FAVOURITE SERIES: NUDE LIP LINERS

As promised! My top nude lip liners.

Nude liners don't just have to go with nude lipstick, it's the most versatile colour you can have in your collection, it goes great under pretty much any lipstick to either block out the natural lip colour and change the colour of the lipstick, or just to mimic a false natural lip line!

  

From the top of the swatches below here's my list:
NYX - EVER
MAC - WHIRL
SEPHORA - CUTE CARAMEL
SEPHORA - RADIANT ROSY
MAKE UP FOREVER - 2C
RIMMEL - SPICE
NO7 - CARAMEL
NYX - CHOCOLATE
MAC - STRIPDOWN
CHARLOTTE TILBURY - ICONIC NUDE
MAC - SUBCULTURE

GET THE LOOK: R E G A L B R I D E

Behind the scenes...

I thought I would share the details of one of the recent looks I created, along with some raw behind the scenes images. I was going for a regal bridal look with simplistic jewellery as I wanted the eyes to do all of the talking.. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Here are the product details:

- Nars eye primer on the lid
- Maybelline Gel liner on the lid in brown blended out into the crease as a shadow base and crease colour base
- Mac 'Gold Stroke' pigment packed on top of the gel liner to the mobile lid
- Make Up Forever Matte Bronzer in the lid crease
- Illamasqua medium pencil on the water line (flesh tone)
- Illamasqua Obsidian eyeshadow buffed into the upper lash line to give a fuller lash effect
- Heavy smoked out lower lash line with the Nars - 'And God created women' palette
- Illamasqua Skin Base foundation 12 & 13
- Contour with Kryolan Supra Colours
- Mac sculpting powder in 'Sculpt' to emphasise the contour at the highest point of the cheekbones
- Femme Fetale Lashes in Samantha 

- Foundation set with Banana from the Anastasia Beverley Hills Contour Kit

- Anastasia Beverley Hills Dip brow in Medium Brown for a defined brow

- Illamasqua lipstick in Immodest mixed with Mac Love Lorn 

Make Up & Hair: Sharon Marway

Jewellery: www.deeya.co.uk

This image was created at the Nina Ubhi Beauty & Hair Institute

Custom DIY Lip Palette

I love a DIY project, and I did put out an Instagram video on my latest invention, a custom lipstick palette.

As a Make Up Artist, time is usually of the essence, and wasting valuable minutes searching through a very large bag of lipsticks which all look the same, to find the colour I wanted just wasn't working. So I decided to depot them into a handy palette. I am all for palettes in any case, so this was a no brainier.

Another reason I wanted to do this was so that I could just scrape a small piece out onto a mixing palette and work from that rather than the lipstick tube, that itself is more hygienic but also, this way I can spray the entire palette down with 98% Alcohol after each use.


Go to my Instagram page @sharonmarwaymua for little video!

I had lots of people asking how I did this so I thought I would share the step by step with you all.

The empty palette I used was from MAC, I decided on this one purely because with my pro discount it worked out well.
PRO: The palette has a see through lid and generally seems very sturdy.
CON: The palette doesn't have as many pans as some of the others.

Other palettes I was considering using were:

• The Japonesque 32 well palette - 
• PRO: This has more wells than the MAC palette. 
• CON: The lid closes shut so you can't see the colours inside without opening it, and also it was working out at a higher cost

• Z Palette with empty pans - 
• PRO - The major pro here was that this would allow me to switch up my palette depending on the job as the pans would be removable rather than fixed like the two other options. 
• CON: The cost of the empty pans, plus magnets, plus the palette itself worked out more. 

There are hundreds of You Tube videos out there, which explain this but hopefully reading this will save you time watching all of them to find the best method (mainly because I have already done that part for you)

Here's the step by step:

1. I sanitised all my equipment using 98% Alcohol

2. I laid out and ordered all the lipsticks I wanted to depot in front of me.

3.  I cut off about a third of the lipstick and put it into a sanitised spoon

4. I hovered the spoon over a candle being careful not to let the flame touch the bottom and watched as the lipstick melted.

