My Holiday Beauty, Hair, Nails & Makeup Musts; Post 2

This is the second of my two posts showing you some of the beauty, hair, nails and makeup products I will be packing in my suitcase.

This second post will cover makeup, nails and perfume.

Fraulein, Concealer Palette

This is a little gem of a product, especially if your skin is prone to vast colour changes like mine. During the winter I'm quite a light olive and even with sun screen, I can change about 5 shades during the course of the summer, especially when I go on holiday. So this palette is perfect, as it covers a variety of skin shades, plus the must have pink, white, purple and yellow correction concealers. I wouldn't go away without it.

Maybelline, Dream Fresh BB Foundation, Medium

This is a relatively new product for me but I'm finding it gloriously light and definitely makes my skin feel radiant. I'm taking this away with me for those nights on the town, when I'll want to wear more than just a powder foundation but don't want anything too heavy. This also has an SPF of 30, which is great for helping protect your skin on holiday too.

Maybelline, Fit Me Pressed Powder, 220 Natural Beige

I wear two shades of pressed powder, one around the eyes and under the eyes and the second over the face. To minimise the size of my makeup bag however, on holiday I will probably just take this one, which is the darker of the two shades. This powder has a super light feel to it. It doesn't block my pores and it looks really natural.

Benefit, Bronzer, Hooola

I'm taking this sample size Hoola bronzer with me. I don't want to take the full size version, for risk of it getting knocked and breaking. This sample size will be perfect. I love Hoola as it's the only bronzer I know of that doesn't have orange tones in it, so it looks really natural.

Bourjois, Cream Blush, Rose Tender

I'm taking this blush, as it's really compact and unable to get damaged in transit. I also really love this colour, especially for holidays. It's really beautifully pink and girlie. I just love the packaging too. Super cute!

MUA, Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter

This highlighter is perfect across the top of my cheekbones, contouring the shape of my face and gives it that extra shimmer. I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like when my face has seen a little sun!

Barbara Daly, Eyeshadow, Tuffle

Although this is an eyeshadow, I actually use it for my eyebrows, so this is a must have wherever I go! I find the shade is almost perfect (I'm not sure there is a perfect shade) for my eyebrows. It's been kicking about in my makeup bag for a couple of years, so it's an old favourite.

H&M, Glitter Eyeshadow Palette

This is a really great palette to take on holiday and possibly just what it was created for! The pretty blues, pinks, golds and purple shadows are really beautiful on sun kissed skin and I can't wait to give it a try this year and try out some different looks!

Maybelline, Diamond Glow Eyeshadow Palette, Coral Drama

This is another favourite of mine at the moment. Again with the shimmery golds and bronzes, it looks great on sun kissed skin and is super sexy for sizzling summer nights! I can't wait to try this out this year. I really like the way it has a little tutorial on the back of the palette, on the best way to use all four shades too. Cute!

MUA, Undress Me Too Eyeshadow Palette

This is a lovely natural shade eye shadow palette and since buying it just a couple of months ago, I am starting to wear out a couple of the light shades. It's really natural and 'Naked' provides a lovely base to most other shades. I also love using 'Shy' in the corners of my eyes, to make them pop!

Ardell, Fashion Lashes, Demi Wispies

I always like to take a pair of false lashes on holiday, but more often than not, I come home without having used them. But, as always, I will be taking my favourite style with me; Demi Wispies. These are lovely and natural, just adding extra volume, without looking really obvious that you're wearing any!

Revlon, Precision Dark Lash Adhesive

Over the years I have tried various lash adhesives but this one is currently my favourite. With the white ones that dry to clear, you always seem to get the bit of glue that doesn't dry clear and you end up blobbing some eyeliner over the top to colour it in, which can end up looking clumpy. This adhesive in precision dark is black on application, so although it's a little harder to see where you've added it and where you haven't, you do end up with a much more professional finish.

MUA, Pro-Base Eye Primer

This eye primer is going to be a must on holiday, as it will help my eyeshadow to stay put! I haven't tried it in hot weather yet, so I will let you know how I get on!

Benefit, Eye Bright

This is great all year round for helping your eyes to pop, when a little inside the eye. With sun kissed skin, it's especially beautiful and I can't wait to use it.

Maybelline, The Falsies Volume Express Waterproof Mascara

This is a staple on holiday, as I'm one of those people who still likes to wear a little mascara around the pool, sorry! So a good waterproof one is essential and for me, this one is great. I also love the shape of the curved brush, as it helps to coat all the lashes.

