Makeup Academy or MUA is a fairly new budget brand of makeup which is exclusive to Superdrug in the UK and they have just launched their own website. MUA claim that their products are "Affordable and High Quality"
I have been hearing good things about this brand for a while, and with products starting at just £1, how could I not give them a try?
So I went to their website here, as the Superdrug where I live is tiny, and they had an offer on! If you spent £8, you would get a free 24 Shade Immaculate Collection eyshadow palette, which is worth £8.
This is what I got:
Clockwise from bottom left:
> Eye dust in shade 3 £1
> Blusher in shade 2 £1
> 24 Shade Immaculate Collection Palette £8
> Lipstick in 'Juicy' £1
>Pearl Eye shadow in shade 8 £1
>12 Shade Poptastic Palette £4
I am going to review the lipstick, Pearl eye shadow and blusher in this post, and I will review the palettes separately. The eye dust is pretty basic, very glittery and nice, but it is very sheer and is better applied wet in my opinion. This is the only disappointment out of the lot, and not a huge one as it was only a pound!
Swatches of all three products will be at the bottom of the page.
MUA Blusher Shade 2
What they say: "Highly pigmented blusher which is a long-lasting powder. Applies evenly and blends beautifully to give your cheeks a radiant glow in any season!"
These blushes come in six shades and are priced at an incredible £1!
I agree that the blush is highly pigmented. I am used to being heavy handed with my blush because I am using Benefit Dandelion at the moment. I ended up with a bit too much on my cheeks to begin with and I found it a bit more work to blend than my benefit blusher, but not too much. I applied it with the elf blusher brush and then buffed it out with a kabuki brush. I have to say I loved the end result once I had toned it down a bit.
I love the colour, it is a medium pink colour which i think would suit most skin tones. Its matte, with small bits of glitter in it, and on my skin which is quite pale, gives it a lovely healthy looking glow. I am definitely going to purchase more shades, although there are only 6 at the moment. I am hoping they plan on expanding the colours soon. The only problem I had with this is the packaging, its plastic and flimsy and difficult to open. I managed to take a chunk of powder out the pan with my nail when I was trying to open it. However in the end the quality and price of the blusher has definitely won me over.
Rating 4/5
MUA Pearl Eye Shadow in Shade 8
What they say: Single high pigmented pearl eyeshadow. An easy-blending formula gives an endless versatility that will revolutionise your eye-makeup outlook and deliver stunning effects.
Again the packaging of the product isn't great, but I am willing to overlook this because what's inside the packaging is a pretty good product!
The colour pay off is great and true to the colour in the pan.Its a lovely blue - green colour, a cross between jade and turquoise.It is definitely highly pigmented. The formula is soft, but not as soft as my Too Faced shadows, but it still blends beautifully. It has shimmer and a hint of glitter to it which I love. I am so pleased with this eye shadow and cant wait to try out more shades. Here is a picture of a quick look I did with the eye shadow:
Sorry the picture quality isn't great, but you can see from it how pigmented this colour is. I just used it in the inner V with neutral colours on the rest of the lid.
MUA Lipstick in Juicy
What they say: Make a statement with our show stopping lip stick, available in 16 shades. Make Up Academy provides trend shades on a budget, allowing you to achieve the latest looks without breaking the bank!
I love the colour of this lipstick! it is gorgeous! Here it is on my lips;
This is with one layer of the lipstick on, it can be built up for a stronger colour. It is a lovely pinky orangey colour - very unique. The formula seems moisturising when you first put it on, but it does dry and go more matte after a while. Some lipsticks are just too dry for my lips. like elfs lipsticks, but this one isn't. It has great lasting power too and lasted a good 3 - 4 hours on me. They have got the packaging right with this one as well. I love the simple black and silver design it looks really sleek.
Rating: 4.5/5
Swatches L - R: MUA Lipstick in Juicy, Blusher in shade 2, Eye shadow in shade 8.
Gemx
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