cosmetics review

MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter

Posted on by angellecmakeup

MUA UNDRESS YOUR SKIN HIGHLIGHTING POWDER: £3.00

Okay everyone. Deep breath. Let’s take a moment.

How beautiful is this?

This highlighter seriously reminds me of Mac’s Alluring Aquatic collection except for literally a tenth of the price. To be honest I think I’d have just happily bought this to stare at it, but of course I’m not that materialistic (*cough* I so am *cough*). I’m pleased to report back that it is a lovely, soft, shimmery highlight, not too glittery and the peach tone works great on my warm skin tone. The pigment isn’t remarkable but I’m glad as with a highlight it’s all too easy to go overboard and become human silverware.

Overall, would I repurchase?

It’s a yes from price. Another yes from packaging. Yet one more from product quality. And most certainly a yes from me – take a seat in my makeup bag MUA highlighter!

Mani Monday: Revlon Top Speed in 670 Violet

Posted on by angellecmakeup

REVLON TOP SPEED NAIL ENAMEL in 670 VIOLET: £6.49 now discontinued I think but you can find them on eBay for about £3-£5

Ooo now we haven’t had an #angellec makeup mani monday post in quite a while have we? I can only apologise for that *slaps wrist* but I’ll do my best to try and keep with them from now on. 

To make things a lil’ easier for both of us I’ve decided to make Mani Monday’s a bit different than my usual posts, and rate each polish simply in a few topics. So here’s the stats for this week’s polish:

Revlon Top Speed in 670 Violet

Number of coats needed: 2 for full opacity 

Days gone without chipping: 3

Colour: Absolutely gorgeous shimmery magenta-purple. A great transitional shade from summer brights to winter berries.

Was it ‘fast dry’? Yep!

Overall score? 5/5

Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Liner

Posted on by angellecmakeup

image

image

RIMMEL SCANDALEYES WATERPROOF KOHL LINER in PURPLE: £3.99

As much as I do love my Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl, alas it just can’t satisfy my colour needs. If they did more colours than black and brown I may never stray again, but for they now they don’t and so I turn to other brands to get my fix.

Enter Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl.

Available in seven shades, this attracted my attention as it’s waterproof which I always look for in a kohl. Especially as I usually wear it on my bottom lid non-waterproof formulas don’t last very long at all on me and are just a wistful shadow by lunchtime. Luckily this is very long lasting indeed and it actually took quite a bit of scrubbing to remove the swatch you see above.

The level of firmness of this liner is also just right, and believe me I’m very picky! Too hard and they upset my sensitive eyes so much they just go straight in the bin, and if they’re too soft it’s hard to get a delicate, defined line on my bottom lash line. This one walks the line between them perfectly as it’s creamy while still having a backbone. 

Overall, would I repurchase?

At £3.99 I’d be tempted to try more of these and it’s definitely worth spending the extra quid for this waterproof version (Rimmel Soft Kohl eye pencils are £2.99).

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer

Posted on by angellecmakeup

image

image

image

MUA VELVET LIP LACQUER in FUNK: £3.00

This is a super quick mini post as I’ve just got back from London for Summer In The City (http://www.sitc-event.co.uk/)! My love for the MUA velvet lacquers is strong, and Funk is one of my favourite shades. They’re a dupe for the Lime Crime Velvetines and for £3.00 are a great alternative to their more expensive counterparts. 

The finish is super matte, and they are essentially like Tipex for your lips in that they last as long and feel like that on your lips. It’s a very odd feeling at first but it’s not too uncomfortable or drying. 

The only thing I hate about these lacquers is how they wear. Rather than fading elegantly they flake off in unsightly clumps, starting from the inside of your lips when you’re drinking. 

Overall, would I repurchase?

`I have three of these now in the shades Reckless, Kooky and Funk but think I may have to add even more to my collection.

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain

Posted on by angellecmakeup

image

image

image

image

REVLON COLORSTAY MOISTURE LIP STAIN in 001 INDIA INTRIGUE: £7.99

Only released at the beginning of this month, I couldn’t resist picking up one of the new Revlon Moisture Stains in Boots last week. I’m usually one to go straight for a good red shade when trying out a lip product but as it’s summer I thought I’d try something a bit lighter. India Intrigue was the one I went for, a lovely magenta-y purple pink.

The packaging is nice – sleek and boxy but it doesn’t do all that much for me. However a good first impression was made by the wide doe-foot applicator, probably my favourite applicator for lip products. I’m usually a matte girl, or satin at the very most, so it’s odd for me to use something that has such a glossy finish. Still, it’s summer, and I needed a change. 

I wouldn’t actually call this a true stain as it does transfer on to cups when I drink, and after about 2 – 3 hours most of the gloss has worn off leaving just faint colour on my lips. If I’m honest I expected a deeper stain, but maybe I just needed to reapply it more.

The Moisture Stains are yet another product following on from the YSL glossy stains, and it’ll be interesting to see how these Revlon versions compare to the L’Oreal GlamShine Splash Stains as they are the same price. I’ll be picking at least one of the L’Oreal ones up so I can do a comparison post for you guys I think!

Overall, would I repurchase?

Good question. I’ll probably try another couple of shades but not before trying one of the L’Oreal Splash Stains.

Manhattan Soft Mat Lip Cream

Posted on by angellecmakeup

MANHATTAN SOFT MAT LIP CREAM in 54L: £3.99 £0.99 @ FRAGRANCE DIRECT

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from these creams, but I’ve actually ended up loving them.

