Tag Archives: MUA

Feeling illuminated

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by

mua-art-of-illumination-review-2The art of illumination – how to say no to an event titled like that?

For AW16 MUA, or Makeup Academy, has brought out, as part of their Luxe collection, a trio of highlighters that will really make you glow.

Before I tell you how lovely they are, let’s take a moment to check out the gilded Art Deco influenced packaging. Thank you.

mua-art-of-illumination-review-4Cushion makeup is all the rage at the moment and MUA has had its say on it, in the shape of gorgeous MUA LUXE Glow Beam Liquid Highlight Cushion.

This little pot of shine used alone delivers a soft, natural radiance from its lightly shimmery peachy gold liquid. A press of the cushion with the round sponge is enough to deliver for both cheeks, nose and Cupid bow. I actually go again for extra radiance.

mua-art-of-illumination-review-5I apply this after powdering my face, let it dry while I do my eye makeup and apply highlight powder on top for that extra pow!

Which takes me to the LUXE Glow Beam Highlighting Powder, a light gold dust that reflects the light beautifully.

The packaging actually mills the block of powder on demand and this is as good for the face as it is for the body. This product is highly recommended to turn the glam up!

mua-art-of-illumination-review-3Finally, the MUA LUXE Radiant Illumination kit, a more everyday product that doubles up quite nicely as eyeshadow.

Those with oilier skins that worry about adding more shine to the complexion, fear not. Without the shimmery elements of most highlighters, the six matte shades are perfect for a fresh, natural and non-shiny look.

Personally, I like to go all shimmer, but this palette is perfect for those who are a bit more discreet or those dabbing in/starting highlighting.

mua-art-of-illumination-review-6Now, we must talk about the price. Nice packaging? Check. Quality product? Check. Great finish? Check. Tiny price tag? Check. What? Yes, that’s right.

The MUA LUXE Glow Beam Highlighting Powder and the MUA LUXE Glow Beam Liquid Highlight Cushion cost only £5 each and the MUA LUXE Radiant Illumination kit only £6!

You can buy them at the MUA website and at Superdrug, currently as part of their 3 for 2 across all cosmetics and beauty accessories.

signature1

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

The liquid lipstick

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by

liquid-lipsticks-3Stop press. I have succumbed to something liquid on my lips.

After living my fist makeup years (ok, way more than just my first years) smearing my lips with clear lipgloss (oh, the freaking 90s), I completely went off it and never looked back. I am a lipstick girl through and through.

In recent years, I started adding a tiny bit of high performing gloss to my lipstick, for that added volume trick.

However, liquid lipsticks started coming into the market a fir while ago and now they have hit the big time, flooding the high street. I must confess that scepticism got the best of me and I wasn’t that keen on Kylie, Jeffree, Kat Von D, YSL, just to name a few. So much I hadn’t tried anything until….

liquid-lipsticks-4I was at The Apartment over LFW and Collection had a fab area. Amongst other goodies to pick up, were they yet to be launched (and now on the shelves) Velvet Kiss lipsticks.

I picked one – because you know, I can’t resist, but didn’t get more than one because, you know, it’s a liquid lipstick. No good. Right? RIGHT?

Wrong. Very wrong. On another visit, I may have picked up a couple more.

And since then, more brands waltzed into my life and I cannot get enough. The brands on the market now deliver, for a very affordable price, superb quality.

liquid-lipsticks-3The pigmentation is ace, the finish is fantastic and durability great. All that on top of the ease of application. I find liquid lipsticks are the perfect everyday lip colour.

It is easy and quick to apply, there is no huge precision and multiple steps as it is with lipstick and it does deliver in a similar way.

High street budget brands do not disappoint: Collection Velvet Kiss (£) and MUA Velvet Lip Lacquer (£3) are fantastic tiny investments that offer a great return.

There is a colour and finish for everyone. Hello, blue ❤

Lord & Berry Timeless Kissproof lipstick is a little bit more on the expensive side at £15 but pays off in creaminess and colour.

I will be reviewing them all soon, as I think they deserve a good go!

My heart will always belong to lipsticks, but I can confidently say I found a tiny little corner in it for liquid lipsticks.

Are you a fan? What’s your favourite brand?

signature1

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Nails of the week – red with multicoloured beads

Even with all the talks about “caviar” nails a while back, I always thought they would be a nuisance; I never thought it would be possible for it to last more than 2 hours – unless you don’t use your hands – and by that I mean walking around with them up in the air, not even pulling your pants up, honestly!

But I went to Superdrug and spotted the pretty Nail Constellation bead pots from MUA, at an affordable £3! And of course, I could not resist.

So I decided to give it a go. I bought Scorpio, a mix of gold, green, red and fuchsia tiny beads. Knowing it would bug the life out of me, I decided to apply only to an accent nail – my ring finger.

Application was alright. But the bounce, so I had my bed covered in them. I applied a red nail varnish  that matched the red beads to all nails – Colorama’s Pecado, an old favourite of mine –  and immediately after the second coat, dropped the beads on the chosen nail. The funnel really helps the application, as well as gathering the fall offs back in the pot. I had to re-apply some base coat over to fill the gaps, but overall, it as pretty easy.

It looked alright, and even thought it caught lots of people’s eyes, I wasn’t overly impressed with it. It looks alright, but nothing exceptional.

And then it annoyed me, a good 12 hours after applying. They catch on stuff, they fall, found some on my desk at work…. and so on… by the end of the day, there were lots of gaps, especially on my right hand, which I use the most. So they came off, only 28 hours after application. At least, that box is ticked and I shall not be trying again.

Rating: