MUA Lipsticks | Review

Hello there,
I recently indulged in a little bit of retail therapy. I'd read one or two reviews of these lipsticks and so decided to head into Superdrug and pick them up for myself.

I love the MUA brand. It's so affordable and is surprisingly good quality. These lipsticks came in at around £1 I think, which I was more than happy to spend. Usually I'd consider three lipsticks on one day a bit extravagant (I'm a bit of a scrimper) but when they're so cheap it seems rude to only pick up one!

I chose three colours. I'd been on the hunt for a nice orange lipstick for a while so I got Shade 16 Nectar in the original formula. I'm a big fan of matte lipsticks too so decided to pick up a couple of those. I bought 'Pouty Pink' (a sweet, bright pink colour) and 'Totally Nude' which was pretty much exactly what it said on the tin, a totally nude colour. I always just stick to red lipstick to I wanted to branch out and get some different colours that I usually wouldn't consider.

Oil slick orange - not my best look (MUA Lipstick Shade 16 Nectar)

I really have to say I'm not impressed with these lipsticks. I know they were only £1 but I've bought lipstick from Poundland before (yes really) and it was much, much better than this!

The orange colour is far too greasy. It looks like an orange oil slick right across my mouth. I would never wear it outside the house I'd be far too worried about spreading it all over my face and looking like a clown!

(MUA Lipstick in Pouty Pink)

The matter lipsticks are completely different. I really like them on first application. However, after time they stick to weird bits of my lips and end up giving me a really "bitty" look. I love the colour of the nude lipstick which surprised me as I usually hate that 'foundation lipstick' look so I was really disappointed. The only way I've been able to get it to work is by applying really thin coats really regularly - I mean like every fifteen minutes regularly.

My favourite of a bad bunch (MUA Lipstick in "Totally Nude"

I'll put a little disclaimer on the end of this post...I do struggle with lipsticks generally. I have kinda big lips. I never know how to explain it but quite a bit of my bottom lip is actually like "inside mouth" lips. So it's really difficult for me to ever find a lipstick that will stick to my lips and not give me a weird pink stripe across the top of my mouth. That means, if you've got smaller, less pronounced lips then maybe these would work a treat for you. Unfortunately they're not for me.

Love, Maisie

Three From Collection | Review

Hello,
Sorry I've been a bit missing in action recently. I'm just going to stick with my usual excuse of "eugh degree, eugh reading, eugh essays, eugh too drunk all the time". I think that should suffice really.

Anyway, between drowning in referencing and bibliographies I did manage a sneaky trip into town. Do you ever just run out of all your make up at once? It happens to me all the time! So I popped into dearly beloved Boots to stock up little essentials.

My plan was to buy higher end high street but after swatching every foundation ever and realising that I need to STOP BEING SO DAMN PALE. I settled for some bits and bobs from Collection. I find that Collection suits my colour so much better than a lot of the high end products so why would I waste money on something that's going to turn me fluorescent?

I picked up the 'Collection Cover & Go Foundation & Concealer Duo', the 'Collection Primed & Ready Smoothing Make Up Primer' and 'Collection Volumnising Mascara'.

I'd never really been into primer before and I actually when I went into Boots I was intending to by the new Baby Skin thing. I was really skeptical because of all the dodgy reviews I'd read and when I swatched it on my skin it felt so greasy that I opted against it and went for the Collection one instead. I'm really impressed by this product. I'm pretty sure it's a silicon based formula (although I can't actually get the labels off to have a look at the ingredients). It leaves my skin incredibly smooth even after I've put my foundation on top. I really recommend this, it makes my make up look 100x better!

When I bought this I didn't even realise it had concealer in the lid. Top notch job on that packaging Boots it's brilliant. You can put it in your handbag and voila two in one! The concealer coverage is really good, I really rate this product (as you can tell by how used it looks). I'm still humming and harring about the foundation. It's ok but the consistency is a bit odd and it looks really streaky if you apply it with a brush rather than a sponge.