Maybelline, Gentle Precision Eyeliner

This again is a staple, as you never know when you might need a touch of eyeliner, whether it's above the eye or inside the eye. This is my favourite eye liner at the moment. It's really soft and glides onto the skin, without dragging.

Benefit, They're Real Mascara

This was a little freebie I received with June's issue of Elle magazine and I'm in love! At the moment, I think as mascaras go, this is my favourite  I especially lover the bristled brush end, as this helps work the product onto even the tiniest of hairs. This is definitely going with me and probably in my hand luggage too, just in case!

MUA, Lipstick, Shade 3

This is a gorgeously pretty shade of pink and I love it. I'm especially looking forward to taking this with me for evening wear. It's so bright and colourful that it will liven up any outfit and what perfect place to wear something bright and cheerful, than on a sunny holiday!

Loreal, Rough Caresse Lipstick, Nude Ingenue 501

This Loreal lipstick is a really nice nudey/brown shade and lovely for everyday wear, so something I'll definitely be packing.

Stila, Lip Glaze, Kaleidoscope & Grapefruit

I'm going to take just two of my Stila lip glazes; Kaleidoscope is perfect for a holiday, with it's shimmery/peach tones and Grapefruit is a really flirty and girlie pink. These make my lips feel really nourished, so I expect I'll be wearing these a lot; even around the pool for that extra little bit of glam! Well, why not!

Quickies, Nail Varnish Removed Pads

Nail varnish remover pads are a must in any suitcase. I can't think of anything worse than a liquid acetone spilling over your maxi dresses and sandals. What a horrible way to start off your holiday! So these pads are super useful. There's 20 in this pack, and they're quite large, so it'll be more than enough.

I'm taking four nail polish colours with me:

Barry M, Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint, Greenberry 332

Loreal, Color Riche, Acid Watermelon 827

Maybelline, Color Show, Coral Craze 342

Barry M, Nail Paint, Shocking Pink 272

Barry M, Nail Art Pen, White

I'm also taking this really cute nail art pen, so that I can add the odd little design to my nails if I wish! Again, this might be a bit frivolous item to take, like the false lashes, but I'm taking it anyway!

Ralph Lauren, Romance

This is my favourite perfume of all time. I bought it for my wedding day and will always remind me of it! So, when I go on holiday or go out for special occasions, this is what I take/wear. So this is definitely coming with me, in my hand luggage!

Perfume Sample Wipes

Recently I have gained a load of lovely perfume wipes, which I'm going to take away with me this year. These two pictured are Givenchy, Very Irresistible and Givenchy, For Her. These are perfect for when you're out and about as they slip in your handbag and you actually get quite a lot of perfume from the one wipe. Sometimes I've slipped the wipe back into the packet after use, so I can use it again later in the day. I'm loving these, so will be sad when they run out!

So, that's about it! Obviously I haven't included shampoo etc, but these are a bit boring!!

Do you use any of these products? Are you going on holiday soon and thinking of trying any of these?

MUA £1 Lipsticks; Review & Swatches

MUA Lipsticks for just £1. Insane but true! I couldn't resist getting a couple shades when I was last in Superdrug and with 16 shades to choose from, I was spoilt for choice. 

I decided to go for shades 14, Bare and 3, which strangely has no name, as these were both gorgeously bright and summery.

I was really excited to try these out when I got them home, as for £1 I really hadn't lost anything if I didn't like them and knew that if I loved them, I'd be back to buy more! 

The consistency of the lipsticks are super creamy and highly pigmented, making just one swipe enough and leaving a punchy and intense look. 

As you can see the colours are striking and truly beautiful. They really have longevity too, which is super amazing for the price - amazing value!

I also really love the fact that the tops of the lids of these lipsticks are actually removable too, and there's more product inside, just in case you run out and need a top up! Perfect!

Have you tried any of the MUA £1 lipsticks? What did you think of them?

Check out my other MUA posts!

Stila Cosmetics Lip Glaze Review & Swatches

I was so excited when the post arrived this morning. I've been lucky enough to get my hands on one of the Stila Lip Glaze Sets, for just £16. 

The set is actually worth £60, so it was something I had to grab quick and admittedly, I have had my eye on this for a little while. Stila refer to this particular set as the Winter Lip Glaze Set and is available on their website right now.

