Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Biscuit

I ❤ MUA

I have to say that since my MUA Undress Me Too pallet purchase last month I have really been loving MUA this month. It's perfect as I get to indulge in my love of beauty products without breaking the bank.

I've been really impressed with my 3 MUA purchases this month. The MUA Power Pout is a Clinique chubby stick dupe at a fraction of the price at only £3. I purchased the Broken Hearted shade which is a really gorgeous raspberry pink shade which I think will suit all skin tones and adds a perfect pop of colour for Spring.

I picked up a MUA nail varnish in the shade Amaretto Crush from MUA's new nail varnish range. The packaging reminds me of Essie nail varnishes but just in a more mini form and for only £1 it's such a steal, I was tempted to buy them all! Amaretto Crush is such a pretty dusky raspberry pink, a very cheery Spring shade.

One of my favourite purchases of the month has to be the MUA Undress Your Skin shimmer highlighting powder. I really can't believe this beautiful powder was only £3. The powder has a very soft finish which I really like and I think a little will really go a long way. When I saw this online I wasn't sure if it would suit my Asian skin tone, but when I tried it out I just fell in love with it! The powder gives a lovely shimmery finish without being glittery or overly sparkly. I wear it lightly over blusher on my cheeks and it gives my skin a beautiful healthy glow.

What MUA products are you loving at the moment?

Jx

Lemon Drizzle Cake

I wanted to share with you the recipe for one of my favourite cakes; lemon drizzle cake. This cake is so easy to make and soo yummy and I much prefer it to the shop brought ones.

Budget beauty: it's all about the eyes

Eye makeup is my favourite type of makeup. If I could only have one piece of makeup it would have to be black eyeliner, I love how I can totally transform my look with a slick of eyeliner. I've been doing the flicky eyeliner thing since my friend Natasha gave me a makeup kit for my 14th birthday & showed me how to apply eyeliner during Form registration at school (time well spent I think).

Second to my love of eye makeup is my love for a good bargain and this month I'm on a real mission to save money where I can. So I thought I would share with you my best budget beauty eye makeup spends:

MUA undress me too eyeshadow palette £3: The other day I was having a bit of a browse in Superdrug and this eyeshadow palette caught my eye. This palette has featured in a number of beauty blogs and some have said it's a budget friendly version of the Urban Decay Naked palette. It's was on special offer at £3 and I think 12 neutral shades for £3 is incredible value. I like that the eye shadows are of a decent size but the palette is compact enough to fit into my handbag makeup bag. It's such a handy palette as you can achieve so many looks with it, from a neutral day look to full on smokey eye for the evening. I'm really loving the Lavish, Obsession and Exposed shades at the moment & have been really impressed with the staying power of the colours. Exposed I find is good dupe for Mac Satin Taupe. The only thing I wasn't pleased with at all was the plastic applicator which comes with the palette, but I find that with most palettes and I prefer to use my own eyeshadow brushes in any case.

Natural Collection lash building mascara £2: I picked up this mascara a few weeks ago having forgotten to bring my make up bag to work. I have to say I've been pretty impressed with this mascara especially for the price. The brush is quite a big bristle brush and the consistency of the mascara is quite smooth and creamy. It's really easy to achieve a voluminous eyelash look with this and very importantly I found it maintains the curl all day and that hardly ever happens with me so I will definitely be repurchasing this one.

MUA black eyeliner £1: I really love the MUA range. It's budget make up but at a high quality and they bring out some fantastic ranges, my favourite being the Lovehearts range. I like this black eyeliner. The brush is sturdy but has felt tip precision so you can achieve a thin flick or build it up for a more dramatic look. I've found the eyeliner to be waterproof and rub-proof and lasts all day, but you can easily remove it with eye make up remover. A very good bargain buy.

MUA eyebrow pencil £1: This is pretty amazing and I can't believe it cost only £1!! The pencil is very soft, so you don't have to press hard at all to define the brow. Just gentle strokes are needed and a little really does go a long way. It also has a brow tidy brush on the end which is sooo handy.

Threading: For me good, tidy eyebrows are like having a good haircut as it can really help frame the face. Having my eyebrows threaded is my number one beauty treatment and this may sound silly but I always feel better equipped and more organised to deal with the world when I've had my eyebrows done (maybe that's just me though!). I have tried plucking or waxing my eyebrows but I much prefer the finished shape and neatness when I have them threaded. Major budget beauty tip# Now I'm going to let you into a little secret....I get my eyebrows threaded for only £2! So it's definitely my most budget friendly beauty must have. I go to a place in East London, on Green Street in Upton Park*. There are a number of shops and beauty salons which offer threading on Green Street, but I tend to go to the same one which is Anju's Beauty. It's easy to locate you come out of Upton Park Tube station, turn left and it's literally less than a minute away. It's always quite busy as it's very popular but I never have to wait long. The beauticians are very well skilled in what they do and know the natural shape eyebrow that will suit each person. I find that I only have to give minimal direction i.e. I don't want my eyebrows to be too thin and I come out very pleased with the result. I've taken friends along as well and they have always been happy with the results**.
So there you go a complete look for eyes within £10......not bad. Let me know what your eye make up must haves are, budget or otherwise.

Jx

*Sorry this is only relevant to those living in or visiting London but threading is a very common technique now with more and more beauty salons offering this service for £3-£7.

** This is just my opinion based on personal experience and not a sponsored post.

March favourites

Sorry this is a little delayed. There have been a few things that I've loved using in March so I thought I should definately share.

Stella McCartney Stella perfume | Liz Earle eyelash conditioner | Clinique lower lash mascara | Clinique chubby stick in Woppin' Watermelon | Guerlain Bronzer | Rimmel Apocalips in Galaxy | YSL noir eyeliner