Whenever I buy anything new I instantly don't like it - it takes a while to convince me it's actually good. This was no different, when I first opened it I didn't love it. The brush is quite brittle and not the big fluffy mascara brush I usually like. However, after using this for a week I am converted and I admit the error of my ways. This mascara is really great, it gives a really volumnised look, kind of fake lash effect. The only thing I don't get is why it says '10x volumnising' on it. Can you imagine if a mascara made you lashes TEN TIMES BIGGER? You'd look like a maniac!

Overall I'm well chuffed with the Collection things I picked up. I think they're all fairly new products to the line and they all work fantastically. Collection is definitely starting to give some of the other high street brands a run for their money.

Primed, concealed, volumnised and ready to hit the rain

So have you tried any of these products? Did you like 'em? Lemme know 

I done dyed ma hurr

Heyyya,
The other evening my flatmate and I got a little bit bored so (as all normal people do) we decided to dye my hair! I'd already bought the hair dye ready for a rainy day when boredom struck but we were going out that evening so decided to do it for that!

I've always loved dying my hair, I think the first time I did it was probably when I was about 11 and I used one of those wash in wash out ones in a subtle red shade. I remember a boy called me "fire-head" for 2 days straight...so I kicked him. Luckily, I don't hang out with such intellectually-lacking children anymore so I usually dye my hair once a year with no name-calling.

Flatmate doing the dying - big thanks to him!

I decided for autumn I wanted to go a darker colour, usually if I'm dying my hair in the winter I go for a purpley shade but this time I went for a dark red. There's so many brands of hair dye all boasting vibrant, nourishing, long lasting, natural colour with bells on. In the end I settled for SuperDrug's own because I'm a massive cheapskate.

How scary is that model's face?!

The shade I used is from the 'Superdrug Colour Vibrance' range in '6:45 Maroon Red'. It was super simple to use, put it on dry hair for half an hour then wash out with normal shampoo and the colour enhancing conditioner provided.

I'm really happy with the colour, it's a lot brighter than I thought it was going to be but I like that. It's lasted really well, I put it in a couple of days ago and hardly any washes out in the shower so I'm hoping it'll last til Christmas!

Anyway  hope you like it. Lemme know (and if you've got any tips on how to make your colour last longer I'd appreciate them too - thaaaanks)

Finally, my baby... | Review - Maybelline Baby Lips

Helllo there,

I've been hearing about Maybelline's Baby Lips for so so long, every blogger, vlogger, everyone and their grandma seems to be raving about them. So the other day when I saw an advert for them I developed this sudden need to own them (I can't help it - I'm a sucker for adverts!). To be honest, I didn't even know they were available in the UK - am I going crazy or were they only available in America for a while? 

I was really excited about trying Baby Lips because I love lip balms, my lips get dry very easily in the winter so I've always got a good stock of lip balms in my bag. Also, I struggle finding lipsticks with really good staying powder and I always just end up with the edge of my lips being covered in lipstick and looking like a scary clown!

Anyhoo, I popped down to Boots and the odds were in my favour; Buy One Get One Half Price! Yes please and thank you! I obviously bought two, which was a struggle for me as they had it in 3 different colours! I picked Pink Punch and Peach Kiss, mainly because I always go for red colours so I wanted to try something a little difference.

Overall, the product is lovely and I'd definitely recommend it! It's really soft and makes your lips feel really smooth. They also smell delicious and fruity - which I always think is very important if you're going to put something that close to your nose. However, as with all things there are a couple of things I don't like. Firstly the packaging. To me, it looks a bit cheap, like something you might get in a stocking when you're 13. Something about the colours and the font - I just don't like it.

L-R: Pink Punch, Peach Kiss

Also, (as you can see in the photos above) the colour pay-off isn't fantastic. When you first put it on you can see a bit of a tint but this goes pretty quickly. I prefer Peach Kiss to Pink Punch just because it's more of a baby pink than I was expecting. I really want to try the red Cherry Me just to see if that's a bit more pigmented.

But don't let any of that deter you. I really do like the product overall! It's a great lip balm just not brilliant if you're looking for a strong colour.

So have you tried Baby Lips? Which colours? Do you like them? 

Is this a weird thing to review? | Oral B Trizone 600 Sweeps

Hiyaaa,

So recently I've been having some trouble with my teeth, tooth ache in my wisdom teeth, marks on my front teeth. Safe to say it's not that nice. I've always had some troubles with my teeth, I don't know why I don't smoke or drink coffee or eat that much sugar and my dentist said they're fairly healthy but I do suffer from a lot of toothache.

