MUA Mosaic Bronzer - Sunkissed Glow

Hi everyone! So today's review is of a bronzer, which isn't a product I use very often but I thought it would be appropriate since we're now into summer and hopefully warmer days are upon us!

I picked up the MUA Mosaic Bronzer as part of a massive MUA haul at the end of last year when they had 50% off. I had never used a bronzer before and for only £2.50 before the discount, I thought it was worth a punt. The product comes in this plain black plastic packaging which doesn't look too bad considering the price. 

I think the 'mosaic' style of the bronzer is really nice - it reminds me of high end products that I've seen featured on other blogs. As you can see, there is a variety of different shades and tones which you blend together with your brush before applying to your face. The shade I picked up is Sunkissed Glow, which I think is the lightest shade but there's also Natural Glow which looks a little darker.

Here's the bronzer blended onto my hand - as I would wear it on my face. I find this is a really good product for fair skinned girls like me who might want a little bit of colour and glow on their face but most bronzers are too dark. It's a nice product to use because it's so fine and easily blended into the skin to give a really natural look. I barely use any product when applying this so I'm sure this bronzer will last and last and last!

Overall I'm really happy with this, it's the perfect subtle bronzer for my pale skin, and for a mere £2.50 it's definitely a product I'd recommend picking up for the summer months. You can buy the MUA Mosaic Bronzer direct from MUA online HERE, or from Superdrug online HERE or in store.

Have you tried this bronzer before? What's your favourite bronzer to use in the summer months?

xx

Follow via: Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter

Jeez Louise, this product review has been a long time coming! I originally bought this product wayyy back when I was supposed to be on a spending ban I think in January or February? In the past year or so I have become increasingly interested in highlighters, contouring, and basically how make up can be used to enhance your natural face shape. Enter the MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter..

Packaging wise - it's not bad. I prefer MUA's white products over the older products that come in black packaging but when it comes down to it you're paying less than £5 for something that comes in a plastic container, you're not going to be fussy right? But I do like this simple, plain packaging with the clear lid that lets the product do the talking. 

How pretty is this?! I have read a lot of other bloggers criticising MUA for copying MAC in the design of this highlighter - as someone who has never used a MAC product in their life I wouldn't know. All I do know is that this is a really pretty and gentle looking highlighter that I reckon most girls would struggle not to pop in their basket in Superdrug.

It's a very fine, powdered highlighter with glitter particles in it (as you can see below more clearly). It really is a beautiful product both in the pan and on the skin, and you don't have to use a lot to get a pretty nice definition on your face. However my main issue with this product is that it doesn't stick around long enough - after maybe four hours' wear it's all but disappeared from my face! This is the same problem I had with the highlighter which came in the MUA Artiste Palette (review HERE).

Overall I do really like this product, and it would have made it into my daily make up routine if it lasted a little bit longer! Perhaps I'm expecting too much for the price bracket, after all this does retail for a mere £3 but in my opinion this doesn't match up to the amazing quality of MUA's eyeshadows. You can buy the MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter from MUA direct online HERE, or from Superdrug in store or online HERE.

Have you tried this product before? What is your favourite highlighter?

xx

Follow via: Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

MUA Pro-Base Conceal and Brighten Kit

Hi everyone! If you're a follower of Bee's Knees you'll know that I have had some trials and tribulations with concealers in the past. My under eye circles are my least favourite thing about my face and maybe even my whole body! Unfortunately I am genetically predisposed to have under eye circles so in terms of skincare there isn't a whole lot I can do about them. Instead I turn to make up in the hopes of covering them up!

I decided to try the MUA Pro-Base Conceal and Brighten Kit when I saw it on offer in my local Superdrug. It was only a couple of pounds so even if it didn't work, I haven't lost much! I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with MUA because some of their products I adore and use every day (their eyeshadow palettes for example) but others have been complete disasters for me! 

The Pro-Base Conceal and Brighten Kit comes in practical white packaging with a clear lid so you can see the product - which I like. There are three different shades of concealer here, which I think is aimed at allowing you to mix them together to create your own blend suited exactly to your skin. But here comes my first complaint - this is the lightest shade available (porcelain) but the except for the middle colour the other two already look way too dark for my pale skin!

Here are the shades swatched on my pale skin - I think you can see already that this isn't going to end well because even the lightest shade is marginally too dark for my skin tone. The formula of these concealers is quite creamy and oily, which I didn't like either. It makes them easy to blend with each other but even when used with a setting powder I just found they slide right off my skin and I was left with a bit of a messy face after a few hours. In fact I would go so far as to compare this product to the Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer (review HERE), which I also didn't get along with. Maybe it's my skin that doesn't like this formulations, but it just doesn't compare to the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (review HERE).

