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Posts tagged £3
FashionistA Fashion Secret Flawless Primer
2
4 weeks
by Naomi in Face
One product I’ve always struggled with is face primers. I have an allergy to salicylates, and for some reason almost every primer I’ve ever seen or tried has had some form of salicylate in, and has brought me out in red rashy spots – not a good look! I’d just about given up looking for a primer suitable for my skin when, whilst browsing MUA’s online sale, I came across FashionistA’s Fashion Secret Flawless Primer. MUA are currently selling off loads of FashionistA products at heavily discounted prices, and at £3 down from £10 I thought I might as well give this one a go.
Going by aesthetics, this primer isn’t especially exciting. Just a simple grey tube with a wide nozzle which, quite frankly, makes quite a bit of mess as it lets out far more product than you actually need. But as they say, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and what’s inside this IS special.
Almost every other primer I’ve encountered has had a heavy, creamy consistency, so I was quite surprised to find that this one is a clear, lightweight gel. At first I was a little put off as I expected it to be a bit greasy, like hair gel, but a little goes a long way and it actually glides on perfectly and forms a silky finish which is the perfect base for make up. My skin always feels so soft and smooth when I’m wearing this, which is lovely, but it does leave an odd residue on your hands after application which needs washing off.
In my experience, both liquid and powder foundations apply easily over the top of this primer to create an even, flawless finish, and quite impressively one application keeps your make up in place all day, which for me is the sign of a very good primer! Furthermore, I’ve been using this for over two weeks now and have had no sensitivity to it whatsoever, so this is a great little product for allergy prone skin (although check the ingredients first, obviously!)
Make up over primer.
Without a doubt, FashionistA’s Flawless Primer is worth every penny I paid for it, and I’ll definitely be stocking up before it sells out. It is available online from MUA here, and costs £3 for 30ml.
Will you be trying it?
Naomi x
NOTD: Avon Colortrend Nail Enamel in ‘Violet Freeze’
4
1 year
by Naomi in Nails
I know, I know, this is my second nail post in a row, but I just couldn’t resist sharing this beautiful shade with you all! I received this Colortrend Nail Enamel in my Avon delivery on Tuesday and as soon as I saw it I thought it was so pretty.
In the brochure and online the varnish is called ‘Violet Freeze’, but for some strange reason it says ‘Very Violet’ on all its packaging. I’m not entirely sure what its real name is, but I’m going to go with ‘Violet Freeze’ as it is an icy blue shade with a multi-tonal tinge of pinky purple. It’s by no means a dupe, but think Models Own ‘Aqua Violet’ or ‘Indian Ocean’. As you would expect of a multi-tonal nail varnish, the colour changes in different lights… In inside light, the blue is lovely and reminds me of the colour of the Disney Cinderella’s dress, but outside is where you see the full beauty of it. The violet hues really come through and alter in depth depending on how you look at your nails. I just can’t put into words how stunning it really is!
The varnish is very sheer – to achieve the coverage seen above I had to apply three coats, and you can still see the white tips of my nails through it. It was no fuss to apply though… It covered my nails evenly with no streakiness as the formula is very cooperative, and it dried impressively quickly. The Colortrend nail enamels have DEFINITELY improved since the range was overhauled! It hasn’t chipped yet either which is always good.
All of the Colortrend Nail Enamels are currently on offer for £2.50 each in Brochure 16 (page 75 if you’re interested), which is a great price for such a lovely shade. Even their usual price is a snip at just £3.
What do you think of this shade? Would you wear it?
Naomi x
NEW MUA Gel Eyeliner in ‘Tribe’
22
1 year
by Naomi in Eyes
Last week, my favourite budget beauty brand – MUA – added various new items of bargain make up to their already impressive range, including Every Lash mascara, the Going For Gold palette and four gel eyeliners. I am a fan of MUA on Facebook and they’re very good at updating their fans about offers and new releases, so I always know in advance when something exciting is going to happen. So, on launch day, I rushed off to Superdrug to pick up this new Gel Eyeliner in the very vibrant shade of ‘Tribe’. I had been after a bluey gel eyeliner for a while so I was extremely pleased when MUA revealed this shade!
The eyeliner comes in a little pot with a brush which clicks into the lid. When I first opened the product I was wowed by how stunning the colour is. The top image of the gel doesn’t really show the true shade, but the bottom one does… It’s a gorgeous turquoise colour with a slight shimmer to it – just what I was after 
I’ll admit, I didn’t have very high expectations of the brush as every other free brush I’ve had with gel liners have been, quite frankly, rubbish. However, I should know by now not to judge MUA by the standards of other budget companies as they really are a cut above the rest, and I will go as far to say that their gel eyeliner brush is the best that I own. The bristles are very soft but they keep their shape, and since this product is so creamy, it glides on like a dream!
