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 

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? 

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? 

I really do Heart Holi!

Paint splattered Tatty Devine...

Hulllllo,
Last night I was lucky enough to go to Tatty Devine's 'I Heart Holi' party! I applied for the free tickets online and I really wasn't sure what to expect - I lucked out and had a really great time!

Me and my friend Jennie after the paint...

The party was to celebrate Holi also known as the 'festival of colours' which is a Hindu festival which celebrates (among many other things) the beginning of spring. The night started with everyone wearing white in a huge white room in I Heart Studios in Bermondsey. I had opted for a very cheap £5 dress from Primark which I saw at least a dozen other people wearing that night (obviously someone had sent out a memo!). When we were queueing outside in the freezing cold I suddenly got worried that maybe this was a wasted journey and it wasn't going to any good but as soon as I walked in I knew we were going to have a brilliant night! We were greeted with complimentary cocktails provided by Midori, a melon flavoured liqueur. I of course tried all 3 cocktails on offer and my favourite was the rainbow one, pretty and tasty! I didn't think they were that alcoholic but my squiffy head this morning begs to differ...

Rainbow cocktail

Midori cocktails

There was also make overs provided by Llamasqua, nail art from Nancy Mc, an Iheart photobooth and loads of Tatty Devine give aways so all sorts of lovely stuff! Considering the event was free I was totally gobsmacked by the amount going on!
Halfway through the night came the really fun part! It's a tradition at Holi do throw coloured powder paint at eachother. Paper bags of powder were passed around and mayhem broke out! It was totally beautiful with bright colours everywhere. Everyone's white dresses were now a big mix of pink, greens, blues and oranges! Although it was safe to say I was left wishing I hadn't worn my glasses because I couldn't see a thing...

Colourful flowers

Delicious rice - seriously couldn't get enough of this stuff

Looking a bit more colourful after the paint...still with a cocktail in hand

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

My favourite beauty gurus (Part 1)

When I first got into YouTube I mainly watched vlogging channels! A huge Charlieissocoollike fan I searched for similar channels and ended up with a subscription box full of Phillip De Franco, Nerimon and Danisnotonfire etc. However, recently I've become really interested in beauty gurus and spend far too much time watching hauls and OOTD videos! So here's my pick of some of my favourite beauty gurus...

Michelle Phan - michellephan

You really can't have a list of YouTube beauty gurus without including Michelle Phan! To me, Michelle is the ultimate beauty guru and she was the first one I ever subscribed to. The thing that always stands out to me most about Michelle's videos is that she doesn't just like make up she knows everything about it for example she won't just tell you why a moisturiser will make your skin soft but she'll tell you why and how to best apply it! Awesome!

Check out Michelle's channel here

Sammi - BeautyCrush

When I first started watching beauty videos the one thing that really struck me was that most of them were from America, which was ok until they started talking abut brands I'd never heard of. Sammi's channel was the first UK beauty one I subscribed to and it was really nice to have someone talking about relatable high streets! I love Sammi's videos because she always gives such honest opinions; not just on beauty but on all issues ranging from home decor to social anxiety but she still seems so sweet doing it!

Check out Sammi's channel here

Becca - Voussontbeaubelle

I first started subscribing to Becca's channel after watching a few of her haul videos. I usually get a bit bored halfway trough these but her's made me laugh so I subscribed! Becca makes great OOTD videos which always give me such inspiration on how to style my outfits! Unfortunately, Becca has recently decided to take a break from YouTube due to health issues. Her channel was awesome so I obviously hope she comes back soon but more importantly I wish her a very speedy recovery!

All Becca's videos are still available online so check them out here

Jarmaine - JLovesMac1

The first time I watched Jarmaine's videos I was like "what is up with this girl?!" She's loud crazy and a total power but her hilarity totally makes up for it and now I can't get enough of her videos! The products Jarmaine uses aren't always in my price range so I very rarely actually try out anything in her videos and I know that some viewers give her a bit of attitude about that! It's not something that bothers me; I just think her videos are really fun to watch!

Check out Jarmaine's channel here

I've got a few more channels I want to write about but I thought I'd save them for another post to avoid this one being mega long! 

So did I miss out anyone amazing or do you agree with the gurus I've picked? Who do you subscribe to? Who are your favourites? Let me know in the comments it would be lovely to hear from you...

Pop your colour

My nails are my new favourite accessory! For years I have bitten my nails but now I'm really getting into the idea of having them painted bright, contrasting colours to add extra pop to what I'm wearing! Sometimes I try and match them to my outfit but usually I just pick colours and styles that I think look fun together and get painting! I'm far from an expert at nail art so my attempts are usually pretty shoddy and I tend to stick to block patterns but I still think it's fun to get colourful!

Missguided Splash and Polish in Misstify and No.7 Stay Perfect in Stand Back

Miss Sporty Sheer Tints in 107 (with base coat) and Rimmel London 60 Seconds in 805 Grey Matter

La Femme Beauty in Purple and Avon Nailwear Pro in 510 Peppermint

So how do you style your nails? Patterns? Plain? Give me inspiration :)