So overall I was quite disappointed - this product didn't work for me because of both the dark shades and the formulation. Obviously this is my own personal experience and other people might find it amazing and it suits them perfectly - if you're interested in this I recommend trying it in store before buying.

You can buy the MUA Pro-Base Conceal and Brighten Kit for £3.50 online from MUA HERE or from Superdrug in your local store.

Have you tried this concealer? How did it work for you?

xx

Follow via: Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

MUA Undress Your Skin Illuminating Foundation

Hi everyone! If you're a long time follower of Bee's Knees you'll know that liquid foundation is a relatively new concept for me, having started out in the world of make up using mineral foundations. But then I tried the Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation (review HERE) and I haven't really looked back!

When MUA launched their Undress Your Skin range I decided I wanted to their their foundation offering, which came in the form of the Undress Your Skin Illuminating Foundation. I popped into my local Superdrug and swatched the lightest shade - Porcelain - which I was pretty impressed to find matched my skintone perfectly! Into my basket it went..

Now I have to start out by saying the packaging of this foundation is pretty awful. Although the squeezy-bottle type thing is handy and useful (and a little bit more practical than the Revlon glass bottle) it is just ugly and cheap! I don't understand why they couldn't have put the foundation into a container that made it look a little bit nicer as opposed to something that is so blatantly a drugstore product it's a little embarassing. So bad first impressions for sure.. 

... but that's where my criticism of this product ends. This is quite a high coverage foundation, as you can see above, and I use it on days when my skin isn't up to much. However if you apply it to your face with your fingers (like I do), and then blend it into the skin using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush (like I do) it looks beautiful. The colour is such a good match for my skin that it just looks like my skin, but better!

This is the foundation blended in to the back of my hand - I think the lack of visible veins demonstrates nicely how this is quite a heavy foundation. Although I don't understand why MUA have branded this an 'illuminating foundation' - because I don't think there's anything illuminating about it. It's quite a matte foundation, but works really well as a base for a full face of make up - so in my opinion it doesn't need to be illuminating because I can do that myself with some highlighter. As a regular foundation though, it's awesome. It stays on all day, helps all my other make up stay in place too, and just makes my face look very 'done'. I love it!

Overall I would recommend giving this a go if you're on the market for a full coverage foundation, or if you haven't managed to find a foundation that's pale enough for you. At only £5 it's a good product to have in your stash for occasions when you want to look a bit more made up, or are having a bad skin day. You can buy the MUA Undress Your Skin Illuminating Foundation from MUA direct online HERE, or from Superdrug online HERE or in store.

Have you tried this foundation before? What did you think?

xx

Follow via: Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Fabulous Nails #42

Hi guys. Today's fabulous nails post features one of MUA's Mystical Glitter nail polishes, and is a lovely bright blue.

Blue nail polishes make up a pretty big part of my collection because blue is a really simple but beautiful colour which looks good on everyone regardless of skin tone. I think blue glitter is even more special, so I really love this combination!

I started out by painting my nails with two coats of this oldie (but goodie) Rimmel I <3 Lasting Finish in 198 Azure. I have owned this nail polish for as long as I can remember, most likely over 10 years and it's still going strong! It's such a bold bright blue it's always a winning colour.

I then painted my nails with two coats of this MUA Mystical Glitter in the shade Mermaid, which is something I purchased absolutely ages ago but didn't get around to wearing for a while (#bloggerproblems!) The glitter particles in this polish are very small and fine, which creates a more subtle look on the nail than other glitters I own and have tried. It's a perfect match for the Rimmel Azure and I think added some depth to the overall colour. A winning combination!

You can purchase the MUA Mystical Glitter online for £2.50 HERE, or pick it up instore at Superdrug. Rimmel I <3 Lasting Finish in Azure is available online HERE for £2.99 or pick it up at your local drugstore (cannot believe this polish is still on sale!).

What do you think of this look? Are glitter nails over now it's Spring or are you still loving them?

xx

Follow via: Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Fabulous Nails #39

Happy Sunday everyone! Today is obviously an especially happy Sunday as tomorrow is a bank holiday - hooray! I decided to post especially Spring-like nails today, enjoy...

This is MUA (Make Up Academy) Pistachio Ice Cream - a gorgeous creamy mint green that I really love. This is one of the polishes I featured in my Spring Pastels post (HERE). MUA have recently changed the packaging of their nail polishes, so they look very similar to Essie - not something I approve of and yet another way in which MUA have completely lacked in any originality recently...

