Lush Haul and Review

Today I want to share with you a few Lush products that I have bought which I had been eyeing for a while and tell you a bit about what I think of them!

Mask of Magnaminty - £8.75

Mask of Magnaminty is great for oily acne-prone skin which can be used on both the face and back. I've only use it on my face but it has a really cool and refreshing feeling on the skin which is really calming. Whenever I have a few spots, I'll use this face mask and it helps reduce the appearance of redness and just soothes the skin. This isn't one of the fresh face masks which lasts for around 4 months instead of 2 weeks. However I have never experienced any problems with Lush products after their expiration date and they all work the same as usual. 

Ocean Salt - £12.95

Ocean Salt smells amazing with its citrus scents - there is even lime and vodka in this scrub! This product can also be used on the face and body and leaves your skin feeling really soft and nourished as it also moisturises the skin with the avocado butter. The sea salt exfoliates the skin and slowly dissolves leaving a creamy consistency. The only downside to this scrub is that if your get it in you eye it stings like hell! Around the eye area is can become a bit sensitive after using it but for the rest of the face, I love it! With this scrub you can adjust it to be abrasive or gentle depending on how much warm water you mix it with.

R&B - £10.95

I picked up the R&B hair treatment which is a leave in moisturiser for the hair. Personally I think it has sort of a granny scent to it but it's not so bad that I can't use it. I also recommend using this overnight and washing it out in the morning as it doesn't make the hair look quite messy as the strands stick together.

Have you tried any of these products before? What's your favourite Lush product?

Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow - 07 Moon River

Chanel have recently released their new Stylo Eyeshadows with a total of 6 illuminating shades ranging from a luminous gold to aquamarine green to black. After hearing about their released I couldn't help myself and just had to pick one up. Moon River instantly gravitated towards me and I think we're a match made in heaven!

Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow - £23

Moon River is a beautiful metallic taupe with a champagne sheen and is described as 'platinum'. With only on swipe Moon River gives a semi-opaque colour but can easily build up to a really intense opaque colour. The consistency is creamy and is cool to the touch. I find this eyeshadow perfect for lazy days or when I am in a rush, as it is super quick and simple to apply and is one of those eyeshadows which looks incredible worn alone.

I am really impressed with the longevity of this as it lasted well over 12 hours and was still standing strong without a primer. I haven't ever come across any eyeshadows, whether it is cream or powder, which has never creased on me until I met this magic stick. The Urban Decay Primer Potion and Mac Painterly Paint Pot still manage to crease on me, so I was incredibly impressed that this eyeshadow was did not crease at all. This eyeshadow is also water-resistant and is slightly smudge-proof, it does smudge a bit but the majority of the eyeshadow doesn't budge.

Have you tried out the new Stylo Eyeshadows yet? Do you think you're going to?

MUA Undress Me Too Review and Swatches

Today I wanted to share with you an exact dupe of the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, the MUA Undress Me Too palette. You can check out the dupe for the original Naked palette here!

MUA Undress Me Too - £4

I don't have the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette to do a comparison with however seeing as though the MUA Undress Me palette is almost spot on with the colours from the Naked palette, I assume it can be said for this palette as well. For only £4 the pigmentation is really good, it's not as silky and pigmented as Urban Decay eyeshadows however it is really buildable and can give a really intense payoff. I find that with the MUA palettes that the matte shades are never as good as the shimmery eyeshadows in terms of pigmentation which is to be expected with a £4 eyeshadow palette.

(From left to right)

Shade 1 - matte cream bisque

Shade 2 - shimmery golden-bronze

Shade 3 - shimmery cork

Shade 4 - shimmery copper with silver micro glitter

Shade 5 - matte creamy pale brown

Shade 6 - shimmery dark bronze with metallic base

Shade 7 - shimmery pale golden beige

Shade 8 - shimmery light greyish brown

Shade 9 - shimmery oyster 

Shade 10 - shimmery cool bronze with metallic base

Shade 11 - shimmery deep brown

Shade 12 - matte blackest black

Have you tried the MUA Undress Me Too or Naked 2 palette? Do you think you'll try this palette before you splurge on the Naked 2?

Urban Decay Naked vs MUA Undress Me

I've found an exact dupe of the Urban Decay Naked palette and I wanted to share it with you and show you swatches! If you're unsure about wanting to splurge £36 on the Naked palette then this £4 MUA Undress Me palette will be perfect for you, especially if you want to try out the colours before you buy the original.

