MUA Heaven & Earth eye shadow palette

Hey everyone!

MUA have recently brought out a very exciting new 'Professional' range of products, to complement their original line of products that are sold at £1 each. If you have read my blog before, you will know how much I love MUA eye shadows and lipsticks so I couldn't wait to get my hands on some of the new palettes that they brought out with their Pro line! The products are a little more expensive, but still an absolute steal as the palettes are £4 each and the mascara just £2.

I was lucky enough to pick up the 'Heaven and Earth palette', as it was the last one in my local Superdrug and considering how popular this palette has been I couldn't walk away from the very last one! This palette consists of 12 lovely neutral brown shades, with some really gorgeous highlight colours as well, allowing you to create the perfect smokey eye!

 

I swatched all 12 colours for you, the top photo being with flash and the bottom without. As you can see none of the shadows are matte, they all have a lovely shimmer to them which I understand isn't for everyone and in my opinion, why the Sleek palettes are so great as they have a combination of matte and shimmery shadows! But none the less.. £4 for all these beautiful colours is such a bargain! 

Another brilliant product from MUA who are increasingly becoming one of my favourite drug store brands!

What does everyone think of this palette then? Let me know if you've picked up any of the other palettes or have reviewed them as I would love to give them a read! 

Hannah Elizabeth

July Glossybox - worth the wait?

Hey everyone!

Today was a very exciting day for me... my first Glossybox arrived! I saw quite a few tweets and blog posts this morning from other girls saying how amazing this months box is, so as you can imagine I was willing the postman to come to my house!! 

I really do love the idea behind this product, it's the surprise aspect that I love and that different boxes contain slight variations on samples which I also like. I'm really pleased for Glossybox, that they have had such a positive reaction to this box after a rather disastrous month where a lot of people unsubscribed because of the increase in price, and also disappointing products in the box itself! I think a few people may be kicking themselves for unsubscribing after some of the gorgeous products that are in this months box!

However I do hope this standard continues and it's not a pattern of a good month and then a bad month and then good again, because I think consistency is really important especially because you can cancel your subscription at any time, and also that Boudoir Prive are releasing their first box in the next month! 

Anyway... onto this months box. I know loads of blog posts and YouTube videos will be popping up here, there and everywhere in the next few weeks so I won't go into loads of detail, I will just do a quick introduction to the products and then I have a blog post planned to do a comparison when I receive my first Boudoir Prive box in August.

Just to repeat what everyone has already said, and you will know if you have received a Glossybox yourself, is the presentation is just gorgeous! Even the outside cardboard box has the little symbol printed onto it, and the box itself is really sturdy and a lovely pink colour - which is perfect for using for storage! 

 

The products that I received this month are the:

1. Ciate Nail Enamel - I've never tried this brand of nail varnishes before, and being honest I'm not too crazy about the green colour but I will definitely give it a go!

2. Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether - A full size Illamasqua product!! I've never tried anything from this brand before, and I don't think this goes as far to heal the pain I felt on missing out on the Nars highlighter in the first Glossybox, but it's a gorgeous gold shimmery powder which can provide a subtle sheen on the skin or can be built up for a dramatic metallic finish. It's a lovely golden colour that I think would look great with a tan!

3. Orla Kiely Eau de Parfum - I really struggle describing specific tones of perfumes, but I will just say that I do like it! The little sample bottle is really cute, its shaped like a flower which makes sense as it is a floral scent. The card says that it has "light floral notes, with natural extracts of rose geranium and bergamot, subtly balanced with fresh fig and a hint of chocolate".

4. Ultra Sun Face 30 - I don't tend to use a separate sun cream on my face, as my foundation already has SPF in it so I might pass this one on to my mum!

5. Weleda Pomegrante Regenerating Body Oil - I LOVE the smell of this it is just beautiful! I applied this after my shower this morning, a little sceptical as I thought it wouldn't absorb into the skin nicely as it's an oil but honestly it is such a nice product! It's a massive bottle, considering they are supposed to be sample products, and I can see this lasting me ages.

