review: MUA power pouts lipstick

mua power pouts lipsticks are available here

i am a big fan of lip products and love wearing bright reds and pinks on my lips, especially on nights out. i do find sometimes though that the longevity of lipsticks isn't always too great and as i naturally have very dry lips, many lipsticks really emphasise this and dry my lips out even more, not good! when clinique brought out the chubby stick lip colours i was really tempted to buy one but at £17 a pop they're a little too expensive for a student budget. as always, many drugstore brands followed suit with their own versions of the chubby stick such as rimmel and revlon but the brand i decided to try out was superdrug's MUA.

if you're not familiar with MUA (where have you been?!), it's a very affordable brand available in superdrug that is very much loved in the beauty blogging world! the 'undressed' and 'undress me too' eye palettes are just £4 and are widely regarded as great dupes for the much more pricey naked palette from urban decay. i first sampled an MUA lip product when i bought one of their £1 (!!) lipsticks and was amazed at how much i prefer it to some of my much pricier lipsticks! as you can imagine, when i saw they had brought out a range of 'chubby stick dupes' i definitely had to try them out and i have not been disappointed.

the pink shade is 'broken hearted', the orange shade is 'justify'

at £3 each these products are really affordable and they last for AGES, i wear these pretty much all the time and have had them for a good few months, hence the slightly rubbed off lettering! they're perfect for day time as there is not as much sticky residue that lipglosses give and the colour is subtle enough to be low maintenance but definitely visible. i also wear these on nights out when i don't fancy a really bright lip as they fade much more subtly than lipstick does and are much quicker to reapply, you don't even need a mirror as the 'crayon' shape makes them so easy to use.

one slight negative is they're not as pigmented as perhaps i would like, i chose the orange shade hoping it would be a bit more bright but with that being said, i like the subtleness of the colours, it makes them more wearable for day to day. 

if you fancy trying these i would 100% recommend, i am already planning on buying one or two of the other shades! they're a great alternative to a lipgloss with a bit more pigment and less stickyness and perfect if you're lazy like me and hate having to painstakingly apply lipstick every time you eat/drink. as i've said, rimmel and revlon do similar products which are a bit more pricey but i haven't actually tried these so i can't compare them to the MUA power pouts, if you have tried these then let me know!

recent purchases for a/w

top row - theinstyle.com by lauren pope grid co-ord top available here and now reduced from £18.99 to £12.99
topshop ultimate faux leather biker jacket available here for £58.00
topshop dogtooth leggings available here for £25.00
bottom row - h&m white rib knit jumper available here for £14.99
h&m imitation leather shorts available here for £12.99
h&m lips shoulder bag available here for £14.99

as the weather has definitely taken a turn for the worst recently and the lovely hot sunshine we had just a few weeks ago seems unlikely to be returning anytime soon, i've been looking forward and starting to buy clothes which are going to be more suitable for autumn/winter. i went into manchester last week and already most of the summer clothes have been either demoted to sale racks or stuffed at the back of the shops whilst the mannequins and 'new in' sections are full of transitional clothes that have got me feeling giddy about the colder months.

the inthestyle monochrome grid top was a bit of a spur of the moment purchase as i've recently been lusting after the lolita monochrome grid top from american apparel but felt that £34 was a bit too expensive for a bit of chiffon material. this top is the perfect dupe in my opinion but is actually a bit more wearable and suitable for colder weather as it doesn't have the open back that the lolita tops have. i'll be pairing this with high waisted jeans and riding pants all winter and even into the summer, plus it was on sale, what more could a girl want!

i've been really brave and dived into the world of leather jackets, yes unbelievably this is the first one i've ever owned! i've always felt they 'wouldn't suit me' and dismissed them a bit but my boyfriend persuaded me to try this faux leather beauty on in topshop recently and within seconds i was carrying it over to the till. the faux fur collar was the dealbreaker to be honest, it's the softest thing i've ever felt in my life and is going to be so snuggly in the colder months. if you're ever in topshop and see the jacket just have a sneaky feel and you'll see exactly what i mean! it also makes the coat a bit more girly which suited my style a lot more so if you too feel leather jackets aren't your thing, try something like this, you could be convinced!

i've also bravely gone for the bright lips bag as i've seen a few different versions on the highstreet and asos recently and thought it was perfect to break up my very dull wardrobe colour palette of black, black, white, more black and occasionally dark blue. it might be a bit 'love it or hate it' but i personally think it's really cute and a bit of a nod to Lulu Guiness' iconic lip clutches which are way out of my financial grasp.

