bloomzy /

Giveaway: Valentine’s Day Nude Eye Look

I hate to get involved in the Valentine’s Day hype, but I love any excuse to get dolled up! I wanted to share that fun a little bit and so I thought it might be nice to do a giveaway. The MUA Ever After Matte Eyeshadow Palette is great because you can create a simple nude eye, or a sultry smokey eye. Of course you have to have long luscious lashes to complete the look so I’ve also included Elf’s wonderful 3-in-1 Mascara. I hope everyone can feel good about themselves, and look good this Valentine’s Day whether you’ll be spending it with your partner, friends or with a yummy tub of ice cream!
What can you win?
MUA Matte Nude Palette & ELF 3-in-1 Mascara
 
How to enter:
+ Be a follower of ‘Bloomzy’ via Bloglovin
+ Earn extra entries on Twitter, Facebook etc.
– This giveaway is open to UK participants only!
– Entrants who do not follow the rules will be disqualified.
– Twitter accounts created purely for giveaways will be disqualified.
The giveaway is open for 11 days (ending 8th Feb at 12am).
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!

 

bloomzy /

Review: MUA Velvet Lip Laquer in Reckless

MUA’s Velveteen Dupe – Velvet Lip Laquer in Reckless
I’ve been after this ever since I saw the teaser photo MUA posted months ago.
These are part of MUA’s new Luxe range, and dupes of Lime Crime’s Velveteens.
I’ve heard a lot of bad things about Lime Crime and their products so have stayed away.
Still, the velvet lip is something I wanted for a long time so I grabbed this when I saw it in store.
Pros:
+ Good range of colours
+ Highly pigmented
+ Didn’t dry out my lips
+ Great price
+ Long wearing
Cons:
– Application needs time to get used to
– Stains skin slightly
Once again MUA has duped a popular product and done it properly.
Lime Crime’s Velveteens are £12 whilst these are only £3 – enough said.
Not only is the price very very good, but the quality of the product exceeds expectation.
I was expecting a gloopy mess that would bleed everywhere when I put this on for the first time. I was happily surprised though when neither of those happened. True this was slightly difficult to apply on the first go, but once I was used to the consistency I didn’t have any trouble at all. It does stain a little, so you need to make sure you stay within the lines of your lips – or you’ll be cursing and scrubbing at the marks left behind on your skin. I’ve only had that problem once whilst using it for the last 10 days straight. It’s amazingly pigmented and dries to a wonderfully matte finish – so no bleeding or lip gloss on your teeth. Somehow it also makes my lips look a lot bigger than they actually are, which is always a plus. I’m also in love with the colour – it’s the perfect dark red for A/W. It lasts throughout eating and drinking, although it does need re-applying throughout the day. Basically I love this and would definitely recommend it. I may have to include it in a few stockings this year too.
You can buy MUA’s Luxe Velvet Lip Laquers online, or in Superdrug stores.
bloomzy /

Review: One Direction ‘I Want’ Liam’s Lipstick

One Direction Lipstick ‘I Want’ by Liam…apparently
First off, a small disclaimer.
I’m not a One Direction fan and I don’t know much about the band either.
I just wanted to get that out there so you all know that I’m not bias in anyway.
The collaboration this time is taking place with MUA a brand I’ve reviewed on here previously.
To be honest I was a bit appalled at the idea of a boy band/On Direction releasing a line of make-up.
Why? Well I don’t like it when celebrities bring out items that they don’t use themselves.
Now I can’t speak for the boys but I can’t say I’ve ever noticed them wearing make-up.
Nevertheless I liked the shade of one of the lipsticks so I decided to give it a go.
Pros:
+ Pigmented
+ Moisturising
Cons:
– Shimmery
– Leaves a stain
– Came off quickly
Notes:
So the pros and cons are pretty much 50/50 here, unfortunately though one of the cons is a big problem for me.
The shimmer. It’s horrendous. Whereas I loved playing around with the cheap make-up set my Uncle bought me from Debenhams when I was 13, it’s not really something I want to relive. In my opinion, this lipstick is far too shimmery to be taken seriously – unfortunately shimmer is a not the easiest thing to catch on camera, as I’m sure most of you will know. That said, the pigmentation is great and I love the colour of the lipstick itself. It felt pretty moisturising when I put it on, but unfortunately it came off pretty quickly too, and then it stained. This is obviously not the right lipstick for me and for £3 I’m not going to moan that I wasted my money either. At least they put a bit of effort into the packaging of the lipstick…even if it did go under-appreciated with me.
You can buy Liam’s ‘I Want’ Lipstick in Superdrug stores, or online here.
Browse the rest of the collection here.
bloomzy /

