MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Halcyon and A Flush

I'm very fond of my MUA Velvet Lip Lacquer in the shade Kooky, so I wanted to try out their new shades too. These babies are only 3 pounds apiece, which I think is a very fair price for a great matter lipstick. The formula is liquid to matte and they come with a doe-foot applicator.

Funk (of the older colour, not reviewed here), A Flush and Halcyon.

A Flush is a very bright pink. With my skin tone it's almost neon. It applies well and stays on my lips for 6+ hours. After six-ish hours the wear in the middle becomes noticeable, but it's easy to carefully apply a bit more there.

I don't recommend applying more than one layer, the product can then feel very heavy. It does not smudge but comes off in little bits. Feels a bit dry on the lips, but doesn't actually dry them too much, so once you get past the weird feeling, everything is fine. Needs to be removed with a oil-based make-up remover.

A Flush

A Flush

Halcyon is a mauve by my definitions. It's a reddish, brownish earthy tone that I can imagine suits many skin tones. On my it's almost a my-lips-but-better -shade, just makes lips look more defined and adds a little bit of colour, but not so much that it would be noticeable when the lipstick starts to wear off. I had thought based on swatches that Halcyon would be more brown and lighter, but I like it more as it is. A great shade for everyday wear, goes on smooth, not too bright or flashy, and lasts ages on your lips. 

The formula is the same as in A Flush, a second layer makes it feel a bit too heavy for my taste, but one smooth layer is enough and it's easy to get the product go on evenly. I like the doe-foot applicator, it's easy to do sharp edges with it.

Halcyon

Halcyon

The packages a simple and elegant. The product is in a frosted plastic tube and the cap has the same texture. The cap has the company logo in golden lettering. The products generally look a bit lighter in the tube than on lips, as you can see from the picture below.

Funk (not reviewed in this post), A Flush and Halcyon.

Pros

+Good applicator
+Package looks good
+Product is easy to apply
+Lasts on the lips well
+Easy to remove (with an oil-based make-up remover)
-Halcyon is a great shade for many skin tones

Cons

-A Flush is hard to wear as a shade (too neon for me!)
-Availability (MUA is not sold in Finland, I order it through their UK site and pay around five pounds for shipping)

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer Review

I came across the MUA Luxe line that has a new product, the Velvet Lip Lacquer matte long lasting lipstick. I'd never ordered from MUA before, but wanted to give it a try, since I'm growing really fond of matter lip products, and long lasting ones are perfect for me. That and the fact that the shade Kooky was a plum purple, which I haven't seen before in any long lasting lipstick!

Reckless on the left, Kooky on the right.

The packaging is very pretty. The product comes in a frosted plastic tube with a frosted black cap printed with gold text. The tube seems sturdy and it doesn't look likely that there would be much product glueing the cap shut, like with some similar looking packages.

Doe foot applicator

The applicator is a slanted doe foot one. It's not bendy and has short soft bristles. It's allows very precise application, which is a must with this product.

Skin swatches, Kooky on the top, Reckless on bottom.

Both shades apply well and are opaque with one coat. When applied, the product first feels sticky, but once it dries to a matte finish, it sets and does not have any stickiness. Drying takes about thirty seconds, so you don't have to wait forever with your mouth open ;P

Kooky is a plum purple, quite warm and reddish. Some purples don't suit me, they make my skin look yellow, but Kooky is one that works. It's a quite dramatic shade and might be too dark for daily use, but it'll look great with heavier eye make-up for parties!

Reckless is a blue based red. It's a bright, cool shade that works great with my pale complexion. It's a pretty loud colour, but works for a classic red lip.

Reckless

Velvet Lip Lacquers are smudge and water proof, and can be removed with oil-based make-up remover (I use one with blue and clear liquid that's shaken before use, it's for water proof eye make-up. Mine is by Balea, but at least L'Oreal does one that's similar and easily available). The lip lacquers don't feather easily, but can if you eat something very greasy. They wear 5+ hours on my lips with drinking and eating, and even then they just need a little touch up in the middle of the lips.

The product feels a bit drying on the lips, but I'm not sure if it actually dries the lips out or just feels funny since normally your lips are not matte and dry on the surface. Cocoa butter based lip balm was a no-no on top, it took the lacquer right off. Stick to water based glosses if you want something on top!

Kooky

Pros
+ Does what it promises, is long lasting and matte.
+ Smudge proof.
+ Water proof.
+ Cheap. One tube costs about 3,5 euros plus shipping.
+ Nice selection of shades, especially Kooky is very unique.
+ Easy to remove.
+ Does not stain.
+ Good, precise applicator.

Cons
+ Feels drying.
+ Cannot be worn with regular lip balm.

I like this product! It's easy to use, lasts on the lips well and is hassle-free to remove. Also matte shades are very easy to use when drawing over the natural lips a bit, since there's no shine to betray the natural lip lines.