L'Oreal SuperLiner Brow Artist

If theres one thing that L'Oreal does well and thats eyes. Their recently discontinued (*sob*) Telescopic mascara has been my most re-purchased beauty item to date. So when they launched a collection of brow and liner products on the back of their 'Line of Beauty' AW13 trend I was all ears. Launched under L'Oreal's SuperLiner franchise the collection consists of 3 liners and a brow pencil - Blackbuster - a jumbo pen style eyeliner, Pefect Slim - a tiny 0.4mm precision eyeliner, Gelmatic - a gel liner in a pen applicator and finally Brow Artist* which I was kindly sent for review.

To give you a brief idea of what y brows are like - I have naturally unruly brows which over time have become rather sparse from being a tad over zealous with the tweezers. Whilst my brows have a relatively good natural shape they do require a little work filling in the gaps, and working on more of an arch as I attempt to regrow them. Lets just say I am certainly no Cara in the eyebrow stakes! As far as products go I have tried a fair few, with Cliniques Superfine eyebrow pencil tipping the top spot and MAC Espresso coming in a deserving second.  

Brow artist is sold as a 3 in 1 product, consisting of a brow pencil, wax and tamer brush all in one neat pencil sized portion. To start proceedings I have been using the brush to tidy up the brow area and prepare for shading, next up I fill in the areas needed with short strokes, almost like drawing fine hairs into the gaps, creating the shape I want. The pencil is quite dense, so I find running it over the back of my hand firstly softens it slightly and makes it slightly easier to work with.  Finally I use the brush end again to blend any harsh edges and give an overall natural look. For additional wear use the wax end around the edges to stop any movement throughout the day. 

For an easy to use brow pencil this pretty much hits the spot. The formula is slightly waxy and does need a good blend with the brush to take away the harshness and avoid being left with a scouse brow.  The waxy formula, however does negate the need for the 'finishing wax' and whilst the wax end is a nice extra, I am not sure it contributes any real benefit to the product other than giving it an added 'selling point'. Colour wise you are limited to only 3 shades - blonde, brunette and dark brunette. I have been using 03 Brunette - a straight up dark brown which I am pleased to report has no signs of an orange undertone. I would like to see L'Oreal extend the colour range, as I think red heads in particular have been left off of the shade chart. But as far as brow pencils go, this does exactly what it says on the tin, and is a pretty good pencil for its mere £5.49 price tag. 

Will you be trying any of the L'Oreal SuperLiner collection?

*PR Sample 

Review | Lancôme Génifique

Walk into my bathroom and you will be presented with an array of lotions and potions from toners, to exfoliants to cleansers. Yes, skincare is my weakness. Naturally though I was happy to shuffle a few products around and make room for Lancôme' Génefique range*.  So for the past few weeks I have been slapping on the Génefique and eye cream.

The History: Génefique first launched in 2009 after 10 years in the making, promising to maximize the skins ability to hydrate and resurecting the skins youthful quality. Already a cult product amongst the Lancôme skincare range, it already boasts a newer advanced formula to compliment its original best seller. As I head closer to my 30’s it could not be a better time to put this to the test...

Génefique Youth Activator Serum*: Developed as a hybrid of a serum and a cream, it is just that. It has the lightness and texture yet has the hydrating properties of a moisturiser. The product itself is housed in a tall glass bottle with a pipet type applicator which uses almost a button like feature on the top of the bottle to withdraw and disperse the product. I find that one pump does the job worked into a freshly cleansed/toned face. The serum is light, but pretty hydrating at the same time. It left my skin feeling smooth and hydrating without the tackiness of a heavy cream. I have been using this in the morning straight after toning and before applying makeup as I have found that it provides the perfect canvas for longer lasting makeup. Could this be my primer dilemma sorted? For more of a kick, use at night under an overnight mask or oil. On the nights when my skin needs a little something extra I have been upping the skincare stakes and massaging this in before topping up with either Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask or Clarins Lotus Oil for super plumped morning skin. I definitely recommend this if you are looking to add a good serum to your skincare routine. Prices start at £58 for 30ml. 

Génefique Youth Activator Eyecream*: Developed to compliment the former is a lightweight undereye serum formulated to tackle fine lines and wrinkles. Whilst I can’t say this is an area that I need to tackle just yet, prevention is better than cure right ladies? Firstly although this is  lightweight serum, I did find that it took a while to absorb into the skin, and we don’t want to be messing around in this area for too long so I would suggest only using this before bed.  Although once it had absorbed my eye area felt smoother, it just did not cut it for me in the awakening areas and being an early starter this is something I strive for in an eye cream. For the time being I will be sticking to my Supergoop Anti-Aging Eye Cream. I do, however believe that if you do suffer from dryness under the eyes then this could work well. So for slightly older ladies, with dryer skin, it could be noteworthy! Prices start at £49. 

The above Génefique gift set originates from Harrods and comes with a 30ml Génefique, 15ml eye cream and a Visionnaire sample. Unfortunately this is now sold out.  But if you do fancy getting your hands on the range then it is available online and most major department stores...  

*PR Samples