Whats In My Make Up Bag?

What's in my make up bag?



Okay so I did this post a good while back now but looking back on it it was a little rubbish to say the least and thought I would do a more updated version. I am still in the process of writing blog posts of my make up collection but it is taking a while to write up and photograph everything but I will post it all soon :)

You may notice there are no lip products in my make - up bag... as I change it up every day I usually pop in which ever I am using that day :)


I don't tend to take my make up bag out with me daily either, unless I am staying over somewhere and I need it the following day, I tend to just pop my powder, mascara and lipstick in my bag so I can just top up throughout the day if I need to.

MUA Pro Brow Eye Brow Kit

As you can see this is a little worse for wear and the writing is all rubbed off. I use this every single day (even days when I wear no other make up) as I hate my brows and always fill them in. It isn't an outstanding product but it does the job for me. The mirror is really handy and the mini tweezers included are really good.

Soap and Glory Thick And Fast Mascara

This is my current favourite mascara. I got it for Christmas in the S&G 'Best Of All' gift set. It makes my lashes look really thick and I really like it so far. I would definitely recommend it if you have very short lashes.

MUA Mosaic Blush in English Rose

I like swirling my brush around the different colours in this blush to create different looks. I will be honest in saying the colour pay off isn't excellent, as it isn't the most pigmented product in the world, but that is good for me as I have very pale skin and find most blushers way too bright. You can also double this product up as a multi - purpose item as it could be used for bronzer or high light.

Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in 65 Pink Gold

This is a gorgeous cream eye colour. It is true to its word, it stays on all day and doesn't crease which I find a common problem with cream eye shadows. It is such a wearable colour for me on a day to day basis and is so pretty.

Soap and Glory Smoulder Kohl and Super Cat

I adore both of these eye liners. The pen is very fine and gives a precise line, and the kohl pencil gives great definition and is very black and doesn't fade throughout the day.

Sleek Palette in Au Naturel 601

I use this palette most days and find the shadows have great colour pay - off and last well too. The colours are all natural, brown and cream tones which blend out really nicely. I also use this palette on my eyebrows too, it has a great selection of natural colours.

Collection Pressed Powder in 18 Ivory

I repurchase this product all the time! It doesn't last a great amount of time but it is a decent powder for me, and  I have found it is one of the only high street powder which matches my skin tone. I have used it for years and still love it now.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain

I recently bought this and so far so good! It is a great match to my skin tone and gives a great finish. The only thing that annoys me about it is that it is in a glass bottle, which often gets knocked about in my make up bag.

 Collection Primed and Ready Primer

I bought this just a few months back and it does the job, not perfect but good value for the price and it is nearly finihsed now, I have another primer ready and waiting to test out once it is gone.

No 7 Cheek Colour in 22 Candy Pink

This is my favourite blush to date, it looks really natural and gives my skin a healthy flush of colour, I use it a lot more than the MUA Mosaic Blush but occasionally use them together.

Stila Illuminating Concealer in Fair 03

This has almost finished, boo. It has been a decent concealer but doesn't hide my dark circles very well, I think I will try out the infamous collection 2000 concealer instead next time.

What is your holy grail product for your make up bag? Mine is eye liner!

Review: MUA Undress Me Too Palette

MUA Undress Me Too Eye Palette

With the success of the MUA Undressed Eye Palette; which has been duped for Urban Decay Naked Palette, brought the release of their second palette 'Undress Me Too', which again is packed with shimmer and matte nudes for an ever day, natural eye look. This has been donned as the dupes for UD Naked 2 Palette; as I don't own either UD products I can not compare but for a bargain of £4 I picked up MUA's 'barely there' eye shadow palette to give it a whirl. 

Packaging and Information: 

The Undress Me Too palette contains 12 eye shadows, the product being made in the UK and is 9.6g. It costs £4 and it is available to buy from most larger Superdrug stores, Superdrug's website or the official MUA website. (It is currently reduced to £3 on both websites too, bargain). The packaging for Undress Me Too is in a sleek white case, different to all of their other palettes in their usual black case. The packaging is nice but nothing extra-ordinary, the colours are represented well and even have shades names for each eye shadow on the back of the palette.

Pigmentation:

I've got to be honest, I was a little disappointed with the pigmentation of some of the shades, mostly the mattes as they weren't very pigmented at all, in particular 'Naked' and 'Lavish'. I am aware MUA is a very affordable brand, and for £4 for a palette with 12 shadows, I cant really complain but it is a little bit of a let down seeing as thought some of their other palettes (Heaven and Earth for example) are much more pigmented.

