Beauty bay experience

Beauty Bay experience ft make up geek

I am late to the party when it comes to Beauty Bay; I had never heard of them until 2 -3 months ago when a few of the You Tubers I follow started mentioning it. I am really impressed with the service I have received from them, orders take 2 -3 days to arrive and even get delivered on a Sunday which is amazing. I thought I would show you what I recently brought from them and my ever growing Make Up Geek collection.

First off is the Morphe M441 Pro Firm Blending Crease Brush; this is my first morphe brush and I must say that I really like it. It is really smooth when applying colour I use this for applying an all over colour but you can easily use this for working colour in to your crease and for blending out. If you are limited on space or only want to take one brush for travelling then this brush would be perfect.  As first experiences go this brush definitely makes me want to try out others from the range.

Next is the Z Palette; this palette is a large magnetic palette from their Sunset collection. The large palettes hold 27 eye shadow circle pans (make up geek, mac, etc.).  The colour of this palette is stunning and a really summer colour in the bright blue. Most Z palette you see are black or animal print which isn’t really my style but I love the brightness of this one and that it different from most peoples. The magnet is fantastic; once you put your colour pans in they don’t move which makes them great for travelling or if you are clumsy like me. I had tried the smaller 3 pan holder as I didn’t want to jump in and pay £17.50 for the larger palette but they are worth it, the smaller 3 palette cost me £5.50 and is what I plan on taking away if I am only taking a hand luggage as you can wrap it up safely and place in a shoe. I highly recommend the Z palette and both sizes I have are easy to use and make a great gift for makeup lovers.

Last but definitely not least is the latest colours added to my Makeup Geek collection; I ordered Cocoa Bear and Homecoming. Cocoa Bear is reddish brown that is perfect for blending in your outer corner or in your crease; since this arrived I have used it daily, it adds a warmth to your eye looks that isn’t too harsh on my pale skin and works with so many other colours. If you watch You Tube videos on makeup looks then you will more likely to have seen this shade as it is getting to cult status very quickly. Homecoming a brown toned shimmer shot through gold shimmer, this colour works with all your neutral based looks as it isn't too harsh against the brown colours in your palette. My collection of Make Up Geek shadows is now up to 5 and I love them all. 

Overall I loved using Beauty Bay, it was quick to set up an account, they have a great selection of makeup ranges and delivery is superb. This is the perfect site for any makeup fan.

Thanks for reading

Nicola 

Make up revolution Ice Kiss

Make Up Revolution Ice Kiss Highlighter

The packaging of this highlighter is beautiful; the outer box is in a gold metallic starburst design which is also repeated on the highlighter itself. The pan is in rose gold and I cannot begin to tell you how much I love it. The size of the product is massive for a highlighter it is outstanding, it fills my whole hand and has a mirror on one half that is perfect for using whilst travelling as you can see your full face and where you want to apply the highlight.

The highlight is in a pressed powder form like an eye shadow just in a large style; when I swatched it on to my finger it looked very silvery, but when you apply it to your face there is a shot of gold when the light catches it. In the shade ice kiss you can layer your look very easily, you can make it look very subtle and every day or you can layer to create a dramatic glow. I like to apply highlight only to my cheek bones if I apply it to the areas people normally apply it like on their nose or on their eyes I look like a glittering fairy.

This shade is perfect for my pale skin and I adore the size it will last me a long time and for £5 it is a bargain. I highly recommend this product, I have just brought the other 2 shades that make up revolution have made so look out for the reviews soon.

I first heard about this product from Sophie Louise on You Tube she can be found here.

sophies You tube channel

Thanks for reading

Nicola 

Makeup Geek - Frappe, beaches and cream, shimma shimma

Makeup Geek Frappe, Beaches & Cream, Shimma shimma

Makeup Geek is a brand that focuses on teaching videos on how to apply makeup, from this the creator Marlena also has a makeup range that is majorly hyped by beauty bloggers and You tubers alike. The eye shadow collection is huge and selection of colours is varied and has a depth of matte, metallic’s, foils and chromes; all of which come in individual pans that you buy in solo shades to create your own palette and looks. I have loved seeing all the looks people have made on Instagram and Twitter using the makeup geek shadows.

