Inexpensive Beauty

Don't we all like to treat our self now and then? and whilst high end brands are normally great quality and look pretty, there is other brands out there that do the same thing for less money. As not everybody can afford such expensive products on such a regular basis. MUA and Natural Collection are just two of the many brands that i have come across offering good quality products that work but with a cheaper price tag. 

MUA - is a brand sold through Superdrug, however you can purchase there products through their website MUA. The idea behind the brand is that "great makeup doesn't need to cost the earth." Whilst there basic line costs as little as £1 you can also purchase primers, palettes and foundations all for under £4. They offer everything from blushes, nail polish, mascaras etc. All products come in good but basic packaging and are good quality. Here's just a few i own...

MUA Products

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

Natural Collection - Sold at Boots, Natural Collection also sells a wide range of products such as Blushes and Lipsticks, that come with a cheap price tag. Most products are priced at around £1.99, with the exception of there bath/body products which are around the £3 mark. All products are good quality and as the name suggests, are as natural as possible. You can purchase them here on the boots website...

 

Denim&Leather

So a combination that i have been wearing and loving recently is denim and leather. I never used to be a big fan of leather until Topshop changed that for me with a leather jacket that i used to wear religiously. I don't know what it but the combination has just really seemed to rub my fashion spot in all the right places over the last couple of weeks. Therefore these are just a few picks of some outfits I've worn lately.
(Although the outfits are mine, this is my sister modelling them for me)

Leather Jacket - Primark (Old)

Tank Top - Topshop 

Denim Shorts - Primark

Bracelets - Mainly from different flea markets 

 

 

Denim Shirt - Dorethy Perkins 

Necklace - Dorethy Perkins

Leggings - Select

Denim Shirt - See Above

Necklace - See Above

Denim Jacket - Topshop

Skirt - H&M

 

How To - Festival Face Paint

With a majority of festivals taking place over the next month or so i thought this would be the perfect time to share my home made face paint recipe, as here in the UK we defiantly need a little more excitement to get us in the festival mood, with having had bad weather with what feels like forever!
Use them for party's, camping or just for a giggle. They are so easy to make..

You Will Need

• 1tbsp of cornflower
• 1tbsp of thick cold cream
• 1/2 tbsp cold water
• Food colouring or bits of old eyeshadow/blusher
• A small container 
• A small mixing bowl and spoon
• Make up brushes/sponges

 1. To start take your mixing bowl and add the cornflower and cold cream. Stir together until completely mixed.

2. Stir in the water and the mixture should start to thin out.

3. Add your colour, if using food colouring use only drop by drop until you get the desired colour. If the mixture is to thick add a drop of water to thin down.

4. Pour the paint into you container. Store in a cool dark place until it is used.

Have Fun!

Bobbi Browns - Makeup Manual.

So today's blog post is going to be on one of my favourite books. I think iv'e literally read this about four times and will still probably read it more. To be honest picking up a book isn't usually on the top of my to do list and i normally get bored within the first few chapters. However this one managed to keep me entertained with every page. Its great whether your a beginner just looking for a few tips and a bit of inspiration or a fully qualified professional makeup artist, as it covers everything from lifestyle to how to break into the business.  Its full of images and even shows you how to create your own face chart.

Bobbi Brown herself has now written a number of books such as Bobbi Brown - Living Beauty and Bobbi Brown - Beauty Evolution. However in terms of inspirational ideas and covering all the different areas i think that the makeup manual has to be the best one yet. I purchased mine from WHSmith however its available in most large book stores and online at both amazon and eBay (Links are Below).
To purchase on eBay
To purchase on Amazon

Here's just a few images from the book that i thought would be of interest...

 
    

Bloglovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3873461/a-brunettes-beauty-blog?claim=vr6qenhcks7">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Nail Polish Favourites

Hey! So these are just some of my many favorite nail polishes/varnishes whatever you would like to call them. I know that the colours aren't as adventurous as you were probably expecting but when it comes to nail polishes i sort of go through phrases and this month I've just been going for more reds and pinks.

