I was really excited this month to get a free haul of MUA Make Up with a magazine subscription. I’ve seen this brand online, and heard great things about it, but never got around to trying it. I was so excited when it arrived because there was a whole kit of new things to play with, and the colours and design were so great. So here is the look I created with the products, and also a review of the brand and the pieces included.

MUA Makeup Academy products are a UK based brand, and can be found in Superdrug, for those of you who are based here, or online at their website HERE, where you can get it sent anywhere, worldwide. The brand is all about good quality at affordable prices, and items that can be used in a versatile way, which makes them really cool additions to any kit. Over all, I found all of the products to be really good quality, so I was surprised at how reasonably priced they were! (And they don’t test on animals, either!)

The kit included:

• Eyeshadow Palette in Dusk Til Dawn
• Sweet Sheen Lip Balm in Purple Pizzazz
• LUXE Bright and Lighten Eye Primer
• Eye Define Volume & Line Mascara
• LUXE Blush Shimmer
• Shimmer Kisses Bronzer

These items range from about £3 – £5 each, so they’re a really simple, fun way to update your makeup bag.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the pigments, so for this makeover I focused on a more natural look, allowing the products to speak for themselves a bit. I used the primer on my lids and a little as a concealer, to hide my dark circles. Using my own DiorSkin Forever base, I followed with the Blush Shimmer on the apples of my cheeks, with a little of the lightest shade in the Shimmer Kisses Bronzer as a highlighter along the tops of my cheek bones, and the darker shade to define below.

The mascara has a built in soft kohl like liner, so I started with that, working it into the base of my lashes to define my eyes. I then used the eye shadow palette: portia on the inner corner and brow bone, colombo in the crease, callisto on the lid and kari on the outer corner. I used the shades sparingly and got good coverage, but for the evening, I could build the colour a little very easily.

I then added two coats of the mascara and slicked on the Sweet Sheen lip balm, which although it looks really purple, is really smooth and gives a soft sheer lip glossy look, as you can see.

Given the epic range of colours in the eyeshadow palette, I could have done a really dramatic eye look, and I’m really looking forward to playing with them more, so watch this blog for more eye looks. Overall, I’m really impressed with this brand. I probably would have overlooked them in stores because of how inexpensive they are, assuming that the quality wouldn’t be there, but that’s not at all the case.

The shimmer blush I love, because the shade really suits me. It gives me that post workout kind of glow, and the eye primer is really good. I’ve started using it all the time. I love how it makes your eye makeup really last and it conceals and brightens. The eyeshadow palette is really cool. And the lip balm I will definitely be getting in a few colours, it makes you lips really moisturised and gives them a slight shine and a tiny hint of colour but also looks a bit like your not wearing anything. Huge fan. (Although the lid comes off really easily so I can’t just throw it in my handbag).

Least favourites? The mascara with the liner seems like a really cool idea, but it didn’t give me great lashes, and the attached kohl liner was ok. Not life changing, but still cool. The shimmer bronzer with it’s four colours I like, but is perhaps more of a contouring/strobing thing than I’m really into. I might employ it as a nude eye shadow. The bronze shades are not that dark either, so it’s all a bit subtle. Some of the packaging feels a little cheap or fragile, lids that come off easily or clasps that might break if not handled gently, but what I can say is that they are not wasting money on the package at the expense of the product. The cosmetics themselves are really nice.

If you’d like to purchase any of these, Superdrug or HERE for online shopping with international shipping. And as stated above, this came free with a magazine subscription, so I wasn’t paid or gifted the items for review. Just felt like sharing them with you.

Have any of you used this brand? What did you think? Leave a comment below, and if you liked this post you might also like this Summer bright look HERE or this post HERE about other hair, skin and makeup products I’ve tried lately.