REVIEW: MUA "LUXE LONDON" Velvet Lip Laquer.

Hi everyone, it's review time again!

So, the other day I popped in to town after Uni to pick some course material up, and like always I got side-tracked by the usual shops! Boots, Primark, New Look, Superdrug etc. But whilst I was restrained in regards to the fact that I never spent any of my own money, I did abuse some of my points that I had saved up on my loyalty cards in Boots and Superdrug. One thing I bought was a new Lip Lacquer from a new range launched by MUA.

I am a huge fan of a lot of the MUA products that are sold in Superdrug, like their lip-liners, their matte lipstick collection and the creamy blushers that they do. (Which I will happily review if anyone would like that?) And so when I saw a beautifully packaged product sitting on the shelf that I had not seen before, I was poised and ready to swatch!

MUA have recently launched a new range, “The Luxe London” collection. And one of the products they now sell as part of it is a Velvet Lip Lacquer that comes in five shades. They only had four of the colours available to buy in my local shop, but I have managed to find a collection of swatches for all of the shades on the company’s website which you can see below!

(L-R) Reckless, Funk, Criminal, Kooky, Atomic. (Image sourced from MUA's Webiste.)

The shade list is as follows:

Reckless- This is what I would describe as a "True-Red". It is a bright, blue based shade and so when you wear this it'll make your teeth appear slightly brighter! I can imagine this colour would work well with a variety of skin tones, and if your staple look is a Pin-up style face, you definitely need to pick this bad-boy up!

Funk- I didn't get to see this shade as they didn't have it in the shop to test or to buy, but from looking at MUA's website, what I can gather is that Funk is basically a deeper shade of "Criminal". it seems to be similar in regards to being a blue-based pink, but just a slightly darker, less bright shade. 

Criminal- Oh my God. I can't even begin to explain how much I love this shade. I would have picked this one up as well, by my make-up trunk is overflowing with pink lip products of varying shades and so I want to use all of those up first! It is a super vibrant hot pink. It has a hint of a blue undertone, which like Reckless helps make your teeth appear whiter! It is an amazing Fuchsia colour, and I feel that if you were going to wear this, it would best be paired with an otherwise neutral face as it really is the star of the show!

Kooky- I'm a sucker for a purple lipstick, and I really regret not picking this up! (Every time I go in to get it they're sold out of it, and I'm not surprised why!). It's a super opaque purple shade, and once applied it is a beautiful violet-purple colour. If you're a fan of rocking a Vampy look, then I imagine this'll become one of your favourite colours. it is a highly pigmented shade and only requires one application!

Atomic- This is the shade that I picked up, and it is a really intense Coral/Orange mash-up. Depending on how much you apply it can look a little bit Fluro, but maybe that's a look you like! I imagine that this shade would look beautiful on someone with tanned skin. One of the things I really like about it is that you can build it up from a pigmented coral to an intense orange.

I was well and truly drawn in by the packaging, not necessarily meaning the Gold and Black cardboard slip, but the beautiful frosted matte tubes that the product comes in. The matte tube relates nicely to matte finish the lacquer leaves you with! The feel of the package is quite luxurious. 

The packaging says that you can get the "ultimate velvet-matte pout with this richly pigmented silky smooth lip lacquer", and it's not lying! I must admit though, it took a few attempts at applying this before I mastered it, and I must say I love the formula and the finish,

Like pretty much every product out there on the market, it has it's pros and cons.

Pros:

• The pigmentation of all of these colours is amazing! One application leaves you with the colour in the tube, truly on your lips.
• The staying power that these possess is like nothing I have ever seen before in a lip product. Once these have dried, there is no budging them. You can talk, drink, eat, and go hours and hours without needing to reapply! I've put this product on at 9am and it's not budged by the time I've got home at 6pm.
• The feeling on your lips is not drying and the colours do not go chalky or "bitty" throughout the day.
• The Lip Lacquer consistency is really easy to work with, and the product dried within seconds!
• You are left with a flawless matte finish as your end result! 
• The colour selection they have released is varied and complementary to many skin tones, I have my fingers crossed that they launch more shades!

Cons:

• One downside to the fact that these lacquers have such an amazing staying power, is that they are quite difficult to get off. It can turn in to a bit of a mission with quite a lot of rubbing and elbow grease being needed! (But for such a highly pigmented and rich looking colour, I'm happy to put the effort in to get it off at the end of the day!)
• To wear these, your lips need to be free of ANY dead skin. If you have the slightest of chapped lips, this product is going to highlight this. So if you are wanting to wear this often, you're going to be looking at doing a lip scrub every time you want to, which can be a little time-consuming or annoying if you're trying to get ready in a rush.

