MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers

Ok I admit it - I have a bit of a thing for lip products...I just can't help it!  I think that changing your lip colour up is an easy way to keep your makeup looks from becoming too samey and boring. Plus it's a great way of looking polished when you don't have much time to spend on blending eyeshadows for that flawless smoky eye - you can just throw on a lip colour and you're good to go!

I have far too many lip products, but can never resist a shiny new one. Or in this case, a not so shiny one! I really like a matt lip - I think they are a fresh and modern take on bright colours, and make it easier (well, less scary!) to wear bright colours during the day. 



I heard about these MUA luxe lip lacquers being a sort of dupe for the Lime Crime Velvetines when they were first released last year. So, since the Lime Crime Velvetines are super hard to get hold of, and also not cheap at £13, I picked up an MUA shade ("Atomic" from my local Superdrug) to try them out and see. Since then the colour range has been extended and I have acquired three more shades:

L-R: Tranquility; Criminal; Atomic; Reckless

L-R: Tranquility; Criminal; Atomic; Reckless

Packaging
I really like the packaging of these products, it's very simple and minimalistic, with a matt black lid and simple gold lettering. At first glance they look like frosted glass but they are actually plastic - good news for people who are prone to dropping things (like myself!) as they won't smash. Also this makes them lightweight and handy to pop into your purse.

Texture
The texture of these products is really gorgeous, and I think feels a lot more expensive than the £3 price tag - a highly pigmented, creamy feeling on first application, which dries down to the stage where it feels like you have nothing on your lips, even when you touch them with your fingers. 

Finish
As you can see in the picture above, these dry down to a 100% matt finish - zero shine. And I love that. As with all matt lip products, your lips usually require a little bit of prep before applying product - matt products can tend to dry out the lips and stick to any rough bits of skin you might have (especially since it's winter). BUT - a lip scrub (you can make your own from some sugar and olive oil) and some lip balm left to sit on the lips for a few minutes before application should ensure an even application, with no bits of skin to cling to, or lines to settle into. However, unlike some other matt products I have tried, with these I didn't feel like they dried out my lips. I couldn't really feel them after they had set, it just felt as if I wasn't wearing anything.

Application
Once applied, these take a couple of minutes to dry, and once they are on - they are ON, so work quickly when applying to fix any mistakes. Because these are so highly pigmented, I would recommend using a liner brush to dip into the product and line your lips carefully first. Then you can fill the lips in using the doe foot applicator. I would try to avoid drinking or eating for about 10 minutes after you have applied these to give them the most long lasting finish - this way they really have time to dry and set properly. I have worn these out during the day and night when I have been eating and drinking, and they really have AWESOME staying power. They are pretty much 100% smudge proof, and I never noticed the tell tale smudge of colour on the rim of my glass. I kept on asking my friends if I needed to reapply, and was continually surprised when they reassured me that it still looked perfect. 

Removal
They are pretty hard to remove once you're finished too - usually I use makeup remover or a micellar water on a cotton wool pad, but this meant a lot of scrubbing before the colour finally relinquished its hold on my lips. I found that my Clinique Take the Day off balm worked best, so something similar to this, with an oily texture, is probably your best bet at removing these bad boys.

Where to buy
These are available from the MUA website or from Superdrug online or in stores.


How they look on the lips:

A beautiful peach toned nude, which is a little darker and more natural looking than it appears in the tube. I LOVE THIS SHADE!!!

An extremely bright cool toned pink - this really is shockingly pink, it's fabulous. 

An orange toned, scarlett red. Yet another gorgeous shade, this really pops on the lips.

A cool dark red. This is full on Old Hollywood glamour, with a matt twist. I absolutely adore this shade.

SO there you have it! I think these are absolute gems and I hope MUA never stop making them. If I didn't know better I would say that these are much higher end products; I am totally sold on the pigmentation, staying power and non drying texture. I really want to pick up some more shades - there is a gorgeous purple, Kooky, which I have been eyeing up for a little while now...

What do you think, have you tried these or are you tempted? Let me know in the comments below!

**Disclaimer: all products featured here were purchased by me, and all opinions are my own. This is not an affiliate post, I was not paid for this review. Any links contained here are not affiliate links. I am not a health or beauty professional. The photographs used in this post are my own. Please see my Disclaimer page for full deets on all the boring stuff**