5. I took the spoon off the heat as soon as about 90% of the lipstick had melted and I could still see a piece which was hard, this way I was sure the lipstick didn't over heat. Over heating the lipstick can ruin the texture, so be careful.

6. I slowly poured it into the well - I mention slowly because as the lipstick reforms and solidifies, it will increase in size so do this in portions.

7. I have a number of lipsticks which I have never been used, probably because they were impulse buys like Nicki Minaj's Limited edition Pink Friday lipstick by MAC, so with these I custom melted other lipsticks in to make a wearable colour I liked. My palette has around 5 custom colours in it, I even managed to make something which is very similar to MAC's Velvet Teddy!

8. After all the lipsticks were in, the whole thing was quite a mess so I cleaned up using a Q-tip and Alcohol again and flattened out any that didn't have a flat surface.

And that's it, my well researched, tried, and tested method.
Do tag me in any posts/pictures where you try this, I'd love to see!
And if you would like yo know the exact colours I have in my palette, just let me know :)

xXx

Velour Lashes @velourlashesofficial

Sometimes we just need a short and sweet review, so that's exactly what I have for you....

I picked up my Velour Lashes at the IMATS earlier this year, they were literally sold out of almost everything by the time I got there which says it all really! We were served by one of the lovely Velour Lash girls, it might have even been Mabel Lee but it was so busy we had to rush through.

Onto the make up talk..

So I was recommend by the girls to pick up the Naughty Me lashes -according to my eye shape, which is pretty much a medium sized almond shape.

The lashes themselves have quite a thick band, usually I'm not a fan of a thicker lash band because they can be quite hard to put on as they aren't as flexible but these surprised me!
I think its mostly down to how tactical you are with the lash glue, I'm quite practised with lash glue timing so I think that helped - it has to be the right consistency before you even think of applying them.

The main thing I like about these lashes is that they look super full once they are on, typically we all know a bit of eyeshadow/liner along the lash line can instantly make your lashes look fuller. Not sure if you remember the Aishwarya Rai Loreal Mascara advert which kicked off a lot of talk not he blogger scene about the exaggeration on a mascara advert.

I've worn these lashes four times in total since I bought them and they are still in pristine condition, most lashes would wilt after that many uses or even have some of the individual lashes come away but that hasn't happened.

I would recommend to really look after the lashes, because after all they aren't unbreakable and a decent amount of care is needed.

My tip is not to get mascara on them
As soon as you are done with them, slowly peel away any glue on them
Always apply glue to the lashes and not over the lashes once they are on your eye, glue belongs on the lash line where you can't see it, not on top where its visible if you look down.

All in all heres my rating:

Value 9/10 - They aren't the cheapest of lashes but you have to weigh out the amount of wears you could get from them, and like i mentioned thats down to how well you look after them!

Packaging 10/10 - Love the packaging, they are fully secure in the box and aren't going to get squashed whilst travelling, its also really cute looking if you wanted to have it on display at your vanity.

Quality 10/10 - Its instantly noticeable that these are high quality, thing I look out for are that false shine you get from cheap quality and the lash fall out - neither of which applied to my pair!

Tag me on instagram or comment here if you have used Velour lashes!

xXx

FAVOURITES SERIES - Eyeliner

I've decided to do a Favourites Series - All the products I usually post about, are those I would consider to generally be my favourites, but this is just a way of grouping them up which will hopefully help you see how I categorise them.

This is going to be a straight to the point, no fuss series with as many pretty pictures as I can take (as usual!)
So to start off, here's a quick breakdown of my favourite eye liners:

1. Inglot AMC Gel Liner
PROs: This liner couldn't get more true in colour, the black is highly pigmented and the gel sets matte so doesn't budge or bleed.
CONs: The only drawback is that it dries a bit too quickly, the pot seems to remain airtight for a good amount of time but when I have scooped some out onto a mixing palette to use, it does dry very fast and results in a bit of wastage.