They go on smooth and soft but after about half an hour they’ve dried in a way similar to the MUA velvet lacquers. While they then become less of a soft cream feel like a dry film on your lips, they aren’t drying and you don’t feel the need for a lip balm on top or underneath. This also makes them very long lasting and while they may not survive a drink without a straw they breeze through the odd nibble. The wear time is hours longer than any other ‘cream’ lip product I’ve tried.

Unlike the MUA velvet’s they are also a lot more forgiving when applying. Though you can’t really touch up without a mirror I apply them like I would a lipgloss. 

The colour pay off is impressive and the rich pigment is opaque in one coat which is good really as I don’t think they’d build/layer up well. Still, I am yet to mention possibly my favourite thing about these brilliant little tubes…

…They are 99p. 99 Great British pence. C’mon! The way the price of a Freddo is escalating these will probably soon be cheaper than the overpriced chocolate frog (seriously though back in my day they were 10p and they’ve been creeping up and creeping up until I recently saw one for 75p! 75p!). Even if you think there’s only a 10% chance of you liking these I’d definitely recommend trying one. 

Overall, would I repurchase?

For 99p a pop I think that’s a yes! Fragrance Direct also stock quite a few other Manhattan lip products for under a pound which might be snook in to my basket.

Eyeko Black Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

Posted on by angellecmakeup

image

EYEKO SKINNY LIQUID EYELINER in BLACK: £12.00

After knowing my adoration for the navy version of this, my wonderful friend Iona – hitlerthestripper – (and her legendary mum P-Dog) bought me the black as a birthday gift. 

I must start this by saying that I point blank hate nearly every pen style eyeliner. I just find them too dry and they tend to irritate and drag my eyes. 

While I think I could excuse dryness for the stunning shade of the navy version, it becomes more apparent with the black. Not unusable by any means and it certainly isn’t the worst I’ve tried, but it’s just not quite enough for me to consider giving up my usual liner for this. If you are a fan of these style liners though you will absolutely love it. It really is just my personal preference.

Getting an accurate flick/wing was a breeze and the staying power of this is amazing. It lasted all day even though my hay-fever tends to make my eyes a bit watery, something my normal liner usually can’t cope with. 

A great eyeliner – just not for me.

Overall, would I repurchase?

While I really do love the navy version and am desperate to try the purple one when it comes back in stock, the black just doesn’t cut it for me. I will use this up however, which is a massive milestone in the relationship between me and pen style liners! 

MUA Liquid Eyeliner Shade 2

Posted on by angellecmakeup

image

image

image

MUA LIQUID EYELINER SHADE 2: £1.00

(Hey look it matches my keyboard!)

Exclusive to Superdrug, MUA (makeup academy) is a budget brand the likes of which you just don’t see in Boots. The closest they’ve got is Natural Collection, but which unfortunately has nowhere near the variety of products.

While lusting after the new Dior Addict It-Line and It-Lash’s, their advert inspired me to try out a new summer look – double-decker eyeliner with a bright second line. Before splashing out £24.50 on one of their blue beauties, I decided to practise the look with a cheaper liner- enter MUA!

As well as shade 2, I also sneaked shade 3 and 4 in to my basket as I have a bit of a thing for metallic eyeliners and at a pound each I couldn’t resist. Reviews for those on the way!

Moving back to shade 2, it really is the perfect sky blue I wanted for a pop of colour on my eyes. You do need two coats for a solid colour, but I found doing this helps anyway as it makes the wear time all day. I find adding a second coat really does make the staying power just as good as any eyeliner around the £7-8 mark.

Alas MUA don’t do a purple version of this which i really would love for my green eyes, but then again that is a good excuse to get the Dior It-Line! Silver linings I suppose…!

Overall, would I repurchase?

Definitely! For a quid this really is a great way to practise the double liner look and I also like the applicator on this which is a miracle as I’m so fussy with them. 

Mani Monday: Natural Collection

Posted on by angellecmakeup

NATURAL COLLECTION NAIL COLOUR in RASPBERRY: £1.89

I think this is actually my first ever Natural Collection makeup item, though I’m not sure why. It just never appealed to me I suppose. If I am going for something cheap and cheerful I usually turn to MUA or Makeup Revolution I suppose and always bypass this brand. 

Raspberry is a lovely dark pink with shimmer. Worth the price tag, and if I see another shade I like I would probably try more from the range. 

Calvin Klein Delicious Luxury Creme Lipstick in Fusion

Posted on by angellecmakeup

image

image

CALVIN KLEIN DELICIOUS LUXURY CREME LIPSTICK in FUSION: £13.50 £2.25 @ FRAGRANCE DIRECT

First of all I must thank my wonderful friend Iona (hitlerthestripper) for this lipstick. She knew how much I loved this in the shade Desire and bought me this along with Sinful. I have to say she knows me far too well – this has to be my favourite out of the bunch!

Fusion is a gorgeous magenta purple that I really do adore. While I do love my reds I prefer a good purple over a pink as the latter can be so tricky to get right. 

The formula is creamy and while it’s not matte it’s not too shiny either. Gloriously pigmented and opaque in one swipe these lipsticks are possibly my favourite things on Fragrance Direct. I’ve got three shades now and they seem consistently good – well worth the super cheap price tag!

Overall, would I repurchase?

Just try and stop me! I doubt I’ll stop until I’ve worked my way through most of the collection… Next on the hit list are Dangerous, Rose Rush and Mesmerise (to start with anyway!).