FEBRUARY FAVOURITES

It's about time that I wrote a favourites post; I often feel like there isn't any products that I haven't already spoke about or any that I have particularly liked that month also I haven't bought many new products (until now), so there isn't anything new and exciting to share.

As February was passing by I was noticing that I was particularly liking some of the products  that I was using and I had enough to mention. 

First, my mum bought me The Body Shop Glazed Apple body scrub and body butter for Christmas and I just started using them around the beginning of February. Unfortunately they were a Christmas fragrance, so no longer available but all of The Body Shop scents are amazing anyway! I love the smell of these, I think it's a bit more on the melon smelling side than apple but still just as good. The body butter feels so hydrating and the scrub is just the right consistency to use regularly. The smell of both definitely lingers on the skin and in the room which you apply the products. 

Two products that I rediscovered in February were the MUA Undress  palette and the Revlon Photo ready foundation. I've had the MUA palette for a while now and used to use it all of the time but then it kind of got kicked to the side when I started using MAC and Make up Geek shadows more. I forgot how much I loved the colours in the palette as it's so everyday appropriate and for the price it is pretty darn good! 

My sister gave me the Revlon Photo ready foundation as she hated it. I started using it as I knew it was one of the lighter coloured foundations that I own and as I've been ditching fake tan recently, I needed my light shades! I find that it applies really well, lasts a good amount of time on the skin and doesn't feel heavy or cakey. It's a light medium coverage and pretty lightweight, it gives a natural, to slightly dewy/radiant finish. 

I spoke about the Hoola bronzer by Benefit in my 2014 favourites, as I really like it for contouring. It stayed as my go to contouring product throughout February and I really enjoyed using it. I've just found another product that may have replaced it though, so keep your eyes peeled to find out what that is soon! 

I've had the Make up Geek Immortal black gel liner for quite some time now but I don't religiously use black liner. It's an amazing gel liner when I do use it, but It's not always in my routine. In February however, I noticed how much I enjoy using it and how I prefer my eyes when I do use it. I've been loving using it to create a nice winged out look, by also blended black eye shadow into the liner to make it more of a smoky line, instead of a stark black line. I've included the Sigma E05 as it's my favourite brush to apply the gel liner with, as it makes eye liner really easy to apply. 

February was a pretty good month, that seemed to just fly by. I'm excited and also a little apprensive about March, as I have something new happening which I will probably mention in one of my next posts. I hope you all had a great February and have a happy March!

What products have you been loving?

MUA MATTE LIPSTICKS | WILD BERRY & SCARLET SIREN

For someone who rarely wears much in the way of lip products, I somehow still always need so many lipsticks! These two lipsticks from the  MUA Matte range were easy to justify as in true MUA fashion, they only cost a tiny little, £1. As I don't get much use out of my lipsticks, I love buying MUA ones as they have great colours and formulas and you can try as many as you like and your bank account wont even feel a thing. I've just counted and I currently have 11 MUA lipsticks and that doesn't even equate to one MAC lipstick! 

I picked up Scarlet Siren and Wild Berry as they were the only two in stock, but coincidently they were the two that I was most interested in trying. I will probably get the nude and the peach coloured ones if I see them in Superdrug.

The Wild Berry shade isn't as dark as it appears on the stick, however that's pretty true for most 'dark' berry lipsticks, regardless of the price. The good thing about this is, that it makes it a lot more easy to wear as it's a gorgeous berry shade and you could always darken the colour with a dark lip liner. I tried the lipstick with MUA's Brooding plum lip liner and it worked amazingly; The colours worked really well together and the lip liner made the lipstick much more intense in colour, which is great for a more bold and statement lip for a night out, while the lipstick alone is great for day time. The Scarlet Siren is a true red and looks the same on the lips as it does in the stick. Scarlet Siren also works well with another of MUA's lip liners, called Red Drama. Both lipsticks apply really easily onto the lips and do not feel dry at all, like some matte lipsticks make your lips feel. They give a gorgeous velvet like finish to the lips which looks like it could have been easily achieved with a much more expensive lipstick. They have good staying power and fade well, unlike some that tend to wear off the lips in a patchy mess. 

