5 From Collection Cosmetics

March 6, 2015March 28, 2015 - Vicki 19 Comments

I thought I would start a new series on the old blog & over the next few weeks share with you 5 products from different brands. For week 1 I have picked Collection, I do own more than 5 products from this brand but these are the 5 products I have picked to share with you. Collection or Collection 2000 as they used to be known is a very affordable brand & I know most people know them for their Lasting Perfection Concealer & I must be the only person that doesn’t get on very well with that product. So that isn’t in my roundup.

Collection Cream Puff Lip Cream – In Cotton Candy. The colour is a pretty dusky rose pink which applies evenly and creamy on the lips. It feels moisturising & it dries to a velvet matte finish. Despite this being a matte finish it doesn’t feel drying at all & wears off the lips evenly after a few hours. Its pretty, cheap & it smells so good! Thats 3 reasons you should buy it, if you haven’t already.

Collection Work The Colour Lip Butter – In Perfect Plum This plum shade is really vibrant and is so easy to apply. I like that its not overly glossy and the formula doesn’t feel slippery or greasy on the lips. It wears really well on me & I think these are my favourite budget lip crayons, so affordable. I just hope they release a few more shades.

Collection 2000 Blush in the shade Trouble – This is a pretty pink blush with a slight shimmer. It gives your cheeks a flushed look and I love to wear it as a Summer blush. The blush is soft and the power feels very fine. I think it looks pretty on me when I have a hint of a tan. Have you tried any other Collection Blushes? I’d like to buy a few more if you have any recommendations.

Collection Big Fake Curves Mascara – I think we need to address the size of the brush first, its enormous & a very odd shape too. I found it quite hard to use at first & often it ended in me poking my eye (very painful). If you persevere its actually a pretty decent mascara. The formula is quite dry but it was easy to apply and made my lashes look long, full and fluttery. After a full day wearing this there was a a little flaking under my eye but nothing that would stop me using it. If you like big brushes that coat each individual lash to give you voluminous lashes then give this mascara a go.

Eyes Uncovered Nude Bronze Palette – I’m a neutral palette ADDICT (which I have confessed on here many times)! This Nude Bronze palette is beautiful and for an affordable brand the colours are pigmented and very good quality. I have swatched the 6 colours below & all apart from the first swatch (which is a very first light cream shade) have shown up pigmented and even. All the shadows have some shimmer in them, so if you want a more matte palette then the Nude Palette might be the one for you. The colours are easy to blend & have a little fall out but nothing that tapping your brush off won’t solve.

All three of these new palettes retail at £3.99 & I think that’s incredibly good value for money. If you have bought any of them let me know what one you went for & how you’re getting on with it.

Let me know what products you would recommend I try next from this brand & let me know if you have tried any of the products I’ve mentioned.

Favourite MUA Products

February 27, 2015February 10, 2018 - Vicki 5 Comments

I have quite a few MUA products in my collection & I find that on a whole their products are very good value for money. They have a really good selection of makeup, brushes & eyelashes. I have rounded up my favourite products from them & thought I would share them with you. I’d love to know what products you would recommend from MUA.

Undress Me Too Palette £4

I have a few of the MUA 12 pan eyeshadow palettes but this is my most used & loved. It has 12 neutral shades in and has been compared to the Naked 2 Palette, I don’t own that palette so can’t say if it holds up as a dupe but I love this palette. The packaging might feel a little cheap and plastic but it is thin and easy to travel with.You get some good mattes and a mix of metallic finishes and shimmers. I have never used the black shade but it is SO pigmented (it scares me). Every time I use this palette I can’t believe how little it cost. For £4 everyone should own this palette.

Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder £3

This reminds me so much of the Mac In Extra Dimensions Collection. I bought this powder not expecting much and it turned out to be a really pretty light pink highlighter. A little goes a long way so don’t use too much of a heavy hand. I put a little on the tops of my cheeks. It really is very pretty and for £3 everyone should have it in their collection.

Bronze Shimmer Kisses £3

This reminds me of the Soap & Glory Solar Powder (which I LOVE). It has 4 colours to swirl your brush in for that perfect bronze glow. I have even been using the lightest colour for a brow and inner eye highlighter too & the colours also work well as eyeshadows. It is a multi-use product in my opinion. Which makes them even better value for money.

MUA Powder Blushers

There are six of these to pick from & at £1 each they’re a bargain. I have four out of the six and I use them all the time. They are all pigmented, blend-able and really good quality. The packaging of these isn’t wonderful, don’t travel with them otherwise, you will end up with more product in your makeup bag than in the pan! I have seen that MUA has released Whipped Cream Blushers & they look gorgeous too!

MUA Baked Trio Eyeshadow in Chocolate Box £2.50

These are really pretty metallic shadows that can be used wet or dry. They are pigmented and easy to blend. You get a bronze shade, purple toned taupe and a burnt orange. I like all three colours and even after having this in my collection and using it a fair amount I still haven’t made a dent in any other the shades, they’re going to last me a very long time. The packaging is a little bulky & cheap but I think they have repackaged it to be more compact.

