MUA Haul!

I first heard of MUA just after they had done their 25% off offer for 25K likes on facebook. They had offers every 5000 likes they received from 25 000 likes. I almost made a purchase during their 35% off sale, but decided I should just fill my cart and wait till the 50% off offer and see if I still wanted those things. Turns out, I really did! I did make a few adjustments to get to the minimum spend of £15 after discounts (a few things I did want were already out of stock!). I ordered the first day of the sale and had the 'paypal problem' where I got a receipt from paypal but not an order conformation from MUA. It took a while for it to get resolved (Only because I didn't realise you have to go onto the website to reply to the 'ticket' and not reply to the email) and I got the order within 2 weeks of sorting the order out.

So here's what I got

Pretty Pastels eyeshadow palette

This is the thing I think I wanted to get the most for some reason. I've heard that some of these shadows can be chalky and sheer, but I'm hoping with a bit of primer I can use these.

Glitterball eyeshadow palette

I got this one because it was the only palette left (as well as Pretty Pastels) that caught my attention. I would have liked Dusk till Dawn or Glamour days, but I do like the look of this, especially the gold and pink shadows.

Matte single eyeshadow shade 19

I only have a few matte shadows in my collection and nothing dark enough. Also, this single eyeshadow is huuuge!

Liquid Eyeliner shade 3

After really getting into liquid liner I've decided to give something other than black a go.

Pro-Brow eyebrow kit

I never do my eyebrows, but would love to give it a go. I do have an Australis pencil but it seems to look a little harsh. This also has a massive mirror. It would be great for traveling, but the case seems to be magnetic but doesn't seem too sturdy.

BB All in One beauty balm light

This is something I bought spur of the moment to make up the minimum spend! I still haven't read any reviews on it! Hopefully this works out well.

Lipstick in Shade 15 Juicy
I've already used this (it's the product I opened and used as soon as I opened the parcel) and so far it's great. It smells like vanilla! It's a bit more fake than MAC lipsticks scent, but it's still nice. This was also a lot more opaque than I thought it would be.

Shimmer Kisses bronzer and blusher

These weren't something that I intended on buying (I was going to get the mosaic ones), but because I wanted them anyway I thought why not buy them instead because they do seem nicer. I've been avoiding bronzer for the longest time because I'm as pale as a ghost, but I tried using my Nude by Nature bronzer the other day and it didn't go too badly. I think this bronzer is a little to shimmery to use as a bronzer and would be better used as a blush. As for the blush, the lighter shades look like they'd be great highlight colours and the colours swirled together would be a my kinda blush!

Nail Varnish in Pistachio Ice Cream

I needed a nice pastel green so this was an obvious choice to try out their nail polish.

So far I'm pretty darn happy with MUA products, and I really cant wait to get to the UK so I can visit a Superdrug and swatch everything. I'll be sure to do a review on things once I get a good chance to try them out, so let me know what you want to know about first :)
I also picked up a few doubles, because I'm planning on holding my first giveaway soon! I just have a few more things to get hold of.

Have you tried any MUA products before? What are your favourites?

Weekly Nail: Sparkle Grey

I've been wanting to pull out Ulta3 Earl Grey for a while now since swatching my nail polish collection. I thought it might be a little boring on it's own, so I decided to pair it with Australis' Crystal Colour Top Coat after rediscovering it after seeing it on MaterialGurl88. Earl Grey is one of the best Ulta3 polishes I own. It's opaque in 2 thin coats, and it applies really nicely and smooth, which is great because I haven't used a polish like that in a while. I think it's the perfect grey colour. Australis' Crystal Top Coat is a great flakie polish. It can be a bit gloopy (I've had it for a while now so maybe that's why) and you need 3 coats to get a really good coverage of flakes. It takes a while to dry and because of that it ended up quite bumpy looking.

I managed to go a whole day wearing this without any chipping, which is pretty good for my nails. They did chip a bit when I did body pump this morning, but not badly enough that a little touch up couldn't get them looking new again.

This weekend I did a lot of trip planning with my boyfriend. We booked a place to stay in London when we arrive in the UK and decided what we'd do that day (yes, we're seriously that prepared). I also went out and bought a huge suitcase that's bright blue, and then spent wayyyy too much money on a cute travel diary, a pen with anchor and boats and ships all over it, and monthly diary from Kiki K. They're cute so hopefully I end up using them and not wasting my money. This is also the first year I haven't been able to buy stationary for school (that was always my favourite part about going back to school!) and I got a little upset when I saw stationary being sold everywhere last month, so I guess this is a little pick me up, hehe.

What are you wearing on your nails at the moment?

Wish List: Nail Polish

Nail polish is the product that basically ignited my love for makeup. I started collecting them around the start of last year and now I have a collection of over 60. My family seems to think I have all the colours I would ever need, but I'm sure you can all agree with me that you can never have enough nail polishes!

1. Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On  

2. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure I Pink Can   3. China Glaze For Audrey   

 4. OPI Berlin There Done That     5. Australis Space Jam    6. Essie Matte About You

I don't actually have a white nail polish and it would be great to use in nail art (I recently accidentally bought Maybelline Marshmallow thinking it was white and was very disappointed). I saw I Pink I Can on Lilit's blog as a match for MAC's Viva Glam Niki Lipstick, a lipstick I love the colour of but don't (yet) own. I love pink polishes and don't have a shade like I Pink I Can yet (although might be close to my BYS Isn't She Lovely polish - which isn't a great quality polish anyway). I'd also love to try the Complete Salon Manicure range.

I don't own any China Glaze polishes yet, and of the few (Ok, I want all of them) I want, For Audrey really stands out. I love pastel bluey greens, and I don't think I have anything like it in my collection.

OPI Berlin There Done that is another polish unlike anything I own. I really want a nice taupey shade and this looks perfect. I'm a little obsessed with the entire German/ Holland/Euro collections because I'm excited about going to Europe this year, haha.

Space Jam is from the new collection of glitter polishes that Australis has brought out. It's a purple jelly with blue glitter, and although some reviews say it's quite gluggy, for some reason I still want it anyway!

I don't have any matte polishes and have been thinking about getting a matte top coat so I can turn any of my polishes matte (doubling my nail polish collection with just one polish? Yes please!). I was going to get the BYS one, but after seeing some reviews it doesn't seem to work that well. Essie's Matte About You seems like one of the better matte top coats, and I'm going to try and hunt it down when Myer has an Essie sale (they always seem to be on sale there!). I also noticed that Essence have a matte top coat that is comparable with the Essie one, but after a quick look in Target and Priceline it doesn't seem to be available in Australia! If anyone knows of any great matte top coats that I could find easily in Australia, please let me know!!

What polishes are on your wish list?

Review: Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

This is something I've been meaning to review for a while! I picked this up from Priceline during the boxing day sales in the shade Ivory. I heard a few great reviews about this - especially when compared to the YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch. I thought I'd give it a go since it was down to around $12 and I don't have a decent concealer (in fact I have one other, a Nude by Nature one, which is pretty crap!)

Now, as you can see from the photos I don't have much of a problem with under eye circles (I think they've gotten better since I've finished uni, haha). I just wanted something to brighten up under my eyes. This product aims to do just that, and I think it does a pretty damn good job at it! It wouldn't be good for someone with dark circles, but for girls like me who just want a little help looking more awake, it's perfect. Neither would it be useful for blemishes (I'm lucky enough not to have any). I've been using this almost every day. I use it under powder foundation if I'm just using my Body Shop virgin minerals, or over liquid foundation when I'm using my Bourjois Healthy Mix. I quite like the twisty bottom and the brush applicator. I find 2 clicks is enough for both eyes, with the brush applicator good to gently brush it under the eye, then blending it in with a finger. I also really like using this on my upper eyelid when I'm not wearing eyeshadow.

Brush applicator

I've had it for just over a month, and you can see I've already used a decent amount! Hopefully I can get another 2 or so months out of the rest of it (I'll probably start using it sparingly to make it last longer, haha). Even though I do really like this product, I wouldn't repurchase (especially at full price), because I'd like to try some other highlighting concealers available. I know Rimmel and Bourjois have some to go with the Wake Me Up and Healthy Mix ranges. Essence also have one which would be interesting to test out. I love the idea of a highlighting concealer and think it's going to be a permanent addition to my make up routine (until I need something with a bit more coverage).

Bare faced (you can see a little bruising above the eye on the right thanks to my face hitting cement while trying to skateboard!)

Dream Lumi Touch on the eye on the right (my left eye)

Dream Lumi Touch on both eyes, without any other make up (you can see it's covered my bruise pretty well)

Swatched on my arm heavily and blended.

Do you use a highlighting concealer? If yes, what's your favourite?

January Empties

This month is the first month I've actually had something interesting to post about as an empties post. I've been aiming to use up a lot of things, as I don't want to have a lot of stuff (especially skincare) lying around here while I'm in the UK for 7 months! I mostly used up a bunch of samples from subscription boxes.

Lots of Mascaras
Rimmel X volume Flash, Australis Lash TLC conditioning mascara, Maybelline One by One Volum' Express and Rimmel Scandaleyes Show Off. 
Not shown: Maybelline waterproof define-a-lash.
These mascaras were the main reason I did this post. I didn't actually empty them, I just threw them all out! I somehow managed to accumulate a lot of mascaras last year, most of them I didn't actually purchase - winning them or getting them in a subscription box. Most of these are hardly touched, but I never use them so they're just sitting around wasting space. These were either really clumpy or dry. I did use the Rimmel Scandeleyes and the Maybelline One by One for a few weeks, but then I got the Covergirl LashBlast Volume and started using that every day. I threw out another this month, the Maybelline waterproof define-a-lash. I used to LOVE Maybelline mascaras all through high school, (this one and Great lLash) but this one was pretty awful. Maybe it was because I had it for a while, but I do remember first opening it and not being as impressed as I used to be.
I wouldn't repurchase any of these, seeing as Covergirl LashBlast Volume mascara is way better!

