Superdrug's MUA (Make Up Academy)

So.  My delivery turned up today and  my first impression is that this range is very good! I have swatched the eyeshadows, used the lippy, powder & mascara....the nail polish is TINY, but so far everything looks good and I LOVE the look of the mosaic blush.

 All this for just £10.50! Full review to follow :)

Budget Beauty Brands War!

Beauty Brands finally seemed to have realised that not everyone is rich these days and less and less people can afford to spend over £10 on one lipstick.  As the economy gets gloomier and the cost of living rises while wages stays the same, shoppers are becoming thrifty.  Some beauty brands have cottoned on – and of these, three brands stand out in today’s current market.  All are budget conscious, and all in competition with each other.  One brand I have used endlessly (you might be able to tell from this blog!), the other 2 I have just ordered from and will be reviewing the 3 brands together to see who emerges as the overall winner, so stay tuned!!

The brands are :

Superdrug's Make Up Academy (MUA), prices starting at only £1 - FREE P&P

Eyes Lips Face (ELF) - Prices starting at £1.50 - Free P&P promotions running often, otherwise £2.95 P&P, free if £30 and over

Beauty UK - prices from £1.99 - Free P&P for order pver £25, otherwise £1.75

 

Lauren Luke - Make up brush review

As a discerning consumer, three things are very important to me:

Good customer service, attention to detail, and value for money. 

It really is as simple as this: Out of all the choices out there I chose you to give my money to and I want to feel happy that I did that and I want you to acknowledge it and treat me like I matter.

I’m a fan of all cosmetics, but one budding brand holds a special place in my heart on account of who created it.  Our very own Lauren Luke, the YouTube sensation who has single-handedly changed the world of make-up, challenged all the stereotypes and allowed women (and men!) around the world to realise that we can look beautiful, regardless of age, race, shape, etc.  Lauren is involved in every single step of creating her products and works hard to give us high end cosmetics at high street prices.

I have a couple of the By Lauren Luke palettes but they were purchased whilst on honeymoon from the huge Sephora store in the Hollywood & Highland shopping centre in LA.  I have no experience of mail ordering Lauren’s products - until now.

I thought I'd buy a couple of brushes before deciding if to get the whole set.  I chose the Pencil Brush and the Flat eyeshadow brush.  I received an email to acknowledge my order and then tweeted my excitement to @Panacea81.  Lauren replied saying I would receive the brushes soon.  Now, this is what I call customer service! The thing with Lauren is that you truly know she cares; she wants your feedback, ideas and suggestions and she really listens. So it was no surprise that my brushes arrived in immaculate condition in a gorgeous parcel very soon after my order was placed:

I could not wait to use these brushes. Firstly, we need to talk about the quality of them. I know that there are £1.50 brushes available at ELF and they are really good value if on a budget.  Their Bamboo brush range offers a higher quality but then the price jumps up significantly when compared to the £1.50 range.  To put it in perspective, Lauren's brushes are better quality than the bamboo brushes and are also cheaper. So if you are on a budget but don't want £1.50 brushes but something a little more high end, spend the extra.  It is worth it, I promise!

Shown above : Pencil brush £3.25, Flat eye Shadow brush £4.00.

Mac equivalent £19 each - and Lauren's brushes are easily of the same quality.  I have MAC brushes and have compared them.  I like Lauren's better (and I'm not just saying that because she tweeted me!); these are genuinely top quality brushes.  They look great, they perform great, they are great.  Today I used them for the first time, in conjunction with the My Fierce Violets palette.

I started by using the medium primer and then used the flat eyeshadow brush to tap on the light purple shade.  The brush loads up really well, but not too much - there was no fall out on my cheek which means no mess and also no wasted product. Application was quick, easy and even.  The eyeshadow went on really well and then when tapping the brush off and dabbing into the white to highlight, the lilac was all gone from the brush meaning no mixed colours. I used the pencil brush to tap in the darker purple to the outer crease of the eyelid and also to apply to the lower lash line.  It's quite a fine brush but not too fine which gives a smoky, softer look. I then blended the shadow and finished with a bit of eyeliner and mascara.