I would definitely recommend the MUA Matte lipstick range and especially these two colours. I'm looking forward to trying some of the other shades and to actually wearing these two as they're both perfect for the Autumn/Winter months and for £2 for a lipstick and a lip liner, they are amazing! I'm wearing the Wild Berry and Brooding Plum lip liner as I write and cannot stop looking at how good my lips look - purely because of the lip colour! 

Here are some swatches of the lipsticks, showing just the lipsticks themselves, without any lip liner, or much precision for that matter! 

Have you tried any of the MUA Matte range and if so which is your favourite? 

You can purchase these on the MUA Website or in Superdrug stores or online. 

MUA EVER AFTER - MATTE PALETTE REVIEW AND SWATCHES

Finally MUA have answered our prayers and made an eye shadow palette full of only matte shades and easy everyday colours too! We've loved all of the other MUA palettes but there was always that longing desire and need for matte shades. The rest of the MUA palettes are very much shimmer/glitter based and while they are gorgeous eyeshadows and amazing price and quality, you always need those matte shades in your life to put through the crease to compliment and add definition to the pretty shimmery shades. 

Like all MUA palettes the eye shadows are of great quality and apply and blend really well. There's also a nice mix of colours as there's a lot of different shades of browns that you can use to create the perfect brown smoky eye or just a simple defined crease with one of the lighter shades over the lid. You can also use the light shades to highlight the inner eye and under the brow. It's great that a black has been included in the palette as matte blacks are definitely a necessary feature in any eye shadow collection. I'm not too sure why a blue/grey was included as it is pretty blue and not something that most of us would reach for too often. There's a great mix of both cool and warm toned eye shadows, so I'm sure this palette would suit so many people and can be used to achieve a wide range of eye looks. I haven't swatched the light shades as they weren't showing up on my 'need to tan' arm, however, they are really pigmented and show up really well on the eye... which is all that matters really! 

The palette is only £4, so it's well worth picking up and even if you don't like you wont have upset your bank account too much anyway. 

Have you bought the new Matte Palette? You can buy the palette at Superdrug stores or online on the MUA website. 

AUTUMN INSPIRED EYE MAKE-UP LOOK

Hello everyone! 

I actually did this make up look around the mid-end of August, when the weather started to turn a little less summer like and a lot more like autumn. However, a couple of days after the summer weather came back again, so I didn't really feel like I could post an autumn make-up look, while sitting wearing my summer dress and flip flops! 

I had been craving those berry/red shades so I picked up Maybelline's  Metallic Pomegranate  24 Hour Colour Tattoo, that Hannah reviewed 'here.' Hannah loves the Colour Tattoo's, however, the first time I used mine, I really wasn't impressed. It seemed to clump up and then peel off really easy. I also couldn't blend eyeshadow on top easily at all. The second time that I tried it, I actually really liked it. I'm not sure what I did differently, but they worked really well. 

1. I used the Metallic Pomegranate all over the lid. I really like the colour, however, I wish it wasn't so shimmery! I then put the light beige/orange Sleek shade (labelled with a 1), through my crease as a transission shade to make sure all of the future blending would look smooth and seamless. 

2. I next blended another Sleek shade (labelled with a 2), through the lower crease, blending it into the Pomegranate colour on my lid. I also lightly patted it over the lid. 

3. I also took the Pomegranate shade under my eye in the lower lash line.

4. I then used the black shade in the Sleek palette (Labelled with a 3), lightly in the inner corner and heavier in the outer v/outer corner of the eye. 

5. I then blended the black shadow in the corners under my eye 

6. I added Rimmel's gel eye liner to my lash line and flicked it out.

7. I used MUA's Shade 1, single eyeshadow as an under the brow highlight and also to highlight the inner eye. 

8. I finished off the eyes with a few coats of Benefit's 'They're Real' Mascara. (That I'm not too impressed with any more, as mine feels like it's running out after just a few weeks of use)!

As the eyes are pretty heavy, I wanted them to be the main focus, so I've kept the rest of the face very natural looking. I used Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, Rimmel Match Perfection Powder, Bourjois bronzer, Benefit Hervana blush and Revlon's lip butter in sweet Tart. 

