MUA LUXE PRETTY EDGY EYE SHADOW PALETTE REVIEW

A departure from MUA regular clear palettes MUA Luxe has announced it's arrival- with studs. The studs make this palette stand out and more importantly this contains a very big mirror inside.
There are 10 eye shadows in rectangular pans that are much like the layout in MUA's Smokin' palette. I love these rectangular pans since they contain more product. There are 6 satin eye shadows on top row and 4 mattes on the bottom row.  This palette has purple, plum, browns is marketed as 'pretty romance with gothic grunge.' This more luxurious line is priced is a little higher than the regular line and I think this paid for the more funky packaging and mirror.

These eye shadows are very soft and powdery so there is a fair bit of fallout. All the shadows are extremely pigmented. I didn't find the matte shadows chalky at all. The shades are very wearable suitable for daytime or smoked out at night. My favourite colours are Toile (lilac shade) and Ruffle (a metallic taupe grey.)
These eye shadows are long lasting. There was almost no difference between one eye with primer and eye shadow and one without the eye primer, the shadow looked pretty much the same 8 hours later than as when it was applied.
The colour Lace (burgundy left)  is very similar to Maybelline's 24 hour cream eye shadow in Pomegranate (far right). I also swatched it against Sleek's Vow in Venice in the Vintage Romance palette but it was pinker than lace.

Verdict- Great value, good mix of matte and satin and cool and warm shades. Very pigmented and long lasting. what more can you ask for?

You may like this if...you are on a budget, love romantic or autumn shades
You may not like this if....you prefer more darker shades or bright shades

This palette is only available online at MUA and coats £8.

Sleek Vintage Romance Palette review

I 'm a big fan of Sleek's idivine eyeshadow palettes because of their price and pigmentation and this one doesn't disappoint. I love the colour combination in this palette, in fact this may be my favourite (after the storm palette of course.)  There are nine satin/metallic shades, one matte (Propose in Prague) and last two on the bottom row contain glitter (Forever in Florence and Love In London,)

There's a real mix between dark, bright and light colours in the palette both warm and cool. Pretty in Paris would be a good inner eye highlighter while Forever in Florence and Love In London would be great for a smoky eye. Packaging is standard for Sleek, a black matte case with a big mirror. I do love the whole romance theme though the names must be the longest Sleek has ever created! The high quality and longevity are what you expect from other sleek palettes, the colours wear about 7 or 8 hours.

L-R Top Row(Pretty In Paris, Meet in Madrid, Court in Cannes, Lust in L.A. , Romance in Rome, Propose in Prague)

L-R Bottom Row (A vow in Venice, Marry in Monte Carlo, Honeymoon in Hollywood, Bliss in Barcelona Forever in Florence, Love in London)

Pretty in Paris and Propose in Prague were harder to swatch, apart from that they were buttery and easy to use although there was a lot of fall out when swatching them.

I've swatched the glitter shades against Sleek's Limited Edition Sparkle 2 palette and Forever In Florence (left) is very similar to illusion(right) in that palette except Forever in Florence is a little lighter in colour.

(L-R) Love in London, Creep, Oil slick, Glitz and Glamour Starry Night)

Love in London is similar to Urban decay's Creep (creep is greyer) and Oil Slick (oil slick has more glitter.) Love in London is also similar to Sparkle2' Glitz and Glamour. (when swatched looks the same but Glitz and Glamour is actually dark brown not black.)  and Starry night (starry night is darker.)

Romance in Rome is a dupe for Candied Violet in Too Faced's Chocolate Bar Palette. 

 Verdict Definitely a keeper. Excellent value for money. I feel this palette will become a classic (at least for me) some of Sleeks palettes get forgotten or only a few colours get used but I feel all the colours here make the palette stand on it's own and will be used a lot.

You might like it if....you are on a budget. If you love golds, burgundys and purples or are a romantic look fan.

You might not like it if...you hate purples, burgandys and golds, if you prefer matte colours or if you can't stand fall-out.

Available from sleek & Superdrug £7.99

Why DNKY Be Delicious Is My Signature Perfume

                           

 

 

For the past two years DNKY Be Delicious has been my signature perfume: it's feminine, fresh and fruity smelling, consisting of  'apple and a sophisticated blend of exotic flowers and sensual woods.' DNKY call this a 'bright, fresh and energetic fragrance, which matches a picture of a bold, but charming woman.' Well we all want to consider ourselves as charming don't we?! The top notes of apple, grapefruit and magnolia create the first impression of freshness. The middle notes or 'heart' of the fragrance are tuberose, lily of the valley, rose and violet combining for a sweet and flowery scent. Finally the base notes that combine with the heart notes to leave a lasting impression are the spicy scents of sandalwood, amber and musk. I smell apple, cucumber and florals when I wear this. I tend to gravitate towards light fruity fragrances that aren't too sweet. Many fragrances trigger my asthma but this never does. The full bodied fruity and crisp aroma is not heavy on me or too overpowering for others. It is ideal for spring and summer, however I feel it's suitable for all occasions, work, relaxing, socialising, just everyday wear. I would say it lasts around 6 hours on me. I love bottle design and the way you press the top to release the spray at the side. Be Delicious was a Company Beauty award winner in 2012.

