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Freedom Makeup London and House Of Glam Dolls eyeshadow palette in ‘Vintage Doll’

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Hello my little buttons!

Freedom Makeup recently did a collabe with House of Glam Dolls to create four ‘all in one’ palettes. For those of you who don’t know, House of Glam Dolls is a makeup training academy in London. When Freedom first launched I was invited to a makeup course there using all the new Freedom products. It was run by David Horn it was absolutely fantastic I would highly recommend their courses,  there is a blog about it further down the page! (my blog is getting a revamp soon to make articles easier to find!!)

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The palettes are £8 each and avalible in four different colour choices. I chose Vintage Doll as I’m quite pale and thought the blushes would suit my skin tone. On reflection I wish I would of gone for Fairy Doll as I love bright coloured makeup but I did think I would get more day to day use of Vintage Doll.

Each palette contains 4 brow powders, 3 highlight shades, 4 lipglosses, 2 blush and 10 eyeshadows. I don’t normally buy all-in-one palettes as they remind me of kiddie makeup and I just don’t seem to reach for them but as I love the vast majority of Freedom Makeup I really wanted to give them a go, and for £8 it was a bargin.

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I really like the brow powders, there is a shade for nearly everyone. They apply smoothly and have great pigmentation. Another bonus is although I would only use one, maybe two shades on my brows these double up as eyeshadows. I liked using the lighter shades in the crease and the darker shades to add demention and smoke things out!

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Here are the swatches of the blushes, I feel these steal the show in this palette. They actually remind me of Sleek blushes, which is a big claim to make! They are so creamy and pigmented you only need the tiniest dab on your brush, they blend out beautifully and last really well throughout the day. They leave a slight stain which helps with the staying powder.

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One of the issues with having lipglosses next to shadows in a palette like this is that is you know within minutes you will get powder, dust and random bits stuck to the products. I think the only way it works is if there is a separate flap covering the lipglosses. The colours themselves show up lighter than they appear in the pan which is a shame, but it was expected. They’re nice for a light wash of colour and last for maybe an hour or so. I like that you can mix the colours to customise your own shade but I don’t think they are needed in the palette and could of been left out.

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The eyeshadow and highlight layout in the palette did confuse me slightly so I’m lumping them into the same category as both products are multi functional. It’s funny because when I saw the palette online I thought ooo pretty, but when it was in front of me it took me a while to think of what do with it! As you’ll see further down the page I managed to create quite a few different eye looks with this palette but it was rather confusing that I didn’t feel inspired straight away. I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like it. There’s a good selction of shimmers and mattes, most shades are pigmented and looked really pretty to me after I swatched them but a couple were quite stiff so required more time and effort. I have found this tends to be in case in most drug store palettes so it wasn’t a deal breaker for me. Infact I’ve even found it in a few high end palettes too!!!

Although this is not my favourite palette in the whole world, it is a decent product. I think it would be great for someone starting out in makeup as it has 5 products for only £8! You can really experiment and practice with different colours and looks while not worrying your money’s being washed down the sink as it’s so reasonably priced. Another thing I think this product would be fabulous for is travel, it’s a small sized palette so even if you bought all 4 you could slip them in your suitcase or carry on and have endless looks at your finger tips. I do think I would take this on holiday it just seems so convenient taking one product, apose to 5. I’ve enjoyed creating different looks and seeing how much I can get out of this palette.

Becca xxx

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Elf Beautifully Bare Total Face Palette

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Hello my little buttons!

After seeing Elf cosmetics were back to the UK once again after solving shipping issues I was very pleased. I really missed the brand, as they’re so affordable, have awesome deals and products as well as free gifts ordering is quite addictive!  I recently placed an order with lots of new goodies to play with, the Total Face Palette being one of them. It is part of their Beautifully Bare collection, the idea being that each of the products are light and natural creating a “no makeup makeup” look. Showing off your natural beauty….. with a tiny bit of help lol.

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Here is a photo of the order I placed from my Instagram, as you can see the palette is in the top left of the frame. The packaging is cute and simple, the palette itself is in a mirror effect compact, with a real mirror inside. It costs £8 which I think is good value as it contains two blushes, a pinky shade and a coral shade, a subtle highlight and a contor powder.

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The powers themselves are smooth, creamy and pigmented, which gives you the option to have a light sweep of colour across the cheeks or really build them up for a more night time full faced look. They all blended into the skin with ease for quick application. The blush colours are adorable I’ve found myself reaching for them most days, I mainly would use a pink or a coral so this covers all bases. The contour shade is really nice too, the shade would work on most light skin tones although it is a tad warm so I’ve been taking it easy with how much product I pick up with my brush. With a light hand it creates a natural looking shadow that brings warmth and definition to the face. It blends out beautifully and you don’t need very much product, again due to the pigmentation. If you wanted really sculpted and defined cheek bones you still have that option. The highlight is super subtle, it only has a slight shimmer that once applied to the face looks natural and radiant. I do love a good shimmery highlighter but it doesn’t always look right with light casual makeup so this is a great alternative.

