FIGHT! Makeup Academy vs. Rimmel vs. Clinique

Today's FIGHT! is a little bigger than usual. There are three blushes competing- all great in their own right, but which will come out on top when they're put up against each other?

Here at Shutter Shimmer we will be considering three main competition areas: colour, application and price.

So, introducing our contenders today!

Apologies for the pan in Rimmel - you'll see why!

Colour

The darkest colour of the three blushers is Clinique, with the shade 'smouldering plum' (since when do plums smoulder?!). The next lightest (but most pigmented) I'd say would be MUA, while Rimmel provides the most delicate light colour. When it comes to colour, I have to say that Rimmel provides the widest range of colour, as the compact actually contains three colours; a delicate and matte light pink, a slightly darker shimmer shade and finally a deeper coral-like hue (which is strangely similar in colour to the MUS blush).

My winner for the colour round has to be Rimmel. The plum shade of Clinique isn't actually very pigmented, it required a good scratch to the surface for my brush to pick up any colour. MUA on the other hand is too pigmented, it's far too easy to apply the colour in a clown like manner, even with the lightest of hands. I also find the colour too a bit too dark for my pale skin. Coral shades really don't work for my vampire-esque colouring!

Application

I applied each of these blushes with a fairly large and fluffy blusher brush - simple you might cry! However I found this not to be so simple, as you may expect. The first blush I tried to apply was Clinique. Tried being the operative word. As I mentioned in the last round, this blusher is harder than the Rainbow Road Mario Cart track (read: very hard). Try as I might, my brush just wouldn't pick up any colour. This made application rather difficult! I managed to swatch it reasonably well using my fingers on my hand, but I really don't fancy applying my blusher with my fingers, so that's a no no.

Rimmel applied with a light but buildable colour. I found it was easy to apply quite a lot of product without looking like a circus performer, so I can see why I hit the pan so soon, I'll have to cut down on my usage!

MUA however actually disappointed me (aww no!). The application was so difficult because the product is so pigmented. I don't know whether a different brush would help (which picked up less of the blush), but I'm finding it nigh impossible to apply without looking ridiculous. Sorry MUA! I love that it's so pigmented though, because you really don't need much for intense colour, it's just a shame that the colour is so intense!

Rimmel again, is my winner! Can you see a pattern emerging here?

Price

Price is a round that always plays in MUA's favour in these FIGHT! posts! For only £1 you get an amazingly pigmented product (which unfortunately didn't agree with me, but alas). This is obviously much cheaper than the £5.19 of the Rimmel (at Boots) or the £19 of the Clinique (also at Boots). 

Final rankings

3rd- Clinique.

2nd- MUA.

1st- Rimmel.

All for, as I'm sure you can tell, obvious reasons. Even though MUA provides the cheapest and most pigmented product, an extra £4 gives you the lovely Rimmel - a gorgeous colour and perfect application. Clinique really needs to up its game to keep the high end status it has achieved. 

Did you enjoy this FIGHT! post? Let me know if there are any product combinations you'd like to see put head to head in the make-up arena!

Sara xx

p.s - don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!

MUA nail polish review

I'm certain that by now you've all heard of the budget line MUA (currently only stocked in Superdrug - but soon to get it's own website that you can order from anywhere in the world!) so I'll just get on with the review of my latest purchases from the range.

I'm making a feeble attempt to grow my nails before I start sixth form in September. I've been blessed with 'man hands' all of my life. Not so much in size (I have the tiniest hands you could imagine) but in the fact that my nails just don't grow beyond a certain length before I nibble them off. I know this is such an awful habit, and my boyfriend hates it - so by painting them pretty colours it's putting me off making them ugly again.

I'm definitely attracted to nail polish more than most other types of cosmetics, which is odd because I have the most awful nails in the world. I think it's the lovely colours the polishes come in!

I hope you don't mind that I've reused the picture from my haul post featuring these polishes. My mum has taken our Nikon DSLR out for the day, leaving me with only my dodgy Samsung point and shoot - so I figured I may as well have one decent photo in this post. Apologies for the rest of them!

A minty turquoise (shade 5), a fiery coral (shade 3), a shimmering light gold (10), and a rich plum (3). 

The quality of the bottles were the first thing that hit me, they're chunky glass and feel a lot more expensive than the £1 they cost. This is until you unscrew the lid. The lids feel really light, and I worried that if I tried to screw them tightly they would crack.

The quality of the brushes actually seemed to vary between the polishes, with shade 10's being the worst, and 4 being the best.

Shade 10

Shade 3

The quality of application of the polishes varied too. Shade 4 (the corally red) went on perfectly in just one coat, whereas Shade 5 (the minty turquoise) took 3 coats to get a good bold colour.

The polishes are all thick, but the turquoise seems least pigmented.

As you can see, the 'shimmery gold' is confusingly definitely silver. Still nice, but I would have preferred a gold personally.

If you haven't already noticed, the use of 'shade 5' is ridiculously annoying. I wish MUA had gone for actual colour names, it makes them so much easier to identify, and I think would also make them seem more expensive.

As for longevity, I've been wearing these polishes for over a day now, and there isn't any sign of tip wear or chipping yet - and considering that the coral has only one coat, I think this is pretty amazing! I think I'll add a clear topcoat, as the polishes seem to be somehow less glossy than I'm used to. I know some of you will like this however - so each to their own.

