MUA Power Pout Tint Balms

Power Pouts, by MUA or Makeup Academy, are just one of the chubby pen lip colours that have hit the market recently. I think the trend began with Clinique Chubby Sticks and now a few drugstore brand have very similar products available. These claim to be a lip treatment with colour intensity. They are meant to relive chapped lips with immediate moisturisation while offering a colour intense tint to the lips. You can pick up these pencil style lip colour in 6 shades that range from a nude shade to deep raspberry colours. They are £3 each on the MUA website or in selected Superdrug stores. 



I picked up the shade Rendezvous (a nude colour) and Crazy in Love (a red plum colour) to test these out. After swatching them all in store I thought these would be best for testing them out. 



Rendezvous appears to be a true nude in the tube, but after swatching it on my hand and lips I found that it's a very pink toned nude. It glides on to the lips giving them a sheer wash of colour alongside the moisturizing effects of a lip balm. The lasting time with this one is quite poor, but for a nude colour it's to be expected. Nude and light shades in this kind of product tend to wear for the shortest time, and this is no exception.

Crazy in Love is the darkest shade they have and it's a plum pink colour when swatched. It look like a much more intense plum in the tube but the pink really shows through when you wear it. The intensity of this colour is really nice for what it is. It's nicely pigmented, and the colour lasts. It's nothing like  stain but it wears for about 2 hours without the need to touch up. 



The packaging is very similar to Clinique Chubby Sticks and Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. The casing represents the colour, and the twist up section is a silver colour.  The pencil style application makes it quick and easy to apply and it's great that you don't need a sharpener to get more product out! 

Overall, I would recommend these if you want something that will you a sheer wash of colour alongside a product with moisturizing properties. You can pick them up for just £3 in selected Superdrug stores or online here! 

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The 'Oops' Haul

Haul: Hair Care, Makeup, Perfume & Accessories

All I should really say is oops! I got a tad carried away when my student loan came in, and what I thought was going to be a treat or two for myself turned into this. I'm sorry (but not really). 

Haircare: Glizz Liquid Silk, Palmer's Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner, This One Replenishing Treatment, Tresemme Platinum Strength Treatment shot, Doo Gro Hair Vitalizer, Le Kair Natural Carrot Oil Cholesterol Creme

Palmer's Olive Oil Formula Replenishing Conditioner (link)

Price: £2.95
Where: Love Afro Cosmetics
Why:  I'm on a mission to try and help my hair. It's been dyed and bleached to within a inch of a its life and it's crying out for moisture and life. I've tried just about everything in the drugstore, so before moving onto high end expensive stuff that might or might not work I thought I would give this a go.
Review To Come Soon

Doo Gro Triple Strength Medicated Hair Vitalizer (link)

Price: £3.95
Where: Love Afro Cosmetics
Why: My hair is at the length where it just won't grow any more and I want something that is going to stimulate growth. I want it longer, and this seemed like something my hair would respond to. It's for severely damaged hair (that's mine) and it's meant to help moisturize and help hair grow. We will see.
Review To Come Soon

 Le Kair Natural Carrot Oil Cholesterol Creme (link)

Price:£1.95
Where: Love Afro Cosmetics
Why: I got this for the same reasons and the Palmer's conditioner. The idea is something quite foreign to me, and I'm not 100% how to use it but I hope it helps add some moisture and life back into me hair.
Review To Come Soon

Schwarzkopf Gliss Liquid Silk Leave In Hair Conditioner Spray (link)

Price: £1.85 (Usually £3.79)
Where: Superdrug
Why: This is a constant repurchase for me. It's an amazing leave in conditioner that doesn't weigh my hair down or leave it with any kind of build up or greasiness. It helps and it's cheap, so I've always got a bottle to hand.
Review To Come Soon

This One 'Get Glam Locks Again' Replenishing Treatment (link)

Price:£3 (Will Be £5.99)
Where: Superdrug
Why: I think this a new brand, and it was on offer in Superdrug for just £3 an item. I thought I would grab something while it had an introductory offer, and I grabbed this. It's a conditioning mask for normal and colour treated hair, so I thought it would be good for my dyed hair.

