Its Haul time......

Hi everyone, 

So I asked on twitter what you would like to see first, an empties post or a haul, and the haul won. lol.

These are items that I have got over the last few weeks....

Im a total sucker for 3 for 2!!! lol.

I hope that you enjoyed this and it has given you as few ideas for your shopping lists :)

Mwah

Sleek Mirrored Pink.......

I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to Sleek Blushes, I just love them. They are a great price, beautiful colours and have fantastic pigment.

I saw the latest, a limited edition shade called Mirrored Pink in Superdrug a few weeks ago, and of course I picked it up.

Mirrored Pink is part of the Aqua collection that features a 12 shadow compact and a set of polishes.

It is a pretty bubblegum pink with soft shimmer running through. Like all sleek blushes, it is super pigmented and needs a gentle hand. If you wanted to skip a highlight, with this blush you could do just that as the shimmer is lovely and soft, not at all glittery and adds a lovely sheen to the skin.

Left, straight swatch, on the right blended out

As you can see from the swatches above, it really does catch the light. It is perfect for spring time and adds a lovely flush of colour to the cheeks.

At £4.49 this is a bargain in anybody's book!! 

Drugstore wise I really do feel that Sleek make the best.

Sleek is available in selected branches of Superdrug and On line. Sleek also ship internationally which is fab!!!

Has anything from the Aqua collection caught your eye??

Mwah

Marks And Spencer Limited Collection Blush in Melba.......

I picked this blush up from the Marks & Spencer Limited Collection range last year, and I'm ashamed to say that it has sat unloved in my blush draw since then as I have been enjoying pinks and tawny shades recently.
That was until this week.

Melba is a beautiful pinky coral with a small amount of shimmer that adds a light glow to the skin without any chunky glitter or obvious shine.

The powder is soft and not at all chalky, finely milled with an almost creamy texture. Its very pigmented and a light hand is needed to give a beautiful soft glow to the skin.

The blush blends beautiful and after wearing it several days this week, I can say that it very long lasting on the skin, it doesn't fade or oxidize as the day goes on.

What else makes this blush great is that it is Paraben free as well as the usual Hypoallergenic.

It is such a pretty shade for spring and just what I am looking for to get me back into my coral swing for the summer.

At just £4 I think this is a fantastic blusher and one that I will be getting a lot of use from.

The Limited Collection can be found in selected branches of Marks&Spencer and on line.

I will be checking out the rest of the range next time I'm in store!!

Will You?

Mwah

5 Beauty picks for 5 pounds and under............

I thought it might be fun to show you five of my favorite products that cost £5 and under.

I like most beauty lovers am a fan of high end products, I also love lots of products from the drugstore. I dont see the point in paying a high price for a product if there is an identical one or better for a lower price.

Here are my picks.

My 5 picks are...

MUA 12 Shadow palette

NYC Showtime Mascara

Collection Gel Liner

Sleek Blushes

Barry M Nail polish

What do you think of my choices?

Would you like to see another of these videos?

Mwah

Elf HD Blush in Diva..........

Something that took my fancy when Elf last had their 40% sale was there new HD blush.
A highly pigmented liquid blush in a pump dispenser. 

Diva

I choose the shade Diva, a bright pink shade almost a magenta. 

The blushes are designed to give a soft focus finish whilst illuminating the cheek bones and sculpting your features.

The first thing that struck me is that this isn't just super pigmented, its super, super plus pigmented!!

A full pump is about 5 times the amount that you need for bot cheeks. 

I found that the tiniest squeeze of the pump is more than enough, I use about a match stick head amount for both cheeks. I apply it with a stippling brush, making sure to remove the majority of the color on my hand first as the first time I used this I had a look more suited to aunt Sally from Wurtzl Gummage or a clown!!

I like this blush for those days on which I want a natural fresh air look, like I have just been for a walk along the sea front, lol. 

As long as you blend this blush out and use a gentle and subtle hand, it is beautiful. Its very long lasting on the skin and gives a lovely satin finish. It doesn't sit in pores like some cream blushes and looks very fresh on the skin.