The brushes are lovely to use, I was really very pleased with them and will definitely be going for more when I get paid.

The bottom line is - amazing value, top end brushes without the high price, great customer service and also a tutorial available on line detailing how to use the brushes.  Click HERE to see.  Highly recommended.

Value : 10/10

Customer service 10/10

Product : 10/10

ELF Studio Matte Lip Colour Review! NEW for July 2011

The unique selling points of Elf’s Studio Matte Lip Colour  (£3.50 each) are:

The format

It’s a jumbo size stick – similar to Clinique’s chubby sticks,  but at a fraction of the price.

The Finish
It offers this season’s coveted matte finish – and actually delivers.

The Hype

All of the UK ELF fan base have been waiting for these beauties ever since they appeared on the US site.  Out of everything that the Americans get first, these are what I wanted to get my hands on the most. So, when ELF got their new delivery in, I ordered 2 of these beauties; Natural and Tea Rose. Both are gorgeous pinks, the Natural very suitable for day wear in the office, the Tea Rose suitable for the same, as well as being a very versatile colour that would cross over easily into evening wear/going out colours.

What the product delivers

I am insanely happy with this product.  I wish I had ordered all 4 colours and I hope that ELF release more!  First, you won't need a separate lip liner -trust me, and save your pennies.  This product does not feather, bleed or smudge. Use the pointed tip to draw your line and then fill in with the edge of the pencil.  You don't need a lot and it glides on smoothly, evenly and bursting with beautiful pigmented colour.  And then is stays put - all day long.  I really wasn't expecting the staying power that this product delivers, and I would even say once it's on, you will need something more than just a tissue to get it off!

It doesn't dry your lips, it's so smooth and natural you will easily forget you're wearing it (but if you do happen to lick your lips it tastes good!), it contains vitamins A, C & E so actually cares for your lips whilst on.  Yet again, ELF get it spot on with their value for money products. For £3.50 it's hard to go wrong.  Please note, the product turned out to be a lot bigger than I expected too - bonus! If I was scoring this product it would definitely be a 10.

ELF Matte Finisher nail polish.....update

Well, after a great result on the coral shade, I have to say that the Matte topcoat works even better on darker shades.  The nail polish I have used its Karen Millen Wine (can't link to it as I can't find it anymore!).  Just 2 coats of the colour, 5 minutes drying time and then the top coat. The result was gorgeous and perfect and just what I was looking for.  So pleased with how well it works.

BEFORE - Nails with 2 coats of the Karen Millen wine polish

AFTER - Beautiful Matte finish!

I absolutely cannot recommend this product enough. I think the Matte look is so chic, stylish and wearable. Lovely, bright shiny nail varnish is great but for office wear,  and formal occasions, I don't think this look can be beaten. At £1.50 a bottle, you have nothing to lose by giving this fantastic innovation a try.  Great result, ELF!

Questions?  Comments - go ahead and ask them or leave them!  Also, have you browsed this blog? There are brand new pages, including; About Me, Links to great site & other fab blogs, a great new Tutorials feature and coming soon - my giveaway competition page! 


Want to be on my links page? Then just contact me; I'll add a banner to my page & follow you! :)

ELF - Matte Finisher clear nail polish

Elf promise that their Matte Finisher clear nail polish will: "Instantly transform your shiny polish to matte with this translucent top coat."

The actual product is milky looking in the bottle, not exactly clear

So I ordered a bottle and decided to test it to see if ELF were onto another £1.50 winner.

My base nail polish is Avon's Arabian Glow in Coral Sands.  I used 2 coats on this and applied them the day before so they were good and dry for when my Elf delivery arrived! I'm loving all the nail innovations at the moment, which make it possible to have edgy, beautiful nails without paying through the roof, so I was very eager to try this.

2 coats of regular nail polish

 I used one coat and the effect was instant - and gorgeous. I am so eager to try this on some dark colours.  I would say that the effect works better if your original nail paint work is neat & tidy and without polish on your skin, otherwise it can look a bit crappy!

