Benefit ROCKitude gift set 

Let me start off by saying I love this ROCKitude, rockin’ rose gold lip and cheek tint set. Thank you to my secret santa for gifting me this wonderful present!

Benefit has the cutest packaging ever, it has such a girly, colourful and positive vibe. When I was opening my present, I was trying to be careful not to rip the box as I would like to use it for storage/display later on.

Seriously, how cool is their packaging? From opening the first box I obviously already knew it was from Benefit but the additional box made me even more excited to find out what the set contains.

Just in case anyone is interested how much this gift set is, it retails for £25.50. As far as I am aware, they sell it on their main Benefit cosmetics stores and online, Debenhams, Boots and John Lewis.

As you can see from the photo below, the set includes:

  • Benetint rose tinted lip and cheek stain (4ml)
  • High beam luminescent complexion enhancer (4ml)
  •  Rockateur famously provocative cheek powder (3g)
  • Rockateur ultra plush shimmering rose gold lip gloss (6.5ml)

When you open the box there are useful tips and tricks on how you can use the products inside. Behind the paper is actually a mirror, which I am so pleased about.

I am so happy when I saw the benetint and high beam as they are some of the products that I have been using over and over again. It will be my first time to try the rockateur blush as I usually use hoola or dallas bronzers. I also can’t wait to try the lip gloss!

Benefit’s high beam highlighter is one of my all time faves. It is such a perfect satin pink accent that gives a dewy glow.

How is your Christmas shopping going? There are so many gift sets like this one out in the market at the moment, I have purchased quite a few to give away to my girls but of course I bought some for myself too! Take advantage of the gift sets, while they are in stock. 

Enjoy shopping and have a lovely Christmas! 

Lots of love from,

dsb

 

 

MUA Luxe Lip Lacquer in Tranquility and Kooky Review

I have been obsessed with matte finish lipsticks for the longest time. So when I came across these lip lacquers I just had to give it a go. As you can see on the image above, I picked up two shades which are Tranquility (left) and Kooky (right). Tranquility is a brownish nude (lightest in the collection) and Kooky (darkest shade) is a wearable plum colour. The brand MUA stands for MakeUp Academy, which is known for offering low prices innovative make up products.

As for the packaging, it comes in a frosted bottle with a black lid and gold writings. It also came in a separate black box with gold writings on it. I am impressed with how it is packaged because it gives an impression of simplicity yet looking classy. As you can see below, it has a doe-foot applicator which makes it easier to apply on the lips.

Pros

Variety of colour choices (they have reds, pinks, coral, nudes and plum)

Highly pigmented but I usually apply more than one coat as the first application seems to be streaky

Very affordable as it retails for only £3 from Superdrug or MUA Store website

It gives a gorgeous matte finish

Cons

It claimed to have a long-lasting finish but I disagree I think that it has a minimal lasting power. It would definitely not last for the whole day without re-application.

From the MUA store website they described the application as it will glide ‘effortlessly’ but I think that it does not blend so well as it gets streaky

It feels drying on the lips especially the lighter shade

It can feel sticky and it can take a while for it to dry

This is how the shade ‘kooky’ looks when applied on my lips:

The shade ‘tranquility’ is not my go to shade of nude but this is how it looks with my skin tone: 

  Verdict

Out of both shades I own, I would definitely recommend the shade kooky. For some strange reason kooky glides on so much smoother on the lips than tranquility. The colour is more opaque and I feel that the plum shade comes out beautiful on the lips. I think that the shade tranquility does not match my skin tone as much as other nude shades that are available in the market.

I give MUA Luxe Lip Lacquer in Tranquility and Kooky the ratings of 3/5. I took out two points due to its claim of turning matte after few minutes of application. However, it seriously took a long time for it to be completely dry (roughly around three minutes as I had to apply more than one coat). While drying, I could not pout my lips together as it felt sticky and very tacky. When it was completely dry I found that there were some visible patchy areas, therefore a second coat was needed. It is very easy to remove the lacquers on the lips and it does not leave any stains after use. The staying power is minimal which is very disappointing. I think that I had high hopes for this product because I got used to my Lime Crime Velvetines which are by far a better product than this one.

On the other hand, MUA lip lacquers are very affordable as it retails for only £3. The opacity is pretty decent, so this would be perfect if you are looking for a lip product that looks nice in pictures. This can also be a good purchase if you are a newbie with lip lacquers and just simply want to try them. Overall, I would recommend it if you are looking for a low priced matte finish lip lacquer. It is very pigmented and the collection has nine different shade of choices. It dries matte on the lips and it looks very appealing in pictures. However, if you are not willing  to re-apply throughout the day and particularly looking for a good quality lip lacquer then this is not the product for you.

Have you tried MUA Lip Lacquers and what are your thoughts on them?

If not, what are your favourite lip products at the moment?

Lots of love from,

dsb