2. Illamasqua Obsidian Eyeshadow with Sealing Gel
PRO's: We all know that Illamasqua eyeshadows are highly pigmented so with a few drops of their sealing gel you have an instant true black liner which you can customise to your preferred consistency.
CON: This doesn't apply to me but for some people mixing the shadow with gel might be an extra step they would rather not do - out of convenience.

3. NYX Fat Marker
PRO: This is a foolproof liner for those new to or not so confident with working with eyeliner, the product is just like a thick felt tip liner so fits nicely into the hand and gives you good control.
CON: The pigmentation is naturally not as deep as that of a gel liner would be, and also this might be abit difficult to purchase in stores as the UK doesn't have a great amount of NYX stockists. (Avaliable online at www.nyxcosmetics.co.uk)

4. Avon Super shock gel liner
PROs: This is a gel liner in a pencil form, so it's perfect with those who aren't great at using a fine liner brush with their gel liner. This formula set's nearly waterproof and does not move al day. Probably the most affordable product of the selection.
CON: It's setting power means you have to work with it very fast if you want to so something like blend it out.

I use a whole load of other eye-liners too but unfortunately they didn't make it to the top of my list! Let me know if you would like to see them though.

xXx

Banish Blemishes! Make Up Forever Corrective Camouflage Palette

This is a product I've been meaning to blog about for the longest time but I think now is a great time seeing as everyone seems to be talking about correcting and highlighting at the moment.

I'm not a impulse buyer type of girl, it might have something to do with being a Cancerian but I can be severely indecisive at times! With this in mind, 95% of the time I have already done my research before buying a beauty product, so for me buying something that turns out to be completely rubbish is rare!

If you find you are still seeing blemishes or discolouration underneath your foundation what you need to do is neutralise the discolouration before you conceal or lay your base...

Here's my theory: 

As women we are aware of the basic rule: 'White top, White bra', and why? ..Because if you were to wear a black bra the colour would show through!

The same idea applies here, your foundation is the white top in this scenario, putting a veil of a one dimension lighter colour over something which is darker won't block out the colour so we need to change that underneath colour to something similar.

This concealer palette comes in 5 very pigmented corrector shades (from left to right in the image below)

• No. 13 - Light concealer
• No. 16 - Salmon concealer
•  No. 17 - Green
•  No. 18 - Lilac
•  No. 20 - Orange

The lightest colour can be used alone to highlight areas around your eye, cupids bow or under brows or can even be mixed with the salmon colour to create the exact shade needed to layer above the corrector.

The orange is the perfect warm tone colour that will neutralise any blue or ashy tones -so under the eyes, or dark areas which are common around the mouth. The orange may be difficult to layer a concealer over without showing through so it might be an idea to mix this with the lightest shade to get a nice peach tone corrector which will work perfectly under the eye without showing through 

NOTE: Be careful when correcting darkness, use the rule the darker your skin tone the brighter the orange needs to be - it's possible to make the darkness look worse if the correcter used is too light - if it looks ashy then add more orange, quickly!

Green can be lightly blended over red blemishes often found around the nose area to neutralise them, foundation alone usually won't conceal red/blemished/flushed skin so this will correct that.

The lilac tone will neutralise any sallow yellow tones - good for the winter months when our skin tends to look a little lifeless and dull.

When putting down a correcter you will need to use a concealer that matches your natural skin tone to layer over the top, you will notice the blemish is undetectable as you have neutralised the colour.

Tips: These concealers are in a solid form so they need to be warmed up on the back of your hand for the best result. You may also want to use an under eye primer before these for a really smooth base. I've found this concealer can crease slightly under the eye so as always it's important to blend and blend some more!

