MUA BB all in one beauty balm in light £4 from superdrug

As one who is a lover of MUA, I was very much dissapointed by this BB cream.

It is a very thick and slightly oily consistency, when put on face it takes quite a lot of product. I have tried it on its own and under foundation and each time it wears off, leaving smears or patches on your face, I have even tried setting it with powder.

I think it would work as a concealer for small patches, but it is not good for all over, as MUA is normally excelent value for money, this product is not in that category.  A big let down for me.

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Nova, RRP £5.99
The intense rich colour of a lipstick, enhanced by a satin smooth shine.The earth-shattering lip lacquer from Rimmel London.

I picked this little beaut up with Laura, it was part of a 3 for 2 offer, Lots have been said about apocalips, but ever up for trying out new things, I wanted to give it a go to.

This does not disappoint, it is very vibrant, the pictures do not give justice to just how much this colour pops. It is extremely glossy too, but after a lot of wear the shine does wear of, however the colour stays and stays. For a penny short of £6 this is a fantastic item, you get the wear and colour and get to make a statement. The brush is easy to use and has a well in the middle that collects the product for optimum coverage.

It comes in a range of colours that I spent ages swatching, from what looks like some pale

neutral colours that are nothing less than bright and shiney to reds that are vivid and eye-catching. Lots of choice for a very little price, a lipstick with the high gloss of a lip gloss, really its all just the best of two worlds.

I love the wake me up foundation by rimmel and it is my go to foundation or I use my BB cream, but im still on a ever longer quest for an amazing and cheap foundation. I was in Asda today and ended up at their make up section, seen this for £3 and thought I have to give it a try.

The Packaging is black and sleek, when you open it up, you find there are two compartments, one for the foundation and one for the sponge, their is also a good size mirror with it too.

That is where the good parts end, unfortunately I found the creme to be less creamy and more greasy, It's not really soft to the touch either but feels really oily. It took a lot of product to give medium coverage and after trying to build it up found it to be a hopeless endeavour!

Elementary smooth and replenish salt scrub RRP £19
Elementary delicatlely elegant body lotion RRP £13
Elementary gentle Hydrating shower wash RRP £11
Now available in sets here for £35, currently on offer at £17.50 as of 24/01/2013

When I bought these items they were on offer and I paid £29 for all 3. I'm not a big fan of the smell that these product give, they kind of remind me of earth. but It's a pleasant enough smell, just not my cup of tea.

So the salt, best used as an exfoliator on skin, just a teaspoon goes a long way and it takes maybe 3 to do your whole body. It feels really oily after you have rubbed it all over but the effect once you are dried is amazing and a oily body for a while is not the worst thing for soft skin. The other use is to get your circulation going in your hands and feet, this makes your hand look 10 years younger and it really does work. Just get a bowl with warm water and rub half a teaspoon all over each hand for 3 to 4 mins (4 to 5 for feet) messaging as you go, once massaged and rubbed soak your hands/feet in the water for a further few minutes. hands look better and feet feel rejuvenated.

The shower wash is OK, not as good as the salt, same smell and I think for me that is the main problem as to why I'm not a fan of it, I feel that shower wash should make you feel and smell great and this is as good as any other with the feel, but I just can't get on with the smell, I only really use it when I do the whole package, as the lotion makes me smell the same so there's no point in wasting good smelling wash.

Finally the body lotion, this works well too, it really does moisturise your skin and a little goes a long way, it is a little gloopy and takes quite a while to dry and settle into the skin, but once it has it is lovely, making the skin soft and smooth.

I do like these products, however I won't be repurchasing the shower wash unless its in a set. I will most certainly be buying the salt and possibly lotion but only if its on offer. I think its very overpriced for what it is and is only really worth it while it is on offer.

L'oriel Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara in Black/Noir rrp £10

I Picked this up in my haul last week, I bough it because I have almost run out of my Diorshow Iconic mascara and have been told this is the closest on the high street to the Diorshow.
Now I love my Diorshow, the way it lengthens your lashes, gives good coverage without looking clumpy.

The L'oriel Telescopic is under half the price and is a pretty good product, the brush is very fexible and slim, it really covers the same as the iconic and it lengthens your natural lashes to a point that seems almost unbelievable. This product does not add volume to your lashes just the length, but for me, personally that is what I prefer.

Revlon colorburst Lip Butter in Macaroon, rrp £7.99
As of this post this item is on sale at boots for £5

The cover of this product reminds me of 1930's cushions, but it nice, and as much as asthetics are generally important in this case its the product that I'm interested in.

its very lightly colored and the macaroon is very natural, it makes my lips a few shades lighter than natural and a bit more pink, it has quite a sheen on it, but it not over the top glossy. it does have some glitter in it, but its not too much.

when its on your lips its very slick, almost the same feel as when you put vaseline on your lips, It does help to nourish your lips and it is nice to add a splash of color without going too far from you natural shades.