A few negatives, they really could do with more deep skin tone options as both of the palette shades they offer seem pretty light to me. Unless there were deeper palettes but they sold out so they’re not avalible now?! If anyone knows please do comment below!!!!  I also think the packaging is a teeny bit flimsy but for the price and products inside you really can’t complain.

Overall I highly recommend this palette, the colours they have chosen and the powder consistencies are spot on and it’s a fabulous price. Here’s some photos of myself using the Beautifully Bare palette.

Becca xxxx

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Freedom Makeup London Pro Studio Priming Water

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Hello my little buttons!

A while ago I was sent a priming water from Freedom Makeup London The water is full of nourishing multi vitamins and is prices at £6.00 for 100ml. If you follow my blog you’ll know with primers and foundations I like to thoughaly test them out with a viaraty of other products before I give my verdict so that I am confident in my opinion. This was my first experience with a priming water, it seems crazy that a product with the consistence of water could prime your skin to help your makeup go on smooth as well as make it last. So I was very curious to see how this would perform. My skin is slightly oily and I can get dry patches, although they have cleared up since using Freedoms pro studio moisturiser, if your interested I have reviewed further down my page. I tend to use mattifying primers, again I have reviewed Freedoms further down the page lol. After testing and testing and testing again I have come to the conclusion that this primer is a handy little tool to have in your collection. If your in a rush it’s fantastic to quickly spritz on the face, it’s smells gorgeous which is always nice, and dries fast. My makeup applies beautifully and not only that, lasts really well throughout the day with no dry patches or grease pools around my nose. It also seems to help blur my pores slightly, which as we all know is always a good thing. I’ve mainly been using medium-full coverage foundations recently and I’ve noticed a difference in the overall look as well as the longevity of my face products. You get a lot of product for your money so it would last you for ages, the mist is so fine even after a month or so of nearly constant use I’ve only used a quarter of the product. If your looking for an everyday quick primer to save you time as well as do the job, this could be the priming water for you!

Becca xx

Disclaimer: although this product was sent to me to review that doesn’t remotely effect my opinion of the product. I would not sell my sole for makeup xx

Burts Bees Matte Lip Crayon and Lipgloss

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Hello my little buttons!

Here’s my review of Burts Bees Matte Lip Crayon in the shade ‘Hawiaiian Smolder’ as well as a lip gloss in the shade ‘Spring Splender.’ The Crayons are priced at £8.99 and avalible in 6 shades, the Lipgloss is also £8.99 and avalible in 12 shades. The packaging is adorable, I love how a bee hive pattern has been incorporated into the lids. The formula of the crayon is pigmented, smooth and feels comfy to wear, very creamy like a lip balm. The quality of the product really speak for itself, the colour lasts for ages, it doesn’t bleed out all over your face and unlike most lip Crayons after an hour or so of wear it doesn’t bunch up on the lips or leave that dreaded ‘lip linner’ ring around your mouth. The colour sinks into your lips gradually which is a lot more flattering and natural looking! The colour itself is pretty and perfect for spring, it would also look great on nearly all skin tones. I usually feel a bit self contious wearing bright colours on my lips incase they get on my teeth but I didn’t get that feeling at all with this lip crayon, it stayed nicely in place where I wanted it to. Another bonus of the lip crayon is how handy it is to pop in your handbag and use on the go. It also contains 100% natural ingredients, some of which are very nourishing such as shea butter and kendi oil which is great as I know my lips won’t become dried out and sore. It would say it’s fairly matte but there is still a slight shine, although i don’t mind this it’s almost as if a matte lipstick and a lip balm had a baby! I really enjoyed this product and had to hold myself back from buying all the colours. Pigmented comfy colour with lip balm properties, perfection! In my eyes these are a total win, I would recommend to anyone and everyone. Here are the swatches of the Crayon and Lipgloss:

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Now onto the Lipgloss! It does have a slight pearl shimmer to it but doesn’t massively transfer onto the lips, it can potentially be seen close up in natural light if you were really looking for it but you won’t look like a disco ball in the slightest. The formula is shiney and slick, it feels more balmy than sticky which is a big thumbs up in my book I hate super sticky lipglosses! It contains 100% natural products and has a big boost of natural oils to leave your lips feeling hydrated and nourished as well as super glossy. It has a nice wash of colour that would look good over most lipsticks but also can stand on its own as a subtle sheen balmy product. It lasts fairly well as far as lipglosses go so I was pleased with this product too, it’s great to throw in my handbag if I need a light, pop of colour or if my lips are sore when im out and about. I really love that these products are helping my lips not hurting them, I have noticed my lips haven’t been getting as sore and peely even after spending all day out in the cold.

