Wednesday, May 29

Face of the Day #2 | Warm & Smoky

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Today I wanted to put on a lot of make up. Not for any real reason, I'm not sure I actually left the house aside from a trip to Sainsburys. Sometimes I just want to play with my make up.

I used Revlon's Nearly Naked Foundation in Ivory and Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair for my base. The Foundation is a little to dark for me, even though it's the lightest shade, so I blended down my neck too. I contoured with Sleeks Face Form Palette in Light using just a touch of the blush on my cheeks. I filled in my brows with Benefit's Brow Zings Palette in Medium.

Then the fun started. I began with Soap & Glory's It's A Prime eyeshadow underbase, then blended Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze. I swiped on a bit of the Rimmel Scandal Eyes Shadow Stick in Bad Bronze on the outer corner and underneath my bottom lashes then blended it out. These created a lovely base for a heavy smoky eye.

I used shades from the Accessorize Lovely Day Palette to achieve a warm, bronzed smoky look. I applied a shimmery champagne shade to the inner corner of my eye then used a gorgeous shimmery bronze berry shade across the lid sheering out towards the brow. I used a matte brown shadow in the crease to add definition and Corrupt a matte black shadow from Mua's Undress Me Too Palette in the outer quarter of the lid and as a liner. I blended everything well with a clean fluffy brush before dotting on more of the berry shade in the centre of the lid for a more vibrant colour.

I finished with a few coats of Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Mascara in Black to curled lashes and a swipe of 17's Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive. I love the dramatic effect of this eye. I couldn't quite capture the gorgeous berry colour in the photographs. It's such a bold bronze cranberry shade, perfect for adding colour but sticking to the safety of nudes at the same time.

Tuesday, May 28

Nails of the Day #1 | MUA Bright Coral

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Another one of Mua's £1 nail polishes, Bright Coral is a lovely vivid coral shade that looks peachy pink in some light, orangey red in others. It reminds me of Essie's Cute as a Button but vamped up.

It applied easily but a little sheer, though it was opaque across most of the nail in two coats, I found that when it I was getting sheer patches at the bottom of my nails where the brush had pulled the polish. This is probably more to do with my application than the polish and was easily solved by carefully painting a third coat after I'd let the layers dry for a little longer than usual.

With a topcoat (Rimmel's Pro Super Wear) it lasted around 4/5 days before I had any big chips and wanted to take it off.

I think it's a pretty decent polish, such a beautiful colour and a bargain for £1.

You can buy Mua Polishes from Superdrug stores or online at Superdrug.com or Mua online.

Monday, May 27

The Red Lip

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Sometimes, I just want to put on a coat of mascara, run some powder through my brows and slide on a red lipstick. A red lip is just timelessly chic and so effortless. Somehow a touch of rouge can transform a plain face into something bright.

My current red lip of choice is a smudge of Rimmel's Apocalips in Big Bang blended across my lips with a finger, reapplied and then blotted.

Rimmel Apocalips are £5.99, available in eight shades and can be found in drugstores and online from Superdrug, Boots and Asos. (currently at £4.49 in Asos).

P.s. bonus points if you spotted my boyfriends arm sneaking into the background of the picture!

Saturday, May 25

Face of the Day #1 | Peachy Keen

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Today I wanted something low key soft and summery. So I kept it minimal with peachy touches.

I skipped a primer and just went straight in with concealer - Vichy Dermablend in Porcelain for spots and Collection Lasting Perfection in Fair for under eyes. To even out the rest of my face I blended in a little of the Body Shop's Extra Virgin Minerals Compact Foundation in Rose Ivory.

For my eyes I dotted on Soap & Glory's It's About Prime eye primer and then applied shadow from the Mua Heaven Undress Me Too. I patted the shade Shy accross the inner 3rd of my lid then blended Wink across the rest before adding Lavish a matte brown shade in the crease for definition. I applied a thin line of Maybelline Gel Liner to my lash line, hardly drawing, more like patting into my lashes and finishing with a tiny flick, then a couple coats of Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Mascara. I filled in my brows with Benefit's Browzings Palette in Medium.

