MUA Luxe Highlight Shimmer Stick

Hello guys!

Loads of you seemed to really like my MUA Luxe lip lacquer post that I did the other week, so today I thought i'd bring you another little gem from the MUA Luxe range. This beautiful highlight stick!

Now this little beauty is AMAZING! Bronzing and highlighting sticks seem to be everywhere at the moment, but I've never been tempted to try them before - I'm just way too attached to my shimmery powder highlighters - but when I saw this for the grand old price of £4 I just had to give it a go. 

I'm impressed. I thought it would be a thick, heavy consistency that would drag across the skin leaving a trail of thick glitter, but its really not. It's super lightweight, easy to blend, and leaves a smooth subtle shimmer on your skin. You can build it up for a more dramatic look (you can never have too much highlight!) or just swipe across the face for subtle sheen. 

It is a very golden tone, and I know some people prefer the pinky rose toned highlighters, but I urge you all to give this a chance as it leave such a beautiful glow. I always seem to be amazed buy the quality of MUA products, and this time is no different. My new go-to product! 

As usual, thank you all for popping by! Feel free to say hello in the comments, and follow/subscribe if you enjoyed my post! 

Love to you all x

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer

Hello everyone!

Now this lip lacquer from the lovely MUA is something that has been sitting in my lip product collection for some time now, and I've been meaning to review it ever since I first tried it. I'm having a slight love affair with liquid lipsticks and lip lacquers at the moment, and out of all the ones I've tried (and believe me, I've tried a lot!!) this one definitely has to be the most pigmented.

Now I know this isn't the most summery colour out there, but with the weather we've been having lately, I'm already fully embracing autumn; and during autumn my go-to shade is a deep plum purple. With all the rain these last few days, I've automatically found myself reaching for this lip lacquer and that is what reminded me to write this post. 

The lasting power of this is next to none. It is like a thick liquid lipstick crossed with a lip stain, and it is actually hard to get off at the end of the day. With most lip products I find myself re-applying throughout the day, but with this, I actually struggle to remove it before bed even during my makeup removing/cleansing routine. I currently have a deep purple mark on the back of my hand from taking that swatch! 

This can be both a good and bad thing. I love my lip products to last, but at the same time I don't want to be scrubbing my lips on a night trying to remove my lip colour. However the colour itself is so beautiful that you could happily just leave it on to stain your lips forever. 

Overall, I love this lip lacquer. It has a beautiful thick consistency, is super pigmented and would probably last on your lips for the rest of you life! It only cost a couple of pounds too which is amazing. 

I'm so glad I finally got round to talking about this, and I can see it becoming a handbag staple for me over the coming months. 

Thank you all for reading, and please comment below with any other lip lacquers you think I would love. 

Love to you all x 

MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter

Hello everyone :)

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, just been insanely busy studying for my course :( today however I have been full of cold, so decided to take some time off the studying and relax for a while reading/writing blog posts.

Today I just wanted to do a review post on this little beauty from MUA...

I've been wanting to get my hands on this for a while now, but every time I look it seems to be sold out. Last week, however, I was in luck! I was so excited I just grabbed it and ran to the till, not even looking how much it was. But I'm pretty sure it was £3 which is amazing! I've been an MUA fan for a while now, and have a bit of an addiction to their lipsticks, so I couldn't wait to try this. 

I wasn't disappointed. For starters can we just take a minute to appreciate how pretty it actually is. The packaging is standard MUA simplicity, however the product inside is beautiful. I've been using it every day since I bought it and the pretty pattern hasn't started to fade yet either :) 

The colour is a beautiful shimmery pink, but isn't too glittery. You can apply it to the cheek bones, eyebrow bone and cupids bow for a lovely subtle lift, or even mix a bit in with a face powder for a lovely all over glow. It really is subtle which I love. But you can easily build it up with 2 or so applications. 

I used 2 coats in the pic so you could see it more clearly. It's more subtle when blended too. 

