Battle of the Budget Lippies!

Hello beauties! I've always had a soft spot for bright lips however, I tended to feel more comfortable wearing pinks. Recently, I've moved out of my comfort zone and really been obsessed with red's! So, I bring you my two favourite budget red lipsticks in the hopes that you might find it useful.

Let's start with E.L.F, one of my all time favourite cheaper brands. This is one of their 'Studio Matte Lip Colors' and the one I'm talking about is in the shade Rich Red. Now, I never really know whether to call this a lipstick or not because it's more of a cross between a stick and a pencil in size, but it definitely has the consistency and formulation of a lipstick. I find that this size is just perfect for doing a bright red lip because it allows the precision needed without having to line your lips first. 

The color pay off is fab and it does dry to a matte finish. However, unlike other matte lipsticks, I find that it doesn't cling to dry patches and accentuate them. All round, a brilliant product for only £3.75!

Colour pay off - 5/5

Packaging - 2/5 (it looks expensive but, as you can see, the writing does wear off and the actual product falls out of the tube if you're not careful)

Lasting power - 4/5

Formulation - 4/5 (can be a little drying)

Next is another well known budget brand, and another of my favourites, MUA. This lipstick is in the shade 1 and I've had it for years (as you can probably tell from the rather grubby packaging). This lipstick has absolutely amazing colour pay off, it is a very true red and the formulation is lovely. The thing I like most about this lipstick though, is the lasting power. I actually find that this leaves a stain on your lips even after it wears off a little (I know some people won't like that, but I do).

My only problem I have with this lipsick, a completely ridiculous problem, is that it is very bright, which can be a little scary considering I'm only just starting to properly introduce red lips into my makeup regularly. But, this problem can be easily rectified by using a slightly darker plummy toned lip liner underneath (for reference, I love wearing this lipstick over the top of Rimmel's Exaggerate Lip Liner in Addiction).

Colour pay off - 5/5

Packaging - 4/5 (again the writing wears off, however I have heard that MUA have changed their lipstick packaging a little since the last time I bought one)

Lasting power - 5/5

Formulation - 5/5

Comparison swatch, E.L.F on the top, MUA on the bottom.

So, those are my two go-to, budget red lipstick at the moment. Although they're both fab, I definitely reach for MUA's more often mainly for the lasting power and the fact that I prefer a creamier finish.

Have a fabulous day,

Nikki x

You can find the E.L.F Studio Matte Lip Color here.

You can find the MUA Lipstick here (on the website, shade 1 looks completely different to mine but most Superdrugs have an MUA and last time I checked them, shade 1 was still a bright red).

Where else to find me:

instagram: nickeeeta

twitter: nickeeeta

Prom Beauty Haul!

Hello beauties! I hope you've been having a good time since I last posted. Prom season is coming up and that means one thing, my Mum spending a lot of money on things I'll probably wear once! Aside from this makeup of course.

Last week me and my Mum went shopping to grab me some extra bits I could incorporate into what I already have and I pretty much have my prom look nailed now, very exciting!

I picked up some Barry M dazzle dusts (loose pigments) in 39, a champagney kind of colour, 4, a plain loose silver glitter, and 53, a deep coppery kind of colour.

I'm super excited to try these out!

I also got this Barry M lipstick in 155, it's the colour down from my absolute favourite drugstore lipstick (Barry M 156, a bright purple toned pink). It's not quite as bright as it looks in the bullet, but nowhere near as light as it looks on the sticker. It's the perfect barbie pink and, the best part, it's not at all frosty as a lot of drugstore lipsticks tend to be.

I then got this Revlon lipgloss in Bellini to go over the top of it just to make it a little lighter and a little more nude. I've actually wanted this lipgloss for a while so it was good to pick it up!

Lastly in Boots, I got a new Essie nail polish in Mademoiselle. It was a real toss up between this and Fiji but I thought this just looked a little bit more pink. I have tried this on my nails but seeing as my nails are stained blue at the moment (seriously, always wear a base coat!) it looked a little purple toned because this is quite sheer. It's a lovely  nude pink that doesn't bring too much attention to the nails though.

