MUA recently had an amazing winter sale on their website so I couldn't resist picking up some goodies! I believe this particular palette is still available on their website for a teeny tiny £2 (true as of 18/03/15) and it comes with 12 beautiful "winter" shades, the majority being shimmery but there is also one matte colour. I like the fact that MUA have the names of each shade on the back of the palette (it also makes it easier to review too!) as it makes it seem so much more professional and expensive. Although MUA describe this palette as containing winter shades, I can definitely see this lasting me through spring and possibly even into summer as it boasts some lovely neutral browns, coppers and beiges, as well as the darker greens, purples and greys.
The actual packaging is nice and simple and it comes with the standard double-sided sponge brush. I would like a mirror on the inside, but the palette was so affordable so that might be asking for a bit too much! This might just be me, but I tend to have trouble opening the actual palette occasionally! I've found this with a couple of MUA eyeshadow palettes and it has resulted in a couple of chipped nails. However, this doesn't put me off the palette of course, I do eventually get my claws into it!
Onto the shades! Let me start off by saying I was so shocked at how pigmented these eyeshadows were! I am constantly surprised at the quality of budget eyeshadows nowadays and it really puts me off buying more expensive brands - surely it can't be worth the price difference?! My favourite shades that I know I'll be wearing again and again are: Ice, which is a beautiful shimmery highlighting colour; Oudh, a glittery copper colour; All Spice, which looks like a light-ish brown but comes out quite burgundy; and Star Shine, which looks great in the outer corner and under the eye.
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In my everyday look, I used the colour Ice on the inner to the middle of my eyelids, All Spice in the middle and a little bit of Star Shine on the outer corner and underneath my eye. I did actually use the sponge brush included in the palette but generally I would use a normal eyeshadow brush (I'm needing to buy a new one), and I blended it using an eyeshadow brush from ELF. The look I created didn't completely stay put for the whole day but not to the extent that it looked bad - there was still clearly a lighter shade in the inner corner blending out to a darker shade. However, I was really pleased with the overall look. I completed it with Collection's Extreme 24 Hour felt tip liner (click here for tips on how I apply this) and Benefit's They're Real mascara.
Overall, I'd say if you're on a budget you really can't go wrong with this palette. Even if you're not on a budget it's a pretty great find! I'm looking forward to trying out some looks for nights out with this palette in the future and being more adventurous with some of the more unusual (well, less neutral!) colours they've included!
Let me know what you think - do you think these budget eyeshadow palettes are as good as the high-end ones? Do you have a favourite? Leave a comment below!
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