Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation: Review.

Hi all,

Hope you are well and wrapping up for the oh so cold days. Here in the UK, although we haven't quite seen the sight of snow just yet, we are having some rather bitterly cold days.

Now, apologies I have been quite MIA lately, life have been far too busy for me particularly these past few weeks  and thus, things have been a bit slow on the blogging side. However, I have made a promise to myself to do lots more blogging in the new year so watch this space!

There has been such a hype about the not so new Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation and I have been meaning to knuckle down and get this review done.

I was sent this foundation by Glamour Magazine to sample almost two years ago as part of a beauty panel questionnaire and I must admit, I didn't exactly rush to trying it on. There are simply two reasons for this. One, well because I used to be a snob and was quite dubious about trying High Street or  'drugstore' as it is known in the US foundations (It was all Mac Mac Mac back in the days) and two, I have never been blown away by Rimmel Foundations in the past so it wasn't really on top of my list of products I wanted to try.

Lately, I had a huge makeup and cosmetics clear out as you do at some point and happened to stumble across it again and decided to give it a try. And actually, as it happens, I was pleasantly surprised! What appeared to be a thick gloopy looking liquid in a pump it bottle, actually gave an amazing natural looking radiant dewy glow to my skin but appeared to be semi matte at the same time. I have recently become quite fond of the dewy look and in fact have been searching high and low for a foundation to give me just that and here this was right under my nose.

At first, I was put off by the shade (303 True Nude)  thinking it was far too light for my complexion but giving it the good old back of the hand test, applied using my RT stippling brush, it went on like a dream. It blends well, doesn't look ashy or grey under lighting and best of all, didn't dry out or irritate my skin and stayed put all day long. Big thumbs up! It really does 'wake you up' as the name suggests. I honestly cannot fault it.

 

 

 

You cannot really tell in natural light, but this has a slight shimmer to it which I suppose is what gives you that glow but it is rather deceptive and isn't an issue at all. I was super impressed by not the coverage, but the amount needed, only a tiny amount is required for a full face coverage, I would say approximately  1.5 pumps full if that makes any sense but of course, this depends on what kind of coverage you prefer, personally I am not a fan of the 'slapped on' look and remember, as with everything, the coverage can always be built up.

 

Believe it or not, I am quite fond of the gloopy thick consistency as it means it doesn't run off the back of my hands as I have had with some liquid foundations in the past. There doesn't appear to be a strong off putting smell either thankfully, although there is a delicate floral scent and the convenient pump glass bottle which allows you to have control over how much product to use is in fact quite sturdy too so no chances of any product leaking out.

 

 

 This works a treat if you have some dry patches of skin like myself, it is surprisingly quite lightweight and you could almost forgot you had it on. Best of all? Aside from making me look fresh faced every time I put it on, it leaves my skin feeling healthy and moisturised. Oh and lets not forgot to mention the fact that it contains SPF 15. Hooray! If you have normal, dry and combination skin and you are after a natural glow without looking tanned then I think this may be the one for you too.

Overall, this is an amazing amazing foundation and definitely deserves all the hype it receives. Considering it is priced at an affordable £8.99* for 30ml in six variable shades and can be purchased at all Superdrug and Boots, it definitely without a doubt beats some of the other much hyped about highstreet/drugstore foundations and could possibly  even give some of the higher end foundations a run for their money.

I think it is safe to say, I have finally found my everyday go to, all year round  foundation and this is something that has quickly become a staple in my personal kit and will be staying with me for a very long time. I am so glad I rediscovered this and didn't throw it out, I will most certainly be heading to Superdrug or Boots soon as there is currently a 3 for 2 offer on these. Is this ground-breaking enough to replace my Mac Studio Fix? It most certainly is I reckon!

Have you given this a try yet?

 

 

 

 

 

MUA Cosmetics Haul- Long Overdue.

So you know when you finally get some time out from whatever it is you were doing and decide to delete the 100’s of random files on your laptop that you’ve stored over the many months and then thank your lucky stars you didn’t completely send everything to the trash bin? Well that is exactly what happened to me when I came across this post just sitting in my ‘Draft Blogs’ folder and I realised then just how long overdue it is but thought Id publish it anyway.