I am delighted with this months box and I hope everyone else is with theirs. You can sign up to Glossybox here for £10 a month, after the August box it goes up to £12.95 which in fairness I think is still really reasonable, especially when you receive full sized products worth more than £12.95! I'm now even more excited to receive my next Glossybox and also my Boudoir Prive box which arrives at the start of August, so keep your eyes peeled for my first thoughts on that!

Thanks for reading if you got this far, I know Glossybox posts are definitely not the most original but I was too excited not to share this lol and I'm sure all bloggers and YouTubers feel the same way!

Hope everyone is okay xxx

Fragrance Direct Haul/Review

Hey everyone!

I thought I'd upload another post that I've been planning on doing for a couple of days now, which is a haul of some products that I ordered from Fragrance Direct! I was looking to pick up some new make up brushes, I really wanted the ELF stipple brush and powder brush but they've been sold out for a while now, probably because of the 50% discount code from a couple of weeks ago that I failed to take advantage of *sob sob*.

Anyway, I looked online at Fragrance Direct, and saw that they stocked Royal brushes so thought I'd try them out! As always, I couldn't stop myself at just the items I was looking for and ordered a few extra goodies :)

So I'll quickly talk through the brushes and then move onto the other products I ordered!

Left to right: Royal Enhance 'Powder Brush', Royal 'Foundation Brush', Royal 'Blending Brush', Royal 'Eyeshadow Brush', Revlon Vital Radiance 'Brow Brush', Revlon Vital Radiance 'Concealer Brush'

I'll go through the brushes from left to right, as they appear in the photo above! So starting with the powder brush at £2.50, the bristles are super soft and I've been using this for powder blushes rather than for a setting powder or mineral foundation. It's made from synthetic fibres and the domed shape also really helps with application as it distributes the perfect amount of product. I love this brush, definitely a new favourite of mine!

Next is the foundation brush, also at £2.50. Now I don't have a lot of experience with different types of brushes for applying foundation and have only really used make up sponges, a traditional foundation brush and my trusty fingers to apply it! But as far as foundation brushes go, I like this one. It doesn't shed any bristles, it's 'stiff' enough to apply all over the face in areas around the nose and eye. The ELF one I've had before is a little too flexible really, so this one is much better in my opinion!

Next up is the blending brush with is £1.50, I'm not 100% sold on this one. I think it's a little too stiff to be able to blend out eyeshadow without kind of stretching out or irritating the skin around the eye!

The eyeshadow brush is definitely one of my favourites, and probably will be my go-to brush for eyeshadow from here on in! It's super soft and the brush head is quite large really, and perfectly shaped allowing you to sweep all over the lid. I recommend this brush, and would definitely re-order as its so affordable at £0.99!

The next two brushes are from Revlon, the first one being the Brow Brush at £1.50. So far I really like this brush, I've been using it with 'Boxed' from my Oh So Special palette from Sleek and it's the perfect combination for me! It's momentarily replace my ELF eyebrow kit, but I will definitely be returning to using it at some point because I do really love it. It's really great because its angled and quite firm, so I reckon this brush would be perfect for detailing around the eye as well, such as running a colour along the bottom lash line!

The next brush is the concealer brush, again from Revlon at £1.50. I've never actually owned a concealer brush before so I think I need to have a bit more of a play with it to figure out if I like this one! I think maybe I've been applying too much product and the brush isn't really blending it out enough, we shall see!

The next few products are just a mix of things I felt like trying, and they were all super cheap so why not! The first item is a lipstick from Bourjois for £1.99, its the Docteur Glamour Lipstick in Rose No17. It's a lovely summery pink colour, and it's very moisturising on the lip which is great. I think some of the products on Fragrance Direct, including this one, are products that discontinued from the main lines of cosmetics companies so definitely go and check out the website for any favourite products that have been difficult to find or have been discontinued over the years!

 

The next product is from Calvin Klein, Fragrance Direct actually stock a load of CK products such as foundations, lipsticks and loads of other stuff, and they are all at really discounted prices! The product that I picked up is a primer, the 'Whitening Treatment Make Up Base' in matte and it was £3.99, reduced from £19.50 -bargain! I've used this a couple of times now, and I have to say when I first tried it was a bit disappointed that the product itself is actually shimmery, even though it says it's a matte finish. I have to say though when applied to the face, you use the tiniest amount of the product and it blends out beautifully over the skin. It's not shimmery at all once blended in and is the perfect base for then applying foundation. I've never used a base primer before, and I'm so pleased I picked this one up as it really helps your make up stay in place throughout the day! This product also comes in a moisturising base and pearly base.