               

Currently Debenhams has a great deal for Perfume (EDP 50ml) & body lotion (100ml) half price at £24.50 here

 

Tell me what your signature scent in the comments section below I'd be interested to know.

 

The Romantic Blogger Tag

I thought that this tag would be perfect for Valentine's Day. This Romantic Beauty Blogger Tag was created by Tianna from Storybook Apothecary, but I came across it on Breige Mcbride's blog Beauty And The Best of The Rest.

1) What is your favourite romantic film and why?

A Room With A View This film is about a young woman named Lucy Honeychurch in the restrictive and repressed culture of Edwardian England, and her developing love for a free-spirited young man, George Emerson. It's set partly in Italy so the scenery is beautiful and it's nice to see Lucy becoming more sure of her opinions and being able to be her true self.

Gran Hotel. This Spanish TV series begins with working class Julio Olmedo trying to find his missing sister at the Grand Hotel where she worked. He is convinced something happened to her at the hotel so he goes undercover as a waiter. He soon finds an ally in Alicia the daughter of the hotel's owner Doña Teresa. Alicia is being forced to marry hotel manager Diego Murquía who is considered a good match but she ends up falling for Julio. I totally ship the love story between Alicia and Julio. The show is available on Netflix. 


2) Which character from a film or book is your ideal romantic character and why?

A Room With a View
George (right) because however idealistic loves makes him, it also makes him fight for the girl he likes. He has a good heart and is the opposite of her stuffy and reserved fiance. I can't stand fussiness in men and George isn't that.

One Tree Hill
Lucus (Left) I love the character of Lucus, he's kind, gets on with everyone and has a good heart. 


3) Your ideal love life in a song -go!

Santana's Love Of My Life (Listen here)
'Where you are that's where I wanna be
And through your eyes, see all the things I want to see
And in the night you are my dream
You're everything to me
You are the love of my life
And the breath in my prayers
Take my hand lead me there
What I need is you there.'

 Elton John's Your Song (Listen here),
 Yes I know it's cheesy but I love the lyrics
'I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is when you're in the world.'

4) A Song that makes you cry
   Adele's Someone Like You (Listen here). Her voice is so beautiful and the lyrics are about heartbreak, loss and regret but also a little hope.

5)Film that's guaranteed to make you cry every time
Pearl Harbour or The Forsyte Saga based on John Galworthy's novels of three generations of the Forsyte family with family rifts, alliances  and complicated love triangles.

6) What are your favourite colours for romantic make up looks?
Pink eye shadow smoked out with a dark brown crease and eyeliner with pink lipstick and light pink blush.

7) Favourite hair style for a soft romantic look?
I love curls probably because I have straight hair and you always want what you can't have! I love the 1950's retro curls. The updo is gorgous with all the hair jewellery tied across the head. I alos like loose waves for a more relaxed look. 

8) Which female heroines do you most identify with from a book or movie?

• Elizabeth Bennet. (Pride and Prejudice) She is intelligent and witty. Also despite the fact that her family doesn't have a male air and that her mother wishes to marry all her daughters as quickly as possible, Elizabeth refuses to settle or be with someone she cannot respect. She sticks to her guns and this ultimately leads her to true happiness. She is kind but assertive and can't be easily intimidated.
• Bridget Jones. It's OK not to be 100% perfect
• I wish I had the comeback lines of Beatrice (Much ado about Nothing.)

9) Ideal romance life exists in which period?
     Jane Austen Regency period.

10) What are you wearing in this hypothetical romance?
     A dress of course! In regency costume, pretty but easy to dance in. Or a 1940's/1950's figure hugging Marylin Monroe style. Or a beaded 1920's flapper dress. Too many choices!

4 LIPSTICK THEMED READS

Imagens Portal SESCP Bonequinha_Frame film (2) Changes Made



1) It's Ok to have lead in your lipstick (Perry Romanowski & Randy Schueller)

Written by the people behind The Beauty Brains Beauty Science blog. Romanoeski is cosmetic chemist and scientist, while Schueller is a former senior director of Hair and Skincare R&D for Alberto Culver and Unilever and a science writer. This is a great book that makes cosmetic science easier to understand. The bulk of the book is a collection of questions asked by the public via their website and the answers are straightforwardly explained in a way that isn't patronising. They cut through beauty myths and marketing jargon. One of the main messages is about the scaremongering among the press about beauty ingredients being hazardous to skin often ignore the fact that it's the amount/dose that matters.While cosmetics often contain ingredients that can be unhealthy at high levels often the substance are present at very low and insignificant levels.  One example is that lead contained in lipstick isn't dangerous because it is at such a low level, as well as being deemed safe by the FDA, lead cannot be ingested by the body so it goes through the digestive system and is excreted out. Therefore it doesn't stay long in your system to do much damage. They explain how to read ingredient lists, the difference between active, base, control and featured ingredients and how ingredient names are often manipulated to sound safer, better or more natural. If you have an allergy to a particular ingredient you will be used to looking up and decoding labels but it's still quite informative. The authors are based in America so a lot of the cosmetic regulations they refer to are American but they do include EU regulations as well. The chapter on bizarre beauty ingredients is guaranteed to make you smile or be a little horrified! (snail cream, bird poo, ant oil, bulls semen, take your pick!) The final chapter also restores some faith in the beauty industry by including products that work or that have some scientific basis for what their product claims to do.

