So after hearing some great things about this high street makeup brand from other bloggers, I finally got around to making an order and really treated myself! The best things about this brand are the cruelty free label, and the teeny tiny price tags. I don't think they have one single product over £10. Correct me if I'm wrong. So I went into my local Superdrug store, and unfortunately they weren't very well stocked. So I went online and ended up finding exactly what I was looking for, and more!
I bought four items and the delivery was ridiculously quick, I think it was less then 48 hours (bearing in mind this is a UK based brand and I live in the UK) It came in a small cardboard box covered in 'fragile' stickers, and every item was cushioned in bubble wrap. For such low price items they really don't skimp on the packaging! Everything arrived in perfect condition. So, to the products!
My Urban Decay eye primer potion recently ran out, and I can't really justify spending that much one a new one right now. So when I read some good reviews about the MUA eye primer at £1.50 I decided I must purchase! The packaging is a tube like a lipgloss, with a doe foot applicator. I just use the applicator to blob a small amount onto each eye and rub it in with my fingers, all the way up to the brow bone and underneath my eye if there is any excess.
Whilst this isn't a terrible product, I can't say it does a fantastic job at preventing my eyeshadow from creasing and fading. It has been very hot lately, meaning most of my makeup has a lesser wear time due to sweating, so I will persevere when the weather cools to see if I can get better results that way. MUA does make another eye primer, so I am also going to try that one before switching back to an expensive brand.
I've been looking for a better way to set my foundation for a while now, I used to use powder but it just doesn't work on my dry skin. I do like the matte look but it accentuates my dry patches and doesn't look good on me. I first heard about makeup setting sprays a little while ago, but was sceptical as to their effectiveness. I thought spraying a liquid product onto my face after all the hard work of putting the makeup on would ruin my efforts and make it run. So when I found MUA's setting spray for only £4 I thought I'd give it a try. To my pleasant surprise it works quite well. It's like applying another layer of moisturiser after the foundation; helping to disguise my dry patches rather than accentuate them, and it did seem to reduce makeup transfer from my face onto whatever I touch.
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| Simple white packaging with atomiser spray top |
I generally apply this once I have applied all of my makeup EXCEPT mascara or false lashes. This is because I don't use waterproof mascara or water proof glue. I spray at arms length towards my face with eyes closed, and wait a few seconds (up to a minute) for it to dry before continuing with my lashes, mascars and lips. Having only had the product for a week I feel I can still say it works for me and does what it says on the tin. I think it would be more suited to those with dry skin rather than oily skin. Definitely worth the money, and great to try before buying a more expensive brand such as MAC.
After checking out the eyeliners by MUA, I decided to buy their 3 in 1 contour pen in black, its a twist up style eye pencil with a wide rectangular nib designed to create three different looks.
I had really high hopes for this eyeliner, as I mentioned in a previous post that I'm looking for a new cruelty free pencil liner that performs as well as the one I'm currently using which is not cruelty free. (If anyone has recommendations let me know! Preferably relatively cheap as I use alot of eyeliner!) It even has the twist top format that I prefer, as I hate having to sharpen things and always end up giving my self eye splinters. Sounds stupid I know. So I will show you a picture of how I like to wear my eyeliner, and you can see why I need a long lasting liner that won't smudge.
I wear pencil liner only on the bottom, but quite thickly, I pretty much just colour in my entire lash line. At first it was really hard to get the hang of applying such a strangely shaped pencil, but I actually really liked it once I worked out the best way to do it. Unfortunately, this eyeliner ran and smudged like crazy. Literally within minutes. I don't know if I have ever used and eyeliner that smudged THIS badly. I had to keep wiping underneath my eyes to stop it going everywhere, and after just a few hours it was barely even on my eyes anymore. It looked awful. I can't imagine how messy this would be if you wore it on the eyelids like the packaging suggests. I definitely won't repurchase this one. Or even use it ever again I don't think.
Lastly, I bought one of their £1 matte lipsticks. At only £1 I just couldn't resist. I was going to buy a few, as well as a Velvet Lip Laquer, a matte lip colour that applies like a gloss. Again, alot of the colours I liked the look of were out of stock. I was disappointed, but hope to still purchase in the future. So I settled with a pale purple shade called Lilac Belle.
The packaging is clean, white and simple, and has been hanging around in my handbag makeup bag since I bought it and I haven't had any problems with the lid falling off or anything like that. It's actually a lot pinker than I expected it to be, from the website photo and the shade name, as you can see below.
It's also not very matte looking, although you do have to make sure your lips are smooth and moisturised before application because it tends to show dry patches and chapped lips like most matte lipsticks tend to do. All in all, although not quite what I was expecting, its a nice simple colour to pull off, with a wear time of about two or three hours. For only £1 you can't really complain, I quite like it and will be purchasing other shades.
So a half successful first experience with this budget brand. I look forward to trying more of their products soon!
