Wand Wars | Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara VS. Urban Decay Perversion Mascara

Though I am a false lash fanatic and have been now for many, many years I am still partial to 'false lash' effect mascaras and love trying new brushes, formulas and brands. So it was no surprise that when I found myself with two highly coveted samples from two of the beauty worlds heavy weight brands one thing sprang to mind instantly. Wand wars! (what else?)

After quite an extensive haul from Sephora in Barcelona last year I found myself being gifted with a plethora of products including the Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara original (RRP £19.00). Admittedly this was something on my list to try out 'one day' anyway however being a Benefit Roller Lash girl through and through I decided not to purchase the full size Better than Sex Mascara - but was of course chuffed to have a sample to give a whirl before committing fully. 

The big pull for this mascara seems to not only be the formula itself, but their unique brush applicator, which has an 'hourglass' shape inspired by Hollywood Bombshells of the golden era. The carbon black mascara with its collagen rich formula promises full, defined lashes that take your lashes to all new lengths. Too Faced say that you can achieve three different looks depending on how many coats you decide to give your lashes - I decided to try all three and I felt for me 2 light coatings was quite enough - lest you risk getting into spider lash territory. I love the way the formula and brush feels on my lashes and the feel of the brush - unlike the Roller Lash which, if you catch your skin or eye is VERY sore, my only peeve would be how flaky it can be if you accidentally use too much and it'll go all over your face, otherwise, I give this mascara two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Again I then found myself at Christmas buying a special edition box from Urban Decay which included a whole host of new and old product samples, lip gloss, eyeshadow, blushers and of course a sample of their Perversion Mascara (RRP £19.00). This product wasn't something I'd heard terribly much about, however when I opened it up for the first time quite recently, I kind of fell in love with the brush. Full of soft bristles and with a great tube that handily removed much of the product before application, for that alone I was pretty impressed.

With this mascara Urban Decay promise, bigger, blacker, badder lashes through their ultra creamy formula and to deliver great length and volume, and the big, big pull? It 'glides' on in one stroke! I found that the formula was quite 'wet' in comparison to the Too Faced one and took a while to dry - so if you're prone to blinking right after applying mascara then maybe this one isn't for you - unless of course you enjoy the clean up...and panda eyes! I wouldn't say you need as much of this mascara to achieve a similar look to what you get using the Better than Sex formula and due to the creamy, wet feeling formula it doesn't go clumpy in the same way. 

Would I purchase a full size of either? Yes I would, however which one I would recommend definitely depends on the type of person you are - if you like a quite make up routine then Better than Sex is for you - if like me, you don't mind spending a little more time on your routine, and can afford to be a bit more careful then I'd definitely go for Perversion. (Though I may buy Better than Sex JUST for the tube because come on it's beautiful!

Sorry if with a title like wand wars you were expecting a wizarding story of epic proportions but you guys know that's not how I roll! Have you ever tried the mascaras above? If so I'd love to hear what you thought of them - or maybe theres something out there even better than them, let me know in the comments below, come sneak the links to me on Twitter, or if you'd like to see me play with make up a bit more you can find me on Instagram and more of my words on Bloglovin.

Until next time,

H.Elizabeth x

Too Faced | Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette Review

Am I a bit late to the party? Probably, but then again aren't I always? Today I just wanted to share with you my new fave, my new bae if you will, who I picked up during my recent travels and jaunt to Sephora which I have literally been using to make up my face every day (every day I leave the house) and that is the Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar palette.

Having previously been a hardcore advocate of MAC eyeshadow palettes and investing quite a deal of time and money in them I just have to say, don't waste your damn time! (What a 360 right?) Too Faced, as the rest of the world undoubtedly knows by now, are well known for their melted liquid lipsticks and their eyeshadow palettes who famously smell as they are named, in this case rich chocolatey goodness which just makes playing with make up that much sweeter.

