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!

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.

Rip Off Ebay....

I consider myself a seasoned ebayer shopper.  With over 1000 feedback (and still at 100% - woop!), I have been on there a long time and I’ve had some terrific bargains which I continue to look for.

But recently, I am sad to say that I was well and truly had.  I really should have known because of the price….maybe I had gotten bigheaded and was a little too smug at my £6.95 buy it now for Benefit’s Get Even face powder….all I know is the moment the package arrived and I opened it, I knew something wasn’t quite right.

1. No plastic disc separating product from mirror, so mirror was fogged and wet.
2. Black & white folded leaflet, but poorly printed and badly folded.
3. Differences in the compact compared to previous purchases - despite the recent relaunch and new look.
4. I compared it with my old product and the differences were even more obvious.
5. I just knew it.

   Giving the seller the ‘Benefit’ of the doubt, I emailed promptly to inform them that this was obviously a fake and I wanted something done about it. They feigned ignorance and said they didn’t know as it was an ‘unwanted gift’.  I checked what they were selling and all in, they had approx 100 Benefit ‘unwanted gifts’ for sale.  Go figure.

   I returned it for a refund andreported the seller. What they are selling is CRAP and lord knows what rubbish the product is full of - cheap ass ingredients that could easily irritate sensitive skin like mine.

   I found a Fake guide on ebay to be invaluable.  This is an excerpt - the part about the Chinese language on the leaflet (which mine did have) finally woke me up to the fact that I was being really stupid and nobody sells Get Even at buy it now for £6.95 with free P&P unless it’s fake, useless rubbish.
   

   So research carefully and if in doubt, don’t buy it. This was nothing but a headache!!!

   "Benefit include ‘how to’ booklets with many of their products. Guides with a distinctive ‘Chinese’ look to them; the products etc will be fake. Benefit do not maufacture in China."

   If you really want that fabulous Benefit item at a reduced price, go Duty Free or save up ;) Or better yet, save a ton of money and try E.L.F. products!!

Lush Face Scrubs

Last week I was mostly using Lush’s “Angels on Bare Skin” as a cleanser, a mild but effective facial exfoliater packed full of natural ingredients - what else do you expect from the lovely people at Lush? At £5.50 for 100g, you get a tub packed full of product and you only need a little bit to do your whole face with.  This scrub made my skin feel super soft and clean but it didn’t tighten the skin, which is a bonus.  Normal scrubs tighten the skin and I sometimes flake around the chin, mouth & nose areas.  Also, when applying moisturiser afterwards there was no stinging, my skin just felt even softer and this proves the product prepares the skin nicely for your chosen cream.

Angels on Bare Skin - By Lush

Eager to try another of their facial products, this week I have opted for “Herbalism” as this promises to do everything that “Angels” offers along with being good for oily skin - which I do have.  I’m definitely a ‘combination skin’ kind of girl. Don’t let the fact that Herbalism smells like vingear put you off.  This facial cleanser is brilliant.  While Angels feels nice and gentle and comforting, Herbalism feels like it’s working very hard to make your skin very clean.  Not only that, but after a few days of use my skin was glowing and even seemed younger and more firm.  Bonus!

Herbalism - by Lush

These products never particularly look appealing, but they really do work!  Totally recommend both.  I want to try Dark Angels too but it’s black so I’ve a feeling it will be pretty messy….

How to use? Break off a little product in the palm of your hand, add warm water and gently mix to a paste.  Massage gently all over face and rinse with warm water for a face wash, or leave a few moments to work deeply on your skin, like a face mask.

See the LUSH wesbite for ingredients & more information.

Nice & Natural - total look for £10.50

How to get everything you need for an everyday 'barely there' makeup look for just £10.50

We all like to look as though we just rolled out of bed already looking polished and naturally fresh.  We all know though, that it takes a while in front of the mirror assisted by cosmetics, tools, and tricks to look as though we haven't made any effort at all and as though we're not even wearing any makeup! To achieve this look, you're going to need base, blush, powder, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss. You may not believe that you can get all this for £10.50 but you really can and trust me - it's easy!

Base/foundation/concealer - £1.50

This stick isn't named 'all-over' for nothing! Use it as a foundation, dab it under your eyes and on spots as a concealer (for even more coverage!) and swipe over your eyelid with a fingertip to use as a base ready for your eye shadow. This smells gorgeous, has a great consistency, isn't heavy and won't clog pores.

Blush - £1.50

Experience sheer radiance that makes your cheeks glow and keeps you looking all natural! These cute little compacts helps smooth the skin and minimize pores, while highlighting and sculpting to make the most of your facial features. The shades are so sweet and pretty and can also double as eye shadow (saving you even more money!).

Powder - £1.50

Oil absorbing, clarifying, and packed full of ingredients that help prevent skin imperfections, this cute compact comes with a powder puff ready to use.  Choose the correct shade and this powder will give you a matte, natural finish and take away any shine and keep it at bay all day!

Eyeshadow - £1.50

This eyeshadow quad, shown in 'Ethereal', contains the perfect neutral shades for your look.  Made from Corn Silk, it glides on and helps your skin feels smooth and silky.  It's long lasting and won't crease.  Perfect for everyday wear and to widen, brighten and compliment your eyes.

Eyeliner & mascara - 1.50 each

Brightening eye liner

Earth & water mascara duo

Both long lasting, smear proof and great quality, these basic staples are just what you need to dress your eyes and add the finishing touches. Select the mascara in Brown and the eyeliner in Coffee to keep the look nice and neutral.  It's a good alternative to black and keeps the looks soft and natural.

Lip Gloss - £1.50

The final step in your natural makeup routine! There are so many neutral shades available but Strawberry (left) is subtle, pretty and perfect for Summer. Lucious liquid lipstick in vanilla mint scent....another beauty bargain.

Believe it or not, there's a way to make this look even more budget friendly by replacing the blush, eyeshadow and lip gloss with an all over colour stick, perhaps in 'toasted' as shown below. These 3 in 1 sticks have been specially designed to work on your eyes, lips and face. They condition, soothe and freshen the skin and keep your look natural and healthy.  You'll glow from the inside as well as the outside while you smile about all the money you saved!

I'd love to hear from you! What's your favourite product for keeping your look natural and fresh?  What tips and hints do you have so that all your lumps, bumps, tired eyes and tired skin are concealed while all the time people wonder if you even have any makeup on....?

Leave me a comment! I love to talk makeup.