Look Beauty Fresh Cheeks in 'Guava'

First thing's first: I love this blush! I love this blush! I love this blush!

I'm usually a powder blusher kind of gal, but every once in a while I'm keen to try a cream formula, especially if I'm feeling particularly pale! Creams seem to give a greater pop of colour and this Look Beauty cream blush is now one of my everyday essentials. I found it in Superdrug on sale for half-price at £2.50 about a month ago and I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'd never used anything from the Look Beauty range before and I was't sure what the quality would be like. Alas, I am now a convert!

Fresh Cheeks cream blush in 'Guava'

I was drawn to the summery coral shade and the cute packaging (there's a little mirror on the back), and at only £2.50 on sale it seemed like a great deal. Initially I applied it with my fingers on top of foundation, but I've since found that using my Estee Lauder blusher blush works better at distributing the colour evenly and avoiding any tugging on the skin. I was instantly impressed with the pigmentation, as it gives a great flush of colour with only a gentle dab of my brush in the pan. 

I tend to use a high coverage foundation as I suffer from bouts of mild acne, and after applying foundation and powder I can appear quite pale and 'flat'. This blush really helps wake me up and complements my base. The consistency is creamy but not mousse-like, quite a solid texture and it blends extremely easily. Unlike powder blushes which tend to need layering, this gives great colour with one application. I simply load up the brush lightly and dab it on the apples of my cheeks. 

I've been using this daily for about a month now and there is still plenty of product left, making it great value for money. I absolutely love the coral colour and it's perfect for a summer blush. I'm ever so slightly obsessed! 

Pros 

• Beautiful coral colour
• Instantly brightens my face 
• Easy to apply with blusher brush 
• Only a small amount needed per application
• Reasonable price at £5 (when not on sale)
• Pretty packaging with mirror on back
• Non-greasy/sticky
• Lasts all day without the need for touch-ups 
• Suits my super pale skin 

Cons

• Erm..! I honestly can't think of any! My new beauty crush. 

Have you tried any Look Beauty products? I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the range next time I'm in Superdrug. 

Browse Look Beauty here

MUA Undress Your Skin Radiant Under Eye Concealer

I'm quite fussy when it comes to concealers. For the past six months or so I've been using Mac Studio Fix cream concealer to tackle under eye shadows as well as spots and blemishes. While it does it a really good job of covering shadows, it's not an illuminator and so it can leave my eyes looking a little 'flat'. When I spotted MUA's Undress Your Skin collection in Superdrug a few weeks ago I thought I'd give their Radiant Under Eye Concealer pen a go, considering it only cost £3. I love a bargain! 

I wasn't expecting miracles, as it is a bargain brand and although I'm a huge fan of MUA's £1 nail polishes and lipsticks I've never been particularly impressed with their range of base products such as foundation, BB cream and the original £1 concealer stick. With this in mind I was pleasantly surprised at how fab the Radiant concealer is at covering shadows and adding warmth to my eyes. The consistency of the concealer is quite thick, which I like, and it's quite pale which is perfect for milk-bottle me. As far as I'm aware it comes in one 'suits all' shade. It has a touch of pink/gold shimmer but not to the extent that it looks glittery. It comes in an easy to use twist up pen, which fits easily into my small travel make-up pouch.

I tend to apply my Mac concealer first to add full cover, and then dot the Radiance concealer on top before blending gently in the inner and outer corners of the eye as well as underneath the eye area. It instantly perks up my face and makes me look well rested and refreshed. I've been using it every day since purchasing, proof that it has become a sure fire make-up staple of mine. It lasts well throughout the day and the illuminating particles really work well at brightening the under eye area. 

Radiant Under Eye Concealer on skin

Radiant Under Eye Concealer blended 

All for a mere £3! I'm tempted to give the matching Illuminating Foundation a go... I'll keep you posted.

You can find MUA Makeup Academy make-up here.

New Products! MUA

I couldn't help placing an order on MUA's website upon the release of all their lovely new products last week. I was so determinedthat I interrupted my Sunday viewing of Downton Abbey to ensure I got some new bits and bobs before it all sold out- I know, dedication! I ordered the Artiste Collection palette, two Intense Kisses lipglosses, Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit, two Blush Perfection cream blushers, Shimmer Kisses Blusher, and I received a free Immaculate Collection eyeshadow palette as a bonus. Below are some pictures and brief comments on each product (longer reviews to follow!)

The Artiste Collection £6 

The good: I love the two blushers, bronzer and highlighter on the bottom row. I use a slight dusting of the peachy-pink blush followed by a pop of the brighter pink, before dusting the highlighter along my cheekbones and browbone. The packaging is attractive and I this would make a great stocking filler come Christmas time! 

The not so good: I haven't tested out the eyeshadows properly yet so I can't really comment, although I'm not too sure I'll make much use of the blue shades- that's simply personal preference though. The nude colours look very pretty, so I'm sure I'll be using those regularly. The brush is the usual MUA palette brush, it does an OK job but I prefer to use a different set of brushes. It's handy for on the go application though!

Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit £3.50

The good: I'm a sucker for a good eyebrow palette, having become converted to shaping and shading my brows at the start of the year. Polished eyebrows instantly make me feel 'ready' in the mornings, so I was excited to try this out. A bargain! The range of powders, from very light to dark brown, is excellent and they're easy to blend and mix if desired. The 'fixing gel' is also easy to use and helps give a neat finish. The mini tweezers are so handy, especially for after you've shaded and want to tidy up any stray hairs. They're nice and sharp making for an easy grip. The packaging feels quite sturdy and looks sleek. I've found the powder/gel combo lasts pretty much all day with no need for touch-ups. 

The not so good: The double ended brush isn't great. I usually use a Benefit brow kit which has a great little brush, similar in shape but much smaller. The brush in the Pro-Brow kit is waaaay too big for my eyebrows! You can't really tell in the photo but the angled head on each end is very wide, making it difficult to shape the inner corners of my brows. I like to give a good straight edge rather than rounded, and this brush is a little tricky to maneuver. The bristles look and feel very synthetic and kind of plastic-y, but it does sell for a bargain price so I'm assuming that's why the brush isn't very good quality. I have a slight issue with the the fixing gel, which reminds me of Vaseline and gives quite a shiny finish if not used sparingly. I prefer a wax, like in the Benefit kit, although the gel does the job- just try not to be too heavy handed! Overall I'd say the powders are great and the gel is OK, but the brush is disappointing. 

Shimmer Kisses Blusher (Pink Shimmer Kiss) £3

The good: I'm obsessed with MUA's mosaic blusher and so I had high hopes for the new Shimmer Kisses blusher. The four pink shades are a good variety, and it's easy enough to target one shade in particular if you need to. I use the lightest shade on the bottom left to highlight. The pigmentation is VERY strong, something I wasn't quite expecting- I know now to be light handed when applying! The blusher blends easily and compliments my pale skin tone. 

The not so good: Shimmer Kisses smells remarkably similar to the squeezy paint I used to use in Art class in secondary school. While it isn't an overpowering smell, and isn't something I notice once applied, I definitely do notice it when opening the blusher case. Maybe this is just me, perhaps I have a heightened sense of smell or something, but it is a little strange..! But, due to the texture/application/bargain price it's something I'm happy to live with. Overall I prefer the Mosaic blush and will continue to use that until it runs out, but this makes for a nice change every so often. 

Shimmer Kisses High Intensity Gloss £2

The good: I chose these based on the online swatches: on the left is Quick Kiss, on the right Smooch. They smell delicious, kind of vanilla-y which is nice. The packaging is cute, small enough to fit in a clutch bag on a night out, and they close very securely. I love Quick Kiss, a strong hot pink colour with a hint of shimmer. The gloss glides on easily. 

The not so good: While the gloss does glide on easily, it's perhaps a little watery and not as 'secure' as I would like. I prefer glosses to be fairly thick so as to ease my fear of the colour migrating away from my mouth as the night goes on! I'm not so keen on Smooch, although that's my own fault really as I based my decision on online swatches. It's quite an orange shimmery colour and not really a shade I'd usually wear. 

Blush Perfection cream blushers £2 

The good: On the left we have Bittersweet, on the right Blossom. Bittersweet is a light pink shade whereas Blossom is more of a nude brown. I had super high hopes for these as I love cream blusher and have been collecting cream blushers for a while! The colours seem very wearable and natural. You get a fair amount of product in each, again making it great value for money. 

The not so good: These blushers are definitely of the shinier variety of cream blush, rather than the creamy matte variety. I'm not sure how I feel about this as I haven't worn them properly yet, but having swatched them on the back of my hand I'm concerned by how sheer the colour seems to be. The texture is quite slippery, like a gloss, and doesn't seem very pigmented. However, as I'm yet to wear them I'll reserve judgement... I'll keep you updated! 

Immaculate Collection eyeshadow palette £8 (free on promotion) 

The good: A collection of 24 eyeshadows, this palette has some gorgeous colours which I'm looking forward to using. My favourites are the neutral and brown shimmers, navy blues, silvers and greys, and the forest green shade third on the bottom row. I'm so into forest green right now and love love LOVE the shimmer in that shade. I'm trying to convince myself to use more colour instead of relying on browns so hopefully this will encourage me to do so! 

The not so good: The applicator isn't brilliant but as I've got a set of make-up brushes which I use with all other eyeshadow products I'm not too bothered. The quality of MUA shadows is always great (I use the Heaven and Earth and Undressed palettes regularly), very easy to blend and very long lasting. And as this was a freebie it makes it that bit more special! Thanks MUA :) 

I'll be testing out each product properly over the next few weeks, so look out for detailed reviews in the future.

MUA official website

MUA at Superdrug