Paperback £8.64 Amazon, The Book Depository, £10.22, Amazon Kindle £1.93

2) Lipstick A Girl's Best Friend (Jessica Pallingston) 

This tells you everything you ever wanted to know about lipstick and I mean everything! The history: from the humble beginnings in Babylon, ancient Egypt & Greece to the twentieth century. Plus facts about lipsticks and tips about applying it and clues about your personality from how you wear down the lipstick bullet. It describes the process of how lipstick is made including DIY recipes to do at home! It covers lipstick in popular culture from buildings inspired by lipsticks, Salvador Dali's lipstick sofa to Lachowicz' who remoulded famous sculptures in lipstick such as Michael Angelo's David. You can even create poems from all the lipstick names ever imagined. Unfortunately this book is out of print but can be bought on Amazon Marketplace.

3) The lipstick girls Rose (Bobbye Terry) £1.91

Chick-Lit novella set in the cosmetics industry. Rose Carmichael starts her dream job at Pucker Perfect Lipstick Corporation. Her boss Flame Fairmont has high expectations of Rose to create a campaign that will knock the competition. The competition is Flames ex boyfriend and also her brother Gentry. Rose is up for the fight but can she resist Gentry's charm? The chemistry between Rose and Gentry is well written and propels the reader through the book. It's entertaining and fast paced due to being a novella.  Available on Amazon Kindle £1.91

4)  Lipstick Jihad (Azadeh Moaveni) 


This is a memoir about Moaveni struggling with her identity as an American Iranian/Iranian American. She was born in California to secular Iranian immigrants who left Iran during the political turmoil of the Iranian Revolution. She decides to return to Iran during 2000-2001. Working as a journalist for Time Magazine, she describes the hope for social and political change under Reformist President Khatami and disappointment of the slow pace of reform while people were still being denied the basic freedoms others take for granted. She rallies against the incompetence of the Islamic Republic government run by the attolyahs and its aggressive repression. She goes to demonstrations, is harassed by secret police, interviews politicians and meets hedonistic young people rebelling against the strict Islamist regime as they try to live more freely. Although a serious book her personal anecdotes of describing her relatives are hilarious and we also get a glimpse of the food, friends and lifestyle in Iran. She writes about her experiences as an unmarried but privileged woman living in a country that will suppress independence by force. Since this is a memoir it only represents a certain demographic living in Iran. Moaveni comes from a secular family and she does give the impression that religious people are fanatic and possibly dangerous which of course most religious people aren't. All in all this is a good book to read as an introduction to Iran, it's history and socio-political culture.

Paperback £8.99 Amazon  and £5.99 Amazon Kindle

Disclaimer: I bought these books with my own money. I was not given any books in exchange for a favourable review. These are just a list of books I enjoyed reading.

HOW TO GET RID OF A SPOT( PIMPLE) QUICKLY! FOR UNDER £8!

This technique works for me on isolated red spots on any part of the face (but not near the eyes or not full blown acne)- try it out and see!

You will need the following:

• Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Spot Wand £3.59 here
• Boots Seventeen Miracle Matteconcealer £3.99 (cream one in a stick) here Buy one even if it's not your skin tone this stuff heals spots and is amazing! (I'm olive skinned and use the Medium shade for ref I use BB warm sand foundation)
• Cotton buds 

The order in which you use these products will depend on whether you match the Seventeen concealer stick. Unfortunately there are only 3 shades available extra fair, fair & medium. If you do match the concealer then rub some over the spot and wear during the day. To avoid the spread of bacteria it's best to use a concealer brush dedicated to this spot/spots. Do not use the same concealer brush to conceal dark circles over the eyes unless you want a lovely big spot there as well (so many Youtube beauty gurus do this which makes me yell noooooo! at my laptop screen.) Swipe the brush over the stick and apply on the spot. If you haven't got a brush to hand that's fine just wipe the stick over. Maybe cut the end off with a knife to keep the concealer stick clean. At night time use the Tea Tree & Witch Hazel stick, apply the clear gel end. To avoid the spread of bacteria it's best to use a cotton bud to swipe over the spot. Then go to bed. Repeat twice over 48 hours you should see an improvement. 

If you can't find a concealer stick in your shade don't worry. Firstly use the Tea tree and Hazel spot wand- the clear end and wear during the day. At nigh time use the concealer stick over the spot. Repeat twice over 48 hours you should see an improvement. That's it!