MUA Bronzed Perfection Bronzer & Undress Me Highlighter

Apologies for the lack of posts recently; I have just got back from holiday with my uni girls. The holiday was the perfect way to end a beaut 3 years at Reading Uni, and I'm pretty gutted to be back in the grey UK!

Whilst on holiday, I suffered that age old problem - I didn't want to put my head in the sun whilst sunbathing because I was trying to read my Kindle, but didn't want to end up with a tanned body and white face. In the end I gave up and surrendered to the inevitable two-tone bod, and decided to rely on makeup to even out my skin tone.

My weapon of choice was MUA's new Bronzed Perfection Bronzer, which will set you back a mere £3. I decided to purchase this product after reading several positive reviews on the Bloggersphere, plus I needed a new bronzer anyway. The other thing that drew me towards this MUA offering was its matte finish - although I'm not opposed to a shimmer bronzer, I usually find that cheaper products tend to contain primary school style chunks of glitter that are far from flattering. Here's what the product looks like...

I've been using this bronzer alongside MUA's Undress Me Highlighter, £3, another lovely product that I mentioned in my Five Under a Fiver post a couple of months back. I use this highlighter sparingly, just brushing a small amount of powder above my cheekbones. Here's what it looks like...

I was not disappointed by either product. My first impressions were that, like many MUA products, both the bronzer and highlighter are huge, making them very good value for money. The bronzer only comes in one shade, but I imagine this will be a pretty universally flattering shade for Caucasian skin.
When using a brush to pick up the bronzer I did find that particles did fly all over the place, although this is fairly easily remedied by passing the brush very lightly across the product, and blowing gently on the brush before applying to the face.

The bronzer comes out a lovely shade on my skin, is easy to blend and is build-able. I've been applying it first of all to my cheekbones, jawline and temples, then a thin dusting over the remainder of my face to match the tan on the rest of my body. Here are some close ups and swatches of the products...

My main concern with both of these products is that, like several MUA products I already own, the packaging feels fairly flimsy. My favourite MUA Eyeshadow Palette, Undress Me, has been rendered difficult to use now that the lid has broken at the hinges, and the tube of one of my MUA lipsticks has also broken. Although I am beyond impressed at the amount and quality of the product you get for your money with both the bronzer and highlighter, I worry that the packaging will break before I'm able to use them up.

Both products score 4/5

My Summer Ball Look

It's been a busy few days for me - I got my degree results today (2:1 yaaaaaay), and I also had my end of uni Summer Ball on Saturday night. This isn't a formal event, it's basically an overnight festival type thing, but it was a brilliant night and the perfect way to send off an amazing three years at Reading Uni! For this post I thought I'd share what I wore, and my makeup look from the Ball. Here's what I looked like:

 
I absolutely love my dress, which is from Motel Rocks. I originally spotted it on a fellow blogger's page (see her original post here), and promptly fell in love with it. I had to exchange the original size 10 that I ordered for a size 12 (despite usually coming up as a size 8) because the 10 came up very small, but other than that I adore this perfect dress!
The fluro pink wellies come courtesy of my "BFF" Lizzy, who loaned them to me when the weather forecast was looking a little ominous. I stuck the headband on for good measure since the Ball tends to have a festival-esque vibe.

The Ball goes on 'til 6am, so I thought I'd go for brightening makeup in the hope that I'd look a little less haggard by the end. Here's what my makeup looked like:

 

 

I used a pair of Primark false lashes which I was really pleasantly surprised by, they were easy to apply and the glue kept them in place all night, and they only cost £1. I brightened up my eyes by applying highlighter into the corners using an eyeshadow brush. I also used a riduculous amount of my new MUA Bronzed Perfection Bronzer on my face, starting by applying it to my cheekbones, jawline and temples, and then applying a thin layer over the rest of my face. I also used highlighter just above my cheekbones, although the pictures don't really show this too well. I used a light gold eyeshadow across my lids, and a pale silvery-gold shadow below my brows. I hid my fake lash line with a thin layer of liquid eyeliner on my lids, and used a little lilac-grey eyeliner on my lower lash line, topped off with one layer of mascara. I didn't use eyebrow pencil on this occasion as I'd had my brows threaded earlier in the day, and it didn't really seem necessary.

I fake tanned (a LOT) using Little White Lie Self Tanning Mousse, which takes a few hours to develop. Unfortunately I got bored of waiting and ended up sticking a layer of St. Moritz Instant Tanning Mousse on top - the result being very bronzed (borderline orange) limbs. I think I just about got away with it...

