MUA Pressed Powder + Hide & Conceal Cover Up Stick

Customer service issues and unprofessional facebook posts aside MUA really do know how to do quality budget makeup. For a pound you can't go wrong with this pressed powder in Shade 1. It effectively helps mattify skin and set foundation and doesn't look make you look like a Wotsit. Wet n Wild powder I'm looking at you!
The Hide & Conceal stick is also really good for just a pound. It's a good colour match (this one is in the shade Fair) and is thick enough to cover spots without looking obvious and cakey. It has a creamy texture so it's very easy to work with. I haven't used this type of concealer since I was in high school but I'm impressed with this one and can see it becoming a staple in my make up bag.

 

Have you tried any of these? What do you think of them?

Blott Bits

This post is very overdue! I got all this when I went to Sheffield in February but better late than never! Not that it's very interesting though! I just thought it was a cute store and wanted to show you what I bought. I was actually pretty restrained as there was so much I wanted. I do love stationary! I went to the one in Meadowhall but they also have stores in Tunbridge Wells, Guildford, Cambridge, Reading and Windsor. Rather southern but hey ho you can buy online here. I should really stop looking at the site now before my hand starts making it's way towards my debit card!

A6 notebook-£3.50
Octopus keyring- £2.50 (I think-the glittery one isn't on the site)
Bear eraser-£1.25 (Yes this is extortionate for a rubber I won't actually use but he's wearing a hoody, he's cute and dammit I wanted it!)
Scented pens -£3.00 each

I think something from Blott would make a lovely present if you're stuck for ideas on what to get someone. Preferably someone who likes stationary and cuteness. Or just treat yourself like I did!  :-)

Barry M Gelly polish in Lychee

This range has been all over beauty blogs of late and you're probably sick of seeing it, but as I got caught up in the hype and bought it I thought I might as well share my opinions!
I don't normally sport nude nails but I will do when I think the occasion calls for a more 'serious' polish. I'm never sure what sort of nude I should go for to compliment my skin tone but I reckon this one looks fine. Application was also fine and it took just two coats without being streaky. I did find it took a while to dry though and in the end I  bunged on my NYC fast dry topcoat. I did want to see what it would look like on it's own but I'm just too impatient and bed was calling!
All in all I like it but I do favour more fun colours!

Cosmetics Fairy Stuffs

So I got suckered into making another Cosmetics Fairy order-it's all too tempting! Especially the 99p or less section! This time I ordered a Wet n Wild eyeshadow duo, a Covergirl Wetslicks Amazemint lipgloss and a Jesse's Girl nail polish. In the pic below I have also tacked on the Wet n Wild pressed powder I got last time with the Essie polish as I haven't reviewed that yet. The lighting wasn't very good for taking pics but I'm getting bored now of being stuck in!

Firstly I'll talk about the pressed powder. All in all I'm not impressed. It was only £1.99 but it is just too orange on me. This is in the shade 'Fair' but it's anything but! It also kicked up a lot of powder when I swirled my brush in it and looked very patchy on my face. It claims to be 100% natural, which is appealing, but I just can't wear this without looking silly!

The Covergirl lipgloss was 99p and is a lovely peachy pink shade. The shade is Slaphappy, which I thought was an odd name but it's very nice in any case! It smells like minty vanilla and feels tingly on the lips as it contains Crest peppermint oil. No complaints here, for the price it is a pleasant everyday lipgloss that will go with lots of looks.

Next up is the Wet n Wild eyeshadow duo. I got this in the shade Champagne Mink but it's not very minky! The left shade is indeed a soft champagne gold  but the right one is a gold toned green. Isn't mink usually a browny purple shade? I'm not too fussed though as I actually really like this shade of green- I find it a flattering colour to wear. This was only 99p and I'm very impressed as the texture and pigmentation of these is excellent. Especially the gold shade- it's like buttah I tell ya!

Lastly there is a Jesse's Girl nail polish in the shade Girls Night Out. I've never heard of this brand before but I got this as I'm a bit obsessed with blue polish at the moment!  I've yet to try this but I'm hoping its not a wishy washy streaky excuse of a polish. This was a mere 65p so if the opacity is good then it's a total bargain. It looks ok when swatched on paper but I'll save judgment for when I try it properly.

So there you have it, my little cheap make up haul. Now I really do need to stop perusing such sites when I'm bored of an evening!

Snow Day!

Me looking shexy in a rather fetching Wales hat

The snow has hit where I live in North Wales pretty hard since Thursday night and it's still coming down! I think nearly all the schools in the area were closed on Friday so I got to have a day off-woop for more sleep, boohoo for no pay! I am getting a little bored of it now though as it makes it impossible to get around. There's no way I'm going anywhere today but unfortunately my boyfriend had to leave after being snowed in at mine. Feel bit bad as he's had to miss two days of work but we didn't think it would be this bad! The rents kindly helped to shovel him out whilst I was fannying around taking pics and stomping around in the snow!  This did back fire a bit when I stumbled and nearly fell face first into it. Here are some obligatory snow pics! 

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3769702/?claim=tj43yzt42xk">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

FOTD using MUA Undress Me Too palette

I didn't get called in for work today so I've had some time to have a play with the new MUA palette.I've used Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation in shade 51 and MUA Blush Perfection cream blusher in Bittersweet for my face and on my eyes I have 'Shy' up to brow bone, 'Reveal' on lid, 'Exposed' in the crease as well as 'Obsessed' to deepen it. I then finished with a few coats of Clinique High Impact mascara. On my lips I have Collection Lasting Colour lipstick in Sweet Tart.