Swatches:

L-R: Naked, Devotion, Shy, Fiery, Lavish, Dreamy

L-R: Tranquil, Exposed, Reveal, Wink, Obsession, Corrupt

As you can see from the swatches above, the matte shades are not very pigmented at all. 

What are my overall thoughts?

I thought the palette has a nice selection of colours, lots of nice natural tones and also shimmery greys and a black which would make a great smokey eye I am sure. I liked using it although I do think my Sleek palette is much more pigmented and better quality. The shadows last well only if worn with eye primer beneath, I found they slid off through out the day when I tried wearing the shadows without a primer. I probably wouldn't repurchase this in the future as I have enough neutral palettes to last me a life time, but I do think this would be great for anyone on a budget as it is so affordable. I have always been a huge fan of MUA products, and even though I like this, I wouldn't say I loved it and it isn't as pigmented as some of their other eye shadows I own. If I were to give it a mark out of 10 it would probably be 6/10.

Have you tried any of MUA's new products? What are your thoughts?

Congratulations to my giveaway winners!

Just wanted to write a quick post to say a big congrats to the lovelies that won my give away's!

The lovely Rachel won my Glam Eyes give away! 

The lovely Nicola won my Sugar and Vice give away!

I have contacted both of the winners and have sent out the first prize, just waiting for a response from the second winner so I can send out hers! Congrats to both of the girls :)

Thank you for everyone that entered and I will have another giveaway sometime in the future!!

Hope you are all well.

xxx

Jan, Feb and March Collective Haul

Hi everyone! I haven't written a haul post in a good while now, mainly because I don't really go shopping a lot these days. I went shopping with Clare last weekend though, and a few alone shopping trips in the past few weeks, so thought I would share some things with you.

Warning - picture heavy!

Skater style dress from New Look

Superdrug Eyebrow Shapers

Mac Lipstick in M.A.C Red 

MUA Undressed Me Too Palette 

Sam Fat Hair Hair Spray 

Two Packs of Jemma Kidd Make Up 

Tresemme Special Value Pack

Philosophy Christmas Cookie 

Soap and Glory Eye Brightening Moisture Serum

Soap and Glory Cosmetics - Lipstick, Eye liner and Lip balm

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Soap and Glory Body Firming Serum

No 7 wipes and Superdrug Cotton Wool Oval Pads

Dorothy Perkins Sweater Jumper

Dorothy Perkins Bracelet Trio (sale)

I have done a little bit of shopping the past few weeks which is kind of rare for me these days as I haven't been shopping for quite a while now. As you can see I picked up quite a few beauty bits! Also I got a few essentials, two clothing items and some bracelets too.  It isn't like me to impulse buy but I had quite a few soap and glory vouchers which is why I bought quite a few of their products, and generally I am quite thrifty and look for the best deals so pretty much everything I bought was purse - friendly :)

Looking back at this post makes me realise how much I have actually bought in the past three months, its crazy how much you buy in just 12 weeks! I am considering doing a 50 day spending ban like I did last year (you can read all my posts about it here) because I don't think I need to be buying this many beauty products when I have loads to use up anyway!

What have you been buying lately?

I won a give away!

I know it is a little bit of a controversial subject, but I am known to enter a few competitions and giveaways. I started entering competitions a few months back on a website called The Prize Finder and I also enter a few give aways held by some of the blogs I follow, too.

At the end of January I was excited to find I won the lovely Jess's blog giveaway! I love her blog and she is a really nice girl so was a lovely surprise to find I won her give away :)

I thought I would share with you the amazing goodies she sent to me. She was far, far too generous! Such a lovely girly! Definitely check out her blog, she writes great reviews!

Her parcel arrived in the sweetest pakaging, she wrapped them all up in tissue paper and stickers! It was so lovely. The card was so cute too! I keep all the cards people send me so I shall keep this too. :)

Now Jess shared a picture on her blog showing the prizes which were two packs of earrings, benefit sunbeam, 2 nail polishes, a barry m lip crayon and and lip balm. She sent some extra goodies too! How kind is she!

Wow! So so so amazing! Lots of lip balms which I adore! I adore MUA products and have been loving this blusher! I have used Nivea skin care for years and this creme is a must have for me! And the barry m lippie is a beaut! All of the goodies are lovely and so me. I have been wearing the wish bone earrings non stop :)

Thank you so much Jess, I really appreciate all of the lovely things you sent me! :)

Do you enter any competitions or give aways?

Quotes For The Happy Soul

Hi everyone, today I felt a little glum, and whenever I feel a little down I have a folder on my computer with lots of happy and inspirational quotes which always makes me think and cheers me up. I thought I would share some of these pictures with you all. Hope you are having a great weekend!