Review To Come Soon

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in 015 Runaway, YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in 25 Taupe Raphael, Rimmel Apocolips in Celestial, L'Oreal Caresse Glam Shine Stain Splash in 400 Eve

Revlon Colour Stay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in Runway (link)
 Price:£5.99 (with coupon). Usually £8.99
Where: Boots
Why:  I'm always intrigued when Revlon bring out new products because they are usually pretty good, and I had a £3 off coupon that boots sent me. I thought I would grab one of these because I love a long lasting lipstick and thought this would be a good one.
Review To Come Soon

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in 25 Taupe Raphael (link)

  Price: £22.50 (Usually £25)
Where: Debenhams

Why:  I've wanted a YSL lippy for sooo long. They are like the ultimate luxury item in my opinion. I really wanted the Rouge Volupture one, but they were out of the colour I wanted and this was the closes one I could find. It's not quite a pretty but it's still pretty darn luxurious.
Review To Come Soon

Rimmel Apocolips in Celestial (link)

Price: £5.99
Where: Superdrug
Why:  I'm not sure why I got this because I have the nude one and I'm not a fan. I think I thought that maybe a different colour would be better. It's a little better than the nude one but I still don't understand the hype behind these things. Sorry Rimmel.
(read my Nude Eclipse review here)

L'Oreal Caresse Glam Shine Stain Splash in 400 Eve (link)

Price: £7.99 (BOGO 1/2 price)
Where: Superdrug
Why:  I've wanted to try the YSL glossy stains, but I cannot justify the price on something I know I might not like so I thought I would give these a go because they are essentially the same thing. I like it but it's not love, so I'm glad I got this and not the YSL one.

Review To Come Soon

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara Set

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (link)

Price: £8.99
Where: Superdrug
Why:  I love RT brushes, and heard some amazing things about this. I've gone of my buffing brush for some reason, and wanted to give this a go at replacing it in my foundation routine.
Review To Come Soon

Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara Set (link)

Price: £19.80 (Usually £22)
Where:  Debenhams

Why:   I adore this mascara stupid amounts and ran out recently. I thought I would take advantage of my student loan coming in, and grabbed this little set while Debenahms has their 10% off all beauty and fragrance offer on. 
Review To Come Soon

Seventeen Doll'd Up Mascara, MUA Pearl Eyeshadow in Shade 30, L'Oreal Color Infallible Eyeshadow ion Sahara Treasure

Seventeen Doll'd Up Mascara in Blackest Black (link)

Price: £2 (Usually £6.29)

Where: Boots
Why:  I got a coupon that meant I could this for just £2 so I grabbed it while I could. It's an okay mascara, and the brush is very similar to that of the Max Factor Clump Defy mascara, so I saved some money getting that one.

Review To Come Soon

MUA Eyeshadow on Pearl Shade 30 (link)

Price:£1
Where: Superdrug
Why: I have this colour in one of my palette, and hit pan on it. I thought I would get in single pan form instead of buying the entire palette again. I actually like this one more because the texture is more creamy and you get less fall out when using it. It's also a dupe for Amber Lights by MAC, or some I'm told anyways. 
Review To Come Soon

L'Oreal Infalliable Eyeshadow in Sahara Treasure (link)

Price: £6.99 (BOGO 1/2 Price)
Where: Superdrug
Why:  I love these shadows because you can use them wet or dry. They look gorgeous on the eye if you use them wet, and give the most gorg foiled effect. This on is no different, and it's nice to have a gold this isn't garish and is a little more subtle.

Review To Come Soon

 

Superdrug Dry Shampoo in Chocolate Brownie, Coin Purse, Heart Earrings, Yardley Royal English Daisy EDT 125ml.

Superdrug Dry Shampoo in Chocolate Brownie (link)

Price: £1.99 or 2 for £2.49
Where: Superdrug
Why: I have dark hair and the normal dry shampoo can make it look quite grey, if not white. I love this one because it's cheap and it works. It also helps hide roots if you dye your hair. I thought I would repurchase white it was on offer.
  Review To Come Soon
 

Yardley Royal English Daisy EDT 125ml (link)

Price: £9 something... It's not online so I'm not 100% sure.
Where: Boots
Why:  This is my favourite perfume. EVER! It smells amazing. It's just right combination of sweetness and floralness. It's also not to young, but you don't smell like a granny wearing it despite it being from Yardley. This is my second bottle, and I will continue to get it in the future.

Review To Come Soon

Superdrug True Spirit Coin Purse

Price: £1.99
Where: Superdrug
Why: I wanted a coin purse because the change I was building up ion my regular purse was making it near on impossible to shut. I thought this design was pretty cute, and it was only £1.99. 