The next two products are Ciate nail varnishes, the first is just a base coat and the second is a Nail Paint in Victoria. I've done a really shoddy job of applying 'Victoria to my thumb nail that you may see featured in some of these photos lol! I am doing my nails properly later and will apply the base coat and then Victoria on top. Being honest, I'm not too excited about it as it's a colour that is very similar to some nail varnishes I already have but never mind! The base coat also worries me a little as it looks almost gloopy but like I said I'll give it a go!

The final thing that I ordered is this amazing packet of tissues, with Lady Gaga as a cat!!! I actually ordered these for my friend, as she was looking at a top with this design on and when I saw these on the website I just had to order them for her. Not too exciting I know, but I just think they're really cute!

Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this post and I definitely recommend you check out the website as they've got some really great products on their at really great prices! You can find their website here: http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/

Another thing I would say it that delivery is super fast and only £1.99!

Hannah Elizabeth xx

Haul

Hello again! Just thought I'd do a quick post on some new purchases I've made lately and a quick review perhaps on some of the cosmetics I have picked up. I've recently started a new job in the centre of Manchester which has done really terrible things for my bank account! I just go shopping on my breaks and dinner, so my first months wage won't stretch very far when I actually receive it! Never mind... on with the haul!

I saw these bags recently in Primark and thought they were so cute, they had three different prints and I picked up the floral one and the Aztec style one as well - which by the way I'm really not one of those girls who needs the same bag/shoes/dress in one of each colour but these bags were £3! They're a super pretty summer clutch which will brighten up any outfit, they're also really spacious which is great for me because I carry so much junk around!

  

 

The next items are all from Boots, I've heard some really great things about Natural Collection recently - in particular the tinted moisturiser and the lipsticks! They were out of stock on the lightest moisturiser so I picked up the Colour Foundation in Porcelain instead, and I am so surprised at how much I love this product. Its the perfect shade for my skin tone, I would actually go far as to say it is the best matched foundation I have ever tried. It has great coverage, blends really nicely and it is an absolute bargain at £1.99! I think they do six shades in this foundation, so it might be hard to match it up to your skin tone but for me it really is just perfect!

 

The next two products are lipsticks, and I actually picked these up after watching The Persian Babe's favourite lip products over on YouTube, they are 17 Mirror Shine in Beehive and Natural Collection in Rose Petal. I love both of them so much - so thank you Barbara for bringing them to my life lol!

Left: Beehive, Right: Rose Petal

Left: Beehive, Right: Rose Petal

As you can see from the swatches above, Beehive is a really glossy and moisturising formula in a really pretty nude colour! Rose Petal is more matte, but still has a slightly glossy finish when applied.

The next product I picked up was a 17 powder blush in China Doll, this is a really bright pink colour and I've swatched it quite heavily in the photo above, but once blended out it adds a nice shimmery pink flush to the cheeks! It's really pigmented and a great colour - perfect for summer!

The final products are skin care and tanning bits and pieces! I've really wanted to try St Moriz self tanning mousse for so long, and I saw it recently in a local shop so I picked it up for a very reasonable £2.99! I've just tried this out today, and already I'm a fan! I really like how it is instant and the product itself is a quite dark brown colour - which frightened me at first - but blends out to a lovely even tan. I think its so much easier to apply when you can see how it looks straight away, I dont like the non-instant type where you can wait hours for it to develop and then realise how streaky it looks - eek!

I also picked up the Soap and Glory fragrance mist, its the classic scent of all the products in their range, and its just really nice as its quite hydrating as well once you rub into your skin! The smell lasts all day so yeah, very happy with this product!

The final product is the Jergens Skin Firming Moisturiser, which I actually won from Fluerdeforce, so I was really happy to receive this yesterday! I haven't actually tested it out too much yet, but Jergens claim that skin will feel firmer after two applications of this product so i'm very excited to try this out properly!

Thanks for reading and hope everyone is doing well! Let me know any recommendations or if you've tried any of the products i've mentioned because I'd love to hear what you think!

