MUA Makeup Haul- The New Nail Polish and Lipstick Collection

Hi Lovelies,

I hope you have had an amazing weekend. Mine was particularly amazing especially with attending the African Fashion Week London on Friday. Pictures and blog post will be up soon. Towards the end of July, I popped into Superdrug for some essential toiletries and I found myself sidetracking to the makeup section. It happens all the time, although, I don't always buy anything, I just love to look at pretty makeup products. 



I spied on the MUA (MakeUp Academy) stand and discovered they had revamped their nail polish collections and its new bottle reminded me of Essie Nail polishes (naughty, naughty MUA!). Plus, the colors looked really cute and perfect for Summer. Costing only £1 per item meant there were no excuses left for me so I picked up a few items(6 products to be precise) and I was so happy and almost leaped home to try them out. I picked 3 nail polishes all in shades of pink or coral: Bright Coral, Bright Pink and Amaretto Crush. I also picked up 3 new lipsticks: Shade 11(my all time favourite; this was my backup), Juicy(Shade 15) and Nectar(Shade 16) which I believe may be new shades or I may be wrong; it doesn't matter because they are pretty. Let's get into the nitty gritty details of these products, shall we?

Note: I tried my best to get the true colours of these MUA products but it was really difficult as I had crappy light so bear with me...:-)))

                                                                     Nail Polishes

Generally, I like the packaging of all MUA nail polishes because they are really small and dainty with a good formulation. However, I always feel let down by the quality and shape of the nail polish brushes as they are not the best for application and can, sometimes, cause streakiness. For others,it may be fine but I am not sure how beginners can manage with this brush. Asides that, I think MUA nail polishes are really great with bright colors which flatter many skin tones. I don't think I have much to complain for £1.

Amaretto Crush: I had to start with this as it is my new favourite. I love how it applies despite the small brush and the formula is really good. You can actually get away with one coat but I used two coats. I would describe it as a lilac-ish pink colour and I love how it borderlines pink/lilac. I would say this is perfect for summer if you don't want any OTT bright colours but you want something playful in a classy way. I have been wearing this almost all week. It does chip after a few days if you love to wash your hands or plates regularly like me but you can reduce these chances by applying a good quality base coat and nail coat. I use the Lancome Cristal Quartz in 010 which has been reviewed here. 

Bright Coral: Next to Amaretto Crush, this is my second favorite from this collection. I love how bright this coral is and is the perfect transition from Spring to Summer although we are already well into summer now. It is a little bit comparable to my all time favorite Lancome Rouge in Love (reviewed here) but it is a little brighter. I would describe it like a bright coral leaning into the orange-reddish hue. It was really difficult to photograph this as I wanted to get the true colour but I didn't really succeed. 

Bright Pink: As the name suggests, it is a really bright pink, In fact, almost Neon Pink like my Illamasqua's Collide which I got from the Illamasqua's Alter Ego Mystery Collection reviewed here. For some reason, this always applies streaky on my fingers. I am not sure who or what the culprit is as it could be just my nail polish application skill, the formula or the brush or a combination. It just does not look great on my nails. The sad thing is I really love the color but it always looks streaky and unflattering. When I use one coat,it does not appear streaky but the formula seems watery and when I apply the second coat, it just goes cray cray. So, it is definitely my least favorite of the lot.

This is the most accurate photo of how it looks on me in real life :-)))

          This was the closest I could get to the true colour.   L-R Juicy(Shade 15), Shade 11 and Nectar (Shade 16)                                                                   

                                                                          MUA Lipsticks

I love MUA lipsticks because they are affordable and fairly pigmented although you may need to reapply if you eat, drink, kiss (teeheehee),etc. I love the finish of their lipsticks as they are creamy with a slight lustre to it which means you can skip lip gloss which I do when wearing them and it still looks great. I think with their new additional pieces to their lipstick collection; they have added real names alongside the number of the lipstick which I think is really great. Before now, they just called them Shade 10 or 11 but now it's Shade 16 "Nectar" or Shade 15" Juicy"and I love that.

This photo does not do it justice at all :-((

Shade 11: This has to be my favorite lipstick of all time apart from MAC Hug Me reviewed here. This is my usual go to lipstick and one of the first lipsticks I am repurchasing. It is flesh tone pink lipstick which can be worn as an everyday lippie. I wear this to work because it could almost pass for nude because of its natural tones. The formula and finish is great and I love its classy black packaging.

