December MUA Haul

A week or two ago I stated that I wouldn't be ordering from MUA online again in a hurry, after waiting sixteen days for my order to be delivered. I personally think sixteen days is a rather appalling lead time for a small envelope of nail polishes.

Then last week I saw a promotion on their Facebook page, and I was unable to resist.

The promotion was for 40% off the order, plus FIVE free nail quake polishes. Yep, FIVE!

 I would have been stupid not to take advantage of that offer, right?

This is what I bought...

I bought the 'Undressed' and 'Heaven and Earth' eyeshadow palettes, and two nail varnishes, which came to £10 before the discount code brought the total down to just £6. The five free nail quakes were then applied to the order for free, and with the delivery charge I got all this for just £8.95! What a bargain! This order actually got to me within four days, which is pretty good at this time of year, so I was pleased with the service this time.

I've been curious of the MUA eyeshadow palettes for a while, as the blogosphere has been raving about them for months. I've avoided bargain make up ranges since I got my first job, but I can't afford to be a make up snob under current circumstances, so I decided to buy with an open mind.

MUA Undressed Eyeshadow Palette

This is the Undressed Eyeshadow Palette which so many people claim to be a great dupe of Urban Decay's 'Naked' set. This set is just £4 (!) whilst the Naked palette retails around £36. As my finances are limited these days, I know which price I'd prefer! Although I am still longing to own the Naked sets and hope I will when I'm better off financially.

The Undressed palette features twelve pearl and matte shadows in different shades of brown, bronze, and grey. There's a great range of colours, and I can see myself using all of them. I don't know about you, but with most sets there are always a few I never use. The palette comes with a long double ended brush that is easy to use, and gives a smooth application.

These swatches are on the inside of my arm in natural light. I tested the shadows in the same order as they are in the set. The first one is a pearl cream-colour and the second a rose colour- perfect for highlighting- but they didn't catch well in the light.

The shadows all glided on with the supplied brush, and I was impressed with the silky soft texture.

I see myself using the lighter shades more than the dark, but I know I will wear them all. It has a great range of colours. I think this palette and I are going to get along just fine!

This one is the MUA Heaven and Earth Eyeshadow Palette. This set was also just £4 and features all the same basic features as the Undressed set, just different colours.

Heaven and Earth is a lovely little set, with twelve great pearl and matte shadows in different shades of brown. I'm really impressed with the selection; they're all so wearable, and could easily create dozens of different looks. I'd say this set is best for daytime, but I'm sure they'd work for understated night time eyes, as well.

Swatches in natural light on the inside of my arm in the same order as in the set.

I'm confident that I could wear all of these colours with my skin tone, and I'd say there are colours in the set suitable for all skin tones.

I can't wait to attempt lots of neutral eye looks with both palettes. I'm impressed with both so far, and they definitely seem worth the meagre £4 each (before discount). The eyeshadow palettes are compact and light enough to pop in the handbag for touch ups throughout the day, although I don't know yet if that will be necessary.

All I can say is pick one up and give them a try!

This is my little nail polish haul.

MUA Nail Varnishes Shade 7 and Shade 5

I bought a simple black polish to use for nail art purposes, and a mint green because it caught my eye. These polishes are just £1 each! I'm in love with the mint shade; it'll be perfect with my yellow polka dot dress next summer!

MUA Nail Quakes: Shiver, Broken Arrow, Quiver, Shattered Ice, and Jailbreak

And these are the freebies MUA supplied. MUA Nail Quakes are crackle polishes that are applied over a coat of ordinary nail polish (once it's dried), to give a cracked appearance. I only owned a few crackle polishes previously, so I was excited to take advantage of the offer to get these.

Visually, my favourites have to be the bright purple and cobalt blue quakes.

I'm looking forward to testing all the polishes out, and I'll share them as I wear them.

All in all, I love all the products from my latest haul. For such low prices the make up is fantastic quality, and the selection of colours in both their nail polish and eye shadow lines are amazing. You may make a budget make up fan out of me yet!

Do you own or have you used any of these products before? Which is your favourite?

Do you buy MUA cosmetics? If your answer is 'no', I suggest you give them a try, pronto!