New Products I Tried In May
So because I had a spending ban in April (to try and get through some of the products I already own!) I went a bit crazy at the start of May and bought a ton of make up and beauty products! Also, it was my birthday on the 15th of the month so I ended up with a load more products! So to justify the insane amount of money I spent, I thought I would share my first impressions on some of the products that I tried for the first time in May to hopefully help some of you guys out!
Queen Helene Mint Julep Face Masque - 340g - £4.30
I bought this on eBay after I had read about it in a blog post and we all know I love a good face mask! This face mask comes in a smaller tube or this huge tub - I bought the huge tub because it worked out better value for money. First impressions on the mask - it smells like straight up toothpaste. I get that it's a 'Mint' face mask, but it genuinely smells like nothing other than toothpaste! It is quite a thick formula and it dries down within about 15 minutes - I did notice after around half an hour that it had cracked a lot, but it wasn't falling off. Even after it has dried down, it does still smell of mint! It is slightly tingly, but nothing crazy. I researched a few of the ingredients and it's mostly made up of different types of clay. After I took the mask off, my face was quite dry, however, I looked in a mirror after a few minutes and my pores definitely looks smaller, any blemishes I had on my face appeared a lot smaller and less red and my skin genuinely looked better after just one use. i put moisturiser on before I went to bed and my skin no longer felt dry. Definitely a good purchase on first impressions!
Rating 4/5
Rimmel London Sculpting Palette by Kate - 002 - £6.99
I've seen this product around for a while and I can't say I rushed out to buy it, but recently, I saw a YouTuber ranting about how great it was so I thought I would try it. My first impressions are that it is great for pale skin. The bronzing / contour shade is a nice warm brown without being orange and the blush is a nice shade too for pale people. Both of these are not overly pigmented, but they are buildable (which is what I prefer!). They both blend nicely and they aren't patchy at all. However, I'm not a huge fan of the highlighter. It swatches nicely, but I don't think the shade is great for pale skin (it kind of just blended into my skin colour, even when I packed on more and more! It isn't overly intense either but it could be nice if you want a subtle highlight. It's useful having all 3 products available in the one compact and I can imagine this would be great for travelling. One issue I have with it is that you need to use quite a small brush for each of the products as otherwise you will pick up more than one and there was a little bit of fall out from the blush and bronzer. I do like this product and I will probably get quite a lot of use out of it but I wouldn't rush to repurchase this.
Rating - 3/5
Barry M Light Reflecting Flawless Concealer - 1 Light - £4.49
Up until recently, I hadn't really tried many Barry M products (besides their amazing nail polishes) so I thought I would be adventurous and try some more products. I picked up this concealer as I swatched it in store and it was super pale! After walking around with the swatch on my hand for 5 minutes, it didn't oxidise! And £4.49 is pretty affordable for a concealer. My first impressions on this are mixed - it is very pale and I do feel like it brightens up the under eye area. But, the applicator is strange - it's a kind of brush applicator, like the old lip gloss applicators back in the day! So it doesn't pick up very much product, I find I have to dip the wand back into the concealer around 5 times just to do my under-eye area! Also, the coverage is not great. I haven't had any problems with blending it out or with it creasing throughout the day. The consistency of this concealer is quite liquidy. I would not personally repurchase this concealer based on the applicator and coverage but if you are wanting a more natural look or don't have dark under-eye areas, this may be a good concealer to try, especially if you are pale.
Rating - 2.5/5
Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palette - Comfort Zone - £5.99
So I recently placed an order for a number of Wet 'n' Wild products from Amazon - these were the first Wet 'n' Wild products I've tried. My first impression of this eyeshadow palette was that it was a lot bigger than I expected and the colours were not quite as they look in the photos you see online. However, when I swatched the colours, they were very pigmented and buttery. When applying them, I used barely any product to cover my eyelids, and they were very easy to apply and they were super pigmented. However, I wouldn't go by what's written on each of the eyeshadows, as personally, I prefer to use matte colours in my crease and all of the colours in this palette are shimmers. Also, I found after wearing them for a full day, they were not overly long-wearing. So I'm kind of in two minds about this palette as it has a lot of pros and a lot of cons. However, I am sure that I will be getting lots of use out of this palette and it's great for the price!