Shade 16 "Nectar": This is my new fav for bright lipsticks because it is perfect for my complexion. Although, I love pink lipsticks, I tend to go for the almost nude or fairly bright ones as the really bright or duller/pale ones look either ashy or unflattering for me. This strikes the right balance for me. This would be my new  weekend lipstick. I would describe it as a coral pink with a tinge of peach in it. As you can tell, I am quite rubbish in describing colours and I hope the swatch at the end of the post does the talking for me.

The lighting was a bit off as its actual colour is a pale pink

Shade 15 Juicy: For me, this did not live up to its juicy claims. Hahaha, I am kidding. However, it is not flattering on me at all. Unfortunately, I was unable to swatch this before buying and it turns out it does not look anything near how the bottom swatch(the colour peeking out at the bottom). It falls under the category of pale pink/baby pink and looks a tad ashy on me. I guess the only way I can pull this off is mixing or manipulating the colour with another lippie. Of course, i am not too bothered because it cost only a quid so no stress.

Again, apologies for the lighting

I hope you have enjoyed this post and you can check out the new MUA collection whenever you are in either Boots or SuperDrug. See you in my next post and have a lovely week ahead...toodles...xxx

Beauty and Cosmetic Finds for £1 and Under

Hi Lovelies,

Following on from my previous post on Drug Store Foundations (Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Review) and How to get Free Beauty Samples, I decided to write up another blog post on beauty finds I have purchased for £1 and under. I hope everyone is well and fine and also looking forward to the weekend which is fast approaching! Now, many of these beauty finds are one-offs meaning I found them all by chance while others actually retail for £1 pound or under and are widely available. Most of them were purchased in the UK while a good number of them were purchased in Nigeria which is my beautiful home country. Let's get started!

Anyone who knows me personally would know I love bargains. Be it clothing, makeup and even food( blush), i love to get a good bargain or discount. I am pretty sure i am not alone here. When i was a student, most of my clothing items were bought on Sales and with my student discount from many generous shops like Dorothy Perkins, Missselfridge, Topshop and New Look. I love H and M but they never (and still) don't offer student discounts although they have sales occasionally online and in store. I always take full advantage. For beauty items, I usually wait for email alerts from DrugStores such as Boots or Departmental stores like Debenhams, John Lewis and House of Fraser for any sales or discount on beauty items which is usually 10% and may not sound fantastic but if you are buying a high end pricey product, it comes in pretty handy.

These were sold in a set for £1 in PoundLand :-)

In my wandering ways, searching for the perfect bargain and discount, I stumbled upon Pound Land. For those of you who don't know about Pound Land, from its name,  you can deduce it is simply a shop (or a chain of shops) which sell different items for only £1 pound. It is usually my shop of choice for snacks, household items and the odd nick-nacks. However, I noticed the Pound Land in Arndale Manchester had started stocking beauty items which I never bothered checking. One day,  I glanced past the aisle and I saw some known brands like Sally Hansel, Wet 'n' Wild, Rimmel, Revlon and Miss Sporty.

Sally Hansen Powder Blush(Dusk) and Cream Blush (Sunset)

 I always imagined they will only stock unknown brand, I was in for a pleasant surprise. This experience prompted me to explore other options of 99p Stores,  £1 Pounds Stores and even Quality Save. I am going to share with you some beauty finds I have purchased from these stores and some random stores in Nigeria when I was on holiday.

                                                    Sally Hansen Nail Polish range

I got these lovely nail polishes from Pound Land in Manchester. It actually came in a set of three beauty items which included a lipstick, a blush/lip gloss and a nail polish - all for one pound. Guurl, I bought about 20 of them because I called my sister ,also a bargain queen like me,who wanted some of these beauty goodies . I  sent her a picture and she instantly loved it so I had to get a stash of these goodies for her as well. Good a thing i did at the time because when my greedy self returned to buy more they were gone.  

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails "Hard as Wraps" Collection purchased in Pound land

I happened to go to Leeds for an exam and I was browsing through their Pound Land only to find these sets again. I promptly got some for my friends. I think the news about them spread quickly because they soon got out of stock from Pound Land and the few available were no longer sold in sets but separately which was still not bad at all. These nail polishes are super. Sally Hansen Nail polishes need no introduction because I believe they are well known in the beauty world. The particular range available in Pound Land at the time was the "Hard as Nails Hard as Wraps" collection which are excellent quality with slender nail brushes. The nail polish dries easily with minimal streaking which is what I love most about it.

                                           Sally Hansen Color Comfort Lip Color
I never knew Sally Hansen produced lipsticks or lip color. Of course they are not as pigmented as Mac lipsticks but they are very good quality. They are also quite moisturizing and they are soft on the lips.