It is amazingly easy to blend too, and doesn't smudge away your foundation when you apply it. In terms of how long it lasts, I'd say around 4 hours or so before it starts to fade, but you can still notice it after around 6 hours. That's impressive from a product that only cost £3! Also, you get a lot more of it than I thought. When looking at other bloggers pics, I thought it was a similar size to their eyeshadow pots, but its much bigger! I can see it lasting me right through spring and summer, despite it being added to the 'most used' section of my makeup collection. 

I'm so happy I finally got to try this, and it was love at first brush stroke. If it's still there next time I pop in my local Superdrug I might stock up! 

Have any of you tried this, and if so what did you think? 

Love to you all x

MUA vs W7: Naked Palette Dupe

Hello everyone :)

Hope you're all ok and having a lovely week! Today, I have a little comparison post for you. I am comparing the MUA Undressed Palette with the W7 In The Buff Palette to see which is a better dupe for the infamous Naked Palettes! I have tried both out over the last week or two, and am now ready to tell you what I think...

(Shade 1 - 12 from bottom to top)

Firstly we will start with the MUA Palette. A bargain at only £4, and I read so many good reviews about this that I was very excited to try it! The shades are well pigmented, and they do blend together, but this takes a bit of work I find. I don't know if it's just to do with the colours I like to use together, but I find that the colours are quite powdery and crumbley so tend to get a bit all over the place sometimes. I use my own brushes, but it still takes a steady hand and quite a bit of patience to get the look I'm after from these colours. Also, I find that the lighter colours (hardly visible on the pics) don't show at all on my skin, even as a highlighter! I do like this palette, and I don't regret buying it for the price, but there are only around 5 shades in here that I like to use, so there isn't a huge amount of versatility for me personally. I'd give it 5/10. 

Next, the W7 In the Buff Palette....

(Shade 1 - 12 from bottom to top)

This palette was also a bargain at £4.99. Personally, I like this palette A LOT more. As you can see from the swatches, the colours are well pigmented and are also a lot smoother to apply, plus they last all day without really fading which I love! Since buying this only a few days ago, I have played about with it a lot and have honestly found a use for every shade. It is also quite a bit bigger than the MUA palette. To be completely honest, the main reason I bought this was because the name made me giggle in the shop! But I'm very glad I did buy it, and as much as I'm a huge fan of MUA, I can see me getting a lot more use out of these shades! I'd give this one 8/10!

In terms of the applicators that you get with them both, I wouldn't personally use either. I always like to use my own brushes to apply my makeup, but I did try both of them a couple of times to test, and neither of them are that bad to be honest. They would be handy for a quick application if you were out and about, but then again who takes a full palette out with them? 

I do like both, but as a dupe for the wonderful Naked palettes, I would have to go with W7! Great value for money, lovely shades, and long lasting wear. What more could you ask for?! 

Have any of you used these, and if so what do you think? 

Love to you all x

End of January Wishlist

Hello everyone!

Are you all as happy as I am that the weekend is here?! I'm not doing much, but still, it hits Friday night and you just seem to relax and let your mind wonder a bit more than you do in the week. In the theme of letting your mind wander, today I have a little wishlist post for you! There are so many things that I want right now and I could easily spend a fortune, but I've told myself no, and instead had to narrow it down to 6 things (was supposed to be 5 but I couldn't get that far... Oops!).

1. New Look Contrast Collar Tea Dress - £22.99

I don't own many things from New Look, but when I saw this on the ASOS website I loved it. So simple, yet elegant with the detailing in the collar. The cut looks like it would be flattering on my body shape too, so I think its a bargain at £22.99. 

2. ASOS Parish High Heels - £45 

I noticed the other day that most of my heels are black or bright colours, so I wanted something to fill the gap.... Smart, but not all black. I think these look a tad more sophisticated than most of the heels I own, so I would probably wear them more. That's the plan anyway, I just think they're lovely! 

3. Topshop Turnlock Satchel - £28 

To be honest, I don't own many things from Topshop either. I used to like their shoes and bags but then seemed to drift away from them. In terms of clothing the only items I own from there are a couple of pairs of jeans. I just think this satchel looks so unbelievably sweet! I'm also loving the pastel colour for spring! 