The polish itself is not the best quality, it's quite streaky and it takes 3 coats to get a nice even coverage, however the colour is really gorgeous and for only £1 you can't really go wrong. Obviousy this is the old packaging, if you purchase this now you'll get this:

Much prettier! You can purchase MUA Pistachio Ice Cream online HERE for £1.

What's your view on MUA copying Essie's packaging?

xx

Follow via: Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Accidental Superdrug Haul - feat Rimmel & MUA

Wow, another haul post, how original. What can I say, I've been haulin' a lot lately! When I was back home for a week of R&R with my family I ended up spending money quite thoughtlessly, justifying it each time by telling myself "this is my holiday this year, it's cheaper than going abroad". I'm not so sure about that now I've surveyed the damage to my credit card, but still. Here's a small haul that resulted from a random stop at Superdrug..

I picked up two MUA items, despite vowing never to give them my money again. I would say that I'm weak-willed, but I'm not (being vegan requires a strong will!) I'm just a sucker for a promotional offer! The MUA Undress Me Too eyeshadow palette was on offer for £3, and the MUA Undress Your Skin Illuminating Foundation was on offer for £3 (HERE). Stay tuned for reviews. You can buy these products online via MUA (HERE and HERE) or instore at Superdrug.

I also picked up these three Rimmel nail varnishes - now, I know what you're thinking: more nail varnish?! I really do not need any more polishes to add to my collection, but I really wanted to get the Blue Eyed Girl polish after spying it on someone's nails, and I love the Precious Stones I got for my birthday (Diamond Dust - post HERE) and wanted to try the red one too!

These are the shades I picked up - the Cocktail Colour polish in Hawaiian Punch was a total random impulse buy, as they were on 3 for the price of 2 I had to get another item to get the offer.  The Cocktail Colour is available for £3.99 (HERE), the Precious Stones is £3.99 (HERE) and the 60 seconds is £3.69 (HERE).

Have you made any accidental purchases recently?

xx

Follow via: Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

MUA Artiste Collection Palette

WOW this post has been waiting a long time to get written! I acquired the MUA Artiste Collection palette a good few months ago - possibly as far back as pre-Christmas but for whatever reason I haven't gotten around to reviewing it until now! It was a free gift with an order I made, but retails for £6.

This is the first palette I've owned that isn't just eyeshadows - the Artiste Collection features 6 'merged' eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 1 bronzer and 1 highlighter. When I first received it I was quite excited at the prospect of one palette that would cover 4 different needs - I thought I would be able to cut out a lot of my make up when packing for visits home to Leeds or visiting friends.

The names of the eyeshadows L>R are:

Pistachio  Mocha  Ice  Grape  Chocolate  Cookie

The two blushes L>R are:

Pink Sparkle  Primrose

The bronzer is:

Bronzed

The highlighter is:

Shimmer Kiss

These are the eyeshadows swatched L>R in the same order listed above. It was hard to get a photograph which showed Pistachio and Mocha clearly as they are by far the lightest shades. On the lid, Pistachio is a creamy white, whereas Mocha is a beautiful cappuchino colour.

Here are the eyeshadows swatched in the opposite order to the photo above (not very helpful, sorry!)  I tend to wear Pistachio with black eyeliner as it makes the colour stand out, whereas Mocha is great for neutral days when I'm wearing a thicker brown eyeliner. I haven't worn the blue (Ice) yet as I don't really wear colour on my eyes.

Again, these are swatched in the opposite direction as shown above. I haven't tried Grape yet, but Chocolate (middle) is a fantastic shimmer brown which is useful in many different ways and Cookie (far left) is a nice warm peachy brown and excellent for a subtle smokey eye.

The quality of MUA eyeshadows is absolutely fantastic, especially in comparison to similar priced drugstore brands. I already own the Undressed eyeshadow palette by MUA (you can read my review HERE) and love it. The quality is consistently good with excellent colour payoff, fantastic lasting power and they don't crease! What more could you want?!

Here are the blushes Pink Sparkle and Primrose top > bottom. I didn't use these for a while after getting the palette, but once I did I fell in love! They're both really nice subtle colours which add a bit of flush to my especially pasty winter face! The lasting power is good, but not excellent - i.e. after 12-14 hours' wear there isn't much left. However having them within the palette is good for travel and I do like the colours.

Here is the bronzer and the highligher swatched. I did try to use this bronzer as a contour colour but as you can probably tell, it is way too dark for me! Even with a light hand and a soft brush it just makes my skin look bruised - not quite the look I was going for! The highlighter on the other hand is a stunning shimmer white shade and I absolutely adore it. It's one of the only pressed powder highlighters I own and I really love it and have used it a lot. It's easy to apply as a highlight all over your face but I use it most on my cheekbones and inner eye. The big downside is the total lack of longevity - I think this lasts a few hours maximum which is so disappointing as I would use it everyday it it lasted a bit longer.