Anyway, I finally took my dentists advice and went an bought an electric toothbrush. I thought I'd give it a little review here, it's not exactly a beauty product but it is sort of cosmetic-y...

I didn't know it was possible to have any kind of emotional bond with dental care but I really, really like this toothbrush. I've only used it for a week and I can already see a difference in how clean my teeth look and feel! The main reason for this is the built in timer on the brush. The brush has a little buzzer which lets you know not only when the two minute advised  brushing time is up but also at 30 second intervals so you can make sure all areas of your mouth are cleaned equally!

It's also rechargeable which means you won't be forking out for expensive batteries every month. It takes about 22 hours to charge completely and lasts about a week. It's also impossible to overcharge which means the battery should last a long time.

The only small problem I had with the Oral B Trizone 600 Sweeps (apart from the ridiculously long name) was the plug. When I got it out of the box it turned out the charger only had a 'shaver plug' attachment. This meant I had to go out and buy an adaptor, which wasn't expensive but just a bit annoying...

Yeah so overall the Oral B Trizone 600 Sweeps is really good and even better, it's on half price offer at Boots! Love a good bargain...

Little Mini Fragrance Direct Haul

Hellllo,

So a couple of weeks ago I discovered Fragrance Direct, yeah I know a little late to the bandwagon but hey ho! I ordered a couple little things and they arrived a couple of weeks ago but I wanted to wait until I'd used them all before I wrote a post about them;

The first thing I bought were a few nail varnishes. I've never owned Essie nail polishes before and I've heard people raving about them so I picked up a couple of them. First colour I picked was "To Buy Or Not To Buy". I absolutely love this colour, it's a very pastel lilac with a blue glittery sheen to it. The next Essie polish I bought was in the shade "Mojito Madness". I really wanted a bright green nail varnish and this wasn't exactly the colour I wanted, I like the colour but it's not quite bright enough so I don't think I'll use it that often.

I also picked up Rimmel's Crack Your Colour in the shade 'Black Graffiti'. I've only used this once but it's good, similar to other cracked nail varnishes so nothing particularly special about it. It does the job!

My nails are really damaged at the moment and keep breaking and flaking, not a great look. I was going to buy the Sally Hansen nail treatment that everybody raves about but I opted for the slightly cheaper option of "Harder & Tuffer" from W7. So far I really like it, I've definitely noticed my nails feeling stronger and breaking less. If weak nails is something you suffer from I'd recommend this.

I also picked up a new powder because I smashed my old one to pieces. I bought Miss Sporty So Clear powder in "001 Transparent". The powder is nice, definitely finishes off my make up nicely, I've been applying it with my E.L.F full face brush. For some reason, I absolutely hate the packaging. I don't know why but for some reason it looks so cheap to me. The mirror is good but other than that I can't stand it. The actual product is really good though.

The final thing I bought was a new lipstick. I picked up a W7 lipstick in the shade 'Ruby Red'. I have kinda weird lips and sometimes I find it difficult to find a lipstick that will stay on my lips. I really like this one, it lasts a long time and it's really pigmented. The picture doesn't show it that well but it's a very rich red, just what I was looking for.

Overall, I really liked the products I picked up from Fragrance Direct. I would really recommend having a look on the website if you haven't already. My order arrived in a matter of days and it's so much cheaper than the highstreet.

Late on the bandwagon | Review - Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint

Hiyaaaa, 

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in shade GNP7 Satsuma

So I'm sure by now you've all read about 1000 reviews of this product but I've only just got round to buying it so here's a late one in case you missed the hype!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint (try saying that five times fast!) is the new range from Barry M. The basic premise of them is they are meant to give a really high gloss finish. The colour should be more vibrant and have a nice shine.

I've been on the hunt for a nice, bright orange nail polish for a while now plus I've been dying to try this out. I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and opted for GNP7 Satsuma.

The thing I really like about Barry M products is the intensity of the colour and the Gelly Hi-Shine is no different. I put two coats on just for good measure but one could have been suffice. It's a really lovely, rich orange and the "bottle to nail difference" is pretty minimal.