For my cheeks and lips I used Benefit's Cha Cha Tint. I used my Real Techniques Stippling Brush  to blend across the apples of my cheeks and along my cheekbones, then I patted a little onto my lips before applying Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm. I love the warm peachy glow that this gives my face. To finish I used the contouring powder from Sleek's Face Form palette blended underneath my cheekbones with the Real Techniques Contour Brush from the Core Collection.

High Street Bargain: Primark Lace Trim Socks

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I've been lusting over Topshop's lace trim socks for a while now. They're the perfect partner to a pair of ankle boots. The pretty lace trim looks so sweet peeping out above boot rims. Topshop charge £3.50 for a pair which I think it too pricey. Luckily Primark have caught on to the trend and sell pairs for just £1.50.

Thursday, May 23

Mua Power Pout in Broken Hearted

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I am a huge lover of Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm stains, the only quibble I have is that there aren't enough colours (in the UK anyway). So I didn't think twice when I spotted a similar looking lip crayon on my local MUA stand.

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The packaging is almost exactly the same as the Revlon JBKBS, a sturdy plastic tube colour coordinating with the product inside, and a silver wind up mechanism at the bottom. It also has a similar minty scent but happily smells less like digestion tablets and more like toothpaste.

As for the product inside, it isn't a stain like Revlon's offering, while Revlon's balms are slightly waxy Mua's are glossy and moisturising. Mua's Power Pouts actually have a smaller ingredient list and contain Shea butter and Jojoba oil which means they're really comfortable on the lips, just like wearing a regular balm.

Unfortunately, these aren't as long lasting as the Revlon balms but they don't claim to be a stain so I can't fault them there. I would say that the formula is a tinted balm closer to Revlon's lip butters. But it does last a couple of hours, wears easily and it's so easy to reapply I don't find the lasting power to be a problem.

The shade I have is Broken Hearted which is a soft red toned pink. It's very wearable and reasonably pigmented. The colour on the lips is pretty much the same as it is in the bullet. I can see tiny specks of shimmer in the bullet and it looks slightly shimmery on the lips, but I find it hard to spot any actual particles when swatched.

My only niggle is that if I apply too much product onto my lips then it can become quite slippy but it is pigmented enough to only need a thin layer. I think it's perfect to pop in your bag and swipe on on the go. A great product for a low maintenance lip.

If you were hoping for a dupe for the JBKBS then this isn't it, but it is a really great moisturising tinted balm, and definitely worth picking up for £3. I'm looking forward to trying out more of the colours soon.

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You can pick up Mua's Power Pouts in Superdrug stores for £3, online at Superdrug or from the Mua store. There are six shades available.

Sidenote: if you were wondering what nail polish I'm wearing in the first picture, it's Mua's Bright Coral

Monday, May 20

Revlon Baby Stick in Pink Passion

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Cream blushes seem to be all the rage as the days get warmer and summer hints that it's on its way. I love cream blushes because they give a natural glowing effect that's hard to achieve with a powder without a lot of shimmer.

Revlon Baby Sticks are a cream stick cheek and lip product neatly packaged in a very sweet wind up tube - a bit like a really fat lipstick. I picked up the shade Pink Passion, a vibrant true pink in the bullet.

I find the Baby Stick really easy to apply; I just dab the waxy stick a few times on my cheeks and blend with a real techniques stippling brush, but you could use your fingers. I love the colour, i find it to be a really flattering cool toned pink that blends well with my skin. In terms of colour pay off, it's a sheer product but easily buildable.

I like that it isn't highly pigmented and think that it works well with the product because it's so easy to just pick up, swipe, blend and go. Very low maintenance. However when I swatched shades in store I noticed that the other two shades, Tahitian and Sunset, gave a pretty sheer colour, especially the peach Tahitian shade.

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The finish is slightly dewy but pretty low key, it just looks fairly natural. I find that it wears pretty well on me, lasting power is good. They have an odd plasticy scent but I find it's only noticeable if you sniff the bullet. As a lip tint, it isn't great, it does give a slight wash of colour but I couldn't wear it without a lip balm as it's drying. I do love the packaging, it's small and easy to use - I really like applying cream blush from a stick.

