So last week I was feeling a bit down and decided to treat myself to a few little teeny weeny make-up purchases from Fragrance Direct.
I don't usually order much from discount Beauty Websites as they are SO dangerous and I end up spending a fortune, but I saw a discount code mentioned on a forum and noticed that they had the Dainty Doll make up range on sale at massively reduced prices....
The Dainty Doll line was the brainchild of Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts - given that I did a performing arts course with her at college, I have always found the idea of buying her make up range a bit bizzare! - but I decided to finally give in to the weirdness and try it!
I ordered:
Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara in Black - £11.50 (RRP £17.00)
Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balm & Stain in Fate - £1.75 (RRP £7.99)
W7 Prime Magic Camera Ready Primer - £2.99 (RRP £4.75)
Dainty Doll powder blusher in "My Girl" - £1.99 (RRP £13.50)
Dainty Doll lipstick in "Storm In A Teacup" - £1.99 (RRP £12.50)
W7 Gel Liner in Blackest Black - 99p (RRP £1.25)
I was really excited to get started with the products, and I used them alongside some of staple everyday-face make up items - MAC Beauty Powder, MAC Studio Finish concealer, MAC eyeshadow, and HD Brows definer.
First up, I used the W7 primer - I have never tried anything by W7 before but I get the impression from the very basic packaging and the low pricing that they are very much a budget brand and something I might expect to see sold on a market stall?
So I wasn't expecting a great deal from this, but I don't usually use primer and wanted to just give it a try.
I was surprised by how thick the primer was, and for some reason it always surprises me how green it is in appearance yet how little the green effect shows up once applied to the face!
The primer actually felt lovely and smooth to apply, and was very easy to work with - however, I can't say that I noticed any real benefit or difference in the appearance of my skin after use - neither in the mirror nor on photos.
Next up (after concealer, eyebrow definer, foundation and eyeshadow were applied!) was the Dainty Doll Powder Blusher - my first impression was of the packaging and I really liked it! Packaging and branding can make or break a product for me, as I'm that shallow!, and this looked quirky and funky - I really liked it!
The compact itself was very sleek and had a decent sized mirror, which is always a bonus.
The shade was a lovely light pink which looked quite bright but once applied was a perfect daytime shade (I did take a swatch but it would not show up on my photos at all!)
I then used the W7 gel liner - I always stick to Barry M for eyeliner but I was very impressed with this one! It was quite a dramatic look, which I like, and very easy to apply - for the price, I would certainly buy this again.
I then used the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara - I love trying out new mascaras but its rare that I find one I like - and unfortunately, on this occasion, I was unimpressed.
This is actually the very first Smashbox product I have tried and I was hoping to like it, but I found the brush to be far too chunky and difficult to work with - and the mascara itself seemed gloopy/clumpy and did very little to enhance my lashes at all.
I then used the Dainty Doll lipstick - I loved the shade as it reminded me of one of my old all-time favourites which was Rimmel's Birthday Suit shade - that was my go-to daily lipstick shade for years and years, and I was devastated when it was discontinued! When applied the colour was slightly lighter than I had hoped for, but was still a pretty shade for everyday wear and had a lovely sleek and silky finish.
Please excuse the messy hair!
All of the products once applied.
I then removed the lipstick in order to try the Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain and balm - I have heard lots of good things about these products and was excited to try it for myself, I am a big fan of the "felt lip pen" style of lip colour as I always adored the Eyeko original before it was discontinued and am now loving the Collection 2000 Colour Pout Lipstain line which is very similar.
I thought the idea of including a balm with the lipstain was great too.
Unfortunately - it was a load of rubbish!
The balm fell apart as soon as I applied it - it literally just mushed up and fell out of its compartment! I tried to put it back but it had gone to mush and is now completely unusable after only one application - NOT impressed!
As for the lipstain, well given the name of the product perhaps I should have expected to look like an escapee from the set of Twilight but it still came as a surprise to me!
The colour was EXTREMELY dark and FAR too dramatic for me - and I found that it only applied in parts of my lips, other parts would not take the colour at all so I ended up literally looking like my lips were bleeding in places - I didn't expect the name of the product to be quite so literal!
Eeeeeeek!!!
So overall, I was HUGELY disappointed in "Just Bitten" and quite frankly it's going straight in the bin!
I will use the W7 Primer and Smashbox mascara but won't repurchase them.
However, the Dainty Doll blusher and lipstick, and W7 gel liner, I will certainly consider buying again in the future.
Have you tried any of these products? What did you think of them? I'd love to hear from you!