Hannah Elizabeth xx

Sleek Oh So Special Palette

Hey everyone!

I know that so many bloggers and girls on youtube have reviewed these palettes so it has been pretty much done to death, but I'm far too excited for my first Sleek palette and wanted to jump on the bandwagon and let you know my thoughts! I was debating over the Storm palette and the Oh So Special palette, which I believe is new? Correct me if I'm wrong! 

Anyway... I decided on the Oh So Special, and as the name suggests it really is a collection of beautiful and 'special' shades - retailing at £6.49 for 12 shades of eyeshadow is pretty bargainous if you ask me!

It comes in a lovely black 'sleek' package, as all of the palettes do and its really sturdy so I wouldn't worry about throwing it in my handbag and having any eyeshadow spillage disasters going on! It also has a mirror on the inside which is great for touch ups during the day and its the perfect size to use, as some palettes have these teeny mirrors that aren't much use in my opinion!

This gorgeous palette is a mix of neutral browns, pink shades and a few more dramatic shades such as the purple, shimmery grey and matte black to the left of the palette! As with all other Sleek palettes, there is a mix of matte and shimmery shades, which makes the perfect palette for creating a range of different day and night time looks!

 

I haven't done any swatches but I have done close ups on the two sides of the palette just to show the gorgeous colours in a bit more detail!

Top: Bow, Organza, Ribbon - Bottom: Pamper, Gateau, The Mail

Top: Gift Basket, Glitz, Celebrate - Bottom: Boxed, Wrapped Up, Noir

 Now I've only had this palette for about a week, and I have used it every single day since!! The look that I've been really loving is The Mail all over the lid, Bow as a highlight, and Organza and Gateau blended into the crease! The shadows are really pigmented and so easy to apply and blend out, and for £6.49 it is an absolute bargain! 

All palettes are available from Superdrug stores, (I don't think they have all palettes online) and also the Sleek website!

So... what does everyone think of the new palette?

Hannah Elizabeth

Boudoir Prive

Hey everyone,

I started my new job this week so have been a little busy to be blogging, but I thought I'd share some very exciting news about a new company that rivals the Glossybox, Boudoir Prive! 

I signed up for Glossybox well over a month ago now, and have paid for my first box yet won't be receiving it until the end of July! I don't mind this too much, and will be happy to wait - as long as the wait is worth it! As I'm sure many of you know, Glossybox are adding postage and packaging costs onto their £10 subscription (from September I believe?), which has angered a lot of their subscribers causing them to cancel their subscription with Glossybox! 

I'm really gutted that they've received such bad press because I think the product is such a great idea, allowing subscribers to try out high end samples and new products that they may never have come across! But I think the way Glossybox have gone about wording the increase in price is a little sneaky in my opinion, as it appears they had planned it all along but hadn't admitted the £10 price was an introductory offer. However, I feel that £12.95 is still a reasonable price and if the samples continue to be worth the money, I will definitely continue my subscription!

I know a lot of Glossybox subscribers have also been a bit dissapointed with the products they received this month, such as Batiste dry shampoo - now i love a good dry shampoo as much as the next girl, but I can understand the disappointment as it is supposed to be luxury samples and lets face it, we can all pick Batiste up down at our local Tescos! On the flip side though... they are four other samples that you can enjoy so you can't complain too much. I guess everyone was just anticipating great things after the full size NARS product in the previous box - still heartbroken i missed this box ):

 

So... onto the exciting new company! For Boudoir Prive, I think they have entered the market at a great time, while Glossybox is unfortunately suffering a bit of bad press they are in a position to attract their dissatisfied subscribers! This company operates in a similar way to Glossybox, or the Birchbox in the US, offering SIX deluxe samples for £10 a month. It works on a subscription basis similar to the Glossybox, but they are offering one extra product for your £10 and there are currently no P&P charges! The company have not released a huge amount of information about the box so far, but I think this just adds to the excitement and builds the suspense around the product!

images from Google

You have to sign up by email to receive an invitation to subscribe, as they have stated that there are a limited number of boxes to be had! I definitely want to get my hands on one of these and have signed up already (: and you can do this here!

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the lovely sunshine (:

Hannah Elizabeth