November 23, 2024
Chicago 12, Melborne City, USA
Red Lipsticks

Retro Chick Reviews: MUA Lipstick Shade 13

MUA is a brand that several people mentioned when I asked for brands to review.

It’s SUPER cheap, and I mean super cheap. It cost just one measly pound for a lipstick. If I am ever utterly destitute I know that a trip to Superdrug and I will be able to remain red lipped for ever.

Todays lipstick review is MUA lipstick in shade 13.

But first, the chart.

You can see it scores equally with the Natural Collection, the Natural Collection is double the price, but at this level that means little!

The Blurb

Make a statement with our show stopping lip stick, available in 16 shades. Make Up Academy provides trend shades on a budget, allowing you to achieve the latest looks without breaking the bank!

 

No complicated claims. It costs £1.

The Pros

I was pleasantly surprised when I put the lipstick on my lips. It felt very silky and glossy. It’s hard to describe the texture really, but almost oily came to mind. It was very easy to apply, the texture reminded me of the Du Wop Private Red where I felt you had to be quite careful in application as it was difficult to get a neat lip line right from the tube.

If you blot and reapply the shade several times it’s possible to get a good matt stain that will last a couple of hours before needing reapplying. I really liked the shade as well, the lipstick isn’t highly pigmented, but that makes it very wearable for day time and easy to adjust the intensity of the shade.

Another pro that has to be mentioned is the price. It costs £1, if you want to experiment with new shades, that’s the price point you want!

On my lips it looks like this….

The Cons

First con for me is the packaging. The very first time I took the plastic shrink wrap off the outside the whole thing fell to pieces. The red shade sample at the bottom is actually filled with lipstick and it fell off and I ended up covered in it. If that happens in my handbag then that will also be my phone, purse, important documents, pens, old receipts and hair grips covered in it. Then I opened it and the twist up mechanism didn’t work, I had to bang the lipstick on the table to get it to go back down inside the tube, then it wouldn’t wind up again.

Even for a pound a lipstick that you can’s actually use properly is a waste of money.

The lipstick doesn’t last long, it will definitely need reapplying after eating, even if you’re super careful the rest of the time, so you will need to carry it with you.

I wasn’t particularly keen on the glossy finish either, though it can be blotted down fairly easily.

The Verdict

I wouldn’t buy it again. If I needed a really cheap lipstick I would buy the Natural Collection. When the packaging broke I posted on Facebook and several people replied saying “It cost £1, just buy another one!”. I really hate this. It seems so wasteful to throw away a used lipstick, let alone to buy the same lipstick twice just because the packaging isn’t up to standard. I would rather a very basic packaging with a slider than something that tried to be better than it actually is and fails.

It is worth £1, definitely, but if you’re so skint you can’t afford the £1.99 option then you probably shouldn’t be buying lipstick!

Finally, a picture of me wearing the lipstick. I would add that isn’t a huge Mickey Mouse ear growing out the side of my head, it is the old 78 record (unplayable) that has been transformed into a necklace storage device!

 MUA Lipstick is available from Superdrug priced £1
    • 13 years ago

    Not a fan of this lippy at all. A pound is a pound – to me that is half a Natural Collection (my absolute staple on a daily basis for feel and longevity) I think I wore MUA once and relegated it to a drawer. Sigh.

    • 13 years ago

    You mentioned that you hate throwing away lipstick as it’s such a waste… I agree, I buy so many that seem like a good idea at the time and then just don’t work on me, so thought you might like this little tip for turning lipstick into a tinted lip balm that I found in a magazine.
    Cut the lipstick out of the tube and crush it into a tablespoon of vaseline in a microwavable bowl. then heat for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until it’s all mixed in. You can add some essential oil and edible glitter to make it sparkly if you want. then put it into a little pot and put it in the freezer for 20 minutes. Ta Daaaah! Makes a good present as well!
    Hope you like!

    • 13 years ago

    How wonderful, I was thinking only yesterday that I’d love to see an MUA lippie review on here, and you’ve delivered less than 24 hours later! I wanted to read an honest review because you’re absolutely right, even at £1 it’s a waste if it can’t deliver. I may try some of the other products in the range as I’ve heard good things, but will probably give this one a miss. Thanks for reviewing!