No 7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes

No 7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes, Boots, £7

Now, normally, face wipes aren't really something I would dedicate a whole post to here on my blog. This week though, I have been doing a few short reviews on some brilliant products I just haven't had chance to write up about. These are no exception.

No 7 are an exclusive brand to Boots in the UK. They sell some pretty amazing products, a favourite of mine are their nail polishes as they last for a long time. 

These facial cleansing wipes are my favourite. They are really wet and don't dry up quickly. I love the packaging as it has a plastic lid which shuts properly, not just a bit of sticky paper which never sticks down after opening the first time! 

I do think the price of these is a little ridiculous as you only get 30 wipes in a pack, but there is almost always those No 7 £5 vouchers floating around so I always buy them in bulk then for just £2 each.

Have you tried these facial cleansing wipes?

Review: MUA Eye Shadow in Shade 2 - Pearl

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MUA Eye Shadow in Shade 2 - Pearl  - £1

Today I am talking about one of MUA's pearl eye shadows which is shade 2.  

The packaging is standard MUA, pretty basic but doesn't look overly cheap as you would imagine for a cheap product.

The colour of the shadow is a shimmery white, which is good for highlight and the inner corner of the eyes so a multi purpose product.

It seems a good quality product, and doesn't cause a lot of fall out which I find with a lot of cheap eye shadows.

It is very pigmented as you can see in the above picture, which is quite surprising as it only costs a pound. It lasts longer when using eye primer beneath, as I have found without primer it does slide off throughout the day. 

I think this colour is just a really useful one to own as it can be used as a base to an eye look, used as an overall colour, or even as a highlight for your eyebrows, cheeks or eyes. Its worth then teeny tiny price tag!

What are your thoughts on MUA products? 

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment

Macadamia Natural Oil Treatment 10 ml *

Retails at £5.75

I was really pleased to receive a small bottle of Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment in my Bloggers Meet Up Goodie Bag, which also included a deep repair masque which will be reviewed here soon too. 

I had heard a lot about hair oils and had never really delved into this type of hair treatment before. I was a little reluctant to use an oil in my hair as I have naturally oily hair which gets greasy very quickly.

It is advised to use on wet or dry hair, I haven't tried it on dry hair but I use it on damp hair after just being washed and quickly towel dried, where I just drop a small amount onto my fingers and spread the product evenly through my hair. Then blow dry and style as normal.

 I have been using this every other hair wash since I received it, and I have actually noticed it leaves my hair with a glossy finish and feels more silky and soft than usual. It seems to almost tame some of the frizziness my hair always has, and my split ends don't look half as bad after application. I have no idea how it does this but my hair feels much healthier having used this. I have been using it for well over a month now, I haven't noticed huge changes to the condition of my hair but it has made an improvement. It has made me consider buying more hair oils in the future, when before I would never of thought about it. I think the full sized bottles of this are pretty expensive, I am not sure whether I would pay £36 for a full sized bottle for this product as it is pretty expensive, but I would spend the £5.75 for this size, as I still have about a third of it left I think it is a product which would last quite a long time.

What are your thoughts on hair oil treatments?

Confessions of a Blogger Tag.

When did you start your blog?

I started writing my blog in December 2011 just after Christmas! I have been blogging now for about a year and three months which is crazy.

How long does it take you to edit/write a post?

It completely depends on the post - my 'Tips On How To Get Brilliant Bargains' and 'Guide To Sales Shopping' took a lot of time, around a month-two months on and off, so thats probably the longest time I have spent editing a post. Generally speaking though, if I am writing a review on a product it will take 2 or 3 hours (I am rubbish at writing so I am constantly going back to change my errors and bad grammar!).

Have you had any past online presence before? (blog, YouTube)

I have never had a blog before. I had a freewebs website back in the day (anyone remember that!)  and numerous piczo websites which I constantly edited and updated. I loved making these little websites. I have always loved to take photographs even from a young age (before it was the cool thing to do!), and I loved having my own little space to make look pretty and write about things voluntarily and through choice of my own, so I guess I can see why I enjoy blogging as much as I do now.

Why did you start a blog?

I enjoyed reading blogs and I was after a hobby. I read blogs for a good while before hand and just sort of decided one day I was going to make one for myself.

What was your first post?

My first post was an introductory post - its about four lines long! I laugh when I read it back now but I will never delete it.

Are you a spender or saver?

 I don't think I am either really. I never ever splurge unless it is for someone elses birthday gifts, I love bargain hunting though and spend my money on saft things I will never use.

What type of post do you enjoy writing or recording?

