Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss 'Merlot Vinyl' | Swatches and Review

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Another day another lip product review..my favourite! Recently I was shopping in TK Maxx (how predictable am I?) and I spotted this stunning lip shade from Stila. I was under the impression this was a liquid lipstick up until I tried it despite the box saying otherwise. I think the excitement just got the better of me. I mean seeing a Stila product in TK Maxx in one of your favourite colours and for only €6 (RRP €24), who wouldn't be excited about that? I snapped the product up as quickly as I could and made a beeline for the checkout.

I will admit I was feeling a little deflated when I realised it was a gloss and not in fact a liquid lipstick. I'm not the biggest fan of lip glosses the texture and lasting power just doesn't really appeal to me, despite this I figured I wouldn't knock it just yet. In a way I'm glad I didn't!

I purchased the lip gloss in the shade 'Merlot Vinyl' which is a lovely berry wine colour. Being that it is a gloss I was surprised to see such a bold colour pay off in just a couple of swipes. The doe foot applicator makes applying the product easy enough to do but I find in general it's not the easiest product to apply evenly to the lips. Perhaps it's because it is one of the darker shades, I'm not sure but I found that I had to take great care when applying so that I didn't end up with a streaky finish to my lips.

Once applied the lips feel sticky and this sensation doesn't really wear off throughout the day. There was always a slight tackiness to the lips even after the majority of the gloss had worn away.

To me this is more of a glossy liquid lipstick than just a regular old lip gloss. The product is so highly pigmented and is unlike any other lip glosses that I have tried before. One thing I really enjoyed about this product was the fact that despite it being a long lasting lip product it wasn't drying at all, I feel that's down to the glossy element! Below I've added a few pictures showing you how the product wears throughout the day but for a lip gloss it wears extremely well. Once that glossy shine wears off the lips are left looking as if just a lip stain was applied. Either way I actually liked how it looked at the beginning of the day as well as how it looked by the end of the day!

Just applied - 12pm

After 4 hours wear

After 6 hours wear 

By around the 4 hour mark all the gloss had worn off the lips and I was left with a berry coloured stain. I actually thought the product looked good after the gloss had worn off after eating and drinking. The only thing I would have done to touch up was blended in those edges so that I didn't have a noticeable line of product around the lips. It looks similar to if I used a lip liner and didn't fill the lips in. I wore no lip liner underneath the gloss the lined appearance around the lips is just due to how the product fades! If I had of blended the edges with a lip brush then I would have been good to go, it would have looked like I was just wearing a lip stain. At the 6 hour mark, again I still thought the lip product looked good. That line around my lips had faded significantly but I would have blended the edges of the top lip so that there was a nice even pop of colour.

Strangely enough I prefer how the product looks after 6 hours of wear compared to when it has been freshly applied. Now I wear this gloss as a stain instead. I just apply the gloss to my lips as normal, I blot away the shine and then I'm ready to go!

I don't think its a bad product it's just not really my cup of tea. I like it for the stain it leaves behind after the gloss has worn away not for the glossy shine it gives to the lips when it's first applied. For that reason I won't be purchasing more from the range, however I will look into picking up some of their liquid lipsticks. I've heard fantastic things :)

Until next time,

Eimear x

Wet n Wild Megalast Lipstick Swatches and Review

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Wet n Wild is one of those brands that I go back to time and time again. Budget beauty products are my favourite and Wet n Wild are a brand that stock just that. They have a fantastic selection of products in their range and all items are priced between €1.99 and €6.49. Out of their entire collection of products the lipsticks are by far my favourite and at €2.99 a pop, you really can't go wrong!

Wet n Wild recently sent me out some products to try out, some of which were the Megalast lipsticks. I was sent out four shades from the range and I actually happened to have those four particular shades in my collection already along with another one that I had purchased recently.

Usually, when I purchase a product I won't use it until it has been photographed for the blog encase I decide I want to review it. At the time I bought my lipsticks I was stuck in a bit of a rut with the blog and I wasn't reviewing items. Sometimes I can get away with using a lipstick a couple of times and then photographing it, particularly if the bullet is shaped like the Megalast ones because the usage isn't noticeable. However, there was no salvaging the Wet n Wild lipsticks in my collection. They looked God awful and i'll explain why in a moment!