The beautiful purple box was wrapped in lovely pink tissue paper, with a little thank you card, making it feel extra special to open. I just love Stila lip glaze, so was so excited to open a box of eight!

The lip glaze wands are cutely clear, so that you can see all the lovely lip glaze and it's gorgeous colour inside. It's also super handy because you can see exactly how much you've got left, so you never run out!

There are eight gorgeous shades in this particular Lip Glaze Set; Kitten, Kaleidoscope, Apricot, Grapefruit, Fantasy, Starfruit, Dreamy and Believe. You can see that each colour has a really shiny finish and some have a lovely shimmer to them, making those particular colours feel super summery.

The release of the Glaze itself is done by twisting the bottom of the wand and slowly the Glaze is released into the soft brush. The brush itself is perfectly soft on your lips and long enough to get a lovely sweeping action as the Glaze is applied.

I really like each of the colours and they really are quite different to each other, which makes this set exceptional value, as you get so many looks.

My favourites I think are Grapefruit, Believe and Dreamy. Those three are a light pink, a much darker pink and a nude shade.

I'm really pleased with this set and am interested to see what the other sets are like. Have you tried any? Which are your favourites? 

L'Oreal Colour Caresse Shine Stain & Rouge Caresse Lipstick

It's my first post of the month (where did April go?!), so I thought I'd review some new L'Oreal lip colours that I've just bought. 

Left to right; Rough Caresse Lipstick in Nude Ingenue (501), Colour Caresse Shine Stain  Princess (200) and Colour Caresse Shine Stain Romy (102)

I've wanted a new nude lip colour for a while now and thought I'd try the aptly named 'Nude Ingenue' from the L'Oreal Rough Caresse Lipstick range. 

The packaging is cute, with the see through lid, so you can see the actual colour of the lipstick (instead of just the end, which I find aren't terrible accurate a lot of the time). I also love the gold casing inside the clear outer case.

The lipstick inside seems slightly skinnier than some lipsticks but applies really nicely and smoothly and most importantly, without feeling the need to add lots of it. 

I have quite rosed coloured lips and I must admit, I thought that this lipstick would make them 'nuder' and less pink, but unlike the actual colour of the lipstick (when you put the two photos side by side, they look worlds apart!), when I used it, my lips just look slightly less pink. The colour on me doesn't seem particularly nude, which is a real shame.

However, that aside, the lipstick itself is a nice colour and the consistency feels really moisturising and soft. I also didn't need to reapply much. So a huge plus there.

The two shades that I picked from the L'Oreal Colour Caresse Shine Stain range are Romy and Princess. I thought I would pick a pink and a red.

After seeing the ads where Cheryl tells us that these lip stains feel like 'water on your lips' I thought they were worth a try! The stains are 30% water based and really do feel it. They glide on and feel lovely. Really silky and smooth. 

Romy is the pinker of the two shades and again, looks pretty different to how it does in the bottle, but it's actually a really lovely pink. Quite striking and punchy but without being too 'in your face'! 

The most important part is the stay factor and it does. Wearing it today, I only applied twice after the initial application this morning and admittedly they were both after I ate. So I'd say as a lip stain, it's pretty good!

Princess is by far my favourite of the three Loreal shades I've tried here. Again this is a Colour Caresse Shine Stain and is pretty much exactly how it looks in the bottle, it applies amazingly, needs hardly any to get the desired colour and stays put. 

The stain power of this one is incredible. A lot of people sample lip colours on an arm, but I wouldn't dare with these stains - I think I'd be stuck with a multi coloured arm for some time!

I had great fun reviewing these today. Have you tried any of these shades before? Let me know about your experiences.

MUA Haul Review & Swatches

I've heard a lot about Make Up Academy (MUA) and thought it was about time I tried out a few of their products for myself. So, I bought a bundle of things to test and review.

I'm a 'middle price range' make up kinda girl, like Maybelline, GOSH and Loreal. I don't tend to buy products that are super expensive, as I get bored with things quickly and I've never really got on with really cheap makeup. So I was quite excited to see how this went!

Undress Me Too - Eyeshadow Palette

This palette has 12 colours, which is great for creating lots of different looks. There are soft neutrals like Naked and Lavish, cool greys like Exposed and Reveal and gold metallics like Devotion and Fiery. I also especially love the fact that MUA have named each colour. Cute!

The packaging is really nice (I like anything white!) and there is a double ended sponge applicator inside. I didn't use this, I use my own brushes, but the sponge applicators are quite firm to touch and flexible, for ease of application. This is great news for a product that's just £4.