1. I recently picked up Miss Sporty's - Sparkle touch. To add to my forever growing glitter polish collection. It's a beautiful mix of blue/silver and purple glitter and it kinda reminds me of Rimmels - Disco Ball. All in all its a good long wearing nail polish (as are most glitter polishes) and i wore it for about four days with no chipping. However i don't think i will be wearing it on its own as its quite sheer though it works perfect over another polish.

2.  Mavala - Marrakech. As far as i am aware Mavala nail polish is only sold at John Lewis, however i could be wrong. Marrakech is a gorgeous red/dark orange. And is defiantly going to be a summer favorite of mine, its nice to apply, with a nice sized bottle. Its very chip resistant but with a very strong smell, when you first open the bottle.

3. Ciate - Jelly Bean. Is a beautiful bright pink with blue undertones which are very subtle. It applies really well, lasts long and is packaged really nicely. But with its £9 price tag i must admit its a little overpriced.

4. A cheap and cheerful nail polish now as number 4 is Tesco's, All about nails - Mulberry Pie. A brick red that is quite sheer so may take two coats but as its only 99p its defiantly affordable. But to say its cheap its actually very good. It does chip a little easier than your average nail polish but other than that there worth it.

5. Blueberry pie - as you can tell by the name its another All about nails polish. Again a little sheer so probably will take two coats but other than that a all round good product. Its a lovely Denim blue which looks slightly darker on the nails than it does in the bottle.

Sorry about the quality of this picture it was took with artificial lighting as it was getting dark outside.

        

Burts Bees - Head To Toe

So i was in John Lewis just a few days ago when i spotted the Burt's Bees starter kits. I know most of you will probably of already tried these if not brought the full sized products, but being a virgin to Burts Bees products i knew i had to try them. I had heard alot of good things about them so i went ahead and tried the Head To Toe Starter Kit. The Products are nicely packaged, and the best thing about them is that they are all made of natural ingredient. The kit is £14.99 and includes...

Beeswax lip balm - The first of the products i tried was the lip balm, to be honest i was expecting it the be a little average, to do its job but not to be amazing or anything special. But its actually really good and defiantly something i want to repurchase. Its smooth to apply and not greasy or tacky at all, when you first apply it you get a subtle minty taste and smell. However it only lasts a few minutes and when the lip balm has soaked in a little it leaves lips feeling really soft and unlike most lip balms/chap sticks you don't have to apply every half hour to keep those baby soft lips.
Hand Slave - Is a wax in which you rub all over your hands leaving them feeling soft and smelling nice. I actually was in to minds whether this would be a little greasy for my hands as im not normally a big fan of wax based products. But this soaks in really quickly and is super easy to apply. 
Coconut Foot Cream - I would say this is more like a gel than a cream which is good because it takes less time to soak in and get working. I normally apply this once a day and i can already see improvements. its not a overpowering cheap smelling coconut, it actually smells quite subtle and works really well especially on the heels and around the ankles where dry skin is most likely to appear.
Soap Bark & Chamomile cleansing cream - As i have quite oily skin on my face i didn't really get to use this product as it was to rich for my skin type :( however this would be perfect for normal/dry skin as its quite a thick moisturizing cleansing cream.
Peppermint & Rosemary body wash - Love love love the smell of this stuff. Im not really convinced i can smell the rosemary but the peppermint smells amazing and overall it lathers up well and doesn't dry out the skin which is all you really need in a good shower gel!
Milk & Honey body lotion - This does indicate that it is for normal to dry skin however i have pretty oily skin on my body to and this still worked really good for me. It apply's well soaks in quickly and after using it for a couple of days i started to see improvement around my knees and elbows where my skin is the driest. Defiantly another product i would purchase in full size.

   

So who am i?

So i thought for my first blog post it would be a good idea to introduce myself so here it goes..

My names Megan I'm 18 and live in Nottingham. I love to write and share my opinions and so I'm hoping to become a journalist one day (fingers crossed). I absolutely love anything to do with fashion and beauty and just love to try new products and have a crazy interest in clothes. So i thought that i would start this blog and share my opinions and purchases with people who have similar interests.