Now a while back, I cannot exactly remember when it was, think it was beginning of December (I know, bad blogger!)  MUA cosmetics were having a 40% off sale off their online shop, as their brushes were just launched then too, I didn’t need to think twice before putting through my order worth approximately thirty pounds. It was simply too good of an offer to refuse and after already owning a few selection of products from their range, I wanted to add to my collection and build up my kit from a professional perspective.

For those of you who have never heard of MUA cosmetics, here is a brief description:

Makeup Academy Cosmetics (MUA) are an on-trend, affordable, without compromising on quality make up line available exclusively at Superdrug stores as well as online through their own website as well as on http://www.muastore.co.uk/store. Their prices range from £1 to about £7 they do everything for eyes, lips, face, nails, nail effects, primers, brushes and tools and lashes all suitable for both professional make up artists as well as those simply wanting to perfect their make up techniques.

More than the makeup itself, it was in fact the brushes that made me place an order, as we all know, good, quality brushes are the fundamentals to applying makeup and I am not one for sticking to one brand only. Sadly, it was only after my payment was processed that I realised the 40% off promo code didn’t include the brushes but with free delivery (free delivery on all order over £25), I couldn’t really complain I guess and actually, I wasn’t really losing out much, although I couldn’t help thinking that they should have been a little more clearer about this.

So, onto the products and here is what I ordered:

 

 

Brow Kit: £3.50

Now, although, the colours are a tad light for my brows, I still decided to purchase this anyway, here’s why: I thought I could play around with the colours, and mix and match to create, fuller, thicker and more defined brows. The product comes with three shades as well as a fixing gel, a mirror that comes in handy for applying other make up on the go as well as a precision brush and mini tweezers, and at £3.50 you really cant complain can you.

False Eyelashes- Vixen. £2.00

I do not religiously apply false eyelashes simply because I have been blessed with naturally long eyelashes anyway and prefer to get semi permanent ones done that can last 3-4 weeks. I quite liked the wide eye, spiked look of these and for two pounds including lash glue is an absolute bargain don’t you agree? These may be a bit full on for day wear, unless you wear no other make up at all, but I am currently saving mine for a night out.

Primer- £4

Having only ever owned one primer previously which was the Gosh Velvet Touch Primer, I decided to add this to my basket after reading several reviews on it. I have only used it once before applying my foundation and setting powder so don’t believe I have given it a fair trial, although not the most amazing, it does do a good job based on its price. It smoothened out my complexion and my foundation did appear to last longer, although I may need to get more uses out of it to give it a fair review.

 

Pressed powder- £1

My current blot powder from MAC is nearing the end, so I thought for one pound I couldn’t really go wrong with this. I purchased this in shade 3 as I thought it was the closest to my skin tone, (very difficult online though as some colours vary), luckily it appeared to be just the right shade. I use this mainly as a blot powder to remove shine from my nose, upper lip and forehead and it seems to work brilliantly, again an absolute bargain! It looks natural on my face, blends well and can have buildable coverage. To blot, I simply use my large powder brush, but for a more pigmented coverage for the full face over foundation, I suggest using a slightly damped sponge.

 

Brushes- I went a bit mad and purchased seven! Here they are:

·         Foundation Brush- F1

·         Blusher and Contouring Brush. F6

·         Blending and Eyeshadow Brush- E3

·         Eyeshadow Contour brush- E2

·         Concealer Brush- F3

·         Stippling Brush- F2

·         Lip Brush- L1

 

 

 

 

X3 Glitter eyeliners- £1

I am not much of a fan of glitter or bright, sparkly colours, (I sound so boring don’t I!) but I purchased these in Iced, (Silver) City of God(Off Gold) and Shade 4 (more intense gold) simply to apply to the bottom of my eyes or inner corners if I feel brave enough, but mainly because I have recently started to like the concept of brushing it over coloured eyeshadow. For example, recently, at a wedding, I wore purple eyeshadow from my Sleek palette to match my outfit and brushed the Iced Glitter liner over it lightly to match the silver embroidery I had.