Superdrug True Spirit Heart Earrings 

Price: 49p
Where: Superdrug
Why:  For some reason I was drawn to these. I'm not normally one for stud earrings, and I usually don't like big garish ones but I thought this would look cute so I grabbed them up. They were only 49p so if I hate them on, I haven't wasted that much on them.

Dainty Doll Concealer in 004, Concealer Pen in 001, Eyeshadow in 003, Khol Eyeliner in 002.

Dainty Doll Creamy Concealer in 004 Abracadabra (Link)

Price: £1.99
Where: Fragrance Direct
Why:  I've always been debating picking up Dainty Doll products. I love the idea, but the price put me off. When I saw them all for £1.99 on fragrance direct I snapped them up. I'm glad I didn't pay the full price but I'll review soon for reasons why.

Review To Come Soon

Dainty Doll Concealer Pen in 001 It's Kind of Magic (link)

Price: £1.99
Where: Fragrance Direct
Why: I got this for the same reason as the other concealer. I was disappointed by this but for other reasons that the one above. It's very similar to other concealers in packaging, but has a weird texture.

Review To Come Soon 

Dainty Doll Eyeshadow in 003 Teach Me Tiger (link)

Price: £1.99
Where: Fragrance Direct
Why: I've heard that coral eyeshadows are meant to be great for making blue eyes pop so I picked this up. It was cheap, and I love the packaging.

Review To Come Soon

Dainty Doll Mascara and Eyeliner Duo in 001 Good Gosh (link)

Price: £1.99
Where: Fragrance Direct
Why: I love trying out new mascaras, and I want to get into liquid eyeliner so I thought this was win win. It was even a better because of the price.   It's not the best though, so it won't get to much use.
 Review To Come Soon

Dainty Doll Kohl Eyeliner in 002 I'm So Pretty (link)

Price: 99p
Where: Fragrance Direct
Why: This was the only thing from the Dainty Doll stuff that I liked. It's a brown pencil that, while not really that doft or creamy, goes on without dragging or anything like that. It's not that pigmented but it makes a nice change from my usual black. 

Review To Come Soon

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Rimmel Apocalips | Nude Eclipse

Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Nude Eclipse £5.99 link

 






















 I don't get it! Let's just jump right into it and put it out there. I don't understand the hype of this product. Maybe it's the colour I've got but I've swatched the other shades and I still don't get it! 

The applicator is great, and it's really easy to use.  You get the right amount of product on the wand, and the shape works with my lips at least. 

The packaging is nice. I like the cap being all mis-shapen like a meteor and the faded black effect on the tube is gorgeous. 

From my understanding, these are essentially meant to be liquid lipsticks, or a hybrid between glosses and cream lipsticks. I guess they are like that, but there isn't anything special about them that differentiates them from other products. If I wanted a gloss, I would get a gloss. If I wanted a creamy lipstick product I'd grab a lipstick or perhaps the cream puff lip creams from Collection.  

They are pigmented but, this one at least, goes patchy on my lips, fades fast and just isn't worth the craziness that follows these things around. 

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Winter Lip Must Haves | Lipsticks, Balms and Seals

I'm a bit late with this post, but we've still got some of the winter time left so I thought I would still put it out there. I wanted to share my favorite winter lip products so lets get on with it!

I have some major lip issues so good balms and moisturizers are essential for me. I tend to use a combination of products like these to help keep them looking a little nice. I reach for long wearing products and products to help keep the lipstick feathering when if I have cracked lips and dry skin around the lips . love a good dramatic lips in the winter time so I tend to pick darker lips colours, but also if I play up my eyes when I do a look, I like to have a nude in my makeup bag as well.

  

These are the lipstick colours that I've been reaching for this winter: 

Barry M Lip Paint in 156

Does it make sense if I call this colour my bright dark lippy? It's a nice pink/berry colour that gives a nice pop of colour on the lips while keeping on trend. I like the Barry M Lip Paints, and this is no exception . It lasts a fair amount of time, and doesn't dry out my lips too badly. 

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick Sloane's Plum 

This is my purple lipstick favourite. It's the perfect plum for me and it stopped me picking up a much more expensive lipstick from MAC which I think is similar to this. I's not drying, and it lasts a nice amount of time too. It can be put on quite sheerly or built up and it looks great either way. 

 

Rimmel London Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107   

Everyone and their mum is talking about this, so I won't say much but it's a nice nearly matte really vampy red that looks good on just about anyone. It can be a bit messy to apply but with a good lip liner it lasts a long time and stays on the lips. 