**MUA Sweet Sheen Lip Balms* £2**

These have been the newest addition to my MUA stash & I LOVE them. I have done a full review of them here. In a nutshell, they’re hydrating, glossy & give your lips a pretty wash of colour ideal for the warmer months. These are part of MUA’s new Spring collection.

Let me know what your favourite MUA products are & if you’ve tried any of the ones I recommend.

** MUA are giving you 10% off your order www.muastore.co.uk Just use the code MUALTB10 when you checkout. Valid until 04/03/15 **

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However , f I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

Glo & Ray Makeup

February 19, 2015March 8, 2018 - Vicki 6 Comments

Glo & Ray are a new discovery for me, it is a British made brand (which I like) and they made their debut in 2012 so they’re still quite a young brand. Although relatively young their products have been so well received and have quite a following so I was excited to try out a few products from their range.

All three of the products I have been trying have the sleekest, sophisticated black packaging. They look & feel expensive and really good quality. You’re not frightened or hesitant to throw these products into your makeup bag & take with you on the go. I have had the lippie in my handbag for weeks & the cap never comes off & the packaging is holding up very well indeed.

Glo & Ray Mariposa Golden Dunes Quartet Eyeshadow* £12.50

These shadows look gorgeous in the pan and they scream Summer bronzed makeup to me. I love that sun-kissed beach look in the warmer months & this is the quad for achieving that look. The shadows are soft and easy to apply, the lightest cream shade is a little harder to work with and not very pigmented but it still gives you enough colour and brightens up the lid. The metallic grey shade is also quite light that doesn’t let this palette down as the gold & bronze shades are utterly gorgeous and are beautiful worn alone or as a more intense smokey eye.

I have been wearing the bronze shade on its own quite a lot with a touch of the lightest cream just in the inner corner. All the colours are long wearing and I found you can build them up without them looking powdery or getting fall out under the eye. Packaging as I said is lovely and sleek, and there is a good sized mirror inside which is so handy.

Glo & Ray La Amo Creamy Matte Lip Colour in Freeze* £12.00

This is a very pigmented matte nude lipstick. If you’re into the Kylie Jenner lip look which is popular at the moment then you will love this colour. It has a slight rosy tint to it which really warms up my face. Although it is matte it doesn’t feel drying, it has a slight sheen to it when you first apply it.

Lipsticks never wear very long on me but this lip colour did a great job of staying put & even after drinking a few cups of tea I had a good even coverage still on my lips. This wouldn’t have been a colour I would have picked for myself but I have to say I am converted to a nude lip now. The packaging has a magnetic closure which is a nice touch and the sleek black packaging with simple white lettering looks grown up and expensive.

Glo & Ray Nuage Solo Blush in Star Dust* £11.00

Well, I wasn’t expecting this to be as stunning as it is. It is a beautiful peachy pink with an iridescent finish. This will be my Spring / Summer blush of choice as it adds a fresh bright colour to the cheek which lifts your whole face and makes you look healthy and glowing.

The updated formula of our Nuage blush contains Refractive Crystals for a multi-dimensional look.

I think it is quite a good dupe for NARS Deep Throat Blush, although I think the Glo & Ray one is prettier. It is so buttery and pigmented, there is no shimmer in it so don’t worry about looking like a disco ball. This has been a gorgeous addition to my makeup bag & I want to try more of these solo blushes as they come in a pretty range of colours.

L-R Star Dust Blush / Freeze Matte Lip Colour / Golden Dunes Quartet Eyeshadow

I think this is a brand to keep your eye on in 2015. I have seen quite a few reviews of their Balloon Pop Eyeliner Set & they look beautiful and pigmented. Let me know if you have tried anything from this brand and if you have any recommendations for products I should try.

Products that are marked with a * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However, if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

MUA Sweet Sheen Lipbalms

February 16, 2015February 6, 2018 - Vicki 6 Comments

MUA Sweet Sheen Lipbalms* are part of their new Spring 2015 Collection & I love them. They are available in 6 pretty shades all perfect for Spring. I have 5 of them & they all give the lips a light wash of colour, the darker shades are more pigmented as you would expect. They are all very wearable and it’s nice to finally be wearing some brighter colours after what feels like the longest Winter ever.

All the above swatches are one swipe, I think the colour payoff is quite good bearing in mind these are a tinted lip balm. The colours can be built up – but don’t expect the colours to be bold. They feel very comfortable on the lips and they have a light sweet vanilla scent which I like.

My favourite shades are Cherry Bomb which is a pinky red and French Violet which is a gorgeous lilac. Both are currently in my handbag and I have been loving wearing them. These tinted lip balms make perfect effortless daytime lip colours, subtle but pretty. I like the packaging too and think it is very functional, it’s nice to have a tinted lip balm in a twist up bullet like a lipstick.

Pink Lilly is the lightest shade & is a very light frosted pink colour, it didn’t really show up on my lips. Rouge Rumba is a berry red shade and is one of the most pigmented colour out of the 5 I have tried. Coral Reef is a very pretty peach pink and this looks pretty and fresh on the lips.

At £2 each these are extremely great value and highly recommend getting a few for Spring.

Let me know if you have treated yourself to anything from MUA recently.

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.

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