I was a bit worried that the product wouldn't live up to the grand promises it makes about 'extra gloss' and 'high shine' but I think it does. The finish was really nice and definitely glossier than most other nail varnished. So much so that I didn't bother with a top coat  which I know is a cardi-nail sin (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?! PUNTASTIC!)

Overall, I absolutely love this nail colour! I think I may have to buy it in a couple more colours before they inevitably stop making it (all good things come to an unfortunately early end...especially in make up terms!). The colour range is gonna be great for summer - I'm currently eyeing up shade GNP14 KeyLime and GNP12 Green Berry.

Oops, forgot to take a non-Instagrammed picture of it. Here it is on the nail...with a filter

Sooo, have you tried the Gelly Nail Paints? Did you like them as much as I did? What colours? 

Shopping for Spring, Living in Winter - March Haul

So I guess this is a couple of days late, but the way the weather is at the moment it feels like we're still in December so really I'm 6 months early!
I feel like I've done quite a lot of shopping this month considering I'm on a constant budget. I'm not sure where I got the funds for any of this (thank you Student Loan Fairy)

Even though I moved to Norwich over 6 months ago I'm still getting used to the ridiculously hard water which turns my hair into a huge frizzball (think Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries pre-makeover). I've been looking for products to help with this and the lovely shop assistant in Boots recommended John Frieda Frizz-Ease Original Formula Hair Serum.

 I've used it pretty much everyday this month and I love it! A little more greasy than I would like but you only need to use a tiny bit for awesome results! Dead chuffed! 

On the same hair vein I also bought L'Oreal Studio Matt and Messy Salt Spray. I was convinced to buy this by my friend Josie (www.josiegoestravelling.blogspot.co.uk) namely because it was on 2 for 1 and she didn't want to pay full price. Whatever the reason I really like it - restores any of the bounce that the serum drags out of my hair. Also I love the matt finish - I find super glossy hair a bit odd looking. 

Whilst in Boots I also picked up Rimmel London's Lasting Finish in 700 Block Your Green. I've used this a couple of times and I lurrrrve the colour! I really nice dark green with the just the hint of sparkle.

The last thing I bought in Boots this month was Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Anti-Aging Smoothing Lotion and oh my god I am obsessed with this! I use it when I come out of the shower on stretch or dark marks and it genuinely makes a noticeable difference! It smells like delicious Terry's Chocolate Orange AND it's non-greasy - perfecto!


This month I went to Forever 21 on Oxford Street. I'd never been to F21 before so I got way overexcited and tried on practically everything. In the end I only bought two things in the sale. First was a lovely turquoise jumper in a cable knit. It's nice and thin so should be good for the spring. I think it was about £7.99. I also bought an oversized dip-dye t-shirt! I really liked this because usually dip-dye goes from bottom to top but this goes from side-to-side (I am very easily impressed). Again it's really thin so should be good for

summer - I think it'll look nice tucked into shorts.

I'm totally obsessed with button up shirts at the moment and spotted this little number in Primark for £12. I absolutely LOVE it the pattern is adorable plus who doesn't like a good rhinestoned collar. This photo doesn't show it very well but I posted a photo of it on my Instagram a while ago if you're really desperate to see it! Since I bought it I've seen dupes in Topshop and New Look and they've all been way more expensive! Glad I got the bargain!


So have you bought anything this month? Written a blogpost? Link me - I love seeing what other people are into!

(p.s Sorry for the mega long post - I promise it'll only be once a month)

DIY Stencil Nails

I really like changing up my nails and having cute little designs on them so when I saw a tutorial video of how to do stenciled nails on Michelle Phan's YouTube I knew I had to give it a go...