 Pro tip: for easier application, the product may be diluted with a make up primer,  or simply with foundation - From MUFE website

Usability: Not everyone has the time to conceal to this level but for those who need/want amazing coverage this product is great. There are plenty of correctors out there that follow the 'corrective colour wheel' and lots of cheaper alternatives, but it's quite hard to find one with a good pigmentation like this.

So after all that rambling it's not a staple product everyone needs, but its quite nice to have it if you work on a mixture of skin tones/types

The Make up Forever Camouflage Palette is £25.50

 from Guru Makeup Emporium, I usually purchase my MUFE products from PAM purely because it's a little easier for me to travel to. These two shops are Pro Make up stores specialising in Film & TV Make up, there aren't many stores who currently sell MUFE in the UK, these both have an online shop too for those who would find travelling down difficult.

xXx

Tom Ford Pout 💋

I swear Jay Z had nothing to do with this purchase, but I can thank Instagram instead!..

I saw the most gorgeous post from one of the millions of make up artists I follow on Instagram and have wanted one of these lipsticks ever since, the colour on her lips was just gorgeous..(pic below)

Value for money:

Lets face it Tommy boy hasn't got to where he is with crap products and a crap clothing line has he!

Tom was the creative director for Gucci and YSL from 1994–2004- enough said!

You really do get what you pay for..this cost me £36 and lord knows I'm glad I did, it's a lipstick of dreams, you gotta give it to the man, genius! 

Colour range and payoff:

I've got a picture below of the colour range, but they only had a few shades where I got mine.
These remind me of the YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks, which only need one swipe of colour and you're good, I'd say they aren't as creamy but it does go on smoothly. I found that it didn't bleed so you could probably get away with not using a lip liner, however if you are choosing a darker shade say Black Orchid, I'd recommend lining your lips without a doubt.
The colour I chose is Flamingo but you can bet True Coral is my next buy! I've swatched the colour below, on the left is a couple of swipes and to the right is just one..pretty good going!

Packaging:

I'm always a sucker for nice packaging with any product but lipsticks most of all.

I love this packaging, it's so classy, and the lid actually clicks closed properly! (That's a pet peeve of mine)

Moisture:
I know a lot of us have trouble with lipsticks drying our lips out, prime example - the Mac Amplified shade range! I didn't have any trouble with this one, for once I didn't have to reapply any balm before my lipstick with is always helpful!

A couple tips for dry lips
- Put on your lip balm when you start your make up so it's had time to settle in by the time you get to doing your lips at the end
- Prime your lips with primer / concealer if you have discoloration
- Exfoliate once a week, either using a dedicated toothbrush very lightly in circular motions or with a home made sugar scrub (sugar and honey..try not to eat it!)
There are loads of exfoliant products out there for lips, I wouldnt waste your money but if you are feeling lazy but don't want to spend too much I know Elf cosmetics do a lip exfoliator for £3.75

                                             

If you do like this post please click on the follow this blog button! 😘 😁

If you don't already, follow me on Instagram!... @rouge_volupte

And of course follow the beautiful make up artist @makeupbylilit

xXx

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

I have to say I've had my eye on the Clinique Chubby Sticks for a while but have never actually invested, probably because 95% of the things I purchase are not done so without a bit of research....so that I don't have to write one of those 'Things I regret buying' posts!

First impressions:

Packaging is sleek and very similar to the Chubby Sticks

Colour choice and pay off:

I was pleased with the colour choice in this triple pack, they are staple colour shades-nude, coral and pink. The colours are buildable to an opaque state which is great if you want a bold lip which isn't going to budge.

Stain power:

Balm Stains like this claim to have a good stain capability but rarely live up to it, I have to say these definitely do stain your lips to the point that when it does eventually wear off after a few hours your lips have a sure 'bitten' look to them. They don't give that terrible half worn off lipstick look which I detest!