1 coat of the Matte Finisher

It's a very pretty look, but I do think it will work better with dark colours, as bright summer colours look prettier with the shine.  I'm going to try the top coat on a gorgeous Karen Millen wine nail varnish that I have and see how that comes out. 

Overall though, I would happily recommend this product - especially for £1.50!

Transform your nails for £1.50!

As ever, your questions and comments are always welcome.  Sorry for the poor picture quality....these are taken on my camera phone.  But you get the general idea!

Another fantastic Summer Giveaway!

Another fantastic Blog Comptetion giving away fab beauty freebies.  You only have to click a few buttons and do a few simple things to enter this fantatsic contest - so go fill out forms & good luck! What are you waiting for? Click the photo above or click HERE to enter.

Free Mascara worth £13 - just pay £2.50 P&P

Vie at home are giving away one of their gorgeous Dream lashes Mascara worth £13/€16.25 for FREE, you just pay P&P (£2.50).  Totally legitimate offer (for a magazine, Woman's own I think?!), I just ordered mine, although had to get Brown/Black as Black is sold out.

Click THIS LINK to go to the offer page and make sure DREAM is in the promotional code section, although once you click the link it does tell you you've qualified for the offer. Go, quick! Before they sell out completely :)  Enjoy!

ELF Giveaway

Fantastic ELF goodies up for grabs at Nina's Bargain Beauty! Click HERE to see more!

Nina offers great reviews, knows about all there is to know about ELF products and her blog is my favourite place for great quality photos showing true colour swatches. Well worth a visit!

Sparkling Summer Scents

Summer's here (apparently!) and we're all hoping for some lovely, warm weather.  But we want to stay fresh, smell good and keep it light, crisp and refreshing.  There are some gorgeous perfumes out there right now that are just perfect for summer, with sparkling citrus notes, fresh florals and blooms and light woods with hints of vanilla.

So here is another one of my top 5's! This time, I'm sharing with you the 5 perfumes I'm wearing and loving right now.  All gorgeous, all affordable and all Summery!

1. Nina - By Nina Ricci

I love this perfume so much, it's totally my number one favourite at the minute.  I wore this on Honeymoon all last year and I'm on my second bottle already.  This scent is quite sweet, but it's also really lovely and feminine when the initial sweetness settles down. Nina describes this scent as Fresh, Floral & Fruity, with sparkling blossoms.  It's the 'Fragrance of Temptation'....and can be yours for £36.50 f0r 50ml or £49.00 for 80ml. That's a lot of perfume for a really decent price.

2. Benefit - Something About Sofia

This is one sharp scent. Oriental floral tones, with blossoms, mango and vanilla.  It's a really gorgeous scent. While Nina is a fun, light, fruity scent this one is more 'womanly' and a little sophisticated, whilst still remaining beautifully fresh and perfect for Summer.  £29.50 for 30ml, Benefit market this with their usual kitsch style:

A poem about Sofia:She lives in a dream
more dazzling than fiction
Imaginary yet real
she defies all prediction
An incredible girl
she draws you right in
To where the everyday ends
"and magic begins".




3. Sarah Jessica Parker - Covet Pure Bloom

£14.15 for a hefty 50ml bottle on the link to the left.  Seems that this scent is available on all the discount perfumes webstores but according to SJP's site the fragrance is no longer offered or supported, so expect to pick it up at bargain prices.  This doesn't stop it being a really gorgeous, wearable scent. As the name suggests, the fragrance is mainly blooms and florals, feminine, pretty and very summery.  Just a shame SJP has moved onto other fragrances instead of supporting the earlier ones....

4. JLO - Glow

Currently £15.33 on Boots.com for 30ml. This is a really great deal for a really lovely scent.  JLO says :
 

"I wanted Glow to be fresh and clean but still sexy and sensual and feels like you just came out of the shower..."

The ingredients are Orange Flower, grapefruit, Neroli, Rose, Sandalwoood, Amber, Jasmine. vanilla & musk. It sounds like a heady cocktail and it is - but you'll feel like your head is in the cloud! Just gorgeous.

