I think it's safe to say I've tested out my fair share of interesting beauty finds from the mother ship that is Primark and today is no different.
This time we're talking metallic lip kits, so here's my thoughts...
Price
The Primark Get Lippy Lip Kits retail for an affordable £3 each.
There is two matte and two metallic shades to choose from including,
- Cookie Dough (Matte)
- Chocolate Brownie (Matte)
- Molten Lava (Metallic)
- Molten Bronze (Metallic)
Packaging
The kit comes in an attractive metallic box, which is for sure what caught my eye initially.
Inside you'll find a lip liner and liquid lipstick. The liner is beautifully packaged with gold accents, however the liquid lipstick doesn't look as premium compared to the liner, but it is wrapped in your chosen colour and it does come with a doe foot applicator also.
Application
I have already put to the test a few drugstore matte lip kits, so I decided to pick up Molten Bronze which is one of the metallic lip kits instead to demo.
I do recommend you watch the video too, so that you can get a feel for how this performed live.
Firstly I started out with the lip liner. This colour was actually a nice wearable shade for maybe a night out, however the pencil itself was hard to work with and I did have to press down quite firmly to distribute the colour evenly.
The liquid lipstick has a slightly oily, thin consistency and did go on a little patchy, but this is true to colour and buildable too.
Longevity
Longevity wise this was budge proof for the five hours that I had it on, but I did have to take this off after that as my lips felt uncomfortable and the lipstick showed up all the cracks on my lips.
Overall Thoughts
Overall this wasn't good look for me! Yes this is a super affordable lip kit considering you get a lip liner and liquid lipstick in the pack and yes, I did like the fact this came in two matte and two metallic shades too.
Packaging wise this was nicely presented and the lip liner wasn't a bad colour despite this being hard to work with. However... here's the thing, I do think metallic lips are definitely one of those passing trends, just like rainbow highlighters, that will be popular for that point in time, but realistically it's not something that you could wear on a everyday basis. I think this trend is best left for editorial edits instead...
I award the Primark Get Lippy Metallic Lip Kit a 2 out of 5
Primark Pure Glow Highlighter and Mermaid Glow Highlighting Powder
If you've seen my first highlighter reviewhere on Sunday, then you'll know last week was First Impressions Week over on my channel here. In this second post I wanted to share and review the newly released Primark Highlighters. These beauties have had quite a bit of hype surrounding them, so here's my thoughts...
Price
Both highlighters retail for £3 for 9g of product, which is exceptional value for money. Initially Primark released two Pure Glow Highlighters in Champagne and Rose Prosecco and then a third highlighter was dropped a few weeks ago called Mermaid Glow. I picked up Champagne and Mermaid Glow to show you.
Packaging
The packaging on these is pretty simple, yet sturdy, with the highlighters doing all the talking. Each one also has a beautiful wave pattern running through them, which makes them look even more appealing to the eye.
Primark Champagne Highlighter
Primark Mermaid Highlighter
Application
The champagne highlighter is a stunning gold/bronze shade which is super pigmented to the touch. The mermaid glow is a white/silver shade which has a more chunkier texture and is not as pigmented, but is still pretty nonetheless.
Upon application I decided to apply the champagne to the tops of my cheeks and the mermaid one to my cupids bow and as a inner corner highlighter. The champagne shade applied beautifully and is such a stunning, delicate shade, that would look gorgeous as a blush topper or on tanned skin also. The mermaid shade is nice, but for me this was too silvery and it didn't go on as smooth compared to the gold.
Longevity
Both highlighters held up for a good ten hours, especially the champagne on my cheeks.
Overall Thoughts
Firstly these are great value of money for the amount of highlighter you get and visually these are stunning. However application wise I would say the champagne shade glides on the best and is more buildable too. The mermaid glow still looks pretty, but this has a slightly chunkier formula and personally this was just too silvery for me.
So overall I think if you're after an affordable, versatile and stunning highlighter then I would definitely snap up the Champagne one asap!
I award the Primark Pure Glow in Champagne a 4.5 out of 5 and the Mermaid Glow a 4 out of 5.
No this is not a drill, Primark really are selling straightening irons now! But stop, these are not just any kind of straighteners, they actually double up as a curler too, so naturally I had to put them to the test for you guys and here's my thoughts...
Price
The 2 in 1 Straighten and Curl Wand retails for a ridiculously affordable £10. There is also a mini straightener and seperate curling wand available too.
Packaging
Packaging wise this comes in a rather appealing black and copper box, complete with instruction manual. The actual iron is pretty well made and again is coated in black and gold/copper accents.
On the box it states that the iron has ceramic coated plates, an on/off switch, a lockable handle and a swivel cord. It also heats up to 180ºC.
Application
To use the straighteners all you do is plug them in, turn the switch on, wait a few minutes for them to heat up and then curl or straighten as desired. A red light will also indicate when they are on, but do be careful where you lay them as they do heat up pretty quickly.
I actually tested these out on one side of my head and on the other I used my trusty GHD's and Yogi Curling Wand. I had just washed my hair and roughly blow dried it, so you could see how my hair looked naturally, however I do recommend you watch my demo in the video linked above as you can see how they work better live.