 

Revlon Colour Burst Lipstick in Creme Brulee 

This is my go to winter nude at the moment. It's a balm and a colour so it keeps the lips from drying out and it's easy to apply. This has replaced my Blankety lipstick from MAC which I adore, but it snapped so this is my go to nude now!
 

 

To keep my lips looking soft and nice I've mainly been using three products, along side a lip scrub: 

Blistex Relief Cream 
I apply this morning and nice ad it's the Blistex Relief cream. It's a thick cream products with a cooling menthol feel and it keeps my lips moisturized through out the day.
 
Balmi Lip Balm in Coconut 
I use this through out the day over or under lipstick. It gives me a shot of moisture on the lips, smells great and the packaging is really cure too. 
 
Balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve
I use this as a gloss/balm. If I want to add some shine to my lips I'll add this over the top. It keep my lips moisturized and it makes them look a little glossy too. It smells like rose, which I'm not a fan of but I can get past that. It give the lips a nice little tingle and does what it says on the tin.

The other two products are kind of random, but I love using them especially in the winter. 

ELF Lip Seal 
This is a product I've never seen anywhere else, but I wouldn't be without it! It's a clear, balm like substance that you apply either to your lips as a primer of sorts, or around the edge of your lips (outside the lip line) to enure that any lipstick you are wearing doesn't bleed, and stays in place on your lips. I think this is brilliant because when my lips dry up lipstick bleeds more than normal and it's not a good look. This is a total savior for me! 
 
Max Factor Long Lasting Lip Colour 
The colour has come off of this one in particular, but I've been loving this formula from Max Factor. It lasts a long time and they have a nice selection of colours. They do tend to go a little crispy, like most long wear lip products but with a gloss or balm they look great all day! 
 
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Some Current Favourite Lip Type Things

Revlon Lip Butter, ELF Lipstiain and Gloss, L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick, Sleek Matte True Colour Lipstick, Sleek Pout Paint, Barry M Lipstick

Lipstick is one of my favorite things about makeup, and since getting into them my other lip products like stains and tinted balms have been rejected. I've been favoring traditional lipstick over almost everything, and decided that enough was enough. I need to start using some of my other products because they are never going to get used otherwise. After using some of the 'other' type products for a while, I wanted to bring you a favorites. 

Yes there are a few lipsticks thrown in there because I couldn't abandon them all completely but now I use a nice mixture of products to start using them up!  

Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brulee link, ELF Lip Stain in Birthday Suit link, L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick in Lovely Rose link, Sleek True Colour Matte Lipstick in Paypaya Punch link, Sleek Pout Paint in Rosette link, Barry M Lipstick in Green Turns Pink link.

Revlon Lip Butter - Creme Brulee

This is a lipstick of sorts, but with the texture and shade this is more a tinted lip balm than anything else. It's super mositursing, and it leaves a nice nude hint of the lips. It doesn't last all that long but you don't need a mirror to touch it up and it doesn't leave my lips dry in the slightest. 

ELF Lip Stain - Birthday Suit

This was the first ELF product that I ever brought, and probably the first lip stain I got too. It's a traditional long wear lip colour, where you apply the lip colour all over the lips and leave it to set. It dries almost matte, and creates somewhat of a film over the lips. The gloss on the end (sometimes it can be a balm) it just there to make sure it doesn't go disgustingly crusty or dry. I like this because it does wear fairly well without drying out, but the colour is my favorite thing. the bright pink (while reminding me nothing of a birthday suit) is a nice bright pink that gives me a nice pop of colour on the lips.  

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse - Lovely Pink 

This is marketed as a lipstick but it's not really. It's tinted balm. The colour, while beautiful, is very sheer and the product itself leaves the lips feeling nice a mositruised. The colour fades evenly, and it can be touched up without a mirror because it's so sheer and easy to use. the packaging is gorgeous, and reminds me of something much more expensive than £8, and this is just great for days when I want something more subtle. 

Sleek True Colour Matte Lipstick - Papaya Punch 

This is the only traditional lipstick that I have in the bunch to be honest. It's a beautiful orange matte colour that is super cheap, long lasting and great for vibrant lips. Sleek lipsticks are amazing, and the matte ones stand out to be because they are really matte. I love the Kate Moss matte lipsticks as much as the next person but they aren't truly matte. These are the only affordable lipsticks that I've found that leave a great pigmented colour on the lips and are really matte. They can dry out your lips but if you top up your lip balm every so often you avoid that gross dryness and get a great colour.  

