First Impressions: Benefit Roller Lash Mascara!

Benefit Roller Lash mascara is the brands newest up and coming mascara - due to be realised later this month. When purchasing Cosmopolitan one day, I saw they were offering a little sample of this product as the freebie for that particular issue. Always a fan of something free and makeup related, I got the magazine and gave the mascara a go.

Benefit describe this mascara as a product that will easily and instantly curl the lashes - lasting for 12 hours. According to their site, an impressive 97% of uses said the mascara visibly lifts the lashes as well as 94% saying eyes looked more wide open. Benefit also states that this mascara contains lash conditioning ingredients such as Provitamin B5 and Serin. 

So, on to my first impressions... 

The very first thing I noticed about this mascara is the wand. It's one of those rubber wands with thin, spiky bristles. The wand itself is also very flexible when manoeuvring it through the lashes. All these things I usually find really effective in mascara and this type of wand is one I will actually tend to look for.

The formula of the product is fairly thin and liquidy - similar to the formula of Benefit's They're Real! mascara but definitely not as watery. If you've read my Benefit They're Real! review, you'll know that I didn't really get along with it because I found the formula made my lashes far too clumpy on my lashes. One of the reasons for this was that the wand itself picked up far too much product producing the clumpy after effects. The wand for Roller Lash however, seems to pick up just enough to avoid this.

Upon application, I found the process to be easy and precise due to the shape and bend in the wand. The bristles really helped to apply product to the lashes and also really effectively separated and elongated them. In one coat, I definitely saw a wider, elongated lash look and there was a definite curl in my lashes. My lashes though long, are very straight and find it difficult to hold curl - this mascara however, nicely held a curl in my lashes without making them look thick.

Overall, I think this makes for a really effective, natural lengthening mascara and would be perfect for everyday. I do however, think you can definite layer the mascara for a more intense and dramatic look as well as using it in conduction with a more volumising mascara, too. 

Considering the price of most Benefit products, I think I'll need to continue using this mascara a little more before I'd be able to definitely say whether I'd pay full price for it. Benefit products are higher end so for me, I need to know that I love a product before I'll be investing it. 

So far however, so good!

First Impressions: Urban Decay VICE 3 Palette!

Hey guys! How have you been? Man, it's been a bit of stressful week with Uni work and I've still got a little bit more to do. But, the Christmas holidays are approaching and I'm staying positive! In this post, I thought I'd share with you my first impressions of Urban Decay's VICE 3 palette!

So, the VICE 3 palette contains 20 eyeshadows most with a strong metallic finish (though some definitely have more of that kind of finish than others). The colours range from deep burgundy's to neutrals to bright greens and teals. They are also arranged by shade type which is always helpful if you're wanting to go for a particular look.

What I particularly like about this palette is the fact that it comes with a really handy makeup bag which is completely free with the palette itself. This is my first VICE palette and I just love the packaging that this one comes in. It's sleek and stylish and really compact / slim so it'd be great for travelling as well as storage. The abstract design of the packaging is visually striking and really make the palette stand out - it has a really high end feel to it. You also get an additional double ended brush which is again handy for travel.

Let's get into the good stuff: the colours! So, as I said you get 20 shades and they are (from left to right):

• Truth: Pale pinky nude with a matte finish.
• Dragon: A bright, shimmery green with a metallic finish.
• Vanity: A deep eggplant shade with a metallic finish and micro glitters.
• Undone: A beige shadow with matte/satin finish.
• Freeze: A bright metallic mid-blue with micro glitter.
• Lucky: A metallic bronze shade.

• Downfall: A warm toned light brown with a matte finish.
• Heroine: A navy with pearl finish.
• Reign: A deep brown satin.
• DTF: A taupe with a matte/pearl finish.
• Brokedown: A golden-brown with micro glitter and shimmer finish.
• Bobby Dazzle: A metallic with gold micro glitter.

• Alien: Pinky peach with a golden shift.
• Last Sin: A champagne shade with silver micro glitter.
• Alchemy: Deep fuchshia with a satin finish.
• Angel: A light taupe/silver with micro glitter.

• Bondage: Smoky burgundy with micro glitter.
• Defy: A smoky taupe with a satin finish.
• Sonic: Metallic red-copper shade.
• Revolver: A soft black shade with a iridescent pearl finish.

So far, i really love this palette. Urban Decay palettes have become my favourites by far and I just can't seem to get enough of them. Their eyeshadows are just so silky and long lasting and so easy to work with. From what I can gather thus far, these are no different either. Some are a little chalky but that's not really a massive issue for me. The colours are a great mix of neutrals and brights for a whole range of great looks for both night and day. I feel that you can create so many unique and beautiful looks with this palette and so many of these colours are unique to my own collection. I'm not really a fan of singles shadows but I can definitely see myself buying some of these shades separately as they are so striking. As you can probably tell then, I'm very impressed and pleased with the VICE 3!

I feel like this palette is ideal for a whole range of people due to the contrast in shades. If you're a neutral gal, you've got them in abundance here but there's also room for a little experimentation with some colour too for those of us who like a bit of something different! 

I'd definitely check this palette out if you haven't already, at least take a peek at it in store and see what you think - I think you'll love it! I got mine from FeelUnique for £42.00.