MUA Primer Review

I've had this for what seems like forever, as id just use it now and then. However, before christmas I decided I had far too much makeup and needed to downsize - well this was put in my 'things to use up' make up bag.

Seen as I've nearly used it up - I thought id review it for ya'll,

enjoy! x

Good Points

*Price - at £4 this is one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) primers I own. Its a decent size so you're not getting seen off either

*It's good for dry skin - theres something about the formula of this thats moisturising, which means I can use it during the winter when my skin is slightly dry. If you're in a rush and don't have time to moisturise (naughty naughty) you're better off reaching for this as it is a bit of a double duty product

*Travel friendly - like i mentioned earlier, its a decent size however its not huge, so when i went away last year this was my primer of choice as it just fits nicely in my travel makeup bag

*Its refreshing - it feels quite cool on my face, perfect for these spring mornings where i want to feel refreshed and awake (or the dark winter mornings when i just want to look alive)

Not So Good Points

The formula - as you can see in the picture above the formula is a little uneven, almost to the point where I'm debating whether this has gone off..

*Cheap packaging - yes its a cheap product but i have many a bargain with packaging thats lasted me years - however the nozzle bit that controls the amount of product which comes out broke (such a technical explanation)

*You could spend a little bit more for a much better primer. For example - i love the Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro primer which is around £6.99 but has a lot more positive qualities than this one. ALSO the silicon based primer by MUA is a mere £1 more and so so much better (review to come)

*Is it more of a moisturiser? - my makeup ALWAYS lasts longer whenever i wear a moisturiser (which I of course do daily), so I'm unsure whether its the moisturising aspect of this product thats making my makeup last, or whether it is just an ok primer?

*Its just OK - it does make my makeup stay on longer depending what makeup i wear - funny how it only works with certain things but because of this i don't get the use out of it i should do

*It claims to 'flawlessly even out complexion' - I HATE it when a product claims something so exaggerated and doesn't even come close. Just incase you were wondering, it didn't make me 'flawless'

Overall, this is a decent budget primer, particularly if you have dry skin (i can't vouch for you oily skinned ladies out there sorry) - however i won't be repurchasing this purely because there are others i like more

You can buy this here

Have you tried this primer? What do you think?

justmejustsam

xxxx

Benefit Lemonaid Primer - Review

You can find this here

Good Points

*I LOVE This - This is one of my holy grail products and something i reach for all the time

*Like other Benefit products, it lasts forever. Ive had mine over a year and granted I've hit pan, but I'm nowhere near running out

*No matter what eyeshadow i apply over the top, no matter how expensive or cheap it is, it does not budge ALL day. Whenever i have a dance show, i use this and it stays on ALL night, not matter how much i sweat

*Its compact and has a mirror which means its perfect for travelling

*It makes eyelids sticky, so eyeshadow just sticks onto it and stays there

*The packaging is sturdy, with a sleek design

*It doesn't interfere with the colour of your eyeshadow - I've used primers in the past where its made the eyeshadow look lighter or darker. With this, your eyeshadow transfers exactly the same as it is in the palette.

Not So Good Points

*Cost - £16.50 is a ridiculous amount to spend on a primer in my eyes. But. I. Just. Cant. Help. It.

*Benefit claim you can use this alone to brighten up your eyes - Hell no. When applied eyelids look really pale and yellow, not a good look.

Overall, i can not recommend this product enough, I've already repurchased for when this runs out. Its the perfect base for any eyeshadow, and one of the many reasons why i love Benefit!

xxxx

Makeup Counter Encounter - Benefit Haul

There wasn't even supposed to be a haul. There wasn't even supposed to be any thoughts of shopping. But then i had my FIRST ever makeup counter encounter. And everything changed.

Basically my local Debenhams went all fancy and got a Benefit Brow Bar put into it, and one day as i was walking through i got collared by a sales assistant. Before i knew it i had an appointment the following saturday to have my brows waxed and tinted, the 'Benefit' way.

I think this was a clever trick by the company, but basically as i was waiting to have my brows done, the sales assistant said i could have my makeup done as apparently this was part of the deal. 

Ive never had my makeup done before, and i guess i got all caught up in the exciting experience. To cut a long story short, the sales assistant put a truck load of makeup on my face, and when i saw myself in the mirror, i couldn't believe how amazing my skin looked. It was literally flawless.

Then came the whole 'are there any products you would like to buy today?' and before i could say anything i was at the til entering my pin for the products below. I then went on to get my brows done, and left feeling very pampered. Once in the car, i looked in the mirror (in normal day lighting) and was quite horrified at the amount of makeup on my face, and how it has clumped in dry patches all over my skin. I now realise the lighting at the makeup counter is very clever!

Overall, i have very mixed feelings about my first counter encounter. While i LOVE benefit and think the quality of their products is second to none, i feel i bought products i would have never even considered had it been fully my choice. And i know it was ME who bought the products, and ME who put in my pin, but there was just so much pressure at the time, which makes me unsure if i would go back. If you're on a budget or don't want to spend to much, id avoid these counters all together, as i ended up spending £60 on 2 products and an eyebrow wax, which isn't a cheap day!

Here's what i bought..

Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow - Believe in me Ivory £24.50 (here)

Hello Flawless Cover Up SPF20 - Me Vain Champagne £24.50 (here)

I also purchased this (from the comfort of my own home this time)

Lemon Aid Eyelid Primer £16.50 - here

This is actually a repurchase as i love this product so much, and its very rare i use anything else to prime my eyes.

Continuing with the Benefit theme of this post, heres what was free in this months Glamour magazine..

The POREfessional Primer £19.58 - here

I look forward to hearing about everyone else's makeup counter encounters, please comment below!

xxxx

BIG haul - superdrug/boots

Yesterday i caved. It wasn't a good day for me, as as a treat to myself i splurged, however i am in love with everything I've bought so far, so here it all is. Please note everything i bought was either on offer or part of an offer - i have a good eye for a bargain ;)

(L-R) 17 Blemish Balm in light (£6.99) - i recently purchased the Garnier BB cream, and as this is quite a bit cheaper, i figured i had little to lose and have purchased this, prepare for a comparison review !

17 Peep Show mascara in brown black (£6.29)- i didn't realise it was this shade, as i would've chosen black, but then again i only have 2 brown mascaras, and i usually prefer this shade for the day anyway. As you can kind of see in the photo its quite messy already, and i haven't even used it yet, but I've heard good things about this, and combined with the pretty packaging i couldn't resist.

17 Instant Glow Bronzing Powder (£5.49) - first of all i couldn't believe how big this was for the price! The brilliant leopard print pattern also drew me in, and i loved the idea of the gold infused into the colour. I totally smudged the pattern when i tried to swatch it as you can see in the photo, but i think you get the idea of how it is supposed to look?

These items were in a 3 for 2 offer, so i ended up getting all this £13.28, which isn't the cheapest shop ever, but its nowhere near the most expensive.

These items were 2 for £4.99, so again i couldn't resist!

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream - this reminds me of the matt glosses from miners, so i was instantly drawn in. However, there seems to be very little product inside, and it could possibly appear the product has dried up, not sure yet!

Collection 2000 Lock N Hold Lipgloss in Twisted Disco 6 - I have 2 others in this range and love love love them - they don't last anywhere near 6 hours, but the smell and moisturising factor makes these glosses a must have!

There is currently an offer in Superdrug in which you get the Miss Sporty concealer free if you buy another product (i think it was just skin products)

Miss Sporty Liquid Concealer in shade 001 Light - I've recently become a fan of liquid concealers, and this was worth £2.99, so to get it free was a bonus!

Miss Sporty LightEnergy Radiant Look in shade 01 Light (£3.49) - I thought this looked and sounded similar to the BB creams I've been recently purchasing, and i am looking for light layers rather than heavy foundations at the minute, and this looked great for that.

My go to brand MUA! I love love love their lipsticks, and for only a pound my aim to buy the whole collection!

MUA  Lipstick in shade 3 - this is a really hot pink, which doesn't show up on this photo, but i will probably wear this at the weekend so ill do some swatches

MUA pro 3 in 1 extreme Contour Liner - This was free with any MUA product can you believe it?? So i got both these for £1! I think the excitement took over me, as i didn't realise there were different shades of this liner, and i happened to pick up shade 5 Auburn, which i suppose worked out well as i have tons of black liners. Considering this is so cheap to buy anyway, the packaging is really sleek and sturdy - you would think its much more expensive than it is. What makes this liner different is the angle, and on the back of the box are different ways of using this to get different effects - i can't wait to try it !

I've had my eye on this for a while - GOSH foundation primer CLASSIC. I don't have that many primers, and i read someone's blog saying this was their all time favourite. Ive only ever used cream primers before, and when i tested this it left the back of my hand feeling so velvety i was sold straight away. Oh and of course it was in the sale at £10.99

This caught my eye on my way out the shop, and as I've only just looked at the receipt now i did NOT realise it was £7.99, as it was marked on the shelf as considerably cheaper, which is what brought me to it in the first place! Well anyway, i am just a normal girl with body parts id like to improve, and I'm going to rub this on the tops of my legs everyday til it runs out, then do a big review for you all, and if it works i might just have to repurchase it !

I've recently had a breakout, so I'm on a mission to better my skin for good. Ive used to cleanser since i can remember, its my go to skincare product, however i thought if I'm going to do this properly i need to go the whole hog.

(L-R) Deep Action cream wash (£1.99) - i felt this would be better for my dry skin than a gel wash, and the product is a really good size for the price

Deep Cleansing lotion (£1.89) - I know i love this product, and i know it works for me, so i have repurchased, and ill probably repurchase a 100 times

Dual Action Moisturiser (2.39) - MissBudgetBeauty raves about this, and she seems to have similar skin to me, so i figured it could also become one of my favourite products

All these products were reduced in price, which is one of the reasons why i chose them, aside from the fact they're one of my favourite skincare brands

I didn't purchase the moisturiser today, so ignore that!

These are the other skin products i purchased in the hope for clear skin.

Foaming Face Wash and Cleanser and Toner - All these products smell amazing, and I've heard they are very good for spot prone skin, and i have currently started using these, so watch out for a big review soon!

THATS EVERYTHING! this has taken me so long to do, i didn't think it would be this long, and i have another haul to do before the day is out!

I hope you enjoyed my bargain haul ( I ended up saving £11.54 in super drug - WOW!) and if you have tried any of these products please let me know what you think.

Also, you all deserve a medal for getting to the end of this haul!

xxxxx