MUA Undress Me Too Palette: Swatches and Review

As part of my 100 Day Spending Reductions I'm trying to save as many pennies as possible. I've been debating over purchasing the Urban Decay Naked Palettes for some time now but I decided against it as I think my money could be better spent elsewhere!

I used to be a huge fan of MUA but recently I haven't really been wowed by their new releases, and having had a few PR slip ups recently I haven't really rushed into Superdrug to stalk their MUA section. However I was in my local Superdrug this morning and saw that their newest line of Undressed products were on special offer so I decided to pick up this palette. Many people have claimed that it's a dupe to Urban Decay's much loved Naked 2 Palette so I was looking forward to trying this out.

MUA have opted to switch their new palette's to white, which i think looks beautiful then it's brand new, but imagine can get quite dirty fairly quickly! In the pan all of the shades look really pretty and shades I think are really wearable. I really like the fact that the shades now have names. I think this gives the palette a lot more of a personal touch and it's a lot easier to identify individual shades instead of the previous numbering system. However I am quite let down that the shades are a blatant copy of Urban Decay.I have to question the integrity of a company that essentially copies a much more established brand. If I remember correctly MUA actually commented on their Facebook page that this palette was a dupe of UD (However I cannot find the exact comment after searching!) I understand many people (myself included) lust after the UD palettes but can't always afford them so it is nice to have a more purse friendly option, but for a company to actually advertise this in such a way didn't sit well with me! However onto the actual product!

In the pan my favourite shade of the top row would probably be Shy, which is a cool toned champagne shade, however I'm quite disappointed that it is barely noticeable on my skin tone so that's one shade I definitely won't be opting for! 

None of the shades on the top row give particularly amazing colour, and the only two shades I'm likely to wear would be Naked, for a highlight, and Firey. 

The bottom row looks a lot more appealing to me in the pan and I really looked forward to using these. However after swatching I am again slightly disappointed with the lack of pigment! Exposed and Reveal really stood out to me in the pan as they are something a little more unusual compared to what we've had in the previous neutral palettes! However I think I'll really have to build these colours up in order to actually do much with them! I expected Corrupt to be a really pigmented black yet I really had to fight with it in order to really get anything from it!


I understand that MUA often recommend using their Eye Primer with their eyeshadow products in order to get the best colour from it. However after using the product once it really irritated my eyes so it got thrown straight in the bin. I have no problems with the pigmentation of any of the older MUA palettes so I feel really let down by this palette. At the moment I'm seeing this as £3 wasted I could have put towards the actual Naked Palette!



Have any of you guys used this palette? What were your thoughts? X

Urban Decay Naked Basics

As soon as Urban Decay announced their 'Naked Basics' palette it instantly had my attention. Urban Decay is one of my favourite brands but I was always reluctant so spend £36 on the full sized naked palettes. However I didn't even stop to think before ordering this as soon as it was released on the Debenhams website.

I really like the packaging of Urban Decay products and Naked Basics definitely lives up to my high expectations. It's quite sturdy and durable but without being too heavy. The in-built mirror means I have less to carry around in my bag and it's generally a good size. I'm really quite heavy handed when it comes to my handbag so I half expected this to get crushed and ruined in my bag on my daily travels but it's held up really well!

I've been turning to my Naked Basics palette due to it's versatility. With the shades being matte they are a lot more wearable for everyday use. I've found myself particularly drawn to the shades Venus, Naked 2 and Faint, with a hint of Crave at night times. When I'm on the go and haven't got time to really be fussing Faint is also perfect for filling in my brows, and it stays in place all day. The colour pay off of the shades is really long lasting and stays in place all day, however I find using a primer is always the best bet on a night out!

Admittedly it did take a while for me to warm to using these shades as the all matte shades do look quite strange as I am used to a good bit of shimmer! However I do see this as an investment piece so I removed all other eye palettes from my make up bag which gave me more of a chance to play around with this palette and get used to the shades and now it is definitely a firm favourite! It has also persuaded me to invest in the full sized naked palettes!



Have you tried the Naked Basics Palette? Let me know? X

Essie Sand Tropez

When Essie nail polishes were released in Boots I was not one of the many that flocked in to try them out, although I was impressed with their range of shades I was never really blown away by any so it was never a priority for me to try some. However I received an offer of 2 Essie polishes for £12 in Boots 'say yes to summer' offers a few months ago, I cut it the voucher out and popped it in my purse but never really made an effort to use it! However I noticed it was due to expire sometime soon so I went into my local Boots to use it while I still could! 