The semi sweet palette is a slightly deeper and richer version of Too Faced's ever popular chocolate bar palette and contains a range of finishes such as glitter, shimmer and matte shades which can help you create a wide range of looks just from a handful of colours, whether you're into natural, barely there make up, or dramatic, bold, draggy styles (like me!). The colours are all named after sweets of some form or description and so far my favourite 'go to' shades for every day have been peanut butter, mousse and puddin' but their shimmer shades caramel and bon bon are GORGEOUS. The colours are all highly pigmented and easy to apply which is a must for me as one of my peeves is eyeshadow you really have to work into the brush! 

I do plan on purchasing more Too Faced shadow palettes in future, namely their newest Sweet Peach range which looks great and light for the summer time (and I also hear smells divine) You can pick up Too Faced products at Sephora, however if you can't afford the plane fare I know you can get your hands on them in select Debenhams stores.

Hopefully you have enjoyed this super quick, super snappy and super sweet review of the Too Faced Semi Sweet palette, I'd love to hear just what you think of their products in the comments below, Tweet over your recommendations for other shadow brands or of course if you'd just like to see how I've been using the palette head over to my Instagram and Facebook page.

Until next time, feelin' sweet!

H.Elizabeth x

Ooops I tripped! | Sephora Haul

Woops...what can I say guys, I um... tripped and fell straight into Sephora on our travels recently, and then I tripped again and again, counter to counter until I racked up quite a hefty bill. What can I say? I'm just that clumsy, but on the bright side not only have I totally buffed out my kit, got some great new products to play with and found a few new firm favourites, but I've also got something to blog about! Isn't it great when these things work out? So without further ado and going into too too much detail here is my special Spanish Sephora haul.

Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate PaletteToo Faced are quickly becoming more and more known for their eyeshadow palettes here in the UK, and after watching a fair few tutorials and giving it a great deal of thought I decided to go for the slightly cooler toned Semi Sweet Chocolate Palette. Stick around for my full review in the future as well as a couple of looks I've been loving creating recently. And yes guys...it really does smell like chocolate and it's awesome!

Too Faced Bulletproof Brows KitI've been on the hunt for a good brow gel for a while and I've got to be honest, I'm not entirely sure this is it, but I'm more than willing to give it a good go for a while. Having been a brow pencil addict through and through I think it'll take an adjustment but hey, I'll try anything once!

Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipstick in NudeY'all know how I love my liquid lipsticks. Having dabbled with Revlon, LA Splash and more recently Kylie Cosmetics I fancied picking up just one more to add to the collection and you know for...research purposes! I picked this one up in nude and it was love at first swatch, I'm looking forward to testing out the formula and giving it a good ole comparison post in the future.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in VanillaHype, hype, hype. The higher end version of my much loved collection concealer (a considerably cheaper and amazing alternative for those on a budget) so I'm looking forward to seeing how this holds up compared to it's counterpart.

Nars Highlighting Blush in AlbatrossHaven't we all just gots to get that glow? I've been testing out quite a few different highlighting products recently including creams, blush, colour correct techniques by brands such as MAC, Revlon, Bourjois... all sorts really. When I swatched this Nars product in Sephora (admittedly having never heard of it before) it was love, and I now hold it as my own favourite and a kit favourite!

Sephora EyeshadowsSephora eyeshadows have never been something I've heard raved about, but I'm absolutely baffled as to why. I decided to pick up a couple of gold, coppery shades in a glitter and a shimmer simply because of how darn pigmented my swatches in store were (stay tuned!)

Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara (sample size) & Too Faced Hangover Primer (sample size)

As a wee prize for spending so much on Too Faced cosmetics I was given a couple of samples to take away, one being the much coveted and raved about Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara and the Too Faced Hangover Primer.

Well now I have repented my sins and cleansed my soul, I feel so much better, now I just need to give my bank balance a bit of time to heal! What do you guys think of my picks? Is there anything you would have picked up in addition? Be sure to leave your comments below, come share them with me on Twitter, or if you'd like to see EVEN MORE make up you can visit me on Facebook and Instagram!

Until next time folks, repent, repent, repent!

H.Elizabeth x