Drawbacks:

The only one negative I can think of is the smell, they have that annoying minty smell that some products have, minty is the only way I can describe it - and note I don't mean a lovely mint ice cream smell, it's quite similar to what the OCC Lip tars smell of. I can see how this would put a few people off so be warned if you are thinking of purchasing online, I would go and have a sniff first!

Topshop Lip Marker

Hi guys its been a long while but I wanted to do a quick post on the Topshop Lip Markers and tell you to go out and get them!

My main findings
- Highly pigmented
- Reasonably priced
- Wide range of colours available
- Stays on for around 7 hours tested during a shopping trip to Westfield, it only came off slightly after our meal

The picture doesn't really do it justice, it doesn't show how bright this thing really is even after just a single application.

The colour I got was Hot Shot, and as a girl on the Estée Lauder counter pointed out, it is somewhat similar to Macs Chilli but I wouldn't say totally because the texture, tone and intensity is very different.

The good thing about Topshop is that they are pretty much everywhere unless you literally live in the middle of nowhere, so pop in and swatch some of the colours. Believe me you will walk away with more than one!

Lip Markers retail at £7

Let me know if you recommend any colours!
xXx

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar

If you're a lipstick lover, or can't stand having bare lips, then lip tars are a must for your collection..

OCC stands for Obessive Compulsive Cosmetics...If I were to ever create a make up line this would be the perfect name! Love it. 

OCC don't stock the usual pretty reds, pinks and nudes, they deal with the much more racier colours like purples, greens, and blues. However, I chickened out a tad and played it safe with a subtle pink shade.
 

Momento was the first lip tar to my collection, but I have plans to expand..believe it or not!

Your probably thinking that there is more product in this tube than anyone could possibly need, but the reason being..OCC have developed these tars for mixing, and depotting..the idea is that you experiment and create your own shade with one, two or more shades. 

Application: You need to use this with a brush, WARNING-Do not attempt to apply straight from the tube or you will be sorry and there will be a lot of wasteage!

You literally need a DROP for your whole lips, it is unbelievably pigmented and that's what this product is known for. 

It goes on like a thin matte gloss but dries to a satin finish like lipstick.

The staying power is about 5 hours, which is very impressive and all the colours have a refreshing peppermint smell to them.

Lip Tars are free of parabens, cruelty free and 100% vegan...can't say that about many products these days can we?!

Product Summary

Overall - 100% Opaque colour, it applies quite thinly and spreads well. Best used with a brush.

Best For- On its own for a block of colour or under a lip gloss

Availability-
 LoveMakeUp.co.uk £8.99

Debenhams Oxford Street

New Brushes! Real Techniques

Have you ever watched a Pixiwoo video?
Don't know what I mean? Get onto YouTube now and type them in..if you subscribe I guarantee you will be addicted!

Pixiwoo consists of two very talented and very pretty ladies...Sam and Nic.
Last year, Sam launched her new line of brushes and they have gone viral! Since watching the first video where she introduced the brushes I have had them on my 'To buy' list and I have seen them in practically every video I have watched since, I've noticed the US are crazy over these brushes!

So this Christmas I asked for them and my sister kindly bought me them..It is clear to most that visit my bedroom that I have a thing for collecting make up brushes. I don't know what it is, I just need to have two of everything, let's face it washing brushes isn't the most glamorous of jobs, and we've all had the moment where we reach for one and it's dirty...in comes the second brush back up..see, always handy to have two (there's me trying to justify my obession).

Back to the brushes- which I love, I chose the core collection which includes four core brushes, believe it or not!

-Lip brush
-Contour brush
-Buffing Brush
-Pointed Foundation brush

I prefer to use a buffing brush for my foundation. Prior to discovering the Real Techniques buffing brush I was obessed with my Sigma F82.  [See Post] I feel like the F82 is alot denser than the Real Techniques brush, so it has taken abit of a back seat when it comes to my everyday routine.


