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I was lucky enough to be in the latest beautyheaven trial team for the L’Oréal Paris Flash Cat Eye by Superliner. The liner itself is housed in a pen like tube, very easy to control. The ‘stencil’ just clips into the side. I’m in two minds about this liner. On one hand the liner is very easy to use, stays put if I’ve made sure to apply it to a good base. Great deep black colour pay off. But the ‘stencil’ was just more of a hassle than what I’d be inclined to use. I’m not sure if it’s too stiff or the shape or what but I found it harder to use than just drawing on my wing free hand. This could be due to the fact that I’ve worn a wing for years and am already used to doing it. I had more luck flipping the stencil over and using the back to position where I want the wing to be. So all in all I really liked the liner, I have been a fan of L’Oréal liners for a while but the addition of the stencil seems more clumsy than helpful.

I had the pleasure of trialling the L’Oréal Paris Volume Million Lashes Mascara as a part of the beautyheaven trial team and I have to say that I have been beyond impressed. The mascara is housed in a gold chubby tube with a thicker style wand that is very easy to use. The formula gives both thickness and length without clumping on my lashes, even after more than one coat. I didn’t have any flaking or sensitivity issues and yet it was still easy enough to remove at the end of the day. With my regular eye makeup remover and cloth. I’ve found that the mascara also helped hold a curl in my lashes and my eyes look great after applying. Before the trial I was avidly using a Napoleon Mascara that I was in love with but the Million Lashes Mascara has become my new favourite! I will definitely be purchasing when this tube is out!

I was initially very excited to trial this new lash serum from L’Oréal. I have used products with similar claims many times before, some with amazing and some with no results at all. The idea for the product is great, I mean who doesn’t want beautiful lashes right!?! The price point is also good, especially for this type of product. The lash serum is housed in a twist pen with a brush at the end. This was the first thing I was slightly put off by, not only was it easy to apply too much product but it also made it pretty much impossible to clean properly between uses. Personally I would prefer it in a wand tube. After applying the serum to the lash line morning and night to clean skin it is a quick and simple process and I do think my lashes do look a little fuller, but that’s about it unfortunately. I also don’t think I had as many lashes fall out, which is another positive. But for me, even though I feel like my lashes are a little fuller looking I don’t think it has worked well enough to justify buying a new one when it runs out.

I received the Garnier Olia Hair dye in 5.0 Brown to test for the trial team. I regularly dye my hair at home and have for years as I like to switch my hair up pretty much as the wind changes. Currently I have quite long (in hairdressers terms extra extra long) hair which has very grey and white roots (far more than a normal 31year old) brown mid-lengths and the ends are shades of blonde which I like to add in washout brights. Because my roots are so noticeable because of the greys I'm always on the hunt for a colour that actually evenly covers them, this is one has worked wonders! As my hair is so long I actually just did my roots, which is actually perfect since I have the whole ombre thing going on. My hair feels great after using the dye and I feel like the scent of the dye wasn't as off putting as some other types I've used in the past. The colour was slightly darker than what I would usually grab, but in saying that I really like the result, my greys are covered and my hair (where its been dyed) actually feels and looks pretty great. I will be purchasing to use again next month!

I was sent the shade Pioneer (20) in the Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink and this colour is just stunning! The lipstick itself is a liquid formulation which has been very popular the last few years and is housed in a matte opaque tube. The bottom half of the tube is the colour of the product which makes it very easy to spot in your handbag, no rummaging through checking each bottom for the shade which is a massive plus in my books. There is a definite scent which I would describe as more fruity floral than the standard vanilla but isn't at all overpowering. Wear wise it did last, which besides shade is the number 1 thing I look for when re-purchasing a liquid lip. The applicator is very easy to use and to create a nice sharp clean line which is another plus. The only down side was that the lipstick does have a slower dry down period and stays tackier longer than what I'm used to. But with that being said if I find another colour in the range I like I will definitely re-purchase as it did last through eating and drinking.

