Is it worth spending £30 on Google's new televisual goody?
Something a little different, I know... I have Freeview and recently, the signal's been quite bad, so I opted to turn my TV into a Smart TV with the help of Google's Chromecast. It was a pretty impulsive buy, I only went to Curry's PC World to have a look but ended up leaving with one!
You control this with your computer, tablet or phone. You do have to download the Chromecast app to your phone or tablet but it's definitely worth it, as your gadgets effectively become a TV remote.
It's pretty small. All you do is plug it in and then pop it into your HDMI socket! After that you link it up to your wi-fi network and then it's pretty much all set up! It really is that easy.
I'm a big fan of YouTube; so I tend to use this most with my Chromecast. It's pretty exciting to be able to watch YouTube videos on your TV (if you're a slightly techno-phobic old codger like me.) You can also watch BBC iPlayer on your TV too, with the iPlayer app and TuneIn Radio works with the Chromecast too.
The only issue, I would say, is that there aren't many more compatible apps that I've found. It would be good if there were more on offer in the future; like ITV Player and 4oD, amongst others.
Would I recommend this? Yes, definitely! For £30, it's a lot cheaper than Apple TV and it doesn't require a subscription like other similarly priced services; such as Sky's Now TV.
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These eye patches are not for pirates.
If you're young enough not to worry about eye-bags and dark circles then you're quite lucky. Unfortunately, as a twentysomething, I do and I'll go to some odd lengths to keep those wrinkles, bags and dark circles at bay...
Inside the packet, there are two white patches that you place under your eyes. They're supposed to help reduce puffiness and the appearance of dark circles.
You're supposed to keep these on for half an hour. I had to take them off after a few minutes because my skin was stinging. They're ever so slightly perfumed and my skin can get quite sensitive at times. So, I definitely wouldn't recommend these to anyone with sensitive skin or eyes!
To keep them moist, they're kept in a 'hydrogel'. You know the jelly on Pork Pies. Yeah? It feels a bit like that. It took me a while to peel them out of the packaging and it felt very... gooey. I couldn't take a picture, because I didn't want to get goo all over my camera...
These are pretty pricey and I'm honestly disappointed because I've used the Anatomicals eye patches before without any problems. I'm normally a fan of Eyeko; I adore their Skinny Mini Eyeliner and even use Eyeko eyelash curlers, but this sadly didn't live up to my expectations.
If you fancy giving them a try , you can buy Eyeko Hydrogel Eye Patches for £15 from ASOS by clicking here.
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*Ooh, shiny new mascara alert.* You know me, I'm incredibly picky when it comes to mascaras... So will this self-professed 'wonderful' mascara live up to my high standards?
You may well have seen Georgia May Jagger sashaying around making eyes at people while wearing this mascara on the TV ad recently? She was advertising this in style; as she does with all new Rimmel products, except when Kate Moss feels like sashaying in instead...
Anyway, back to the mascara... I picked this Boots a couple of weeks ago because I'm not ashamed to say that I'm hopelessly addicted to mascara. It costs £7.99, but I bought on offer for £5.99... Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be on offer anymore. Sorry!
It contains argon oil, which seems to be everywhere at the moment! It claims to moisturise your lashes while you're wearing it. Impressive, if you've got dry lashes. I wouldn't be able to tell you if it's worked for me or not... I genuinely can't comment because I've not really used it for long enough. I've been using it on and off for less than a fortnight, so it's perhaps no where near enough to have had any effect...?
I would say that this is perfect for a day look, but you'd maybe need something a tad more dramatic for night time. It's really great for giving my lashes length, but it's not that fantastic at giving them loads of volume. That's fine for daytime wear, but at night, you might want a mascara with a bit more kick.*
*Don't kick your eyes.
*Don't kick your eyes.
The one thing that I really dislike about this mascara is the smudging. I know that not everyone necessarily has this problem, but I do unfortunately get this with a lot of mascaras. And it really dissuades me from using this one. Even if I curl my eyelashes to give them lift, the dreaded smudging still occurs. If you're lucky enough not to struggle with smudging, then I'm sure you'll love this mascara! It's just not ideal to have to keep on checking your eyes in a mirror throughout the day, to ensure that you haven't turned into a panda.