Sand Tropez is a cool nude shade and it perfect for winter. It's a cool grey-toned nude beige colour which is incredibly versatile! I'm currently wearing it as a base of leopard print nail art! The formula applies so nicely and I am a big fan of the wide brush which Essie is well loved for! However after wearing this polish a few times I have concluded that it needs quite a hard wearing top coat as it is prone to small chipping after a little wear. 

Overall I am really loving Sand Tropez at the moment as a transitional polish from Summer (which seems forever ago!) to winter! It has really made me sit up and take notice of Essie polishes and I feel I will definitely be investing in some more soon! 

Which is your favourite Essie shade? Let me know! X 

17 Blusher in Nude

Up until recently I always steered away from Nude tone blushers as I always assumed they would be too 'dark' for my naturally pale skin. Instead I opted for pale pink shades but I never really found anything that 'wowed' me. 

But whilst browsing the 17 make up stand in my local boots I was instantly taken by Nude, it's a more neutral tone than I usually go for but I felt for going for something a bit different without spending too much money in case I didn't like it, so this Blusher seemed ideal for me! 

This is the second 17 Blusher I own, the other being China Pink, which is a very cool toned pink, so I was familiar with the formula of this product beforehand, but decided to experiment with a shade I would never usually pay much attention to. 

This blusher has become a staple in my make up bag as I feel it is incredibly versatile. It is quite pigmented so a little goes a long way for a nice natural looking flush, yet can be built up for contouring without looking like it's been caked on! 

17 Blusher in Nude is available in Most Boots stores and Boots online for £3.49, and Boots are currently offering a free gift when you spend over £5.99 on 17 products! 

Have you tried any 17 blushers? What do you think of them? X 

OPI Skull and Glassbones

Skull and Glossbones is part of OPI's Pirates of The Caribbean Collection which was released in May 2011 to celebrate the release of On Stranger's Tides. At the time this was released I never really took notice of 'higher brand' nail polishes and I am deeply regretting that now as from researching this collection some of the shades look gorgeous, yet they are becoming increasingly difficult to hunt down, and I don't fully trust sites such as eBay for buying OPI polishes as it is notorious for bad quality fakes. 

Luckily whilst browsing my local TK Maxx I picked up this polish as part of a set (which also included my beloved Wocka Wocka) and I was pleased to be buying shades from two of my favourite collections. 

Skull and Glossbones can be described as quite a muted, neutral grey shade. After originally looking at the POTC Collection I would have said that this shade instantly stood out to me but after trying it on I was definitely sold on it. It's not a colour I would wear on a regular basis as I am a big fan of vivid, in your face nails, but it's a colour I would choose for more neutral look, and I have a lovely nail art planned starring this shade! 

I would love to test this shade against the silver shatter that was part of the POTC Collection as I think it would add a bit more depth and interest to the shade, but this is definitely a colour I would pick up for a a more subtle nail colour. 

Skull and Glossbones was part of the limited edition Pirates of the Caribbean set from OPI, and therefore is no longer readily available, but there are still a few floating around on amazon and ebay! 

OPI Wocka Wocka Muppets Collection

Wocka Wocka is a deep scarlet red offering as part of the OPI Muppets Collection, originally released last December. Despite being a big fan I never picked up any of the Muppets Polishes when they were originally available, which I now really regret, but whilst browsing TK Maxx recently I noticed they had a gift set of three OPI polishes for £11 so I decided to buy it and was thrilled to see that it included Wocka Wocka!

I am never usually drawn to red polishes but as I love the Muppets I thought I'd try it to see what it's like and I am offically in love! It's quite an intense berry shade which is unlike any reds I've tried before. The formula is of a high standard I've come to expect of OPI. I found that one coat provided enough coverage, and one coat is used in the below picture.   

Overall I am so impressed with this shade and it will definitely be appearing on my nails on a regular basis. I am currently wearing it with my Nails Inc Edinburgh Gate as an accent nail and they compliment each other perfectly. 

Wocka Wocka is no longer available to buy directly from OPI but it is available online, although I would stress the importance of trusting the seller if you were to purchase it. OPI has been known to be 'duped' and faked online, especially on eBay, and I don't want my lovely readers to be followed into buying a rip off product! 