The packaging is very simple; the colours come in card containers that you can clearly see the colour through a small circle window on the front of the card and on the back you have the name on the base of the pan visible. I like how simple it all comes as it means you are not paying for the excess packaging or plastics but the colours are safe and not able to be touched and contaminated before you buy them.

I wanted to start off with 3 shades that I could create a very simple day look that I could add too and use other shades to create more dramatic looks. I chose Beaches and Cream which is a neutral matte beige shade which I use as an all over colour that works as a great base for blending other colours too.

Frappe is a medium brown shade that I use in my crease line and blend slightly on to the lid to create a slightly smoked out brown eye look. This colour is stunning; it is classed on the website as a demi-matte as it has small glitter particles with in it, it does not look like a glitter eye shadow when applied and works perfectly as a crease colour.

Shimma Shimma is metallic cream champagne colour that I apply over my mobile lid and blend out with Frappe to create that smoked out look. I also slightly wetted my brush and added a small amount of the intensified shimma shimma on the centre of my lid. I absolutely loved this look and can easily wear it every day.

I have stored my Makeup Geek eye shadows in a Z Palette; I have never used a Z palette before so went for the smallest option which can hold the 3 shades I brought, the case is amazing and I would highly recommend it. The magnet is strong and holds the shadows in place with no fear of them falling out. It does not have a mirror but the size of mirror that would be able to fit in this palette probably would not be of use as a mirror for applying any way so it is not that big of a loss.

Overall I cannot wait to try more colours and get a larger Z Palette to store them in.

Thanks for reading

Nicola 

MUA matte lipstick haul

MUA – Makeup Academy Matte Lipstick Haul

I have a mini haul of MUA matte lipsticks; I choose 4 different shades from the matte range to give it a fair test. I chose 2 neutral shades called Totally Nude which is the lighter of the 2 neutral shades and Fawn Fancy which is a darker chocolate brown. I also picked 2 brighter colours called Peachy Keen which is a pink/orange shade and Lilac Belle which is a purple shade.

The packaging on the lipsticks isn’t the best; it feels cheap. The plastic is white and silver, from a distance they look great but once you touch them the plastic is flimsy and not nice to touch. At the bottom of the lipstick is a colour sectioned which you can easily identify the shades you own which is great; the strange thing is that this section unscrews and has a well of lipstick within it. I don’t know if this is intentional and to be used with a brush or what but it is very strange and something I have not seen before on other lipsticks I own.

The formulation of the lipstick is odd and I am not a fan of it all; with Lilac Belle and Totally Nude the lipstick drags and pulled at my lips and did not distribute colour evenly or nicely. With Peachy Keen the formula was much better and went on smoothly however the colour balled up on the centre of my lip and would not sit on my lips evenly. The only one I actually loved was Fancy Fawn it went on smoothly; the colour was great and matched the tone it was in the bullet, if I was basing this review just on Fancy Fawn I would recommend them so highly as it is stunning but the other 3 make me think that Fancy Fawn is the odd one out and works for me and the whole range is more like the other 3 shades.

If you are interested in trying the matte MUA range out I picked them up at superdrug for £1 each. I did not have my hopes too high as they are £1 but I have used other MUA lipsticks at the same price which have been fantastic sadly these ones didn’t match up.

Thanks for reading

Nicola 

Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream

Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream

I have to start off by saying that I love this product, the pot pictured is actually my second pot that I have brought and I think when I brought it; it was a limited edition hence the chrome effect. It normally comes in a frosted white tub I personally prefer the chrome effect pot but either way its the product inside that counts.