I'm absolutely loving Autumn make-up looks so far and I really feel like I need more Autumn colours! Are there any products that I need to try? 

GEORGIA'S AUGUST FAVOURITES

Last month none of my beauty products were really standing out to me at all. I'd also not been buying anything new due to my 'spending ban'/ trying to use up what I already own. However, during August, I found that I was reaching for particular products over and over again and really enjoyed using what I was choosing. 

Apart from the Baby Lips, all of these products are products that I already owned prior to the start of the month, but this month they really stood out to me.

MUA Undress Me Palette & Sleek Ultra Mattes

The MUA Undress Me palette is my 'back up' version of the palette as the current one that I use has been very well loved and isn't looking as immaculate as the one pictured. I've been really liking the two matte shades (3rd & 5th in the top row) and the gold shade (6th in the top row). I've really liked using shade 5 in the crease, the gold shade 6 all over the lid and then the black or brown shades in the Sleek palette in the outer corner of the eye and slightly through the crease. I've also liked using shade 7 all over the lid, with the red/brown shade (2nd shade from the left, on the bottom row),  from the Sleek palette through the crease. I've loved the Sleek palette ever since I bought it and will definitely be repurchasing when this one runs out. I've also liked the MUA palette, however I've been neglecting it lately, until the month of August when we were brought together again and completely reconnected. 

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Shampoo & Conditioner

When I bought these a few months ago, I thought, oh lets just chuck these on the blog... I'm not sure anyone will be too attracted to the review but anyway...

I couldn't have been more wrong. My review of the Bee Strong range has been our most viewed post, by an insane amount and I genuinely cannot believe how many views it has actually got. It's no surprise that these are amazing products. If you want to read the full review, you can check it out 'here.'  I coloured my hair back to my natural brunette shade at the beginning of August and although I adore the colour, it left my hair feeling pretty damaged and tired. I was using another shampoo and conditioner but my hair didn't seem to be improving. I used the Bee Strong shampoo and conditioner one night and the next day my hair felt amazing; so soft, shiny and lightweight. I've been using it ever since and really love it. 

L'oreal True Match Foundation

Once again, I'd been too busy using other foundations that I had ignored the True Match foundation for a while. I started using it one day and fell back in love. I love that you don't need much product; one pump will cover the whole face really well. It's definitely a really good medium coverage foundation that can be built up if necessary. It's a great match for my skin (golden beige) and seems to last really well. I've been using this everyday before work, I drive for about 40 minutes in the car, then walk into work and then work and walk back to the car and the same journey home. It's also been really warm lately, but still by the time that I get home from work, my foundation still looks great and I wouldn't need to retouch if I was to then go out after work. 

Maybelline The Eraser Concealer

I've previously reviewed this product, so if you would like to read the full review, you can 'here.' 

I think this concealer must have got lost under my numerous others as I'd totally forgot about it and had instead been using the famous Collection concealer. I decided to hunt for it specifically during August and I loved it even more than before. It's so creamy and gives great coverage. I also really love the sponge aplicator as it feels extra soothing when you apply it under your eyes. 

Benefit They're Real Mascara 

I didn't start using this mascara until August as I'd been saving it until I'd used up my others. I'm not sure it's worth its huge hype, as I equally love some of the L'oreal mascaras that I have previously tried, however, it is an amazing mascara. What I love most about this mascara is how quickly you can build up length and volume. I love heavy impact lashes that do stand out and look really volumized, but without the clump, which this mascara does amazingly. It's definitely my favourite out of all of the mascaras that I have recently tried. 

MUA Eye Shadow Shade 19

This is a matte eye shadow and I've been using it on my brows and sometimes under my lash line and through the crease. It's so pigmented, builds colour amazingly and lasts all day. It's only £1 and it's great! It's probably as easily to blend, or at least very close to MAC eye shadows. 

MAC Lustering Lipstick

This has been one of my favourite summer lipstick colours this year and I've been wearing it a lot this month. It's so easy to wear and really brightens up your look. I've found two dupes for this lipstick which I wrote a post on 'here,'if you don't fancy forking out £15!!! for a MAC lipstick. MAC, just stop! It's not funny. 

