Product Review: MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Cream and Shadow

MAKE UP FOR EVER has been known for its long-lasting products and intense colour pigments since founder Dany Sanz set out to create a line that would perform under extreme circumstances. No wonder MUFE products are beloved by makeup artists, discerning beauty lovers, and Olympians (their waterproof shades are a godsend for synchronized swimmers). I got to take two sychronized swimmer-approved products for a test drive recently, MUFE Aqua Shadow ($23 at Sephora) and MUFE Aqua Cream ($26 at Sephora).

Smooth and pigmented, Aqua Cream lives up to its name as a waterproof, budge-proof eye colour. Apply it straight from the pot with your fingertips for a sheer wash of colour, use a shadow brush for a deeper hue, or press the colour into your lash line with an angled liner brush. I tend to play it pretty safe with my everyday makeup, so I wore Aqua Cream in 25 Pastel Blue around the house for a sweaty afternoon of chores and as I blogged. The colour stayed on without fading for hours, although because I applied it directly to my eyelids sans primer it began creasing around the 5-hour mark.

Aqua Shadow is a jumbo eyeshadow crayon that, like Aqua Cream, boasts long-lasting colour. Because of the blunt thick line that it leaves, I found it difficult to use Aqua Shadow in 0E (black) as a precise liner. But I imagine the light beige, pink, and taupe shades would make great apply-and-go eyeshadow sticks.

While testing Aqua Cream and Aqua Shadow, I tried my hand at re-creating Mugler's dramatic cat-eye look with colour accents.

Before this MUFE experience, my only exposure to their products was the Glossy Full Couleur glosses. This was before lipstick made a comeback and I was hard-pressed to find pigmented lip glosses or opaque lip lacquers, so I was impressed with the colour pigments in Glossy Full Couleur. Now, after two good experiences, I'm looking forward to experimenting with other MUFE products.