MUA Undress Your Skin love or hate?

Hello lovelies!

So I'm no beauty blogger and reviews aren't a frequent thing for me, but I was just so baffled by this product that I had to say something about it!

'Covers imperfections and blemishes whilst maintaining your skin's natural glow with light-diffusing particles of shimmer that creates instant radiance.'

Well lets just say I don't quite agree with that statement! 

{The packaging - Under natural light - Under flash}

Love: 

- Great packaging!

I love the shimmery tube design. Compared with Mac glass bottles, you're really going to be able to get all the product out.

-The colour matched well.

This is purely based on my skin tone. Others may not have this as there is only a very small range of 3 shades. I'm very pale with freckles so I went with {Porcelain} which balanced out my redness well and didn't mask my freckles. 

{Products used for full face}

Hate:

-Very thin consistency!

Squeeze out too much and you're in serious trouble. That stuff runs everywhere!

-Poor coverage! 

It's said on the packaging that this product will ''cover imperfections and blemishes''. Nope. There is so little coverage in this. Well there is. But not in the places you want it, leading me to the next point...

-Patchy!

No measure of blending, or methods of application (trust me I tried them all.. fingers, beauty blender, stippling brush! I could go on!) will make this foundation sit evenly! Even with primer, there's no name for this other than patchy! Think in parts but zero coverage where you want it!

-Easily transfers! 

I have the horrid habit of touching my face when nervous or bored. Most other foundations I've used can stand up to this but within a couple of hours my hands were completely covered in this product! I looked like a panda gone wrong with foundation only left on my cheeks and forehead! Not a good look for anyone!

-Flat face!

The promised illumination is definitely missing! My face looked so flat and matte that it requires some serious work with highlighters and bronzing! 

So for a product I was excited to try, I'm feeling more than a little let down! :(

This product is a definite hate and I won't be rebuying! 

Below is the finished look if I wore this foundation on a normal day! 

{Full face with foundation and primer - Finished look}

 Note - This is not a sponsored post. All products mentioned were purchased with my own money and all opinions are my own. 

MUA Undress Your Skin in Porcelain - £3 at Superdrug. 

Top to Toe #1

Skin:

L'Oréal Paris Skin Perfection 

This is a new collection from L'Oréal, made up of simple products that do exactly what they say. I've been using 4 products from the range and have fallen in love with every single one. 

The Cleansing & Perfecting Milk removes all makeup easily, even mascara and is alcohol free, leaving skin soft.

Also the Purifying Gel Wash is soap free, and great for oily/combination skin as it isn't drying.

The Radiance Revealing Gentle Exfoliator contains micro-beads which smooth skin without irritating or causing redness. It has a fresh peach scent, and is gentle enough for me to use every night.

Most recently I started using the Velvety-Soft Toner. This toner contains no parabens, and unlike other toners, it does not leave you with that horrid dry, tight feeling. After using this twice a day, my skin feels soft smooth. 

Nails:

With the weather slowly starting to pick up here in the city, I've been sticking with an old favourite by Rimmel! 

500 Peppermint is a fresh mint green, it applies easily with the wide professional finish brush and only needs two coats for a solid, opaque colour. 

Hair: 

This One: Get Locks Glam Again Replenishing Treatment.

After experimenting with bright tips to my hair, the constant bleaching and dying left my hair extremely damaged and straw like. I wanted to try a mask that I could also use in small amounts as a conditioner and this treatment has definely ticked all boxes! 
Containing Cocoa and Shea butters, it is a rich creme but did not leave my hair greasy or flat. My hair needs styling everyday due to its frizzy nature but since using this product i've barely used heat on my hair at all. This product will certainly be repurchased! 

Let me know what spring products you're all raving about!

kisses

gabs.x

A few little loves...

hello sweets,

well it was back to the grind of university this month. and honestly, it has been mad from the word go! 

on the plus side, it is the month of love and whether you spent v'day with 

the one who give you butterflies 

or 

drowning in food with your fellow cynics

 {FAC i'm looking at you guys}

i hope you had a day full of laughs and loves! 

here are my top loves for the beginning of semester...

APP:

 iStudiez Pro 

£1.99

this app is great for helping organise new modules. you can use it to keep track of all assignments, which lecturer the work is for and your timetable. for a to-do list junkie like myself, its great being able to see exactly what order my work is due and being able to plan ahead. 

  

SONG:

arctic monkeys

'why'd you only call me when you're high?'

awesome lyrics and i'm totally addicted.

BEAUTY:

rimmel london professional finish in 

500 peppermint 

and 

avon colour trend in

iced champink 

this  miserable weather isn't doing anyone any favours so in a bid to stay cheery i'm channeling a little spring. these pastel colors are sweet as can be and leave nails glossy whilst staying chip-free for up to a week {a miracle for me!}. 

