shampoo/conditioner/serum mini pack - made my hair feel slimy and coated in yuk. Can't understand the glowing reviews.

[BestIsWest]

Good: Sally Hansen complete Salon Manicure nail varnish Firey Island. Lovely glossy bright orange which dries remarkably quickly and is quite chip resistant.

[Carpaccio]

Good:
Mac Face & Body foundation in N1 - perfect colour, perfect amount of coverage, lasts well and looks great

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Mineral - feels good on the skin and lasts well.

Bad:
Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner - is supposed to be long-lasting, and is 'for precise lines, smudge-proof colour and easy application'. It's neither - it smudges within 10 minutes, only the side of the felt tip seems to dispense colour which means the line is thick - and that's not easy to work with IMO, it smudges and flakes. It's just turd.

Elizabeth Arden Pure Finish Cream Eye Shadow in the colour Anchors Away. The colour is nice. That's about as positive as it gets. It doesn't set, so it moves up in the crease after a short while. It smells horrible. It doesn't apply well with the type of brush I use for other cream shadows.

[annebullin]

I don't like the percy and reed stuff either.

Good - eucerin body lotion is great. Was 3 for 2 at boots when I bought it. Have been using it on my legs to make them look more acceptable now it's Summer.
aldi lacura eye cream - have been using this lately and it's quite good.
Touch of silver shampoo/conditioner - brilliant for new blond highlights. Takes away any brassiness or yellow and it's very cheap on amazon.

not good - fudge hothead violet hair mousse - bought this for my ash highlights. I wouldn't say that this was bad, but there's not enough purple in it to make a difference to any brassiness, which is kind of why I bought it.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

BAD: Benefits bad gal plum ( it leaks onto the bottom eyelid , I only used it on the top )
Liz Earle No.15 perfume

GOOD : Good Things Manuka Honey cleanser
Benefits Bad Gal black mascara
Sleek blusher, eueshadow palettes, lip palettes (though they are nightmares to open)

[velourvoyageur]

Sephora toner - I use other stuff for my face so it seems redundant and very chemical.
Plus I don't see how it can possibly work- except by covering your face with a tight film that temporarily pulls things together.....very slightly....

Uniq1- I love this stuff....usually I have to wait until my roots get slightly greasy to get the hair I want on the rest of it- but I put some of this on after washing and all the frizz calms down immediately and it goes all soft and falls nicely. Doesn't make hair greasy at all either.

Eucerin Dermopurifier scrub- works pretty well. Not as amazing as Neutrogena but still good.

Klorane oat shampoo- light with a nice smell

Rosemary mint Aveda conditioner- gorgeous stuff....had a voucher so I could buy a teeny bottle of this, but it's way too much otherwise. Loved using it though, perfect consistency, nice smell etc.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Bought Phwoor Paint a couple of months ago, and like it a lot.

Avene cleanser and water spray - both excellent.

This nail varnish Absolutely love it.

[ThisBitchIsResting]

Good Things Manuka honey face wash - feels lovely but doesn't exfoliate so compared with...

...Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean - gorgeous gorgeous cleanser, gently cleans and exfoliates but dammit the squeezy pump is so annoying! Can never get the last bit out. The only reason I defected to Good things.

Sleek eyebrow thing - sorry not sure what it's called but it's a rip off of Benefit Gimme Brow, a wand with a waxy colouring thing on one end and a mascara brush on the other. The lightest shade is perfect for me, no oranginess at all.

[ScienceRocks]

Bad - lacura sun cream. Fine on my ridiculously sensitive skin but gives both my DDs a rash.

Good - soap and glory bb cream. A tiny blob moisturises my terrible dry skin, doesn't irritate it, and makes it look lovely. It's like the holy grail and I have already bought a second tube for fear of it being discontinued.

[ThisBitchIsResting]

Oh yes I have Soap and Glory bb cream too - Feel Good Factor. SPF 25, really light and lovely as a makeup base. I too have stocked up.

[Fcukfifa]

Good - Chanel vitalumiere foundation, have been wanting to try this for ages but couldn't get hold of it in dull hull, so bought some from the airport on the way back from hols. Love the dewy finish.

Bad - Diors...can't think of the name now...glow maximiser? It's a primer thing that is supposed to be all glory but it is more glittery and looks cheap on.
If anyone knows of a fab highlighting primer do share with me!
I also have the Estée Lauder illuminating primer which is a lot better than the dior.

[ElsiePartridge]

BAD- Loreal nude magique CC cream, so greasy and slides make up off rather than keeping it on

KERASTASE powder bluff- if I spend £19 on dry shampoo it should at least snell nice & make my hair less greasy! Batiste is much better and a fraction of the price

GOOD- maybeline better skin concealer stick. Great coverage & right thickness

La Roche posay effaclar foaming gel cleanser, great on my sensitive acne prone skin. Hope it lasts!

[ArtisanBaps]

Good:Chanel lipstick in la malicieuse, velvet finish without drying, and it stays put. Anne French cleanser, Avene moisturiser.

Bad: bare minerals stuff. I blend it to Kingdom come but I look like I've been embalmed by a makeup counter lady every time.

[ScienceRocks]

Oh, another good: Rimmel eye shadow pencils. I use them as eye liners, and they stay put as well as coming in a wonderful range of colours.

Bad; models inc nail polish. It literally falls off like it is a false nail. Very strange.

[ZaraW]

The Good

Korres Lip butter in peach really flattering colour on pale skin and easy to apply.
Balance Me anti ageing serum (my skin is oily and I never moisturise but as I am getting older thought I needed something so far so good haven't broken out and it feels nice on the skin.
Waleda body wash in Pomegrante.

The Bad

Jason deodorant does NOT work well in warm weather.

[HazleNutt]

Good: Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Fluid. Does what it promises, gives you a healthy glow, but is otherwise invisible and does not feel caked.

Scholl Express Pedi, that rotating foot file. So easy to use and does the job.

LUSH African Paradise body conditioner. Works like that Nivea one that's heavily advertised, just rub it on in the shower and rinse off. Smells great.

[alltoomuchrightnow]

Is that a brand new Lush product? what does it smell like

[alltoomuchrightnow]

ZaraW where do you buy Balance Me? I'm terrible for not moisturising too so wouldn't mind trying

[alltoomuchrightnow]

Oh also v v v baaaaaaaad….
(but I did do a whole post on this quite recently)

The ever so pretty but lasts approx 1 minute and 12 seconds! and falls off in an entire 'plate' - Nails Inc Floral