Its major down point is that its really not long lasting. I wore it for over two hours when all I did was talk an shop, however the moment I ate or drank, it all came off. So.. if you don't intend on using your lips then it is a long wearing product but far from kiss proof!

It does hydrate your lips and compared to a normal lip salve it is much better if you want a made up look. During the height of winter or summer this will be a good product to help prevent lip problems but still stay stylish, however for me at the full price of £7.99 this product seems a little over priced for a vaseline style product with some color and glitter. Having said that I will be repurchasing and trying other colors, but will only buy if its on offer!

What do you think of the Lip Butter? Do you have any similar products for a good price?

For the price MUA products never fail to please, this little varnish is called nail quake in silver, once painted over another color it creates a cracking effect. If you think this effect will cost the earth or can only be done by a professional then think again.

This is very very simple to use and at only £2 is amazingly cheap, I put a metalic blue underneath to make the cracking stand out and I love the effect.

The nail varnish drys very quickly, just a note it needs to be thickly applied to get a really good effect otherwise it creates very thin lines that look  more like a bad paint job than the effect you may be looking for.

The instruction are literally two lines and you can not go wrong, to do all nails and even wait for a clear coat to dry it took me maybe 15 minutes at the most. Perfect if you are looking for salon style nails but don't have the time or money. I'm very pleased with this product.

Eylure Dyelash 45 day Mascara rrp £7.10, Long lasting color for dark, glossy lashes and brows.

So I spotted this little kit in Tesco and thought id give it a go. I don't have very dark lashes and only really end up with nice ones after a pile of mascara, the main problem is that the tips of my lashes are clear so you cant see them unless they are covered!

Where to start, I'm going to start with the instruction: they are clear and easy to follow but the protection strips are crap, I ended up doing the dye and not using the strips, I just kept wiping away any marks with damp cotton wool. The wand that it comes with is not fantastic, but it just about does the job.

The time waiting is the hardest thing as they ask you to keep you eye shut and only dye one eye at a time. Let me tell you, I thought this would be simple, IT IS NOT, it is really hard to keep one eye shut for 5-10 mins.

The results are pretty good, they are not as magical as I had hoped but they are darker right to the tips, for me the biggest improvement is my under eye lashes as they are normally not seen at all. I think that for just over £7 and up to 12 uses, with each application lasting up to 6 weeks (depending on how fast your lashes grow) its not a bad price for the effect. If you want eye-popping lashes that can stop a man with a single look (I felt like quoting memoirs of a geisha), then normal mascara is still your best bet. but for a much more natural look that just adds some slight length and slight more volume this is a good product. Plus not having to do it for another 6 weeks is a bonus.

Rimmel Wake me up foundation in ivory by rimmel rrp £5.99

My friend put me onto this little beauty, what can I say apart from I love it so much, its an almost exact dupe for touche eclat for £25 less!

It comes in a number of shades and though they arn't numerous if you can find one in your shade you should be laughing. I find that the texture is good and smooth, it goes on really easily and blends into your face even using your fingers. For a cheap drug store foundation it is one of the best I have used. it is not powdery, greasy or dry, I did not find that it left my face greasy or dry once removed and seemed to nourish it a little bit too. It will also be good for summer as it is SPF15.

In comparison to the touche eclat foundation, this one does not have quite so good coverage, however it is very buildable and only takes about one coat more to get the desired effect. Also it does not have the nice velvet/soft texture once dry that the eclat does, not to say that it feels bad, it just feels like you skin really. For £25 less I can easily live with those two minor things.

This may not work for everyone, but it definitely worked for me and it is a product that I will be repurchasing and using a lot in the near future until I find something that surpasses it or it ends up being discontinued!

So I love the smell it is such a winter smell, its very spiced and pretty woody too. its almost like cinnamon and spiced apples, but with a sweet orange too, lovely but strange! The packaging is warm and inviting like the scent, I like the fact that it has two candles and a stick in the pack. I did get this as a christmas present, so i am unsure of any price.

When I started to burn the candle it took a long time to notice any smell, but when you did it was not overpowering and it was not weak. It did not give a clean burn (but I never ever can get any candle to give a clean burn), My big issue is that the wick in the candle started to pull to the one side and basically heated the glass up so much that it broke (do not have any pictures as my husband threw it out so quickly there was no time). to me this was strange and I don't know if it was a one off, I got so nervous about the incident I'm keeping the second candle only for show. It could very well have been a fluke accident, but I'm not impressed with it.

The main reason I wanted to do a review was besides the fact that it was a lovely present, great smell and presentation, is this a one off? I hope no one else has had this experience, Please let me know if you have!