I hope you like my Summer Ball look. I will leave you with a few more pictures of the night, because I'm so proud of all the beautiful friends I've made :)

 

 

My Everyday Beauty Regime

Just in case anybody was wondering...here is my everyday beauty routine and a few of my go-to everyday products!

Skincare

I use two cleansers, one in the morning and one in the evening.  In the morning I use Boots' own brand Cucumber Cleansing Lotion (£1.50), which is super cheap and cheerful and does the job for my fairly clear skin. In the evening I use DHC's Deep Cleansing Oil (£11) which I received in my goodie bag from the Cosmo Careers Masterclass and have since fallen in love with. This cleanser removes every last trace of makeup, and leaves my skin super soft and usually keeps it clear.

Shower

I absolutely loooooove Radox Shower Smoothies (£1.99, not pictured as I've currently run out) which you can often find half price in supermarkets. They smell divine and the scent lingers on your skin all day. In terms of shampoo, I'm currently using Mane 'N Tail, a crossover shampoo for horses and humans (£7.49 on Amazon for shampoo and conditioner). Yessssss I know - sounds a bit weird right? Well this is actually one of the best shampoos I've used, it leaves my hair feeling beautifully soft and adds volume. It's also famed for making your hair grow quickly, which is why I originally purchased it.

Hair

I use L'Oreal Mythic Oil (£13)  and Percy and Reed No-Oil Volumising Oil (£14 for a full sized bottle, but I got my miniature free from a magazine) in my hair before blow-drying. If I'm going somewhere special I will also use Tresseme's 24Hour Body Root Boosting Spray (£5.49). I try not to blow-dry, straighten or curl my hair unless I really have to, and if possible I don't wash it more often then once every three days.

Makeup

I always start with Nivea's Express Hydration Primer (£3.99) which I  mentioned in my Five Under a Fiver post to create a smooth base and hydrate my skin (I don't use a dedicated moisturiser as they tend to be too much for my skin).  My favourite budget foundation of all time is Maybelline's 24Hour Superstay Liquid Foundation (£9), which I massively prefer to their popular Dream Matte Mousse. A few of my other staple budget-friendly products include Avon Glimmerstick Eyeliners (£6 but often half price), Seventeen's Doll'd Up Mascara (£6.29), and MUA's Undress Me Eyeshadow Palette (£4). My favourite daytime lipstick at the moment is Shade 14 'Bare' by MUA, a really nice Made In Chelsea style nude for only £1. I remove my makeup using the pink makeup wipes from Primark, which cost £1 for 50 and work perfectly.

What are the staple products that make up your everyday beauty regime?

Beauty Hacks

For this post I've put together a list of a couple of little tips and tricks I've learnt that save time and money in my beauty regime. I will probably have to do a Part II post at some point because I've probably forgotten a few things, and I'm discovering new ones all the time, but for now here are a few little beauty cheats to keep you occupied. You probably already know at least a few of these, but if you don't then happy days!

• Remove stubborn nail varnish with foil and cotton wool. This is a particularly useful tip at the moment since glitter and special effect nail varnishes are all the rage, but if you've used them then you've probably realised by now that they are notoriously hard to remove. Instead of scrubbing away with cotton wool and nail varnish remover to no avail, simply soak a cotton wool pad in remover, wrap around the nail and wrap a piece of kitchen foil over the top, and wait five to ten minutes - even stubborn polish will slide right off. 
• Remove every last trace of makeup with Vaseline. If you've got stubborn makeup that doesn't want to budge (waterproof mascara being the culprit that immediately springs to mind) then rub a little Vaseline onto a cotton wool pad and gently use it to remove makeup. It will remove every last trace of makeup. Make sure you use a cleanser afterwards because Vaseline is obviously greasy. I have a feeling I may have orinally heard this from my friend Natalie.
• Rescue gloopy nail varnishes with nail varnish remover. If your favourite polish is starting to get a little dried out, put a drop or two of nail varnish remover and shake it. If the nail varnish isn't too far gone, it will be back to normal.
• Recreate a fibre mascara with some loose powder. Apply one coat of mascara, then use an eyeshadow brush to dab a little loose powder onto the lashes before the first coat dries. Apply a second coat of mascara, and the powder will do the same job as a fibre mascara, lengthening adding volume to the lashes.
• Make a hair doughnut out of a sock. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but I've been doing it lately and it really works. Take an old sock (try to vaguely match it to your hair colour if possible), cur off the toe end, and roll it up into a doughnut shape. Use as you would a normal hair doughnut and secure with bobby pins.
• Create makeup storage out of rubbish. Yep! I buy way too much makeup and needed somewhere to keep it all, but dedicated makeup storage is very expensive for what it is. I have a gorgeous Ted Baker makeup box for the majority of my products, but wanted somwhere seperate for my lipsticks, eyeliners and makeup brushes as it took me ages to root through the box to find them all. For my brushes and pencils I use an old jam jar, which I  have simply tied a piece of ribbon around to prettify. I pinched this idea from my housemate Anna, who in turn pinched it from Pinterest. The jar containing my pencils I keep inside the makeup box, but I keep the brushes out on the surface. I also discovered the other day that an upcycled Malteasers box makes the perfect lipstick container - use a bit of old wrapping paper or magazine to cover it and you've got a lovely makeshift box.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   Do you know of any beauty hacks that I should include in a potential Part II? Click below to leave me a comment, it can be anonymous if you wish.
  