At £3.75 I feel this is a fab product, Its so pigmented that I cant imagine it ever running out. 

In total there are 5 shades in the range, and I for one will be trying others in the future.

You can buy Elf online at Eyes, Lips, Face.

Will you be trying Elf HD Blush?

Mwah

NYX Pinched, a NARS Orgasm Dupe......

If you follow my blog, you will of seen a post from me yesterday sharing with you my love of Pinched blush from NYX.

It wasn't until I was looking at the post before publishing it yesterday that I realized that I may have a dupe on my hands.

The soft pinkie coral with gold shimmer looks all to familiar to my much loved Orgasm from NARS.

So I got out both my Super Orgasm and Orgasm and had a lil swatch fest today to see if Pinched really is a dupe.

Super Orgasm and Pinched

Orgasm and Pinched

In the pan Super Orgasm shade wise looks identical, all be it with the edition of the glitter. In all honestly the glitter doesn't bother me, you can see from the pan how much love this blush has had.

In the pan Orgasm looks slightly paler, although again so similar.

Texture wise all three are very different. I find that NYX Pinched feels creamy in texture, Orgasm less creamy and almost firmer in texture. Super Orgasm in comparison feels hardest, down to the glitter I feel and a little more chunky in texture.

Swatch wise, I think you will agree, they all look the same, with the exception of Super Orgasms glitter.

L To R

Orgasm, Pinched and Super Orgasm

In my opinion this is the closest dupe I have seen to Orgasm, a shade that people always seem to want to copy. 

I for one love all three, I will continue to show pinched a lot of love. Orgasm will remain my ultimate bridal blusher, the firmer texture means that I don't need to be cautious when applying and can build the colour up easily without mistakes. As for super Orgasm, I still love this lil glitter bomb for nights out.

So what do you think?

Mwah

Rosy Glow Blusher by Dior................

Something I have found myself reaching for recently as the prospect of spring and some sunshine comes closer is the Rosy Glow Blusher from Dior.

At first glance, it looks like any old bubble gum pink blush. On closer inspection tho it becomes apparent that this is in fact a healthy glow booster blush. When applied it reacts with the moisture in your skin to adjust to your personalized Rosy blush.

I love the fact that you get your own personal shade, the only down side is that I personally adore the colour when it comes straight out the pan. I love baby and bubblegum pinks. On my skin it turns into a deeper rosy shade.

With a £29.50 this is on the pricey side, I was lucky enough to get this last year when I had a gift voucher.

Is it something I think everyone needs to try, not really. 

Don't get me wrong I do like it, I just think that a rosy tone blush is something you can find in other brands at better prices. Yes the packaging is stunning, and the blush good, just not ground breaking.

I do wish that it stayed more bubblegum on my skin, I will probably stop reaching for this in the spring as I start wearing brighter and lighter shades. 

This is a blush that I will get a lot of use from in the autumn and winter of the coming year. I'm a bit disappointed with myself for over looking it so much this past winter.

What do you think? Are you a fan of self adjusting products?

Mwah

NYX Pinched blush.........

Hello, My name is Maria and I am addicted to blusher.
I have alot of makeup addictions and love all cosmetics, however I really do think that blusher is my one true love.

In my January Favorites I spoke to you about Peach from NYX a blush that I have been obsessed with. Today I have Pinched to share with you.

Pinched is a beautiful pinkie coral with some slight gold shimmer. There is no chunky glitter in this pretty blush, just a lovely subtle golden sheen.

This blush applies beautifully and is not at all chalky or powdery on the skin. It lasts all day and is super pigmented.

The blush costs £5.50, a great price for such a great quality drugstore blush.

I wish that we were able to get NYX in our beauty halls and drugstores like in the states, you can order online tho, so all is not lost!!

I get my NYX direct from www.nyxcosmeticsstore.co.uk

I am really enjoying NYX blushes at the moment, what colors of the NYX blush range do you

recommend?

Mwah

MUA Blushers, shade 4 and 5.........

Hi Everyone!! Hope you are all having a fab weekend!!
I have had these two blushes from MUA in my collection for a fair while now. They are from the original £1 range and come in 6 shades. I have shades 4 a pretty coral and shade 5 pink toned blush.