4. Illamasqua Concealer - (RRP £13) £5 in the Sale! 

I absolutely love Illamasqua makeup. Mainly their foundation and concealer. I've used this before and loved it, but can't always afford to spend £13 on a concealer, but for £5 in the Sale, count me in! The other night I may have made a sneaky purchase of their cream foundation too... 

5. MUA Undress Me Too Palette - £4

I bought my first MUA palette earlier this week, and am absolutely in love with it! I just can't believe the quality you get for only £4! I bought the Undressed palette and so am already looking forward to trying the Undress Me Too palette as soon as possible. Such great pigmentation and a lovely variations of shades. 

6. Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser - £7.99

I've read so many reviews on this product, and although opinions tend to be mixed, I still want to give it a go for myself anyway. I never really jumped on the Baby Lips bandwagon, but this looks like it's more up my street. I love a good primer, and have been using the Porefessional for a while now. It's about to run out, so I'm looking for an alternative (and if it's a cheaper alternative that would be a bonus) to try, and I think this might be it! 

So that's my current thinned down wishlist! What are you all lusting after at the minute? 

Thank you for reading, and comments are always loved and appreciated :)

Love to you all x

Treat Yourself Tuesdays

Hello my lovelies!

Today, I'm just going to do a little post about my new idea... Treat Yourself Tuesdays! I mentioned it on twitter earlier, and basically all it is, is one night a week that you put aside to pamper yourself. Today, I had a pretty stressful hospital appointment, and as I was walking out I noticed a Superdrug next door. I could see the makeup and I knew it wasn't going to end well, but as I walked around swatching lipsticks, I had an idea. Tonight, I was going to treat myself to a night of pampering. The idea stopped me from focusing on what I was going to buy, and instead, what I was going to do. I mean obviously I purchased a couple of things, but I did pretty well. One of the things I bought was an MUA Palette, and one thing I will do tonight is have a play about with it, create a few looks, swatch all the shades, and then I will do a review post on it. I love doing things like that. I've also had a lovely bubble bath and gave my hair a little treat, and tonight I will be painting my nails, and giving myself a little glow with my first fake tan of the year. I'm excited about this :) It is definitely going to become a tradition!

Reviews on what I did buy, including the MUA Undressed Palette and a lovely lipstick will be up shortly. As well as the Pantene Pro-V Shots which I tried for the first time today. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all can get on board with Treat Yourself Tuesdays! 

What do you like to do to pamper yourself? 

Love to you all x

2013's Beauty Loves

Hello everyone!

As those who follow me on twitter might have seen, the other day I was reading Grazia, and they had a section all about their 2013 beauty awards, listing all of their favorite products from this year. It got me thinking about what mine are, and I decided to do a post about it. Sorry in advance for the lack of photos, a lot of the stuff I decided on has either run out and needs to be re-bought, or is in such a well used state that it would NOT look it's best in a picture!

So here we go :)

1. Clinique Take Off The Day Make Up Remover 

I know I go on and on about Clinique's makeup remover, but I honestly think its the best out there. I've tried a lot of different ones, and this is the only one that makes me feel like I'm doing something really nourishing to my skin by taking makeup off. It feels like moisturising. The one I buy (and I'm running out... please bring me some Santa!) is £17 for 125ml, and that lasts me ages! The last one I got was for my birthday in June, which makes it value for money as well as a really good product.

2. Balance Me Balancing Face Moisturiser

I've talked about Balance Me's moisturiser before when I got a small free sample in a magazine a while ago. I talked about its light floral scent, it's thick creamy texture, and the way that it manages to deeply hydrate your skin without feeling greasy. I loved it. So when it ran out, I went and bought myself the full sized version! It was £24 for 50ml. I bought it last month and have used less than a quarter, so I can see this product lasting me a long time. You don't need a lot to really feel the benefits!

3. Benefit Full Finish Lipstick in Slow Zone

This lipstick is a light pink, and makes my complexion look so much lighter and fresher. Its well pigmented and doesn't seem to dry my lips out like a lot of lipstick tend to do. I bought it for £14 a while ago, but when I looked on the benefit website earlier, I see its now £7. I may have cheekily ordered myself another when I saw that!