Brushes - Rimmel X Volume Flash, Australis TLC, Maybelline One by One and Rimmel Scandaleyes

Maybelline Baby Lips Cherry Velvet
This is the first lip balm I've actually managed to use all up! I have a habit of loosing them. This one I may have had some help finishing from the washing machine...
I really love baby lips lipbalm and I'll definitely repurchase.

Sally Hansen Maximum Growth
When I first bought this I used it as a treatment (applying every day for 7 days) and it worked ok, except I got impatient and peeled it off a lot. Then I got lazy and just wanted to use it as a base coat. It's not really empty but it's too old to keep using. I would repurchase this again, but for the time being I need something a little more stronger and I'm trying the Diamond Strength top and base coat.

4me nail polish remover
I got this in a bellabox and love them. Usually removing nail polish for me is a nightmare but these are pretty great. I can usually manage to take off glittery polish using just one pad (it is a struggle though!).
I would definitely repurchase - once bellabox restock them!

Swisspers make up pads
I don't really need to talk about these, everyone knows why you need them and of course I'll be repurchasing - this, or whatever brand is cheapest at priceline.

Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream sample

I got this sample when I did an order before Christmas and it's the best facecream I've used. I would love to repurchase this but it's a little too expensive!

Swisse and Allegra Rhodes Ocean Mist handcream samples
These were both great creams and both smelt nice. The sample size of the Swisse one meant I got to try more of that so liked it better. I also like it's price tag better and would be more likely to repurchase that! I may use my bellabox points to buy a full size of the Allegra Rhodes but it's big and doesn't seem like it would be a good container for travelling.

Bioderma Créaline H2O sample
This stuff was great at removing heavy eye makeup with ease. I would repurchase, but not for the Australian RRP. Maybe I can find some cheap when I travel!

USPA Supernatural Wheatgrass Solar Energy Leave-In Serum sample
A leave in conditioner. Good for the hair but it doesn't smell very nice. I wouldn't repurchase as there are plenty of other haircare products I could buy that smell better than this!

Not pictured: Palmolive Strawberry Soother body wash (which I loved and would repurchase if I ever ran out of body washes!), Yankee Candle Autumn Fruits (I'm going to buy a ton of Yankee Candles when I'm in the UK) and some toothpaste (Had to repurchase for obvious reasons. Have you ever had to buy toothpaste? There are so many options!)

Weekly Nail: Italian Lemon Drop

This manicure was inspired Sophia from Tattooed Tealady's manicure, where I thought the pastel pink and yellow (which turns out was actually an orange, but looked a little yellow in the photo, whoops) looked lovely together.

I decided to use Rimmel's I love lasting finish in Lemon Drop and OPI Italian Love Affair, and use Sally Hansen Diamond Shine base and top coat.

Lemon Drop could possibly be the worst polish I've used. Sure, the colour is lovely but it is such a pain to apply! It took 3-4 coats to get opaque, and it still wasn't really even. The polish doesn't even out at all like most do, so you end up adding more and more coats to try and get it even. The first 2 light coats dried in a reasonable amount of time, but to get the polish even you need to use a heavy coat, which took ages to dry . Apparently this is supposed to be scented when dry too. Couldn't smell a thing. I'm glad I didn't have to pay for this (it was in a Priceline goody bag I got during their 30 days of priceline). I have 2 other colours from this collection, Pop! and Misty Jade, and although Misty Jade is basically just as bad, Pop! seems to apply just fine.

I decided to pair it with Italian Love Affair, which is another polish I usually have problems with, but it turned out to be great this time. Just one coat over the yellow was enough.

As for Sally Hansen's Diamond Shine base and top coat, I'm not sure if it's the kind of base coat I need to be using (My nails are horrible, and I accidentally picked this out instead of the Diamond Strength Instant Nail hardener) but I might be replacing Seche Vite with this as a top coat (as Seche Vite isn't 3 free).

It's a real shame that the yellow is so bad, as these colours go so well together. It also seems that I'm finally getting the hang of using nail guide stickers. Most of the lines on this manicure turned out really well. :D

Do you have any polishes you just can't stand? What are you wearing on your nails at the moment?

My Life in Pictures #3

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts. I got super busy around Christmas so I didn't use instagram much, but now I've built up a decent collection of photos I want to share with you all.

1. I got this dress and phone case from my last Modcloth order. I love how bright they both are.

2. My Grandad gave me his owl collection because he's moving house. These are my favourite ones and I've already put them around the loungeroom.

3. I've been drinking so many slurpees this summer! They're so great when it's really hot.

4. Making Red Bull cupcakes. Unfortunately they didn't turn out as yummy as I hoped.

 5. My friends new kitten called Ned. He's sooooo tiny and cute! You can already tell he's going to be a super friendly playful cat.

6. The pretty lanterns above my bed. I usually can't be bothered turning them on, but they look so pretty when I do.

7. I went to my friends house for Australia day weekend (like I did last year!) and the cows next door came to the fence.

 8. Swatching my nail polish collection. It took a while but it was pretty fun! Especially swatching colours I've never used before. I counted 64 polishes, but I'm sure I have a few lying around that I couldn't find! I might do a post on this soon.

If you're interested in following me, my instagram name is klerr.