Rating - 4/5
P.S. Love To Glow Face Mask - £3.00
For those of you who haven't seen, Primark recently launched a large skincare range, including micellar water, moisturisers and face masks. I picked this face mask up, thinking it was super affordable so it didn't really matter if it was any good or not! I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this for the first time! It comes in a nice glass pot and you get 50ml of product (the same as L'Oreal Clay Face Masks if you've tried them). The mask claims to be exfoliating and smoothing, purifying and brightening and it contains Morrocan Clay and Himalayan Bamboo Charcoal. It is a pale grey colour and is quite a thin formula with exfoliating beads - it smells like your average clay face mask. When first applied, it has a cooling effect on your skin and within about 10 minutes, it has dried down completely and feels tight. I left this face mask on for around 30 minutes and then washed it off - it was relatively easy to remove, unlike similar face masks I have tried. Afterwards, it left my skin feeling very soft, clean and a little dry (but nothing crazy). This face mask really reminds me of the Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask (which retails for £16!), only the Body Shop mask is slightly thicker with more natural exfoliating elements (literally small chunks of twig!). Overall, I am very impressed by this mask for only £3.00!
Rating - 4.5/5
Organic Shop Organic Fig & Almond Express Shine Hair Mask - £1.49
I ordered this from Superdrug a little while back and hadn't heard anything about this brand or these hair masks, but at £1.49, I thought it was worth a try! It is advertised as having 99% natural ingredients, containing no parabens or silicones. You get 250ml of hair mask in a plastic pot (the packaging is a little cheap feeling but for the price, you can't really complain!) and this brand also have a Indian Jasmine hair mask and a Avocado & Honey hair mask (which are also £1.49 each). So I washed my hair and then applied this hair mask generously - it is a relatively thick consistency, which reminded me of a thick yogurt (the colour and smell go with that too!). It smells quite sweet and fruity and is a pastel purple colour. I didn't need to use much to coat my long thick hair, which is a bonus. I washed it out after around 20 minutes (it suggests 2-3 minutes but I like to give my hair intense treatments!) and it did leave my hair feeling soft and silky, but it also felt quite heavy and like it hadn't rinsed out properly, after I had rinsed it for 5 minutes (until my arms started aching!). Afterwards, my hair was very manageable to brush and it was left feeling softer and healthier and a little bit shinier. My only suggestion would be not to use it on your roots as it has left my roots feeling quite heavy. Overall, I think this is a great hair mask for such a low price!
Rating - 4/5
Seventeen Miracle Matte Primer £4.99
Now I've struggled to find primers that I actually find help the longevity of my make up or that mattify the skin and keep it matte all day. I like the L'Oreal Infallible Matte Primer but I don't really like how silicone based it is (that's just my personal preference) and I found it makes my foundation last less time than it does on it's own. I use Revlon Colorstay in the Oily / Combo skin as my everyday foundation and the staying power on this stuff is unreal on it's own. However, it doesn't always keep my oily / combo skin at bay throughout the day - I get oily on my t-zone and chin but my cheeks are normal. I was slightly sceptical about this primer because of the price but I thought I would give it a go as I think Seventeen make up is very underrated. The first time I used this product, I was in love. It's a creamy consistency, instead of silicone and it sinks into your skin, leaving it slightly tacky and matte, very quickly! I did need to use quite a lot to cover my face but it sank in very quickly. I used my fingers to apply this primer and then applied my foundation with a damp beauty sponge. My foundation applied normally - not streaky or patchy at all and it stayed pretty much fully matte all day! I've seen the reviews online that say that this primer balls and peels up - I found as long as you don't rub the primer too much (especially when it has started to dry) and you bounce your foundation on with a sponge, this doesn't happen at all. I will definitely be reaching for this product and I'm sure I will be repurchasing this primer in the future. Another great product from Seventeen!
Rating - 4/5
Freedom Pro Powder Strobe Palette with Brush - £10.00
I recently purchased this palette from Tam Beauty's website along with a bunch of other new products. This palette has really shocked me, as anyone with pale skin will understand the struggles of finding a contouring palette that isn't orange or that isn't a million shades too dark for our skin tone. Pale girls, this is the solution! This palette comes with 1 shimmer highlighter, 1 pale powder, 1 yellow toned powder and 3 matte contour shades. The packaging is very sturdy, has a mirror and comes with a contouring brush as part of the set. The highlighter is a perfect shade for pale skin; it is a white, slightly glittery highlighter which leaves a beautiful sheen on the skin and it actually lasts all day! Two of the contour shades are a very similar colour, which isn't great, but the shade is pretty cool toned and a good colour for pale skin! One of the contour colours is a tad dark, but with a light hand could still work for pale skin. All of these shades do not kick up much powder, they are pigmented and blend nicely. The brush is quite a dense brush, so does give a pretty intense, structured contour but if you like that kind of thing, you will love the brush. It has soft bristles and the handle feels pretty sturdy. I'm in love with this palette and I really didn't expect it to work for me! Definitely recommend this for any pale skinned beauties looking for a contouring palette!