I wouldn't say the foundation brush in this kit is ideal for foundation but that's what I love about brushes, you can adapt them to your use. I use this for dabbing on under eye concealer, or for a highlight on the cheekbones instead of for foundation.. I think it's purely down to the surface area..I'd be there doing my foundation all year with this brush.

The Countour brush is great for getting under the cheekbone and hitting the temples.

The brushes are synthetic and not real hair, which is great because it means they won't start to malt if used with liquid products.

That's Sam on the back of the box!

The kit came with a cute little brush holder which will be great for travelling..it's so annoying when your brushes go out of shape or the bristles get caught in the make-up bag zip!

Do you watch pixiwoo on YouTube? What's your favourite pixiwoo video?
xXx

Morroccan Oil Tame your unruly locks @hqhair

There are alot of opinions on Moroccan Oil. Moroccan oil the equivalent to Argan Oil which comes from Argan Tree fruit -which as the name reads are grown almost only in Morocco. The oil is used as a lavish moisturiser for the skin and hair. 

The reason I say there are many opinions on this product is because it's not 100% Argan Oil and that has put some people off, 100% true Argan Oil is available to buy and some do find great results, but Moroccan Oil have used the Oil with some similar Silicone based ingredients to what John Freida's Frizz Ease has to develop a bespoke hair product that I now won't live without.

The Oil comes in two types; a light version for those of us who have normal or thin hair, that starts to look greasy often and needs a wash more than three times a week. Then there is the normal version which is for everyone else, I fall under this bracket as I can get away with washing my hair around 3 times a week as it doesn't look greasy, that might be down to the fact that it's jet black!

I use it on every other wash just when my hair is a little damp but not soaking wet. The reason I don't use every time is only because I usually wear my hair curly and I find that if it's too silky smooth the curls don't sit as well...But that's just down to personal preference. Alternatively you can use a little to tame those unruly fly aways and finish of your look with a glossy shine.

The oil comes in an amber glass bottle, which for centuries has been used to protect the contents, preserving the life of the product. You may find perfumes oxidise and turn a funny colour after a while, and this is usually down to too much exposure to sun light...which an amber bottle avoids.

This stuff smells divine! It's doesn't reek of perfume, but it smells just sweet and fresh enough to leave your hair with a nice scent, perfect for those L'Oreal moments.

Consistency is relatively thick when pouring or pumping it out of the bottle but once it's in your hands rub your palms together and warm the product up, this will help spread it evenly over the hair and also thin it out abit so you don't get left looking greasy...Saying that this product really does soak into the hair very well..I have fallen victim to putting too much on in one area, my hair was freshly washed so I freaked out but after a few minutes you wouldn't have been able to tell because it all soaked in completely!

As someone with thick curly and wavy hair I can definitely recommend this product, I think it's even better value for those of us who buy those little bottles of John Freida frizz ease, this will last you much longer and do a better job!
 

Product Summary: 

An extremely light formula that seeps into the hair leaving no residue

Great for -Those looking for a deep conditioning or who want to add shine or tame a few fly aways to finish their look.

Availability - Hqhair.com 100ml / £30.45

Let’s talk armpits! Aloe Vera Ever-Shield Deodorant Stick

So, our armpits may not be the most attractive areas on a body but they are an important one at that.

A lot of us don't really think about what antiperspirant we use. Usually we just go for the one that smells the nicest, I'm definitely guilty of this!

A few years back I learnt the importance of choosing your deodorant well. At the time I was using Sure Antiperspirant which I bought from my usual drug store, I had a mini for my handbag and a spray for use after showering.

I began to notice a raised bump in my right armpit and thought nothing of it, just that it might have been an ingrown hair which would sort itself out in no time.

After ignoring it for months, it had got bigger and I could feel it without having to look for it. It was becoming uncomfortable, I mentioned it to my mum in passing and she said I needed to book an appointment with my GP ASAP.

