MUA Nail Varnish | Shade 14

MyNailChallenge#23

MUA Lipstick | Shades 9 & 10

Known for its affordable make up, MUA (MakeUp Academy)  Lipsticks cost just £1! 

There are currently 16 colours to choose from.

I'm used to buying lipsticks for £14 or more, so my immediate thought was that for £1, I really couldn't expect too much. However, I was surprised by the pigmented colour, great for achieving the latest look on a budget.

From the collection, I choose 2 quite neutral shades. 

Shade 9 (left) and Shade 10 (right).

MUA Lip Boom Bring It & LMK (Let Me Know)

I've purchased two more to add to my collection! I now have 4 out of 8.

I have tended to stick to the darker shades, apart from Vibe.

See my full review on my previous post here: MUA Lip Boom: Vibe & It's a Situation

Bring It is a vibrant red. I am a lover of red lipstick.
I own many and this one is one of my favourite red tones.

MUA Nail Varnish | Shade 3

MyNailChallenge#17

MUA Shade 3 with flash

MUA Lip Boom: Vibe & It's A Situation

On launch day, my beauty chum and I hot stepped it to the Superdrug Beauty Professional store on Oxford Street, after work hoping that there would be some Lip Booms left. We were just in time.

There was a small selection, not all 8 shades though. There were no testers, so after much deliberation, I choose to purchase just 2. Using the colour pots on the bottom as a guide I chose
(left) It's A Situation which looks from the packaging like a deep plum and (right) Vibe, which looked like a natural brown.

Left: It's A Situation
Right: Vibe

Lip Stick Swatches

With Flash
Left: Lipstick in It's A Situation
Right: Lipstick in Vibe

With Flash
Left: Lipstick in It's A Situation
Right: Lipstick in Vibe

Natural light
Left: Lipstick in It's A Situation
Right: Lipstick in Vibe

Lip Gloss Swatches

With Flash
Left: Lip Gloss with Vibe
Right: Lip Gloss with It's A Situation

Natural light
Left: Lip Gloss with Vibe
Right: Lip Gloss with It's A Situation

And on the Lips...

There are 4 ways to use Lip Boom!
1. Lipstick alone for a matte look
2. Lipstick with highlighter applied just to the centre of your lips to create a full volume illusion
3. Lipstick with highlighter all over for a super-glossy look
4. Highlighter alone for a sheer pearl finish

It's A Situation

 I love the lipstick alone. The Lip Gloss in the middle of the lips, as promised gives the illusion of volume and with the gloss all over, I was ready to party! I wasn't too keen on the Lip Gloss alone however. It really bitty and hard to remove neatly.

It's a Situation Gloss alone

It's A Situation matte

It's a Situation + Gloss in middle of lips

It's a Situation + Gloss all over

Vibe

I tried this colour first and I was really unimpressed initially as it wasn't the colour I was hoping for (I perked up after trying It's a Situation). The Lip Stick alone is really pale against my skin tone.

I prefer Vibe with gloss all over, it made the colour much warmer.

Vibe Gloss alone

Vibe matte

Vibe + gloss in middle of lips

Vibe + Gloss all over

So here are some reasons to buy:

• Multi-purpose application and packaging. Carry 1 product to transform your look from day to evening. Light on the make up bag!
• They are £3 each, good value for money
• The lip sticks have great pigment and are long lasting
• Both the lipstick and the lip gloss smell of delicious caramel so be careful not to lick them off the lips!

Here are some to things you should know before buying:

• The glitter in the lip gloss is really bitty, its not very comfortable initially and its quite messy to remove
• The Lip Stick seems to falls between the cracks of the lips, rather than coat them
• The great pigment means that the dark colours stain a little
• Don't go by the colour on the bottom of the lipstick, try it directly on your skin if you can!
• The Gloss doesn't come out of the tube that well, I felt like I was digging in the wand too much
• Not uncommon in many cheaper lip products, but they contain a heavy dose of petroleum

Overall, based on the cost, I think they are a good buy.

I am going to purchase some more of the richer colours.