MUA Eyeshadow Palettes - Review

I purchased the MUA Heaven and Earth palette from the MUA website and got Glamour Days free for spending £4.00! I was so happy when I saw this offer as I have been wanting to buy MUA palettes for a while now!

I have used some of the eye shadows and already I think they are fantastic! The quality of them are pretty good, you get 12 eye shadows for £4.00 what an absolute steal!

Heaven and Earth - Neutral colours for a natural look.

Top row

Bottom row

Glamour Days - Shimmery and matte colours to add a pop of colour.

Top row

Bottom row

(Pictures taken with Canon A3300is and Nikon D3100)

The formula of the shadows are very pigmented and soft, they give a little fall out but nothing to complain about! The staying power of the shadows are good and last for quite a while, even without using an eye primer!

The packaging isn't amazing but it looks nice enough and I'm not always bothered about the packaging on products as long as what's inside is good quality. The colours of the shadows don't have names which for me isn't too much of a big deal but I know many people like to refer eye shadows by their names etc. I am also not really a fan of the applicator that comes in the palettes and prefer to use my own eye shadow brushes instead.

Pros:

Pigmented, colours to suit many skin tones, great quality and value

Cons:

Not a fan of the applicator


What do you think of the MUA palettes? Do you have a favourite one?
Leave a comment and let me know!

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - Review

Hello everyone, I hope you have all been enjoying the glorious weather as much as I have! (You can probably tell I have spent most of my time in the sun due to my lack of posts lately!)

Today I'm going to share my experience of the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser* Liz Earle kindly sent me this product to review and I was so excited when I got it as I have read so many good reviews about it on other beauty blogs and now I am going to share my opinion with you!

I received a 100ml pump starter kit which comes with 2 muslin cloths and retails at £14.25, for me this is slightly on the pricey side but I feel the quality of the cleanser makes up for the price!
If you go to the Liz Earle website you will find a variety of different cleanser sizes, I think this is a great idea as it suits the needs of everyone.

I use the cleanser in the morning to freshen up my face and help get rid of dry patches around my nose.

At night I use the cleanser to take off my make-up. This cleanser even removes waterproof mascara! I love how this cleanser acts as a 2 in 1 make-up remover and cleanser, it is very handy to remove your make-up and cleanse your face in one go! The cleanser is also very light and doesn't irritate my eyes when taking off my mascara - HUGE BONUS!

Directions:-

Step 1: Massage one or two pumps onto dry skin and over face and neck twice a day.

Step 2: Rinse the pure muslin cloth in hand-hot water and wring out before gently wiping off the cream. Rinse and repeat. Then splash face with cool water.

The muslin cloth is now a very important part of my skin care routine. It is used to gently exfoliate and remove dead skin cells, which I love as it isn't harsh on my skin unlike other exfoliators I have used in the past! After just a few uses I noticed my skin appeared to look more radiant! 

Washing your Muslin cloths:-

Muslin Cloths can be washed normally with your white wash or boiled in plain water.

This product smells divine and contains many natural ingredients that are suitable for all skin types:-

• Beexwax - relieves chapped skin
• Cocoa Butter - moisturising
• Rosemary Essential Oil - invigorating, stimulating and antioxidant properties
• Chamomile Essential Oil - soothes skin
• Eucalyptus Essential Oil - decongestant properties

(Pictures taken with Canon A3300is)

The packaging of the product is gorgeous too, I just love the whole style and look of it!

Overall this is such a great product and I am extremely happy with the outcome!

Feel free to share your experiences below!

*Disclaimer PR samples - My opinions are still 100% honest.

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Review

Hello everyone,

Today I'm going to share my thoughts on the Mac Mineralize Skinfinish.
I bought this powder in 'medium dark' this usually costs around £20 but I actually got this product for much cheaper from a website called Fragrance Direct  I paid just £14!

What Mac say about this powder:

 'A luxurious domed face powder with minerals, slowly baked to provide a dimensional yet natural-matte finish. Provides perfect low coverage. Use to set and fix foundation or as a touch-up throughout the day.'

What I think:

I have been using this for just over a month and I agree with what Mac say. My skin looks so flawless after I've used it. I use this as a setting powder to set my foundation and so far I think it is extremely good!

