(wearing Flawless Primer, Luminating Foundation, Gel Eyeliner and Lip Lacquer)
(wearing Matte Lipstick in Wilde Berry)
(wearing Matte Lipstick in Lilac Belle)
(Wearing Intense Colour Eyeliner in Forest Green)
MUA.MUA.MUA.
The acronym grabbing the attention of everyone remotely interested in
make-up.
For me, it wasn't to much the products themselves that caught my
attention, but rather the buzzword 'bargain.' Having tested so many
beauty products, I've learnt that expensive doesn't always guarantee
you quality, and that there are some hidden gems to be found in
bargain brands.
So this haul all started when I signed up to The Sun+ online for £1
to receive a £20 Superdrug voucher (you should check it out, they
have amazing offers, and you can cancel the subscription shortly
after). Now we all know make-up can be expensive, and I wasn't
expecting the voucher to stretch very far, until I heard about MUA. I
walked away with a whopping 8 products!!
Undress
Your Skin Flawless Primer - £5
Primers are one of those products that cost a lot, yet the result is
very subtle. One of those products you convince yourself you can do
without. Now when I say subtle, I don't want to demean the importance of a primer. When you find a good one, you'll never be
without it. In regards to this particular product, it does do the job. It
creates a smooth, even and matte layer upon which you can apply your
foundation. This product gives you what you pay for, and no added
extras like colour correction or luminosity. It's not the best primer
I've tried, but I was really happy with the result considering how
much it cost. My only issue is that a little doesn't go a long way
like others I've used. The bottle's quite small, and you will go
though it quite quickly.
Undress
Your Skin Luminating Foundation (Medium) - £5
I
was really surprised by this foundation. I've never really got on
with high street liquid foundations. I usually find them too drying
for my skin and being olive toned, it's a right old hassle trying to
find a match. The first thing I noticed about it was how runny in
consistency it was. I saw this as a good thing, as the YSL and Estee
Lauder foundations I've used were of a similar consistency and were
very moisturising. The
shade was a perfect match so I didn't have to faff around with neck
and chin blending (I bloody hate that). Coverage wise, it wasn't as
matt as I would have liked, but MUA do a Matt foundation, so I can't
really complain. It left me with a nice and natural dewy look which
for Summer I think is perfect.
Gel
Eyeliner - £3
I actually used this gel eye liner before the Jane Iredale one that I
reviewed HERE so this was my first experience of it.
For me, gels have the best elements of both pencil and liquid
liners. You have the intensity in colour of the liquid, and the
control and precision of the pencil (depending on what brush you have
of course). The brush on this product is quite short and square,
which I really liked. The gel itself is more of a paste so you have
to make sure there aren't any lumps on your brush or you'll get in a
right state. To my surprise, there wasn't much smudging and my wings
lasted longer than if I'd used a pencil. I have actually almost
finished the pot, so for £3 this is more than a bargain, it's a
bloomin' steal.
Intense
Colour Eye Liner (Forest Green) - £1
I don't think there's much you expect from a pencil eye liner other
than vibrant, sharp lines that last. This pencil is creamy in texture
and has a gorgeous metallic, dark green hue that is perfect for
adding a bit of drama and depth to an evening look. Just a thin line
on the top lid is all you need. It also works well for blending with
eye shadows. Now that I know how brilliant they are, for £1 I'm
gonna get the whole lot. Oh, and the fitted sharpener in the lid is
soo handy.
Matte
Lipstick in Lilac Belle and Wild Berry - £1 each
I was so excited about trying these when I bought them. Now if you've
ever been to an MUA counter in Superdrug, you'll know they're always
an absolute mess ( which I can only put down to popularity). It's like
someone's set loose a fashion conscious yet penny-pinching honey
badger. So when I went to get the products, there were only a
scattered few of these lipsticks left, but luckily in the shades I
wanted. I thought Wild Berry was perfect for a moody red whilst Lilac
Belle was cute and kitsch. However I was a little disappointed. The
shade of Wild Berry once it's been applied differs quite drastically
to what you see. It's a much brighter red, which clashes with my
olive skin tone, but would definitely suit someone fairer. The Lilac Belle isn't as deceiving. I knew it would
be a risk choosing such a light shade, and it doesn't suit me as much
as I hoped. They also have that cheap, plasticy texture that means no
matter how hard you rub it on your lips, you barely get any colour.
I've managed to get some use out of them however by manually scraping off a bit of
lipstick and massaging it into my lips, and mixing
both colours together to get a wearable shade. For £1 I can't say
it's too much of a surprise, and I'm happy to continue using them the
way I have been.
Luxe
Velvet Lip Lacquer in Kooky - £3
When I saw the word 'Velvet' I knew I had to try this. I'm a sucker
for purple lips anyway, and I loved the pictures I'd seen all over
Instagram of matte lips. In the short term, this product doesn't
disappoint. The colour is gorgeous and slightly cooler in tone than
my MAC Cyber lipstick. It's wet to the touch at first but in a matter
of seconds dries to create a brilliant matte look which I adore,
despite the fact the coverage isn't as even as I'd like. Now this
lacquer is fine if you don't plan on eating/drinking anything whilst
wearing it. The first time I discovered this, I ended up with camo
style lips, and looked down to find most of the product on my burger.
Despite this, I do love this product. A cheap price to pay for quite
a dramatic statement, even if that statement does need a top-up or
two every now and then.
Undressed
Palette
I was very eager to try this palette as everyone's been raving about it.
If you're into reading beauty blogs then you've probably heard the
word 'dupe' thrown around a lot. If not, this basically refers to a
product that is very similar to a more expensive counterpart. In this
case, the Undressed Palette is the dupe for Urban Decay's Naked
palette. I've never tried the Naked palette but being a beauty blogger I've heard so much about it. The colours in MUA's palette are stunning, and I love how each matte shade is paired with a metallic. It saves you trying to figure out what colours work together (I mean, of course you can experiment,but for beginners this makes life so easy). The pigmentation is incredible for a product so cheap, and the shades blend together really well. I'm going to do a separate post just for this palette, so I can show you the variety of ways in which these shades can be used, so watch this space.
Until then, go grab yourself some major beauty bargains (if the stand isn't too much of a mess.)
