My MUA collection...

Just a quick post.  I always go on about how I love the super affordable makeup brand MUA so thought I should show you exactly how much.  Here is a picture of my current collection.  It will soon expand even more as I have my eye on a load of their new items and their brushes which I couldn't get in their recent sale...

I apologise for my grotty bedroom, it's currently being ripped apart so we can finally make it look nice and cosy!!
The great thing about MUA is just how cheap things are.  Their lipsticks, single eye shadows and powder blushes for instance are £1 each.  Perfect if you want to try out a new colour but don't want to spend lots of money just to find it doesn't suit you.  The quality also goes way beyond the price.  I haven't even been tempted to buy any MAC or UD shadows since I discovered MUA.
When the pro line came out everyone got really excited as MUA had really upped their game even more.  Over the last few months they have gone all out...they have too many must try items to list but a few stand outs are:
Undressed palette (UD Naked dupe) £4
Brow kit £3.50
Matte Perfect powder £2.30
Eye primer £2.50

Go on, have a try, you won't be disappointed!

MUA Intense Kisses lip gloss swatches and review

Hello!!  Firstly, I know it has been forever since I posted.  My kids were poorly then I was poorly and time for doing me things has been pretty minimal.

Anyway, I'm back and I really wanted to share these lovely lip glosses with you.

I am a massive MUA fan, I have raved about them before and the more items they bring out, the more I love them.  I cannot wait to order their new UD Naked 2 dupe called Undress Me Too...everyone seems to love it more than the original Undressed palette so I am itching to get my mitts on it!

I have loads of new things that I got in their 50% off sale last month but I thought I would start with these beauties.  There is a lot of hype around lip gloss stains at the mo and the normal lip gloss has been a little bit neglected.  I want to rekindle the love with the lip gloss as I really like these affordable lip lovelies!

L-R the names are: Lips Are Sealed, Quick Kiss, Stolen Kisses, Smooch, Sweet Nothings, Kiss and Tell, Kiss and Make Up, Sealed with a Kiss

Here are a couple of swatches, both in natural light but in different parts of my bedroom.  Please ignore the background, we are currently decorating (which I am very excited about as we have been in our house for over 6 years and it's the only room we haven't done)

As you can see these glosses are wonderfully pigmented.  The staying power is as you would expect for a gloss...if I am not eating or drinking too much then I need to reapply after a few hours.

My favourites are, Quick Kiss (the second one) as it is a beautiful watermelon shade that seems to go with everything.  If I am doing a heavy eye then Sealed With A Kiss (the last one) is my go to gloss staple.  It works perfectly with lots of different nude lipsticks or if I am in a hurry on my way to work I will wear this on its own.

The best part about these glosses is they are only £2 each! You can get them from Superdrug or online at muastore.co.uk  plus there are often loads of offers (3 for 2 in Superdrug etc) meaning you can get them even cheaper!

Have you tried any of these glosses?  Which is your favourite?

Favourite Perfumes...

One of my very favourite beauty items has to be perfume.  I remember years (and years) ago getting a bottle of CK One and from then on, Body Shop perfumes (white musk anyone?) just didn't cut it anymore.

I have 5 perfumes that I am using at the moment. Throughout 2012 I was only using 2 but I fancied a change so here is what is usually sat on my dressing table at the minute...

L-R: Twilight Woods, La Petite Robe Noire, Coco Mademoiselle, Pineapple, Alien.

First up is the most recent addition to my collection, Bath and Body Works 75ml EDT 'Twilight Woods'

Since hubs brought me back a load of B&BW goodies from Dubai a couple of weeks ago (see my B&BW haul post) I knew I had to get this perfume.  Unfortunately there was no one off to the UAE at the mo so I ordered from the Bath and Body Shop and paid £23.99 for it.

On the box it is described as a blend of apricot nectar, mimosa petals and Tuscan cypress.  It's kind of fruity but musky.  It's  lovely warm scent, perfect for this weather.  t's not too heavy so I like to layer it up using my shower gel and body lotion along with the perfume.  Yummy!  I love this!!

Next is a perfume I got for Christmas, La Petite Robe Noire by Guerlain. 30ml EDP.

For Chrimbo someone usually gets me some perfume and I fancied something a bit different this year.  I had been wearing the same perfume for about 2 years and wanted something that was completely different.  When I first smelt this I loved it but knew it was a bit of a marmite scent...you will either love this or hate it.  I ummed and ahhed but in the end thought that I love it and that is all the counts.

The description I found online for this (from fragrantica.com) describes it like this:

Inspired by the elegance and eternity of a little black dress, the perfume exudes Parisian chic and gracefulness. It opens with playful and sparkling aromas of black cherry, bergamot, red berries and almond. Bulgarian and Turkish roses rule the heart, further developing with notes of licorice and smoked black tea. Aniseed, tonka bean, vanilla, iris and patchouli form the base.

This is a very fruity scent, it smells so familiar but I just can't put my finger on why.  It reminds me of sweets and is a really fun daytime scent.  I have already purchased a back up bottle of this as Boots had 50% of their Christmas gift sets so another 30ml EDP and the matching body lotion only cost me £21 of Boots points!

Next up is my all time favourite, Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle 100ml EDP.

I have been using the fragrance pretty much non stop for the last 2 years.  It's such a classic fragrance and it makes me feel sophisticated and grown up when I wear it!  Fragrantica says:

Top notes are orange, mandarin orange, orange blossom and bergamot; middle notes are mimose, jasmine, turkish rose and ylang-ylang; base notes are tonka bean, patchouli, opoponax, vanilla, vetiver and white musk.

Well, I can pick out the musk but that is pretty much where it ends.  It is beautiful though and something I am sure I will always have in my collection.  

A bit of a strange one next, a mega cheap 50 ml EDT fragrance by Pineapple that I got in a gift set for about £3 in the Boots 75% off sale.

I've included this as it is something that I use when I'm on the school run or taking the dog for a walk.  I still want to smell nice but know that I'll be showering as soon as I get in so don't want to waste any of my expensive perfumes.  This is a mega sweet, almost sherbet like scent.  It's got a hint of Juicy Couture fragrance about it so for the money I thought it was quite good value.

Last but by no means least is another amazing fragrance, 15ml refillable EDP, 'Alien' by Thierry Mugler.

If you want a scent that lasts then you need to try this out.  I use this as my going out fragrance and I can always smell it on me and my clothes the next day.  I have never had this with a fragrance before.  Fragrantica say:

The creators of Alien based the composition on three main lines: warm white amber in the base, woodsy notes in the heart, and sunny Indian jasmine in the top.

 This no way describes how amazing this fragrance is.  It's strong, but not in an overpowering or sickly way and the smell is just something else.  I really don't like Angel and so I didn't think I was going to like this but I just couldn't stop smelling it. For me it is not a daytime fragrance as it is a bit strong but  know they do a lighter version now so I may well have to try that out. It is definitely warm and woody but has this burst of something fabulous in the middle.  If you haven't ever smelt this then you really must.  The bottle is beautiful, purple is my favourite colour and the unusual design makes it stand out on my dressing table.

So, there are all my favourite perfumes.  Have you tried any of these?  Are there any others you think I may like?  What is your 'pong du jour' at the moment?