Thursday 23 May 2013

MUA Nail Varnishes | £1 each?!


Ordinarily, I would never be drawn to a nail varnish that only costs £1.00, because more often than not with deals like that it's too good to be true and with a cheap price tag comes some pretty cheap quality and in the long run isn't worth your time and effort. But for MUA (Make Up Academy), on the other hand, I entered into a little trial of some of their nail colours with a very open mind - mainly because their single eyeshadows are also only £1 each and the quality of those is amazing, so why should their nail varnishes be that different?..

I ordered four shades from Superdrug online (find them here) and picked shades unique from anything else I own (more or less): Bold Blue, Lush Lilac, Pistachio Ice Cream, and Amaretto Crush - cute names, right? It turns out that Lush Lilac is a very similar shade to Models Own Utopia; a very pale and washed out pinky lilac, and I'm happy to say that Pistachio Ice Cream seems to be a nice little dupe for Mint Candy Apple - a very popular shade from Essie. Basically, a light minty green. Bold Blue is standard blue, not all that much special and unique about it but it is a nice colour, and Amaretto Crush is a burnt dark pink; not my favourite but it's okay. 


The main point that seems to have brought the polishes to the attention of many is their recent package revamp that appears to be a very clear and blatant copy from Essie bottles. I can see a very strong resemblance and I think you'd be crazy to say that there isn't some kind of copy cat action going on over here. But oh well, we'll let Essie and MUA fight that battle themselves. 

The bottles are pretty small and 'diddy' (I love that word!) and I can't find anywhere that says how much varnish is in a bottle but I'll hazard a guess at 4-5ml. That's no big deal that they're small because how many of us ever finish off a whole bottle regularly anyway? The thing that does strike a problem with me is that the brush is so small and it makes application quite difficult and streaky because it takes about 10 strokes to coat a nail - argh. Also, the consistency of all of the polishes was very streaky and very sheer, taking atleast four full coats to reach a nice opacity over the nails. This made it very hard work to get a good even coverage over the nails and it also meant that it took forever to dry! Good job I had lots of time on my hands though because when they were fully dry they did all look lovely shades and had a pretty glossy finish to them. Pistachio Ice Cream is the only shade that I wore on all my fingers for a long period of time and it lasted three days without chipping which is slightly better than I was expecting. 



I don't think I'll be rushing back for more shades from this range, but they were good to try out and aren't all that bad. To summarise.. They look like £7.99 Essie bottles, there's a wide range of colours to choose from and I'm happy with my choices, the coverage is very sheer and streaky and they have to be built up a lot; the small brush increases how much hard work this is. But.. they look nice if you've got the patience to work with them and as a bonus they're only £1 and currently 3 for 2 at Superdrug.

Would you try MUA's £1 nail varnish offerings?


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24 comments:

  1. Aw those looked like they were going to be really nice. Shame they were so streaky. Luckily, they weren't expensive! xx

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  2. I have tiny nails (and hands the size of my 7 year old cusin), as in a normal brush does most of my nail with no hassle, so although these take work, they might actually be my life saver!

    xoxo
    jessica
    from
    www.thecrownwings.blogspot.com

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  3. i love this post, i currently bought a light pink, purple and metallic green/brown!
    www.vintagemacaroons.blogspot.co.uk

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  4. I have ameretto crush in the old packaging and the brushes are AWFUL. They are splayed everywhere, on all the mua polishes I have.. so those are an IMPROVEMENT! they haven't copied essies wider brushes then, heh. They do need a lot of building up but for £1, no high hopes! Love the combo!

    Lizzums x
    http://benebelle.com

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  5. Great in detail post.
    I love the mint green. But it's always sold out whenever I go to pick it up!
    But I have ameretto crush and plumb noir and they're beautiful!
    X

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  6. I like the shades, but Id rather pay a little bit more for polish thats not as watery & just one coat opaque

    Jen xx
    http://kitsch-n-sync.blogspot.com

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  7. Bold Blue looks like such a good colour, although I don't think I could spend that much time and effort to get an even coat :( xx

    Gemma | ♥ MissMakeupMagpie.co.uk

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  8. Ah what a shame about the streaks! Hate it when that happens!
    Sophie
    x

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  9. Love the green and lilac - it's a shame about the formula though xx

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  10. These are such a bargain, would definitely pick up the pink, lilac and mint colours! :)
    x

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  11. Pistachio ice cream looks gorgeous but the application puts me off x

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  12. The first few pics I was like "I'M BUYING THESE!!"... Then the streaks - not good! They do have quite a nice finish - great post hun xx

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  13. Pretty colours, shame about the streakiness at first!

    Sophierosehearts x

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  14. I really love the amaretto shade, shame they're a bit streaky! x

    http://thebeautyvisual.blogspot.co.uk

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  15. Love the colours you chose :) I bought five but I've only tried a couple, I was really impressed that they lasted for a couple of days chip free!
    Love Holly x

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  16. The colours are so pretty, definitely want to invest in these. xx

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  17. I seem to have been drawn into these polishes a lot lately... and have ramped up a rather vast collection. For the price you pay I really can't complain :)

    Hannah xx Squidoodles & Oodles

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  18. Okay, I need to go out and get some of these nail polishes now. The application are a bit rubbish but for £1, they seem pretty good. I normally have to apply 3 layers anyway.

    www.kahfehyen.com

    xx

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  19. Pistachio ice cream looks like a great summer colour but that would really irritate me having to do 4 coats! I'd be too impatient for that!

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  20. Beautiful colours but it requires too much effort.
    A very detailed and informative review :)

    Salli
    xxx

    www.embracingtheenchanted.blogspot.com

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  21. When I saw the first picture, I automatically thought of Essie. Too bad they're streaky, but the end result looks great!

    casual-beauty.blogspot.com

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  22. I picked up some of these too, but the brush is a nightmare isn't it! The one i tried only needed 2 coats so clearly its a bit hit and miss! But for £1 I think I'll put up with it xx

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  23. I totally thought these were Essie at first glance! I love the shades, but I honestly would rather pay the price for Essie, I'm too impatient to deal with streaky polishes lol

    Xox, Cat
    MaybeBabyXo.com

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