Review | MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers + Lime Crime Dupes.

Another day another dupe. I'm back with more matte liquid lipsticks (I know, I have a slight problem). This time, from the very affordable brand Make Up Academy. If you missed my last matte liquid lipstick post, I reviewed the Sleek Matte Me colours and found a brilliant dupe for Lime Crime's Utopia Velvetine. I had heard so much about the MUA ones and picked up a few on a trip to Superdrug in the hopes of finding some more Velvetine dupes, and in general, some decent lip products. Here's how I got on!

L-R: Halcyon, Funk, Reckless, Kooky.

First off, the frosted packaging is very Velvetine-esque. The product itself is slightly thicker than the Velvetines. It stays a bit "tacky" or sticky on the lips for a few minutes and takes longer to dry than the Velvetines. Regardless, these babies eventually dry matte and when they do they are not going anywhere. They're super pigmented, opaque colour in one swip - no need to add, wait to dry, add a layer etc. I actually found these to be even more smudge/transfer proof than the Velvetines which is insane! I showered with 3 swatches on my hand (one Lime Crime, the other 2 MUA) and the MUA ones stayed put after some heavy loofa scrubbing - I was so surprised. In fact, as I write this right now (after baby wiping the life out of my hand, showering and wiping again) there are still remnants of the Velvet Lip Lacquers. 
The only downside of these is that there was slight flaking, but not for ages after I first applied so for the price, I don't really mind at all plus my lips have been in such bad condition with the weather, so I suppose it's inevitable! The only other thing I noticed was that they seem to sell very similar shades. Halcyon and Tranquil seemed very similar when swatched, Serene (a baby pink that I chose to skip out on!) was similar to another shade, and they had 2 hot pinks so I don't think you need ALL of them. Now onto the individual shades I got and some Lime Crime dupes!

L-R: Halcyon, Funk, Reckless, Kooky.

First off is Halcyon, a brownish peach nude. This had the most noticeable flaking, probably because it's the lightest. However, I had been wearing it for about 4 hours before it started flaking and I had been drinking and talking lots so that was still pretty impressive!

MUA - Halcyon

Halcyon

Funk is a bright vivid pink. It is bright without being too neon so I think a lot of people could pull this off. I would say this is a great dupe for Pink Velvet by Lime Crime.

Funk

Reckless is a true clean red with some blue undertones. A perfect dupe for Red Velvet by Lime Crime. Really great pin-up shade!

Reckless

Kooky is a strange colour. It's purple but has slightly grey undertones so I'm honestly not sure how flattering it will be on everyone. It definitely isn't my favourite, but it's a different shade that could be nice to try! I tend to go for the more burgundy/red side of purple or something that's very blue rather than dark and grey if that makes any sense (I swear it does in my head). It definitely isn't a dupe for Pansy though, if anyone was wondering. Pansy is far brighter, more vivid and more of a blue purple. 

Kooky

Although I don't like Kooky on it's own, I bought it to mix with Reckless because I had heard all over the internet how it was a probable dupe for Lime Crime's Wicked. I didn't see any side by side swatches of Wicked and Kookless (doing a Brangelina on it, stay with me here) so decided to test out for myself and I'm so delighted with the results. Wicked is one of the more unique Velvetine shades to me, and I'm so happy I could find a close dupe in an almost identical formula. Now, you can buy Kooky and Reckless and have 3 colours for a fraction of the price of one Velvetine! 

L-R: Lime Crime Wicked, MUA Reckless, MUA 'Kookless' (Reckless + Kooky)

After wiping with a makeup wipe, SCRUBBING in the shower and wiping again. These things are no joke.

I'm so happy with these and can't wait to buy more. Atomic and Dare are on my immediate wishlist. Such a shame they didn't have it in stock at the stand! These retail for about €4 and can be bought from Superdrug or straight from the MUA website. They're even more affordable than the Sleek ones but it must be said I enjoy both equally. Have you tried these before? What are your opinions on the matte liquid lipstick trend? Comment below letting me know! :)