MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Reckless

Good morning!

Today I have a quick review of a new lip product from MUA Luxe, this is a Velvet Lip Lacquer

I purchased this in three different colours because of those really handy 3 for 2 deals we all love. This particular one is called Reckless and is a perfect Taylor Swift kind of red, I love it.

I've seen quite a few lip products like these with a semi matte finish but I haven't yet found one that I like. I just can't seem to get on with nude colours that give you a 90s look, they seem to look good on everyone apart from me so instead I'm going to stick with reds, pinks and berry tones that I know suit me best!

The red is beautifully bright and flattering on my pasty skin - it's exactly what I was looking for! See a swatch below.

The finish is indeed semi matte and this I also prefer. Some of them seem to be so dry in both finish and on the lips over time, this dried but didn't seem to dry my skin either.

As for wear, it does dry and crack a little over time but this is easily solved by applying more. It doesn't seem to flake off, but rather cracks begin to appear in the dried product.

And above shows the lip product on, I really like it!

It was perfect for a night out and the best part was the price itself.....a bargain £3! And at Superdrug they are currently on 3 for 2 so an even better bargain. I also picked up a pink and a berry colour so expect posts of those soon!

What do you think of the semi-matte finish? Do you love the lip lacquer finish?
Have you tried any other of the MUA Luxe range?


L xxx

Dior Masterclass Splendour Event

Well hello there!

Last week we were lucky enough to be invited to a Dior Masterclass with one of our favourites, the lovely Anthony from Ant Gorgeous

He put on a lovely event where we were able to sit and watch him create a make up look on his gorgeous model and learn a few tips and tricks!

We sat down in the meeting room and were offered champagne and cakes, it had an afternoon tea theme which was lovely.

We sat and went through a number of products and got to try them all out on ourselves, which as we all know is the best thing you can offer make up obsessed people!

The Dior Hydra Life Pro Youth Sorbet Creme felt lovely on your skin and absorbed really well. The lipstick and Lip Maximizer lipgloss were both gorgeous too, I have heard so many good things about the Lip Maximizer and apparently Kylie Jenner uses it so you know it must be good!

A particular favourite was the DiorSkin Forever and Ever Wear, Extreme Perfection and Hold Make Up Base. This was a lovely thin fluid and created a lovely base on your skin, it didn't feel tacky but it did feel like it would hold your foundation for a full day.

The DiorSkin Nude Air Luminizer powder is stunning, such a pretty glow but the pattern is so pretty it would be hard to use!

The Dior Show Brow Styler was a big hit for everyone, it's so thin that creating brows from nothing is so easy. The styler allows you to draw on individual hairs to create a really natural look and it blends easily too.

The collection that everyone couldn't take their eyes off was the Splendour collection, this years festive range was beautiful and the colours are stunning. The eyeshadow palette containing five colours is a highlight and I know will be popular. There are also single eyeshadowsavailable in 8 colours, 2 different types of lipsticks, a lip and cheek tint available in four colours, a blush, nail varnish and illuminating pressed powder.

The colour ranges are typically reds and pinks for the lips and nails, and shimmery metallics for the eye products. Whatever you think of when you see the word Splendour, these are exactly the type of products you would expect.

You can see the swatches on my hand above, the liner, the eyeshadows, the lipstick, lipgloss and blush. Beautiful colours!

It was a lovely evening, I picked up a few things including my favourite DiorSkin Forever  Foundation and also a lipstick. I love the DiorSkin Forever Foundation and the finish it has, but also love that it has SPF35 and no flashback at all. I chose a Dior Addict lipstick in Be Dior, it was my first lipstick from this range so I'm looking forward to using it.

We were also given a gift bag containing a few things I haven't tried before so cannot wait to try them out too!

Have you seen the new Splendour collection? What's your favourite product?

Have you tried the Dior Addict lipsticks and Forever Foundation?

L xxx

Beauty Rehab

Hey all!

Autumn is my absolute favourite month, the leaves changing colour and falling off the trees plus the cold crisp weather, I love it!

It's also a great time to get rid of the old stuff in your own life, so I've been using up as fast as I can. I might start Project Ten Pan soon to try and use some other products up, but I feel like it will take too long!

Go Ape - Crathes Castle

Hey All

Last month C and I headed up to Aberdeen to see some of my friends from school who now live up there. When we got up there we decided we'd go to there local Go Ape. C and I have been before in Margam Park (post here) and loved it so we were happy to go again.