  

L - R

(Red Velvet, Vamp it Up, Mauve Outta Here, Spiked with Rum, Cherry Bomb)

As I have said these lipsticks are very cheap and the packaging reflects that. I don't mind how the packaging looks what bothers me is the way the lipsticks are stored. These lipsticks don't wind down fully into the tube like pretty much all other lipsticks I have tried. I can't think of any other brand that has released a lipstick packaged in this way. The reason my lipsticks are not presentable is because they are quite badly chipped. I've hit the lid off the side of the lipsticks numerous times while trying to put the lid on which is quite annoying. Due to the fact that the lipstick will always be sticking out of the tube you need to carefully place the lid back on without touching the bullet. I feel like I'm playing a game of operation each time I want to put away a lipstick haha! Also, the inner lid of the lipstick dirties easily because you can't wind the lipstick down fully but honestly for the quality and the price of the product I can get over the blip that is the packaging.

L - R

(Spiked with Rum, Vamp it Up, Red Velvet, Mauve Outta Here, Cherry Bomb)

Red Velvet

Vamp it Up

Mauve Outta Here

Spiked with Rum

Cherry Bomb

The Megalast lipsticks are marketed as a matte lipstick and because of this I expected the products to be quite drying on the lips. My lips are dry all year round so I always expected the lipstick to emphasise my dry patches but that wasn't the case. The only time I found my dry spots noticeable was when wearing one of the lighter shades 'Mauve Outta Here' but at that it wasn't anything major. 

When I first tried out a lipstick from the range I was surprised by the consistency. All of the lipsticks that I have tried are creamy in texture, some more than others but none are completely matte. I would say the Megalast lipsticks leave more of a semi matte finish to the lips. The five lip colours that I have tried so far are very comfortable to wear and they don't dry my lips out further throughout the day. 

In terms of longevity each of the lipsticks lasted well pretty much up until the 5 hour mark and then I felt I needed to top up the colour. I trialled the lipsticks without lipliner to see how well they lasted on their own but I prefer applying a lip liner and having that as a base for the lipsticks first. I find they last even longer that way and the shade 'Vamp it Up' actually applies nicer over a base. On it's own 'Vamp it Up' can be hard to apply evenly, it can be a small bit patchy but with a lip liner underneath it, it looks phenomenal.

The only shade in the range that I wasn't keen on was 'Mauve Outta Here' purely because its completely out of my comfort zone and it's not a colour I would reach for.

To summarise:

Pro's

• Affordable (only €2.99)
• Widely Available
• Fantastic Range of Shades
• Long Lasting
• Highly Pigmented
• Not Drying on the Lips

Con's

• Poorly Packaged

I would highly recommend checking out the Megalast range if you haven't already. If there are any shades that you have tried that you think I might like let me know :)

Until next time!

Eimear x

Beauty on a Budget: Makeup Academy (MUA)

Hey Everyone!
Hope you all are well :)

I'm back again today with another requested beauty on a budget video.

The brand I have picked for this tutorial is MUA. It cost me €23.73 to create this entire makeup look.

Another fantastic brand that has high quality products at an affordable price!

I decided to squash this tutorial in the middle of my Halloween videos as I thought it might be helpful for anyone back in school. I had actually purchased more products than shown in the video with the intention of using them, however I just didn't find them to be any use. All the products I have used in the video are ones that I enjoy, some pricing as little as a pound!

If you are looking for some new beauty bits that are cheap as chips, I hope this video will be helpful to you :D 

Products Used:

Eyes

MUA Smokin Palette (£6.00/€7.49)

MUA Mascara Shade 5 (£1.00/€1.25)

Face

MUA Undress Your Skin Foundation 'Porcelain' (£5.00/€6.41)

MUA Pressed Powder Shade 4 (£1.00/€1.25)

MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter (£3.00/€3.75)

Lips

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Laquer 'Tranquility' (£3.00/€3.75)

If you would like to see how I created this look then just click on the play button below :)

Thanks for tuning in!