I love sharing what I've been buying or doing reviews of new beauty products. I also enjoy doing tags as they're more personal and readers can get to know me better.

I really like writing about monthly empties/favourite products of the month, I am not sure why but I like to share my thoughts and how I found the product! I like writing about a lot of beauty and bargain hunting type things, I am useless at NOTD posts and that sort of thing 'cause I am simply rubbish at any form of nail art so I just could never write about something I have little knowledge/interest in.

Do your friends and family know about your blog/channel?

My family know I have a blog, my boyfriend does too and constantly moans I write about boring beauty stuff and I should start writing about gaming (Uh No) ha ha. None of my friends know though, not sure why but I just haven't yet told anyone about it.

What Clothing Item do you wear way too much?

I wear leggings every day, so yeah that'd be it! I love wearing leggings as they are so comfortable ... although, as I am overweight, and constantly wear leggings, I never realise how much weight I put on as they stretch with me! Ha ha.

Are you more likely to buy a bag or a pair of shoes?

Thats a difficult one. Because I am not that interested in either really! I love having a nice handbag (or my suitcase as my other half refers to them) but I don't lust after handbags and I am the same with shoes! I am more of a jewellery kind of girl.

Are the outfits that you post really what you wear in out?

Off course, I don't do many outfit posts but I do genuinely go out and wear them cause other wise what is the point? I will honestly tell you that I live in my pyjamas at home so any effort for getting dressed is only made when I actually go out ha ha.

Who or What inspired you to start a blog or channel?

A few years ago I read an article in Cosmopolitan about blogging and it really intrigued me so I hit up google and found the whole beauty and fashion blogging community online. I started following a handful of blogs but kind of forgot about it as I had just started University. In 2010 my sister introduced me to the world of vlogging and 'beauty gurus' on youtube and I found it really interesting and got addicted! I started finding more blogs through youtube and began following and engaging in the blogs again. In December 2011 I decided I wanted to make my own blog and that I did!

What's your style mantra? (in other words, what does style mean to you. I think....)

I am a no hope when it comes to style... I don't know how to put outfits together and am envious of those who can! I just think your own style comes from within and you should embrace the way YOU want to look :) as long as you feel comfortable, happy and confident in what you wear who cares if it is in this season or if it is stylish or not.

What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?

Off course it is being able to communicate with like minded people! Other than my sister no-one really gets how crazy I get over beauty products so it is a great outlet to be able to speak to those who love the same things I do, and it is so rewarding that there are people actually interested in reading what you write and speaking to you, commenting on your posts, following your blog and even communicating with you on other social media websites. It is rewarding that I have people that read my posts I find it so heart-warming! Being part of the blogging community is very rewarding, and I have even had the opportunity to meet up with fellow bloggers, and have even made some friends too!

What is the most discouraging thing that happens to you?

To be honest I cant think of anything for this. I have never been or will be in blogging for numbers (amount of followers, amount of PR companys contacting me etc) I do it because I like doing it. It is an added bonus that there are some amazing people that read what I write too!

Whats your lasting motivation or inspiration?

I think its pretty simple really, other blogs and bloggers are my complete inspiration when writing posts. My lasting motivation is my interest in what I am writing about! I think that is important, you have got to be really interested in what you are writing to stay motivated and I think as long as you keep your content to things you enjoy writing about, you will be fine!

Hopefully that gave ou an insight into what I am like and why I blog! If you blog, what is our favourite thing about blogging? If ou read blogs, what is your favourite thing to read about?

March Wishlist

What I am lusting after as of late...

1. New Look Black Belted High Neck Skater Dress £9 (Sale) 

2. Topshop Lips in Bombshell £9

3. Dorothy Perkins Kardashian Khloe Bootcut Jeans £20 (Sale)

4. Boots Calvin Klein Euphora EDP 30 ml £33

5. River Island Black Pinafore Skater Dress £22

6. Superdrug Elvive Extraordinairy Oil 100 ml £9.99

I don't often write wishlists here on my blog, but just lately I have been lusting after a few things online. I adore the Kardashian line in Dorothy Perkins at the moment and I cant believe how gorgeous these jeans are and in the sale too. I adore plain black dresses as you can dress them up or down; this one from New Look is gorgeous and as it is a high neck it is great for me as I am flat chested. I love pinafores and dungarees so when I saw this pinafore from River Island I fell head over heels in love! I must get it. Calvin Klein are my favourite scents and I really adore Euphoria, I think I am going to save up my Boots Advantage Card points for it (in at £20 so far!). I have never tried Topshop lipsticks but this vibrant pink is gorgeous. I have really been getting into hair oils recently with the hype over argan oil, I saw a few good reviews on this elvive oil and it made it to my wishlist. 

