20140701

Make Up Academy (MUA) Heaven and Earth Eyeshadow Palette Review

This is the first MUA product I've actually bought. I knew they did Urban Decay Naked dupes but I couldn't imagine them being very good at £4 per palette. I picked up Heaven and Earth because I wanted something cheap and cheerful to take on holiday, so I wouldn't be annoyed with myself if an expensive palette got smashed up in transit. However it completely exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations.


(Image via: muastore.co.uk)


My first little bugbear was that the packaging was quite scratched and full of fingerprints. I bought it from Superdrug and these days it seems 90% of their stock is damaged. If this is something that's important to you, you can buy directly from MUA on their website. Delivery is £2.95 in the UK or free if you spend £30 (so if you're doing a haul, buy online!) and for Europe it's £4.95 and internationally £7.50.





It's a neutral palette full of shimmers; two of my favourite things! Some are brown, some gold, some cool and some with pink-purple undertones, so for a neutral palette there's a really good mix. Helpfully all the shades are named. From the top row left-right is: Aurora (light cream), Amazonian Bronze (bronze-rose), Babylon (antique gold), Mayan Dust (pinkish-beige), Valley (plum) and Golden Sand (orange gold). From the bottom row is: Rift (rose), Amber Dune (silvery beige), Catacomb (silvery pink), Techtonite (greyish brown), Canyon (pink-brown) and finally Bedrock (brown plum).









Above is the warmer-hued top row of colours, with Aurora at the top and finishing with Golden Sand at the bottom. The left-hand image is without flash and the right-hand image with.





Above is the bottom, cooler and earthier row of colours, again the left is without flash and the right is with flash. The colours run from top to bottom in order, starting with Rift and ending with Bedrock.


I was really impressed with the colour payoff (swatches above are with 3 swipes) and how smooth and buttery the formula was. It was so far beyond what you'd expect for any palette under £15. I think that there's something for everyone colour-wise. Personally I prefer warmer tones, but there are also cooler ones included and the two go together quite nicely. The only reason not to buy this is if you're more into mattes or if you hate neutrals. But if you love shimmers and neutrals (or both, like me!) definitely get your hands on this palette. 


Above is a bronze eyeshadow look I created using only this palette. I used Aurora as a base across the lid and in the inner corner, Amber Dune in the crease and Amazonian Bronze on the outer part of the lid. I then used some on Babylon on the outer v with a touch of Valley on top and Mayan Dust as the brow highlight. What I really like about this palette is that the colours go on subtly but can be easily built up. So I use this look for both day and night. 

I love this product and can't wait to try more of MUA's products. I feel a haul is on the way...

TL; DR

Pros

* Great if you like shimmers
* Although it's a neutral palette there's a surprising selection of colours
* Really high quality - almost as good as Urban Decay!
* Great colour payoff
* Can be subtle or built upon
* Easy to apply
* Easy to blend
* The packaging doesn't look all that cheap considering it's a £4 palette
* Incredible value!

Cons

* One or two mattes wouldn't have gone amiss
* Some of the colours are quite similar to each other
* After a few hours they can get a little blurry and go into the crease, but using a primer solves this easily

The Verdict

Colour selection:       ****
Finish selection:      **
Ease of application:      *****
Staying power:              ***.5
Finish:                          *****
Value for money:        *****
Versatility:                  *****
Quality in general:     *****

Overall

****.5/5
Share:

1 comment

  1. Sounds like such a good palette and the look you created with it is gorge! x
    http://rachelcoco.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment - I read and appreciate every single one :)

There's no need to spam - I will check out your blog if you leave a click-able link under a genuine comment!

If you have a question please check back for my reply or tweet me @jasminetalksblg

xx

© Jasmine Talks Beauty | All rights reserved.
Blog Layout Created by pipdig