Overall for £6 I think this is a good palette to have in your make up collection, especially if like me you're often visiting friends and family and need a compact everyday make up item to help you pack light! I do use a couple of the eyeshadows on a daily basis and the quality of them is outstanding. The blushers are also good, and I love the highlighter although the lack of longevity of these has, in my opinion, let the palette down on the whole. It would be brilliant if the bronzer was the right shade for my skin tone, but you can't win them all - I reckon if you have a warmer skintone you might be able to use that too. 

You can buy the Artiste Palette from MUA online HERE, or at Superdrug  instore or online HERE (free delivery until 2 April!).

Do you own this palette? What do you think of it?

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Fabulous Nails - Spring Pastels

Today's Fabulous Nails post is a little different to my usual style - I decided it might be nice to share some pastel shades from my collection which are bang on trend for Spring, which is right around the corner!

Here are the Spring shades I've chosen - some are true pastels, some are a little bolder and might not be what you'd expect but I think they are all staple colours for Spring. Read on to find out more about the 9 different shades I've chosen...

These three are some of my favourite Spring shades - from a minty green to a baby blue! 

L > R Barry M Mint Green, MUA Pistachio Ice Cream, Models Own Bloo Bloo

I have to say the formula of the MUA Pistachio Ice Cream is not the best, in fact it's probably the worst quality of all the polishes in this post. But the colour is wonderful, and for £1 you can't really go wrong!

Mint Green by Barry M can sometimes apply a little bit streaky at first, but three coats will give you an opaque colour. Bloo Bloo is a recent purchase and already a firm favourite - the formula of Models Own pastel shades is by far the best.

Coral shades will be a staple in everyone's Spring wardrobe, and this gorgeous nail colour is the ideal way to add the colour to your outfit. Uber pale purple and greens are also spot on for Spring.

L > R Collection Hot Looks Fruit Loop, Revlon Top Speed Cloud, Topshop Nails Tidal

I haven't tried Cloud on my nails yet so I can't really comment on it, but Tidal was a little disappointing for me. It was my first Topshop polish and it just didn't impress me - the formula was gloopy and uneven and it took 4 coats to get it right. Collection Fruit Loop is one of my all time favourites - a bargain buy but a polish that lasts and lasts and only takes 2 coats to be opaque.

Finally, what pastel nail post would be complete without a gorgeous buttermilk yellow? And I'm sure you'll agree that these two other beauties will be perfect for the warmer months ahead!

L > R Models Own Lemon Meringue, Barry M Berry Ice Cream, Models Own Indian Ocean

As I've already said, Models Own are above the rest for pastel formulas, but Barry M Berry Ice Cream is also pretty good. With only two coats you get a good amount of colour and it will last for a long time with a top coat. Although not strictly a pastel, Indian Ocean is an iridescent dream and just beautiful.

What do you think of my pastel picks for Spring? Do you have any other recommendations?

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty

Slated: MUA Magnetic Nail Varnish in Kings Road Circle Effect

As part of my ridiculous MUA haul a while ago, I purchased a magnetic polish in the shade 'Kings Road'. (Apologies for the dark photos of this polish, it didn't photograph well in the light with no flash).

As I have loved the magnetic offerings from Barry M so much, I hoped that MUA would also impress me. I opted for the 'Circle Effect' polish as it's different to the magnetics I already own.

I wasn't impressed. I photographed both hands to show you how random the effect is. I found that even if I held the magnet in the correct position for MINUTES rather than seconds, sometimes it just didn't work. At all. Other times it would work but only a little, and it did work on two or three nails as you can see. But even when it did work I don't really like the effect. It's not big enough to cover as much of the nail as the Barry M ones, which leaves the nails looking a little rubbish and like you've done your nails half-heartedly.

As I'd spent a good half an hour trying to use this product, I'd run out of time to do any other colour on my nails unless I wanted to stay up late to get them done and be knackered at work the next morning. So I quickly painted over the nails with the polish and didn't use the magnet. The polish is a nice silver colour but the consistency is a little strange, very thick and grainy - unlike any other nail varnish I've ever used really. It's so thick that after one day of having this on my nails, you can see that it had already chipped.

So overall very disappointed with this product, both as a magnetic polish and as a regular polish. The colour is nice but unless you're only planning on wearing it for one day, it's just not good enough quality. These retail for £3.50 (from the MUA store or Superdrug), which is only 44p less than the Barry M ones. I'm sure you'll already know that I would recommend you spend the extra 44p and get a decent polish!

xx

Follow via: hellocotton  Bloglovin  Bloggers   Twitter   Facebook   She Said Beauty