MUA Haul Review & Swatches

I've heard a lot about Make Up Academy (MUA) and thought it was about time I tried out a few of their products for myself. So, I bought a bundle of things to test and review.

I'm a 'middle price range' make up kinda girl, like Maybelline, GOSH and Loreal. I don't tend to buy products that are super expensive, as I get bored with things quickly and I've never really got on with really cheap makeup. So I was quite excited to see how this went!

Undress Me Too - Eyeshadow Palette

This palette has 12 colours, which is great for creating lots of different looks. There are soft neutrals like Naked and Lavish, cool greys like Exposed and Reveal and gold metallics like Devotion and Fiery. I also especially love the fact that MUA have named each colour. Cute!

The packaging is really nice (I like anything white!) and there is a double ended sponge applicator inside. I didn't use this, I use my own brushes, but the sponge applicators are quite firm to touch and flexible, for ease of application. This is great news for a product that's just £4.

Naked and shy are great base colours. They are very nude and whilst these two colours aren't as pigmented as the others, they are great as highlighters under the brow line and in the inner corner of the eye. 

The other colours are nicely pigmented but not too much that they produce lots of 'fall out' on your cheeks. This palette of colours also blend really well together. Firstly I tried Naked, Wink and Obsessed, which is a great combination. Corrupt is very pigmented and goes on easily, creating a really dramatic effect. When used with Reveal and Obsessed, it would create a look of drama, without having to go crazy with colour.

I really love the shimmery metallic shades too, like Devotion and Tranquil. I've recently been using Maybelline's Diamond Glow palette in Coral Drama and these shades remind me of that. Shimmery metallics are great for Spring into Summer and I know I'll be using a lot more of them this year.

To be honest, I can't really fault this palette. It's a great addition to my ever growing makeup collection and think it could very well become a favourite.

Undress Your Skin - Shimmer Highlighter

Shimmer highlighters are not something I've really used before, but I thought I'd give this one a try and see if I could be converted. 

Undress Your Skin is presented in a cute white case, with a lovely textured pattern on the powder. It is really soft to touch and glides on easily. My one worry about highlighters is that sometimes they can have chunks of glitter in them, but this one doesn't, which is a relief. I applied some on the top of the cheekbones and also down the side of my face, kind of in a 3 shape (from the edge of the forehead, into the cheekbone, back out and towards the chin), like I do my blusher. This created a lovely highlight to the shape of my face. The MUA site also suggests using it in the inner corner of the eye too. 

This is a nice product and at just £3 for 7.5g, I'm sure it will last and last.

Blusher - Shade 5

These blushers come in 6 different shades, for just £1 each! I opted for shade 5, as it seemed similar to the GOSH blusher I currently use.

I put a small amount on blusher onto my brush and swept it across my cheek and found that it was so pigmented that I had a huge clown cheek! Whoops! So, after a lot of blending and taking the colour down with some powder foundation, I got to the colour that I'd originally wanted. 

So a handy tip with this one is to start with just a tiny amount of powder and add extra if you need it. I think this one will take me some time to get use to and whether I will continue to use it, I'm not sure! Maybe I should try a different shade.....

Pro-Base Eye Primer

I usually use primers that I apply with my fingers from a pot, so this one is quite different in it's tube with sponge applicator.

The consistency is quite liquid, so you don't need an awful lot to cover the eye. It's not too sticky and dries quickly and to some degree, enhances the colour of the eyes shadow. For me, I was crease free for much of the day, well at least I didn't notice that I wasn't, which is a good sign. Whether it will hold when the weather gets warmer I'm not sure, I'd like to think so. For £2.50, it's certainly worth a go!

Out There - Plumping Lip Gloss

I opted for two colours in the Plumping Lip Gloss range. There are 8 shades to choose from and I went for Peach Shimmer and Nude.

I was quite excited about the concept of a sizeable lipgloss for just £2. I first tried Nude and after applying, unfortunately my lips started to burn! Now maybe that's the Maxi Lip Plumping Agents or I just had a 'dud', but whatever the reason, it felt really unpleasant and I wiped the gloss off after about 2 minutes. I haven't tried it again - I'm a little scared!

I've also since tried Peach Shimmer, which had a tingling feeling when applied, but this was the more usual feeling for a plumping lip gloss. I really like the colour of this one too. 

Both of these gloss's are non sticky which is great and although the colour fades quite quickly, for £2 a pop, I think they're a real bargain. 

Mega Volume Mascara

I always go for mega volume mascara and this one attracted my eye in it's pink packaging! 

The wand is rubbery and nice and fat, which helps coat all of the lashes. I did have to add 2/3 coats in order to get some definition though, so I wouldn't go as far as to say this is a mega volume mascara and instead produces more of a natural look. That's fine though because again, it's only £3!

So, all in all, I think for the price, MUA makeup is good value. There are some products from this selection that I like more than others but considering I got this whole collection for just £17.50 - that's not bad! The Undress Me Too Palette and Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter are two products that I really do like and can see myself using a lot of. As for the Nude lip gloss, maybe I'll try another and see if that one is any better!

I hope you've found this review useful. Let me know if you've used any of these products and how you got on with them.

I will also be doing a review on MUA's Nail Constellations and Fur Effect Nails very soon.