mua matte lipstick- review and swatches.

Long time no blog, huh? I've been mostly preoccupied with a lip art challenge on instagram (check out my posts @poutnshout) but I'm back to share my lipstick ramblings with you babes now. Today I'll be reviewing two lipsticks from MUA's matte range. I know they've been around for quite a while now, but I've recently fallen back in love with one of the shades, so figured it was high time I shared my thoughts with you. 

 

There they are. You may or may not remember my original post on the regular MUA lipsticks, in which I praised them highly, and mentioned the perks of the packaging. Yup, the bottom still twists off to reveal a handy bit of product for touch ups. And I actually think the white packaging looks great, and a little different from most drugstore lippies too.

So, I have the shades 'wild berry' and 'fawn fancy'. Wild berry is a sheer matte. have you ever heard of such a thing? A sheer matte! In fact, it the only sheer shade of the bunch, though it's still very pretty if you're about that 'just bitten' stain. Fawn fancy is a nutmeg nude (it looks slightly pink in the picture but it's not in real life) and it is just gorgeous. It's so warm and flattering, kind of midway between MAC Honeylove and Whirl. Love love love.

mua matte lipsticks- wild berry and fawn fancy

What really impressed me was the texture. It's so soft and makes my lips feel pillowy and plump, and it adheres really well so lasts ages and ages. Honestly, this is a winner of a matte formula, and far exceeds the matte offerings of higher end brands. For a mere ONE POUND, you get no bleeding, no streakiness, no settling in lines, no gluey-congealing. Just perfect.

mua matte lipstick- fawn fancy

And here's fawn fancy again because I love it so damn much. It's the perfect shade to just swipe on because I know it will make me look healthy and put together and not washed out, and will complement any makeup. Go swatch it in store for yourself! You won't regret it homie. xx

MUA Power Pout Acrylic lip colour: review and swatches

 Well. It's been a long time since I've blogged. Sorry about that. It was exam season at uni, see, and that's a good excuse. But fear not, for I have (obviously) managed to accumulate a shit tonne of lip products in that time.

Today's spotlight is on budget brand MUA's new Power Pout Acrylic lip colour, in the shade 'unwrapped'. This comes in six shades as part of the new summer collection, priced at £3.50. There are also six shades of a Power Pout 'glaze' product, which is basically a gloss, but these 'acrylic' shades are meant to be pigmentation central.

And they are. 

One dip of the doefoot gave me full, opaque coverage on both lips, and the applicator was firm enough to define the edges of the lip without the need for a lip brush. Seriously. The colour you see on the tube is the colour you'll get on your pout. I used a minimal amount of product for my swatch below so it set to a satin-cream finish, but you can definitely build it to a more glossy effect. 

'Unwrapped' is a pale, somewhat milky peachy pink nude shade. I like the shade but I think I'd use a lipliner to maker work better against by skin tone. As for the formula, personally, I'd categorise it as a liquid lipstick because it's so much more pigmented than a gloss and lasts a long time too. Thankfully, it didn't dry my lips out, have an odd smell, or have any stickiness to it at all. 

mua power pout acrylic- unwrapped

mua power pout acrylic- unwrapped

It's a big yes from me. Will you be trying out a shade or two?  x

mua luxe whipped velvet lip cream: review and swatches

      MUA have churned out a lot of new releases lately, one of which is this little offering: The whipped velvet lip cream. Now, as a fan of the original velvet lip lacquers (review here), I was curious to see how these would fare in comparison. I went for the shade 'spry', an easy to wear warm pink-beige nude. 

mua luxe whipped velvet lip cream- spry

         Sorry about the dodgy blanket- I took it camping with me! Right. So this applies with a standard doe-foot which does the job of applying the colour smoothly and precisely. The formula itself was a surprise- I was expecting a lacquer-like liquid lipstick. Instead, I got a feather light lip cream that was comfortable to wear and didn't set, but somehow still looked pretty matte. For those of you who hate 'feeling' lip products on your lips, give this a shot. You'll forget you have anything on.

      As for pigmentation, I found it to apply with medium coverage that could be sheered out with blotting or a light touch or built up a little for greater intensity. I can't really comment on how long it lasted because it's quite hard to tell with a nude this natural-looking, but top ups are definitely easy and fool-proof. 

