JULY FAVOURITES BABY!

Can't believe we're already at the end of July!?! Feels like this year is whizzing by, before we know it, we'll be running around like headless chickens in preparation for Christmas! Anyway, before we get all depressed and start to wonder where the year is going, I have my July favourites for you!

1. MUA Heaven & Earth Palette and the MUA Undressed Palette both £4.00 - I've found myself using these two palettes continuously this past month! They both have every nude/natural colour you could want, and since I love a good natural eye, these two palettes have had my back. They both contain 12 shades each, and consist of both matte and shimmer shadows, so they're both fantastic to keep in your bag so you can switch your eye look up through day to evening if you're off out. 

2. George Shimmer me! Shimmering brush on powder in Heaven Sent £3.50 - I was wondering around in ASDA and was looking through the makeup section when I saw the George stand, which is ASDA's own clothing and makeup brand. I saw this shimmer brick and thought it looked so pretty, almost like a sunset effect. The colours are beautiful and I couldn't help but pick it up, at £3.50 it's a steal. The powder has 5 different colours which can be used all together to create a beautiful peach/pink flush or separate  It isn't too powdery and the pigmentation is AMAZING. I'd definitely recommend having a browse next time you're in your local ASDA, the selection of makeup is fantastic.

3. Sleek Shimmer Blush in Rose Gold £4.49 - This is one of the best blushes I have probably ever purchased, and I'm a bit late on this one. From other reviews, it's apparently very much like NARS Orgasm which I have never tried so I can't really comment on that but from the reviews and pictures it does seem very very similar  It has an amazing subtle gold sheen which looks amazing. I'm going to be doing a full review very soon so keep your eyes peeled!

4. Rimmel Anti Shine powder in Transparent £3.99 - I really love this powder, it seems to be the only one I've used that has kept my face matte throughout the day. It doesn't turn your makeup caked which is a plus! 

5. St. Moriz fake tanning mousse in Medium £2.99 - I absolutely adore this tanning mousse! I love their liquid tanner too! You can find a full review on the mousse here. 

6. L'OREAL Paris Elvive ExtraOrdinary Oil UV filter £8.49 - Still loving this hair oil, it helps protect my hair and keep it moisturised and frizz free. I've noticed when I don't use this oil, my hair becomes dry, stiff and brittle. It's amazing.

7. Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour felt tip eyeliner in black £2.99 - I've been using this for months now and it is still my favourite! The felt tip makes it easy to apply and the liquid liner comes out blackest black. It doesn't go flaky or crack either, which is a must! Budge proof!

8. Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara in Ultra Black £7.99- I apply this over my Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara and it adds more volume giving me long thick fluttery lashes. Absolute must now!

9. Rimmel London Scandaleyes Mascara in Extreme Black £6.99 - LOVE this mascara, it's my go to for everyday looks. It gives me longer lashes, and lasts all day with no lid transfer. If I'm going out for the evening I coat the Bourjois clubbing mascara over the top to pack a punch of volume! I find I don't have to wear falsies either, yay!

10. L'OREAL Lumi Magique Touch Of Light Highlighting Pen in Light £8.49 - This is pretty expensive for a concealer/highlighter pen but it is so damn worth it! I've seen a few YouTube beauty guru's rave about this product and I caved. It's amazing at covering up dark circles! A full review to come ;-)!

11. Chanel LEVRES SCINTILLANTES GLOSSIMER in the shade MICA £21.00 - I've had this for a long time, and I was never really crazy about it but this month it has been creeping into my handbag many a time, and I have to say I have fallen in love. It's perfect in creating full looking lips, it's pigmented and non sticky. Hoping to get my hands on a few more shades soon!

12. MUA Eyeshadow Trio in INNOCENCE £1.25 - This trio is not only perfect for travel, has the most amazingly pigmented shimmer shadows that all compliment each other and can be worn together for a smoky look or alone, but it's also only £1.25... it's nuts! The shades are so beautiful and I find compliment my brown eyes nicely. I can't believe how pigmented these are too!