5. Daisy by Marc Jacobs

This was my wedding day scent. The saleswoman in Debenhams said that she had sold the fragrance to so many brides that month and it was so popular it was flying off the shelves. £45 gets you 50ml. This scent comes with a gorgeous range of complimentary products; shimmer body gel, shower lotion, roll on parfum....all perfect for your big day! Layer your scent so that it lasts all day.
It's simply beautiful.  It's utterly unique and instead of trying to describe it, I would say go to a perfume counter and smell it for yourself.  You won't be sorry!


After writing this article based upon the bottles sitting on top of my chest of drawers, I happened to look at the Boots site when getting links for this blog to find that they also list Daisy and JLo Glow in their top 10 Summer Fragrances.  Click HERE to read more.

Splurge Vs Save

Why pay more for cosmetics? 
Why pay £29 for something that you can get for £1.50?  Seriously? I'm not sure that I have got enough spare money to justify spending over £25 more on one stick of makeup, when I can get just the same for £1.50.  In fact,  can get 19 All over colour sticks from ELF for the price of 1 Nars Multiple stick.  Is the quality really that different? Where would you rather spend your money?

So...let me know.  If you did have the money to spare, would you spend it on the Nars? Do you buy this brand anyway? 

I'm interested in hearing from everyone on this.  So leave a comment and let me know what you think!

ELF Swatch Post - Mixed Bag!

 Just thought I'd post a few swatches, a mixed bag really....but to show off some of the lipwear options along with what the transformer palette can do.

Lip swatches - with flash

 

Lip Swatches without flash

Left to right we have ELF value range lipsticks in shades Classy and Seductive. In the middle is ELF Mineral Lipstick in Royal Red, followed by Mineral Lip Gloss in Pageant Princess, lastly there is the ELF Value range Liquid lipstick in Strawberry. These are some of my favourite products and are all gorgeous on.  The Classy & Strawberry are my current favourites.....although I'm waiting for my 75p lip glosses to arrive. Don't you love ELF special offers?!


Elf, glorious Elf :)

Next up, is the Drama quad from the value range.

I've chosen to swatch this one as the Studio eye transformer works better on dark colours, although the colours are so pretty you can also wear them alone. I especially love the lilac shade.


Drama, without flash



Drama, with Flash

Okay so the colours in drama are white, mid grey, dark grey and light grey.  I applied the Pink colour from the eye transformer onto the mid grey (second from left), I applied the lilac shade onto the dark grey and then the green onto the light grey.  The light grey wasn't a very full colour to begin with and the Eye Transformer didn't really add anything new.  Even the mid grey was that amazing.  But the lilac on the dark grey just looks gorgeous. I wish the lilac was available in a large shade on its own; I use it by itself and with other colours....it's the shade in the palette I go for every time.  Anyway, here's the results.  

Drama shades with transformer palette (without flash)




Drama shades with Transformer palette (with flash)


The colour options are endless once you have this palette. I'm going to try this with some even darker colours at some point and I'll post the swatches.  In the meantime, THIS awesome blog has some great swatches.

Shimmer Palette Vs. Shimmering Facial whips?

No contest, in my opinion. I've yet to have a little tube of shimmery goodness that didn't go runny, separate in the tube or gush out in a useless rush of what seemed to be 'gone off' cosmetics.  The Studio Shimmer Palette on the other hand, is gorgeous.  4 colours for £3.50 - bargain.  4 tubes would set you back £6.00 and won't last as well or be as user friendly.
I've swatched the shimmer palette so you can see what shades you get and how they come out:


With flash

 


Without flash in natual daylight


The colours are a gorgeous white that is lovely for highlighting the eyes below the brow bone, 2 beigey/pinkish tones and then a very pretty pink on the end, which I have used on eyes, cheeks, lips.  I do recommend the palette - wouldn't recommend the facial whips!