Rating - 4.5/5
Let me know what products you've tried recently and whether they worked for you or not in the comments section!
Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x
Queen Helene Mint Julep Face Masque - 340g - £4.30
I bought this on eBay after I had read about it in a blog post and we all know I love a good face mask! This face mask comes in a smaller tube or this huge tub - I bought the huge tub because it worked out better value for money. First impressions on the mask - it smells like straight up toothpaste. I get that it's a 'Mint' face mask, but it genuinely smells like nothing other than toothpaste! It is quite a thick formula and it dries down within about 15 minutes - I did notice after around half an hour that it had cracked a lot, but it wasn't falling off. Even after it has dried down, it does still smell of mint! It is slightly tingly, but nothing crazy. I researched a few of the ingredients and it's mostly made up of different types of clay. After I took the mask off, my face was quite dry, however, I looked in a mirror after a few minutes and my pores definitely looks smaller, any blemishes I had on my face appeared a lot smaller and less red and my skin genuinely looked better after just one use. i put moisturiser on before I went to bed and my skin no longer felt dry. Definitely a good purchase on first impressions!
Rating 4/5
Rimmel London Sculpting Palette by Kate - 002 - £6.99
I've seen this product around for a while and I can't say I rushed out to buy it, but recently, I saw a YouTuber ranting about how great it was so I thought I would try it. My first impressions are that it is great for pale skin. The bronzing / contour shade is a nice warm brown without being orange and the blush is a nice shade too for pale people. Both of these are not overly pigmented, but they are buildable (which is what I prefer!). They both blend nicely and they aren't patchy at all. However, I'm not a huge fan of the highlighter. It swatches nicely, but I don't think the shade is great for pale skin (it kind of just blended into my skin colour, even when I packed on more and more! It isn't overly intense either but it could be nice if you want a subtle highlight. It's useful having all 3 products available in the one compact and I can imagine this would be great for travelling. One issue I have with it is that you need to use quite a small brush for each of the products as otherwise you will pick up more than one and there was a little bit of fall out from the blush and bronzer. I do like this product and I will probably get quite a lot of use out of it but I wouldn't rush to repurchase this.
Rating - 3/5
Barry M Light Reflecting Flawless Concealer - 1 Light - £4.49
Up until recently, I hadn't really tried many Barry M products (besides their amazing nail polishes) so I thought I would be adventurous and try some more products. I picked up this concealer as I swatched it in store and it was super pale! After walking around with the swatch on my hand for 5 minutes, it didn't oxidise! And £4.49 is pretty affordable for a concealer. My first impressions on this are mixed - it is very pale and I do feel like it brightens up the under eye area. But, the applicator is strange - it's a kind of brush applicator, like the old lip gloss applicators back in the day! So it doesn't pick up very much product, I find I have to dip the wand back into the concealer around 5 times just to do my under-eye area! Also, the coverage is not great. I haven't had any problems with blending it out or with it creasing throughout the day. The consistency of this concealer is quite liquidy. I would not personally repurchase this concealer based on the applicator and coverage but if you are wanting a more natural look or don't have dark under-eye areas, this may be a good concealer to try, especially if you are pale.
Rating - 2.5/5
Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palette - Comfort Zone - £5.99
So I recently placed an order for a number of Wet 'n' Wild products from Amazon - these were the first Wet 'n' Wild products I've tried. My first impression of this eyeshadow palette was that it was a lot bigger than I expected and the colours were not quite as they look in the photos you see online. However, when I swatched the colours, they were very pigmented and buttery. When applying them, I used barely any product to cover my eyelids, and they were very easy to apply and they were super pigmented. However, I wouldn't go by what's written on each of the eyeshadows, as personally, I prefer to use matte colours in my crease and all of the colours in this palette are shimmers. Also, I found after wearing them for a full day, they were not overly long-wearing. So I'm kind of in two minds about this palette as it has a lot of pros and a lot of cons. However, I am sure that I will be getting lots of use out of this palette and it's great for the price!