Final thoughts on the product:

Overall, I think MUA have a real winner on their hands here! The formulation of this lip product is easy to work with and long-wearing, which are both important things in my books. If you're in the market for some new lip products, and want something that is going to give you great colour pay-off and last a long time without needing to be reapplied, then look no further than this lip lacquer. The fact that it is such a long-wearing product does mean that taking it off can take longer than your average lipstick, but with a good make-up remover you can get it off easily. Although the finish is matte, it will not dry your lips out or make them feel flaky. I will most definitely be picking up the rest of the collection, and I love that there is a colour in the range to suit everyone!

I hope that you find this review useful, and if you have any suggestions or requests of things for me to review or other posts you want me to write then let me know!

Thanks for reading!
Robyn
xox

REVIEW: LUSH Ultrabland Facial Cleanser.

Evening Guys, it's review time!

I think it's about time I can do a decent and honest review on this product, as I've been using it for almost two months. And it's safe to say, I love it! It's no surprise that so many people rave about and love this cleanser, and it's easy to see why it's referred to as the LUSH founders' "Number one Desert Island product".

LUSH describe the Cleanser as:

"A rich, soft, oily cleansing cream that cares gently for all skin types.

Softens the skin whilst thoroughly cleaning it – this product is super effective at its job.

Based on an ancient beeswax and vegetable oil formula from the times of Galen, the Greek physician and philosopher, this product will lift dirt, grease and make up from the skin, without stripping away your skin's natural defences."

It is available in 45g and 100g pots, costing £6.95 and £10.95.

I ended up picking this up when I popped in to LUSH back in October. I didn't go in with the intention of buying anything, I just wanted to have a quick look at their Shampoo "Daddy-O" (which is a purple shampoo that helps to cancel out brassiness in blonde hair) as I'm planning on picking it up when I finish up all of my purple toning shampoos which I'm currently working my way through.

I got talking to one of the ladies about Skincare whilst I was there, and to cut a long story short, she recommended me this. 

I have never really given LUSH's skincare products a thought, and I can't deny the fact that I was very sceptical when I first used this as it is an oil based cleanser, and I suffer from rather oily skin. I wondered if it would work at all, or if it would make me feel even more oily. But I trusted the lady in LUSH's judgement. 

 I can say hand on heart, that I can see and feel a massive improvement in my skin since using this! At first I was totally turned off by the smell as I was applying it all over my face (you can really smell the Beeswax in the product!), but after a few times of using it I got used to it and it doesn't bother me as much any more.

My routine for using this is to remove my eye make-up with the GARNIER Skin Natural Soothing 2 in 1 make-up remover, and then smooth Ultrabland all over my face (which I have already dampened with warm water) and a little down my neck (to make sure I cover and then remove any make-up that I have blended down my neck when getting ready in the morning). The only reason I don't use this product to remove my eye make-up is because I have really sensitive eyes, and it did seem to irritate them on the occasions that I did use it to remove my mascara and such. Other reviews I have read on this have said how amazing it is as removing even the stubbornest and most long-wearing eye make-up.

After I've thrown it all over my face, I leave it for a minute or two. I don't know if waiting a short while before taking it off helps in the process, but it's just something I do! Then I massage it in a little more with my fingers. The reason I massage it in instead of just wiping it off straight away, is because I like to feel like I'm getting all of the residue of my make-up out of my pores. 

The cleanser has, what I can only describe, as a mild "Gritty" feeling to it. Although it is nothing like a facial scrub, and it even has Rose Water in it, which obviously has calming effects on the skin.

Now the directions on the pot say you can remove the cleanser with a  damp cotton pad or a flannel. I do the latter, purely because I'd be using up a TON of cotton pads otherwise!

 This product removes any trace of make-up from my skin, and leaves it feeling genuinely CLEAN!The slightly oily consistency hasn't caused me to break-out and it hasn't created any new skin related problems for me.

One of the main things it does, is that it leaves my skin feeling soft. Which, for some reason, no matter how clean my skin has been in the past when I have cleansed my face with other products, it has never felt as soft as it has since I have used this product.

