Illamasqua Mistress intense lipgloss (£16.50 for 7ml 0.2 FL. OZ.) is one of the permanent on within the range. Described as a bright coral orange, it is quite consistent with the actual product shade. The product comes in the usual transparent plastic tube and a brush applicator.

When it comes to affordable lipsticks, the very first thing that pops into my mind is the beautiful range of Maybelline ColorSensational. I own quite a handful of them and enjoy each one equally. Today I have three new acquisitions of mine that at first look like only being autumn-appropriate but makeup is all about attitude so they're working year round for me: Yummy Plummy, Mauve-ulous and Madison Mauve (see part 1 which features 3 more here). They seem to not be available in stores anymore but you can easily snatch one off Amazon.

Today I am so excited to write the second part of my Wet n Wild Megalast lipsticks ($2.29 or even cheaper varying from where you get them for 3.3g / 0.11oz) collection. These little cuties were the subject of one of my first posts and to date it is the second most viewed post (who would have thought!). if you fancy knowing more about the other 4 shades:  Pinkerbell, Mauve Outta Here, Think Pink and Just Peachy please head over my review here. I have three more to show you today which are the colours I am very fond of: Carrot Gold, Smokin' Hot Pink & Cherry Picking

During my casual Sunday shopping trip a few weeks back I just *casually* running through the makeup section and I found these! I have already had 5 other colours from this range which you can read my review here, so there was no other option rather than collect them more (if you aren't a makeup hoarder like me, your action would probably be "oh I have way too much, no need to get any more", but I am me, fin de la discussion).

You have no idea how happy I was to receive my little (well, not really) package from MUA which I ordered almost a month ago but was only delivered now. The Makeup Academy MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer (£3.00, I cannot find this piece of information either on the tube or on the packaging but on their website it states 6ml) is their exciting new launch that was the main reason why I placed my order. The line consists of five shades: Criminal (bright pink), Funk (bright pink with a little strawberry twist), Reckless (red), Atomic (neon orange) and Kooky (deep purple). They were launched around the end of last year but have been almost always sold out. Today I have two of the shades to show you.

Spring, what spring? I am not particularly into specific colors for specific season (even though I very much enjoy red and green for Christmas) so I can reach for my burgundies and plums and even black whenever my mood persuades me to. Illamasqua Pristine (£18.50 for 4g / 0.14oz) is a pure black with a matte finish as described on their website that speaks volume: Not your average anthropomorphous hologram! (alright, I know I am quite hyper today).

Let your lips speak volumes. Indulge in colour-intense lipstick with a highly pigmented formula, available in a choice of flawless finishes, from creamy matt to iridescent finishes. Illamasqua Lipstick glides on smoothly and doesn't give up without a fight for the perfect all-night pout. A must have for professional make-up artists, and those who want to make a statement.

Sleek Pout Paint in Minx ($7.49 for 8ml/ 0.27fl.oz) is long dubbed a dupe (oh hey I'm sorry! :D) for the OCC Lip Tars. The range consists of 11 permanent shades that are meant to be either worn alone or mixed to create more unique colors, which is exactly the purpose of the Lip Tars. I do not have any OCC ones to compare so I will only focus on how this product works rather than how similar it is to the other. It comes in a squeeze transparent tube packaging style that allows you to distinguish the shade with a matte black cap, quite nice to look at and is extremely tiny: it measures around 6cm in length (what is this, a lip product for ants?)

Pout Paint is a lip stain like no other! Providing lips with intense colour and a long-lasting finish, it’s the perfect product when you demand more colour. Pout Paint is made to be mixed, so the possibilities are endless.

• Provides full coverage that is light weight
• Non-sticky and extremely buildable

Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Androgen - I do wonder why they chose such name, it sounds utterly irrelevant! (£17.50 for 8g) is describe as a coral. I specifically enjoy their detailed description where you can find almost all necessary information and usage recommendation regarding their products.

This intensely colour-rich, matt and crease-resistant formula has been designed for use on the face, eyes, lips and body. Apply with an Illamasqua brush or simply use your fingers for a buildable, water-resistant, highly pigmented finish.

This advanced formulation provides additional adhesion and colour-intensification when applied before Powder Eye Shadow and Pure Pigment. The product can be used sheer or built to full coverage. Apply with a longer bristle brush to achieve a sheer colour and texture payoff whereas selecting a flat brush will deposit more colour density and texture payoff. 

Do you like my new photography style? Say that you do!

