I’ve said it several times this year but, Temple Spa are fast becoming my favourite brand discovery of 2017. The brand really oozes luxury and quality which is lovely to add into your routine at home. Recently, I was very kindly gifted two items from their make up line to try out – the Stroke of Genius Serum Mascara and the Glint Dark Shadow Concealer.

The first thing that really struck me was the packaging. Gorgeous, sleek silver outer packaging housing shiny, weighty silver metal tubes inside. The packaging oozes luxury and indulgence which I am a huge fan of.

Not one to judge a book by it’s cover, I have used both products in my routine for the last 6-8 weeks or so to see how they perform in various situations.

A Stroke of Genius

Temple Spa dub this mascara as “a nourishing mascara with a conditioning formula that separates, curls, defines and lifts each lash for full and voluptuous lashes”. Bold claims.

The wand is a good-sized brush –no plastic or rubber here (I prefer a brush myself) and can easily reach the smaller, corner lashes without poking your eyeball!

The formulation contains a conditioning serum to nourish and prolong the lashes which is dubbed “skincare for the lashes”. I didn’t find it to be dry or clumpy and I didn’t have an issue with too much product coming out on the wand.

The first time I tried this mascara, I was a bit “meh” about it if I’m going to be completely honest. The results were nice, but the formulation didn’t feel “wet” enough for me and I wasn’t sure that the results were as dramatic as I had expected.

Being one to persevere, I tried the mascara again before going shopping for the day and my mind was completely changed. For some reason, the second application just worked for me. My lashes were defined, curled and noticeably fuller. I added a second coat and was even more impressed to find that this gave me a much more dramatic look which would be perfect for evening make up looks. I mean, just look at the length in this photo!

Over the course of the last few weeks the mascara has really been put through it’s paces and I’ve noticed the following:

1. I’ve had no issues with flaking throughout the day and have been able to wear for 12+ without any transfer at all.
2. It’s not waterproof (it doesn’t claim to be). I’ve had this on during a few ‘emotional episodes’ and I have looked like the standard panda afterwards. Be warned.
3. The most impressive feature for me is the lengthening properties. I’ve been asked on a few occasions if I had gotten eyelash extensions when I’ve been wearing this.

In all, I’ve really enjoyed this product and would definitely pick it up again. At £20, it’s at the higher end of the budget, but it’s worth the splurge. I can’t say I’ve noticed a huge difference in the condition of my lashes though, but to be fair, they were in grand condition to begin with so I think that’s hard to measure. If you’re in the market for a new mascara, then I would highly recommend this! You can pick it up here.

Glint

The second product that I tried was Glint Shadow Concealer. Again, the packaging was beautifully luxurious and what struck me was the fact that I immediately thought it compared to the cult YSL Touche Eclat. The concealer has a clickable pen to disperse product with a soft brush to apply directly to the face. Two clicks is enough product for the under eyes. Any more and the product will be wasted.

Temple Spa claim that Glint is “an adjustable coverage concealer that hides dark circles, skin discolouration, imperfections and fine lines plus brings a radiant touch”.

Packed with raspberry oil, for hydration and pomegranate for its anti-aging properties, Glint will also nourish and care for the skin as well as camouflaging dark circles and fine lines. This was great news to me as I often find concealers dry out my under eye area.

I had been suffering with quite prominent dark circles lately due to a bit of stress and not sleeping too great so I was thrilled to see that Glint really masked these and brightened my under eye area helping me to look a bit more respectable. The formulation is relatively long wearing but not as good as some of my other concealers. I found if I applied this at 7am before work that I didn’t start noticing wear off until around 3pm.

The formulation is lightweight and doesn’t feel at all heavy on the skin. I was pleased to see that it wasn’t too thick as I find that kind of formulation to be too harsh on my delicate under eyes. I found that the product was easily buildable and blended out easily leaving a soft and smooth finish.

To sum up I would certainly say that this concealer is comparable to the YSL Touche Eclat but I find that the Temple Spa offering has much more coverage which I personally prefer. At £20, it’s not prohibitively expensive and almost £10 less than the YSL. You can pick this up here.

Have you tried any of Temple Spa’s make up range yet? What would you recommend I try next?

Thanks for reading!

Lynsey xox

 

*Disclaimer – I was kindly gifted these items by Temple Spa for review. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own.*