Baby Lips Pink Punch

Pink Punch has lived in my hand bag all month and I've really loved wearing it while I'm at work as it's so easy to quickly apply and gives a great, quite strong hint of colour to the lips. The colour makes it look like you've applied a lipstick, when actually it's only a lip balm and it's nourishing on the lips. Another great feature is that the colour seems to stain the lips so over time the glossy look fades away, however the strong colour remains evenly. 

Hope you've enjoyed reading my favourites from August as much as I've enjoyed using them! Are any of my favourites the same as yours?

SAVE, SPEND, SPLURGE | MAC LUSTERING LIPSTICK DUPES

A couple of months ago, Debenhams had a 10% offer on all of their beauty products, which included MAC Cosmetics and as a new MAC addict I couldn't resist ordering a few things... I pondered over which shades of lipstick to get, as I was relying on online swatches, that all seemed to look different, therefore it's not the easiest way to pick lipstick. I chose Vegas Volt (reviewed and swatched here) and Lustering. I really wanted a nice bright but wearable pink and Lustering seemed a good choice. 

When I first tried Lustering, I really liked the colour, so I was pleased with my choice. However, after wearing it a couple more times and also wearing Revlon's Lip Butter in Sorbet, in between, I realised that they are nearly identical! Now, this is a good realisation for those who don't want to fork out on a MAC lipstick as they are pretty pricey! However, this is pretty annoying for me, as out of the 100's of exciting colours that I could have chosen, I chose one which I pretty much already own! 

Left-Right, MUA Shade 3, Revlon Lip Butter Sorbet, MAC Lustering

Dupe #1 MUA Shade 3 Lipstick - £1!

Even more annoying is the fact that I also own ANOTHER lipstick that is very similar and so much cheaper! MUA shade 3 looks a very similar colour in the stick, however, it is quite a bit darker on the lips and has more of a matte finish than the Revlon Lip Butter and MAC Lustering. However, for £1, you are getting a good lipstick of a very similar colour shade! I would probably use this lipstick to top up Lustering and carry it around with me on a night out, as I would much rather risk losing a £1 lipstick, that wont break the bank to replace, than a £15 one! 

Dupe #2 Revlon Lip Butter Sorbet - £7.99

As the Revlon Lip Butter is the closet Dupe to MAC Lustering, I'll be focusing on only those two for the rest of this post. 

The colours are very true to how they are shown in the photographs. I would describe both as quite bright but darker toned pinks, that are very wearable and would look great on the majority, if not all skin tones. Not only are the colours very similar in the stick and on the lips, the texture is also nearly identical. When I first applied MAC's Lustering, I was quite surprised how different the texture seemed than the other lipsticks that I own. I now realise that it's due to it's lustre finish which means it is more sheer and gives a wet-look glossy finish. Similarly, the Revlon Lip Butters give a very similar finish. Although both lip products can be applied sheer, you definitely don't need to apply much more for a much fuller and darker colour, which I really like. Both apply really smoothly and so easily onto the lips. They also last really well and I don't find either of them drying at all. You do need to reapply after a few hours, to bring back the intensity in the colour, however, they do slightly stain the lip so the hint of colour remains on the lips for a very long time, even if you do not reapply. 

 As you can see both the Revlon and MAC lipsticks look identical on the lips. I do think MAC's Lustering does have slighlty more pigmentation and I do think you get more product from MAC lipsticks than the Lip Butters, however for the price difference(Revlon = £7.99 & MAC = £15), I would definitely go for the Revlon Lip Butter for a nearly identical dupe, if you don't want to splurge on MAC. The MUA lipstick is a close match however not as exact, but definitely worth trying out for only £1! 

NOTD | THE BEST BARGAIN NAIL VARNISH

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since either of us have posted anything on here, as we've both been so busy with work etc. However, after painting my nails the other day, I just knew I had found something that had to be shared with you all! 

The MUA (Make Up Academy), nail varnishes must be the number 1, bargain buy that quality wise should cost so much more! We purchased quite a few of the colours when MUA had their 50% off offer as this meant that the varnishes only cost 50p!!!! Which is so insane, considering their quality. 

Since buying our nail varnishes, MUA have changed the packaging, resulting in them resembling something very, very similar to Essie's nail varnishes. However, most of the colours still seem to be the same luckily! 

