Review & Swatches: MUA & Alexandra Burke Lip Boom

Lip Boom is MUA's latest product, created alongside Alexandra Burke, girl-next-door turned popstar courtesy of X Factor.  Unlike some celebrity collaborations, Alexandra's been pretty closely involved in the development of these double ended lipstick / lipglosses, from the shades to the names.  

Let me get my first gripe out of the way:  the packaging of these is unfortunately pretty crap.  The tubes are sealed with tape which is super sticky and leaves a residue all over the casing, which contrasts pretty badly against the glossy black.  I used some surgical spirit to clean my samples off, but still - not ideal.  I also found that the colourful end caps to the lipsticks have a habit of falling off, making these something I'd be hesitant to put directly in my handbag with other products.  Finally, I found the choice of a doe's foot applicator for the gloss a little strange - it pretty much guarantees that some of the pigment from the lipstick will get mixed into the gloss.

It's a Situation, OK.com, Cheeky

Anyway, packaging aside, the products within are quite nice.  The lipsticks are well pigmented and have a true matte finish, and whilst they're not the most comfortable thing in the world, they're plenty wearable with a touch of balm underneath them.  The glosses are incredibly sparkly (no bad thing in my book), softly candy scented, and very emollient.

It's a Situation

OK.com

Cheeky

And finally, It's a Situation applied to the lips, first off with the lipstick alone and second with the lipstick topped off with the gloss.

If the packaging were less, well, annoying, I'd declare these brilliant and have done with it.  Even so, at a mere £3 a pop, these lip duos are still well worth investing in, particularly if you're looking to experiment with a new shade or grab a shade you'd only normally wear on a night out.  I'm unsure as to how well the product would last long term, but at £3 each, that's not really a massive issue!

Find them at Superdrug and the MUA website now, in eight shades.

Disclosure: PR samples