The formula is a lot thinner than you would expect for a very intense moisturiser and when I started using marine cream I applied way too much as I could not work out how much I needed but once you get use to the formulation it is amazing. The fragrance is slightly floral; I am not a huge fan of the fragrance I would personally prefer a citrus scent but it isn’t off putting and it is the only down side of the product in my opinion.

The cream sinks in to your skin so quickly and leaves it feeling silky smooth well in to the day; at the moment I only use it in the evening as my skin has some fine lines that appear if I have forgotten to use moisturiser or if I haven’t drunk enough fluids throughout the day. The morning after using marine cream my skin feels smooth and plump; that feeling lasts me well in to the evening and works as a perfect base for my foundations as my skin looks healthy and well looked after.

I am pretty good with my skin care routine as I would rather prevent wrinkles and fine lines than try and tackle them once they are set in. My evening routing currently consists of all Elemis products; I start with pro radiance cream cleanser which removes all my makeup and deeply cleanses my skin, next I move on to soothing apricot toner which neutralisers your skin Ph after water strips it of when washing. Finally apply a thin layer of pro collagen marine cream all over my face but specifically focusing on my forehead, around my eyes and around my mouth.

As for price this cream is not cheap but if you want effects this is the cream for you for a 50ml pot it will cost you £80. But there is a way around this if you wait until Christmas QVC Uk normally do an elemis special set where you can normally get a 30ml pot and lots of other goodies such as cleansers, toners, shower gels, hand creams for around the £40 mark which is incredible and I normally ask friends and family to buy me the sets. I try to get 2 sets as this will last me the year in elemis products.

Thank you for Reading

Nicola 

Essie Urban Jungle

Essie Urban Jungle

I don’t know if I am unlucky or if its just the brand but I really struggle with Essie formulations. I found that the formula for Urban Jungle was thick and dragged; it left a variety of thicknesses as you pulled the brush across your nail leaving a horrible finish. I used 4 coats to create the final effect shown in the picture, it is such a shame as I love this colour especially in the summer when with a tan it looks lovely. The colour itself is the palest of blush pinks almost white, it’s very similar too ‘Hubby for Dessert’ which is a lilac sheer version. If you are willing to put up with the formula the colour truly is lovely I really enjoy wearing the lighter colours on my nails I just wish I could get a good formulation from Essie. Maybe I am comparing it too much to other brands like Ciaté or Leighton Denny but Essie is at the same price point so should stand up against them yet sadly I feel they do not. I have also included a photo of the difference between ‘Hubby for Dessert’ and ‘Urban Jungle’.

My ring is by Gemporia a company specialising in gemstone jewellery; this ring is peridot (green gemstone) and zircon (zircon is the natural gemstone cubic zirconia is based upon). Life is too short to wear fake gemstones in my opinion. 

Thanks for reading

Nicola

x

Maybelline 24Karat Nudes

Maybelline The 24Karat Nudes

 

I have wanted this eye shadow palette for a long time; the colours looked beautiful and the gold packaging just caught my eye so I had to have it. I got this in a 2 for £10 deal from Superdrug which is a bargain as the palette alone is £11.99 so it is always worth checking out there deals for bargains that you have been eyeing up for a while.

The colours are beautiful and the pigment is great, the bottom row has a stronger pigment when swatched on my arms but the top row is stunning in person and has a subtle sheen. Nearly all the colours are metallic or glitter based which is fine but I personally couldn’t find a crease colour in a mid brown shade; there is a great neutral matte colour that works as an all over base colour and there is a perfect dark brown for shading your outer edge and makes the metallic’s pop. The colours are probably too much for an everyday look but it was so much fun to play with and the metallic green is my favourite colour and I can’t wait to try and create a day look with it, you can easily create layered evening looks with the glitters.

When applying there is a fair amount of fall out on to my face but I personally find that happens a lot with all glitter eye shadows no matter what the brand is. I would definitely purchase another eye shadow palette from Maybelline.

Bye for now

Nicola