Review: New MUA Matte Effect Lipsticks

Hello everyone!

Today I have a review for you guys, featuring a new exciting release from bargain make-up brand Make Up Academy. I'm a dedicated lover when it comes to all of their products so of course when I saw these new Matte Effect lipsticks I had to pick up one... or three.

The first thing I noticed about these was the packaging. It's very clean and simple - basically the same as their regular lipstick tubes but instead of black these are white. The next thing I realised was that they've finally finally given their shades names. I don't know why this is such a big deal to me, but I hate it when companies use numbers instead of words to distinguish their shades. The three I got are named 'Pouty Pink', 'Scarlet Siren' and 'Wild Berry'. Definitely not the most imaginative but at least they've given us something to work with.

Anyway, on to the lipsticks themselves. I'm really depressed to say this, but I'm not a fan. Many matte lipsticks are drying and chalky and these are no exception - they sit, flaky, upon even the most moisturised lips. Weirdly I found the pink to be more drying than the other two, and the red the nicest to wear. I'm also very disappointed with the pigment of these shades. The pink appears to be a lovely, bright colour and the purple/brown shade very dark and vampy but they simply do not come across this way upon lips. You have to apply quite a few coats before the colour even becomes noticeable.

Left to right: 'Pouty Pink' - 'Scarlet Siren' - 'Wild Berry'

 Their staying power appears to be pretty good, mostly because the colour clings to your lips (which in this case, is a blessing and a curse) but I can't say that I'm going to rush out and buy any other colours from this collection. I would definitely recommend the red as I find it the most moisturising and flattering and possibly the pink if you have an amazing lip balm to pair it with, but I would steer clear of the Wild Berry shade - it's nothing like I expected!

Overall, I think this is the only product I've bought from MUA that I haven't got on with, but at £1 each you can't really argue!

xx