Rating - 4/5
P.S. Love To Glow Face Mask - £3.00
For those of you who haven't seen, Primark recently launched a large skincare range, including micellar water, moisturisers and face masks. I picked this face mask up, thinking it was super affordable so it didn't really matter if it was any good or not! I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this for the first time! It comes in a nice glass pot and you get 50ml of product (the same as L'Oreal Clay Face Masks if you've tried them). The mask claims to be exfoliating and smoothing, purifying and brightening and it contains Morrocan Clay and Himalayan Bamboo Charcoal. It is a pale grey colour and is quite a thin formula with exfoliating beads - it smells like your average clay face mask. When first applied, it has a cooling effect on your skin and within about 10 minutes, it has dried down completely and feels tight. I left this face mask on for around 30 minutes and then washed it off - it was relatively easy to remove, unlike similar face masks I have tried. Afterwards, it left my skin feeling very soft, clean and a little dry (but nothing crazy). This face mask really reminds me of the Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask (which retails for £16!), only the Body Shop mask is slightly thicker with more natural exfoliating elements (literally small chunks of twig!). Overall, I am very impressed by this mask for only £3.00!
Rating - 4.5/5
Organic Shop Organic Fig & Almond Express Shine Hair Mask - £1.49
I ordered this from Superdrug a little while back and hadn't heard anything about this brand or these hair masks, but at £1.49, I thought it was worth a try! It is advertised as having 99% natural ingredients, containing no parabens or silicones. You get 250ml of hair mask in a plastic pot (the packaging is a little cheap feeling but for the price, you can't really complain!) and this brand also have a Indian Jasmine hair mask and a Avocado & Honey hair mask (which are also £1.49 each). So I washed my hair and then applied this hair mask generously - it is a relatively thick consistency, which reminded me of a thick yogurt (the colour and smell go with that too!). It smells quite sweet and fruity and is a pastel purple colour. I didn't need to use much to coat my long thick hair, which is a bonus. I washed it out after around 20 minutes (it suggests 2-3 minutes but I like to give my hair intense treatments!) and it did leave my hair feeling soft and silky, but it also felt quite heavy and like it hadn't rinsed out properly, after I had rinsed it for 5 minutes (until my arms started aching!). Afterwards, my hair was very manageable to brush and it was left feeling softer and healthier and a little bit shinier. My only suggestion would be not to use it on your roots as it has left my roots feeling quite heavy. Overall, I think this is a great hair mask for such a low price!
Rating - 4/5
Seventeen Miracle Matte Primer £4.99
Now I've struggled to find primers that I actually find help the longevity of my make up or that mattify the skin and keep it matte all day. I like the L'Oreal Infallible Matte Primer but I don't really like how silicone based it is (that's just my personal preference) and I found it makes my foundation last less time than it does on it's own. I use Revlon Colorstay in the Oily / Combo skin as my everyday foundation and the staying power on this stuff is unreal on it's own. However, it doesn't always keep my oily / combo skin at bay throughout the day - I get oily on my t-zone and chin but my cheeks are normal. I was slightly sceptical about this primer because of the price but I thought I would give it a go as I think Seventeen make up is very underrated. The first time I used this product, I was in love. It's a creamy consistency, instead of silicone and it sinks into your skin, leaving it slightly tacky and matte, very quickly! I did need to use quite a lot to cover my face but it sank in very quickly. I used my fingers to apply this primer and then applied my foundation with a damp beauty sponge. My foundation applied normally - not streaky or patchy at all and it stayed pretty much fully matte all day! I've seen the reviews online that say that this primer balls and peels up - I found as long as you don't rub the primer too much (especially when it has started to dry) and you bounce your foundation on with a sponge, this doesn't happen at all. I will definitely be reaching for this product and I'm sure I will be repurchasing this primer in the future. Another great product from Seventeen!
Rating - 4/5
Freedom Pro Powder Strobe Palette with Brush - £10.00
I recently purchased this palette from Tam Beauty's website along with a bunch of other new products. This palette has really shocked me, as anyone with pale skin will understand the struggles of finding a contouring palette that isn't orange or that isn't a million shades too dark for our skin tone. Pale girls, this is the solution! This palette comes with 1 shimmer highlighter, 1 pale powder, 1 yellow toned powder and 3 matte contour shades. The packaging is very sturdy, has a mirror and comes with a contouring brush as part of the set. The highlighter is a perfect shade for pale skin; it is a white, slightly glittery highlighter which leaves a beautiful sheen on the skin and it actually lasts all day! Two of the contour shades are a very similar colour, which isn't great, but the shade is pretty cool toned and a good colour for pale skin! One of the contour colours is a tad dark, but with a light hand could still work for pale skin. All of these shades do not kick up much powder, they are pigmented and blend nicely. The brush is quite a dense brush, so does give a pretty intense, structured contour but if you like that kind of thing, you will love the brush. It has soft bristles and the handle feels pretty sturdy. I'm in love with this palette and I really didn't expect it to work for me! Definitely recommend this for any pale skinned beauties looking for a contouring palette!
Rating - 4.5/5
Let me know what products you've tried recently and whether they worked for you or not in the comments section!
Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x
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