Barbara Daly Face Lift

This is a post that is far too long overdue! A friend of mine bought me this lovely little pot of goodness for Christmas this year specifically so that I could blog about it, so it's about time I did.

Barbara Daly's makeup range is exclusive to Tesco, and for that reason I'd never tried any of the products until now as I don't have big Tesco within easy reach. I'd heard good things and wanted to try some stuff out, so when my friend Adrienne offered to buy me the Face Lift cream (£8) for Christmas I was chuffed! Jargon from the packaging: 

"Barbara Daly Face Lift is a feather-light anti-ageing moisturising cream with SPF 10 that’s great for all skin types. Wear it alone or under make-up to give your skin an instant lift. The micro-refined photo-reflecting particles illuminate the skin to give an instant lift to your complexion. You look refreshed and flawless, with a healthy dewy glow."

The cream smells absolutely lovely - I always thought it was citrus-y, but a closer examination of the packaging reveals that it is in fact scented with apricot. Either way, this will make your face smell lush (and who doesn't want a nicely scented face?), which is a good start. The cream itself is lovely and light, meaning that you can quite comfortably wear it under foundation without feeling like your face is dripping in makeup, but it provides enough coverage to use on its own if you aren't a fan of foundation, have clear skin to start with, or if you aren't planning on going anywhere special. If you suffer from problem skin they you will probably want to stick to using it beneath foundation in order to get a little extra coverage. (I'm not going to bother uploading before and after pictures because you'd never be able to tell the difference on my elderly camera.)

This product is perfect for achieving an on-trend dewy look for your skin without giving the appearance of being greasy, but if you prefer a matte look then this isn't the product for you. Don't be tempted to apply powder on top of Face Lift - you might as well buy a BB cream if all you want is extra coverage. Face Lift would be perfect for anyone hoping to make their skin look more youthful (hence the name), so if this is you then I suggest you get down to Tesco. 

4/5

Bargain Alert - Seventeen Doll'd Up mascara & 3-way Liquid Eyeliner

I'm thoroughly ashamed of how long it's been since I updated this blog - unfortunately, Chritsmas and my dissertation have had to take priority! That said, I want to make everybody aware of a great offer going in Boots at the moment when you buy their brand new 'Doll'd Up' mascara by Seventeen.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I'm a massive fan of Seventee's 'Wild Curls' mascara - it's by far the best value budget mascara I've found to date. Interestingly, the 'Doll'd Up' mascara is also being marketed as a curling mascara, which made me curious to try it out to see if it matched up to my old favourite. Boots is currently selling the mascara at the introductory price of £5.29, which will go up to £6.29 after this period. However, the thing that sealed the deal for me was the added incentive of a free gift - for a limited time, when you buy this mascara you receive Seventeen's 'Doll'd Up' 3-way liquid eyeliner free of charge. Both of these products (particularly the mascara) are packaged beautifully, and having had some very positive experience of Seventeen in the past, I couldn't wait to try these babies out.


As you can see from the photo (excuse the shoddy quality - in order to speed up the process of blogging I've been lazy and used my iPhone camera) the eyeliner has three prongs, which allows you to create graphic lines simply and without fuss. The pen can also be used to create a dotted effect, which is great when applied to the upper lash line in order to give a little added thickness to the look of lashes without committing to full eyeliner. I tend to use this pen when I want winged eyeliner - with a normal liquid or gel liner I am HOPELESS at creating neat, matching flicks, but this tool makes it easy. The liner does not smudge or fade throughout the day, and is easily applied over eyeshadow. This is by far the most pain-free experience I have ever had when it comes to winged applying winged eyeliner - result!