Firstly I went in with the straighteners and the results were pretty impressive! I honestly couldn't tell the difference as they smoothed out my hair quickly and efficiently.
The only thing I would say is, because the plates go all the way round the wand, I would just be extra careful when using the iron towards the front of your face. Therefore I recommend just straightening upwards and out so your not going down near your face (you'll see what I mean in the demo). Also be sure to rest these on a towel or heat mat if you have one.
Next I went in with my favourite curlers on the side I used my GHD's with and then on the other I used the Primer version. To curl, all you do is lock the iron so that it forms the round barrel.
I divided my hair up and picked up small sections of hair to curl, but do whatever you're used to doing when curling your own hair.
Again, I couldn't believe how nice the curls came out, the barrel gives you the most beautiful big, beachy waves.
Longevity
Because of my squeaky clean hair the curls didn't last all day and so I did re-do them towards the end of the day, only this time I sealed them in with some hairspray too and this seemed to do the trick. As we all know curls do work better with slightly dirtier hair, but if you do have clean hair, then hairspray always helps to lock in the curls and I'm now on Day 3 of softer waves.
Overall Thoughts
Yes Primark you did it again! Gosh where do I start... Firstly this is such a great price point and the fact that you get a straightener and curler in one is amazing value for money. It's also accessible to anyone and everyone which makes it that little bit more appealing, as who doesn't love to pick up an instant steal!
Performance wise I have to say I was impressed when comparing it to my regular hair tools as it actually did a pretty great job at both straightening and curling my hair, just make sure when straightening that you pull the tool away from your face.
Overall I adore my GHD's and these are certainly not a replacement for them, however for the price, the Primark version are worth picking up if not just for a back up or to have as a handy travel pair.
I award the Primark 2 in 1 Straighten and Curl Iron a 4.5 out of 5
Yes Primark are back at it again with a new addition to their make-up line. This time we're talking about Work Out Make-up that is designed to be both sweat proof and water resistant. It's also, as the name suggests perfect for you to wear to the gym if you're not brave enough to step out bare faced.
Now being an avid gym bunny and running enthusiast myself I thought it was only appropriate I put this make-up line to the test, so here's my thoughts...
Price
The collection is made up of face, eye and lip products that are of course, budget friendly and widely accessible. I picked up a Face Powder, Eye Liner Pencil and Mascara, but here's the full list of products available within stores,
- PS... NO SWEAT, Sweat Resistant Mattifying Face Powder in Ivory £2.50
- PS... Finish Line Water Resistant Eye Liner in Black £1.50
- PS... Splash Proof Waterproof Mascara in Black £2
- PS... Lightweight Foundation Stick £2.50
- PS... Lip Fix Matte Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Cheerleader £2
- PS... Shape Up Lip Liner in Cheerleader £1
No Sweat Seat Resistant Mattifying Face Powder
Finish Line Water Resistant Eye Liner
Splash Proof Waterproof Mascara
Packaging
I absolutely loved the eye-catching names and chic, black packaging, and actually this is what initially sold this to me, when I first caught sight of it.
No Sweat, Sweat Resistant Mattifying Face Powder - Despite this coming in only two shades, the compact is a decent size with a handy mirror too.
Finish Line Water Resistant Eye Liner - I loved the look of this pencil as it also came with a handy pencil sharpener on the other end.
Splash Proof Waterproof Mascara - This mascara came in a tube which I did quite like, as it was a little more unqiue compared to your regular drugstore mascara. The brush itself was slightly chunky and curved, but in all honesty this for me looked like a very synthetic, cheap looking wand.
Application No Sweat, Sweat Resistant Mattifying Face Powder - I applied this down my T-Zone and under my eyes to set my concealer. Upon application this wasn't the perfect colour match but it did appear mattifying as the name suggested.
Finish Line Water Resistant Eye Liner - For me this looked as though is was going to be a super pigmented black liner, but unfortunately this didn't give off much colour at all and I would say it was more of a grey than a black. Upon application this didn't glide on the best and it was actually quite uncomfortable when I used it on the waterline.
Splash Proof Waterproof Mascara - Despite the brush looking cheap, I actually found this to be an ok mascara. I curled my lashes initially and then applied two coats on the top and one to the bottom. The overall result was not bad and the wand did help lengthen and separate my lashes too.
Before and After my Run.
Longevity
To put these products to the ultimate test, I went for an hour long run. When I got back again everything was still on which was good, although the powder had oxidised on my cheeks and around my nose and I was left with a bit of a weird line.
The liner and mascara actually held up quite well with only the liner disappearing slightly from the waterline.
Overall Thoughts
Overall this wasn't the best line of products from Primark and considering the price points I wasn't expecting these to be anyway. However I did love the concept of this as a whole and Primark really do continue to impress me with how quick they are at picking up and re-producing some of the hottest trends, at affordable prices. So if I was you I would save your money on this one and spend it on any of the other fantastic products this pretty amazing shop has to offer.
I award the No Sweat Powder a 2 out of 5, the Finish Line Eye Pencil a 2 out of 5 and the Splash Proof Mascara a 3 out of 5.