Naked and shy are great base colours. They are very nude and whilst these two colours aren't as pigmented as the others, they are great as highlighters under the brow line and in the inner corner of the eye. 

The other colours are nicely pigmented but not too much that they produce lots of 'fall out' on your cheeks. This palette of colours also blend really well together. Firstly I tried Naked, Wink and Obsessed, which is a great combination. Corrupt is very pigmented and goes on easily, creating a really dramatic effect. When used with Reveal and Obsessed, it would create a look of drama, without having to go crazy with colour.

I really love the shimmery metallic shades too, like Devotion and Tranquil. I've recently been using Maybelline's Diamond Glow palette in Coral Drama and these shades remind me of that. Shimmery metallics are great for Spring into Summer and I know I'll be using a lot more of them this year.

To be honest, I can't really fault this palette. It's a great addition to my ever growing makeup collection and think it could very well become a favourite.

Undress Your Skin - Shimmer Highlighter

Shimmer highlighters are not something I've really used before, but I thought I'd give this one a try and see if I could be converted. 

Undress Your Skin is presented in a cute white case, with a lovely textured pattern on the powder. It is really soft to touch and glides on easily. My one worry about highlighters is that sometimes they can have chunks of glitter in them, but this one doesn't, which is a relief. I applied some on the top of the cheekbones and also down the side of my face, kind of in a 3 shape (from the edge of the forehead, into the cheekbone, back out and towards the chin), like I do my blusher. This created a lovely highlight to the shape of my face. The MUA site also suggests using it in the inner corner of the eye too. 

This is a nice product and at just £3 for 7.5g, I'm sure it will last and last.

Blusher - Shade 5

These blushers come in 6 different shades, for just £1 each! I opted for shade 5, as it seemed similar to the GOSH blusher I currently use.

I put a small amount on blusher onto my brush and swept it across my cheek and found that it was so pigmented that I had a huge clown cheek! Whoops! So, after a lot of blending and taking the colour down with some powder foundation, I got to the colour that I'd originally wanted. 

So a handy tip with this one is to start with just a tiny amount of powder and add extra if you need it. I think this one will take me some time to get use to and whether I will continue to use it, I'm not sure! Maybe I should try a different shade.....

Pro-Base Eye Primer

I usually use primers that I apply with my fingers from a pot, so this one is quite different in it's tube with sponge applicator.

The consistency is quite liquid, so you don't need an awful lot to cover the eye. It's not too sticky and dries quickly and to some degree, enhances the colour of the eyes shadow. For me, I was crease free for much of the day, well at least I didn't notice that I wasn't, which is a good sign. Whether it will hold when the weather gets warmer I'm not sure, I'd like to think so. For £2.50, it's certainly worth a go!

Out There - Plumping Lip Gloss

I opted for two colours in the Plumping Lip Gloss range. There are 8 shades to choose from and I went for Peach Shimmer and Nude.

I was quite excited about the concept of a sizeable lipgloss for just £2. I first tried Nude and after applying, unfortunately my lips started to burn! Now maybe that's the Maxi Lip Plumping Agents or I just had a 'dud', but whatever the reason, it felt really unpleasant and I wiped the gloss off after about 2 minutes. I haven't tried it again - I'm a little scared!

I've also since tried Peach Shimmer, which had a tingling feeling when applied, but this was the more usual feeling for a plumping lip gloss. I really like the colour of this one too. 

Both of these gloss's are non sticky which is great and although the colour fades quite quickly, for £2 a pop, I think they're a real bargain. 

Mega Volume Mascara

I always go for mega volume mascara and this one attracted my eye in it's pink packaging! 

The wand is rubbery and nice and fat, which helps coat all of the lashes. I did have to add 2/3 coats in order to get some definition though, so I wouldn't go as far as to say this is a mega volume mascara and instead produces more of a natural look. That's fine though because again, it's only £3!

So, all in all, I think for the price, MUA makeup is good value. There are some products from this selection that I like more than others but considering I got this whole collection for just £17.50 - that's not bad! The Undress Me Too Palette and Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter are two products that I really do like and can see myself using a lot of. As for the Nude lip gloss, maybe I'll try another and see if that one is any better!

I hope you've found this review useful. Let me know if you've used any of these products and how you got on with them.

I will also be doing a review on MUA's Nail Constellations and Fur Effect Nails very soon.