    As you can see from the pictures below, it's a true nude against my Asian skintone. I like to wear it paired with a wine/burgundy smokey eye and flushed cheeks. On fairer skin tones, I think it'd look a little warmer and deeper, and I think it could work with darker skintones too. Of course, there are also brighter, more colourful options available, and MUA have also released whipped velvet blushers in corresponding shades! 

mua luxe whipped velvet lips- spry

mua luxe whipped velvet lips- spry

    Overall, I think that at a mere £3 a pop, these are a great, easy to wear lip product to have in your stash. Will you be trying a shade or two?

x

mua luxe velvet lip lacquer: review and swatches

I'm really excited to share this lip velvet post with you guys, because as you may have already guessed from previous posts, I really love the budget makeup brand MUA. Not so long ago, they released a Luxe range, featuring products of a higher quality, greater novelty and posher (is that a word?) appearance- and still positively bargainous price points. Among this range are the MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers. Let's take a look, shall we? 

 

    Ta da! It looks great, doesn't it? Not cheap at all. And it feels pretty luxe too- heavy and sturdy and durable, complete with a practical and fuss-free doe foot applicator. I've got the shade Funk, which is a somewhat warm toned bright pink- sort of a hot raspberry shade. It's vivid and totally opaque, with a slightly creamy consistency that applies easily without streaks or patchiness, and dries down to a brilliant finish. It ticks every lip velvet box whilst avoiding all the associated pitfalls. Transfer proof. Very long wearing. Waterproof. Doesn't flake. Doesn't feel heavy.

     In fact, while the formula itself is slightly thicker, the finish is almost identical to Lime Crime's Velvetines- except these are £3, making them more than a tenner cheaper in price. Win!

    Another bonus is an impressive shade range, including a bold red (reckless), a vampy purple (kooky), a bright blue-based pink (criminal), as well as less bold shades that veer closer to nude territory (halcyon and tranquility, for example). All that for a three quid drugstore brand is seriously something. 

   Here's how funk looks on the lips:

mua luxe velvet lip lacquer- funk

mua luxe velvet lip lacquer- funk

mua luxe velvet lip lacquer- funk

   So all in all, I don't think you'll be surprised to hear that I thoroughly recommend them. They are bloody fabulous! 

Let me know if you've tried any of the other shades x

mua lipstick review and swatches- shades 1, 2, 10, 11

 Oh, am I gonna give you two budget lippy posts in one day? Yes I am. Thank me later.

      It's the MUA one pound lipsticks that have taken our makeup bags and out skint wallets by storm. Everyone seems to be talking about them, and now I'm gonna add my lipstick-edged voice to the hubbub. Thing is, each one of these are different, so I'm gonna take you through them shade by shade. First things first, here they are: 

L-R- shade 1, shade 2, shade 10, shade 11

L-R- shade 1, shade 2, shade 10, shade 11

And, just to be annoying, in a different order:

L-R- Shade 2, Shade 10, Shade 11, Shade 1

Packaging, as you can see, is impressive for the price. Lightweight and sleek and sturdy, with a lipstick filled cap to show the colour. It can be unscrewed! Woo. A handy little extra product for touchups and such. Nice touch.

    Now, my first disappointment was that none of these had names (though a few in the collection do). I know it's no biggie, but I like my lipsticks to be more than just numbers. It's the little obsessive streak in me. So I'm gonna christen them! Yay.

Shade 1 is a deep, blue toned, almost maroon red. It glides on smoothly and imparts coverage that is entirely, flawlessly opaque. It's actually quite ridiculous- one pound lipsticks shouldn't get you colour payoff like this, and the end result is classic, classy womanliness with a satin finish. It's theft. Blot and reapply this one, and you've got some impressive longevity. I'm gonna call this one SOPHISTICAT.

Shade 2 is the lovechild of a deep lilac and a pink. It's creamy to apply, and gives soft coverage that's decently pigmented. I'd compare it to a NYX round lipstick in texture, as it has a similar finish, a similar wear time (average), and a similar level of slip. I'd describe the finish as more of a creme. I really like this shade and wear it quite often, and can see it suiting pretty much every skin tone, every season. I'm gonna call this one SUGAR LICK.

Shade 10 is a lovely rusty red which lends medium coverage with gorgeous, subtle gold shimmer. Not glitter, Shimmer. I found this shade to be beautifully flattering to my complexion, and to last really well, even through an endless eating and drinking campaign. If you're scared of a full on red, give this one a go, because you can wear it as sheer or as deep as you like and it's fool proof prettiness. This one shall be called GIFTWRAP.

Shade 11. Well, it's my favourite of the bunch, at least as far as wearability is concerned. It's a lovely, creamy, warm everyday shade that you can slick on in a hurry and trust to suit whatever else you're wearing, in terms of outfit or complementary makeup. Formula wise, it's almost identical to shade 2 (sugar lick). The colour is so pretty! It's somewhere between a peach and a tea rose, and could pass for a deep nude. I'm gonna call it PEACHYPIE. 

Overall, I think you should buy a million of them because they are fab. Or at least one. At a quid a stick, you can afford to experiment with some new colours.

Which are your favourite shades? x