MUA Heaven and Earth VS Undressed

I've recently become interested in the MUA palettes after seeing such positive reviews, so I thought I'd pick two of the most popular ones up, which are Heaven and Earth and Undressed. Both are neutral toned shadows which I usually tend to use for a day look. I have put them to the test to see which one wins the battle of the palettes! 

 Heaven and Earth is the original Neutral Palette from MUA and features a range of warm toned browns and cool beige and cream tones. These are perfect for a day time friendly eye look and create a lovely, less dramatic smokey eye in comparison to a traditional black smokey eye. 

However I feel that a lot of the shades in Heaven and Earth are very similar when applied, for example shade 4 and 9, which lets this palette down slightly for me. However I still feel this will earn a permanent place in my make up bag!

Since MUA's Undressed Palette has been released it has created a well earned reputation as a Urban Decay Naked Dupe and for good reason. All you have to do is google 'Undressed vs Naked Palette' and you will see the vast similarities between the two palettes. This is perfect for people who are interested in the Naked Palette but cannot afford the price tag! 

Undressed also offers a more varied colour range, with more neutral and metallic ranges which allows it to be more versatile, allowing you to create a daytime look or something more dramatic.

Overall I think my favourite palette is definitely Undressed! It provides an almost identical dupe to the Naked palette which is definitely a godsend for me and my purse! I also like that it provides a wide range of shades so I can mix up my look a bit more without having to carry around a million different single shades! 

Despite this I am also a big fan of Heaven and Earth and will not be neglecting it at all!

Have you tried either the Heaven and Earth or the Undressed Palette? What do you think, and which is your favourite? Let me know! X 

MUA Going For Gold Review

To celebrate Team GB's AMAZING victories this weekend I popped into my local Superdrug to pick up the MUA Going For Gold Palette. This limited edition palette has 10 shimmery eye shadows in various shades of Gold, Silver and Bronze which is perfect for getting into the Olympic spirit! 

Despite being fairly new to MUA's eye shadows I can say I am so impressed with every aspect of this product. The packaging is a relatively minimalist black plastic which is aesthetically pleasing but keeps the product safe from bumps. I threw this in my bag after purchasing and it stayed as good as new! 

This palette is fairly different to other MUA offerings as the pans are square in comparison to the standard circular ones. I feel this is much better as it feels like you get more product, as well as having more space to swirl your brush around! 

I am so amazed by the high quality of the eye shadows! The pigmentation is astounding and it is such good value for money. The shimmery shades will can create a modern twist on the smokey eye, and they are ideal for highlighting too. Too be honest I was a bit taken back by the brightness of the colours to begin with, especially Shade 5 (top far right) as in the pan it's very 'in your face' but in hindsight it can be really wearable when blended with other shades. 

Despite being Olympic Inspired palette I think these will be lovely 'holiday' shades and would look gorgeous with a tan! I have definitely been converted to MUA palettes, having recently picked up Undressed and Heaven and Earth as well, and I will definitely be going back for more palettes! 

Have you tried any of the MUA palettes? What do you think of the quality of money in comparison to other brands? Let me know! X 

MUA Going For Gold is available in selected Superdrug stores and online here for £4, but it's currently on offer for £1 off! 

Front Cover Rainbow Eyes Reborn

Eye shadow palettes have always been quite popular as they provide complimentary shades and are usually good value for money in comparison to buying each shadow individually. Recently we have seen the much hyped Naked Palettes and their more affordable counterparts, MUA's Heaven and Earth and Undressed Palettes, but I felt it was about time I introduce you to my favourite palette of all time...

Front Cover Rainbow Eyes Reborn offers 25 eye shadows in a huge array of colours, and is my number one go to palette time after time. I find there is plenty to choose from and it is so incredibly versatile. I've had mine for about 18 months now and I haven't hit pan on any of them, which must be a good thing! I was originally under the impression that this product was exclusively released in Boots over the Christmas period, but after some research I have found that it is actually available on the Boots website all year round which is brilliant news for me! 

Below I have swatched each of the colours to demonstrate how piigmented the shadows are, as well as show off the gorgeous shades!