13. MUA Nail Varnish in ALL NUDE £1.00 - You can't go wrong with the MUA nail varnishes, especially for the price. The quality are amazing, colour pay off is exceptional for the price and longevity is cracking. Lasts more than a week chip free! I've been loving this bone colour recently! 

14. Curious by Britney Spears Parfum £22.00 - I've found myself reaching for this a lot this month. Its a beautiful fruity meets floral scent and perfect for summer. 

What's been your most favourite product this month? 

Lauren xo

June Favourites

I can't believe we are already at the end of june! Seems crazy that we're already in summer, and before we know it we'll be in Autumn freezing cold and complaining... this year is going far too quickly!

My favourites have changed a little bit, and you'll probably see most products that I've done past reviews on. So, let's get into it!

MUA Undress your skin illuminating foundation in porcelain £5 

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll probably know I've done a past review here where I go into more detail. I went through a phase where I didn't actually like it because my skin was breaking out bad and so I put it down to this. A couple of months on, my skin is much better and I've been turning to this as an everyday quick go to foundation and it's not broke me out, phew! It's pretty pale and I'd say a good match to a porcelain fair skin (don't you find a lot of other brands shade of porcelain is pretty dark?!) but I don't use it when I have fake tan on obviously. I really like the coverage and the effect it gives. Read my post on it for more information :)

Bourjois Volume Clubbing ultra black mascara £7.99

I mentioned this in my recent haul post but didn't go into much detail as I hadn't got a recent feel for it. I used to use this all the time when I was about 16 and absolutely loved it. Obviously since then I've used more mascara's and know what I like and what I don't like. I forgot how cakey it can make your lashes if it's not used correctly and felt disappointed when I initially tried it when I re purchased it. Since then I've been using it after I use my Rimmel scandaleyes mascara and it works perfectly! I use it to thicken my lashes but you do have to be careful not to create a spider effect. I think it's worth buying if you tend to use multiple mascaras.

NYX HD concealer and Full coverage concealer pot duo in Light £10.00

I was pretty excited to get my hands on these, not only because they're so hard to come by in the UK but I've also heard amazing reviews on them! I have an account with Very, and found them on there for £10.. which isn't bad considering the quality and you're also getting two when only one bought separately would probably come to £10 anyway. I really like them so far, I use the concealer wand for under my eyes and the pot for cleaning up around my brows and for blemishes. They're both very creamy too which is a massive plus. I'll be doing a review soon!

St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse in Medium £2.99

I absolutely love this tanner and won't use anything else now, you can find a review here. I recently found it in pound stretcher for £2 which is 99p less than what I got mine for but either way it's a bargain and the quality is amazing, as is the outcome from using it!  

Batiste dry shampoo in dark & deep brown £3.99

Not much I can say apart from it's a good dry shampoo... it does what it's meant to and the hint of colour stops you from getting that ghastly white powder on your hair! It's the only one I will use now!

L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary oil £9.99

I did a review on this a few months ago and I hated it! It wasn't what I was used to when it came to hair oils but this month it's all I've used! I've been using this every time after I wash my hair to put moisture back into my ends and I also use it after styling to tame frizz. It does feel a bit strange, almost like alcohol and smells like it too but nonetheless it does well. They have a few different types of Extraordinary oils, this one has UV filter for coloured hair, which I need since my hair is dyed red!

Primark Eyelashes in Sultry £1

I love primark lashes! If I'm on a budget or broke but need me some glamorous lashes, I'll pop into primark and pick these up. I don't really tend to buy any of the other styles, I tend to like these sort of wispy lashes. Their durability are really good considering it's from Primark. Massive thumbs up.

Rimmel lasting finish 1000 kisses lip tint and balm 5.99

I love lip tints! I tend to opt for these for during the day and even for clubbing as it doesn't budge whilst I'm drinking. If I wear lipstick, it always ends up on my chin and it's pretty annoying so I always keep one of these on me even if I am using lipstick at the beginning of the night. I own two of the shades which are Blushing and Kiss me. I really want to find a true red one! They don't last all day and gradually fade from your lip leaving an outline which doesn't look really obvious. The balm at the end of the tint helps since the tint can be a bit dry, the balm gives a lovely glossy look. 