The creaminess of the gel and the shape of the brush make it very easy to create a smooth, neat line above the top lashline. The brush is narrow as well so you can easily draw delicate flicks on the outer corners without any mess. The product dries quickly too, so you can build up layers of colour in no time for a bolder, brighter look. Here is how I wore ‘Tribe’ yesterday. I usually try to steer clear of blue eye make up as my eyes are blue and colour matching can make them look grey, but I don’t think this looks too bad.
I can safely say that MUA’s Gel Eyeliner is also extremely long lasting. e.l.f.’s gel liner often needs reapplying after a few hours to keep it looking solid, as does Avon’s, but this one lasted a good 14 hours without smudging or losing its boldness. I didn’t reapply it once throughout the whole day, and it looked exactly the same when I took it off as it did when I put it on – AMAZING. You’d expect it to be difficult to remove after lasting so long without budging, but it really isn’t – it comes off as easy as anything with a bit of eye make up remover.
All in all, I am SO impressed with this product and I want to collect the whole range eventually. I use black gel eyeliner more often than any other colour so I think that will be next on my list, and it will most likely replace the black gel liner that I already use! Each gel eyeliner in this range costs just £3 from Superdrug, which is an absolute bargain. I hardly made a dent in the product after swatching and applying this and I can tell it will last for ages. I really can’t recommend this highly enough! I can’t wait to combine it with other colours to create exciting new looks.
Naomi x
*This product was purchased with my own money and this is an honest review. I am in no way affiliated with MUA or Superdrug*
MUA Lip Booms in ‘Bring It’ and ‘It’s A Situation’
3
1 year
by Naomi in Lips
Earlier this week I ordered two of MUA’s NEW Lip Booms via their website and, after a 24 hour wait, my package arrived yesterday! I have been excited about trying the Lip Booms ever since I heard about them, so I was very happy to get my hands on some so soon to see whether or not they lived up to the hype.
My first impressions were that they look absolutely great. I really like how chunky they are and they look really slick in the classic MUA black packaging with the shiny silver font.
The Lip Boom collection includes 8 stunning shades, and each boom is double ended, featuring a matte lipstick and a glittery highlighting gloss. The two shades I went for are ‘Bring it’ and ‘It’s A Situation’…
MUA teamed up with British pop artist Alexandra Burke to create the Lip Boom range, and they can be worn in four different ways; as a matte lipstick, as a sheer gloss, as a glossy lipstick or to create the illusion of more volume! For the latter look, the trick is to apply the lipstick first, then highlight the centre of your lower lip and the Cupid’s bow on your top lip for ‘fuller curvaceous lips’.
Here is a demo of each look in each shade. Sorry about all the pictures! The top shade is ‘Bring It’, and the bottom shade is ‘It’s A Situation’. As you can see, the glosses are very similar.
Sheer
Matte
Glossy
Volume
I really love both lipsticks when worn matte as they’re easy to apply and nicely creamy. They also stay on for AGES and are fairly difficult to remove, but I see that as a good thing as it means they have the potential to last all day! I thought the gloss looked great as a highlighter too. However, the gloss isn’t just shimmery, it’s glittery, and the glitter is quite coarse, so when there is a lot of gloss on your lips it is really quite irritating! Every time I rubbed my lips together when wearing the sheer and glossy looks, the glitter felt gritty and uncomfortable, so I’m not sure I’d actually wear the gloss like that very often. The gloss also has a VERY strong scent, like creme brulee, which I initially found quite overpowering, but the sweetness soon grew on me. If you don’t like scented lip products though, you probably won’t like the Boom gloss, but give it a chance as the scent fades eventually and leaves no taste.
In terms of colour, both are absolutely stunning! ‘Bring It’ is a bold, daring red which is perfect for a sultry evening look. ‘It’s A Situation’ is a deep violet purple, which happens to be my favourite lipstick colour so this one is definitely my favourite!
Overall, MUA Lip Booms have lived up to my expectations (despite the gloss issue) as they’re versatile, look great and are amazing value for money. Lip Booms are currently available online via the MUA Store and cost just £3 each, and will be in Superdrug stores from 9th May. I think I’ll be getting ‘LMK’ too once they’re in shops!
Which shades will you be trying?
Naomi x
