20140719

MUA (Make Up Academy) Matte Lipstick in Lilac Belle Review


There's not much you can get with £1 these days, other than a slightly depressing-looking McDonald's burger...so when I saw MUA had a vast range of lipsticks for just a pound, I had to get a couple (the other is Fawn Fancy, which I'll be trying out in the next couple of days). I was a little disappointed with the £1 lipstick I got from Makeup Revolution, so I went into Superdrug so I could see these in the flesh. Lilac Belle is pretty outside of my comfort zone but at only £1 I thought it would be fun to try it out!

When I opened it, I had to admit I was terrified, I'm such a neutrals girl and Lilac Belle was just so...lilac...when I swatched it I was still pretty scared. The packaging was surprisingly sleek; simple but nicely designed. It also wasn't too flimsy and has a little sample of the product itself at the bottom, which is really handy for seeing a true reflection of the colour if there are no testers in store. The lipstick has that nice, slightly vanilla-y fragrance you get with a MAC lipstick (I think this is similar to their shade 'Snob', which is slightly more pink than this). 














Below are the swatches. On the left is with flash and on the right is without.














The formula was so creamy and easy to apply; I often don't buy mattes as I find them a bit hard to apply and drying, but no such problems here. I'd say the formula is closer to what MAC would class as 'Satin' than what they would call 'Matte', not dissimilar to the e.l.f. Studio Matte Lip Colour (comparison here). 


So far, so good...I applied it to my lips when they were dry (though I'd put Vaseline on a couple of hours earlier) and it still glided right on! As with most matte lipsticks it did cling a little to dry patches on my lips, but no more than any high-end matte and this is easily solved by using a lip scrub. It's not ultra pigmented, which I quite liked, as you can go for a light application or if you want a more intense colour it's so easy to build on.


I was pleasantly surprised by the colour! It won't be for everyone but it was surprisingly wearable; a lovely pinkish lilac colour. It also had pretty good staying power. I got a good 5 hours of wear out of it and I ate and drank and didn't wear a lip primer. It was an even fade so it just looked like a light application.


After 5 hours of wear

I'm seriously impressed with this lipstick and at £1, I can't wait to get my hands on more of these, MUA have continued to impress me with their high-quality, low-cost products. Much more satisfying than a McDonald's Saver Burger!

TL; DR

Pros

* Creamy
* Easy to apply, especially for a matte!
* Subtle fragrance
* Non-drying
* Easy to layer and build on the colour
* I surprised myself and ended up loving the colour
* Was pretty durable, even through eating and drinking
* £1
* £1
* £1
* Did I mention it was £1?

Cons

* The colour won't be for everyone
* It's a bit more satin than matte (though this is a plus for me)
* Not ultra pigmented
* Even though it isn't drying in itself it can cling to dry patches

The Verdict 

Colour Payoff:            ***.5
Ease of Application:    ****.5
Quality:                      ****
Finish:                       ****
Durability:                     ***.5
Value for Money:      *****

Overall

****.5/5






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1 comment

  1. Ahh I have this shade too & It is so sweet! I havent come across any Lipsticks that are so affordable but such good quality as MUA, you really cant go wrong!
    Emma
    http://www.peacelovevintage.com/

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