What made it to your wishlist this month?

Collection Primed & Ready Make-Up Primer

Collection (2000) Primed & Ready Smoothing Make - Up Primer £5.99

I bought this primer a few months ago when it was first released by Collection (around the same time when they were in one of the beauty boxes) as my favourite L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer had ran out, I wanted to try a cheaper alternative to priming my skin read before applying make - up. 

The packaging to the product is quite nice for a cheaper product, it is in a black tube with bright pink writing. I like that it is is not in a glass tub as it is easier to use from a tube applicator. 

The texture is silicon and is a clear colour, which I much prefer to skin coloured primers. It is smooth and is easy to apply to the face, For me personally I think it is an okay primer, it makes my make - up stay on for a longer time, but I don't think it is the best primer out there, because if you apply too much onto the face it ruins my foundation application. I don't think it helps to hide any blemishes or pores on the face, either.

In conclusion, I think it is a decent primer for the price. It makes make - up apply a little smoother and last longer, but the amount of product you use has to be very little for it to work well (for me anyway) and doesn't really cover an blemishes. It does the job though and is a really good price for a primer, I would probably purchase again but it wouldn't be a 'ust have' holy grail product for me. 

Sugar and Vice GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY!! 

The lovely ladies at Sugar and Vice kindly sent me this beautiful piece of jewellery for one of you lucky readers to win - isn't it gorgeous!

Head over to their website as they have some other absolute beauties over there.

The beauty you could win is this gorgeous Birdhouse Necklace which I fell in love with the moment I clasped my eyes on it.

This give away is UK ONLY sorry! 

How to enter: 

The first two rules are mandatory

1. You must be a GFC follower of my blog and leave your GFC name on the raffle copter form below.
2. Leave your email address in the comments below so I can contact you if you win!
This step is optional, and will give you an extra entry

3. 'like' Sugar and Vice Facebook Page 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Bargains of the Week: Tresemme and Philosophy

Tresemme Moisture Rich Luxurious Moisture Shampoo 500 ml and Instant Refresh Waterless Foam Shampoo 150 ml Pack, around £1.87, B & M 's

Philosophy Christmas Cookie Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath 480 ml , £3.50 at Boots

This weekend I went shopping on both Saturday and Sunday, I haven't been shopping for a good while so expect a collective haul soon.  I had read Sara's blog post about finding some of the Christmas Philosophy products in her local Boots reduced, so I went on a mission to find some myself, only in my local stores they had none. I went to Birmingham with Clare on Saturday where we had a hardcore shopping session. In Boots I found a shelf full of a fair few of the Philosophy Christmas Shower Gel, Bubble Bath and Shampoo bottles for a bargain of £3.50. There were other scents like eggnog and a berry one, I opted for this one as its super sweet and that is my favourite kind of scent. I cant believe they still had Christmas stock left over, and considering this cost £14 prior to Christmas, it was such a huge saving! I know Christmas has been and gone, hey we are in March, but it wont stop me using this as I don't think it is too much of a festive scent.

On Sunday I went shopping (again, I know, awful) just to get a few essentials and I saw this is B & M. I thought it was a bargain as it was under £2, and in the value pack there was a 500 ml bottle of shampoo which is a bargain in itself as this retails at £3.59 (although it is currently on sale for £2.39 in Boots). The other product was the Instant Refresh Waterless Foam Shampoo 150 ml, which intrigued me as I am a huge fan of Dry Shampoo, I wanted to try this spin on things. It was quite difficult to track down elsewhere so I assume it is an older product, but I am not sure. I did find it online on Lloyds Pharmacy retailed at £4.38 so I got a really good deal having both for under £2 saving around £6.10.

Have you found any bargains recently?

OOTN: Cocktails With The Girls

Jumper: F&F at Tesco

Jeggings: New Look

Heeled Boots: Next

Last night me and my girl friends headed off to TGI Fridays to celebrate one of our pals birthdays. I have only ever been to TGI's once before but it was delicious just as last time! I opted for a Canadian Burger like last time, which was yummy yummy. We had a fab night and ended the night in town, very unplanned and I felt a bit out of place with what I was wearing (hehe) but was a great night. 

I bought the jeggings in the day when I spent the day with lovely fellow blogger and friend Clare, along with a few other bits which I shall share with you soon! We had a great day shopping and Starbucks off course :)

Heres a photo of us yesterday :) doesn't Clare look lovely, she just had make up done in MAC :)

How was your weekend? 

Hope it was a great one!

xx