And lastly, I decided I needed a new foundation due to the fact that all of mine had an SPF and I didn't want any chance of flashback in any pictures. My skin has really cleared up recently (a mixture of cutting milk out of my diet and a good cleansing routine) and so I don't think I need a full coverage foundation. Plus, I don't want to look cakey. Seeing as I'm dry and you can build this foundation up from incredibly sheer to light/medium (more light than medium) I thought this would be perfect - and it is! Even with powder over the top I don't feel dry and I don't' have to worry about this melting off my face. Besides, this is another product I've wanted for a while and this seemed like a good excuse to get it.

So, that's it for my prom beauty haul. I pretty much have everything else I need (apart from a decent eye primer, I'm trying to decide between Nars and Urban Decay) and it's just a case of doing a test run before hand.

Have a fabulous day,

Nikki x

Where else to find me:

instagram: nickeeeta

twitter: nickeeeta

Review: This One Replenishing Treatment

Hello again beauties! I was incredibly excited last week when I came home to find that Superdrug had sent me a sample of a new brand, exclusive to their store. 

This One is a range of hair products exclusive to Superdrug.

The sample I received was a replenishing treatment which I was rather excited about due to the fact I had run out of my herbal essences deep conditioner and just failed to repurchase it.

I washed my hair as normal and then plopped this onto it, leaving it to sink in whilst I shaved my legs and underarms (probably not the advised 5-10 minutes). My initial thought was 'this feels very light', which I was a little surprised by, because it was a treatment I thought it would be a little thicker, but I didn't let this put me off. In fact, it encouraged me a little as I thought I might have found the perfect deep conditioner for my hair now that half of it is my natural, rather grease prone, hair and the other half bleached, dyed and damaged.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I rinsed this out and was already disappointed that my hair didn't feel soft or smooth. In fact it felt smoother after I used my usual, daily conditioner. I put in my usual leave in conditioner and let my hair dry, hoping that in the morning it would show some results - but it didn't.

My hair didn't feel nourished, soft or 'replenished'. In fact it just felt pretty normal. I think if your hair is in pretty good shape to begin with and doesn't need a heavy duty, once-a-week, deep treatment then this might just be the one for you, but for most people this could pass as an average everyday conditioner.

Overall - 2.5/5

Despite this treatment being a bit of a dud, I am eager to try some other products from This One, especially seeing as this sample came with a discount offer. So, I'll make sure to keep you updated if I do!

Have a fabulous day,

Nikki x

Where else to find me:

instagram: nickeeeta

twitter: nickeeeta

MUA Nail Polish Repackaging and Review!

Hello beauties! I've been incredibly busy recently because my exams have started but I'm determined to get a few posts up over the next few weeks! Today I'm here with a review and chat about some of MUA's nail polishes. As you may have heard, the bargain brand has repackaged some of their nail polish colours and they look incredibly familiar! These £1 polishes look an awful lot like mini versions of Essie polishes. When I heard about the packaging change I decided to go out and try some because I realised I didn't own any polishes by MUA and, let's be honest, you can never have too many! So, I picked up Lush Lilac, Frozen Yoghurt and Pistachio Ice Cream.

This is Lush Lilac, a pretty pale pink. Initially, I hated this colour. I thought it didn't suit my skintone at all but, when I wore this I got so many compliments that I decided that, maybe it was nice. The great thing about it is, you only need two coats to get the bottle colour. Pretty good for £1 if you ask me.

Next up is Frozen Yoghurt. This is a really nice pale purple, something I was lacking in my collection. Again, two coats and you're good to go! Both this, and Lush Lilac's, formulations are lovely and they dry surprisingly quickly!

Lastly, I have Pistachio Ice Cream, which I picked up as it's supposed to be quite similar to Essie's Mint Candy Apple. Now, I don't know if mine was just an 'off' one or what, but the formulation of this compared to Lush Lilac and Frozen Yoghurt is awful. It's still usable and it's easy to achieve bottle colour but the formulation of this one just puts me off using it, which is a shame because I really like the colour. But, seeing as the other two are so fab, I'm going to say this one is probably just a one off.

All in all, I'm incredibly impressed by these budget polishes. They're much better than Barry M nail polishes, which are a drugstore favourite in the beauty community, but they're not dupes for Essie polishes! Don't be fooled by their copycat packaging!

