MUA Blusher in Bubble Gum | Review + Swatches.

It's been a while! Time to catch up on some reviewing and some reading too. I must say I've kept up with a few of my favourite blogs, but it's not the same.

This is a product I bought a long time ago. MUA has been a firm favourite since Superdrug launched it back in around 2010. So affordable, most items are only £1 and they are surprisingly good quality. Their blushers are my favourite. I love that you can try out a different shade for only £1 and it doesn't matter if it doesn't suit you because it was only a pound and you can always pass it on to a friend of family member. Their lipsticks are also amazing for only £1.
Needless to say I was excited when they released some new blushers. This is one of the shades I bought, Bubble Gum.

ELF HD Blusher in Diva | Review + Swatches.

ELF have always been one of my favourite brands for cheap and cheerful make up products. I also like that they have their bargain products, and there is also the studio range which is slightly more pricey (but still very decent) and a bit better quality so there is a huge range of products to choose from.

In my last haul I bought one of their HD Blushers from the studio range and costs only £3.75, told you the prices were still very decent! The shade I bought is called Diva. This was the shade I chose as most of the others were sold out, but it's still a gorgeous colour. On the website the only one that is still in stock is Encore, this shows how popular these blushers are.

On to the actual product! It comes in a cute little 10ml plastic bottle with a pump dispenser. This blusher is so pigmentent it's insane, a little goes a long long way! You have to be really careful when dispensing it as you only need the tiniest amount. I tend to use my finger to apply it but a stippling brush would work well too.
I love this blusher because I have dry skin and it doesn't pick up on my dry patches as much as most powder blushers do.

It's Glow Time! Get Bronzed by 17 | Quick Review + Swatches

Something a little different today, this is a 'Get The Look' set from 17 that I won in a tombola. Strange I know, lucky too as it was the reason I wanted to play it in the first place! So happy I won it.

What does this set contain I hear you ask?! Well it contains 3 items, a lipgloss in the shade In The Nude, an eyeshadow in Statuesque and a cream bronzer/blusher. The reason I wanted this so badly is that it was coming into summer and I wanted to get a bit of a healthy glow going. That being said, I am very pale so it has to be subtle. I don't intend to get any colour over the summer, but a bit of a glow would be nice!

ELF Contouring Blusher + Bronzer Duo in St. Lucia | Review + Swatches.

Over a month ago I picked up some more bargains from ELFs online store, they were having up to 50% off and I think the delivery may have been free also. They're always having amazing sales!
I picked up a few things, one of these was the St. Lucia blusher and bronzer duo (£3.75), I'd read that it's a dupe for the NARS Laguna and Orgasm duo. This wasn't the reason I went for it though, I just think the colours are pretty. I'm easily pleased. If you were looking for this to be a dupe then you'd be out of luck. This bronzer isn't matte and the blusher is too light and too pink when blended.

The packaging however is reminiscent of the NARS packaging, slightly rounded and rubberised casing (not quite as rubbery though, so doesn't get so mucky). It's quite large, but not so large you wouldn't be able to carry it around and you can't really complain though as it's housing two products!
I'm not sure but I had a look on the website again and I can only find this duo in the cream version now.

Accessorize Baked Merged Blusher in Diva | Review + Swatches.

Good evening! It's time for yet another review, starting to feel like I'm getting nowhere with them. Give me strength...
Today's review is on a blusher I bought in Superdrug, it's by Accessorize and it's called Diva (£3.99, I think). It's a merged baked blusher, which is something I'd never tried before. I've always thought they are very pretty!

This shade is mainly made up of pink and peach swirls with a bit of lilac thrown in there. It's rather pearly and shimmery, which I don't tend to go for (pearly anyway). Super pretty to look at!

It's quite toned down which I like, always nice to get a subtle glow going. You can build it up a little if you like, but overall I'm disappointed by the pigmentation. I had my doubts when I first saw Accessorize had a make-up range. I'm not sure on the packaging either, it feels a bit cheap. These two problems somewhat confirm my suspicions about this brand. What do you think?

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in 110 Ivory | Review + Swatches.

Time for another review! Getting through them slowly but surely. This review is about Revlons Nearly Naked foundation (£8.99). I'm sure you've heard about it by now, it's huge in the blog world at the moment, or it has been in the past couple of months. As usual I'm a little behind!

I bought one of the lightest shades, Ivory. There was another light one called Shell but I thought this one was better suited to my skin tone. It matches pretty well which was surprising as most drugstore brands don't tend to have light enough shades for pale folk. The only other one I've found is Rimmels Match Perfection in 010 (review here).