You may need to reapply this during the day as it is not very pigmented but I really like these lipsticks. I have not been able to find them elsewhere except Ebay and Amazon. I feel they are more readily available in USA. They do not retail for a £1 normally on the Sally Hansen site or Ebay/Amazon.

                                                       Sally Hansen Blushes

Again, I had no idea Sally Hansen made blushes as well. I love these blushes because I feel they are fairly pigmented and really flatter my complexion. I got the powder blush and cream blush. I am not a huge fan of cream blushes in general maybe because i have not yet mastered the art of applying them flawlessly. The powder blush is really lovely and easy to apply. You just need a little and it goes a long way.

                                                      Sally Hansen Lip gloss

I think , after the Sally Hansen lipsticks, these are my favorite beauty finds. They are the only lip glosses i reach for often. I love the selection of shades that came with these sets. The Citrine shade which is a light cream color with the slightest shade of pink is my go-to lipgloss. I use this with almost all my lipsticks because I love nude or light pink lipsticks and this lip gloss accentuates their colors perfectly. 

I also got the purple shade which I apply alongside my lilac or purple lipsticks including Mac's Girl About Town. I have to say these lip glosses are very pigmented and last far longer than the lipsticks. They also have a slight tingling sensation when applied but i don't mind at all because I think it's the lip nourishing action taking place (hahaha) but don't quote me on that.

                                                Revlon Nails No Smudge Dry Oil

I found this little treasure in Pound Land as well. It is the perfect company for your top coat. It is more like an oil in a small bottle and it has a nice thin applicator which helps a great deal. It basically helps nail polish top coats dry faster and protects it from smudges. 

This is one of my prized nail polish accessory because it prevents smudges from getting on my nails. I get a little impatient when I paint my nails and I usually end up with either smudges or a complete mess of my nails. This prevents that from happening and aids in quick drying of my nails. For just £1 at Pound Land, I think it is super. I am not sure how much it retails normally.

                                          MUA (Make Up Academy) Lipsticks

If you live in the UK, I am pretty sure you are quite familiar with the MUA brand. They are a unique brand of make up that sell almost all their products for just a pound. I did not buy these from Poundland; i got them from normal shops like Super Drugs and Boots.

 They are surprisingly good quality and I love their lipsticks best. They are very very pigmented and come in really nice shades. For £1, I think the quality and packaging is really good. The number 11 shade lipstick is my favorite and it reminds me of my MAC Hug Me lipstick which is almost finished now.  Although they are very pigmented, you may need to reapply this during the day.

                                                 MUA (Make Up Academy) Nail Polish

I also love their nail polish range because the colors are very attractive and the formula is quite good for a £1 pound nail polish. The only down side is the brush which feels really plasticky for lack of  a better word.  It is not the easiest nail polish brush to work with but it's only a £1 pound so I can't complain. :-)

                                              L'Oreal Glam Shine Lip Color

I think I bought these from a Quality Save stores and they were all £1 pound each. They are a cross between a lipstick and a lip color. To be honest, they are really very sheer and may be classed as a a tinted lip gloss. They are really shiny (they are not called Glam Shine for fancy) and have a relatively ok lasting power on the lips. I love them so much especially for days when you just want to be casual and effortless. Sadly, I think this particular range with metallic packaging has been discontinued which is such a shame because I love this collection. I think L'Oreal still have the Glam Shine range but it comes in different packaging and I believe it is a different formula as well.

               

                             

                                      Wet and Wild Beauty Benefits Oil Free Foundation

I got this from Pound Land yet again (I told you they are very good). It is definitely not my shade and it is not the sort of foundation I use but it is perfect for highlighting under my eye brow. I normally don't use this for any other purposes and I don't really like how it feels against my skin so I just stick to it as an under eyebrow highlighter. Some days when I feel adventurous, I use it as an under eye concealer but it is used sparingly. You can't always buy nice things you know and it's only a pound so no sweat. 

                

                                                    Primark Spot Swat Treatment Gel
I got this from Primark's Beauty and Bath section. It was only 50p which I think is an absolute bargain. It does not clear spots or blemishes per but it reduces redness which is noticeable the next day. It contains some menthol and witch hazel which i think is the active ingredient. I can't seem to find this in the Primark which is close to where I stay. 
                     

