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

MUA Brow Pencils VS Pro Brow Palette

When MUA recently announced the release of their Pro-Brow Palette there was such a buzz of excitement from the Beauty World. Having already made a name for themselves with providing brilliant quality products at an extremely affordable price, MUA had set themselves some high expectations with their Brow Palette! I usually use MUA's Brow Pencils so I decided to put the two to the test to see which product wins a place in my make up bag! 

Brow Pencils 

Personally I was really impressed when I first tried my first Brow Pencil. The formula is quite creamy and stays in place without smudging which is vital for me! (Nobody wants an eyebrow halfway down their face!) Despite only coming in two shades - Blonde and Brunette - I find using both gives me a good colour to work with, and the two blend together nicely. 

Pros

- The pencil gives good control and I can use the product exactly how I want it to 

- The two colours give me a nice colour which suits my complexion 

- I really like the brush, it allows me to soften my look so I don't have the dreaded scouse brow!

Cons

- The two available colours may not suit everyone 

- I would have liked a sharpener similar to MUA's eyeliner pencils 

Initially when I opened my Brow Palette this evening for the first time I was slightly disappointed, it was completely sealed yet when I opened it, there was finger marks in the product which slightly grossed me out and almost ruined the new product experience for me! After my initial doubts I tried the product and instantly fell in love! The three powder colours provide really versatile shades which can be blended easily and the wax isn't too greasy and really holds my brows in place. 

Pros

- 3 shades provide shades suitable to define and highlight brows

- Fixing wax is lightweight and doesn't clog up 

- Mirror allows for one less product in my makeup bag 

Cons

- The tiny tweezers and brush are quite difficult to handle, but I would usually use my own full sized tools

Overall I think I personally prefer the Brow Palette. I feel the three shades allow me to create a more neutral look where as I have to blend and work hard to create a natural look with the pencils. However I do really like the brushes of the pencils so I think when I have the time I will be using both products to take extra time and care on my brows! 

Have you tried either of the MUA brow products? What did you think of them? X 

Weekly Wants #5

1. Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation - £27 - I've been lusting after this foundation for quite a while now but I didn't want to spend £27 without being sure it'll be perfect for me but I've read a few reviews now and I think I'm pretty much sold on this but I'm still a tiny bit worried about matching a perfect colour! 

2. MUA Brow Palette - £3.50 - It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of MUA and I was so pleased when I first heard they have released a Brow Palette, I was originally going to try the Fashionista offering but I'm sure this is going to brilliant quality, and I will definitely be picking this up next time I'm in Superdrug.

3. Shell Pink Dip Hem Dress - £29.99 - I saw this dress in my local New Look last week and instantly fell in love with it, but I feel like buying it will be a bit pointless as I have nothing nice to wear it to :(!

4. Navy Blue Vans - £40 - I need a new pair of Vans as my grey ones are getting a little bit worse for wear but I don't want another pair of greys so I might go for Navy Blue instead 

5. Striped Jumper - £10 - I'm looking for things I can just chuck on and be comfy at uni, because I'm commuting this year and I'm going to be spending lots of time on buses and trains so I want to make sure I'm going to be comfortable!

6. L'Oreal Perfect Blonde Creme Maximum - £6.29 - I'm thinking of dying my hair completely blonde and this is what I used for my Ombré hair so I will probably use this again, although I'm also thinking of dying my hair red for the autumn so can't really decide! 

7. Watt's Up! Highlighter - £24.50 - I've been umming and ahhing over this Highlighter for most of 2012 and I love the look of it but it's a bit costly for my tiny student budget :(! However it is my birthday next month so this will definitely be on my wishlist! 

What are you lusting for at the moment? Let me know! X 

Face of the Day

I haven't really made much of an effort with my appearance recently because I've been quite poorly and I really missed experimenting with my make up! I had a bit of a rummage around in my make up drawers today to play with some make up I haven't used in a while!

Face 

Gosh Xceptional Wear Foundation in Porcelain - Review here

Rimmel Stay Matter Powder

Accessorize Highlighter 

17 Blusher in Nude - Review here

Eyes

Mua Heaven and Earth and Undressed Palettes - Review here

Blink + Go Mascara

MUA Brow Pencil in Brunette

Lips

MUA Lipstick Shade 9

I really like the combination of the Nude Blusher paired with the Accessorize Highlighter and it's a combination I will definitely be using more often in the future and I completely forgot I had this mascara until this morning so I will definitely be using this a lot more often too! 

What have you been wearing recently? X 

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! 

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

What's in my makeup bag?

Bird Print Makeup Bag - £5.99 - H&M 

For my everyday makeup look I rarely tend to mix things up at all, I much prefer to stick to carrying around a few essential items so I can quickly top up on the go without having to worry about having a million different products cluttering up my makeup bag. For the bag itself I fell in love with the design the second I saw it. It's quite a bit bigger than usual bag up makes, which makes it great for throwing in any extra products if I'm travelling, and the bird print instantly did it for me. 

'Everyday' make up 

Above is everything I usually carry in my makeup bag, as you can see I've got most of the essentials and as my bag is so spacious it comfortably fits my Real Techniques Core Collection brushes which is always ideal for touch ups throughout the day. 

 Face - Benefit The Porefessional Mini, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 Transparent, Accessorize Blusher in Scandal, Vivo Baked Bronze in Shade 2, GOSH X-ceptional Wear in Porcelain, Mememe Flawless Concealer in Porcelain, Accessorize Highligher 

First of all a huge sorry for not cleaning my makeup brushes! Although I can promise you they were cleaned on Monday so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! As you can see from the shades of both my foundation and concealer, I have extremely pale skin and I really struggle with finding a good quality foundation which isn't going to leave me with an unrealistic skin tone. By itself I don't rate my GOSH foundation too highly but since teaming it with The Porefessional I have noticed an improvement. I don't use the bronzer and highlighter everyday but use it on a 'need to' basis, using either when I feel like it. 

17 Falsifeye Mascara in Black, Natural Collection Liquid Eyeliner in Black, Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara in Black 

My 17 Mascara is my ultimate go to mascara, I am obsessed with it and it gives me amazing lashes all the time, and I'm sure it's a mascara I will repurchase when I'm finished with this one. I also use my Soap and Glory Thick and Fast as I'm trying my hardest to fall in love with this too, at first I wasn't too keen on it but over time I'm beginning to warn to it, and it gives my lashes a more longer look in comparison to 17. I don't often use eyeliner so I never really feel the need to spend a vast amount on it (and when I do use eyeliner it's usually part of my Front Cover Rainbow Eyes) and admittedly I use this eyeliner more as a replacement nail art pen rather than for it's proper use but every now and then I decide to use this so it's nice to keep it on hand. 

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake, Vaseline Lip Therapy, MUA Lipstick in Shade 7 

Since the Revlon Lip Butters have been released in the UK I have been obsessed with them, I did have one in Peach Parfait as well but I seem to have lost it, which I am heartbroken about as I did prefer that colour to Strawberry Shortcake. I suffer from really dry lips so I tend to swing towards lip products which aim to keep my lips in top condition and Vaseline never disappoints me. Shade 7 is probably my favourite shade of the MUA lipsticks for the daytime as it's a gorgeous rosy pink shade which is really versatile and I feel I can wear it with most things. 

Are any of these products in your makeup bag? And is there any products that are your makeup must haves? Let me know!