Declutter & Swatches Part 3 – Astor, B., MUA, NYC, Rimmel, L’Oréal

Hi there! Today’s post is about a bunch of beauty products I swatched the other day. And here they are!

Astor Color Last VIP 240 Desire

Wow, what a bright and velvety red! Beautiful formula and beautiful colour. This is a good lipstick.

MUA MakeUp Academy Power Pout Intense Tint & Balm Crazy In Love

This is supposed to be a tinted balm. It’s a nightmare to apply. The colour is uneven and you’ll have to go over your lips 10 times to get the colour right. Not good.

MUA MakeUp Academy Power Pout Intense Tint & Balm Rendezvous

Just like the tinted lip balm above, this one wasn’t good (for the same reasons).

MUA MakeUp Academy Power Pout Intense Tint & Balm Broken Hearted

3rds time’s the charm? Nope. Another disappointing tinted lip balm from MUA. Also, this is by far the worst with respect to the uneven colour. It’s very streaky.

MUA Sheer Finish Lipgloss Let’s Meet

This lipgloss is a bit too sheer. You would need a lot of product to get any visible colour on your lips. But good if you don’t really want much colour with your lipgloss.

Superdrug B. Lipstick 054 Eton Mess

This is a light red. Not bad but not really my colour.

NYC City Duet Eyeshadow 799B Vintage Style

This is a small eyeshadow duo. An off-white shade and a brown shade.

These are actually quite nice!

Rimmel Glam Eyes Quad Eyeshadow 018 Romantic Cool

Another small eyeshadow compact. This one’s from Rimmel.

3 shimmery shades, 1 matte shade (3, grey). The shimmers are surprisingly highly pigmented, but the chalky matte shade isn’t.

L’Oréal La Couleur 015 Flashback Silver

This is a great eyeshadow – it’s bursting with pigment. It’s also easy to blend and I haven’t had any fallout!

And this is it for today’s swatchfest. Thanks for stopping by! xx

Mrs Strawberry Blonde 💙💛

MUA MakeUp Academy Matte Lipstick Scarlet Siren

Hi there! Today’s post is about MUA MakeUp Academy Matte Lipstick in the shade Scarlet Siren. I’ve previously tried a number of matte lipsticks from MUA, and so far all of them were disappointing. But I found this one in my stash, and I thought I should give it a try!

I think, all in all, this isn’t a good lipstick. The colour is pretty, but it doesn’t suit me. It’s an odd shade that makes my teeth look yellow – which they’re not.

I also dislike the waxy texture. This lipstick isn’t as bad as the other matte lipsticks I had from MUA. However, the formula is still unpleasant to wear. I think wearing this lipstick is a waste of time, so I will bin it.

Just fyi – MUA MakeUp Academy Matte Lipstick Scarlet Siren is available for £1.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Weekly Recap 11 – 17 May 2020

Hi there! Happy Sunday. This post is about all the post I’ve written this past week. So read on if you’d like to know what I’ve been up to on my blog. 😊

Monday 11 May – MUA MakeUp Academy Lipsticks Shade 1 & Shade 2

On Monday I reviewed 2 lipsticks. Click here to read the post.

Tuesday 12 May – Nivea Clay Fresh Ginger & Basil Scent, Nivea Clay Fresh Hibiscus & White Sage Scent

Tuesday’s post was about 2 shower gels which I’m using at the moment. Click here to read the post.

Wednesday 13 May – Herbal Essences Bio Renew Bourbon & Manuka Honey Deep Repair Shampoo & Conditioner

On Wednesday I reviewed the hair care combo I’m currently using. Click here to read the post.

Thursday 14 May – Nail Of The Day
Friday 15 May – 100% Cruelty-Free PS… Pink Grapefruit Overnight Jelly Mask

Thursday’s post was a Nail Of The Day post. Click here to read it.
And on Friday I reviewed a jelly moisturiser. Click here to read the post.

And this is already it for this week. Thanks for stopping by, lovelies! 😘

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

MUA MakeUp Academy Lipsticks Shade 1, Shade 2

Hi there! Today’s post is about 2 lip products – MUA MakeUp Academy Lipstick Shade 1 and MUA MakeUp Academy Lipstick Shade 2. Yes, I’m wearing lipstick in lockdown! And I still follow my usual morning routine – I brush my teeth, I shower and wash my hair, I use my skin care products (face and body) the same way as always, I put on nice clothes – usually a dress, and then I put on some lipstick. I don’t do a full face of make-up though – I think that would be too much! Alrighty, onto the lipsticks!

MUA MakeUp Academy Lipstick Shade 1 is a deep, dark red shade. It’s not the most flattering colour for pale ladies like myself. I think this lipstick would look much nicer on ladies with darker skin tones. This lipstick is highly pigmented, and I do like its creamy formula. However, because of the creamy formula, the lipstick will smudge and come off easily.

MUA MakeUp Academy Lipstick Shade 2 is a cool fuchsia shade that bursts with colour. This one works better with my pale skin, but I also think this shade would look better on ladies with darker skin tones. The formula is rich and creamy too, so this one is just as prone to smudging or coming off as the red lipstick.

All in all, I would recommend these lipsticks – but only if you don’t drink or snack all the time. 😉 MUA MakeUp Academy Lipstick Shade 1 and MUA MakeUp Academy Lipstick Shade 2 are £1 each.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

MUA Luxe Utopia 10 Shade Eye Palette

Hi there! Today’s post is about MUA‘s Luxe Utopia 10 Shade Eyeshadow Palette. This limited edition palette is available for £8 through MUA’s own web store (where it’s out of stock at the moment), but you can also buy it through a number of online stores.

The Utopia palette features “10 luxuriously smooth and silky eyeshadows in soft golds, nudes and browns”. I think this palette looks super pretty! Well done, MUA!