The brush is slightly similar in feel to Benefit's They're Real's - Albeit a bit fatter and without the 'ball' of spikes at the end of the wand. There's no clumping either, which is fantastic! One great thing about this mascara is that it's easy to create a slightly cat-eyed look, if that's your cup of tea...
(...People aren't going to mistake you for a moggy, but it looks eye-catching... Get it? Ha.)
The packaging, as you can see, is a copper-coloured curved tube. Rimmel always go the extra mile to ensure that their products catch your eye.
Unfortunately, this mascara is only available in Black. There's no Black/Brown option, which I tend to opt for if it's available. I don't think that Rimmel offer a waterproof version either.
N.B. As a complete, self-confessed grammar pedant, the name irritates me ever-so slightly. I'm sure that Rimmel are trying to say that it makes your lashes look fuller, which it does, and also wonderful... I get that, but it doesn't stop me being a Grammar Nazi about it...
So, to recap...
Advantages:
- Great for daytime wear,
- Offers fantastic lift to lashes,
- Cheap,
- No clumping.
Disadvantages:
- SMUDGING,
- Unsure if 'conditioning effect' actually works,
- Not available in Black/Brown or Waterproof,
- Plastic wand - Not ideal for those who prefer fibre brushes.
Yes, it's yet another foundation review...
I was, up until quite recently, an avid user of Max Factor's Lasting Performance Foundation. Seriously, I'd wear it everyday. Come rain or shine. Even if I had a break out or eczema attack, that foundation would be stuck to my face all day long.
Now, the reason that I stopped using it was because I thought I looked a bit orange. The whole 'orange face/white neck' look is never one to strive for... And instead of just putting foundation on my neck and fake-tanning my entire body to match my darker face, I went on a quest for a paler foundation.
As you've probably already noticed, I'm an ardent tester of Rimmel Foundations. Mainly because they're one of the only high street cosmetics companies who bother to cater for super-pale people.
Anyway, back to Max Factor. I like the company. I know they're at the higher end of high street cosmetics in terms of price, but I feel that the quality outweighs cost with most of their products.
I bought this foundation quite a while ago but never really used it. It seemed to be a similar colour to the Lasting Performance and I didn't want to return to my orange-faced roots. So, I just left it, sitting in the bathroom, all alone; unused and gathering dust. But, last night, I had a change of heart and decided to try it out again. I was a little impressed, so I decided to use it again today.
Again, I was quite impressed. I bought this foundation in Light Ivory. Don't think that 'Ivory'; means 'pale' with this foundation. It doesn't. It's not pale-pale. Just lesser orange than most foundations available. I would say that, in terms of texture and finish, I would still favour Lasting Performance, but only just.
It's quite pricey at £9.99 for a pot. Luckily though, a little goes quite a long way.
I'd say that this foundation provides medium coverage. You could build it up, but I would guess that too much of this foundation could look potentially cakey.
I actually used this foundation without powder and it looked wonderfully radiant, for a while. Eventually, after a couple of hours, the dreaded shininess kicked in and I wished I'd used powder after all...
I would definitely recommend this to people who have combination skin, because this foundation seems to hydrate those dry patches (without clinging to them) whilst simultaneously making those oily bits look a bit less... Oily. It's great for evening out combination skin, but I'm sure it's great on most types of skin.
Advantages:
Now, the reason that I stopped using it was because I thought I looked a bit orange. The whole 'orange face/white neck' look is never one to strive for... And instead of just putting foundation on my neck and fake-tanning my entire body to match my darker face, I went on a quest for a paler foundation.
Anyway, back to Max Factor. I like the company. I know they're at the higher end of high street cosmetics in terms of price, but I feel that the quality outweighs cost with most of their products.