                 

                                              Buffing/ Bronzing Synthetic Brush
I can't remember the actual brand name of this brush because it was bought for me by my lovely sister who always spoils me with many, many gifts. She got this from a £1 pound shop in Coventry. This brush is made of synthetic hair(or are they called bristles??) and is one of my reached for brushes to apply my powder and generally smooth out my makeup. It has stood the test of time. The only down side is it sheds quite a lot especially when it is washed. But, it still has quite a lot of hair left so no worries at all. 

                    

               

                                                            NYC Lipsticks
This was also bought in a random £1 pound shop. I have never tried anything from the NYC brand so i was quite curious to try this. While the shades are beautiful and apply smoothly, I am not a fan of this lipstick because its packaging is really bizarre.  You are unable to roll or slide this lipstick down which means it is always rolled up and smudges easily against any and everything. It is definitely not a lipstick to take on any travels because your clothing and luggage will be in a huge mess. You don't even want to put this in your handbag or make up bag either unless you want multiple smudges everywhere. This is just to spruce up your dressing table..lol

                                                 Air Woman Eye Brow Pencil 
I got this lovely eye pencil when I was back home in Nigeria for Holidays. I purchased this from Kuddy Cosmetics which is Beauty and Cosmetic Store with a few branches in different parts of Nigeria. What makes them stand out is the quality and wide range of beauty products sold in their shops for very affordable prices. Many Nigerians( including me) love to buy imported items especially cosmetics although there are many high quality indigenous brands like BM Pro, Tara Cosmetics and Zaron to mention a few.

I got this for an equivalent of 75p which is really amazing. I always have trouble finding my exact brow shade in pencils which is why I stock up on these whenever I am in Nigeria. This eyebrow pencil is wonderful with its own sharpener. I have never heard or used this brand but I definitely would purchase it again. 

                 

                                                             

                                               Jordana USA Lip Liners

Again, I got these from Nigeria and I absolutely love it. Jordana USA is a well known brand in Nigeria and I love many of their products. I got these from the Trade Fair Shopping Complex which has a wide variety of complexes in a vast land. The complexes are named after all the 36 states in Nigeria which I think is a lovely genius idea. I definitely can't remember what complex I got these from but they are really pigmented and go well with many of my lipsticks.

They are jumbo pencils which come with their own functioning sharpeners and are two sided. Some pencils come with dodgy sharpeners which always break when you try to sharpen the pencils which makes me really annoyed :-(

                                                      Vital Lip Liner Pencils

I got these lovely lip liners from PAK here in London. PAK is a UK Based Hair and Beauty shop which is quite well known in London especially among women of color because they stock a variety of beauty and hair products/extensions for them. I love PAK and I usually purchase almost all my hair (both natural and synthetic) products from them such as Shea Butter, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, etc and a wide variety of hair extensions. I found these lip liners which were on offer for 3 for £1. I bought them just for the sake of it but I was really surprised to find they were good quality and really went well with many of my lipsticks especially the brown lip liner. 

                                       

  I love PAK and I usually purchase almost all my hair (both natural and synthetic) products from them such as Shea Butter, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, etc and a wide variety of hair extensions. I found these lip liners which were on offer for 3 for £1. I bought them just for the sake of it but I was really surprised to find they were good quality and really went well with many of my lipsticks especially the brown lip liner. 

                                      

                                                         Avon Nail Experts in Aquamarine

Avon is another well known affordable beauty and cosmetic brand. I got this in Nigeria and it cost about 80p equivalent which is brilliant. I was really attracted by the color because it is catchy and excellent for Spring. I love the way it applies on my nails and I think its formula is good quality.

                       

                                ELF(Eyes Lips and Face) Nail Polish
The ELF brand is well known in Europe and USA and I believe in many other countries. They are a Beauty and Cosmetic brand which sells good quality products for very affordable prices which I think makes them stand out among other brands. They always improve on their brand and are forever offering discount codes and offers. However, they are only available online. I doubt if many or even any stores sell them in store. But they ship orders very promptly. These nail polishes were only £1 each and I decided to just try these out. The quality is excellent and I love how they look on my nails. They do not chip easily as well which is a plus for them and the nail polish brush is quite large and long so the chances of streaking or mistakes is minimal.

                    

Wowzas, this was a rather long post and if you made it to this point...Thank you for sticking with me. I enjoyed taking these pictures at Dusk which is not my usual time to take pictures. I love taking pictures during the day or when the sun is out but I decided to try out dusk time photos this time and I think they look good. What do you think?... I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did. I am in the process of putting together another Iphoneography  post up..So watch out for it.. Have a lovely weekend ahead..xx

*DISCLOSURE: I have no material relationship to any brand or person mentioned in this post. All Opinions are mine and the products were bought and paid for by me.