I didn't know this but the tissue under your armpit is actually classed as your breast too, and as we know any lump in your breast would set alarm bells ringing and should be shortly followed by a phone call to your doctor. My GP explained what was happening. Which leads me to the reason behind writing this post.

The Antiperspirant I was using was causing a lump to form in my underarm as a reaction to the toxins in it. I was very relieved that it wasn't anything more than that but it did open my eyes to toxins and what I was using on my skin.

My doctor advised that I shouldn’t be using Antiperspirants that contain Aluminium.

So I did some research and it turns out there is no conclusive research linking the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants and the subsequent development of breast cancer. Which is good news!

But I did manage to confirm what I was told about Aluminium-based antiperspirants....

The important thing to remember is that antiperspirants and deodorants are different things all together; antiperspirants can contain aluminium salts where as deodorants do not, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that deodorants are any better for you.

Antiperspirants containing aluminium, work to completely stop perspiration from occurring.

Deodorants allow perspiration but work to only kill the bacteria that causes odour when we perspire.

It does make more sense to use deodorant as it is a much more natural process just to let our bodies sweat, but let’s face it none of us want to give the person next to us a shock with any 'unpleasant' odours.

Most commercial brands of deodorants and Antiperspirants contain a number of harsh chemicals as we know, let's keep the focus on Aluminium. Aluminium is a toxin and can be potentially toxic to our health.

The Aluminium in these products can be absorbed into the skin and also enter via cuts and nicks. The word toxin would put any one off, here's where I decided to make a change, I knew I had to remove it from my routine completely as I had seen the evidence of what the Aluminium was doing to my skin, and that was on the outside, when I began to think about what would happen on the inside I decided to totally cut it out.

I came across a great Aluminium free deodorant which I am really excited to share with you.

The deodorant itself is based on the Aloe Vera plant (or Aloe Barbadensis Miller) which is a plant concealing a pure inner gel which has been used for centuries to improve health and enhance beauty. Aloe is a desert plant with amazing capabilities to absorb and restore moisture. 

 Did you know that Cleopatra championed the use of Aloe Vera for beautification, it was the biggest secret to her beauty..she would bathe in it and we all know she had enough time to!

The product description reads ‘Effective, long lasting and non-irritating underarm protection that can be used directly after shaving. Clean scented, free from aluminium salts, lasts for months and will not stain clothes’ Honestly, that has to the most truthful product description I have read to date!

It costs £5.92  which is maybe a pound or more than you would usually pay for a large can but I have had mine for nearly two months now and it’s only moved down a smidge and that’s all considering I use it more than once a day after the gym too, so it’s going to last me absolutely ages. One thing I can’t stand about spray on deodorants is that they run out so quickly not to mention that they instantly put the people around you into a coughing fit from the gas!

You might not be keen on stick or roll on deodorants, and before this, I was the same. I didn’t like the feeling they gave you-I can only describe it as a ‘wet’ feeling which isn’t nice when you’ve got your nice clean clothes on..I know some of you know exactly what I mean. The feeling wasn’t sticky at all and it dried quickly. It’s a smooth texture and not creamy or liquid. This literally a solid stick of Aloe Vera with added anti-perspirant capabilities. 

The fragrance is pleasant and fresh but not over powering, as much as I like my fragrance to smell good I can’t stand an over powering fragrance which takes over the lovely fragrance of the expensive perfume I just put on.

Summary:

Effectiveness: Great, kept me dry without white marks.

Fragrance: Light and fresh

Packaging: Simple, twist bottom design and seems to be of good quality so it won’t get stuck if I twist it up too much.

Price: £5.92 is great value, from my usage so far I estimate it to last me around 3 more months so a total of 5 months per stick. Consider that a normal spray deodorant costs £4 and lasts you maybe two months at a push.