There are multiple Go Ape high rope courses dotted around the UK so I was intrigued to see how this one compared. It all started off the same, you're fitted with a harness and given a safety briefing and  chance to practice how to clip yourself into the different options. You also have 5 areas all ending in a zip line so I guess this is the same through them all. The first is done under the supervision of an instructor and gives you a feel for it then you're let off on your own.

Each section has different bits from step on wood and balancing (or holding onto the wire as you're to scared to balance), to tarzan swings (2 on the course), to tubes to crawl through. There is a lot of variety and at the start of each section there are clear instructions on how to clip yourself in!

I love doing things like this, getting outside, a slight adrenaline rush and a bit of exercise. This was something different to when we went to go ape, one of the zip lines had a skateboard at the start of it you could skate down on!

I was never very good at balance and usually held the wire you're clipped into! 

This is the net you swing into for one of the tarzan swings! I love these, C has the video evidence of an involuntary squeal leaving my mouth on this one! You do hit the net with a bit of force!

I was definitely more practically dressed this time, last time we did the course it was an unplanned day and I did it in a playsuit! oops!! 

This is one of the hardest bits for all of us, I even got a sweat on doing this one, I know delightful info you needed to know! This one also slightly terrified me as I kept thinking if I fell I don't have the upper body strength to pull myself back up! I did it though!

Now to find the next go ape to explore!

Have you been on a high ropes course or go ape before? The two I've been to have been situated in amazing parks which make for lovely walks too so you can really make a day of it.

Love M

xxx

Kiehl's Event - Cardiff

Morning!

Have you tried Kiehls? I've not tried a single product, so when we were invited to an event in the new Kiehls store in Cardiff I obviously couldn't say no.

I didn't know much about Kiehls as a brand but we were given an introductory chat which was really interesting, I had no idea how old Kiehls was nor how it started. Being a scientist I appreciate the fact it started as an apothecary waaaaaaaay back in 1851 and some of the developed products are still used to this day.

When they say the products have been 'expedition tested' they really mean it too - some of these products were used in trips to the top of Everest and in Greenland. They also help a range of charities including HIV/AIDs and local schools, plus they have a recycling program where you can return empty products for new ones by collecting stamps.

Collection Conceal and Light Like a Pro Palette

Hey all!

As everyone else seems to be, I'm totally obsessed with concealing, contouring and highlighting my face. Sometimes you have the time to spend to do the job properly, other times (like Monday mornings....) you don't, and that's where the Collection Conceal and Light Like a Pro Palette comes in.

I picked this up on a random shopping trip when it was on offer, it was £3.99 then and is £5.99 now.

I was attracted to it firstly because of the price but also because of the range of colours that would suit my skin tone. The concealer was really light and the contour not orange, so this was hopeful!



There are 8 shades in the palette in total, all of which are cream concealers. I would say that 2 of these are typical concealers, 2 shades for contour and cream bronzer, 3 for colour correcting and then 1 for under eyes.

Obviously this is taking into account that I am super pale, anyone with a tan or darker skin would be able to use the shades differently to me.



So these are the first four, the top 2 I use as concealers and the bottom 2 I use as the contour/bronzer as appropriate - sometimes if I'm tired I'm totally washed out and the darker shade can look too orange but is a great shade for bronzer and bringing some much needed colour to my cheeks!

Helpfully I have swatched them in rows so the images don't match up - I will have to remember this next time!

Below are the other four shades, top are the reflective pink (undereyes) and yellow contour (good for covering up purple areas - under eyes, veins etc).
Bottom shows the green (good for redness) and blue/lilac (good for yellowing skin tones that may look a bit pasty and dull)





I've been using this the last few weeks with both a Real Techniques Expert Face brush and also a Beauty Blender sponge and have been getting on quite well (for my first cream product palette at least!)

They are swatched below for you to see, it should be pretty obvious which is which but they are arranged 1-4 is the top row, 5-8 is the bottom:





These are swatched quite heavily but blend easily into the skin to correct any issues. Primarily I use the lightest concealer and the pink reflective ones for undereyes and blemishes, the darker concealers I use for contour and bronzing. The others I use as and when depending on how i look in the mirror on that day!

