A couple of weeks ago on Instagram, I came across MUA’s feed where they showcased various photos of their new Luxe London Collection . What with already being a big fan of their eye shadow palettes, I decided to order a few items from the collection. I was especially excited about trying out the velvet lip lacquers as the swatches that I had seen on Instagram looked amazing – however I was left more than a little underwhelmed. Find out why below:
First up is the Luxe Precision Felt Liner (£3.00). I normally use kohl pencils to line my eyes as I’m thinking that I have a bit of an allergy to liquid ones, so this liner is a nice and dandy go-between. As felt liners go, it’s pretty bog standard and does what it says on the tin. The pigmentation is rich and the staying power is pretty extreme to say the least. The swatch on my hand went away after four days – and that’s WITH showering twice a day. O_o The pen is pretty easy to use and I find it simple to switch between drawing thick and thin lines. Stubbornness aside, I would give it a smooth 7/10.
Next we have the Glitter Palette in Twilight (£4.00). I was at first a bit hesitant towards purchasing this as me and glitter do nor normally get along. However seeing as I am a massive fan of their previous Heaven & Earth natural eye shadow palette (which is AMAZING by the way; I chose it over UD’s Naked range as the colours are extremely pigmented and long lasting), I thought I would take a look see. To be honest, I am a bit disappointed; I was expecting the texture to be a lot more creamy than it was. It’s as if they have mixed vaseline with those little pots of glitter that they used to give us in Primary school. =/
It seems like the kind of “eyeshadow” that you would layer on top of the proper shadow to give eyes that iridescent effect. The longevity isn’t best, around 2 hours, but for the price I’m not complaining. It’s just a shame that the shadows are being marketed as a “luxe” brand, yet is overshadowed (pun not intented) by their basic range. A 4/10.
We then end with the Velvet Lip Lacquers £3.00)…a product I wanted to like so much because apart from one little detail, they are practically perfect. 🙁
Admittedly, I’ve never really gotten on with matte lipglosses so I guess I brought it on myself thinking that this would be different. My problem with matte gloss is that while the bottom lip normally looks flawless and gorgeous, the top lip tells a different story. Patchy, messy and generally streaky: Mostly from the fact that the gloss dries before I have time to even it out on my lips. Uber annoying.
I love the packaging; they come presented in a frosted plastic tube with a black and gold lid. I will admit that the packaging is one of the main reasons why I bought the lipgloss. It just makes the product look so vibrant!
The actual product itself is a tricky one. Pigmentation wise – it’s fine – if you’re quick enough to even out the colour before it dries matte. All the colours are extremely bright and have a drying time of about…15 seconds? Once those seconds are up and you haven’t been able to neaten up your lips, you’re dead as the formula will not budge unless an oil cleanser is applied. Once on the lips, they last for a good 7 hours which is pretty impressive; however the gloss lacquer starts to crumble around the hour mark which means you have to constantly reapply. Lip balm is definitely needed for these babies before application.
In order from left to right: Atomic, Criminal, Funk, Reckless.
Out of all the glosses, I could see myself wearing the bright, blue-based pink “Criminal” and the deep cherry “Reckless.” “Reckless” is absolutely GORGEOUS when applied and it just burns my soul that the application is so messy otherwise this would have been my new winter staple.
Top left: Funk. Top Right: Criminal. Bottom Left: Atomic. Bottom Right: Reckless.
On a whole, I would give the entire collection a 7/10. A 7, which could have easily been a 9 if the lip lacquers sorted their lives out. Maybe it’s just me and application skills but I would say if you normally wear matte glosses and can apply them properly, then definitely pick up a couple because the colours are flawless. If anyone has any tips on matte lipgloss application, please let me know in the comments below!
| You can get the MUA Luxe London Collection from Superdrug stores nationwide and online, starting from £3.00 |
Have you guys tried anything from the collection yet? Also, matte lipglosses would you recommend for a novice?
I have the MUA Lacquers but I can't stand them, maybe I applied them wrong too but I found them sticky and once they dry you cant do anything with them but I find I don't have the same problems with Lime Crime's Red Velvet which is perfect! x
You know, I've been thinking about getting the Lime Crime one for months but wasn't sure how it would apply; do you recommend it? Do you have any reviews on it at all?
xx
I have some of the glitter palettes too. Admittedly I haven't used either of them lol but yes I think these would only be good for patting on the lid for a little bit of sparkle, shame it's not packed on glitter would of been such a good bargain. LOVE the matte lips, how funky neon do they look against your skin – JEL! xo
I looooove the colour but it's the streakiness that's pissing me off. 🙁 sigh* – I'll play around with them a bit more and see how I can apply it differently. Thanks for the read lovely!
I know what you mean with those glitter palettes. They crease in no time, I did a review of them on my blog. I do like the lip lacquers though.
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I'm slowly but surely getting used to them!
Hey love, yeah would def recommend the Lime Crime Velvetine, there's a post on my blog if you're interested, around the same colour as Ruby Woo, I've also heard the Hourglass liquid lipsticks are fab too!!