4 and 5

These blushes are super pigmented and very easy to blend on the skin, they don't look or feel powdery  all in all a great formula. I find that they are long lasting and don't oxidize and change colour on skin as the day goes on. Something I find you can get with other blushes both from the drugstore and high end.

When you use these blushes they feel far more expensive than £1, they a fantastic price and offer a great value and good quality way of experimenting with blush shades that you may not normally go for.

You can get MUA from selected branches of Superdrug or On line.

Have you tried these blushes? What shades do you have your eye on?

Mwah

Gosh Pink Pie Blusher........

Hi everyone!! Hope you are all having a good day!!
Today I have a beautiful rich pink plum blush to share with you that is ideal for the winter and lead up to spring.

Its a Gosh blush, a brand that I personally find quite hit and miss, so I am happy that I have found this little gem from them.

Pink Pie

Pink pie is a colour wheel blush with segments in different shades and and depths of pink, you have everything from a soft baby pink all the way to a deep plum shade.

Now you could with a steady hand use the shades individually or like me you can swirl them all together and get the prettiest plum shade.

The blusher has some light shimmer to it, but not to much. I would say that it falls somewhere in the satin category.   

I find that this blush gives me just the right amount of colour, its very pigmented and yet doesn't give me clown cheeks, always a bonus, lol.

Its lasts well on the skin and doesn't oxidise leaving me with a true colour throughout the day.

As I mentioned before, I am really pleasantly surprised with this little gem from Gosh.

Do you enjoy there products? What should I try next?

Mwah

November Favorites, better late than never!!!

Hi Everyone, hope you are all well and getting excited for Christmas!!! I have been crazy busy at work and so my November favorites are late for you this month.

I didnt have millions of new loves this past month, I have enjoyed using alot of my all time favorite items and things that are quick and easy to fit into any makeup look.

It has been nice to rediscover some of my holy grail products as well as finding a few new gems.

Have you been reaching for old faith fulls this month?

What have you been loving??

Mwah

MUA Shimmer Kisses Blush and Bronzer.......

As a huge fan of MUA when there is a new release I get very excited! I love how you get such great quality products at such reasonable prices. 

MUA are always bang on trend and have catwalk trends long before the other brands launch products.

The products I want to talk to you about today are the Shimmer Kisses bronzer and Blush.

These two shimmer powders offer a range of uses as well as the named description of bronzer and blush.

L To R

Blusher & Bronzer

the quality of these powders makes them enjoyable to use, they are finely milled and not at all chunky or powdery.

I have found myself reaching for the Bronzer palette to use as eye shadows, the shades are lovely and neutral and give a really pretty natural eye look. The blush palette also works in the same way, although this I do prefer to use as a blush. Being a shimmer fan I do enjoy a blush with shimmer, if you like a matte finish, then these are obviously not for you.

Blush

In these swatches, I have shown each colour individually and then blended together underneath.

As you can see the pinks are cool toned, when mixed together they give a lovely glowy blush.

Bronzer

The natural tones in the bronzer shout out at me to be used on the eyes as I mentioned before. The colours when mixed on my skin tone also make a lovely highlight. If you have a fairer skin tone then this palette as long as you like shimmer would be a great place to start when looking for something to warm the skin through.

I purchased both of these palettes, I was however lucky enough to be sent a bronzer to review, so what I am going to do is have a MUA mini giveaway on my twitter and Instagram over the weekend into Monday, so keep your eyes peeled to win the bronzer and a Intense kisses gloss too!!!

You can find my Twitter and Instagram link on the Left!!

These can be bought at selected branches of Superdrug or Online here.

At £3.00 I think the price is great for such a versatile product.

What do you think of The shimmer Kisses range?

Mwah

Sleek Face Form Palette.......

I got a few bits this week from the Drugstore, if you follow me on Instagram ( MariaSparkle19) you will of seen the palette I am excited to share with you today.

I am talking about the Face Form Palette from Sleek, a handy 3 in 1 palette that has a Contour shade, highlight and blush all in complimentary shades.