Urban Decay Good for one fare eye shadow in Midnight Cowboy £14.00

I've owned this eye shadow for years and as far as I know it's out of stock on the Urban decay website but you can find it here . I've been using this mainly on nights out as it's VERY glittery and would look a bit Edward Cullen ish if worn in the day. It has a lovely beige colour with silver and gold flecks of glitter which look amazing placed in the centre of the lid on almost any eye look. 

MUA Matte Eye shadow in shade 17 £1.00  

As you can probably guess, I'm a big fan of MUA products and think their £1 shadows are amazing for the quality and pigmentation. I use this shade 17 all over my lid. It looks a bit brown in the picture and in the pan but on the skin it transfers as a lovely neutral beige. It's completely matte too and is perfect for everyday wear and as a base for other eye looks.

Topshop blush in the shade Flush £6.00

Isn't the shade pretty? It's a lovely pink/peach lightweight cream to powder blush and looks amazing on fair and tan skin tones. I'm not sure how well it would transfer on darker skin tones as it's pretty lightweight and doesn't have a harsh pigmentation like you'd think it would. I like using this on its own during the day, and then using it at night under my Dainty doll blusher for more impact. I can't wait to try the other shades from the topshop blush collection

Have you tried any of these favourites? 

MUA Power Pout Lip Tint Review

MUA Power Pout Lip Tint in Broken Hearted

I've been craving one of the MUA Power Pout lip tints for absolutely ages! They look pretty much like the clinique chubby sticks but for a huge fraction of the price at only £3.00. I bought mine in the shade Broken Hearted, which is a stunning watermelon red shade. It's a shade that would compliment all skin tones. 

The formula itself is sheer but buildable and works well as an everyday lip or if packed on, can work as a pretty evening lip. I really love these sort of products as I'm not the sort of girl that loves always applying lipstick, which can be pretty drying on the lips. I find that this product wears off really well and doesn't leave a line of colour around the lips and nothing in the middle, which isn't a good look! It also smells like mint chocolate ice cream (?!) and I sometimes have to refrain from putting it on my tongue... it smells that nice! Can't say that it would taste as good if I did, though!

Like I said previously, it looks exactly like the Clinique Chubby Stick. It's nothing too amazing or in your face, but still looks sleek and cute.

This is it applied :) I like to build mine up! I really want to get my paws on the other shades, I think I'm getting addicted!

Have you tried the Power Pout lip tint yet?

My daily make up !

from top left to right
 1. Undress your skin Highlighting powder

2. MUA Bronzed Perfection Bronzer

3. Collection Sheer Loose Powder

4. No7 Lift and Curve eyelash curlers

5. Benefit's They're Real Mascara

6. Collection felt tip eyeliner

7. Prestige Black Kohl Eyeliner

8. MUA Brow Kit

9. Estee Lauder Blush (Disontinued)
10. Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Ivory Nude
11. MUA Undress Your Skin Illuminating Face Primer
12. MUA Cover and Conceal concealer wand
13. Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light
14. MUA Pro Base Fixing Mist
15. MUA Pearl Eyeshadow in Pearl
16. MUA Undressed Pallet 
17. Rimmel Apocalips Lip creme in Big Bang

Hi guys!

I thought I would do a quick post on my everyday make up, as I find these sort of posts pretty interesting. I always like to see what people are buying and using daily, it gives a good insight into what they really find the best for them.

I live by the rule that no matter what you should always have a good high-end foundation. It is, after all the base and foundation of your beauty look. Without a good base, an even canvas, your make up most likely won't turn out as perfect as you'd like. With everything else, you can experiment with different drugstore/highstreet alternatives!


