MUA: The Best £3 You'll Ever Spend?

Why hello! It sure has been a while. Insert childish guilty face here... 

Anyway, I'm back and I urge you to scour behind your sofa's, the corner of your handbag and purses for a spare £3. You will not be disappointed. 

This new Make Up Academy highlighter is part of their new 'Undress Your Skin' collection, which is said to be the next best thing to Urban Decay's ever expanding Naked range. 

A beautiful iridescent pink, this instantly became my  new holy grail highlighter after the first use. Used on the tops of cheekbones, brow bones and along the length of my nose, it instantly brightens the complexion creating an amazing glow. Even if you don't use it on concentrated areas, a light sweep over the whole face with a large brush creates a glowing complexion. It reminds me in that sense of a really good dupe of MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish. 

I really can't put this down, and cannot recommend it enough. Even if you've never really tried a highlighter before, this is perfect as it is just so easy and a delight to use. And £3 for this much quality product? What a gem.

Have you tried anything from the 'Undress Your Skin' collection?

Dainty Doll Haul: First Impressions

So, if you were incredibly quick off the mark last week you may have been lucky enough to snap up Nicola Roberts' make up range, Dainty Doll, at some unbelievably discounted prices on certain cosmetic websites. I'm talking £1.99 and £2.99 per item, when the RRP's of some of the products are normally £20+. Sounds crazy, right? So naturally I had to snap up a few select items as Dainty Doll is a range I've never crossed paths with before and I was indeed curious.  

I have a complicated relationship with foundations, but for £2.99 I thought I'd give this a whirl as Dainty Doll is designed specifically for very fair skin tones such as mine. Liquid Foundation wasn't available in shade Light, which I thought would be ideal for me, so I took a risk and ordered Very Light, with the thinking that I could always use a tad more bronzer or just save for the winter months when I'm having a very pale period.

So yes, this foundation is VERY light, as you can see. On my first try with it I wasn't too sure, but after setting with my usual powder and applying my usual blush and bronzer, I actually like the flawless finish it creates. I'd say this is a medium coverage foundation, so I'll probably save for when I'm having a good skin day. 

The next item I got was Concealer Hot Pour in 002 Light. I've yet to try this as I'm still using my HG MAC Studio Fix Concealer and am positively addicted, so let's wait and see.

I still have a strange relationship with cream blushers, I need to be in the mood and have time to perfect them. But after 'Orange Country Girl' was dubbed as the 'cream version of NARS Orgasm' I just had to see for myself.

And it actually went on like a dream with a beautiful sheen. Sold! 

I picked up a few powder blushers (I could have ordered all 4, but restrained myself). The first is 'My Girl', a candy pink and is a great everyday colour. I don't own many this bright pink so thought I'd try something a little different. 

'Money Talks' looked such an interesting colour, I just had to have it in my collection. I'm still trying to decide if I should save this for contouring or light bronzing, but nonetheless it's a great winter blush as it's such a muted colour.  

Again, I could have snapped up the entire collection of lipsticks, but decided my purse would appreciate it if I didn't. I stuck to the one, 'Baby Love', as it looked a perfect pinky-nude to compliment the 'Money Talks' blush. I've yet to wear this and give it the all day test but on first impressions it's extremely moisturizing, however the colour pay off doesn't seem great.

Have you tried Dainty Doll?

Illamasqua 'Encounter'

As part of my (inevitable) mega overspend on Illamasqua in their January sale, I picked up lipstick in 'Encounter'. Described as a 'classic brick red, matt finish', it's simply just that. It's the perfect red with an irresistible matt finish suitable for any occasion, and needless to say it's kicked off a red lipstick obsession and I've been loving wearing it for weeks now. I love Illamasqua lipsticks for their durability, I can put this on at the start of the night and there's no need for any touch ups after sipping drink after drink. What's not to love?

 

Did you pick anything up in the Illamasqua sale?

Nails Inc. & Orly haul (that cost £4.50!)

No, your eyes do not deceive you, £4.50 I said. For all these.