Recently Ive become even more concerned about sun exposure so when I saw the invite to trial the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ I jumped at the chance The Sunscreen itself is housed in a small bottle with a screw top lid that easily fits into any of my handbags for application while I'm out. There have been no leaks and besides from me wasting a bit of product here and there (I'm very heavy handed when it comes to pouring) its been fantastic After application my skin feels smooth and soft not greasy like some sunscreens do and it seems to melt into my skin almost immediately. I haven't had any sunburn since I started using the product so all in all its been awesome. I also haven't had any skin reactions, (either has my toddler) so that another plus in my book I'm no stranger to La Roche-Posay products, they actually make my favorite BB Cream which also contains 50+. But its not as if you can keep reapplying a BB Cream just for sun exposure so the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ has been great especially for the days I'm just pottering around the garden All in all I will definitely be buying it again and I think it might be particularly good for travel as the bottle seems to be very air tight, not to mention the perfect size to take anywhere!

The past few weeks Ibhave been trialling the Schwarzkopf Extra Care Hair Repair Fibre Therapy Bond Restore Conditioner as a part of the trial and have had the chance to use it three times now. Personally I prefer pump bottles as I'm pretty heavy handed and I seem to waste a lot of product, so the squeeze bottle isn't ideal for me. That being said the product is lovely and thick and glides through the hair effortlessly. My hair hasn't been stripped of any extra colour and has actually been pretty tangle free and smooth to blow dry. All in all at this price point and you have damaged hair you might want to give it a go. Nothing's going to completely fix my hair short of cutting it all off but it has been styling better than some of the other budget conditioners I've tried.

I was sent the Schwarzkopf Extra Care Hair Repair Fibre Therapy Bond Restore Shampoo as a part of the Trial team and have had the chance to use the product three times so far. When looking for a new shampoo I'm mainly looking for something that makes my hair feel smooth and doesn't strip colour. The Bond Restore Shampoo has ticked those boxes! The Shampoo itself is housed in a lovely purple bottle and has a squeeze top, not my preferred style of packaging as I find without a pump I am VERY heavy handed and waste a lot of product. The other small issue I had with the Shampoo is that usually I was my hair twice with Shampoo and then condition to make sure my hair is thoroughly clean so my blow dry lasts as long as possible. Having brightly colour hair I try and was my hair only if necessary, usually 1-3 times a week. The first use I didn't quite like how my hair felt almost 'coated' but after continuing with the conditioner and blow drying it definitely did work and my hair was smooth and tangle free. All in all I'd buy the range when I ran out and I quite liked it and it didn't strip my colour but I wasn't in love with the Shampoo.

The Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner in Blackest Black gave me the ability to achieve a beautifully thin liner in a matter of seconds! The Liquid liner itself is in a pen type packaging and is incredibly easy to apply. Not incredibly long lasting I found that two coats work best for bit of a deeper black which is what I’m usually looking for in a liquid eyeliner and for it to last slightly longer. I did find that if I touched my eyes at all it would wipe off almost completely and if I didn’t it still looked quite faded after a few hours. Which made it very easy to remove at the end of the day. Being priced at an RRP of $15.95 to me is a good price and if it wasn’t for the slightly faded black colour I ended up with and it had more staying power I would be a lot happier with it. I will continue to use it, just not for those times I’m after a true black long lasting look. But in the daily for a little definition it’s not too bad. It is incredibly easy to use and does produce a beautifully thin line!

I was sent the Maybelline Precise Micro Pencil in AUBURN to trial and it probably couldn’t have been a better match for my hair now. Priced at only $13.95 the brow pencil is in a wind-up format so no need for messy sharpeners just twist and use. The pencil itself is nice and thin and can build up intensity quite easily by going over the same areas or pressing slightly harder. For a more natural ‘brush stroke’ effect I held the pencil at about a 45-degree angle and lightly drew on strokes at the start of my brows. The product by itself lasted quite a few hours but did last longer when I brushed through a clear mascara on top. The only downside is if you are heavy handed the product can snap and I can see myself going through these quite quickly. But with the RRP being very reasonable and the fact that Maybelline is always on sale somewhere it’s not really a deal breaker to me.