 (Taken with Canon A3300 IS)

I have oily/combination skin so I like to use two different powders, I use a mattifying powder by Rimmel that is specifically designed to combat shine on my t-zone and then use the Mac Mineralize Skinfinish on the other parts of my face. I find that by doing this it helps to keep my skin looking matte and shine-free for longer and because this powder is so fine and smooth it applies evenly and leaves the perfect amount of coverage on the skin.

As well as having oily skin my skin can also be very sensitive at times but this product hasn't broken me out! Huge bonus!

Summary 
 
Pros: 

• lightweight
• fine powder
• easy to blend 
• natural-looking

Cons:

• quite expensive

For me I think this product is quite expensive for what it is, however I do think Mac products are high in quality and you definitely get what you pay for!

Have you tried the Mineralized Skinfinish powder? Leave a comment below and tell me your thoughts!

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

Flawless Finish: Cosmopolitan Perfection Blender

Hello everyone, 

I have found the perfect dupe for the beauty blender and I am going to share it with you today.

The Cosmopolitan Perfection Blender is a great dupe for the Beauty Blender and has been talked about on Youtube and blogging sites for a while now so I thought I would find out what the hype was about and honestly after using this I totally understand why it is talked about so much! This foundation sponge gives a great even coverage and flawless finish to your make-up, it is  inexpensive and can be purchased at Superdrug for £4.95. (a lot cheaper than the Beauty Blender!).

The Perfection Blender is easy to keep clean, I wash mine with tea tree facial wash from The Body Shop after every makeup application to help maintain the original condition of the sponge - I like to keep it looking as new as possible. Tea tree is know to have antibacterial properties so to me this seems like the appropriate product to use, obviously you can use brush cleaners etc if you have them.

 (Pictures taken with iPhone 4s)

The sponge is easy to hold and is quite dense which helps to give a quick even coverage.

I use the top of the sponge to even out my concealer and foundation in the smaller areas of my face such as around my eye and nose area (the hard to reach places).

The bottom part of the sponge is perfect for blending your foundation evenly across bigger areas of your face as the base of the sponge has more surface area than the top and makes it much easier to apply.

Directions:

- Wet sponge and squeeze out excess water

- Use a bouncing or 'stippling' method to apply your foundation and concealer to give your make-up an airbrushed finish 

This sponge covers up all my imperfections extremely well and gives my face an airbrushed finish! I recommend this product to everyone!

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

Natural Collection Blush Review

The Natural Collection blushes are being talked about everywhere lately, so I thought I would share my opinion on them.

I love these blushes, they are the blushes I am currently reaching for on a daily basis. I'm not crazy on the packaging but for certain products I am willing to look past the packaging if the product itself is good, so to me this doesn't matter so much.

These soft, non-shimmer powder blushes are very natural and give a nice hint of colour on your cheeks, they blend well and you don't need to apply too much product to get a good colour pay off.
I like that they are fragrance free as I have quite sensitive skin, so to me this is a plus!
They are very highly pigmented which I was not expecting as they are very cheap. They can be purchased from boots for £1.99 each.

My favourite colours from the collection are Sweet Cheeks, Rosey Glow and Peach Melba. (order in pictures)

Sweet Cheeks is a gorgeous pink colour, this is my favourite colour blush to wear in winter as this is when my skin tends to look quite dull. This adds a nice pop of colour to my cheeks to help brighten up my face. 

Rosey Glow is pinky/brown colour, it looks similar to Peach Melba only the colour is more pink than peach. I think this is the most natural looking blush that I have as the colour is not too pink looking. I think this colour is suitable to wear during any season.

Peach Melba is a beautiful peachy colour with brown undertones. I prefer to wear this in spring/summer as I like a more subtle 'glow' of colour on my cheeks and I feel this is when the colour works best with my skin tone.

 (Pictures taken with iPhone 4s)

If you prefer matte looking blushes over shimmer then I would recommend this collection and at the price they are, you can't go wrong!

I am wanting to try out cream blushes, have any of you tried them? What do you think of them?

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primers Review

Hello everyone,

Today I am sharing a review on 2 of the L'Oreal studio Secrets primers.

I am not very experienced when it comes to primers, I have only tried No.7 primers in the past however I do know when something works and when something doesn't and for me, these primers are a definite let down!