So first off after moisturising my face with some good old E45, I spritz my face with the MUA Pro Base fixing mist and then wait for a few seconds before moving on to my foundation. With this Estee Lauder foundation, I find you have to work pretty quickly to get the best results because of it being long lasting it sets pretty quickly. I use my Real Techniques Buffing brush to work my foundation in, I do this for a while to make sure it is completely worked into my skin and doesn't look cakey or uneven. I then move on to concealing, which is usually just under my eyes. I mix both Collection Lasting perfection and MUA cover and conceal together under the eye and then blend with the Real techniques buffing brush once again. I then Powder my face with the collection loose powder with a big fluffy blush brush and then go over my entire face with the MUA Undress your skin illuminating powder, to give my face a lovely glow, it brings life back into the skin. I like to leave my blush and contour until I've finished my eyes etc. so I can see how much I need. 


So, I  move on to my brows with the MUA brow kit, and use both the dark and medium brown with a models own angled brush. Once that's done, I use the MUA Pearl eyeshadow in Pearl on my brow bone, in the corner of my eyes, a little dab down my nose and across my cheek bones (not too much because we've already applied the illuminating powder!). I then use the lightest shade from the MUA Undressed Pallet all over the lid and then contour the socket with the brown 3rd along the top. I tight line with the kohl pencil and create a cat eye with the collection felt tip eye liner. Finally, I curl my lashes with the lash curlers and add lashings of Benefit's they're real. 

Okay so now we can add blush and contour! I don't know why I like to leave it to the end, I guess I feel it's the final thing to do to bring the look together. I contour my cheekbones, temple, hairline, jaw and under my chin with the MUA Bronzed perfection with the Real Techniques contour brush. Make sure to blend this out really well or you'll look muddy and weird with lines down your face haha! I then go on to use my Estee Lauder blush (can't remember the name but I know it's discontinued so use any of your favourite blushes!) and sweep this up my cheekbones with a fluffy blush brush. I find that because I have a chubby face, I can't apply it so much on the apples of my cheeks because it weighs down my face. By applying the colour lightly on your cheek bones, you're further sculpting and lifting the face. A tip is to remember that when you apply your blush on the apples of your cheeks you tend to smile, and so when you drop your smile the apples drop and your blush is further down your face.

Finally I apply a chapstick or a lipstick. Of late I've been into the Apoalips lip cream, and variate between Big bang and celestial. Celestial is my favourite, though! To finish off I spritz my whole face with the MUA Fixing mist to set everything for the day!

PHEW! That was long to go through! I was thinking about doing a video to show this look if people are interested. I could go into the products and techniques I use more but I'm not sure who would be interested watching it! Let me know :) <3

Flawless Skin Primer

MUA Undress Your Skin Flawless Skin Face Primer £5

Can you tell I went on a bit of a manic spend on the Undress Your Skin range?!

This is the primer from the Undress your skin collection, and it does not disappoint. At £5 (an introductory price of £3 at the moment), it is one of the more expensive items from MUA. I can understand that they will up their prices as they start to experiment and deliver better quality prices. But I imagine they would never go past £10 as time goes on, if that.

Okay back to the product! This face primer is meant to create a radiant base for you to work on, whilst filling in lines, wrinkles and pores. I've not really seen the radiant aspect yet, but I have definitely seen that it gives me a clear canvas to work on once I've applied it and I've worked it into my skin. I was pretty amazed by how good quality it really is. When rubbing it in, I can see any shine disappear before my eyes, leaving a oily free base to work with. There's no smell which is a plus, as I've tried a few cheaper primers and they always have a plastic smell. This doesn't t smell of anything, and has a lovely feel. It obviously has some sort of collagen, because it has that lovely velvet feel as you apply. The only thing with this is that I never know where I've already applied the product, as you can't see the product as you're applying or really feel much apart from the velvet. 

The only thing that got to me is how small the bottle is. For £5, it is really tiny. I was pretty shocked when I opened my package and saw how small it was. The picture online is really misleading. Nonetheless you don't need much product for your whole face and at £5 I would't mind repurchasing a lot.

Other than that little blip, it is a fantastic product. I would recommend to anyone who is on a budget for a quality product that does what it's meant to!

Undress Your Skin illuminating Foundation

MUA Undress Your Skin illuminating Foundation £5

 This foundation is part of MUA's new Undress Your Skin collection, and is one of the more 'pricier' make up pieces at £5. They don't have a vast colour selection; only 3 colours being Porcelain, beige and Golden. You get 35ml, and to be honest when I opened mine it had no silver foil cap on top and felt half empty like someone had already used it. Might not have, but I wasn't best pleased to begin with!

