Review: Milani Colour Statement Lipstick in Violet Volt.

Hey! Today I bring you a beauty review on a Milani Colour Statement lipstick. Milani is a brand that is very popular in America but is not readily available nor sold in other countries like the UK where I am. 

However, I have found that Amazon UK do sell some Milani products including these lipsticks and that's where I got mine from if you're interested!

The Colour Statement range features lipsticks of varying shades and finishes and Violet Volt is a beautiful, blue-toned purple shade. On first glance, you can see that the lipstick has this shiny, gold packaging. Although I don't think it's all that bad, it does hold finger prints and smudges and that really kind of annoys me. (Of course, it's really not a major issue but I just like to be a little picky!) One thing I do like about the packaging though is that the you can see the shade of lipstick on the bottom which always makes finding lipsticks so much easier and oh, how I wish all brands did the same...

This lipstick and the whole range have a subtle watermelon scent to them. I find this really unique and very pleasant as I personally love the smell of watermelon. Even if you're not particularly keen on the scent, it's not overpowering so I doubt it'll put you off from using it. 

Upon application, I found the product to be smooth on the lips and extremely pigmented. In one application you can practically get an opaque coverage which I'm very impressed by. Milani is a drugstore brand and it's on the lower end of the price scale at that so the pigmentation is really impressive. 

There's no tugging on the lip and the the product just glides on, leaving the lips feeling hydrated and smooth. The finish of the product is a purple frost and although it's not something I'd usually go for, I actually really like this finish and I don't find it to be overly frosty or shimmery like some. 

As I said before, the lipstick is very pigmented and it's actually a more or less dead-on dupe for MAC's Violetta - one of their popular purple shades. It definitely lasts and applies like a higher end lipstick to so I would definitely choose this shade over Violetta - especially for the price! It's also reasonably close to other MAC purple shades so I'd definitely suggest you try and get your hands on this colour if you've been interested in those too.

Overall, I don't think I can really say anything bad about this product. I love the smell, the colour is bright and beautiful and it applies and feels really nice on the lips. I love bright and colourful lipsticks and the Colour Statement has them in abundance so I think I'll definitely be buying some more. If you want to try a new lipstick brand and you can find Milani in store or online somewhere, I'd definitely recommend that you give this product a go - I don't think you'll be disappointed.

You can purchase this lipstick from Amazon UK here.

Thank you for reading this review, I hope it was helpful! Have you tried Milani lipsticks, do you have any recommendations? 

Review: L'oreal Nude Magique Blur Cream

Hi! Today I've got a review for you on L'oreal's Nude Magique Blur Cream. On the L'oreal site, the product is described as 'a lightweight balm, instantly blurring away away pores and fine lines for beautiful nude looking skin'. Interesting, right? After trying this product for a weeks now, I thought I'd share my views...

The product itself is quite thick in consistency and on first look appears to have some pigment to it as it a skin tone colour. The Blur Cream comes in two colour variations; Light to Medium and Medium to Dark. With shade options like this, I was unsurprised to find that the product doesn't really offer any pigmentation or coverage once applied to the skin. 

Due to this fact, I wouldn't say there was therefore any major difference to the appearance of blemishes or redness on my skin which slightly disappointed me as I did hope for a little coverage from this product. I did however feel that my discolouration did look a little more subdued and not so obvious which I think would be the 'blurring' affect the product describes.  

My skin also felt quite soft and smooth after application - it had that kind of feel that silicone primers give the skin. In terms of pores and fine lines, I did feel that they were slightly less obvious but I definitely wasn't blown away. After using this product, I applied my makeup as usual and found that this made a really nice base for foundation, giving a smooth and flawless finish to the face and helping to even out application. You do need to use more than other similar products but you do get quite a bit in the tube and this may just be because the product is thicker. 

Overall, I do like this product but not really for the reasons the L'Oreal wants me to. Though it has not been directly advertised as one, I think this makes a really great primer and this is how I have been using it for the past few weeks and I feel that it's very effective. As a 'blur cream' however, I'm not really convinced and if this is what you were looking for only, I don't think I'd recommend this. If however you are looking for a good new primer, I'd definitely tell you to give this a go.

Thank you for reading this review! Have you tried L'oreals Nude Magique Blur Cream? What did you think of it?

 

REVIEW: Sigma 12 Brush Essential Kit!

Hi guys! Today I've got a review for you on some makeup tools! I'm going to be talking about the Sigma Essential Brush kit.

You get 12 full size brushes in this kit and their names and uses are as follows:

• F30 - Large Powder Brush: For even powder application.
• F50 - Duo Fibre Brush: Used to create an airbrush effect onto the skin. Can be used with powder, liquid or cream products. 
• F40 - Large Angled Contour Brush: For cheek product application of contour and / or blush. 
• F60 - Foundation Brush: For smooth foundation application of liquid or cream products.
• E60 - Large Shader Brush: Used to uniformly cover the whole lid with product.
• E40 - Tapered Blending Blush: Used for blending shadows in the crease. 
• E70 - Medium Angled Shading Brush: For a soft application of colour. 
• F70 - Concealer Brush: For concealer application in smaller, more precise areas. 
• E55 - Eye Shading Brush: Used for an even application of colour.
• E30 - Pencil Brush: For creating soft, smoked out lines or adding shadow to smaller areas of the eye.
• E05 - Eye Liner Brush: For smooth and even lines, used with gel or liquid liners.
• E65 - Small Angle Brush: Used to create a precise lining.

From the kit, I have a few brushes that I really enjoy using in particular. Firstly is the F30 which I use for it's intended purpose. It's so soft and gentle on the skin but still dense enough to nicely pack on a light coverage of powder onto the areas that I want it.

Secondly, is the F60 brush which I again love for it's intended purpose. It's shape and design make it perfect for contouring the grooves of the face and it's soft enough to lightly blend the product so it's not overly harsh in appearance.

The E40 is also particularly good for blending out. It's not as dense as some blending brushes so it makes for a much softer look - great for finishing up an eyeshadow look.

The F70 is a brush I've recently been really enjoying. I use it for the standard application of concealer - smaller trouble spots like like blemishes and pimples as well as under the eyes. I also use it to clean up my eyebrows after filling them in so I can achieve a sharper, more defined look.

Finally, I love the E65 brush for filling in my eyebrows. The small angled brush makes for precision as well as creating beautiful defined lines and curves. 

One of the main things I like about the brush set in general is not only the quality and performance but how they look. They are simple in design yet you can tell they are quality, the black and silver makes them look very professional and sophisticated, unlike some brushes that can look cheap and tacky. I also really like the holographic writing on the brushes which adds to that feeling of quality. The brushes are all so soft and well made -there is no shedding from these brushes after several washes and they keep their shape well. 

The whole kit retails for just £99.95 which means each brush is less that £10 each in the set. More or less all of these brushes retail individually for at least over £10 so you're getting a smashing deal. Sigma is a popular brand of brushes and they are regularly used by makeup gurus and artists alike. I can definitely see why too and I think they're definitely worth the price. It's always worth investing in some good tools so that you can really get the most out of your makeup.

With this kit, you're pretty much set and have more than enough brushes to do whatever you want with your makeup. Even if you still want more brushes after getting this (I'm kind of a brush collector so I'm always on the look out), these are still a brilliant addition to your collection in my opinion.

You always get a free travel sized version of the E05 too - who doesn't love a freebie?! You can grab this set for yourself from Cocktail Cosmetics.

Have you tried any of the Sigma brushes? What are your personal faves? Let me know!