Onto the swatches! I think these eyeshadows swatched very well. But it’s not surprising because they wear well too. 🙂 I haven’t had any issues with these eyeshadows. I think they’re super silky, they burst with pigment, they’re easy to blend, and they look awesome!

I’m not the biggest fan of the 2 lightest shades (1 and 9), but that’s not MUA’s fault. I do love the other 8 shades, and I’ve been enjoying them very much for a few weeks now!

Have you tried this palette? Or would you like to try it? Have you (re)discovered any beauty products lately? Feel free to get in touch. And thanks for reading!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

Nail Of The Day – Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro 430 Black Satin, Barry M Bubblegum, MUA Whitewash & Revlon Colorstay 170 Coastal Surf / A-Z Nail Art Challenge F – Fuzzy Topper

Hi there! Today’s post is about the first mani I did for the A-Z Nail Art Challenge. This challenge is called Fuzzy Topper. Cute, eh?

I have quite a few ‘fuzzy toppers’. But, unfortunately, I rarely use them. So this challenge provides the perfect opportunity to sport one of those fuzzy toppers!

And these are the nail polishes that I used:
Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro 430 Black Satin (base colour, pinkies, index fingers, thumbs),
Barry M Bubblegum (fuzzy topper),
MUA Whitewash (base colour, ring fingers),
Revlon Colorstay 170 Coastal Surf (base colour, middle fingers).

I also stamped! I chose an ornamental floral image for my middle and ring fingers. The stamping plate I used is Pueen’s 74 plate (which is part of Pueen’s Buffet Leisure collection). The black polish I stamped with is Rimmel I ♥ Lasting Finish 080 Black Cab.

How do you like this mani? I think it looks quite nice. And I think I did a good job with these 3 colours! Feel free to comment if you want to. And thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

MUA MakeUp Academy Eyeshadow Palette Going For Gold

Hi there! Today’s post is about one of the eyeshadow palettes I got for £1 during MUA’s winter sale – MUA MakeUp Academy Going For Gold. If my memory serves me right, this palette was launched around the time of the 2012 London Olympics.

The Going For Gold palette contains ten shimmery eyeshadows in gold, silver and bronze shades. My favourite shades are 1, 3, 7 and 9 – the safe ones. 🙂 In terms of quality, these eyeshadows are exceptional. The colour payoff is insane, the eyeshadows stay put and there’s hardly any fallout.

Whilst I think that some of these eyeshadows are a bit too intense for my taste (bold golds, I’m looking at you), I believe that I’ll find a way to make all the shades work for me. If you like this palette, it’s available at MUA’s online store for £4.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

MUA MakeUp Academy Eye Shadow 13 Pearl, 23 Pearl, 14 Pearl, 18 Matt

Hi there! Today’s post is about a couple of single eyeshadows I treated myself to during MUA’s last winter sale. Just like MUA’s basic blushers, these eyeshadows were 50p each! So what have we got… from left to right: Shade 13 Pearl, Shade 23 Pearl, Shade 14 Pearl and Shade 18 Matt.

Shade 13 Pearl is a deep purple with a chrome-like shimmer. The same shade is also featured in I Heart MakeUp’s Passion palette. Shade 23 Pearl is a vivid and sparkly light blue. I don’t think this shade will look good on me, but I’ll give it a try.

Up next is Shade 14 Pearl, a dark grey with plenty of green shimmer which makes me think of a forest at night time. 🙂 And then there’s Shade 18 Matt, a fresh and bright lilac with great colour payoff.

The eyeshadows are of good quality. Well, they’re MUA, of course they’re good. Now all I have to do is use them every once in a while. 🙂

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

MUA MakeUp Academy Blusher Shade 1, Shade 2

Hi there! I know quite a few bloggers went nuts during MUA’s winter sale, and I was one of them. I snapped up lip and nail products, eyeshadows and two blushers. These little beauties are simply called MUA MakeUp Academy Blusher Shade 1 and Shade 2. I’m sorry the swatches came out a little pale in the photo, but I believe they still show the vibrancy of Shade 1 and the classic beauty of Shade 2.

Shade 1 (top) is a bright coral with a hint of shimmer. But fear not, the shimmer is invisible on the cheeks. I think it’s a pretty shade for spring and summer and I really enjoyed wearing it for the past few days. Shade 2 (bottom) is a soft matte vintage pink which, I think, is perfect for all seasons. It’s a classic shade that will always look good.

In terms of quality I couldn’t be happier with these blushers. They last and look pretty all day long. When I bought these blushers they were 50% off, but even at full price – which is £1 each – they’re still an incredible bargain. Well done, MUA!

Mrs Strawberry Blonde

MUA MakeUp Academy Eyeshadow Palette Spring Break

Hi there! Spring has finally arrived and I teated myself to the new MUA Spring Break eyeshadow palette. (Scroll down for swatches.) It contains the following 12 shades:

Top: Refine, Cherub, Amber, Spearmint, Posy, Sorrel
Bottom: Aurora, Bronze Blush, Catacomb, Sea Foam, Gold Khaki, Damson

Most of the shades in this palette are neutrals, so I wouldn’t call the palette spectacular. However, it’s great to create wearable everyday looks with a dash of colour.

My favourite shades are Refine, Posy, Sorrel and Catacomb (shades 1, 5, 6 and 9 in the swatch below). They’re fairly standard neutral shades, but sometimes I just want a natural look and these are perfect for this.

The eyeshadows are soft, buttery and easy to blend, and they stay in place for several hours. I’m happy with the palette and would recommend it.

You can buy the MUA Spring Break eyeshadow palette at Superdrug and MUA’s online store. Priced at £4 it’s excellent value.

Mrs Strawberry Blonde