Ultrabland does exactly what the pot and the lovely people in LUSH say. It leaves your skin soft, soothed and feeling extremely comfortable. It is one of the only make-up removers that I have come across that doesn't leave my skin feeling raw, tugged at or red. I recommend this product highly, and will definitely be repurchasing it when I run out! I can't imagine me looking for a new make-up remover any time soon. If you're thinking about trying this cleanser, pop in to your nearest LUSH and ask for a sample of it, they're always more than happy to help and provide you with one! 

Overall, I think if you're in the market for a new Facial Cleanser or make-up remover, this is definitely worth trying out!

Thanks for reading!,

Robyn 

xox

O.O.T.D (November 17th 2013)

 Hey Guys! 

So, today I needed to run in to town to get some photos printed for part of my Uni course. I wanted to do an Outfit of The Day before I left, so I roped in The Boyfriend to help and snap some pictures for me! 

I'm a huge dress lover, which means our not so big wardrobe in our flat is brimming with all kinds! But I especially love this little beauty that I picked up in Primark a few weeks ago (I have had a look in a few of their stores recently and it is still currently in there!). As far as I can recall, it was £13. As you'll soon be able to see, from the rest of this outfit, I am most definitely a fan of good old Primark, especially their Skater-style dress and their dresses in general!

Dress- Primark (In stores currently!) £13
Tights (60 Denier)- Primark, £2.50

I love the super-cute heart print on it! And I think the off-white colour of the hearts is a lot less stark than if they were white. I kind of feel like if you were wearing this for a night out, you could possibly pair it with nude/beige/cream heels or accessories. The roundness of the neck is flattering for a lot of shapes and sizes, and the chest area is really accommodating and doesn't feel tight!

The dress does-up on the left hand side, just below the armpit. This means that the zip is disguised well, and you don't get that zip-line at the back! 

Chelsea Boots- Primark £10

I paired the dress with some thick Black Microfibre tights and some Chelsea-style boots (both again from Primark) because it's obviously a lot colder out now, and so dresses and skirts without tights are a big no-no for me! 

I love these boots so much! They were a present from my Mum a few months back for my birthday, and I just think they go so nicely with dresses and give a slightly more grown-up edge to my outfit.

Faux-Leather jacket with trim- George @ Asda (Current!) £30

Then I topped my outfit off with another Birthday present from a while back, the worlds most amazing faux-leather jacket with matching faux leopard print trim! (detectable)
I absolutely adore this jacket. It's the most perfect length, feels so soft and fits amazingly in all the right places! I know the leopard print and the hearts probably clash, but I loved how it looked! 

So this is the outfit in full (well, almost full, as we totally forgot to take a picture where you can see the shoes...) and I love it, it's comfy, easy to move about in, and I'm not wearing too much that I'll get boiling super quickly! And I'm not wearing too little that I'll be freezing my bum off!

Quickly moving on the face and general make-up area! Today I went with a general, somewhat basic face look, along with a bright red lip. 

A quick list of some products used would be:

• Foundation- Barry M Flawless Matte Finish in #2, Nude (LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!)
• Blusher- MAC Powder Blush in "Legendary" (From the Marilyn Monroe Collection last year so unfortunately no longer available)
• Mascara- Collection "No Clumps" in Ultra Black.
• Concealer- Collection "Lasting Perfection" Concealer in #2, Light.
• Lip Liner- M.U.A Intense Colour liner in "Brooding Plum" (SO good for just £1! Definitely worth picking up if you wear a red/berry lip often)
• Lipstick- MAC's "Ruby Woo, Retro Matte Finish" 

That's all from me for today! Thanks for reading, there'll be more of these coming your way over the course of next week. 

Bye Guys!

Robyn
xox

Blog post number one!

Hi everyone!

I must have written, deleted and re-written this opening blog post about 10 or so times. I don't know how to start this off, so I will just tell you who I am!

My name is Robyn, and I am a 20 year old student. I am a self-confessed beauty junkie, who has spent the past few years of her life watching other bloggers videos, and reading hundreds of their posts. After a few days of ummm-ing and ahhh-ing about whether I was confident enough to do this, my boyfriend and I sat down and thought of name for my new project. And so, "All Things Bright and Blogable" was born!

Over the next week or so, this blog will be taking some baby steps, basically getting it up to scratch and getting it looking how I want it to. There will be reviews coming your way! Along with a few fashion bits being pieced together for your viewing pleasure. And as all the great beauty bloggers ask of you, their reading/viewing audience, anything that you want to see or hear from me, let me know!

So, blog post numero uno is done! I hope that over time I can provide useful tips, tricks, reviews and fashion looks for you! 

Thanks guys!
Robyn
xox