My five things

So i've been busy doing other things but i've still thought about the blog and where i want to take it so here is a new feature i want to introduce 'my five things' i know some blogs have a favourites of the month but i see this as more of a weekly post of 'the most reached for' items of the week but i will also sum up at the end of the month the hero's and villians of the month.

So here goes the first of my five things!

So it may be a shock to some but i don't usually wear alot of makeup to work usually just mascara, blush and i little bit of gloss or lipstick. But recently i've been using Makeup Academys Pressed powder (£1,Superdrug) in shade 1. I've used it so much i actually hit pan this morning! I like this because the base colour is a pink tone which matches my skin well and most powders have a yellow base and it makes me look like i belong to the simpsons family, which is not the look i'm into. I also use this to set foundation or over tinted moisturizer after it's soaked in, just to take the shine off. Also for a quid you can't go wrong i always have this compact in my bag just incase i get shiney in the day time.

The second most reached for this week (and for the past few weeks now) is a mechanical eyelash curler from primark which was also £1 but it's really great and it also comes with extra rubber thingies ( i'm sure thats the real name for them) so it will last forever if looked after right. I find this so easy to use, curls my lashes amazingly and it's such a bargain.

Then i've also been using the BeautyUK Palette number 4 which is a neautral colour palette very natural browns, creams and metallics i've been using the cream as a base on the lid then adding a wash of the bronze over the top then using the deep brown in the crease line and the last outer quarter of the lid then blend it towards the inner lid. I am loving a more natural look right now and could use my Urban decay naked pallet but then why use something expensive when i'm only going to work? :)



Taken from superdrug.com



Ive also loved using the new Garnier BB Cream in light as it makes my skin look and feel so amazing, and it smells great too. It's like a tinted moisturiser but it's not as yellow as Benefit's. I'm so in love with this product right now!


Taken from superdrug.com

 and last but not least i have been using Volume Million Lashes i really love how this mascara makes my lashes look amazing! All separated and coated lashes give the appearance of volume!

So i hope you have enjoyed this quick post i won't leave such a huge gap in between posts next time!

Have a great sunday evening!

Love Jo x x x

MUA revisited...

I'm really sorry i haven' been on here for awhile but i've been busy booking and planning my wedding for next year!!! anyway here is a more detailed review of the MUA products i have.

Beware this is long :)

I know i’ve already posted a review/haul of the MUA products i bought but i wasn’t happy with it, not the products, the review :D. As you may know, if your new to youtube(like me) you’re only allowed a video less than 10 minutes which goes really quickly when you have so much to say about so many products so i thought MUA deserved a more indepth review. So here i go...

In my hunt for makeup deals and beauty steals I have come across hundreds of brands some expensive, some cheap but the quality varied as much as the prices and my ‘mission statement’ didn’t say I wanted to show you really great makeup that you needed to take out a loan for, or cheap make up that wouldn’t look right because it was ‘cheap and nasty’. Well I’ve already shown you my various ELF hauls and the great quality products they sell but can we do one better? I was ready to believe not until Make Up Academy (MUA as they are known) kept popping up on other peoples blogs so i headed over to their Facebook page and asked the MUA fans what they recommended. I got a few replies and it seemed everyone liked different things so i went to my local Superdrug and picked up a selection of products.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Makeup Academy they are a relatively new cosmetics company currently sold in Superdrug the difference between this company and others is the price, everything in the MUA collection is only £1!!!!!! No they aren’t on sale this is the original price! They also have a pro range which costs alittle more but only a little (£4.50 for a huge eyeshadow palette!) but i haven’t found any in the superdrug stores in sheffield yet, the search continues...

