PrettyPottering: MUA

Showing posts with label MUA. Show all posts

MUA Nail Polish

I've been trying a few nail polishes from two of MUA's ranges, the normal £1 range and also their Love Hearts range.

From their £1 range I've been trying and absolutely loving shade 1. It's a bluey-purpley-black with little tiny bits of glitter which make it lovely and shimmery. If this shade was to have a name rather than a number its perfect name would be starry night as it literally just reminds me of space and galaxies and things like that! It took a couple of coats to be opaque but I just love the effect it gives. I wore this with an O.P.I. topcoat and it lasted a good few days without chipping before I had to take it off for work. I haven't actually worn shade 'All Nude' as it is just a plain white polish which isn't something I would usually want to wear, but there have been a few times where I've wished I had a white polish so for £1 I thought I'd pick this up just so I have it. This also took 2/3 coats to be opaque but for a white polish that's what I'd expect. Both shades definitely worth their £1 price tag!

MUA Love Hearts Polishes 'U R FAB' and 'U ROK'

MUA's Love Hearts range is a collection of nail polishes and also lip balms, consisting of very girly colours ranging from pastels to brights. Shade 'U ROK' is a really nice pastel purple colour and 'U R FAB' is my favourite - I'd say it was a deep berry pink which I just think is gorgeous and really stands out. 'U ROK' took two coats for an opaque coverage and 'U R FAB' was fine with one coat but I applied two just out of habit if anything! Again I wore both of these with an O.P.I. topcoat and they both lasted for days without chipping. I was quite disappointed with the brushes on these, I don't know if I just got some dud bottles but the brushes were both really 'sticky-outy' and not sleek at all. One of them looked as if it had been put into the bottle awkwardly and so a part of the brush kind of sticks out where its moulded into that position. However they were still usable and for their £2.00 price tag it doesn't spoil it too much - it was just a little annoying.

MUA Lipsticks 5, 7, 15 & 16

MUA Lipsticks

I've always been more of a gloss girl than lipstick but I recently got the urge to have a go at using lipsticks instead so I bought a few from MUA's £1 range. I got these during their 50% off offer so paid a grand total of £2 for all 4!

I picked the shades from the colour guide on their website was a bit risky but I think I made some good choices, I ended up with shades 5, 7, 15 (Juicy) and 16 (Nectar).

Shade 5 is a shimmery, sheer, deep pink which I think actually has a really nice glossy effect. Shade 7 is a nice pinky-red which I think adds a great pop of colour without being too bright. Shade 15 which also has a name - Juicy - is quite corally-pink and I'd say is quite matte. Shade 16 - Nectar - a bright orangey-red is the one which surprised me the most, I didn't think I'd like it looking at the stick but it's actually my favourite out of the four!

As I said I'm new to lipstick and I'm not really an expert on terms used to describe them so I hope the pictures can help you out a little there. I'm really impressed by the colour pay off and they all seem to have good formulas which aren't too drying - although it is worth noting that I am wearing a Burt's Bees lip balm under all of these as my lips are very dry and I do feel they need a little extra under any lip product I wear to keep them moisturised. I have to say the staying power wasn't amazing - I find myself having to re-apply these during the day but I don't find this too much of a big deal - I like to top up on my make-up anyway.

These are definitely worth the measly £1 price tag and the 50p each I paid for them is quite frankly ridiculous! I'm really impressed and will definitely be wearing these a lot and adding to my MUA lipstick collection I'm sure. I also think these are a great way to try a more daring colour you might be thinking of without splashing out on a more expensive lipstick, and you might even find you're impressed by it and not need to purchase the expensive one!

Update - I have actually just discovered that the colour indicator bit at the bottom actually unscrews to give you a little pot of product. I wasn't quite sure what the significance of this was but after a quick Google I've read that it is a lip primer/lip gloss? It is very small and quite hard to get even my freakishly skinny fingers in to but nevertheless, handy to have it there I suppose!

MUA Pro-Brow Kit

Alongside their standard range MUA also have a 'professional' range which if you follow their page on Facebook you'll know seems to be growing every day with new products. I picked up this eyebrow kit in Superdrug for a tiny £3.50.

The kit contains three different shades plus a setting wax, a double ended brush and a pair of mini tweezers. The light brown colour above the wax is a good match for me so points are scored straight away! The lightest shade can also be used as an under-brow highlighter. I find the wax a useful addition to this palette as I usually use the HD Brows Brow Beater but this condenses the products I need to carry in my make up bag. I'm not very impressed with the brush, it's fine and it's workable but I actually choose to use the brush out of my HD Brows palette (more on that later). The tweezers are also not the most amazing pair I've ever used (they are quite stiff) but they work and it's handy to have them within the kit.

I do feel however, that any complaints I do have with this palette are slightly irrelevant due to the pricing! I paid a mere £3.50 for this. At that price I was not expecting amazing quality (although the quality is a lot better than you probably would expect!) and if you remember that then this is actually an amazing product and outstanding value for money. The powder is pigmented yet blendable, the wax works really well at setting the hairs in place and the mirror which comes inside the kit is really useful.