DRINK: 

twinings lemon green tea

i cannot stop drinking this stuff. a much tastier take on the regular stuff! as i'm on a starbucks ban this month, this caffeine free tea is a great substitute... well as a great as anything not from starbucks can be. 

well that's just a few little favorites of mine. 

apologies for the lack of posts but you know how life gets, there's plenty of exciting posts coming in the next few weeks so keep coming back!

what are your feb favorites? 

kisses

gabs.x

new love: topshop make-up ..

happy wednesday beauties..

i did it. i caved. 

after months of lusting after swatches and watching every review out there, i finally gave in and bought some 

topshop make-up.

topshop glow in polish

£9.00

topshop glow

recently i've become a massive fan of contouring, but have struggled to find a highligher i love. however this creamy highlighter is beautiful. it blends evenly leaving a faint golden pink glow that catches the light perfectly. slightly different to normal but i like to apply it after my primer {MAC prep + prime skin}.

 i find it blends best on freshly primed skin rather than over my foundation {MAC studio fix fluid in NW15}. glow, leaves my skin with a beautiful dewy finish without producing shine.

 my only wish... the pot should be bigger! 

4/5

topshop lip liner in deception

£5.00

topshop lipliner

i'd never been one to bother lining my lips but i thought i'd give this one ago.

this creamy, dark red liner is easy to apply and blends brilliantly with most reds.

i use it with MAC viva glam and MAC ruby woo, works perfectly with both! 

creamy and easy to use, well worth a buy!

5/5

i have well and truely fallen in love with these products and will certainly be buying more!

i adore the white and grey packaging with the glass pots. 

next products i want to try:

topshop nails in blue jeans

and 

topshop eye gleam in noir

any other products i should try next?

kisses,

Gabs.x

Getting chilly in here...

good morning my little elves!

well i've woken up feeling particularly bah-humbug this morning, with the citypretty household in the grips of a cold and my beautiful Cambridge looking, well, grey at the moment.

its not a good recipe for christmas cheer. add to that, two weeks of deadlines and working like crazy and all i want to do is hole up and hibernate! 

so i thought i'd share a few loves of mine for snuggling up and fetching your own sparkle to the city,

enjoy darlings...

*all product links can be found at the end*

1. an awesome hat!

don't do it! don't bring out the good old 'but i don't suit hats'. everyone suits hats! have you tried every type? for this kind of weather i'd be going for a good old beanie! beanies have been making waves this fall. its all about the embellishment and i've found a couple of cuties...

this little gem is from

 blingstar jewellery Liverpool.

this was the first embellished hat i bought back in the fall. and i'm completely in love with it. the caramel color means it goes with so much and the studs add a tough edge. i must have worn this hat more times than i can count and not a single stud has budged.  

i love pairing this with a simple scarf and a leather jacket. 

for the more girly of us, i found this beanie in primark, Cambridge.

I love how the large pale pink, blue and silver gems stand out against the white.

perfect for any snowflake wannabe. 

add a little glitter to a tartan dress + a peter pan collar. 

2. hand warmers!

everyone knows what a hand warmer is but check out these super cute ones

 (perfect little stocking fillers - hint hint familia) 

these beautiful hearts are covered in super soft cashmere and thanks to their  reusable filling, they don't break the bank. these are from etsy, an amazing site for cute presents. 

or if you're seeking a more country manor feel check out these

Harris Tweed hand warmers

from notonthehighstreet. 

whilst a little more costly, they are reusable and would make a beautiful gift. 

3. slipper boots!

banish those cold little piggys with some super snuggly slippers, perfect for that hot cocoa in front of the fire!

now i'm more than just a little fussy about my slippers. 

they have to involve pink.

 they have to be furry (inside or out)

and they have to be from accessorize.

so here are my two faves from their current line...

the bright heart fairisle boots (left) are the ones that i have myself and they are so so soft. filled with soft fur all down to the toes, and a lovely aztec style pattern, they are a definite fave.

 and for the animal lover, the purrfect fairisle boots (right) are awesome. with a black and white cat pattern and fur inside and out, they only thing that could make the boots any cuter would be pompoms. oh wait. 

so now your all cosy from head to toe; make a brew, stick a film on (christmas themed of course) and get your snuggle on.

kisses

Gabs. 

Links: 

Blingstar jewellery: http://www.blingstarjewellery.com/

Primark: Hat in store only.

Cashmere hand warmers: http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/168281658/pocket-hand-warmers-cashmere-blue-hearts?ref=sr_gallery_11&ga_search_query=cashmere+hand+warmers&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=GB&ga_ref=auto1&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=cashmere+hand+warmers

Harris Tweed hand warmers: http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/mannandmoon/product/harris-tweed-hand-warmers

Bright heart fairisle slippers: http://uk.accessorize.com/view/product/uk_catalog/acc_3,acc_3.7/4954309950

Purrfect fairisle slippers: http://uk.accessorize.com/view/product/uk_catalog/acc_13,acc_13.5/4954609951

a little hello...

finally a new little home for my blog. as a vlogger for the last year bellarose1809 has had a little revamp to City Pretty. 

as a self confessed city-lover and beauty addict i thought it might be time to have a little spot to share my loves with you all.

all about the sparkles and shambles of city life in Cambridge,

 the fashion that catches my eye and the newest products i just can't keep my hands off hehe. 

shan't ramble all about myself but all you need to know is i'm a lipstickoholic and a little ditsy.

kisses 

Gabs.