On the price front, they're £1. Seriously. This is such an amazing price for these polishes. It really makes me question how MUA can get away with making such high quality products for less than a pound, while higher priced polishes can have a much worse formulation! I'll definitely be purchasing the full range of polishes, just because you can get the full range for less than the price of one higher range polish.

All in all these varnishes are amazing. The colours are mostly rich and long lasting, everything you'd want. Admittedly for some of the colours you may require a few coats, but they are so quick drying that this really shouldn't be an issue.

I'm looking forward to trying MUA's new professional line of nail products, featuring crackle effect polishes!

How about you, have you tried any of MUA's polish range?

Sara xx

MUA haul!

I was so impressed with MUA's last offerings of the blusher and lipstick that I bought earlier in the week (lippy featured in this FIGHT! post) that I went back to Superdrug and picked up not one, not two but FOUR nail polishes, an eyeshadow in Pearl shade 11, and also a pressed powder in shade 1. I also picked up a jazzy nail file, and some veggie Percy Pigs!

Shades (left to right) 5, 4, 10, 3

Eyeshadow in shade 11, pressed powder in shade 1.

MUA eyeshadow - Pearl Shade 11

Delicious, glad they're finally catering for vegetarians!

I'll do a FOTD with my new MUA products later, and also reviews the products!

What have you bought recently?

Sara xx

FIGHT! Makeup Academy vs. Clinique

Next in my series of FIGHT! posts comes lipsticks! Budget companies are challenging the age old myth that you need to spend a whole paycheck just to get a good lippy. Today we'll be watching up-and-coming budget beauty company MUA fight it out against the high end, and equally high priced Clinique.

Let the battle commence!

First up, MUA!

The budget contender today is available from Superdrug stores across Britain (more are stocking MUA every day) for the price of *splutters and gasps* only ONE POUND. That's right, for less than the price of a bottle of Coke you can pick up items of cosmetics ranging from highly pigmented eyeshadows, to glitter eyeliners, to lipsticks - all for £1. The lippy contender today is in the awfully memorable shade 10. Packaged in a shiny black tube it certainly looks more expensive than it's meagre price tag.

Now the competitor- CLINIQUE!

Clinique products can be found at beauty counters across the world, and their high reputation follows their equally high prices. This lipstick costs £16 - 16x more expensive than MUA! The high end contender is in the shade 'Wow Violet'. A sleek green tube encases this lippy, making it look very high class indeed - old chum!

3, 2, 1 - FIGHT!

Application

I found MUA to go on rather dry, and didn't feel very moisturising as it swept across my lips. For a product costing £1 I guess you can't expect the finest jojoba oils or shea butter infused formula, and it's nothing a good lip balm base couldn't handle. The end result was smooth and even lip coverage, but not really anything to write home about. It went on well.. exactly how I expected a lipstick should. It did everything it needed to do, but didn't really stand out.

Clinique however, went on as a rich, creamy swoop of gorgeousness. I felt it nourishing and caressing my lips with it's expensive oils, and I must say it was all very luxurious. Applying this lipstick actually made me smile- and that's exceedingly worrying. It was just.. lovely.

How about a swatch on my hand for you lovely people?

On top, MUA, below is Clinique - although I'm sure you could tell.

How does it look?

Here's where the surprises start. From the 'meh' application of MUA and the 'MMMMM' equivalent of Clinique, I was a little worried that Clinique would be miles ahead throughout the rest of the right. I'm pleased to say that this isn't the case. They're actually very similar in terms of colour. Of course Clinique looks far more.. moisturisy, but considering MUA costs only £1 I'd say that what we have here is an exceptional 'dupe'. I think that with a slick of clear gloss, MUA could look much better.

I do have to say though, the colour is much less rich in MUA's lipstick contender.

Clinique

MUA

Long lasting?

MUA yes, Clinique no. Simple as. I found the Clinique just slid off my lips (too much moisture?) and rubbed right off whenever I moved my lips. MUA however behaved more as a lip stain, and stayed put for much longer than you'd expect from a product costing only £1. I got a good 5 hours out of it before I had to reapply, and I'm happy to say that even though it did fade, it faded evenly, rather than leaving a horrible uneven mess.

Zooming through Clinique!

Price

Another round to you MUA- congratulations. I would easily pay many times this price for this product (pleaseplease don't put prices up though, affordable is amazing!). I'd like to know whether your Pro range lipsticks (priced around £2, available soon!) will have a more moisturising build however - I can't wait to try and see!

For £16 Clinique, you certainly do perform. Your formula is silky smooth and colour payoff is unbeatable BUT I can imagine me powering through this lippy if you don't just make it last a little longer! Is this your aim? I don't wish to sound cynical, but it does seem odd that such an amazing product can have such little staying power. I'll look into it!

Results

Another interesting FIGHT! Clinique's 'Wow Violet' is the better product overall, but for £1 MUA's shade 10 isn't half bad. It lasts hours, and the colour is pretty good. It's certainly much better than I expected it would be.

I'll definitely be trying more MUA products, just to see if any others surprise me as much as this lippy did. 

A shorter post this time- hope that's okay with everyone! I need to ready myself for the #bbloggers chat on Twitter in a few minutes.

Remember, any products or brands you'd like to see compared, just drop me a comment here or throw a tweet my way over at @shuttershimmer.

Thanks for reading!

Sara xx