MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer | Review

Hello Lovelies,

I hope you're all having a great weekend. Sunday is definitely my favourite day of the week, one spent trialling new products and researching online. Today I come to you with a review of one of my stand out products of 2013. It comes in the form of the MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers.

Matte is like the beauty equivalent of marmite - you'll either love or you'll hate it. Personally I am a huge fan of the trend having rocked a matte gel manicure on more than one occasion. It was massive for A/W 13' and everyone wanted the perfect velvet complexion. 

I spotted these beauties on the MUA site when I was making my first purchase. My immediate thought was they were an identical dupe for the Lime Crime 'Velvetines' a product I had been lusting after for months. Unfortunately for us Lime Crime is not available in Ireland. At £3 each I just couldn't leave them behind. I picked up 2 shades.

Left is 'Reckless' and Right is 'Atomic'

 'Reckless' which is the perfect blood red with blue undertones which instantly makes your teeth look whiter and brighter. It has been my go to lip product over the festive season. I have rocked it at every given opportunity. 

'Atomic' was the second shade I picked up. On the online swatch it looked corally and I immediately thought of summer. On actual application it is a vivid orange which is even better. I LOVE it and cannot wait to rock it with a tan this summer.

They are uber pigmented and look so good on. You simply apply the with the doe foot applicator like you would with any other gloss, smack your lips to insure the product doesn't gather in places and leave it dry for a second and you're good to go.

What I will say about them is that they are not the product to wear if you're planning on a 4-course meal as excessive moisture will lead to the product crumbling on your lips. However if it a few drinks with the girls you're planning you won't need to reapply it any more than you would with regular lipstick or gloss.

Of course you can get the equivalent from the higher end of the market. Giorgio Armani's 'Lip Maestro' lip lacquer for example. However, I don't see the point in spending 7-8 times the price of the MUA version for the same end result. Do you? 

I am so obsessed with these little beauties, so much so I'll be purchasing the remaining 3 shades. They are available to buy here at £3 a piece. 

Are you pro or against matte? 

December favourites

So it's that time again.. Monthly favourites time! To say December has been hectic is an understatement.. Between last minute Christmas shopping, family reunions (my aunts return from Oz) and Christmas itself. It has been a whirlwind of fun, food and festivities. 

Santa was extremely generous this year and I received some beauty bits that I have been lusting after with quite some time. Undoubtedly many of these will make an appearance in my January favourites if they haven't been reviewed in the mean time. I cannot wait to delve into them all! 

But for now. Here are a few bits I have been absolutely loving throughout the month of December.

The Body Shop 'Ginger Sparkle' Collection - €18.99 (for the set)

I have never been one for the typical spicy/cinnamon winter scents. But this? This caught my attention immediately. I mean.. How cute is the tin? Not only is the tin cute but the products themselves smell ah-mazing! Such a comforting scent. There really is nothing better than lathering on the body butter after a hot shower, putting on some cozy Jammie's and curling up in front of the fire with a good book and a tin of sweets - sheer perfection! I could see myself using this collection all year round.

MUA Cosmetics - Undress your skin foundation in the shade 'Beige' - €6.02

Now I know I have only reviewed this foundation recently but I couldn't not include it my monthly favourites as it has been my go-to foundation all month long and In all honesty it has hardly left my face. For something so ridiculously cheap it has been such an investment buy! I'm in L-O-V-E!! You can read my full review here. 

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in 'Reckless' - €3.61

Continuing on with the same brand and another product I have reached for at every given opportunity is this little beauty. It is two of my favourite things combined. The classic red lip, mattified. I have worn it to all my Christmas parties and have even rocked it around the house in my pjs. I also picked it up in the shade 'atomic' an orangey red colour. I have a feeling I'll be going back for the rest of them. Reviewed here or check out my Instagram for some snaps of it on.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - €10.50

THIS!! Omg this brush. If it was humanly possible to be in love with an inanimate object, then it would be mad, passionate, hopeless love. It has knocked my Sigma, Mac and Laura Mercier out of the ball park. The combination of this and my Undress Your Skin Foundation, or any foundation for that matter work flawlessly together. I'm so obsessed that I'm seriously considering investing in a second one. The brush is only €10.50 but my god is it hard to get a hold of. If you do spot it when you are out and about I urge you to pick it up. You won't be disappointed!!

 

Rimmel Color Rush Balm in 'Drive me Nude' - €7.99

Now as much as I love my matte red lips, they aren't the most wearable. I think I'd get more than one strange look if I was rocking it in my local Supervalu picking up the messages. So this has been my alternative. It is Rimmels take on the chubby stick, all of the high street brands have brought them out of late and I have been on the hunt for a day to day nude shade that isn't drying. This has been perfect! Although I'm not a fan of a glossy finish normally, this isn't sticky at all and it is extremely moisturising which is exactly what we all need with the weather we're having at the moment.