I was instantly drawn to the large range of eyeshadows which are all in round clear clamshell style packages so you can easily identify the colour of the shadow. The shadows come in pearl which are cute sparkle packed colours and matte which are pretty self explanitory. I have a thing for shadows so i picked several of the cute colours, they don’t have names which is a shame as this adds a fun element to product but a rose by any other name and all that. Instead they are known by weither they are pearl or matte and their shade number, so far i have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7,8,9,10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18 and 20 :)

Because of the high sparkle content i’d suggest patting the colour on with a finger and lightly blending with a brush at the end if required. This will ensure you keep as much product on your eyes and less under your eyes and on your cheeks! I have to admit after being stung before by cheap products i wasn’t expecting much but these eyeshadows are honestly amazing! I’ve applied them with and without any primer underneath and you wouldn’t believe the results! These are the looks i created with the MUA eyeshadows. (tutorials coming soon)

with Urban Decay primer potion.



Brush application.



No primer, applied with fingers- pretty neat eh?



Moving on to Mascara i chose the black and the aqua blue. The tubes are coloured to match the colour inside i love that when you take the wand from the barrel you can see tiny length building fibres in the product. These mascaras are clump free lash separating amazing for a quid! I adore the blue :)

Next up is the lipsticks I picked up 3 of the shades , , , . I usually use Urban decay and Too Face lipsticks but these are just as good, they have a wide range of colours so there will be something to suit everyone. The lipstick is easy to apply, it’s highly pigmented and feels nice on the lips it’s not drying but it’s not greasy or waxy either like cheap lipstick usually is. It lasted a few hours before a touch up was required. I also like how the end of the tube has a colour window so you can see what the exact colour looks like which I think is useful if you have a few of them or a huge make up collection you can stand them upside down so these windows are visible making selection easier (if you have a few Barry M lipsticks you’ll know that finding the shade you want often involves opening them all)

Lipglosses are also available in juicy tube or tube and wand styles. i chose shade 2 & _ in the wand style and i really liked the shade _ it was really pigmented which great but i found that it feathered a little which i think most glosses do but it's more noticeable as the pigment is more dense in this gloss, i found that this can be solved by lining the lips with something like the Toofaced borderline pencil.

The shade _ gloss was a little disappointing as i assumed it would be as pigmented as shade _ but it's more translucent with a slight rosey tint which is fine but not what i expected. I also tried shade_ in the juicy tube gloss which is a gorgeous natural golden colour and i love it on its own or ontop of a lipstick but i think it would look great on it's own for summer look. Both kinds of glosses are not greasy and non sticky.



Smells/tastes yummy too!



My favourite product from the range has to be the facepowder mainly because it's usually so damn expensive and this one is only £1. It's great for if a light coverage is what your after this is the product for you. I wear this everyday and it doesn't dry my skin or clog my pores. The shades are limited but maybe in time this will change. i use Shade one (i love it so much i've bought a back up already even though i won't need it for awhile) i've also picked up shade 2 for the summer when my skin gets a little more colour.

The compact doesn't come with a brush or a sponge but because the product is so good  its not really an issue.

And last but by no means least the blushes! I've managed to finally get my mitts on shade 1, 2 and 3 it took me along time because this brand is popular it sells out fast (i think that happens when you sell good products for a quid)  all three are lovely and natural and you can be subtle or bold with them as you can build the colour up easily. i've notived that the blushes know have 'MUA' embossed into the powder now which is a cute extra touch.

The Makeup Academy also sell bronzers, eye dusts, eyeliners, glitterliners, liquid liner and nail varnishes aswell as a Brand new Pro range however due stocking issues and popularity i haven't been able to find any in the Superdrug stores in my area.

One more thing i really admire about these cosmetics is the effort that has gone into product hygiene. every eyeshadow has a cellotape seal and every lipstick, mascara, blusher, lipgloss and face powder are shrink wrapped in plastic so you know if someone has tampered with the product before you buy it. It doesn't sound like such a big deal but i personally like the reassurance i get from knowing i won't get a coldsore or an eye infection from someone who has opened and used the producted before i've bought it.

So if you've stuck with me this far thank you for reading and i hope you give MUA a go. I've really enjoyed trying the products and making looks for under £5. Think face powder, mascara, 2 eyeshadows and a gloss. Go for it :D

If you've enjoyed this haul/review please share me with your friends.

Love Jo x x