 And lastly, I received these 5 gorgeous complimentary nail effects polishes too with my order as bonus items!

·         Nail Quake in Jailbreak

·         Nail Quake Shimmer

·         Nail Qauke Broken arrow

·         Nail Quake Shattered Ice

·         Nail Quake Quiver.

 

Visit their website here:

Follow them on Twitter @muacosmetics.

 

Did you make use of their special offer? What did you buy?

 

Love, Hinnah xxx

 

**All images, with the exception of the first taken from MUA official website.

 

MUA Heaven and Earth Palette Review.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but theres been a big hype lately over MUA cosmetics. Now, Ive got to admit, when I first came across MUA in Superdrug, it wasn't instantly love at first sight. The only thing that amazed me about it was the ridiculous low prices and I immediately mistook it for a brand targeted at miners. In fact, I couldn't have been more further from the truth.....

Yet, not being one to completely judge a book by its cover, I decided to check out the range and snoop further especially when their product range started to increase with face and eye primers, contour pens and BB creams to name a few and that's where I decided the brand definitely had potential and I am definitely not one to miss out on a big hype.


So of course, this meant that my wish list started to build up and right on top of it was the Heaven and Earth 12 eyeshadow palette which I stumbled across on a recent shopping trip  as well as many twitters tweeting away about it. Just the name is enough to keep you intrigued wouldn't you agree?


Without further ado, lets get down to the nitty gritty:


All their fabulous palettes come with 12 beautiful and complimentary shades so that a variety of looks can be created and at just £4, (Yes £4!) you basically need them all! The shadows are soft, blendable and easy to apply and surprisingly are quite pigmented for something so cheap. Has anyone also noticed how the third colour in the second row strongly resembles the 'All That Glitter's' Shadow from MAC?

If you favour the natural everyday look then this is definitely the palette for you. All the gorgeous shades are a combination of beiges, browns, bronzes and creams, enough for those natural wearable looks or can be played around with for that intense still favoured sultry smokey eye look a la Kim Kardashian for the evening. Just sweep the creams and beige's under a nicely threaded eyebrow, one of the nice bronze swept over the eyelids and finally, a brown for contouring and voila you have it! Easy, foolproof natural neutral/smokey eye.


Now here comes the best part, I am fortunate enough to own Urban Decays NAKED palette and whilst these may not be of the same quality and price range (Thank god to the latter!), they are still highly pigmented and impressively, glide on well, no fall outs with good staying power. For ease of application, I do recommend using a good blending and fluff brush though, as opposed to the eyeshadow applicator brush provided, just so that a good amount of the product can be picked up and blended well as personally I find eye shadow applicators a little 'amateur' and find that they do not work so well.

Another trick Ive managed to come across here is that dipping your brush in a drop and I mean just a drop of water to help in making the eye shadows glide on and build a heavier look. No eye primer is required as the shadow doesnt crease or smudge. Hoorah!

It might be worth mentioning however, that these shadows are not matte and powdery and may disappoint those that prefer this but the finish is satin like with just the right amount of shimmer making it perfect for every day wear particularly as I feel they are not quite as shimmery as NAKED, but certainly are a good dupe. Might be best to leave NAKED aside for those special occasions.

Also, it may be best to wrap the palette around in cotton wool....literally as if its had a bit of a rough ride or a fall on the floor, the shadows are likely to break, but the phrase, 'you get what you pay for' springs to mind here and at £4 you cannot really complain especially since the shadows are still usable. If I was to be a little picky, I would have liked to have seen some matte eyeshadows in here like UD's NAKED palette but like I said, that would be a little picky for £4.

To sum it up,  I really love this palette and plan on stocking up on it just in case MUA run out of stock or in the fear of it being discontinued, which I believe is highly unlikely though. You can imagine these must sell like hot cakes so if you are lured in, I suggest you put one or two in your basket and believe me, you will not regret it! Well done MUA!

Heaven and Earth can be purchased at all major Superdrug stores or on line at http://www.superdrug.com/make-up/icat/makeup/ or on the MUA cosmetics website at http://www.muastore.co.uk/.