I picked up the Light palette and I LOVE it already.

It comes in the usual sleek black matt packaging we expect from Sleek, its the same size as the Blush By £ palettes that Sleek released earlier in the year.

L To R

Contour, Highlight and Blush

Apologies for the pictures, my camera battery died and I had to get these taken before the light went, that's what happens when the clock go back!! Grrrrr, lol.

I must admit that the blush did make me gasp and I'm talking out loud!! When I saw it, its a beautiful coral with gold shimmer. It reminds me of the Sleek Rose Gold blush, just without the pink tones. 

Its super pretty, and mega pigmented!!!!!!

The bronzer is a smooth matte shade, perfect for contouring, I would use this in the summer as my general bronzer too, it has no orange tones which I like.

The highlight is a beautiful champagne pink tone and catches the light, it just looks so pretty.

As you can see the blush is a gold shimmery coral, so if your not a fan of shimmer this one really snit for you.

As with all Sleek powder products, use a light hand!!!

The palette cost £9.99. A great price in my opinion as with this in your makeup bag you are ready to go. It also has a large mirror making it a great option for travel.

What do you think?

Is this palette a Do or a Don't?

For me it is a Do all the way!! I love it already....

Mwah

  

Look Beauty 'Pink' Collection, Breast Cancer awareness Month......

So many brands are taking part in Breast Cancer awareness month this year it is fab!!

One of them is Look Beauty who are supporting " Look good, Feel great" a charity that works on confidence building with those people effected by cancer.

Look Beauty have taken there top five 'Pink' products and are making a 50 pence donation from each item sold.

The collection has everything you could need for a perfect pink look....

So why not support a fab cause and feel 'Pretty In Pink' at the same time!!!!

Look Beauty is available from Selected branches of Superdrug and direct from

www.lookbeauty.co.uk/

Mwah

High end Blushes, Drug store dupes.............

Hi everyone!!!

How are you all today? Fab I hope!!!

Today I have some dupes of some favorite high end blushes to share with you. This is the final video in my dupe series I have to share with you.

L To R

1. Paris- FashionistA

Nars-Orgasm

Sleek-Rose Gold 

2.MAC- Modern Mandarin

Sleek-Life's a Peach

3.MAC- Supernova

Sleek- Pomegranate

4.MAC-Pink Swoon

Sleek-Pixie Pink

What do you think of the dupes I found in my collection?

Do you know of any others?

Are there any you want me to try and find?

Thank you for watching!!!

Mwah

New Launches from FashionistA, Blush, bronzer and shadows.........

FashionistA have recently added to there fantastic line of blushes and eye shadows. In addition to new merged shadows and blush, we also now have the added bonus of bronzers.

All of which fit into the custom palettes offered to us by FashionistA.

The bronzers come in both shimmer and matt formulations

Barcelona

Barcelona is a pretty creamy bronzer. There are no orange tones in this bronzer at all, it can also be used as a highlight, giving a lovely golden glow to the skin.

Paris

Paris is the perfect matt shade bronzer, ideal for contouring and adding that sunkissed look to the cheek bones and nose.

London

I make no secret of the fact that I am a blusher addict, and this blush has really grabbed me. It is a beautiful pinky coral with a hint of shimmer. I have worn this blush non stop since I received it. It look fab with a tan and gives fairer skins a lovely warmth.

Custom Fitted  

This eye shadow reminds me of a more sparkly Sumptuous Olive from MAC.

The colours blend well to give a shimmery shadow that lasts all day on the eye lids. Warning tho, if you are not a glitter fan this may not be for you. Also, watch out for a little fall out. 

Barcelona & Paris

Custom fitted & London

I for one am once again impressed with the latest offerings from FashionistA. 

At just £4 for a blush, bronzer or eye shadow, they are fantastic quality for a brilliant price. I also love the way you can personalize your palettes.

FashionistA is available from Selected branches of Superdrug or On line...

Will you be picking up anything from FashionistA ( I already have my eye on the merged bronzer in Dubai!!!) lol.

Mwah

*** I was sent these as a PR sample.