I bought this foundation quite a while ago but never really used it. It seemed to be a similar colour to the Lasting Performance and I didn't want to return to my orange-faced roots. So, I just left it, sitting in the bathroom, all alone; unused and gathering dust. But, last night, I had a change of heart and decided to try it out again. I was a little impressed, so I decided to use it again today.
 |
| Shade - 40 Light Ivory |
I'd say that this foundation provides medium coverage. You could build it up, but I would guess that too much of this foundation could look potentially cakey.
I actually used this foundation without powder and it looked wonderfully radiant, for a while. Eventually, after a couple of hours, the dreaded shininess kicked in and I wished I'd used powder after all...
I would definitely recommend this to people who have combination skin, because this foundation seems to hydrate those dry patches (without clinging to them) whilst simultaneously making those oily bits look a bit less... Oily. It's great for evening out combination skin, but I'm sure it's great on most types of skin.
Advantages:
- Lovely texture,
- Hydrating and moisturising element which doesn't make oily patches worse,
- A little goes a long way,
- Great for combination skin.
Disadvantages:
- A little too dark for me,
- Quite expensive for a high street foundation,
- Potentially oxidises (on my skin),
- 18ml pot for £9.99 isn't that much for your money.
Thanks for reading!
Katie
x
Rimmel have replaced their older Stay Matte with this newer version. I was never really a fan of the previous version, because the colour range didn't stretch to paler shades. I've always been a huge fan of the Stay Matte Powder though, so I thought I'd give this newer foundation a try.
One great thing about the newer version of this foundation is that it's got a bigger colour range. I bought the foundation in 010 Light Porcelain, because my skin's really pale.
(I love that Rimmel is leading the way in high street beauty brands making foundations for super pale skin.)
My skin is combination: Mainly dry, but with an oily T-Zone and chin. I'm quite prone to breakouts in these areas, so I prefer foundations that let my skin breathe a bit.
I do have sensitive areas of skin too; and this foundation did affect those areas. By the time I washed it off, my skin felt quite tight and a bit sore too, which is definitely something that would deter me from wearing it often. I also have eczema on areas of my face, which are normally under control, but this foundation did dry those areas significantly enough to make them feel a little sore.
It's a long lasting foundation; that offers really good coverage. I'm not sure whether I used a little too much, but it offered my skin medium to full coverage.
You could definitely tell that I was wearing this foundation, which probably makes it one to avoid if you're looking for a much more natural look.
It's a foundation that applies really easily if you've moisturised well. It is worth bearing in mind, though, that it's very easy to apply too much of this foundation. If you do overdo it, it tends to look cakey.
The packaging is quite simplistic, with a white and purple colour scheme. It comes in a squeezy tube, which has the downside of being tricky to get the remnants out of.
At £5.99, this foundation is fantastic value. It's also readily available in high street stores and supermarkets too.
One great thing about the newer version of this foundation is that it's got a bigger colour range. I bought the foundation in 010 Light Porcelain, because my skin's really pale.
 |
| The New Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation |
(I love that Rimmel is leading the way in high street beauty brands making foundations for super pale skin.)
My skin is combination: Mainly dry, but with an oily T-Zone and chin. I'm quite prone to breakouts in these areas, so I prefer foundations that let my skin breathe a bit.
I do have sensitive areas of skin too; and this foundation did affect those areas. By the time I washed it off, my skin felt quite tight and a bit sore too, which is definitely something that would deter me from wearing it often. I also have eczema on areas of my face, which are normally under control, but this foundation did dry those areas significantly enough to make them feel a little sore.
It's a long lasting foundation; that offers really good coverage. I'm not sure whether I used a little too much, but it offered my skin medium to full coverage.
You could definitely tell that I was wearing this foundation, which probably makes it one to avoid if you're looking for a much more natural look.
The packaging is quite simplistic, with a white and purple colour scheme. It comes in a squeezy tube, which has the downside of being tricky to get the remnants out of.
At £5.99, this foundation is fantastic value. It's also readily available in high street stores and supermarkets too.
I would definitely recommend this foundation to people who've got normal or oily skin. Those with dry and sensitive skin would probably be better off using a much more moisturising foundation, such as Rimmel Wake Me Up.
Thanks for reading!
Katie
x
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