The colour is pretty much spot on for my complexion, and it doesn't oxidise over time so it doesn't leave you patchy or left with a different colour face to your body. The formula is very liquid, and sheer. I would say it's a light to medium coverage but buildable  I would beware of going over the top though as it could become cakey if you have dry skin. That brings me to another point...

I have dry hands at the moment so this shows you kind of what you're looking at if you have dry skin. It will cling to every patch your skin can muster up, so I would avoid this foundation at all costs unless you have normal to oily (ish) skin. It does however go crap when you have oily skin too. It slides off of my nose after around an hour of wear because of how greasy it gets, and powder doesn't help too much to set the foundation. 

Okay I'm not going to lay into it entirely...

I do actually enjoy this foundation, though. It gives a lovely glow to your skin, and perks your skin up nicely. It blends well into the skin but I've found it works better with your hands, I've tried using my real techniques buffer brush and it does work with it but you don't get the right coverage with it. I think because of how sheer it is on the first coat, with a brush it just kind of disappears into the brush. I've not tried this with a beauty blender so I'm not sure on how that would work with this foundation, though I'm guessing it may absorb into the blender, too. So I'd definitely advise to use your hands!

I'd give this foundation a 5/10. I'm most likely going to use this as a heavy foundation alternative  like for days where I'm only out briefly. Nonetheless, I think it's worth a go, it may work better for you! 

Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder

MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder £2

SO EXCITED FOR THIS COLLECTION!!

When MUA announced their new Undress Your Skin collection, I could barely contain myself when I saw the pictures of the products. All products are exactly what I wanted MUA to bring out. Not only are they affordable to a part time working student like myself, but their product quality for the low price is second to none.

The first picture I saw (and the most exciting personally) was the Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder. At an introductory price of £2 (usually £3), this highlighter reminds me of MAC's Mineralized skin finish in Soft and Gentle. It can be used as a highlighter for your cheek bones/brow bones/nose etc. or used all over as a powder; which I prefer to do as it gives a dewy glow absorbing the excess oils on my skin. What excited me even more, was the beautiful design on the highlighter. It looks more expensive looking and fancy with this design, which I like, otherwise it would look a bit boring and like any other high street highlighter. As you may have also noticed, the packaging is white, too! I think it looks pretty sleek considering I'm into more black packaging, I think it holds up MUA's idea of a new line completely. 

Obviously, this may not be a product for those that don't like to use highlighter, but I do have to say it's not so shimmery that it scares you off. It has a subtle shimmer, that perks your skin up and like it says completely transforms it. You don't look cakey, or oily, or tired looking. I really recommend highlighters generally to bring out parts of the face, but I also recommend this powder to replace your normal face powder and then maybe use another highlighter on top to bring out other areas? It's completely up to you, and that's what I love about this product; you can work it to what best suits you. 

Have you tried any of the new Undress Your Skin collection yet? 

Pink Crush

MUA Lipstick in Pink

For some reason the shade isn't on the website at the moment. I'm not sure if it's because of the recent 50% off they did and subsequently led to items being out of stock. I am sure you'll be able to pick it up in store, though.

As you probably know, I am a bit of an MUA fiend. They are an amazing company, and I always buy their products and find myself stalking their facebook for any news of new items that I can get my grubby mitts on. I think 50% of my make up draws are MUA, they're my loves.

This lipstick was a bit of a whim buy, as I don't tend to buy baby pinks, but due to my lack of baby pink, I got one anyway. It's a subtle pink, with a creamy consistency  I think due to the colour, and it being sheer when first applied (but build able , its staying power isn't too long, but looks lovely nonetheless. I'm not too fussed on staying power, because I tend to constantly reapply my lipstick for something to do, but for others it could be frustrating. 

99.9% of MUA lipsticks are long lasting, and as I said before, It's probably because how sheer the colour is. What I love about MUA lipsticks is the little pot of gloss that comes with it. Very cute, very unique.

What's your favourite MUA lipstick?