Urban Decay Naked - £36

MUA Undress Me - £4

Comparison:

As you can tell they have the colours in the exact same order and they are pretty much the same colours! Obviously the packaging of the Naked palette is much higher quality and comes with an eyeshadow brush and mini primer potion whereas the Undress Me palette comes with a dual end sponge tip applicator. The main difference in the texture of the eyeshadows is that the Naked palette applied more smooth and silky compared to the Undress Me palette. I find that with the Undress Me palette the eyeshadows first don't apply really pigmented on the first swatch but when you build it up, it becomes really intense and opaque, even more so than the Naked palette. The matte colours from the Undress Me palette aren't very pigmented and are harder to build up than the shimmery eyeshadows. A plus about the Undress Me palette is that the dupe for Sidecar doesn't have any glitters so there is not fall out, unlike the original. Also MUA have an Undress Me Too palette which as you can tell is the dupe for the Naked 2 palette. I will be doing a post of swatches for the Undress Me Too palette however I don't have the Naked 2 palette to compare it with. Overall my personal favourite is the Naked palette just because I don't want to build up the eyeshadow and I prefer that it is pigmented with the first swatch, but I do still love the MUA palette and will continue to use both!

Swatches:

Left: Urban Decay Naked

Right: MUA Undress Me

From left to right: Virgin, Shade 1

Satin nude

From left to right: Sin, Shade 2

Shimmery champagne

From left to right: Naked, Shade 3

Matte buff

From left to right: Sidecar, Shade 4

Beige with silver glitter

From left to right: Buck, Shade 5

Matte brown

From left to right: Half Baked, Shade 6

Shimmery golden bronze

From left to right: Smog, Shade 7

Shimmery bronze brown

From left to right: Darkhorse, Shade 8

Shimmery bronze plum

From left to right: Toasted, Shade 9

Shimmery pinky brown

From left to right: Hustle, Shade 10

Shimmery mocha

From left to right: Creep, Shade 11

Metallic near black

From left to right: Gunmetal, Shade 12

Metallic dark grey

Have you tried either one of these palettes before? Do you think you'll pick one of them up?

Urban Decay Naked Basics Review and Swatches

I've been a fan of the original Urban Decay Naked palette so when I heard that they had a Naked Basics palette I just knew I had to get it. 

Urban Decay Naked Basics - £20

The palette is much smaller than I imagined however the eyeshadows are the exact same size as the original Naked and Naked 2 palette (1.3g). I find that it is quite hard to open and that I need to use my nail which I am always worried about chipping my nail polish, but thankfully it is always fine.

I love using Venus in the inner corner and as a highlighter on the brow bone and tear duct, Foxy and Walk of Shame all over the lid, Naked 2 and Faint in the crease and Crave as a liner or in the outer corner for a more smokey look. Recently I have been obsessed with using Naked 2 in the crease because it is so natural and looks perfect with any look.

The eyeshadows are very smooth and almost creamy which is to be expected from Urban Decay and they also apply really well onto the lids with a good longevity. I must admit that I do still prefer my Naked palette because of the wide range of colours and finishes but also the eyeshadows compliment my skin tone more. 

From left to right: Venus, Foxy, Walk of Shame, Naked 2, Faint, Crave

Venus - soft off-white demi-matte

Foxy - cream bisque matte

Walk of Shame - very light nude matte

Naked 2 - taupe matte

Faint - warm dusty brown matte

Crave - darkest brown/black matte

Have you got the Naked Basics palette, or want to get it? Are you more of a matte or shimmer girl?

Bourjois Healthy Glow Little Round Pot Cream Blush

You may have seen in my previous post that Bourjois have launched four new cream blushes and they are now officially sold in Selfridges and Boots nationwide. 

Bourjois Little Round Pot Cream Blush* - £7.99

I have shade 02 Healthy Glow which is a beautiful vibrant peach with a pearl finish. I also love the look of the other three shades so I may have to get my hands on them! Although they only have four shades, there is definitely one which will suit your skin tone.

Bourjois have reinvented their powder blushes which a new innovative cream to powder technology which I think is a brilliant idea because they have realised that not everyone likes the heavy, sticky masked feeling normal cream blushes have. The new technology also makes it easy to apply and blend without the harsh edges. The blush feels super silky and luxurious which glides effortlessly onto the skin for the perfect natural blush.

Healthy Glow has a slight gold shimmer which adds a beautiful glow to the skin without being too dramatic. It applied onto the skin with almost a matte finish and feels really light. It has a really delicate rose scent which isn't overpowering or noticeable when wearing.

Overall I'm really impressed with the performance of this blush and I love the innovative cream to powder technology because it feels really light on the skin with no sticky feeling! 

I also checked on the Boots website and they have a £1 off offer on, so the blushes are only £6.99 at the moment!