The reason why I'm so impressed with MUA's nail varnishes is firstly because they're so cheap and really great quality; not just for being £1, but in general they are of a really high quality. They have a lovely consistency and therefore apply really easily. I've seen some people moan about the brush, however, I don't have a problem with it at all. It does look of lower quality than other brushes, however, I wouldn't say it affects the application at all, especially as the consistency is so smooth. 

Furthermore, the finish feels so professional; it's so smooth to touch and really shiny, even without a top coat. Finally and perhaps most importantly, the staying power is amazing! The nail varnish lasts on your nails for at least 5 days without chipping,  and maintains the colour and shine (w/o a top coat). 

The colour on my nails is 'Stormy Skies' which is  a dark grey, almost black colour and has a pretty gold shimmer to it. We both love dark colours, like black on the nails, however 'Stormy Skies' is a great alternative if you find black too harsh. I've added Barry M's (NP351)

Jewel Glitter Nail Paint – Yellow Topaz to the top of the ring finger on both hands, just because I fancied some glitter. 

There is quite a variety of colours so, I'm sure that there would be a colour or two... or as we are beauty lovers... five or so colours that would be of everyone's taste. I've used quite a few of the colours that we bought and they are all really great colours and all appear to be of equally good quality. 

I have absolutely nothing bad to say of these nail varnishes and would thoroughly recommend them to anyone; there clearly is no need to spend loads on nail varnish. 

You can purchase the nail varnishes on the MUA website or in Superdrug stores.

Have you tried any of the MUA nail varnishes? 

BRIDAL WEDDING MAKE-UP

I've been meaning to post this post for what feels like ages now! I had to wait until the photographers photos were done and then my laptop decided to get really sick and had to go to laptop hospital for a few days, costing me a sickening amount! It now seems fine and I've stolen the photographs from my boyfriend's mum (the bride), so I can finally get on with this post!

So here goes.

At the beginning of July, my boyfriend's mum got married and she asked me to do her make-up, which was an amazing offer, as I'm not a professional make-up artist at all yet! At first I thought it would be easy; I'm constantly watching wedding tutorials and I enjoy doing make-up so how hard could it be? It then hit me how stressful this could actually be. EVERYONE would be looking at the bride and examining her every detail; how her dress looks, how her hair looks, how her make-up looks... I started to worry how the make-up would look on the photographers camera, what if the bride doesn't like it??  Anyway, I calmed down and we did a test run and it turned out really well. As soon as I started I completely relaxed and just got on with what I love to do. It helped my nerves having my boyfriend and his now step brother messing around in the same room, making myself and the bride to be, laugh, yeah, not the best when you're trying to do make-up but it was funny. 

On the day of the wedding I was even happier with how the make-up turned out. I had researched more and practised techniques on myself and it all went really smoothly, despite being pretty rushed. I also had to do the two bridesmaids make-up in record time as I it wasn't actually planned that I would be doing theirs too, so luckily Hannah came with me and was able to help out too. Unfortunately, as it was such a rush we weren't able to get any good close up photographs of the make-up, especially the eyes which is a shame, so the one above is the best we have. 

Products used:

Primer: MUA Undress Your Skin
Foudation: Mac Studio Fix Fluid NW25
Concealer: Mac Pro Longwear NW25
Bronzer: Bourjois Bronzing Primer & 'Mac Give Me Sun' Mineral Skin Finish
Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Translucent 
Eye shadow: Sleek Ultra Mattes Palette & Benefit Creaseless Cream Eye shadow  RSVP
Eye Liner: Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Eye liner  Brown
Mascara: Rimmel Max Bold Curves
Blusher: Benefit Hervana
Highlighter & Contour: Sleek Face Form Light & Benefit Sun beam 
Brows: MUA Brow Kit 
Lips: MUA Power Pout Irreplaceable
Fixing Spray: MUA Fixing Spray 

MAYBELLINE COLOUR TATTOO 24 HR | REVIEW + MAKE-UP IDEA

Maybelline's Colour Tattoo 24 Hr  cream shadows aren't exactly new anymore, however it wasn't until a few weeks ago that they caught my attention. This happened when I was trying to find something in my makeup bag to apply to make my eyeshadow more vibrant, allowing for a much more intense and true representation of the shadows colour. I found MaXfactor's Smoky Eye effect eyeshadow . The cream texture of the shadow almost acted like a primer base, giving the eye the perfect texture for eye shadow staying power! Seeing as I dug this out of the bottom of my bag, you should see it soon in an empties post, and so I came across these Colour Tattoo's that have the same creamy texture I was looking for.  