I find they blend well with my make up and do the jobs they were intended for, however they may not last a full day. I've used them for work but by the time I've been to the gym after work there isn't much left, I'd probably get something longer lasting if I was intending to use similar shades for a wedding or full day event but for every day usage they have been great, especially for the price.

I've heard great things about concealer palettes like this and I'm glad I finally picked one up and had a go.

Have you tried concealer palettes like this? What are your favourites? Do you use all shades or just a few?

This is well worth the £5.99 price tag and I'd recommend anyone give this a try!

L xxx

Lush Snowman Shower Jelly

Hey all

As you can probably tell from my last few posts I've been loving the Lush Christmas and Halloween range and have lost a lot of my wages to it!!! Today is the Snowman Shower Jelly. I think shower jellies are a love hate. My first pot I wasn't convinced on then by the second I was hooked. I love them. As expected they are slippery little things but they lather up well and smell delicious so I can't resist them! The snowman is no exception!

The Snowman smells so good! I knew straight away L would love his scent but she's not totally convinced on texture. This little guy is packed with lemon, bergamot and buchu oil. It's got an amazing fresh citrus scent to it.

I tend to break my shower jellies up into smaller pieces so they aren't so big and slippery or you do sometimes end up chasing it around the bath tub! I have had one shoot straight out of my bath!! They really lather well and like all lush products leave a great scent on the skin. Another tip you can see on the tub that I like to use is to freeze a few pieces so that after a long day I can massage it into my legs!!

As an extra bonus the tubs also count to getting a free face mask!

Are you a shower jelly fan?

Love M

xxx

Lush Lord Of Misrule and Snow Fairy Shower Gel

Hi all

Earlier in the week I shared my thoughts on Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb (post here) I love it so much I've been back and grabbed two more since! I think I've always missed the halloween products previously as I'd never tried Lord of Misrule.

The scent isn't one that grabbed me straight away if I'm honest....but at the event they mixed it with snow fairy!! I'm not part of the snow fairy lovers, it's a touch to sickly sweet for me (that doesn't stop me having two bottles in my collection though!!) Mixing snow fairy and lord of misrule though gives my perfect scent. It's sweet but not over powering and has a great peppery undertone!

After smelling the two mixed I had to buy Lord of Misrule and I'm so glad I did. Lush shower gels are more expensive than normal let's not beat around the bush there but for me they are worth it. They're cruelty free, which is something I know only buy, they are so thick and luxurious you only need a small amount so they really last especially if you use a shower puff and the scent really lasts on your skin. Yummy mummy in particular (if it's bought out again for mothers day I can't recommend buying it enough!!) last so long I don't always wear perfume!

Lord of Misrule is only available until 31st Oct so snap it up quick!

Love M

xxx

Miss Patisserie: Rainbow River Bath Ball

Morning all!

Both of us here absolutely love a good bath and spend a lot of our time in Lush and Miss Patisserie - in fact I think between us we have tried most of their ranges which are quite extensive! We couldn't possibly choose between the two and why would you? Both have managed to create amazing products of their own so no doubt we will keep going back for more!

Today's post is about Miss Patisserie's  Rainbow River bath ball. M has previously written a post on this but I still decided I wanted to share my thoughts, her post is here if you'd like to read it. 

Rainbow River is a bath ball with a whole load of beautiful bright colours inside - there's blue, yellow pink and a few hidden extras!

The main scent for this bath ball is lavender to help calm you down but there's also some shimmer too which let's face it, is a great addition to absolutely anything in life. It's like coconut oil, great for anything!

The best thing about this bath ball is the bath art, or bath porn depending on who you are.

The colours and swirls from this fizzing bath ball are absolutely stunning! I bought this just before Glastonbury as a treat for myself when I got home, but I was too tired even for that!

Now were a few months later and Autumn is well and truly here I thought it was about time I reminded myself of how amazing Glastonbury was and how fun and carefree it is. The colours instantly remind me of the festival and I need to go and buy more Rainbow River to get me through the winter months!

Rainbow River costs £3.85 each unless you buy them in a box with a few others like above and then I believe they are 4 for £12 in the box.

It was the store's first birthday this week so there was an event to celebrate. I can't wait to share my new purchases with you as I've got a few newbies!

Have you tried Rainbow River? What's your favourite product from Miss Patisserie?

If you are from South Wales do you regularly pop in to the store or do you prefer to bulk order from the internet?

L xxx