Review: New MUA ‘Bright Coral Nail Polish

Recently MUA rebranded their £1 nail polishes.
That meant a new bottle, new brush and new colours.
After trying their old polishes I was curious to see if there had been an improvement.
So when I saw their new shade ‘Bright Coral’ I knew I had to have it.
Pros:
+ Applied easily
+ Great colour
+ Opaque in 2 coats
+ True to colour

Cons:
– Chipped after 2 days
– Bottle design is a rip-off

Notes:
First off, I’d like to mention the new design for these bottles.
I love the simplicity of it, but I really dislike how MUA have ripped off Essie’s bottle.
It’s obvious from first glance that this is what they’ve done, and everyone has noticed.
Anyway, onto the polish! I loved the new brush, it’s much better than the old ones they were using.
It applied easily and the colour was a lot more opaque then previous shades which were too sheer.
It did chip after 2 days though unfortunately, and that was with a bottom & top coat so I was a little sad.
BUT for £1 a bottle I’m not complaining! I just hope they bring out some more interesting shades, as the ones that are out right now aren’t very inspiring. Even so, this is a nice shade and very Summery, I think I’ll be wearing it often.
You can buy this shade online here, or in Superdrug stores.
bloomzy /

Review: MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter

MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter

After I posted my MUA Mini Haul post some of your requested a review for the highlighter.
Actually I was pretty happy to oblige as it was the one product from the bunch that I’d really wanted to try.
I’ve been using it for a week or so now so I figured now was as good a time as ever to review it.

Pros:
+ Sits easily on the skin
+ Doesn’t feel caked on
+ Very pigmented

Cons:
– Slightly too ‘shimmer-y’ for me
– Doesn’t stay on for the whole day

Notes:
As far as highlighters go, this one isn’t too bad.
It didn’t win me over though, and honestly I probably won’t buy it again.
My main problem was that the shimmer was so prominent that it was almost glittery.
For me I personally prefer something a little more subtle, because it suits my skin tone better.
That said, it is very pigmented, which is great for a cheaper product, and it didn’t feel too heavy on my skin.
I did also like how it looked on my brow bones and when I used it to highlight around my eyes.
Even so, it didn’t stand the test of time and I found that it disappeared by the end of the day.
It’s a shame because I had high hopes for this – never mind though, it only cost £2!
You can purchase Undress Your Skin in Superdrug stores, and online here.
bloomzy /

A Belated MUA Mini Haul

It’s been a while since I bought anything from MUA.
If you remember I became quite a fan after purchasing my first few items last year.
However, after a slight PR failure from the brand earlier in the year, I went off them.
I told myself that I would no longer buy from the website as the accounts I’d heard were not great.
So for several months I didn’t buy any MUA products, even though they had some promising products.
That changed a week or so ago when I was in a Superdrug and wanted some cheap eyeliner to play with.
I guess I knew that MUA was good quality at low prices, and their PR had definitely picked up.
What did I purchase?
1. Liquid Eyeliner – Shade 5
2. Glitter Eyeliner – Shade 10
3. Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter
4. Intense Colour Eyeliner Pencil – Snow White & Forest Green
I’ve used their liquid eyeliner before and even though I wasn’t impressed to start with, I’ve grown to like it.
As for their eyeliner pencils, the ones I had used previously didn’t really wow me with their colour.
The green however is quite nice and comes out well – I still have yet to test it out for a day though.
I’ve been after the shimmer highlighter for a while now and have read some good reviews on it.
As for the glitter eyeliner, well I don’t know what I was thinking, but at least it will add some glitz!
Let me know if you’d like to see reviews for any of these products.
bloomzy /

Giveaway: 3 Year Anniversary #1

Wow! Can you believe it, this blog has been running for 3 years.
I also just hit 1700 GFC followers this week too – what a week to celebrate!
It started out as something quite different to what it is now, but a lot of you have stuck by me.
So I just wanted to say a big thank you to you all, in the form of not 1, but 3 giveaways!
Over the next 3 weeks I will be hosting 3 back-to-back giveaways.
The first weeks prizes are make-up themed and include brands and products I have previously featured.
What can you win?
1 x Witch Anti-Blemish Beauty Balm (BB Cream)
1 x 17 Ultimate Volume Lip Gloss
1 x MUA Nail Constellations
1 x Eldora False Eyelashes
1 x MUA Blush

How to enter:
+ Be a follower of ‘Bloomzy’ via GFC or Bloglovin.
+ Earn extra entries via Twitter, Facebook etc.
– Twitter accounts made purely to RT giveaways will be disqualified.
The giveaway is open for 1 week (ending Wed 23 Jan).
Open internationally!