Just kidding! I am bringing you another product from Makeup Academy MUA - a UK-based company which I fell in love with over a year ago and have been enjoying their offerings ever since. They are well known for lovely yet affordable makeup products, nail accessories and recently brushes. I got these during their 50% sitewide plus free international shipping last February, I think. I in fact am not willing to recall that period since the shopping experience was a nightmare, which was expected since the deal was so great in conjunction with their already low price points.

Today I have the Makeup Academy MUA Out There Plumping Lipgloss (£2.00 but currently on sale for only £1.00  on their website) in Peach Shimmer and Sienna to present to you, and later on Buff and Pink Sugar since I just placed yet another other last week.

Illamasqua is known for their bold and unusual color offerings. Violate (£16.50 for 7ml 0.2oz can be purchased HERE) is described as a dark green shimmer. I got this during their Summer Sale months ago for only £5.00, which was a total bargain since Illamasqua is quite a high-end brand considering their eyeshadow quads are retailed for a whole £34!

Similar to other Illamasqua glosses, it comes in a plastic transparent tube and glossy black lid with their cream-colored logo printed on. I am not at all fond of the brush tip applicator since it works like trash, which is a bummer since Bourjois gloss (£7.99) has a much nicer brush. Out of my 4 Illamasqua glosses, only one applicator works forgivably fine after my having to really smooth it over. This is quite my only complaint about their packaging choices.

This beautiful limited edition Bourjois Bronze Up Makeup Kit (which I think is exclusive to ASOS.com) is a great start if you want to try some things from Bourjois. I immediate grabbed it for only £13.00 which is a fantastic value (Bronzing Powder £7.00, Effet 3D Lipgloss £7.99, Blusher £6.00 - means you already save £7.99 for these three products alone, and you get an extra mini eyeshadow pencil and a kabuki brush).

I have indeed again let laziness dominate my blogging schedule *hiding in shame*

Anyway, I have had these MUA lipsticks for ages but never had time to take proper photographs or test them. So here they finally are:

Happy Sunday! Here it's already late in the afternoon, which ultimately means the weekend's almost over :(

Anyway, it's like an obligation for me to write this post since it's been in my Draft section since July, can you believe it! I am noy sure why, but maybe because there have been so many exciting new products coming into my hands and occupying my mind.

Nothing can boost my mood than some nice lipglosses, they instantly brighten the day (and the face, of course!). I have 5 of the Maybelline ColorSensational lipgloss but I gave one to my mother (she has slightly deeper skin tone hence the color I gave her, which is a deep red shade, enhances her beauty nicely), so there are four to present to you today: Touch Of Toffee, Plum-tastic, Hooked On Pink and Wine All Mine. They retail for about $6-7 depending on where you purchase them for 6.8ml

To boost the excitement of my re-arrival, here I am serving you a review on the Maybelline SHINEsensational Lipglosses. I purchased them awhile back but never got round to write a proper review on them. 

Here I have five of the shades: Minty Sheer (clear, mint scent), Cherry Bloom (pale pearlescent pink, cherry scent), Glamorous Guava (reddish pink, guava scent), Sparkling Grape (pinkish purple with slightly bigger shimmer particles, grape scent) and finally Watermelon Punch (pale transparent red, watermelon scent).

I couldn't resist myself from posting this beauty in time for Christmas as it is, for me personally, is the perfect symbol of Christmas red. Succubus (£14.50 for 7ml 0.2 FL. OZ.) first came out together with Illamasqua "Throb" collection awhile back. 

Described as a blood red colour, Succubus is a very glossy, thick, non-sticky and fully opaque gloss that can be worn on its own or layered over other lipsticks.

'Tis my very first Illamasqua review! I've had a few bits from them and wish to share with you, today it's their lipstick in Shard - featured in the Sacred Hour collection debuted a few months back.

You can purchase it here for £16.50

I recently (almost) ran out of lip balm so I decided to get this NIVEA Pure & Natural Camomile & Calendula one instead of my stable Maybelline Baby Lips and the Nivea original blue-tubed Essential Care. Let's take a look!

I chose this instead because of the lovely packaging (don't you agree), and changes are sometimes good. However, to be honest, this time, it isn't. The product feels stiff and dry, hence I feel the need to rub it on my lips more than once to get some moisture, and it's not that moisturizing (I have to reapply almost every half hour). It has a pretty strong herbal scent, which I think is the mixture of Camomile and Calendula that lingers on. Despite having a light green color, it appear completely transparent on the lips and doesn't give quite a glossy look as normal lip balms do.