As I mentioned I do have the HD brows palette which I got in a Glossybox. Unfortunately the one I received did not contain the right colours for me but I have used it a couple of times mixed with various eye shadows to create a suitable shade - so I am able to give a vague comparison. Visually, I don't really rate the HD Brows kit over MUA - they are both very similar. As I mentioned I do use the brush from the HD brows palette with the MUA palette as it is better than the MUA one but for the price difference (£18.45 for HD Brows, £3.50 for MUA) this is a minor issue and to buy a brush suitable for this I'm sure would not be too expensive. The MUA palette is definitely an amazing and much more affordable dupe.

Overall, another impressive product from MUA - great value for money!

MUA Blush Perfection Cream Blusher

I have never tried a cream blusher before but in true MUA style this looked like a real bargain and I have read nothing but good reviews about their cream blushers so I decided to give it a go (wow, the word 'blush' begins to look very strange after you've typed it a few times).

To begin with I wasn't entirely sure how I should apply this and there was no suggestions of how to do so, so I've given it a go with both my fingers and my real techniques contour brush. The finger application technique worked fine but it obviously left my fingers covered in the stuff which was slightly inconvenient. So I have decided that the brush application was better suited.

This is the 'Blossom' shade which is perfect for me. It's not too pinky which I usually look for in a blusher and it's a very buildable colour which can be handy depending on the look you are going for. I actually really like the cream formula which I wasn't actually too keen on the thought of before I tried it. It's easy to apply and I found it can be blended in easier than a powder could be. I was concerned about the staying power but it really impressed me.

At just £2 I think this is another absolute gem product from MUA and for the time being I would definitely say I'm a cream blusher convert!

MUA Bronzer

I am very pale skinned so when it comes to picking a bronzer I go for more of the 'sun kissed' look or results can sometimes turn out rather tangerine-esque! This MUA bronzer in shade 3 I came across a few years ago is actually the perfect shade for me. Not only did it end years of purchasing the wrong colour bronzer over and over again but do you know how much this is? Are you ready?.... IT'S £1!

ONE ENGLISH POUND!

As I mentioned I have been using this bronzer for a couple of years now and I have never felt the need to change for anything better quality as I honestly cannot fault this one. It's pigmented but not overly (which I think in this case is a good thing) and it's also very build-able This shade is quite matte but if I remember correctly I think the other shades that are available are fairly shimmery.

Here I am wearing it slightly underneath my cheekbone in an attempt to give my face a bit of structure! I find it a very warming addition to my pale face, I think it works really well.

This isn't the first MUA product I have tried, their £1 range is actually incredible value for money and I am definitely keen to keep trying more of their products. I am especially intrigued by their new brushes as I have already read lots of amazing reviews!

My name's Maggie and I have an addiction...

Ok.... here goes.... I have a problem. A nail polish problem. I just can't seem to stop. It's one of those things that I find 100% necessary to make myself feel like I've made an effort. I used to spend hours trying to perfect nail art, stamping and sticking things on! Now, I have converted to a more simple style and approach. I love a simple block colour nail, and if I'm feeling adventurous then a sparkly glitter on top or an accent nail. Anyway, here are a few polishes I've picked up in the last couple of weeks.

I got this Barry M glitter polish in 'Rose Quartz Glitter' as part of the Superdrug 3 for 2 offer. I own a few glitter polishes but none in this pinky-gold colour. I love it and could not wait to pair it with my Models Own 'Utopia' which is a very pale pinky purple.

I got these two as free gifts in a November edition of 'More!' magazine. Usually at £5 a bottle paying £1.50 for the magazine was a great deal! The two shades I got were 'Nude Beige' which is the browny colour and 'Raspberry Crush' which is the red. Models Own is probably my favourite nail polish brand, usually one or two coat opaque and fast drying. Perfect!

This was another free gift in Decembers edition of 'Glamour' magazine (I'm clearly a sucker for a free gift!). I think these usually retail for around £8 and I only paid £2 for the magazine so again, an amazing deal! The shade is 'Motcomb Street' and I have high hopes that this will be a really opaque true black, as I'm yet to discover the perfect black polish! This does look a little bluey though, I shall report back on this one!

I bought these three products from the MUA website recently when they were holding a 35% off offer. I bought these along with a few other make-up bits - some of which I'm loving and will review soon! I'm not usually a fan of metallic nail polish but the colours of these two look so pretty! The gold colour is 'Glitter Wings' and the pinky-purple colour is 'Purple Mist'. At £2.50 these are not bad at all. I can see these being used on their own or even as an accent nail.
I also bought this Nail Constellation in Gemini. I haven't given this a go yet but the whole caviar nail thing interests me and this costs only £3 so a nice way to try it out!

I have to apologise for the photo quality, I'm trying my best with my iPhone! I am also struggling to find the time to blog during these last few weeks of term before Christmas but I'm planning to get stuck in during the Christmas holidays, when I should hopefully get lots of new things off my friends and family to review too *hint hint*!