 

They're easy to apply using Real Techniques stater set, and as the name suggests, they stay on perfectly all day! After reading some other reviews there has been complaints of them staying on a little too long, however I didn't experience this after using a general make-up remover.

At £4.99 each I brought them on Boot's buy one get one half price deal. Regardless of the deal, I think their £4.99 price is extremely good, considering how much product you get and the price of make-up these days!  I soon became addicted. I have to admit I was slightly worried about using the black due to the Tattoo name, however I have found it works great to line and define the eye and will no doubt be buying some more colours soon! 

There is a variation of mattes and more shimmery  colours, which means that all ages and styles can use them, the only downfall I can say, would be the lack of colours here in the UK, after finding some great lighter colours that would highlight well, on the internet available in the USA I can only hope they will make their way here eventually. 

With flash

Above are the colours, Metallic Pomegranate and Pink Gold, that I used to create the make-up look, however I also used MUA's Undress me too palette  on the crease of the eye to add definition and depth to the look. 

WEDDING GUEST MAKE UP

Hey!

On Saturday I went to my boyfriend's mum's wedding. However, I wasn't just a guest, I was also doing the brides and brides maids make-up. I will be posting some photos of the bride's make-up very soon and chatting about how it went. I'll also post some other wedding photos and my outfit once I get my hands on the wedding photo disc!

Unfortunately my photographer (AKA Hannah), decided she wasn't going to bother doing any close up shots of the eye make-up so this is the best we have. I did my make-up myself and wanted to do something quite... well, natural isn't really the word, but I wanted it to look pretty but not too much or too dramatic as it was a wedding and I think fresh and pretty is the way to go for weddings, rather than dark and too 'in your face.' As I am a make-up lover and aspiring make-up artist, I couldn't just wear minimal make-up, especially for a wedding! So I decided on neutral colours and created a smoky eye.

 I set my alarm for 6.30am to make sure that I had enough time to get ready as I didn't want to be late going over to do the bride and brides maids make-up. Luckily, everything with my hair and make-up went really smoothly and I was really happy with both. Hannah used the Babyliss heated rollers in my hair and I left them in for over an hour and the curls stayed in all day. I wasn't necessarily wanting my hair super curly but it's so flat and thin that any volume was much welcomed. 

 I decided against wearing false lashes as it was going to be a long day, it was boiling hot and my hayfever is still pretty horrible, so they would have definitely just aggravated me.

All products used will be listed after the photos.

 

 

And the final look, with hair and make-up finished...

Hair

- TIGI Bed Head Style Shots Epic Volume Shampoo & Conditioner
- TIGI Bed Head Superstar Queen for a day Thickening Spray
- L'oreal Heat Styling Spray - Volume 
- Babyliss Heated Rollers 
- L'oreal Elnett Hairspray
- TIGI Bed Head After Party Smoothing Cream 

Make-up

Face:

- Primer: Benefit Porefessional (cheap dupe here)
- Foundation: MAC Stufio Fix Fluid NW25
- Powder: Rimmel Match Perfection Soft Beige 200 + Rimmel Stay Matte transparent
- Bronzer: MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Give Me Sun
- Blusher: Benefit Hervana
- Contour + Highlight: Sleek Face Form Kit in Light (review here)
- Concealer: MAC Pro Longwear NW25 + Maybelline The Eraser (review here)

Eyes: 

- Sleek Ultra Mattes Palette
- Rimmel Gel Eyeliner Black
-  MAC Woodwinked 
- MUA Brow Kit
- Benefit They're Real mascara
- MUA PRO Base Make-up Fixing Spray

Lips:

- LUSH Sugar Scrub (Review here)
- MAC Viva Glam V
- Soap & Glory Sexy mother pucka Lipgloss