Sleek Pout Paint - Rosette

I posted a review on these I think, and wasn't really the biggest fan. I used to hate high maintenance lips but now I've learned the error of my ways. These pout pains are essentially the same as the OCC lip tars, and are just a really highly pigmented liquid lip product that lasts forever on your lips. These can be hassle to apply and end up really messy but if you only use a very tiny amount, and good precise lip brush you will get a nice vibrant colour on your lips that lasts a good amount of time too.  

 Barry M Lip Paint - Green turns Pink 

So, this is a lipstick I suppose. It's looks like a lipstick and applies like a lipstick but it's green! It terrified me at first because when I pulled out tester in Superdurg I was like "who is going to buy that?" but after swatching it I realized that it turned pink on contact with the skin. It applies a thing layer of colour on the lips, and it has a stain like finish and effect. It's a great product and it scare people when you pull out green lipstick. It's hilarious to see their reactions.  

P.S: I have a giveaway running at the moment to day thank you for following my little ol' blog! Check it out here!  

Brand Review | Topshop Makeup

Topshop Makeup, link.

I adore Topshop makeup, and if you have read my blog for any length of time I'm sure you know that the cream blushes they offer are my favorite! I discovered the brand about a year ago, and fell in love at first sight. The products feel expensive, are a good quality and are really affordable. 

They offer a wide range of products from Nail Varnish to Highlighters to Lipsticks. I haven't tried everything from the range, but from what I have tried I can quite happily say it's a great brand.

The shade ranges for individual products isn't the best, but there are still a semi-nice variety of colours. They offer some great staple colours like classic pinks and reds, and they offer some great season shades too. 

Cream Blush in Head Over Heels, £6. link.

The prices of all the products I saw were very reasonable considering the quality of the products. The cream blushes retail for £6 which I think is amazing. They are really nicely pigmented, blend amazingly well and last all day on my cheeks. My favorite shade is Head Over Heels, and you can work it in really well for a nice subtle look of pile it on for a more dramatic blush look. 

Lipsticks in Nevada (link) and Innocent (link) , £8 each.

The lipsticks are amazing quality, and I think they are very comparable to MAC. I prefer the packaging of these to MAC because it's not your average packaging, but I still think it feels good quality and look really cute. They are about £8 each, which is pretty much the same price as the good quality lipsticks form the drugstore so I think it's fair. They have a really nice texture to them. They aren't full of glitter or anything like that which I adore, and I would compare the texture and finish to that of the MAC Cremesheen Lipsticks. They aren't matte, but they do have a "velvet" finish which stop them drying out your lips on an insane level but also make them last a very good amount of time on the lips.   

I have tried a number of other products and they are just as amazing and the lipsticks and the blushes but they are the stand out products for me. The nail polish that I have tried seems amazing. It didn't chip too quickly, and the colours I tried only needed two coats to make them look great. The lip markers are great, but I would like to see some more colours. 

 I really want to try the tinted moisturiser and the highlighters they offer because I've heard great stuff about them, so they are next on my list. 

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Sleek Pout Paints | A Review

Sleek Pout Paint, £4.99 link.

I originally brought these because I’ve always wanted to try OCC Lip Tars, but wasn’t sure if I could get them in the UK and if I could I was a bit worried that the price would be a bit extortionate. I have been asked to make a comparison between the two but I really can't because I still haven't tried the OCC Lip Tars. I can the packaging of the Sleek Pout Polish was better because of the dispenser but I believe that the OCC Lip Tars have now changed to a similar tube.

I hate to start on a negative but I want to be honest. I have used these once and I won’t be using them again.  It's not because they are not great quality or anything like that it's simply because they are so high maintenance and require a nice steady hand to apply. I suppose that if you have the patience for them they are brilliant but I just can’t be asked with all the hassle. I don't have a steady hand and want something easy to apply like a Revlon lip butter or something similar.

You do need a decent lip brush to use with these because they are to messy to use with your fingers and they stain your hands quite a bit so a mixing palette (to mix the colours of course) and a lip brush are must haves for me if you want to use them to the best they can be used.

The colours are super intense and you need the smallest bit to go over your entire lips, which is good I suppose. I just think that, for the colours I would use in the range, I could get them in a lipstick form and have less issue applying them. 

You can see the swatches here. The amount you can see here would probably go over about 6 peoples lips and it’s one hell of a job to get it off your hand without any staining.

Sleek Pout Paint in Cloud Nine, Milkshake and Rosette