So straight away I liked it because it matched my skin tone, great start. It also applies easily and quickly when using my Real Techniques Buffing brush. My skin is still very, very dry at the moment and I found it accentuated it even more. The Rimmel foundation does this too, rather annoying. Even if I exfoliate my skin beforehand it makes little difference.
Other than that I really like the feel and look of Nearly Naked. It is light to medium coverage which I like because my freckles still show through a little. It also feels nice and light so you don't really notice you're wearing make up. I'd say it lasts all day, but I tend to have to touch up sometimes because of my dry skin.
The thing that most people have an issue with is that it doesn't have a pump, but I don't find that to be a problem. You just need to be careful when you're pouring it out.
To see me wearing it click here.

Collection Volume Sensation Lipstick in Satin Bow | Review + Swatches.

Another review on a Collection product today! This one is a lipstick in the shade Satin Bow (£2.99). In my review of their felt tip liner I mentioned that I picked up a few other items by Collection, this is one of them. I'm very glad I bought this lipstick, it's lovely.

As the name Volume Sensation suggests it's one of those lip products that tingles slightly when you first put it on, I thought this would put me off but it's not too bad at all. I rather enjoy it actually! I can't say that it gives my lips any extra volume.

I would describe this shade as a very pretty soft pink colour, but it's not too nude. This is prefect for my skin tone, I find it hard to find a light pink colour that doesn't wash me out. In the photos it comes across as slightly brown in tone but it's more pink in person. It's glossy and feels a little moisturising as well as tingly. I'd say this lasts about 3 hours max on me, that's without eating or drinking.
To see me wearing this look here.

Real Techniques Brushes Core Collection | Review.

What a glorious day we're having! I hope it's been nice and sunny for everyone?
It's time for another review that I've been meaning to do for weeks and weeks! Terrible I know, but I'm just way behind on everything at the moment.

This review is about the Real Techniques Core Collection of brushes. They are by Samantha Chapman of Pixiwoo. This set cost me £21.99 from Boots and had been on my wishlist for a good two or three months before I caved! The main reason I wanted this set was because of the Buffing Brush and as far as I'm aware it can't be bought separately. I'd read so many rave reviews about this brush and I was looking for a new foundation brush so I set my heart on this one.

L-R Contour, Pointed Foundation, Detailer, Buffing.

The other brushes included in this set are the Contour brush, Pointed  Foundation brush and Detailer brush. You also get a little case that turns into a stand. I think it's handy but isn't very sturdy feeling.
I really like using the Contour brush with my Sleek Face Form contouring powder, they work so well together! The Detailer brush is great for using with concealer, especially around my nose and on blemishes. I'm still trying to find something to use the Pointed Foundation brush for as it's too small for foundation. I also find that the Buffing brush is the only thing I need for my foundation application. It's brilliant, slightly smaller than any foundation brush I've used before but you get used to it after a couple of uses.

The Good.

4 brushes + case for £22.
Great quality.
Buffing brush + Contour brush are fantastic.
Easy to clean.
Soft bristles.
No shedding.

The Bad.

Case feels flimsy.
Can't buy brushes separately.

I would probably buy this set again, but to be completely honest if I could have bought the Buffing brush on it's own I would have. They are great quality, but I don't have a use for the Foundation brush as it's an odd size.
Do you have this set, or any others like this?

One last thing, Cosmopolitan are taking nominations for their 2013 Blog Awards. If you think I deserve it I would be eternally grateful if you would recommend me in the Best New Beauty award!? It only takes a minute! 

Collection Extreme 24HR Felt Tip Liner | Swatch + Review.

Collection (or Collection 2000) are a brand that I have always used but only owned one product of theirs at a time, usually their cult product Lasting Perfection concealer or their pressed powder. So I thought it was about time I checked them out properly. A month or so ago there was an offer on in Boots where if you spent over £5 on Collection make-up you could get one of their Extreme 24HR felt tip eyeliners for free (usually £2.99). So I bought a lipstick and a nail polish, I decided on the teal liner as I love anything teal and I didn't have anything like it at home.

My past foray into felt tip liners has been a bit of a bust, the one I got from Elf was rubbish and dried out. The nib also splayed and fell apart. So I must say I was wary at first, but after a few uses it's still not dried out or shown any signs of falling apart. Probably something to do with the very secure lid (if you remember to click it shut properly!).

You can achieve many different lines with this pen, it is very easy to use and is very versatile. Normally I'm pretty crap at applying any kind of eyeliner but this stuff is great! It makes it so easy for doing a cat eye liner, or anything else you might want to try. I must say I'm in love, I even went and bought the black one for both myself and the giveaway!

MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter | Review + Swatch.

Another little review for you guys today. This time it's the new MUA Undress Your Skin highlighter, £2. I think the £2 price tag is an introductory offer, but the full price is £3. Not much of a difference really, still an amazing price!