4. Barry M Foil Effect in Gold 

Now I know I talked about this in my post for #TheWinterProject, so I won't say too much about it, but it has been my go to nail polish ever since I bought it. Whenever I'm stuck on what to do with my nails, this is what I choose. You do have to buff them beforehand as the foil effect means it picks up any ridges, but one coat and it gives you a feeling of instant glamour. Was perfect in the sunshine, and its perfect for the party season. All for just £3.99. LOVE it :)

5. Redken Colour Extend Rich Recovery Protective Treatment

I love Redken. When I buy their products though, I do tend to buy the gift sets which include little bits of everything in them, and I always go for the colour protect range. I dye my hair a lot, and this is the best product I've found for helping to keep my colour looking bright and my hair feeling healthy. It's the only full size product I buy, and 250ml is £17.50 from feelunique.com. It smells lovely, and this treatment is my go to product to keep my hair looking bright and healthy. The perfect treat for your hair! Also, the pot lasts quite a long time (depending on hair length and how often you use it of course). I have quite long hair but only use the product when I feel my hair needs a boost, and it lasts me a couple of months. 

6. Chanel Chance 

Now I'm not one to usually do a fragrance post, as I'm not a huge lover of perfume. I use it, but tend to stick to what I like and don't try many new ones. This is my favorite of all time though. I buy it over and over, and never get tired of the light, fresh scent that it gives. I cant go into what the various tones are as I will admit I know nothing about all that, but I can say it smells lovely, and I never get bored of it. Prices vary from place to place, but the last bottle I bought was from thefragranceshop, and I got 35ml for £47.50. It is a bit pricey, but in my opinion, completely worth it, as its the only one I wear.

My Best Discovery of 2013 
What I thought I'd do, is also give a mention to the best brand that I've come across this year, and all things considered, it has to be the VERY reasonably prices MUA. With a lot of products for just £1, they are exceptional value for money, and everything I've tried from them, including eyeshadows, lipsticks, nail polishes, powder and eyeliner has been brilliant. Well pigmented, long lasting, and good for my skin. Why would you not love all that for such low prices!? I cant wait to try their highlighter, as I've read some rave reviews about it.

Well, they are my top beauty loves of this year. Sorry this post has been a tad wordy, will do a lighter post next time :) As always, all comments are appreciated, and thank you for reading!

Love to you all x

MUA Eyeshadow Review...

Hello everyone :)

Today I'm doing a review of this MUA eye shadow trio I picked up. Well, to be honest, I only nipped to Superdrug to pick up another bottle of Barry M nail polish ready for the start of #TheWinterProject tomorrow (its a fave colour of mine and I ran out 2 weeks ago), but then my eye caught this and I had to buy it!

(MUA eye shadow trio in theatrics, and Barry M nail polish in Raspberry) 

(top pic in natural light, bottom pic in warm light) 

The first thing that caught my attention was the look of it!! It's so pretty, especially the black and gold one. I've tried a few MUA products before, and liked the couple of single eye shadows I bought a few months ago, so for £2.50, I knew I had to give it a go. 

MUA is amazing value for money, and I can honestly say I'd happily pay triple what I paid for this. The colours are very highly pigmented, they have a nice creamy texture, and the pot comes with a mini applicator, which I wouldn't use at home, but is ideal for a quick top up when you're out and about and don't have your makeup brushes. 

All of these shades have a shimmery glow to them (as there is gold pigment in all 3 colours) and are perfect for the up coming party season. I used the black one to put a modern twist to the smokey eye! They are versatile, a brilliant texture, and VERY pretty colours. 

The only downside I have is that the packaging feels a tad cheap, but then again, it was cheap, so it doesn't bother me too much. I just hope the catch that holds the lid down doesn't break and cover the contents of my make up bag in eye shadow!

Here are swatches of all 3 colours, taken in natural light.....

A beautiful, seasonal bargain.

My rating.... 

MUA eye shadow trio in Theatrics: 4 Stars!! 

The post on the nail polish will be up tomorrow, and as always, all comments are welcome! 

Love to you all x