Eimear x

MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well and enjoying the fine weather :)

Highlighters are the one makeup product I hoard…well, thats a bit of a lie actually I hoard a lot of products but in particular highlighters. I'm very fussy and unfortunately I am yet to find one that blows me away.

The problem is I usually find that some highlighters are too pink toned, some are too golden toned, some are too shimmery, some are non existent on the skin and the list goes on. I'm not fussy at all am I? haha! So lets see how todays bargain buy shapes up :)

A few months ago while on my stay down in Wexford, I was out and about in the town and came across a Superdrug. I didn't actually know there was a Superdrug in Wexford so you can imagine my delight. The closest one to myself is up in Tallaght so its a little bit of a journey and for that reason I've only been once. The excitement quickly faded once I realized this particular Superdrug didn't stock Sleek MakeUP but I still had an MUA stand, not too disastrous overall. Both times that I have been in Superdrug the MUA stand has been quite poorly stocked but I managed to pick up a few cheeky purchases all the same. One of which is this gorgeous little highlighter here!

The MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter is a gorgeous champagne highlighter that gives a pinky pearlescent shimmer to the skin. The product is housed within a white plastic container with a clear lid, very simple nothing flashy. With the addition of the clear lid and the beautiful embossed design of the highlighter this will be one product you'll be proud to whip out of your handbag for touch ups. I adore it however I am quite the sucker for packaging. I wasn't expecting much durability wise (klutz alert) but I have dropped this product several times and its still in one piece…pheeew!

With regard to the product itself I'm very impressed with the finish it gives on the skin especially for the price! In the picture above I swiped my finger over the product once and transferred it onto the back of my hand. It gives a beautiful subtle glow to the skin, perfect for every day use! However this product can be layered, when it is built up the pink particles are much more apparent which I think some people would prefer to wear as part of a night out makeup look.

The product lasts extremely well on the skin, between 7 and 8 hours for myself. This bargain buy set me back €2.20 as it was on offer at the time. It currently retails at just £3.00 over on the MUA site which you can find here.

Have I found my holy grail highlighter? No, unfortunately I am still on the search but I can't fault this product its definitely one of best in my collection. If you are looking for a budget friendly highlighter I'd highly recommend giving this guy a go, you won't be disappointed!

Bargain Hunter Byrne strikes again :D

What are your favourite highlighters? Let me know!

Eimear x

Cheap and Cheerful with Make Up Academy

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Ugh, long time no tutorial!

Well...its been a couple of weeks which feels like a life time.

I've been sick which sucks and I didn't want you all to think I had hired Kermit The Frog to record my voice overs...so I said it would be best to wait ha!

I already have one series dedicated to beauty buys which are cheap money wise...not quality wise. More formally known as the "Beauty on a Budget" series.

So far I have covered the brands: 

NYC, Essence and Catrice.

In this series I have dedicated the entire makeup look to one brand to see how cheaply I can apply a full face of makeup for.

I think I might turn today's tutorial into a series.

In this series I will focus on one product by one brand, opposed to many different products by one brand :)

The series shall be crowned "Cheap and Cheerful"

To start the ball rolling we have Make Up Academy.

 I have heard so many good things about Make Up Academy, particularly from a lot of UK YouTubers. MUA is only sold in Superdrug here in Ireland and to my knowledge there are only two stores. One in Tallaght and one in Santry, both are quite a trek from me haha! A couple of months ago I had to go up to Dublin so naturally I popped into Superdrug, I had never been before. Unfortunately the MUA stand was quite small with not a lot of choice but I did manage to pick up this beautiful palette and a couple of single eyeshadows. I am so impressed with the quality of these eyeshadows, the pigmentation is amazing! 

If you are a fan of MUA, you might have guessed from the picture above that I used the 'Heaven and Earth' palette. My god it is a dream to work with!

Keeping in mind that we are now heading into Autumn (YES!), I decided to use browns and golds for this makeup look. 

I will have a review of this palette coming soon I am just over the moon with my purchase. The palette is so versatile, there are so many different eyeshadow combinations you could use! 

If you would like to see how I created this makeup look then just click on the link below!

I hope you enjoy the tutorial and thanks a million for tuning in.

I really appreciate it :)

Talk soon!

Eimear x