The mascara has not impressed me quite as much - although it's perfectly adequate for shoving on for days when I'm not really doing anything, I find it to be a little too lacking in volume for everyday use. To remedy this problem I simply add a top coat of 'Wild Curls' for a fuller effect. When this amazing offer ends, the 'Doll'd up' mascara will be the same price as 'Wild Curls', and there's no doubt in my mind as to which one I'll be buying. (Oh, and it doesn't curl my lashes either. Neither of them do. Do curling mascaras simply not work, or do I have the most poker-straight lashes known to man?)

I'm unsure how Seventeen will price the eyeliner once the offer ends, but based on the liquid eyeliners that they currently sell I don't imagine it will cost more than a fiver, which is OUTSTANDING value. In the mean time, I urge everyone to get down to Boots and snap up the offer while it lasts - think of it as paying £5.29 for a fantastic eyeliner, with a free mascara to stick in your handbag as a spare.

Seventeen 'Doll'd Up' Mascara - 2.5/5
Seventeen 'Doll'd Up' 3-way Graphic Liner - 5/5

Budget vs Blowout - Hair Strenghtening Treatments

Even though I'm a big-time bargain lover, I always find myself tempted by the bigger name brands which tend to carry the higher price tag. Luckily, when it comes to hair products, I rarely have to splurge to try a higher end product thanks to my Aunt, an ex-hairdresser who likes to sample every shampoo, conditioner and treatment going, then pass them on to me after a few uses reveal that they aren't suitable for her super fussy hair.

 The last time I saw her, she donated a 250ml bottle of Redken Anti-Snap Leave In Conditioner. I was pretty pleased with this result as I'd been longing to try a Redken product for some time, but could never quite bring myself to spend twice as I'd usually pay for a highstreet alternative. At over £13 a bottle on Amazon, I'd usually consider this product to be out of my poverty stricken student budget (sobs).

In contrast, I recently decided I wanted to give coconut oil a try in wake of Moroccan Oil Mania (see my review of Avon's budget friendly version here), as it sounded like it could be a purse-friendly alternative. To quench my curiosity, I picked up Inecto Pure Coconut Oil Hair Repair Treatment from Amazon for £2.36, in the hope that I may have found a new favourite that I can actually afford!

The Redken treatment promises to strengthen hair and prevent split ends, as well as hydrating for instant results. I found that I didn't need to use too many pumps of the conditioner to be able to get good coverage of my ends, and the smell was pleasant too.
I didn't notice a massive difference in the feel of my hair immediately after using the Redken conditioner, but in the long term I have noticed a reduction in the amount of split ends - whether this is down to the conditioner or the fact that I have shorter hair than I used to, I'm not entirely sure. 

The Coconut Oil Hair Repair Treatment is a masque rather than a leave in conditioner, making it more of a hassle to use than the Redken strengthener, which you can just apply to hair and then blow dry as normal. The packaging promises that the treatment will nourish and hydrate hair making it softer and stronger, helping to prevent breakage and split ends. The smell of the Inecto product is divine (providing you like the smell of coconut as much as I do), and the scent lingers on your hair until you next wash it. My hair did feel immediately softer and shinier after rinsing the masque - more so than after using the Redken treatment - but the feeling fades fast, leaving me wondering whether the product is actually benefiting my hair at all in the long run.

Despite promising the same results,  I've found that I've been using these products for different reasons. The Redken Anti-Snap conditioner won't provide immediate benefits but will instead work its magic in the long run, whereas the Inecto conditioner is perfect for using before a special occasion, as it will leave your hair shiney, soft and smelling gorgeous. For under three quid I'd recommend investing in the Coconut Oil masque, but in light of the £13 price tag I probably won't be re-purchasing the Redken treatment when it runs out.

MUA: Undressed Palette / Lipsticks

I tend to buy my beauty products from Boots above anywhere else, simply because I love their generous Advantage Card scheme. For this reason I'd never really heard much about MUA, a brand only available online or in Superdrug, until I started reading some other beauty blogs. After reading one particularly complimentary review, I knew I had to try some of their stuff out - partly because it seemed as if the products were half decent, and partly because they are simply TOO CHEAP not to try.