You know the drill....where beauty meets value ;)





 

E.L.F. (Eyes, Lips, Face) Top 5 Mineral must haves products

Some years ago, I suffered really badly with adult acne. Mix in with this the fact that I have sensitive skin and you can imagine how little makeup I could put on my face.  Still, I tried because I was desperate to cover the swollen, red, sore marks all along my jawline, forehead and chin.  Then late one night my mother said she'd been watching a shopping channel and knowing what it meant to me to find something that worked, she had ordered me some makeup.  It cost her a small fortune for a few tiny pots, but when it came it was completely worth it.  Full coverage, non-irritating and it left a beautiful finish that looked almost photo shopped! It boasted that it covered birthmarks, spots, dark circles....and it really did.  That product was Sheer Cover.



Sheer Cover starter kit - yours for £60

I won't knock Sheer cover, because it works.  It was there when nobody has really heard of Mineral makeup and it helped me camouflage my acne. I'm now acne free, but because I know that minerals are lightweight, let the skin breathe, don't clog pores and help your skin stay healthy, I still use it and always will.  But, I changed brands.  ELF Minerals are just as good as Sheer Cover, in fact their mineral booster is lighter and better than the Sheer Cover finishing powder.  So, without further ado, here are my top 5 from the ELF mineral line.  Before I launch into it, here's a little something to put ELF incredible value for money into perspective:



Sheer Cover Foundation - £21.95 for 4g



ELF Mineral foundation £3.50 for 2.84g

It's a no-brainer really, isn't it?!  Okay, you get less of the ELF mineral foundation compared to the Sheer Cover pot, but if you buy TWO pots of ELF, that's 5.68g and still only £7.00. That's why Elf Mineral Foundation is number 1 on my top 5 must have products.

2. Mineral Concealer - £3.50

What the Mineral foundation doesn't cover, the concealer picks up and finishes the job.  Blackheads, dark circles under the eyes, even red nose after a cold....the concealer gets it all.  I've never had a blemish or skin problem that a combination of the foundation and concealer didn't solve.  It's light, kind to skin and does not sit heavily on the face. You'll hardly know you're wearing this, apart from when you look in the mirror and flawless you smiles back!



3. Mineral Booster - £5.00 (large), £3.50 (small).

It's step 3 of your mineral makeup routine so it makes perfect sense for it to be number 3 on my list.  The booster is the equivalent of the white Sheer cover finishing powder....it's just as sheer, just as good and just as light and kind on your skin.  If your skin is in a good way and doesn't really need foundation or concealer, the booster can be worn alone for such a pretty, sheer, matte look that compliments any skin tone and helps you glow.  Love this product! But the large and it will last you for months.


4. Mineral Lipstick - £3.50

These lipsticks are gorgeous. I've used far more expensive brands with much less staying power, that have done nothing but dry out my lips and make my skin crack.  These beauties are silky soft when worn and deliver lovely, subtly sheer colour. They last quite well and although they are quite sheer, the darker colours do give great colour pay off.  The lipstick shown left is Pouty Petal, a gorgeous pink that I think will flatter just about everyone. I must be honest and say that I like these so much I wish they were in the £1.50 range....but you get what you pay for I guess and the extra £2 spent here is well worth it and very noticeable.  I also have and can recommend the following shades; Rosy Tan, Royal Red and nicely nude.

5. Mineral Eye Brightener - £3.00

This product is my new favourite and I can say only good things about it! It does what only a combination of Benefit's Eye Bright and Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat could previously do for my eyes.  It really does brighten, widen, soothe and transform tired, discoloured eyes. I've heard some people say it can be too dark on pale skin tones, so try mixing with the High Def Studio Powder for an even more flattering, sheer, pretty look.  Wear alone for a natural look or you can use as a base - I do both and it works great every time.

Coming in just outside of my top 5 must haves are: Mineral Lip Gloss, Mineral Blush, Mineral Eye Liner and Mineral Eyeshadow.

Gorgeous Mineral Selection available from www.eyeslipsface.co.uk

I'd love to hear from other ELF'ers! What are your favourite Mineral products? Or what have you tried that you didn't like?  Have you been converted from another brand? Let's take makeup :)