Nails: MUA Pistachio Ice Cream

Pistachio Ice Cream

I may be the only beauty blogger that doesn't yet own the infamous Mint Candy Apple by Essie so I was super excited when I found this dupe from MUA Cosmatics called Pistachio Ice Cream.

Now as I said I don’t actually own Mint Candy Apple so I can’t compare the 2 but from swatches I’ve seen they are pretty damn similar and the bad boy only costs £1, a hell of a lot cheaper than Essie.

The colour is gorgeous, it applies with ease and it lasted a good 3 days on my nails without chipping, for £1 you can’t really ask for much more.

If you’re not a nail snob then I really recommend checking this line of polish out, I’m hoping to pick up some more colours on my next Superdrug trip.

Are you a fan of MUA?

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram

Haul: The Beauty Bits

Real Techniques Blush Brush and Stippling Brush

I wanted the stippling brush to apply my cream blushes and it just so happened that the brushes were buy one get one half price in Superdrug so it would of been rude not to pick up the blush brush too right?

MUA Pistachio Ice Cream, Barry M Blue Grape and Mango

The Famous Essie dupe and these gorgeous Barry M colours are perfect for summer.

Natural Collection Waterproof  Mascara, DrJart BB Cream, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

I'm so excited to try this DrJart BB Cream! The mascara was only a bargainous £1.99 and the concealer is a staple in my make up bag.

M&S Shower Gel, Nivea Face Wipes

I picked this shower gel up while I was in the queue at Marks and Spencers it smells delicious. I'm not usually one for face wipes but on holiday they are a must.

Mini Nspa Shower Gel, Aussie shampoo and Conditioner, Nivea Deodorant L'oreal Salt Spray

Asda have a great deal on miniatures at the moment, 4 for £3! The Salt spay was down too £2 and I want to stop using so much heat on my hair so I can't wait to create a textured Holiday look with this.

As promised here are my new beauty purchases for my holiday. What are your holiday essentials?

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram

Stars of 2012

I can't believe I'm writing this post as not too sure where 2012 has gone! Nevertheless I thought I would put together a post dedicated to those products that I have had a love affair with this year.

Skincare

Since this time last year my skincare routine has had a radical makeover, long gone are the days where I can only be bothered to use face wipes to remove my make up, oh no, I'm an absolute skincare fiend! These are the products I believe that have transformed my skin this year.

Avene Gentle Gel Cleanser. After receiving a sample size of this I've never looked back, the formula is so gentle it leaves my skin feeling great. I use this every morning and if you have oily/combination skin I cannot recommend this enough.

No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser. Who knew you could find such a fantastic high street version of Liz Earle! I am a fan of Liz Earle Cleanse and polish don't get me wrong, but this stuff works exactly the same and is bigger and cheaper. I use this every night and it removes every scrap of make up.

No7 Beautiful Skin Purifying Mask. Another No7 product but I had to include it. An essential for pampering my skin I cannot tell you how ridiculously velvety soft this leaves my skin feel, its like an exfoliator and mask in one, you really need to try it to understand the level of softness I'm talking about here. I love it, I use this about twice a week for a little skin treat.

Caudalie Beauty Elixr. A product that I was so hesitant to buy but can no longer live without. I love a multi purpose product and this is great as a toner, for setting your make up and for just giving my skin a boost through out the day.

Liz Earle Moisturiser  I love this stuff, I use if every night and it really helps my skin recover while I'm sleeping. I also use this before I do my make up to go out in the evening to really prep my skin.

Make Up

As with skincare my make up routine has had a massive re vamp, priming my skin? Applying foundation with a brush? Thank goodness I found the light.

MUA Undressed Palette. An amazing alternative to the Urban Decay Naked palette. MUA eyeshadows really are among the best out there, they are so pigmented and easy to blend, I cant actually remember when I reached for another Palette.

MeMeMe Seventh Heaven Moisturising Facebase. I have tried a few different high street primers but this little pot of loveliness wins hands down. It smells delicious and holds my make up in place for the majority of my day

Max Factor Eye Brigtening Mascara. I do love a mascara and has to be my favourite of the year. Its fantastic at creating volume and length but doesn't clump, leaving you with lovely luscious lashes.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush. This has probably been the most significant change in my make up routine. I use this brush to apply my foundation and it gives a completely flawless finish. I could never go back to just applying with my fingers and if you don't own this brush, why not!!

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer. This will cover your blemishes. Fact. For £4.19 its a wonderful product that I can't live without.

Hopefully while you are reading this I am in a Country pub, snuggled up by a log fire with a glass of mulled wine. I hope you had a great Christmas and got lots of new beauty products you cant wait to post about!
 

MUA Lipstick Shade 2

Shade 2

My lipstick mission continues. If you don’t know I have a bit of a bright lip phobia, I love reading lipstick posts but I kind of convinced myself I couldn't pull off statement colours, and that they just looked a bit trashy on me. I have been in awe of all of the gorgeous fall lip colours going around at the moment and while I couldn't bring myself to pay a lot for a lipstick that I may not even wear I figured MUA Cosmetics was the way forward. I love MUA eye shadows so why not give their lipstick a bash too? After all they are only £1!

I opted for Shade 2 which is a gorgeous light plum colour and I've got to say that I don’t know why I've never picked up one of these lipsticks before! The colour is very pigmented and leaves a lovely satin finish.  The formula is very creamy so it applies very easily and it doesn't dry out my lips and I actually don't think it looks that bad on me.

For £1 I really don’t think you can go wrong, I mean it’s only £1 people! I’d say they are definitely on a par with other high street lipstick brands.

You can purchase MUA products from Superdrug or on their website HERE.

What do you think? Have you tried any MUA lipsticks or would you recommend any more of their products?

Can you believe this time next week it will be Christmas eve! Eeeek I'm excited, just this horrible week of work left and then I'm off until the 2nd January what a treat. I'm still waiting for my last two Christmas presents to be delivered so hopefully they will arrive soon, I won't be happy until they are here and everything is wrapped. Have you got much time off over Christmas?

MUA Undressed Palette

Undressed Palette

Oh I do love a neutral palette. I am already the owner of the MUA Heaven and Earth Palette which I use constantly, so when the Undressed Palette was released I didn't really think I needed. However after seeing a couple of reviews and swatches I decided, yes, I actually do need it in my life.

I purchased this from the MUA website while it was on offer for £3 (its usually £4 so still not breaking the bank). This palette is complete value for money and an essential for every make up bag.

As with the all MUA eyeshadows the quality of these is fabulous, they are so pigmented and it’s so easy to create a perfect smokey eye effect. My particular favourite is shade 2 which is a gorgeous highlight colour and shade 4 which I usually use all over my lid.

Have you tried any MUA products? Do you like their palettes?