February Empties: Make Up and Hair Care

The final installment of this months empties is some make up and hair care bits!  There's not too much, but still a couple of bits worth sharing!

The frankly horrendous looking tube on the left is actually a tube of clear mascara from Collection and it's their Little Mix Full On Clear Mascara.  I was looking for something cheap and cheerful to sweep my brows into some sort of shape, and this did the job perfectly.  It doesn't leave them looking white, doesn't feel overly crispy and keeps brows in place.  The only downside is that the tube itself is clear so you can see your product getting coloured with any brow wax/powders that you use.

This was the first time that I'd tried the Rimmel Match Perfection foundation and I have to say I do quite like it.  I've already bought a second bottle of this and used it as my day to day foundation all the way through Winter.  It is really light weight, not at all heavy and blends nicely into the skin.  My one downside to this is that it's just a light coverage foundation, and leaves the skin with a glowy finish.  Sometimes, I love this aspect of it, but only when my skin is having a seriously good day, and when it's not so warm.  I think I'll be swapping this for a matter foundation come Summer, because it does have the tendancy to make me look a bit oily.

I got this little bottle of Maghrabian Oil in a Glossybox forever ago, and it's not one I'll be picking up again.  I've honestly had this so long, and I just don't ever see any difference in my hair when I use it.  It's not any more hydrated, not particularly any smoother and I just think that there are better hair oils out there for the price.  A hair product I have loved though is the John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shine Shock.  This adds amazing shine to my hair without making it look greasy, really illuminates the brunette tones in my hair and helps to smooth it all down.

The blank tube on the end is actually a Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer.  Like with the Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer, I'm going to go against the blogger grain and declare that I don't like this concealer.  Yes, it's got great coverage, but I just find it to be so drying and almost cakey on my skin unless I try mixing it with some sort of eye cream...maybe...it's one to test as it's not exactly pricey, but as it stands, I'm not a fan.

Have you tried anything from this months empties?  What concealer would you recommend?

Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer

You've probably seen this all over by now, so sorry if you're sick of seeing it, but I thought it was about time I threw in my opinion on this much loved concealer by Soap and Glory.  This is the Kick Ass Concealer, which is a small compact concealer kit that comes with two different shades of concealer and a setting powder.

I'm in two minds about this.  I half love it, but half of me just uses it because it's the only concealer I have, and I'm too skint to buy a replacement just for the fun of it.  I was so excited to try this when I first got it.  I'd heard so many people banging on about how amazing it was, and to be honest, I am left a little disappointed.  I just don't think that I'm destined for concealers.  The Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer everyone raved about?  Not a fan...it was way too cakey for my liking (below, swatched left).  The Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer?  Well this just might be too creamy for me (below, swatched centre and right).

I absolutely love the idea of this though...two concealers, and a setting powder in one neat, nifty little compact?  Well that's just my idea of a beauty bargain.  A three in one product, a handbag wonder, what else could you need for the day?  Let me tell you...you'll need a bloody good blending brush.

I don't know if it's just my skin type, or if I'm just such a greasy cow that this will mostly not stay in place!  The formula is so creamy; I apply this with my finger, and when I dab my finger in the compact, it practically melts under the heat of my finger tip.  I've had this for two months now, using it daily, and I've hit pan pretty badly on the left side.  It blends nicely into my skin, and the medium shade seems a pretty nice match for my skin.  In the swatches above, I have used the Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light, and the Kick Ass Concealer in Medium.  I think the under eye concealer from KA, central, is a very close match the the LP in light.  It conceals averagely well for me - I can still see some amount of shadow under my eyes, and I don't think I have particularly bad dark circles.  I'd say it's just a natural coverage, and I think some people will prefer a higher coverage concealer.  Because it's so creamy, I often find that the concealer sits in my fine lines, or full on shifts itself where ever it fancies.

The setting powder is really fine, and actually really nice - but in all honesty, I often forget about it all together, which is probably why it shifts sometimes.  I want a concealer that I can just apply and leave to do its thing.  Something long wearing, but not cakey!  I initially applied the setting powder using the pad that it came with - don't bother, it's so sharp on the under eye area and I didn't enjoy using that at all, so I switched it for the Real Techniques Setting Brush.  It's the perfect size for a quick swirl around, and the flat brush makes it nice to gently pat the powder into place, when I remember...

And there we have it!  I feel a bit bad for being a bit negative about Soap and Glory, because I absolutely love them!  But I just don't know about this concealer on me.  I feel like it's great for a night out, or would be amazing in the colder months, but now it's getting warmer, and my skin is getting shinier, I just need something that's going to be sticking around and not moving.  If I buy another, I think I'll wait until September!

Have you tried the Kick Ass Concealer?  What's your favourite concealer?