Now, I don't have the best luck in the world, but I certainly did last Saturday. I just so happened to be stumbling around boots buying my essentials, when I reached a lovely little reduced make-up section. And as I stood there perusing the Nails Inc. and Orly polishes that were reduced to £5.50, a lovely Boots employee turned up and started stickering said polishes at 50p - happy days! Admittedly  one or two of them aren't in the best condition, but this can easily be solved.

From left to right: 

Nails Inc, 50p each: St. John's Wood, Hoxton Crackle Topcoat, Fishnet Magnetic in Piccadilly, Warwick Avenue, Designer Matte Finish in Heathrow, Lanesborough Place and Montpeller Square.

Orly, £1: Mani Mini Lacquer Trio: Beach Cruiser, Skinny Dip and Glowstick.

Has anyone else picked up any absolute bargains recently?   

Mini MAC Haul

So, if I haven't let slip already, I'm a bit of a MAC fan. And what do me + left over department store Christmas vouchers equal? A little splurge on the MAC counter, naturally. This is what I picked up:

Mineralize Eyeshadow in Ice:

Grabbing my attention immediately, Ice is such a captivating and pigmented colour that I thought would be great for swishing over my eyelids on an everyday basis, especially those mornings when time is of the essence.

Powder Blush in Sunbasque:

Lately I've been gearing more towards the peachy/golden tone of blush, and to be honest Sunbasque had been on my wishlist for way too long! It's a great wearable shade with just a little bit of shimmer, and looks great used with highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones for a glam night out. I wasn't sure it would work with my (incredibly) pale skin tone, but I was wrong. Instead it's simply a nice change from the usual pinks! 

Is there anything you've been craving from MAC?

January Empties (Long Time No See!)

Well, after a longer than intended break from blogging (due to lack of a laptop and blogger being difficult to use on an iPad!) I'm well and truly back with a little January empties post. These are the products I've loved this month and have rapidly worked my way through like nobody's business..

Illamasqua Concealer in CC135: This has fast become my ultimate concealer, the best in the world by far! It's coverage is absolutely amazing which you'd expect from a theatre make-up brand such as Illamasqua. A little goes a long way with this and some days when I'm feeling incredibly lazy I can get away with wearing this on it's own with powder, missing out foundation altogether. The shade range is another mega positive about this concealer, there's a perfect match for everyone. I'm a CC135: 'light with neutral undertones' kinda gal. A definite make-up bag staple from now on.

Nivea Daily Essentials Double Effect Eye Make Up Remover: This is simply amazing. With one or two swipes this can easily remove the most stubborn of waterproof mascaras and eyeliners. I'm not usually one to use an eye make up remover, opting for the old baby wipe approach instead, but it's safe to say this is much easier, less time consuming and more effective. Hooked!

Tresemme Liquid Gold Restorative Complex: I'm going through a stage of trying all the 'argan oil infused' hair oils and I really loved this one from Tresemme. I normally use it after towel drying my hair, and it instantly transforms the condition of my hair like magic. A lot softer, manageable and shiny. This is now a new stage of my hair care routine as I can't imagine what my hair would be like if I didn't use it! 

Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer: Another Nivea product! But I'm really appreciating them lately. I can't believe the perfect daily moisturiser and primer has been invented. This product was everything I hoped it would be and more! My foundation loves it, my skin loves it.. Not sure I'll ever use another moisturiser again! I especially love the gel formula and how fast it's absorbed by the skin, not to mention how long it makes my make up last.   

What products have you emptied this month?

NOTD: Autumn Cool

A little NOTD post. Today I'm wearing Models Own 'Nude Beige' which I got free with this week's More! magazine. Absolute bargain! This cost £5 on it's own normally, when More! is only £1.50, unreal! And Models Own are my ultimate favourite when it comes to nail polish. Out of the choice of two free nail polishes, I was instantly drawn to this cool autumn shade of nude. 'Nude Beige' is so understated and classy, it'll never look out of place. I think this shade will be great also as a base coat for a glitter polish, I've yet to experiment! Absolutely love!