Have any of you tried this palette? What do you think?




xxx

My Fav buys this week- Quick review

They say some of the best things in life are free. We all know beauty does not have to cost the Earth. After all, its what you put inside that matters, but we DO need a little helping hand once in a while. I'm all for affordable beauty, forget expensive beauty counters, its all about Superdrug with several affordable and professional beauty products, without the not so affordable professional price tag.


Here is a quick round up of my favourite beauty buys this week.

Now the days are a little bit warmer, I like to fake that holiday glow that gives me a subtle sun kissed and healthy look. Now, I wouldn't say my complexion resembles that of Snow White but this is just enough to apply all over without giving you that Orangutan look. I would give it 5 out of 5 for ease of application. Just use the lovely hot pink mitt (pictured) which you have to buy separately at £1.99 and I do suggest waxing and exfoliating beforehand to get an even application, although surprisingly, the product does not streak or smell horrendous and washes off in the shower the next morning.
Currently on a 'Save £2.00'  offer with its original price at £6.99.

I have set myself on a mission to buy and own each and every colour in the Barry M nail polishes range with the exception of the 'effects' polishes as I personally do not find these sophisticated enough for those post 25 years of age. The colour painted on my nails very much depend on my mood at the time and right now I am really feeling the paler colours in this range, the pale blue, the minty green but more so the peachy colour pictured above. Not only is it great as its neutral meaning it will go with every outfit, but it looks lovely on clean short nails or would be a lovely base colour for a french manicure. Looks equally great for a mani/pedi , so natural and delicate and wont scream 'look at me' and bring unwanted attention to your hands!

So you wake up and look in the mirror and cringe! The greasy, fine, limp hair you see this morning didn't look so bad last night you wonder.
The only problem is you need to be out of the front door pronto! Yes, I'm sure we've all been there which is why I decided to stock up on Batiste XXL dry shampoo especially as it is currently on offer at a bargain £1.95, a massive saving of £2.04. Unfortunately, we all need to skip the shampooing once in a while just because we lead such hectic lives, but this instantly transforms and revitalises hair and banishes oily roots. It doesn't require any water or backcombing nor does it leave any white talcum powder like residue in your hair. Hair is instantly left volumised whether its an up do or not, clean and fresh smelling. Genius!

No matter how many eyeliners I look into, inexpensive or not, I always come back to 2true Effortless Eyeliner (Number 1) and here's why:

Priced unbelievably at just under two pounds, do not be put off with the low price. The quality is great for something so cheap, it has excellent staying power and the colour does not fade even in the rain or if you've decided to sleep with it on after a night out on the tiles. (Not recommended, the sleeping with it on that is!)
Unlike some liquid eyeliners, I have never had a problem with skin irritation or smudging with this. The ease of application is great, you can hold it with a nice grip but most of all, I like the brush applicator, its not one of these thin, flimsy ones, and it allows to create a natural looking line and even thick dramatic ones. Perfect for any occasion, a little goes a long way, excellent value for money. Would definitely keep on buying this.

I have only ever used Bio Oil for stretch marks on my body and a tiny scar I have visible on my forehead. Lately, Ive started to get alot of dry skin around my nose and some parts of my cheeks so I decided to add this to my bedtime routine, putting my night moisturiser aside for the time being. 

Although, it can be applied on the face, I was a little sceptical at first in case I was to come out in a rash. Thankfully, this wasn't the case.


In the last few days, Ive noticed that my skin has been looking less dull and more radiant and appears smoother and more toned. Best of all, the oil does not make your face look greasy or stain, provided that it is massaged in well. Due to the oil contents, it does smell a little and you may need to wash your hands a few times after. As with most products, experts do recommended though that you use it continuously for a minimum of three months to really see a visible difference.

Bio-Oil contains Vitamin A and Vitamin E, Calendula, Lavender and Rosemary oils, and Chamomile extract. and does not contain any preservatives. It is suitable for all skin types.


Ladies, what are your best beauty buys this week and why? Remember, if you do head off to Superdrug anytime soon, don't forget your Beautycard, its a point per pound spent!

 xxx