I have been using the L'Oreal Studio Secrets anti-redness and L'Oreal Studio Secrets anti shine, mattifying primers and so far I am not loving them at all!

What they say:-

L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Redness Primer gives a uniform skin tone. 
All women can harness the power of these primers to create the illusion of a flawless complexion. It’s just a matter of obeying the laws of complementary colours! To neutralise a shade simply apply its complementary shade.

For example: the green tinted primer reduces the appearance of red, giving the skin a more even tone.

L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Shine Mattifying Primer acts like a ‘second skin’, weightless on your complexion. Easy to apply and comfortable on the skin, it mattifies oily areas and doesn’t leave a greasy residue.


Directions:-

1- Apply the L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Shine Mattifying Primer in little dabs onto shiny areas (forehead, nose and chin) and around the nose.
2- Smooth towards the outside of the face.


1- Apply L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Redness Primer in little dabs on red patches, and then tap with your fingertips to work it into the skin. 

 What I think:

In my opinion I don't particularly think the mattifying primer works very well, I always find it makes my skin more oily throughout the day (which I do NOT need!) and it makes my makeup slide off my face too. I don't like the consistancy of the primer either, despite what they say, to me the product feels slightly greasy. If you have oily skin like myself, then I recommend staying away from this.

(Pictures taken with iPhone 4s)

I think the anti- redness primer works well to even out redness but the consistancy is very runny.

I wouldn't choose either of these primers over the Urban Decay setting sprays!

The L'Oreal primers retail at around £10.00 each and are cheaper than Urban Decay setting sprays which cost around £20 but I believe you get what you pay for and the quality of Urban Decay setting sprays justify the price!

Read my Urban Decay Setting Spray Review here

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

Urban Decay De Slick Setting Spray Review

Urban Decay De Slick Setting Spray is a godsend!! Seriously! This is one of my holy grail products - it keeps my make up on for such a long time!

This cost me around £20 which I do think is slightly expensive, but I feel it's worth the money I paid.

I also have Urban Decay All-Nighter setting spray but I purchased this particular setting spray as it is specifically designed for oily skin to help control excess oil from seeping through your makeup throughout the day. It works like a dream! I still get slight oiliness around my T-zone during the day but not nearly as much as I get when I don't use it.

I spray this before and after I apply my foundation then I set it with a powder, I use powder for an extra matte look and to act as a 'top coat' for the setting spray.

 (Taken with iPhone 4s)

Directions

1. Shake well. 
2. Apply just before foundation and again after makeup. 
3. Hold bottle 8"-10" away and mist face 2-4 times. (I like to do a 'T' then an 'X' motion).

If you haven't already tried these products I highly recommend that you do!

Urban Decay have a range of setting sprays suited to specific skin types. I have combination/oily skin and love both setting sprays that I have and think they both work well. I don't think there's a great difference between All-Nighter and De-Slick but De-Slick definitely controls the oil for a lot longer!

Have you ever tried these setting sprays or any other setting sprays? - Comment below and let me know :)

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

L'Oreal True Match Review ♥

Hello everyone,

I have just repurchased the L'Oreal True Match liquid foundation, I've never loved a foundation more than I love this one! (and I have tried A LOT of foundations). It is the perfect match to my skin and is a very lightweight foundation. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this product!

This product is really inexpensive I got it from Boots for £9.99.

My shade: Golden Beige (W3)

I have combination/oily skin but unlike other foundations I have tried, this one does not add any extra oil to my face. Obviously throughout the day the natural oils on my face start to come through the foundation but this is normal, as long as you have a good primer and make-up setting spray/setting powder this foundation should last a long time.

Pros

• medium/buildable coverage
• blends well
• contains spf
• great colour range
• nice packaging
• pump applicator
• oil-free
• non-comedogenic
• affordable 

Cons

• poor/average lasting power

 

 (Taken with iPhone 4s)

Overall I really like the L'Oreal True Match liquid foundation. It gives a medium coverage that blends extremely well, you can build the coverage without it looking cakey on your face.

If you have a similar skin complexion to me then this foundation will be perfect for you as it is oil-free and non-comedogenic.
  

I hope you enjoyed this post! What is your favourite foundation?

Natasha Carly x