MUA Cosmetics Bronze & Sculpt Contour Kit

I was so excited to see this new product launched into the MUA Cosmetics Summer Collection. This is a 'duo, bronzing compact perfect for effortless contouring' and retails for £5 in Superdrug. This shade is Medium/Dark and they also have another shade which is Light/Medium. I didn't see any swatches in the store so I was completely oblivious to what the colour was inside the packaging, but regardless I wanted to try it.

'The lightweight powder in two tones allow for perfect sculpting definition and accentuation.'

I really like the packaging of this. It is designed like a compact where you open the lid, which is the beautiful rose-gold coloured half, and the product sits in the black section. I was immediately drawn in because of the colour of the lid. Rose-gold is such a popular colour and I love how it has been incorporated into the product for the season. In general, the packaging looks very professional, feels very sturdy and also feels quite weightless. To open this, press the button on the front of the packaging to release the lid. This clip appears to be very secure and you cannot open the lid without applying pressure to the button so this suggests that it won't fling open when travelling around with it.

 When you open the lid, you see a built-in internal mirror and the lighter bronzer colour that isn't completely matte as it seems to have a hint of a satin finish. When you dip your brush into this powder, it seems slightly crumbly but it is packed full of pigment, feels lightweight and blends easily. This part of the powder also has a design in it which slowly disappears the more you use it.  

 To reveal the second powder, gently lift the first powder, which slots nicely into the lid. The second shade is significantly darker than the first and is a matte powder. This is also a bit crumbly when you dip your brush into it but once again it is packed full of pigment and is nice and opaque. This one also feels lightweight and blends effortlessly. This isn't a huge flaw, but you cannot see the mirror in this section of the product which means you get the hassle of having to keep lowering the first shade to reveal the mirror if you are out travelling with this product and don't have another one handy.

 I like that the way this is packaged because this is a more unique idea compared to having them sitting next to each other in a palette.

 These are the swatches of the two shades and you can see that they are nice and opaquely pigmented. I like the consistencies of them and they feel very soft to the touch. They have quite a warm undertone, particularly the lighter shade which looks like a warm gold colour.

At first I was unsure of how to use these and there was no directions to say which colour goes where on the packaging or online (when I see it online, I will update this) so I used the first shade with the Real Techniques Duo Fibre Brush around the hairline, temples, jawline to add some warmth to my complexion and then accentuated some of my features using the darker shade and the Real Techniques Contour Brush. The first shade gave a slight natural amount of colour to my face whereas the second shade was so dark and it took a few brushes to blend in so it looked a lot more natural but in the end I thought it looked a lot better and I quite like it.

 

To compare I mixed the two shades together and then used the RT Contour Brush to apply and I blended with the same brush and a large fluffy brush. This had a more precise effect and took a lot more time to blend to get the right effect but I prefer to use the first method.

Overall I like this product. I don't think it 'effortlessly' contours however once you have taken the time to apply and blend the bronzers carefully, I think it looks very natural, lightweight and doesn't look or feel cakey or crumbly on the skin. It blends a lot better with a foundation base already on the skin and the colour doesn't fade over a few hours. I found that if you do not have some kind of base like a foundation it applies very blotchy and doesn't blend as easily. However once it is blended it looks very light but that is the perfect amount of colour for what I want. You can easily build up the intensity of the two bronzers if you want a stronger contour. If this colour option is too dark for your skin tone, they have a lighter option which I might get as well because I feel this shade is better for darker or more tanned skin.
 

Will you be trying this out?

 

SparkleEyes x