Shu Uemura Limited Edition Iconic Discovery Set.

This new LE set from Shu Uemura contains three classic products from the Shu range... A set of lash curlers, UV under base mousse, and cleansing oil. The lash curlers and UV base are both full size, whilst the cleansing oils comes in a 50ml travel size bottle. The set retails at £41 - picking up the curlers and the UV underbase mousse individually would cost over £53. 

The box containing these goodies also has "user's guides" on the outside, which is a nice detail. 

 

The lash curlers are a "cult classic", which regularly features in magazine awards, and is claimed to be a vital accessory in the kits of all self respecting makeup artists. 

I'm not a fan of magazine awards, as discussed in this post, nor am I a makeup artist. I have however owned a pair of these for a couple of years, as well as several other pairs from various brands. You can get similar results with other curlers, but these are the ones I use the most - they seem to fit my eye better, and give reliable results. 

They are also nice and light to handle, and easy to keep clean - they come with a replacement rubber pad. Are they worthy £19.50 when purchased alone? Tough one - I'd say they are definitely worth sticking on your birthday or christmas list though.


The cleansing oil is another classic from the range - it comes in various skintypes. The bottle in the LE set is the "balancing" version, said to be the most popular - apparently a bottle of this stuff is sold every 20 seconds. I really really like the Shu cleansing oils - they do have their critics as they contain mineral oils though. 

I'm a fan of cleansing oils in general, and this is a very reliable one - It removes every scrap of makeup, and emulsifies well, so rinses easily  and doesn't leave the skin oily. I actually picked up a massive bottle of the "brightening" version last summer, which has lasted well, and is a reliable member of my bathroom skincare army;

The final piece in the set is the UV Under Base mousse.

This contains a decent level of SPF - Factor 30, and offers both UVA and UVB protection. 

The product itself is a mousse which you dispense after shaking the can well. I was slightly concerned when I saw that this was labelled "Beige", as I thought it might turn orange on me. This is the one product from the set I've never tried before, so was the thing that intruiged me the most.

Rather than the scary orange tinted brown I feared, this is actually a really really pale beige, which disappears on my skin. It sinks in quickly and dries down to a natural matte finish, but does leave a slight white cast on the skin due to the high SPF. This wasn't an issue on my pale skin, however, if yo have dark skin this might leave you looking ashy (check out Vex's review HERE). 

It has a nice effect on my pale skin too, in that it starts to reduce any areas of "pink" looking skin. My skin has a mixed undertone, and I prefer to use foundations with a neutral or slight yellow undertone, as anything with a pink tone tends to look a bit too obvious on me. This sets the scene for a good foundation application, and on particularly good skin days I'd happily throw this on with a bit of mascara and blusher and go out.

The mousse is easy to use too - it spreads easily and melts on contact with the skin. Its also something a bit different to the normal priming liquids too, which appeals to the kid in me.


This could easily have been quite a gimmicky product, but it turned out to work well in terms of keeping foundation put on me. It feels comfortable, and not too drying - I think this will be a great one for the summer for all apart from those with very dry skin, as I think it might be a little drying in the winter months, but its great for this time of year, and I'd expect it to work well in hotter weather. It doesn't completely get rid of pores of wrinkles, but foundation applies smoothly and easily over it. The high SPF gets it a big thumbs up from me too, but you should check out Vex's review HERE if you have darker skin, to see her thoughts.  For paler types such as my self, who don't have a very very dry skin, then I'd definitely recommend this.



Given that purchasing the UV base and lash curlers separately would cost £47.50, and that this set is £41.00, with the addition of the mini cleansing oil, I'd say this set is a great gift either for yourself or for someone equally deserving, and is a great way to try a few things from the Shu Uemura range. 


Available now at www.beautyexpert.co.uk

Disclaimer - This product was sent to me for review purposes. I am not affiliated with Shu Uemura or Beauty Expert, and neither am I paid for my reviews. Reviews are always honest and based on my own experiences with a product. Please bear in mind that your skin may react differently, and bear you own skintype etc in mind. I would always recommend that you read as many reviews as possible before deciding on a purchase.