Battle of the Bargain Eyeshadow Primers- Elf v MUA

Hey Everyone!

You may know that I have a lot of trouble trying to keep my eye makeup on all day- from eyeshadow creasing to mascara smudging, the problems are endless. A few months ago I ordered elf's eyelid primer (£1.50) and for Christmas I got the MUA Professional Eyes Primer (£2.50). I'm sure you will agree that if nothing else, you certainly get a good price on these products.

In terms of packaging, I prefer MUA as I think it has a slightly higher quality feel, whereas the elf primer comes in the boggest of bog standard tubes. The applicators are very similar, if not identical. I find the formula of the MUA to be slightly 'wetter' and it goes further than the elf. Both provide a smooth, sheer base for my eyeshadow which I like texture-wise. However, neither primer ensures a crease free day! I would say MUA primer has a slightly longer lasting power, but essentially, neither will last more than a few hours. In all honesty, I think the products are very, very similar, perhaps even from the same retailer with different packaging. 

Neither works wonders, yet neither is an awful product. I will continue to use both as they do provide a nice even base for eyeshadow.

My favour leans slightly towards MUA, despite the fact its more expensive, I think it does the job a little more effectively and will last longer. For the price, I would at least give it a try!

Sephora Base Sublimatrice Primer Review

I've always had a 'take it or leave it' kind of mindset when it comes to primer. While I was in Lisbon this summer I found a Sephora counter in a department store and was more than a little excited; using pretty much any excuse to buy things. 'This Nails Inc set is on sale so I need it even though I have 34723642 nail polishes already. I also need this primer because although I've never bothered with primer it is supposed to keep your makeup on longer and yea- c'mon- why deny the addition of another base step.' And so the Sephora Base Sublimatrice Primer made its way into my makeup bag.

In all honesty, I wasn't expecting a great deal from this product. I was really pleasantly surprised though! It has a light consistency and despite how it looks initially, doesn't sit on the skin noticeably or  like a disco-ball. For comparisons sake, I found this to be radiance-boosting but not as much as the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation (which, for me, was a little much). What really stood out for me was how nicely my usual makeup went on top of this. It looked smoother, more enhanced and lasted longer. The only thing that disappointed me with this product was that it has almost run out after only about 15 uses. It is only 15g, but I still expected it to last a little longer. That's one of the drawbacks of buying stuff abroad: its not easy to get hold of another if you like it. 

Be sure to let me know if you've tried this and what you thought of it. Also, please leave primer recommendations in the comments- I need another asap!

MUA Mini Haul

Hi everyone (I think I can get away with saying that now that I have 10 followers-YAY)! Hope everyone's had a great weekend! As usual, I've been pretty busy but I've got lots of ideas for upcoming posts so stay tuned.

Yesterday I was in Superdrug and I had a little MUA haul. I have to say, right now this is my favourite make-up brand. It's super affordable yet surprisingly good quality. Shown below are the items that I purchased:

After seeing the MUA Love Hearts products on many, many blogs, I was super-eager to try them. I got the 'U ROK' nail polish and the 'Kiss Me' lip balm and let me say, I am definitely not disappointed! The nail polish is a really unusual colour which I like because I don't have anything like it and the lip balm is great because it is pretty pigmented and stays on for hours. I think I'll do a more detailed review on those soon. 

I also got '12 Shade Heaven and Earth Palatte' which is a lovely mix of neutral browns and creams. I am super excited to try this as in my opinion its the savvy girls answer to the NAKED 2 palette by Urban Decay. Another bonus is that you save £1 on MUA palettes just now. 

Another purchase was the Shade 1 concealer for only £1. I tried the tester on my hand and it looks like it blends to the skin really easily and the colour matches my skin tone almost perfectly. 

I had also seen on a blog a review of the Primer so decided to give it a go. It is a nice consistency, not too runny or solid, and claims it can be worn with or without foundation on top. So far I have only used it alone though I didn't notice much of a difference to my face. I'll keep you 'posted' on how I get on with it under foundation.

Finally I bought the extreme curl mascara. The wand is in the shape of a curve which is really unusual but effective. I bought the brown as I don't have any brown mascaras and thought it might be a nice change.

And want to know the best part? This haul came to a tiny £15! I think for 6 products that is pretty amazing. Thanks MUA! Only thing I wanted but never found was their new lashes, my Superdrug doesn't stock them. I'll keep an eye out for them in other stores though or maybe even order them from the online store.

If you want to get your hands on some MUA products pop into your local Superdrug.

That's all from me tonight, enjoy the rest of your Sunday!