The brightness of the lipstick hasn't really come through but I love the cool taupey shades paired with the fresh pink blush. I should have put on a bit more lippie as it helps to echo the pink cheeks :)

Dainty Doll

I love having a nose around the beauty stall at my local indoor market, as amongst the lurid lippies and smashed up powders, you can find some real bargains such as a load of Dainty Doll products for just £1.99 each. Bargainous. I first picked up a blusher then went back for a lipstick. The former proved to be an excellent buy, the latter not so much! The blusher I got is shade 002 'My Girl' which is a soft pale pink colour with some shimmer. A great delicate shade for Spring. The powder has a lovely silky soft texture and has good pigmentation. The colour can be built up without looking chalky. I also like that the compact comes with a mirror and feels nice and sturdy.

Here's where I made the mistake of not doing enough research! I got the lipstick in the shade 'Storm in a teacup' thinking it would be a different shade to what it actually was. I really should have had a look at it before I bought it but there were no testers and I didn't want to try and open the box it came in and risk tearing it. I can't fault the smooth formula but the colour just doesn't suit me-it's just too brown.

I'll see if I can make this work by layering a pinky gloss over the top, or perhaps, used sparingly, as a contour shade. I wish I had gotten one of the red shades though!

Essie Smooth Sailing

I picked up this dinky 5ml bottle at Cosmetic Fairy for 99p. I also got a Wet n Wild pressed powder for £1.99 which I'm hoping to review at a later date. Second Class standard delivery was £1.75  so altogether it was pretty reasonable. Thankfully my bank balance is looking marginally healthier after having my car insurance refunded (I managed to buy it twice, oops) but I'm still being careful! And yes, really I don't need a new polish, but I had had a bit of a crappy week and it served to cheer me up a little bit.
Smooth Sailing is like no other colour I have in my collection. It's a gorgeous shimmery blue/purple. The Essie site describes it as 'a breezy lavender blue with a reflection of pearl'. I also think it's quite denim-esque in some lights. Application was fine, it took two coats and dried quickly. As always I finished it with a coat of the NYC turbo dry top coat.

 

Garnier Shine Be Gone Moisture Match Moisturiser

I got this on a whim when I was in Sheffield as I do like mattifying moisturisers and am always eager to try new ones out. I've used it fairly frequently since and I have to say I'm not sure about it! It's decent enough, and I will use it up, but I haven't found it to give the matte effect it promises. Granted I don't look like an oil slick with it (and it is oil free), but I don't find it to be as light as I'd like and my skin does feel a bit tacky afterwards. I was rather hoping it would be more gel like in consistency which I prefer. I also find the texture a bit odd as it's sort of lumpy for want of a better word! I have since found out the cream contains microspheres, whatever they may be, which help control shine. It also contains green tea extract and Mannose. Both of which I'm sure have a affinity with combination to oily skin! You get 50ml for £5.99 which considering the same amount of The Body Shop seaweed mattifying day cream is a tenner is pretty good. Unfortunate though that, for me, it's just not as good and I'd rather part with the extra pennies for something that is more effective.

Have you tried one of the moisturisers from this range? What do you think?

Nail Polish Steals!

So ignoring the fact that I have absolutely no money following a cock up with my car insurance, I went into town this afternoon for a nosey around the shops. Dangerous business. But if I hadn't of gone I would have missed out on getting two great polishes in Poundland. I snatched up Revlon Cherries In The Snow and Maybelline Forever Strong Pro polish in Ceramic Blue. This shade is particular I have been eyeing up for ages and ages as I love blue polishes. You can buy these in Boots and it will set you back a tenner at least, for a mere £2 though and you just can't go wrong! Bargainous.

Can't wait to try these over my zombie nails. Both are lovely bright colours for Spring.

Miss Sporty So Matte Perfect Stay Foundation

Gah, yet again I've been neglecting my blog! The days just seem to go by far too quickly :(
 I bought this foundation a while ago now but have only just got around to testing it. I didn't even need a new foundation but at just £3. 49 it was too tempting! I do seem to be into foundations lately though and have also got the MUA matte one to review soon. I actually never used to bother with it but nowadays my skin looks too awful without and even if I'm running late for work I'll still slap some on.It's not that I'm terribly zitty but I do have unevenness alongside redness and a good few spots! Back to the product the shade range is pretty poor- I think they only do 4 but the lightest shade Ivory is a fairly good match when blended out well. I used a light moisturiser beforehand so that it wouldn't cling to any dry bits and it blended in nicely. Even so I found it to dry quite quickly so you have to work fast with this one. I didn't find it to set to a completely matte finish but I think my moisturiser choice had an affect as when I swatched it on my hand it does indeed set to a matte almost powder like finish. After about 3 hours of wear I was starting to look a little oily and needed to reapply powder. This claims to wear for 14 hours whilst controlling shiny zones so it's fallen a little short to say the least but I do think that if I paired it with a mattifying moisturiser and primer it would fair much better. Id also say it offers good medium coverage without feeling heavy on the skin.
For the price I really can't complain but next time I will use a mattifying moisturiser alongside it such as The Body Shop seaweed one.

Have you tried this? What did you think?