the cream h&m jumper i bought just as a trusty winter staple, you can't go wrong with a h&m jumper and the dogtooth leggings caught my eye on a mannequin in topshop. i LOVE dogtooth and was already wanting the topshop dogtooth cigarette pants but didn't want to part with £42 for something i might not get my wear out of. these leggings are perfect to try out the trend and if i wear them as much as i think i will then i'll probably splash out on the cigarette trousers too.

the leather shorts were a bit of an risky buy, i'm unsure if i'm brave enough to pull these off but i think with opaque black tights and a striped top or soft knit in the day time or even a bit more dressed up for going out at night they'll look ok. They're pretty casual and i like the elasticated waist, it makes them more sports luxe than stripper. i've actually ordered them online and they haven't arrived yet so i'll let you know if i manage to be brave enough to wear them!

thanks for reading, i'm so pleased people seem to be actually reading my posts and it's not just me rambling on to myself!

review: maybelline big eyes mascara

I'm always on the lookout for the perfect mascara and recently I saw an advert on tv for the Maybelline Big Eyes Rebel Black Mascara (available here) and decided to purchase it. Whilst in the shop I also saw the 'Maybelline Falsies Big Eyes Mascara' (available here) which seems to be very similar and I personally couldn't decide what the difference was other than name so if anyone knows please let me know!

This mascara is different to other brands as it has two wands, a larger wand for upper lashes which "creates lift and volume" and a smaller wand designed for lower lashes which really allows you to coat and separate each lash. The double wand feature is what convinced me to give this mascara a try as I have long lower lashes and always find usual mascara wands too big and clumsy to separate my lower lashes fully without getting mascara everywhere and having to swipe at my eyes with a cotton bud to clean it all away.

The RRP of £8.99 for this mascara is quite expensive in my opinion but then again mascara is usually very overpriced! However, after a bit of savvy shopping around I found it was on offer in Superdrug for £5.99 which is much more affordable and realistic.

The consistency of the mascara is quite thin which I like as just one coat gives a really wide eyed look with no clumps. I found the mascara to give more length than volume which again suits me as many 'volumising mascaras' can be very clumpy and a bit too thick (Benefit's Bad Gal, i'm talking about you). The lower lash wand is definitely my favourite feature, my lower lashes were separated and coated so evenly, even the really tiny ones and I didn't get any mascara on my skin. On its own the thicker wand for upper lashes isn't the most amazing mascara i've ever used but the coupling of the smaller wand really gives this mascara a bit of an edge.

 without mascara vs with (excuse the redness around my eyebrows, i'd just                                                                plucked them, ha!)                            

 with mascara, i love how long my lashes look without looking too 'false'

As you can see, this mascara definitely gives a lovely finish to my lashes and really lengthens and separates them without any horrible clumps. The mascara also wears really well, even in the recent hot and humid weather there have been no cases of the infamous 'panda eyes'. I would happily repurchase this product, perhaps not at full price but it's definitely something i'll look out for when there are offers on and i'd recommend it happily to anyone who wants to try a lower lash mascara without splashing out too much.

What are your favourite mascaras? If you have any recommendations just let me know in the comments! And thank you to anyone who's reading this, I have had quite a few views already and it really means a lot!

  

current skincare favourites

for my first 'proper' blogpost, i've decided to do a few reviews of my current favourite skincare products. These pretty much make up my skin routine at the moment, i'm not a fan of using a huge amount of products on my face as I find overloading my skin with products that are advertised as being good for it can actually have the opposite effect! I've been very lucky in that i've never really suffered with acne or bad skin, however I am definitely prone to the odd spot or two and whilst this has got better as i've left my teenage years behind me, I still have a few go to products which keep those horrible spots at bay.

Exfoliator - St Ives Blemish Fighting Exfoliating Scrub

RRP £4.29 available here

I have been using this product for the past couple of years and I absolutely swear by it. In fact, when I stop using it or run out and forget to buy more I have found my skin starts to break out a bit after just a couple of days. Some people may see this as a negative as my skin is obviously a bit 'dependent' on the product, however I just think this shows that for me it is doing wonders! It's quite pricey I guess for an everyday product but it can often be found on sale and is available pretty much everywhere from Boots to supermarkets so it's worth shopping around. 

The scrub has a lovely fruity yet subtle smell and is not harsh which I love as I have very sensitive skin. I actually use this everyday in the shower as I find it much easier to wash my face properly in the shower and ensure I get every bit of the residue off. The St Ives scrub doesn't block my pores and lead to spots as other more harsh exfoliators by neutrogena and clearasil have done in the past (which is ironic when they are aimed at clearing your skin). I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting a face scrub that leaves your skin feeling clean, clear and fresh but is gentle enough for every day use.

