New Products | First Impressions

I wanted to have a little natter about the products I've picked up recently, so why not turn it into a blog post?

The only time I really buy from Illamasqua is when they have one of their epic sales. I love the products I've bought from them in the past, but they're so expensive full price. This year, I held off until everything in the sale was 70% off, and bought the Powder Blusher Duo in Lover & Hussy for £7.80, down from £26, and the Cream Blusher in Zygomatic for £6.60, down from £22. On top of this, I used my 15% off birthday discount, so they were quite the bargain! Lover and Hussy are soft and pigmented, just as I'd expected. I do have similar shades and formulas from other brands in my collection, so I probably didn't need them, but am sure I'll get plenty of wear out of them anyway. Zygomatic is so beautiful. It's the perfect nude pink. It's not as pigmented as the other cream blushers I've tried from them, but I like that. It makes it easier to blend.

I finally caved and bought the Real Techniques Complexion Sponge. What I really wanted was the Beauty Blender, but I'm not willing to part with £16 for a sponge just yet, so settled on this £5.99 alternative. So far, I think it does apply my foundation better than my brushes, but I don't know if I'll repurchase. You have to replace it every 1-3 months, whereas my brushes last years. I don't know. I like it, but it hasn't become a holy grail yet.

The new Revlon mascaras were on offer at Boots for £6.99 (down from £9.99), 3 for 2, and I managed to use student discount on top of my staff discount, so I couldn't resist trying a couple. I've never tried a Revlon mascara before, and am very much pro Maybelline in this area, so didn't know what to expect. I'd read that the green Super Length one was generally preferred, so my sister & I both chose that one, and then I thought I'd try the red Ultimate All in One because the brush was so small. I've used them a couple times so far, and I think I prefer the green one. It doesn't clump your lashes at all, and leaves them looking natural and fluttery, similar to Maybelline's Mega Plush. The brush on the red Ultimate All in One mascara can pick up too much product because of its size and plastic bristles, meaning it has more potential to clump, but it's still okay. At the moment, I don't regret buying them, and will continue to use them, but will probably stick to my trusty Maybelline ones in the future. I'll let you know if this opinion changes when the formulas start to dry down.

What are your thoughts on these products?