The packaging is simple, and pretty cheap looking, but it does the job. It's a lovely champagne colour, it looks very natural on the skin. It reminds me of the Topshop Crescent Moon highlighter - review here. So if you are looking for a cheaper alternative then this is it, although I will say this isn't as golden toned. I won't try and describe it any further, here are the photographs.

MUA Blush Pefection in Bittersweet | Review + Swatches.

Before I start I wanted to say that this is my 100th post! Woo. :)

The MUA cream blushers are something I've been wanting to try for weeks, if not months. Last week I finally found the shade I wanted, after it being constantly out of stock. This particular shade is called Bittersweet and it cost me £2. MUA is always such a bargain!

Bittersweet is only my second foray into cream blushers, my first being the Revlon Photoready blusher in the shade Flushed - featured here. I've worn this MUA blusher a couple of times now and I must say I really like it. I wouldn't go as far as love, but it's more than decent, especially for the price.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Eternal Gold | Review + Swatches.

Hello! Time for another little review. This one is of the Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr cream shadow in Eternal Gold. Cream shadows are something I've not tried all that much in the past and I wanted to give them a go. I'd spied these in Boots and Superdrug many times and even had a little swatch but could never commit. I eventually decided to try out the gold colour as I rarely wear it on my eyes and I thought it would be easy to wear. Which it is, but I must say I've only worn this a couple of times, despite how much I enjoy the product.
To see me wearing this check here.

These shadows are fantastic quality, they cost around £4.99 and tend to be on 3 for 2, so it's easy to grab a bargain. The staying power is also great, not so sure about 24 hours, but who has to wear their make up for that length of time!?

Smashbox HD Foundation in Fair | Review + Swatches.

Once again I am sorry for the lack of posts. I've been working a lot and now that I'm off I've become ill. Typical.

This is going to be a super quick review of a foundation I've had for a while. You know when you get a product, try it out, are disappointed so you leave it in the back of a drawer in the hope that one day it will magically work for you? Well this is one of those products.
I picked this up from ebay for around £5, I think it retails on the Smashbox website for £26.
Fair F0 is the lightest shade you can get for pale, neutral skin tones. There is also Fair F1 for people with pink undertones. I was hopeful as online it looked pale enough but once I tried it I realised how wrong I was. It's far too orange for me, continue reading for more pros and cons!

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Black Cherry | Review + Swatch.

This lipstick was something I had my eye on for months but was always sold out! Until one day it was finally in stock and Boots just so happened to be doing a 3 for 2 promotion with Revlon products (£7.49). Good timing or what?! So it was featured in a little Revlon haul post a while back. You can read it here.
I decided this lipstick needed it's very own post though. It's love.

Revlon Matte Lipstick in Mauve It Over | Review + Swatch.

Revlon is a brand that I absolutely love! I've got a variety of their products and I've never been let down by any of them. Especially not their lipsticks, can you see what kind of review this is going to be? Ha.

Mauve It Over was a shade I was unsure of at first, it's not my usual colour but I eventually decided I needed it. Don't you love it what that happens? This lipstick is matte, although it's not completely matte and retails at £7.49. You can pick it up in Boots and Superdrug and there tend to be 3for2 offers on or similar promotions.

First off I really like the packaging, it's lovely and it's matte too, so it fits with the finish of the lipstick. Such a nice touch! The texture is great, it doesn't tug as much as some matte lipsticks - probably because it's not as matte as some others. I find the staying power is pretty good too, as with most mattes; around 5 hours without eating (who goes 5 hours without eating though!?)
I wore this to a job interview I had, I found it was the perfect nude type of shade without being too nude, it still has a nice hint of pink to it. Should I just say it's mauve, or is that admitting defeat? Wow, I'm awful at explaining colours! Let's just see the swatches shall we...

 

Rimmel ScandalEyes Kohl Eyeliner in Nude | Review + Swatches.

This is review that has been a long time coming as I've had this eyeliner for about two months or so. It's the Scandaleyes waterproof eyeliner in Nude from Rimmel. Recently I've been loving Rimmel products, namely their foundation and lipsticks. This eyeliner is no exception, it's fantastic and for only £3.99!
As it's waterproof you can wear it on your waterline and it really opens the eyes up and makes them look bright and awake. Which, if I'm honest, are things I need help with!

If you want to have a look at me wearing this please see this post.

The Good.

Stays put - Waterproof.
Affordable - £3.99.
Brightens eyes.
Lovely texture, glides on, no tugging.
Nice shade range.

The Bad.

Not a twist up pencil - product wasted due to sharpening.

What do you think, do you have this or any other shade?
I'd like to try the Bright Blue and the Silver ones too!

