MUA Make up academy luxury look for under £20

 

               

MUA make up academy professional is an affordable brand with amazing beauty products. I decided to do a blog post on MUA to see if a budget brand can really live up to the hype. I went for a broad range of products so I could do a full  face of make up to see if I could get a luxury look for under £20. 

The first product I picked up was the MUA skin define hydro foundation, enriched with vitamin E and jojoba. I got this in the colour Ivory. Whilst swatching this product I noticed that it had quite a nice smell for a foundation. It was quite silky, smooth,  hydrating and had a light to medium coverage. I do think that this foundation is quite buildable to get up to a medium coverage.

The next product I lifted were some eyeshadows.  I got a trio of eyeshadows called innocence, It consisted of three set shimmer shades ranging from a nude highlight shade to a define and line dark shade. I also picked up two separate eyeshadows one in the colour chamoisee and the other colour platinum.  Chamoisee  is a shimmer copper/brown shade and platinum is a shimmer silver shade. I am a real fan of shimmer eyeshadow. I found these eyeshadows were rather pigmented and long lasting.

The next item I purchased was the MUA pro base matte satin pressed powder. I got this in the shade ivory. This powder was lovely on the skin and the finish was quite silky. The product had great coverage. I found the powder was really great on the T-zone area. It definitely got rid of any shiny, especially during the day for touch ups.

The next item I got was the bronze and sculpt contour kit MUA lux range. This was an item that I hadn't seen before when I was previously shopping in Superdrug. The packaging is a bit more luxurious. I couldn't get the light to medium colour so I ended up getting the medium to dark. This duel bronzing compact is perfect for contouring or just building up after tanning. When you open up this product it has a handy mirror and there are two separate compartments. One has the darker matte shade at the bottom and the top has the highlighter shade. I really love the look of this product and for £5 it is a pure beauty bargain.

The last item I purchased was the MUA undress your skin shimmer highlighter. I got this in iridescent gold. It really does remind me of some of the more luxurious brand highlighters. I have to say that this highlighter for a budget price of £3.50 looks absolutely stunning. This highlighter is definitely buildable

I was so impressed with the MUA range. I think that for under £20 you get really excellent
make up, with a lovely medium coverage. The eyeshadows that are complete winners with such great pigmentation and the bronze and sculpt contour kit is definitely a must buy item. It is a beautiful piece of make up kit and it's definitely something that I will buy again.


Thanks for reading

Love

Purple Poodle

All Photography by Laura Joss

A day in London.....

 

Watford Junction

Euston Station

I love London.  It is so vibrant, exciting and there is always something to do.  I'm also a train nerd so any excuse to jump on a train to Euston and then jump on the tube is pure bliss.  I was heading into London to meet my best friend Marty who is also from Belfast but lives and studies in London. We were meeting for a catch up, lunch and a visit to the Tate Modern. Being a Fine Art graduate the Tate is right up my street. I love to see Picasso, Dali and Delaney's work in the flesh (artists I studied and admired) and see what new contemporary art is being developed.  

Tate Modern

We met at Southwark station close to the Tate and went to Pret a Manger (my favourite lunch eatery) for lunch. I love this natural organic fast food chain. It is welcoming, amazing food, staff and very comfortable to sit in. `I got a ham, cheese and mustard toasting on wholegrain, a change from my usual Avocado and herb salad wrap.  I also got my favourite drink, grape and elderflower sparking water and some naked nuts.  Yum! We sat and chatted and caught up on our life and news of the week.  Even though we talk every day, (we could literally spend hours on the phone), we always have a lot to talk about lol.

Yummy Pret

Marty and Me

After lunch we walked along the Thames to go to the Tate Modern and chatted and took some pictures. It was a rather gloomy grey day in London but this dampen our mood.  There was a fresh breeze and it was lovely to walk around and get excited to go and get some art inspiration.

The Tate Modern never disappoints.  You find such a variety of fine, photo, sculptural, textile and mix media art. It was great to see a lot of new pieces since the last time I was there and to have a look around all the existing collections.  It is such a beautiful space.  We took are time walking around chatting about the pieces of art. Of course I checked out the gift shop! It was fab and I picked up a new book (insert book title) some postcard prints of art, a magnet, a pen and badge.

Picasso

Robert Delaunay

Sonia Delaunay

Marker on cardboard.. Amazing

Gold leaf

Can you see me?

           

Video Installation

After the Tate we decided to walk to Waterloo station and take more pictures.  We walked past the ITV This Morning studios, I also took some pictures of the surrounding area. We both had to get two different tube lines home so Marty and I said goodbye and got the tube to the station home. Of course we chatted the whole way home on What's app lol 

The train home from Euston to Watford was quiet.  I was so lucky to sit and chill and enjoy this train journey home with music in my ears.. It was blissful.  I love looking out the window of the train and thinking of the fab day I just enjoyed and of course think of random things like what I had to do when I get home and plans for that week ahead.

Hope you enjoyed this blog post!

Love

Purple Poodle

Tate Modern Website