Usability: Can be used for men and women

As always I only recommend products I believe in and have really tested, this is most definitely worth it. We concentrate a lot on what we look like but need to remember that it’s what we put into our body that counts.

This product is not easy to get hold of, if you would like to know more or would like to know where you can buy this leave me a comment or send me an email, sharonrougevolupte@gmail.com

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Lush Cuticle Balm- Lemony Flutter

I first read about this cuticle balm on Emilys Nail Files, I use Olive oil as a cuticle oil at night and an Avon Lavendar Cuticle oil on the go.

Cuticle oil is a must if you want healthy nails. If you are going to be pushing them back as preperation for working on your nails, the oil will help make it easier and protect them from damage which could stunt the growth of the nail.

I'm not usually a lover of a Lemon scent on my skin, although I don't mind it in my salad.
Lemony Flutter isn't the kind of Lemon that reminds you of toilet cleaner, it's a much more subtle and bearable scent.

 
The consistency is a little strange, its a mousse like texture but a little grainy at the same time. The graniness disappears once you've rubbed it in, and it leaves an oily moisturised feeling all round. The girl at the Lush store said you can use this all over your hands or your elbows and knees, she even said that she used it on her face too but I won't be going that far.

Even after washing my hands a few times I can still smell the lemon on my hands and it's actually quite pleasent.

I would probably use this more so at night, only because the tub is a little big for what I would usually keep in my handbag and the consistency is not that practical. I can't see myself loving an oily mobile phone, which is what would happen after using this.
As always, you get alot of product in Lush Tubs, this tub will last me absolutley ages as you only need a very small amount each time.

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MUA mini shop with MAC Dupe!

Hello you lovely readers!

I havn't posted in a while, I've had alot going on..some good and some bad so I havn't felt like blogging, and to be honest it is harder than I thought to get back in the swing of it.

That aside, I made a little trip to Superdrug a few days ago, I think I'm not the only one that does this..I say 'little' trip but I always end up spending so much more than expected when I only went in for cotton wool!

However, my MUA purchases were beyond a bargain, and for that reason I couldn't resist.
MUA - Make up Academy is a budget beauty brand that has recently launched in the UK. I've read quite alot about their products, budget brands can usually be a bit hit and miss with the quality of their products but nothing I have read has led me to believe this.

I'm an absolute fan of Carly a.k.a Glitterdollz7, she did a review/dupe comparison of a MAC eyeshadow with a MUA eyeshadow and since then I've wanted to get my hands on it! I managed to pick it up this time round.
The eyeshadow is called Pearl 12, if you do go to get this check the label properly because I noticed a mistake, some were called Pearl 11 and some Pearl 12, Pearl 11 was more of a silver whereas Pearl 12 was the two tone one I wanted.
It's a gorgeous mixture of bronze, silver and subtle shimmer and it applys very smoothly. 10/10 from me.

Next, I picked up an eyebrow pencil, I prefer a thinner pencil but for just £1 I thought it was worth picking up. It is a pencil on one end and a brush on the other which is so handy becuase it means I don't have to carry a mascara spooly to brush through my brows, this sort of thing would normally retail for £3-5 with other high street brands. The colour was great, I have black hair so I always pick a dark brown

Lastly, I picked up a couple of blushers at £1 each..Bargain much! I needed a compact blusher to pop in my handbag for touch ups during the day after I was heartbroken to find my last Estee Lauder blusher had crumbled into a thousand bits, and it was a limited edition..sad times. 

Moving on, these blushers are very pigmented and are quite powdery, I usually prefer a mineral blush, but it's nothing a good bit of buffing  with the leftovers of your foundation brush can't fix.

 

So there you have it, my little MUA fix, I'm very pleased with all my purchases. The major plus point here being the price, for a pound you just can't go wrong..Who doesn't want make up for £1?..All the more money for that handbag you have your eye on ;)

Is there a product from the brand that you love? Let me know because I'm looking to pick up a few more bits.

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