For this look you will need some plasters, 2 colours of nail varnish (1 will be the base and one will be the design colour and a top coat)

Firstly paint your base coat colour. This can be whatever colour and arrangement you want. I chose to put the white accent on my ring finger because this was the one I was going to have the design on but if you're planning on putting the design on all your fingers you'll need to paint your nails accordingly... Then apply a top coat

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DIY Lace/Dabbed Nails

So I recently saw a tutorial for this on YouTube...I'm not totally sure if I like the effect. Right now I think it looks a bit messy and I kinda wish I'd chosen different colours but you live and learn eh? The idea of these is it's meant to make your nails look like there's lace on them or that they've been dabbed in a vaguely impressionism-esque way. So here's how I did it...(I am aware that these photos are shocking quality - sorry)

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My 2012 Make-Up Favourites

In the year just gone I made a conscious effort to invest in better, more effective make-up rather than drowning in heaps of cheap lipsticks which I never use. So it's much easier for me to decide on my favourite products of 2012 because in truth I didn't buy that many...

I recently bought myself Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair. I bought it mainly because of the huge amount of hype I've heard about it on YouTube and it definitely lives up to it! Before this I used a concealer which was really hard to blend. This one on the other hand blends beautifully and is a great match for my skin, plus it's a total steal at £3ish... Another skin product I've been loving is Rimmel Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder in Transparent. I really wanted a matt powder but I was a bit nervous about ending up with that orange dust so this was a right find! It's transparent so matches your foundation beautifully. I've been applying this with a E.L.F Total Face Brush which is a great blending brush! I use it to apply powder but also just to even out my foundation etc. and it works brilliantly!  I love E.L.F brushes - they feel professional and soft and are really reasonably priced!

Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer, E.L.F Total Face Brush, Primark Crackle Nail Polish, Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick, Bourjois Liner Stylo

There's been a big trend for nail art this season but considering I am a fiendish nail biter I didn't want to invest in super expensive stuff. I opted for Primark just so I could test the waters, for £3 I got a base coat, crackle coat and top coat! They work brilliantly and the top coat is so useful for brightening up other colours! Another product I cannot stop singing the praises of is Bourjois Liner Stylo in Noir. I love a good kohl eyeliner and this is the best one I've tried. It lasts all day which is often a problem with pencil liners and gives a really good dark colour - the only slight problem I have is with the packaging which is really easy to break if you're as heavy handed as me...

When I said I was investing in good-quality, slightly more expensive make-up I may have told a slight white lie! One of my favourite lip products this year was Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick in Damson. It offers a really vibrant pink colour which is extremely long lasting - enough to rival the Clinque Chubby Stick or Revlon Just Bitten! And the best part is it's from Poundland's make up range and cost £1! Ah-mah-zing!

So what have your favourite products of 2012 been? Anything to recommend? What should I try in 2013?

Review | Maybelline Fit Me Foundation

I recently signed up for the Maybelline newsletters. This was probably one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made because now I get monthly emails reminding me of all the lovely make-up that I can not afford. Pair that with the fact that I am an absolute sucker for press-release drivvle and it was only a matter of time til I bought Maybelline Fit Me Foundation.

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21 days to go | Lipsticks

This summer there was a big trend for crazy, bright lipsticks. While I love it I'm never quite brave enough to pull off the neon orange lips, I prefer to stick to my classic red. That's one of the reason I love winter lipsticks. They always tend to stick to my well known territory of reds and burgundies. 

I've tried to keep this colour scheme in mind in the lipsticks I've picked. I absolutely love the dark  Bourjois, I can imagine it looking awesome with a nice little party frock, it just makes me think of warm fires and mulled wine (just me? ok...). Also the Max Factor and Rimmel reds. Red might be a classic lipstick colour but that doesn't mean it's been overdone. It always adds a bit of sexy class to an outfit. My plan with red lipstick is always to go as close to traffic light as humanly possible - just don't think about the Coca Cola advert...

For the braver among us Barry M always a safe bet for bright nail varnishes and eye shadows and their lipsticks are no different. Maybe not one for the office party but if you're having a little get together with friends the Pink Glitter is practically fairy lights for your lips. The same applies for L'Oreal's Charmant Gold, tinsel lips! Just don't do too much snogging under the misletoe...

L-R Kate Shade 1 by Rimmel. Hittin' The Block by Hello Kitty. 715 Ruby Tuesday by Max Factor. Rock Candy by Look Loud Lips, Charmant Gold by L'Oreal,Velvet Wine by NYC Cosmetics, Pink Glitter by Barry M, Rouge Intemporal 78 by Bourjois