Pretty "First Date" Drugstore Makeup

I've had several requests for a full face of drugstore makeup and a couple for "first date" looks so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. I'm uploading my tutorial to YouTube now but it's a bit blurry (I've had it with trying to film using my SLR) so here are some photos of the look and a run down of the products I used. Hope it's helpful.

I used mostly MUA, their new pro range has some fab stuff. I threw in my new 2true liner as an alternate as I don't have a basic black from MUA and I must say I was impressed. I'll be using that again! I love the overall look but the standout discovery for me has to the mosaic blush. When I first bought it I didn't think much of it, it didn't seem to have an colour pay off when I swatched it and I don't think it ever even made it on to my face. Well... I'm very glad I used it in this tutorial 'cause it's awesome! It gives a really sheer wash of colour and a beautiful sheen, not sparkly at all just glowy, I wish they did a neutral highlight powder in this formula because for £2.50 that would be my number one drugstore product. I have a mosaic bronzer too so I'll be trying that out tomorrow. Just goes to show you should give things another go.. I am often too quick to judge and once something is put away in my collection it could be lost forever.. I would have been seriously missing out.

I also want to point out I used a tiny bit of lipstick with the gloss to create a more tinted lip.. this lipstick is a really bold pink when used normally.

Mosaic Blush in English Rose £2.50

Dusk Til Dawn Palette £4

2True Khol Liner £1.99

Extreme Curl Mascara £2

Lipstick Shade 3 £1

Lipgloss Shade 4 £1

Here's the tutorial video...

What are your favourites from MUA?

MUA Pro Heaven & Earth

Firstly let me start by saying I LOVE this palette. It may just be the best £4 I ever spent.

I'll get the formalities out of the way now, you can buy this from MUA Pro exclusively at Superdug here and if you're a tweeter like myself you can follow MUA here

This particular palette goes in and out of stock frequently so if you want it and you see it in store or online grab it 'cause you just never know when you might get your hands on it again. One thing I would say about MUA is that unlike other brands they haven't increased their prices as their popularity has risen which I hope they stick with because it's what's made E.L.F a household name in the states and I'd love to see them accomplish that kind of success and branch out in to that kind of product range. for us Brits.

Anywho... on to what I came here for..

I intend on making a series of tutorials with this and other palettes from MUA so if you have any requests please leave me a comment and they will be considered before I film the next one. I will also be doing some direct comparisons with the Naked palette which should be fun. For now I thought I'd show you my go-to everyday look I've been sporting recently. It's just a really basic, contoured eye. I thought I'd start simple and work up to the more elaborate, creative tutorials.

Check back for the video here when it's live!!!

7 Day Palette Challenge - Take One

A while back I set myself this challenge on the back on EmilyNoel83's video about getting out of a makeup rut. I chose Urban Decay's Book of Shadows III which in hindsight wasn't so smart seeing as I now work in an office and bright blue or green shadow would be a little OTT. I thought I would share the 5 week day looks that I did manage.

Suspect, Smog and Perversion

Last Call, Rockstar and Bordello

Maui Wowie, Loaded and Money

Smog and Perversion

Money, Loaded and Snatch

I love the looks but there's not a tremendous amount of difference between them all. I would really like to complete the 7 day challenge so I'm going to try again with the Heaven and Earth Palette from the MUA Pro range (below). I was going to use the Naked but I have really love this palette recently and think there's almost more options than with the Urban Decay neutral option. I will start next week when I'm back at work.

Have you done this challenge? leave me your link if you have!

MUA Pro - First Look

I have been eagerly waiting for this new range to launch since I heard it was coming and it has not disappointed! I have always thought MUA did the best drugstore shadows hands down and the price was just amazing at £1 each so I was holding out a lot of hope for some palettes on this new pro line. When I heard it was finally on Superdrug's website I was like a giddy schoolgirl at a Justin Bieber concert.I think I was very restrained given that I wanted to try EVERYTHING, I picked up 2 Palettes, one Extreme Metallics quad, two Mosaic powders and the Extreme Curl mascara.

First I'm gonna hit your with some swatches...



Heaven and Earth Palette
£4





Dusk Til Dawn Palette
£4





Extreme Metallics in Go Getter
£3




Swatches on left are dry and right are wet




L-R
Mosaic Bronzer in Natural Glow & Mosaic Blush in English Rose
£2.50





Bronzer : Top, Blush : Bottom

 



Extreme Curl Mascara
£2

 Ok so I don't have a swatch for the mascara but you can take a look at the wand/brush and it was black I assure you!

So they all look awesome and the prices look even better but what did I think of the products when I got them home?

Eyeshadow Palettes

They were exactly as I thought they would be.They have learned from their initial bargain range that although matte shades add variety to what they are offering they aren't so great for colour pay off so all of the formulas in the two palettes I have seen are metallic/shimmery and some even hold some glitter... very Urban Decay-esque. The Heaven and Earth palette was uber popular and sold out online nearly straight away. It's all neutrals and of the two it's definitely been my most used so far. I will at some point do a direct swatch comparison with the naked palette because while it's different in many ways I think it's the best drugstore equivalent I've seen and the price is incredible for 12 shadows. The Dusk Til Dawn is still fairly neutral but it throws in some party colours too.. if you were to pick only one it would probably be better value for money as it would offer more options.

Extreme Metallics Quad

This is dubbed as "a stunning range of colours that add intense shine and shimmer to instantly bring your eyes to life" They are advertised as wet and dry shadows which is why I've swatched them both ways above. Firstly I'll say across the board the light colours from MUA don't give a lot of colour pay off, you get a great sheen or shimmer but not much else but when you use these wet they are fantastic. They transform in to an almost cream consistency and really do look full on metallic on the skin. They look like a rimmel colour mousse or a MAC paint pot, they truly are as intense as they say! I will say this.. I doubt the formula is different to the regular shadows.. we all know most eye makeup gives more bang for your buck when applied wet and I would wager that these are similar if not the same as the others just spun as speciality shades but like I said these are just my first impressions here so I have time to change my mind.

Mosaic Bronzer/Blusher

Here's where I felt a bit left down I'm afraid. With everything else MUA is so impressive and the pro line is no different but the two Mosaic Powders... not so much. As with most things it all depends on your expectations. I was expecting some colour but in actual fact these bronzers and blushers give more of a sheen . I haven't had enough time with them to truly review them but so far for me they're not what I look for in a bronzer/blusher.

Extreme Curl Mascara

This was also a tricky one for me because I don't have great lashes for curling mascara.. I don't actually know why I bought it. I can tell you that it didn't perform any worse than supercurl from Urban Decay on me but I am going to refrain from sharing my opinion on this one until I've tried it on my long lashed friend.

I do intend to buy the volume mascara that I probably should have bought instead! For £2 I can afford to try them all!

What have you tried anything from MUA pro yet?