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MUA Mascara
by coventry123
The make up academy range in Superdrug is the first collection that I look at when purchasing my everyday makeup supplies. Why? Because they have a vast range of products that are basic and they are all £1. A 'basic' make up range isn't an insult as there are so many products out there these days that sometimes you just need that range ... to come along which says 'this is a mascara. it is black'. Essentially they are the basics to buying mascara's instead of being swept up in the media hype of having curly lashes or more voluminous lashes. No thank you,I won't spend £20 on a mascara just because an overrated celeb does!
It is no surprise, therefore that I use the MUA mascara on a daily basis. It comes in a simple plastic, black, patent tube with 'MUA' printed on it in silver metallic lettering. Nothing fancy-just basic and straight to the point yet does the job effectively. The brush is contained inside the lid alike most other mascaras. I do find that the brush does sometimes stick when putting the brush back into the tube but this is a minor disadvantage to the packaging design of this product.
The brush itself is medium sized and has quite soft bristles. Due to the soft, flimsy texture of the brushes it is advised that you use an eyelash curler prior to applying this mascara to give your lashes the lift they need if you are wanting bigger lashes as the brush just isn't firm enough to lift them up alone. I do like the brush, however, as it is soft on the eyes so looks very natural if you just apply a few strokes of mascara.
The mascara product itself is black and quite thick meaning that it does stay on the lashes once it is applied due to the viscosity. I don't find that my eyelashes stick together or 'clump' on application which is a big bonus as, having tried more expensive products in the past, I have found that my eyelashes tend to stick together and give a 'spider' look which isn't attractive!
The overall look that the mascara gives is a natural definition - for darker, or curlier lashes this is still a look that you can achieve using this product as long as you use an eyelash curler and apply several coats of mascara to the lashes.
For just a £1 I think this mascara is an absolute beauty steal and I would highly recommend it!
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Boots Natural Collection Nail Colour
by steve4oo
I own a huge collection of nail varnishes, admittedly half of them are probably the same or a similar colour, but I find it very hard to resist a bright and vibrant nail varnish! Something that I think is equally as important though, is a top coat which I will always buy in a clear colour just to seal in the main varnish and give it an ... extra shine. I am usually a fan of Rimmel for this purpose, but I fancied and change and went for Natural Collection, a brand I am not familiar with.
** The Brand **
Natural Collection are actually owned by Boots, which I wasn't aware of. Having launched in 1988, they have been around for quite some time. As a cosmetic brand, their products have been designed for all purposes, from foundations to nail varnishes and mascaras to blushers, as you would expect from a cosmetic brand. A selling point of theirs though, is that their products are very reasonably priced and come in at a lower price point on the shelf compared to competition brands.
** The Varnish **
The nail varnish is presented in a fairly standard way, similarly to most other nail varnishes. It comes in an 8ml pot that is clear, displaying the amount of product and the colour inside so it is easy to spot on the shelf and you don't have to rely on just a label on the product to see what colour it is. There is a white lid which can be twisted on and off in order to use it and put it away. On the front of the varnish, 'natural collection' is displayed with white petal like shapes, creating the effect of a flower on the front. This is simple, but effective and makes it fit in nicely when sat amongst other nail varnishes at home! On the back of the bottle is a brief set of instructions that asks you to shake the bottle well before use and apply two coats. It is easy to remove the lid which has a short stem and a rather small applicator at the bottom.
** Using the product **
As mentioned above, the applicator was very small so I was interested to see how easy it would be to apply the varnish. As I expected, it became a bit fiddly as you can't just seem over each nail with one or two coats, it takes quite a lot more effort and more like 5 strokes to cover the nail (unless I am just really bad at applying nail varnish. This is a possibility!). One thing that I do like though, is that the smell of the varnish isn't so overpowering that is begins to make you choke which is something that I often experience and find it very annoying. I find myself wondering why on earth they cannot tone it down a little, and this is obviously something that Natural Collection have accounted for. Putting the small applicator to one side for a moment, when the varnish is actually on it dries fairly quickly so its great even if you only have 5 minutes to touch up yours nails. I was quite surprised at this as the consistency of the varnish is actually quite thick so I expected it to take a little longer to dry.
** Results **
After applying the product, I take comfort knowing that the colour underneath is protected and is less likely to chip. It has really helped elongate the time between applying a new colour and I can go up to two weeks without having to do so, whereas without a top coat I can only usually go for a week, even less sometimes, before a nail chips slightly.
I have also used it as a bottom coat, before applying the main colour as I have found my nails can be left stained for certain colours and orange seems to be a particular pain recently. This varnish really prevented any discolouration which is a huge plus point for me, as it saves a lot of time scrubbing with nail varnish remover to get the previous colour off. In using it as a bottom coat, it also creates a smooth base for any colours that are applying over the top.
** Pricing and Availability **
As Natural Collection are owned by Boots, I imagine they are one of the only stockists. However because of this they shoulc be located in all Boots stores, even local small stores. You may also be able to get hold of the varnish online and Amazon or eBay may be worth a quick scout. For me, the price was great because it retails at only £1.89 which is significantly lower than most competition brands. With that in mind, you can earn 4 advantage card points if you have one. Also, Boots currently have an offer on for 3 Natural Collection products for £5 which is good value.
** Summary **
I feel that this product offers fantastic value for money and for me it works equally as well as any other products I have tried from the more expensive competitor brands. It seems that although it is cheap, quality hasn't been compromised. The only annoyance for me was the size of the applicator brush as it seems so much smaller than usual, although after a few uses I have got used to this.
I have also found that after a number of uses I am not even a quarter of the way through the pot which is great, showing that you don't have to use loads of product each time. I imagine that it will last me a good 3 months or so yet.
When it does run out though, I will not hesitate to nip back to Boots and stock up with a couple more of these as on the whole I have been very impressed with it. I feel it really makes my colours last longer on my nails, particularly on my toes which have been completely chip free since I started using this varnish (important when getting your sandals out for this summer!). I will give this nail varnish 4/5 Dooyoo stars, loosing one star purely because I think there is room for improvement in the design to make it more practical.
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Miss Sporty Lasting Colour Nail Varnish
by nicholaix
Another nail varnish I have picked up.
*The bottle*
The bottle is tiny and a round shaped bottle, the design is very cute and it's easy to fit anywhere to carry around, you pay £1.99 for 7ml which I find fairly disappointing as you can get loads more for the price from other brands. I also think the bottle tends to dry up ... fairly quicker, You can keep it for more than a year it seems.
*The variety.*
In my local superdrug there is around twenty colours all very different and online they have fantastic different shades of blue and very bright reds and yellows. There is also a clubbing and metallic range for the same price!
*Application*
This is one of my favourite things about this product, its so easy to apply, the brush is very short and easy to control and the varnish isn't too runny, I could do my whole nails in super-quick timing and they dry almost straight away, I also find it very easy to do stripes and spots with this nail varnish.
*Results*
The results aren't as glossy as I hoped, but the colour is very strong and striking, It also does stay on for around a week so they aren't too far off the seven day promise. Would I recommend these? I would recommend for the colour quality and stay but not to anyone who loves their glossy nails like I do!
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