Topshop Crescent Moon Highlighter | Review + Swatch.

This is a product I've seen reviewed a few times and I instantly fell in love with it, it's the Crescent Moon highlighter from Topshop (£10). I've been getting really into highlighting recently and I've been searching for the perfect one. I think I may have found it!

I'll start off with the packaging as that seems the logical place to begin. Topshops entire make-up range is packaged beautifully, it's something a bit different when it comes to high street make-up. It stands out from the rest of my make-up collection, in a good way! I love the hand drawn quality of the designs and I like the simple colour palette - usually black and white. This highlighter is my first purchase from this make-up range, I've had my eye on a few lipsticks for a while but I cannot justify it as I already have so many!
This compact is white with little stars on it, which I think is adorable. The only downside is that it doesn't have a mirror in it, that doesn't bother me too much but I think it may bother some folk. It is sturdy and appealing to the eye, I guess those are the two main criteria for packaging.

Maybelline - The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara | Review.

Good morning! How is everyone today? I hope your week is off to a great start! I'm enjoying mine so far, I have 5 days holiday off work. Really needing it, I just worked 7 days straight and it felt like the longest week ever.
This week I will be spending time relaxing, catching up with people and a bit of cleaning too! Blogging as well, can't forget that! :)

Here's another purchase from a couple of weeks ago. It's always nice to test out products a few times before doing a review, I find. This product is the newest mascara from Maybelline, it's got a long name, as usual! here goes...The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara. I must say I avoided it for quite some time, I wasn't fond of the packaging and I thought I wouldn't like it. I like the colour combination, but just not for a mascara. That might just be me, I'm not sure. However, after seeing some wonderful reviews of it I couldn't resist for long!

It was compared to They're Real! by Benefit, and that's honestly what swung it for me. Plus the fact it was on offer for £5.99 in Superdrug at the time (I'm unsure what the normal price is, £8.99 maybe). I hate spending an obscene amount of money on mascara (for example £18.50 on They're Real!). I have a sample of said Benefit mascara and I love it, as most people do, and I fully intended to get a full sized one when my sample runs out but now I feel I don't need to. That's how well the Maybelline Rocket performs, the plastic/rubber bristles separate lashes wonderfully and add a lot of length as well as volume. The black is very black too. At first I found the feel of the wand a little weird on my lashes as the bristles are short, you get used to this very quickly.
I've seen some absolutely horrible reviews on the Maybelline website, mainly complaining about clumping and the brush. I must say I disagree with both of these things. I have no problem with clumping, and while the brush is a little odd it does get easier to use after two or three uses! The only thing I have a problem with is removal, it seems like a waterproof mascara even though it isn't. This wouldn't be a problem for most people but I'm not really a fan of waterproof anything as I like to be able to remove it easily. Especially mascara. So I probably need a better make up remover, but I'm waiting for Bioderma to come to the UK. Hopefully it will be soon!

B. Lipstick + Eyeshadow | Review + Swatches.

At the end of January I was perusing the aisles of Superdrug and I noticed there was a new addition to the make up aisle. It had just launched that very day and the brand is called B. No doubt you'll have seen the range by now.
I had a field day, I was swatching away for a good 10 minutes. It was fantastic because all the testers were brand new, how exciting! I was the first person to swatch most of the lipsticks and eyeshadows. There was an introductory offer on where there was £2 off all the products. I decided to pick up two products, I must say I was very tempted by many more things, I refrained!

The first item I bought was a Rich Intense Colour lipstick (of course) in the colour Eton Mess - £7.99 (I bought it for £5.99) It took me a really long time to decide which one I like most, they are all lovely! Out of the whole range I was most impressed by their lipsticks.
I think it was the name that made my mind up, Eton Mess is one of my favourite desserts.

MUA Matte Perfect Foundation + Pro-Brow Kit | Review.

MUA is a brand that I rate very highly, they are affordable, readily available and darn good quality if you ask me! I don't tend to have any problems with them at all. 

Here's the thing though, they suck at foundation shades. Now I'm aware there's not many drugstore brands that cater for very pale girls or very dark girls so I know they're not the only ones. To label this foundation as Fair though is ridiculous! It's barely even light. It also claims to be matte, and that it controls shine, which it does not. The somewhat embarrassing photo further down demonstrates this. This was a few minutes after I applied it by the way, I thought I'd give it time to sink in but it didn't. Perhaps if I'd left it a few more minutes it would have been fine but who has that long to sit about waiting for their foundation to dry?! 

I can't complain too much as I did expect this to happen and it only cost £2, but I wanted to put this information out there so perhaps some other people won't waste a couple of quid. This foundation will be given a new home asap, I'm sure one of my friends might be able to use it. Megan, I'm looking at you!