Finally, the price - Revlon Baby Sticks are £6.99 each and contain just 2.8g of product. That is a ridiculous price considering Revlon Photoready Cream Blushes are just £1 more but contain 12.4g of product and they are highly pigmented. 2.8g is a very small amount, most lipsticks contain 4g of product.

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Even though I really like my Baby Stick and find myself reaching for it a lot, I wouldn't recommend it and I wouldn't buy it again. For the price there is just too little product, and I think that although I like the formula, many people would find it too sheer. Next time I'm looking for a cream blush I think I'll try Revlon Photoready or the new Bourjois offerings.

Revlon Baby Sticks are available in Boots & Superdrug for £6.99

Saturday, May 18

Benefit They're Real Mascara

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This month Elle are giving away a mini Benefit Mascara with every magazine.

Benefit's They're Real Mascara is designed to lengthen, curl, volumize, lift and separate - that's a pretty tall order. The wand is a plastic comb with medium length plastic bristles all over including on the ball shaped end. I'm not used to using a plastic brush, I prefer a bristle brush, but I was pleased to find that the wand coated all of my lashes evenly and without clumps.

The wand definitely gave me length, it separated my lashes giving a full effect, and gave me lift and curl as well. I don't think it gives a huge amount of volume but I love the separated, full lashes that it does achieve.

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Overall, it's great. A really really great mascara.I don't think it quite beats my all time favourite Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp mascara, but it's certainly a close second and I enjoy reaching for it when I want something different. That said, I wouldn't fork out twenty pounds for the full size, simply because I just can't afford it.

Benefit's They're Real Mascara is £19.50 for 8.5g and is available from Benefit, Boots, FeelUnique as well as many pharmacies and department stores.

The June issue of Elle is still on sale with a free 4g sample. Elle costs £4 which is just over a 5th of the cost of the full size mascara so it's a great deal if you want to try it out or if you already like it and want to save some money. I think I might try and hunt down another copy before the month is over!

Friday, May 17

NYC Applelicious Glossy Lip Balms

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I picked up a couple of NYC's Applelicious balms from Superdrug when I saw that they were on offer for 2 for £3.

I'll keep it quick, these are sheer tinted moisturising balms. Containing shea butter, jojoba and avocado oil, they will nourish your lips whilst imparting a wash of colour. They are described as 'glossy lip balms' but I don't find them to be any more glossy than a slick of any usual lip balm.

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They aren't long lasting, but you can re-apply on the go and they're so cheap it isn't really a disappointment for me. I find them perfect to apply for a low key tint when you want some colour but don't want to wear anything too bold or high maintenance.

Also note that they smell strongly of apple - I love the scent but it's very synthetic so beware if that doesn't take your fancy.

NYC products are available in Superdrug in the UK and the Applelicious balms are £2.49 each.

Saturday, May 11

Mua Pistachio Ice Cream

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Although I love using Mua's eyeshadow palettes and have a handful of other products from the brand that I really like, I'd never paid much attention to their nail varnish. Assuming that for £1 the formula would be poor and not worth the bother.

But the brand recently repackaged their polishes and they looked so cute I couldn't resist picking up a few. I went for Pistachio Ice Cream as I wanted to test it out as a dupe for Essie's Mint Candy Apple.

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As you can see from the swatch above, they are really close shades, I would say that Pistachio Ice Cream is a touch lighter and greener and I actually prefer it to the cult Essie shade.

As for the formula, the application is hard to describe, while it was easy and only took two coats to build an opaque colour, it also felt somehow dry. But the overall finish is find and really no different to an Essie polish despite being 1/8th of the price. I wore Pistachio Ice Cream underneath L'oreal's Confetti for about four or five days before it started chipping so the wear time really impressed me.

The only negative I have about this polish is that the brush is so tiny, but I guess that it matches the sweet bottle.

Overall this is a great dupe for Essie's Mint Candy Apple if you haven't got it yet, but also a really nice polish, and at just £1, I know I'll be picking up more colours.

Mua Polishes are available in Superdrug stores, from the Superdrug website and from Mua online.