Cocoa Brown's Chocolate Whip Oil-free Moisturiser - €7

Well here's a suprise. NOT! Cocoa Brown's Chocolate Whip Oil-free Moisturiser is next up on my list of favourites this month. Early in December I headed to Dublin to Celebrate the first birthday of the brand and I was not leaving Dublin without it. I had searched high and low here in Cork to get my hands on it and it was like gold dust. It has been a beauty staple for the month of december as I have been tanning more or less constantly throughout December and it really does extend the life span of your tan. It smells divine, edible almost. It is really thick and so luxurious to apply and soaks in almost instantly which is a must with the cold weather as after showering these days you really cannot get dressed fast enough. Full review to come.

Sleek Makeup Blusher in 'Suede' - €5.49

I know, two months in a row and two different Sleek Blushers. This month I have been absolutely loving 'Suede'. It is a light matte brown which I have previously used as a contour powder if I'm not sporting any fake tan. This month however I've been using it for its intended purpose, a blusher. I've been keeping my face and lips quite neutral over the past few weeks while rocking a smoky eye and this blush colour is works a treat. I'm naturally ghostly white and I do not fake tan my face so this colour is perfect. it adds warmth to the face without you looking flushed. I have reviewed it here previously.

So there you have just a few of my favourites for the month of December. I have really gotten into skin care this past month and have a few bits to share with you so I've decided to dedicate a separate post entirely to that. It includes a very exciting new product which will be on sale early in 2014! 

Last but by no means least I'd just like to wish you all a very happy and healthy 2014! And just a thank you for all your continued support with the blog from the start. I can't believe I'm heading for 600 Facebook likes. 2014 can only bring bigger and better things with it!

Just a reminder to myself to blog more.. Ryan Gosling is reading ;)

MUA Undress your skin Foundation | Review

Hello Lovelies,

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and Santa brought you all you wished for. He was very kind this year and brought loads of goodies including the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay. He had to traipse the streets of London including about a dozen Debenhams stores, eventually picking it up in Westfields, London - I must have been a very good girl this year ;) 

Today I come to you with a review of a foundation that I have fallen for. Head over heels. In LOVE. It is from MUA or Makeup Academy, a brand that I have known about for a while but never bothered to try out myself until recently. I took the plunge and made a sneaky order both for myself and I also picked up a few stocking stuffers for my two younger sisters. MUA is cheap, ridiculously cheap. I filled my basket with bits (17 things to be precise) and including delivery priced at €5.92 it totaled €50.49. Not bad eh? 

Anyway the foundation itself is from their 'Undress Your Skin' range. Double points for anyone who can tell me what they are duping here!? 

Thats right.. Its the Urban Decay 'Naked' Collection. 

What it claims:  

"Covers imperfections and blemishes whilst maintaining your skins natural glow with light-diffusing particles of shimmer that creates instant radiance."

What you get: 

A lightweight, medium coverage foundation that leaves you with a really subtle, healthy glow. When I heard 'shimmer' I was a bit put off as I know from experience a lot of the "drugstore"/ chemist brands tend to take 'shimmer' to the extreme and you can end up looking like a disco ball. Not the case with this foundation at all. It really is light-diffusing.

 I have tried the UD Naked Skin BB myself and found that like a lot of other BB creams it clung onto the dry patches on my face. This is not the case here, it glides over the dry skin and does not flake away throughout the day either. As for oily skin? Shimmer? I know its not normally recommended and that a matte finish tends to suit oily skin better. Well if you follow me on twitter you will know that of late, I don't know how or why but my normally uber dry skin is quite oily in places. My T-zone, my forehead in particular. I just pat on some of my Maybelline 'Fit Me' pressed powder and it does not budge. 

It is normally priced at €5.98 but is actually on offer at the moment for €3.59 and is available here . How do I know this? I may or may not be in the process of placing another order. You do need to take shipping at almost €6 into consideration when ordering, however realistically it still works out cheaper than a lot of your chemist brands like Maybelline and L'oreal and a damn sight cheaper than the "REAL DEAL".

The packaging isn't anything to write home about, it comes in a basic squeezy tube, its stripped back to save on costs with isn't a bad thing as those savings are then passed onto you. And you don't have to pay €5 for a pump for a bottle of foundation you just paid €30 either - added bonus!

My one and only qualm, if you'd even call it that is the lack of shades, it comes in 3. Porcelain, Beige and Golden. I picked up the shade 'Beige' and it is perfect for me when I'm without fake tan. I was in complete shock as I can only imagine how light porcelain is if I'm Beige. So its not even a complaint on my part, its about time the fair skinned ladies were seen after if you ask me! 

Also I'd like to mention the speedy shipping. I received my order in 4 working days, which I might add is a hell of a lot quicker than other companies I have ordered from in the past especially considering they are coming from the UK.

Anyway ladies, dinner is calling. The one and only time you won't hear me complaining about leftovers. I hope you all have a great St. Stephens night and if you're headed out don't forget your jacket and your brolli and your rain poncho and your wellies its meant to be a bad one! 

Have you tried any MUA products before?