When the MUA range launched, all products retailed at the too-good-to-be-true price of £1 each. As the brand became successful, a new range was launched - MUA Professional - and although these items are slightly more expensive, I couldn't spot anything that costs more than £4. Prodcuts from the original range still cost £1 a pop.

I picked up two lipsticks, a coral-ish pink (shade 14) and a plummy purple (shade 2) from the original range, as well as the Professional 'Undressed' eyeshadow palette. As the name suggests, this palette is an unapologetic copycat version of Urban Decay's £35  'Naked' palette - except this MUA alternative comes in at just £4 (£3 if you're quick - I bought mine on a special offer instore at Superdrug, although I'm not sure how long this deal will last).

First off, the lipsticks. The first thing I noticed when I used either shade is the smell - although not particularly unpleasant, there's no denying that it has that cheapo lipstick odour. Strangely, I noticed a big difference in the pigmentation of the two lipsticks despite them being from the same range - the coral shade never seemed to fully coat my lips even after a few coats, whereas the plum appeared nicely pigmented after just one coat - odd! Maybe it didn't help that I wasn't all too keen on the coral to start with - for a start it's a very summery shade, and I think it would have suited me far better if I'd kept my blonde hair. I completely love the plum though - the shade suits me far better, and lasts longer than the coral, probably because it actually fully coated my lips to start with.

Now for the palette - and I am delighted to say that this is one of my favourite beauty bargains of the moment!  (At this point I would love to whip out a Naked palette and do a direct comparison, but alas - the only thing I can justify spending £35 on is my fortnightly Tesco shop.) The range of colours is lovely (nigh on identical to the Naked shades), with a nice balance of matte and shimmer shadows. They are easy to apply without sending shadow-dust flying everywhere, and are robust once you're wearing them - I haven't had to retouch my eyeshadow at all when wearing this palette. The only thing I would say is that the applicator that comes with the palette is useless, so use a nicer brush for best results. 


What a result, eh? I'll definitely be repurchasing the palette when it eventually runs out, and despite the hit or miss results from the lipsticks, I'll  be buying them to test out new shades or for general day to day wear. Check out the full range of MUA products at muastore.co.uk, or pop into a Superdrug store.

'Undressed' Palette: 5/5
Lipstick: 2.5/5 

eBay False Lashes

I'd never worn fake lashes when I arrived at uni two years ago, having been put off my a terrible experience of buying a huuuuge pair to wear to a Lady Gaga gig which made me look like a drag queen. It was my flatmate Nat who introduced me to them properly, by buying me a few pairs as part of an 'Essex starter-kit' (she's from Brentwood, FYI), and even stuck them on for me the first few times when I wasn't feeling confident.

I started off buying Eyelure lashes, which were easy to apply and looked beautiful, but at £6 a pair I couldn't afford to keep using them every time I went out. So I turned to the one place that you can usually snap up a bargain - eBay. 

There are almost 3000 search results for 'fake lashes' on eBay, and most sellers offer the same products, so it's worth having a poke around to make sure you're getting the best price. When buying lashes from eBay, I always go for the boxes of ten pairs, which you can usually pick up for just £2.50.

The lashes come presented in a white box, and are easily detatched without causing damage. The quality of the lashes is clearly not up to the same standard as brands like Eyelure, but nobody will know from a distance - if you're concerned that the lashes don't look real enough, simply add a few coats of mascara.

The lashes come in a massive range of styles, so whether you're looking for something to wear day to day or to complete your look for a big night out, you'll be able to find a suitable style. In the picture, I am wearing lash style no.6 from this listing. I am also a fan of style no.13 for a more natural look. My housemate Anna has a larger gap between her lashline and her eyebrows than I do and finds that style no.10 suits her better, whereas on me the lashes appear far too long.

I find that the length of the strip for adhesive on these lashes is far too long for my eyes, so I always trim them with scissors before applying to ensure that they will fit better, and therefore last longer. The lashes are also much straighter than the curvature of my lashline, but pressing the base strip into a curve with your nail before applying the glue makes it much easier for you to position them correctly on your lids.

Another downside of these cheapo lashes is that they don't come with glue, so unless you have a tube left over from a different pair, you'll need to buy some - luckily, you can easily pick a large tube up on eBay for a few quid - just search 'eyelash glue'.

All things considered, these lashes are a good buy - perfect for if you enjoy wearing falsies regularly but can't afford the pricey highstreet options. I still like to use Eyelure lashes if I'm going anywhere particularly special, but for your standard night out these are ideal!

3.5/5