Nudes: (L-R) Blanc de Blanc, Mother of Pearl, Biscuit, Hazel, Clove

Cools (L-R) Moonstruck, Eucalyptus, Cerulean, Wisteria, Black Iris

Warm (L-R) Blossom, Pink Lemonade, Blush, Viola, Chocolate Truffle

Jewels (L-R) Fern, Bluebird, Riviera, Clematis, True Blue

Wow (L-R) Wild Lime, Buttercup, French Blue, Carrot, Super Pink

As well as 25 amazing eye shadows Rainbow Eyes also provides 'Shadowline' a transparent liquid eyeliner which you can use on any of the shades to create a eyeliner colour of your choice. I think this is a brilliantly innovative product, and I haven't brought a liquid liner since buying this! Below I have demonstrated the difference between using a shadow by itself and with the Shadowline. As you can see it makes a more defined look. 

Mother of Pearl, Left swatched, Right Shadowlined

Overall I cannot recommend Rainbow Eyes Reborn enough, and I don't feel I really need to buy anymore eye shadows so this is definitely an investment buy. Front Cover Rainbow Eyes is available online at Boots here for £31.50

Have you used any of Front Cover's eyeshadows? What do you think of them? X 

Teeny Tiny MUA Haul

As payday isn't until the end of next week I was feeling like I wanted to treat myself but I didn't want to go overboard on my poor bank account, so I popped into my local Superdrug store to see what MUA could offer me. Despite the Superdrug in Central Milton Keynes being a generous size, they only stock the most basic MUA range, which is an absolute nightmare with all of these lovely new products they've been releasing! Admittedly the display wasn't greatly stocked so I decided to pick up a few Lipsticks. I usually have a love-hate relationship with lip products and I don't have a huge collection so I decided to pick up a few in varying shades. 

Shade 4, 9, 11, 14

When I do buy lip products I always seem to opt for rosy light pink shades which I don't feel suit me too well, so I decided to divulge into some more neutral tones to broaden my collection of lip products as well as give me a bit more of a choice when doing my make up! 

Shade 4

Shade 9

Shade 11

Shade 14 

Of all of the above shades my favourite would be 'Shade 14 - Bare' which I believe is one of their newer shades, guessing by the fact that it has a name! The name says it all really and it's a cool nude colour which is extremely wearable and I think this may be going a long side my MUA shade 7 and Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait in my make up bag! However I'm incredibly impressed with the pigmentation is so impressive for the price, which makes MUA such an impressive Brand! Knowing the brilliant quality of these products makes me really envy people who have a bigger selection of MUA products in their local stores, but I will definitely be searching out a Superdrug store on my upcoming trip to London to get my hands on their PRO line and some of their newly released products!

MUA Lipsticks are available for £1 for 3.8g of product online and in selected Superdrug stores!

Have you tried any MUA lipsticks? How do you feel they compare to more expensive products? X

Nails Inc Edinburgh Gate Swatches

Edinburgh Gate by Nails Inc is a glitter polish, with tones of red, blue, silver, gold and green. Since I rather stupidly removed my false nails by myself (broken nails and chipped tooth, booo :(! ) my nails are currently in an appalling condition and I wanted something sparkly and fun to mask how dreadful they look. 

I purchased Edinburgh Gate as part of a Nails Inc gift set, as mentioned in this post. I'm not sure that it is available to buy individually but I believe it is part of the 'All That Glitters' set* if anyone is it! I was pleasantly surprised by how this polish is applied, two coats provides a satisfactory coverage but I applied three to even it out and give it a little bit more ooomph!

One Coat

Two Coats

Three Coats 

I did find this formula quite sticky and difficult to apply. The polish is clear and I can only describe it as 'gloopy' and it took quite a while to dry fully, and the glitter did get a bit everywhere but overall I really like the look of this polish. It's very eye catching and really makes a statement. The above pictures show quite a silver shine to the glitter but I failed to capture the multi coloured hues in my pictures, so it looks different every time I catch a glimpse of it. 

Here is a close up of the polish and here you can see better the different colours of the glitters. I think this looks quite Christmasy so I think I might save this polish for winter, but I love the sparkle it brings to my nails. Overall I think this isn't a really wearable polish the glitter does come away from the polish somewhat, leaving me with everything I touch turning glittery. I think I would keep this a special Christmas polish, and perhaps use it as accent shade instead of using it on every nail, as it does look a little over the top, but the magpie in me loves the sparkle!  

*After doing a little research I can't find this polish available anywhere, so the best bet would be to pop into your local TK Maxx and see if you can pick it up like I did. This polish was part of a set for £14.99