Make-up Remover - Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

RRP £4.99 for 400ml available here

For a long time I was guilty of using only make up wipes to remove my make up everyday which often left my skin feeling a bit 'rubbed raw' and blotchy, especially if I had quite a bit of make up to remove. When Bioderma cleansing water suddenly became all the rage and brands such as L'oreal and Garnier followed suit I was drawn to trying this Garnier cleansing water as it was on offer for half price and I was looking for an alternative to make up wipes. I am so glad I made that choice as i've since repurchased this product 4 times and definitely consider it a skin care staple. 

Each bottle probably lasts me an average of 6 weeks depending on how often i'm using it, if i'm going out a lot and wearing heavy make up then obviously I use it a lot more than if i'm wearing minimal make up and not really up to much. I probably use about 5-6 cotton pads to remove an average days make up and just soak each one with a splash of the cleansing water before wiping of my make up as I would with a wipe. My skin feels so much more clean and fresh afterwards than it did using a make up wipe and this product is so much more gentle on my skin than anything i've used before. It's very often on offer, I don't think i've ever paid full price for it, so i'd definitely recommend it to try. I haven't tried the similar L'oreal cleansing water as the bottle is half the size for the same price but if anyone out there has used it, what did you think?

Face mask - Boots Essentials Cucumber 3 Minute Clay Mask

RRP £1.50 available here

Whenever I have a bit of extra time or fancy pampering myself, I love to do a face mask. The Boots Essentials range is not something I was familiar with until recently but there is a whole range of skin care products from washes to moisturisers to face masks which is so reasonably priced (most products are around £1.50) and there is very often an offer of 3 products for £3! You just can't go wrong at prices like that so I decided to try the face mask out.

The cucumber scent gives the mask a lovely freshness which leaves my skin feeling soft, hydrated and refreshed, all the things you want from a mask. The price for me is the main positive of the product as most face masks are about 99p per sachet whereas I have used this three times now and barely even made a dent in the tube! It's definitely worth buying this mask just to try it out, even if you hate it or it isn't right for you, at £1.50 you can't really go wrong!

Moisturiser - Olay Essentials Complete Normal to Oily Day Fluid

RRP £5.99 for 100ml available here

I've been on the search for a new moisturiser recently as I've started to think about taking my skincare more seriously and moving on from the 'teenage products' aimed at spots towards a more 'adult' skin routine. It's never too early to think about moisturising in order to keep wrinkles at bay as prevention is definitely the main thing, no amount of anti ageing wrinkle cream will budge crows feet once they've appeared! Yes I am only 20 but my mum and grandma have always had wonderful skin and always stress the importance of starting skincare young. As they both look great for their age, i'm hoping good genes and a good moisturiser will ensure I end up the same way!

My mum and grandma have always used Olay products and so that's why I was drawn to their stand whilst having a good browse in Boots. I went for this simple moisturiser as I don't yet need the products aimed at older skin and wanted something light and good for everyday use. So far I am loving this moisturiser, it has a very runny consistency and feels very light on the skin, a little goes a long way. My skin has felt very soft and not at all oily or shiny which it has done previously when I have used a moisturiser before applying my make up. I think this will be a definite repurchase in the future!

I hope you've found this helpful or interesting and if you've any questions or even recommendations on products you swear by then please feel free to comment!

Georgia xx

hello?

hello!
This is my first blog post and to be honest I'm not 100% sure what to say or where to start!
I've been a big fan of reading fashion/beauty/lifestyle blogs for a long time and I've finally been brave enough to take the plunge and start my own!
I am planning on my blog mainly being 'what it says on the tin' with posts about clothes I'm lusting after, little 'hauls' from shopping trips, reviews on beauty products and probably a whole lot of other bits such as lifestyle posts and just general rambling!

It'll probably take me a while to get into the swing of things so please be nice and bear with me, I'm new to this big, scary blogging world!

In the mean time, I guess I'll start with a little introduction to who I am,
I'm Georgia, I'm 20 (although I definitely don't feel, act or look that old!) and I am currently at University studying Biochemistry and Genetics which is really hard and a bit dull at times but I am secretly quite into it even though that's probably not a very 'cool' thing to say!
I spend a lot of time looking at clothes/thinking about buying clothes/giving in and buying the clothes and I'd definitely describe shopping and socialising as my main two hobbies, I feel like that makes me sound shallow and a bit dull but I've got to be honest, it's true!
I'm from Greater Manchester and as a true northerner I feel you can't beat a good brew and a chat, I spend a lot of time 'stopping for a quick brew' in cafés wherever I go, a trait I've definitely inherited from my mum and grandma!

I'm sure you'll find out more about me as time goes on but I'll end things here for now cause I'm probably going on with myself! I'll try and get my first proper post up in the next few days.

If you are reading this then thank you, feel free to give me a follow on instagram or twitter or even follow my blog if you have a blog yourself and I'll have a nosy!

Thanks,
Georgia