Coconut Oil - Eye Makeup Remover

I'm backpacking in Switzerland this weekend and I've made an amazing discovery!

Coconut oil makes a kick ass eye make up remover.

I realised when my normal remover refused to budge waterproof liquid liner. To preserve my eyelashes, I gently rubbed a dab of coconut oil on my lids and the liner melted off! I wiped the black gunk off with a tissue and cleansed my face as normal.

I will never buy eye make up remover again!

Talika Lipocils Expert Eyelash Conditioning Gel

I had lunch with a girlfriend in Paris and I admit, the whole time I was obsessed with her ultra long eyelashes. They were like fans sweeping whenever she blinked!

She's asian so I could'nt resist asking which mascara she uses. She told me which one but I won't reveal until I've tried it myself. (I'm surprised because the reviews on makeupalley are awful.)

So I thought I'd encourage some natural growth with Talika Lipocils. As far as lash enchancers go, I've tried Mavala and Ardell (which is my preference). I bought mine from Sephora although I've now decided not to make a token purchase at the Champs Elysees anymore.

Firstly it's cheaper to buy online elsewhere. But worse, they've stopped giving away samples. The sales assistants used to throw in a handful of samples in my shopping bag but not this time. Maybe you have to spend alot to get them?

Anyway according to the Lipocils box, this is a "mythical eyelash conditioning gel", promising length, natural pigmentation and curve. The applicator is unique with a foam tip and a mascara style brush in one. Needless to say, application is fairly easy. I've just tried it and so far I've noticed a little sting if you get it too close to your eye.

I'll post my results in a few months so you can see if it actually works!

Rabbit Fur Hat

Winter's here and I'm freezing! I'm packing for Paris tomorrow and look what I found - a fur hat from a flea market in Vienna.

I remember when I bought it. It was the end of the day and amongst the piles of clothing, shoes and general rubbish was this furry hat. I was told it was 5 euros but after the obligatory haggling, I got it for 3 euros.

Went back to the hostel and when I put the hat on my head, I realised it was too small. Should have tried it on first but oh well. Also I could feel plastic mesh inside so I assumed it was a faux fur hat. Still I could'nt throw it away.

Months later, I took it out of my closet, hand washed the lining and put it on my heater to dry. Sharp bits of mesh protruded from the lining when I put it back to shape and that's when I realised I melted the plastic!

It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Since I thought I destroyed hat, I unstitched the lining to reveal the shabby mesh and threw it away. It turns out the hat's made from real rabbit fur and there was a stamp inside. (In German, but I could read that it was made in Vienna.)

I put the it on my head and what do you know, it now fits perfectly. What do you think?

Wet n Wild H20 Proof Liquid Eyeliner

I bought this eyeliner two years ago and it's my first liquid eyeliner. Back then, I was unpracticed and gave up after too many mistakes. I found this eyeliner again and now I love it!

It has a fine felt tip which I found easy to use. One slight problem is that it coats my outer lashes which I find annoying when applying mascara afterwards. I only wear this when I'm wearing glasses so I skip mascara.

As long as I line thinly, it will not to smear when I blink. This liner has amazing staying power. Want proof? See the picture-its actually taken AFTER I've washed my face. (The proof is that my eye looks tired and no doubt concealer-less.) It's extremely waterproof and hard to budge.

It only melts off with an oil cleanser. So unless you have very oily eyelids, you probably won't get smudges. The black liner is very black, darker than MAC Blacktrack Fluidline.

I'm so impressed with this dirt cheap product. I think I paid only £3 for it. I can't remember where I bought it from but you can get it online. Will be buying this again when it runs dry!