OPI Euro Centale Spring/Summer 2013 Collection Swatches

Today I'm going to share with you OPI's Spring/Summer 2013 collection, Euro Centrale. I have five of twelve gorgeous polishes and they are perfect for spring. Like all OPI nail polishes they are all highly pigmented and a treat to work with. 

OPI Nail Lacquer - £11.50

OPI also have a Euro Centrale Mini Collection set which is perfect for if you want to try out some of the colours for a fraction of the price!

Polka.com

Polka.com has blue, teal, violet and pink glitter suspended in a clear base nail which has both large hexagonal glitters as well as small. It looks beautiful layered on top of another colour, especially a dark purple but can also be built up, which I think looks quite like a disco ball. 

A Woman's Prague-ative

A Woman's Prague-ative is a gorgeous orange copper with gold shimmer. I think that this colour will definitely attract attention and would be great for transitioning into fall. It also has good pigmentation and only two coats is needed for full opacity.

Hands Off My Kielbasa!

Hands Off My Kielbasa! is a bronzy tan which is one of my favourites from the collection. It has almost a slight metallic sheen and is really flattering on pale skin. I think that this nail polish almost has a milky look to it which I think is really unusual for a shimmery polish. The pigmentation of this one is excellent and you can probably get away with only one coat.

You're Such a BudaPest

You're Such a BudaPest is a periwinkle purple and has a beautiful creme finish with a hint of shimmer. The pigmentation of this is very good and only needs two coats for full opacity. This is definitely one of the prettiest light purple nail polishes that I have come across.

Can't Find My Czechbook

Can't Find My Czechbook is a dusty aqua. It is the perfect shade of blue and is a bit different from others that I have seen. The formula was really opaque and easy to apply, which only two coats needed for full opacity.

Glossybox May 2013

This month is a special month as it is the 2nd anniversary of Glossybox! I can't believe it has been two years since they first launched - time flies by!

I was actually expecting a little bit more seen as though it is their 2nd anniversary however I have enjoyed trying these products.

Headline Colors Nail Polish - £9 for 10ml

I received this Headline Colors nail polish which is actually a colour from their autumn/winter collection. I don't tend to wear dark colours like this, but it looks perfect for when autumn comes around. I'm hoping that it won't appear almost black as some dark polishes I have tend to do. These nail polishes claim to be ultra-high pigmented for an intense colour and has UV absorbers for staying power. It also is free from toxins which is really appealing as I have never heard of a toxin-free nail polish before.

 Awapugi Wild Ginger Shine Spray - £18.95 for 125ml

This product is part of the Paul Mitchell line and is used to add moisture and shine to the hair. I love the smell of this and I really enjoy using it. It makes my hair feel softer and really easy to glide my fingers through. I didn't notice a huge difference in the amount of shine it gave my hair, but it does give a nice subtle hint of shine.

 Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara - £15 for 8ml

I'm pretty excited to try this out as it is a long-lasting waterproof mascara that is feather light. I'm intrigued to see how light it feels on the lashes because I find that waterproof mascaras tend to be heavier and make the lashes feel hard. It claims to be non-clumpy but at the same time, lengthening and volumising - sounds perfect doesn't it?

Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner - £2.99 for 6ml

This eyeliner has a waterproof formula, which I have actually wanted to get a waterproof eyeliner but never knew of any decent ones. For liquid eyeliners, I love the kind of dip in packaging as it doesn't dry out like felt tips. I was actually disappointed this how it applied because the foam tip is really hard so it's difficult to control and it leaves a jaggered edge rather than a smooth line. When you curl the lashes and apply mascara, it masks the jaggered effect but I want to be able to apply eyeliner in a few clean swipes and with a smooth edge. I definitely will be using it again and trying to figure out different techniques to see if I can manage to make a smooth edge but I also really love the longevity of it. Also for a waterproof product, it is really easy to take off - a facial wipe is enough to take it off, so there's no need to use eye makeup remover. It's really good because you don't have to tug on your delicate eyes!

Beautiful Movements Prime and Create Mixing Medium - £20 for 20g

Beauty Moments, formerly known as BM Beauty have launched a new multi-tasking product which is a primer as well as a mixing medium. It apparently is a clear aloe vera based gel, however it feels very silicony. A little bit goes a long way this with product and it makes my skin feel super soft. I used it under my Revlon Colorstay foundation and it stayed in place pretty well. I will also be trying this out with loose eyeshadows and seeing how it performs.

Green and Black's Dark Chocolate with 70% Cocoa Solids

I received this small dark chocolate which I assume is for the celebration of Glossybox's 2nd anniversary. I actually don't like dark chocolate but I think it is a really sweet gift!

Glossybox Mini Nail Files

As a little something extra, Glossybox have included a little box set of five mini nail files which are absolutely adorable and will definitely come in handy as I am always misplacing my nail files!