Colours (shades and pay-off) - 5/5

Formulation - 3.5/5 (generally good, but Pistachio Ice Cream let it down)

Wear - 3/5

Hope you enjoyed this mini review and I'll see you all soon,

Have a fabulous day,

Nikki x

Where else to find me:

instagram: nickeeeta

twitter: nickeeeta

April Beauty Favourites!

Hello beauties! I can't believe it's already May. I'm staring to get a little stressed as my exams grow closer but, to take my mind off that I thought I'd share with you my favourite beauty items throughout April. For some reason, I don't seem to have many. I haven't been trying out anything new this month; just sticking to all the stuff I use all the time. But, I've still managed to pick some things which have stood out to me this month so, let's get started!

My first favourite is this cleanser from B. I've already reviewed it (link here) so I won't go into too much detail but it's made a major difference to my skin. When I picked it up, it was out of curiosity to try out Superdrug's new range and because I was running out of my Soap and Glory cleanser. I definitely was not expecting this to perform the way it did. My skin has never been so clear or soft! I would definitely recommend it.

This Garnier Anti-Dark Circles roll on is something I have been using for a while but it has become one of my favourite products. It's a cream with a metal ball which feels very cooling when you use it. I have the tinted version so you can use it as a concealer and it really brightens up my eyes. I personally don't have a huge problem with undereye circles and I think this offers a perfect level of coverage for me. It's very sheer so if you have very dark circles I wouldn't recommend it but, I really like that it's not only concealing but treating at the same time!

Next up is something that I rediscovered this month. This is the Cosmopolitan Beauty Blender (basically a much cheaper version of the cult beauty blender). When I first got this, I absolutely loved it. I used to for foundation and concealer everyday but after I while I went back to my buffing brush and pushed this aside. Now that spring has come around, I feel like I want less coverage and a bit of a dewier look and this totally gives it to me. I'm still using the same foundation but this sheers it out a bit and blends everything perfectly. If you're not sure whether you want the real beauty blender, I'd recommend giving this one a go first!

I love Natural Collection blushes! They have great pigmentation and staying power and they're only £2.99 (and if I remember correctly they're all matte)! I'd had this one in Rosey Glow for ages but never reached for it. For some reason, I decided to try it for a night out. It's a bit deeper and much more pink than the blush I was using everyday. I couldn't believe I hadn't been using this for longer! It is very pigmented so I'd recommend going in with a light hand and building it up. I find that this blush just gives the most beautiful, warm glow to the face (even though it's totally matte) and I haven't used any other blush all month.

This is another cheek product and this is another one that I'd had for ages but not reached for. This is the Sleek Face Form palette and in particular, I'm talking about the middle highlight shade. When I first bought this palette, I tried this highlighter and didn't like it at all so I only used it for contouring (I still don't really like the blush which is the very popular Rose Gold). Again, I tried this for a night out and I absolutely loved it! It's not as pink as it looks in the pan, it just gives a lovely sheen to the cheekbones when they catch the light. I used this practically everyday in April too!

This next product is a bit of a cult product that, again I've had for ages but didn't use all that much. This is the Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze (more commonly known as 'Bad to the Bronze' in the beauty community). I have absolutely fallen back in love with this this month. It's great for days when I can't be bothered with loads of eyeshadow; I love just putting this on my lid with a little eyeliner and I'm good to go!

This nail polish has been my favourite colour since I first bought it. I've always loved the Rimmel 60 Seconds line and this colour is just beautiful. I didn't use it much throughout winter as I opted for much darker colours but now that the sun is out I've been using this a lot (in fact, I'm wearing it right now). Not only do I love this colour, but a lot of other people seem to too, I always get comments whenever I wear this polish!

My last favourite is something that, again, I've rediscovered. I had been using the same body butter after showering for weeks and I was a bit bored of it. So, I rooted around in my draw full of bath things and pulled this out. One sniff and I knew I had to use it again. It's so fruity and fresh (completely different to the coco body butter I had been using before) and it actually made me feel a little nostalgic! It's so light and refreshing that I think I'll be using it a lot this spring/summer!

Well, that's it for my favourites this month! I hope you had an amazing April and that you have a lovely May. Hopefully, it won't be too long until my next post.

Have a fabulous day,

Nikki x

Where else to find me:

instagram: nickeeeta

twitter: nickeeeta