I think by now you can tell how much I love these little beauties!!! Here’s a few photos of how the colours can look in different lights on the lips!

Becca xxx

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L’oreal False Lash Sculpt Mascara

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Hello my little buttons!

I recently purchased L’Oréal False Lash Effect Mascara after hearing the huge claims L’Oréal were making in regards to what this mascara can do. Allegedly in One STROKE it can tight line at the roots, volumize at the core and fan your lashes out at the tips. My first thought was no way, in one stroke is that possible. After purchasing the mascara I straight away checked out this ‘magic’  wand, it was not what I was expecting at all. It’s quite hard to explain so I will add photos down below, it’s a long cone shape with two small combs next to each other. I was genuinely expecting a big chunky bristle brush or even a Benefit There Real! rubber brush dupe.

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On first application I have to say I was really impressed, the bottom comb almost hooks on to your lashes at the root causing a ‘tight line’ effect, it did add volume and fan my lashes out as promised. I used a few coats as I wanted to reposition some of my lashes but it really wasn’t 100% nessasary. I was very happy with the end result, although do be careful the first time you use it as it does feel different compared to a generic mascara, I did jab myself in the eye!!! On the photo below I litrally have eyeshadow and mascara on, no eyeliner at all.

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But second time round I was prepared and sculpted my lashes like a pro. It built up beautifully and I easily could of added more. When you first pull the wand out there is quite a lot of product on there so I recon it would work with one stroke for big punky thick lashes, I wiped some off for a more defined look. It’s also super dark which throughout the day has been one of the things I really noticed and loved. What I think is super unique about this formula is your lashes stay exactually where you want them to, as an example, I had curled my lashes but thought they needed an extra umph so after application I gently pushed my lashes up in hope they would stay there (which never happens) but omg they did stay up!!! Even when I moved them about to even out the fanned effect, once positioned they didn’t budge at all. It’s almost like hair gel for your lashes!!! Another bonus is later on in the day I could actually add more mascara on top of what I already had on and it looked gorgeous. I’m so impressed with this mascara, my new magic weapon for sure.

Love Becca xxx

Freedom Makeup London Pro Studio Oil Control Base

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Hello my little buttons!

I purchased the Freedom Makeup London Oil Control Base Anti-shine lotion a few months ago, but really wanted to test it out thoroughly before writing this blog. I find primers quite hard to review until I have used them with a viaraty of foundations, bb creams etc. Its priced at £8, the packaging is the same as the Freedom Makeup London skincare range, silver sleek and super functional with a pump. My favourite way to get a product out! Hygienic and you have a fair bit of control on how much primer comes out. It feels like a cooling gel to touch and a little goes a long way, I have tried using my fingers to apply the anti shine lotion as well as a Real Techniques buffing brush and I have found the same results with both ways of application. It actually works!!!! With bb creams and lighter foundations I’ve found I might need a light powdering in the afternoon as apose to the normal 4/5 during the day but with a matte foundation this primer is unstoppable. What I found quite unique is as well as keeping my oily t zone at bay, my skin stayed really hydrated throughout the day. Quite often with mattifying primers/foundations they can cause dry patches on my chin and around my mouth but I didn’t find this an issue at all. I wasn’t having to powder through the day as even towards the afternoon I had a healthy ‘glow from within’ look not an ‘oil slick’ look! If Freedom Makeup could add some pore blurring magic to this primer I would never use anything else again lol. I’ll add some photos of the primer in action! I’d love to hear what your favourite primers are in the comments down below!

Love Becca xxx

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Kiko Extra Sculpt Volume Mascara

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Hello my little buttons!

I received the Kiko Extra Sculpt Volume mascara in my glossy box a few months ago. I had heard bits and pieces about the brand so was excited to try one of their mascaras. It’s priced at £8.50 and come with 11ml/0.37FL. The mascara came in a box which I think is a nice touch, the tube it’s self is rather different than your normal mascara tube. I’ll insert a photo here as it’s quite hard to describe, modern and chunky are the words that come to mind!

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For the price it is cool packaging I do have to say, it felt more high end than drugstore. I was then in for a shock when I saw the brush, it’s HUGE. Now, my eyes are big so they can normally handle larger than average mascara wands but this was a beast.

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I also thought it’s going to be tricky to apply as the end that coats you inner lashes wasn’t narrow and sleek to get right in there, but was also big and chunky. I tested it out today with a full face of makeup and was petrified of the wand touching any of it! The wand also had a crazy amount of product on it, as you can see in the photo.

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Wasn’t overly impressed on application, as predicted it was a pain trying to coat all my lashes due to the wand shape. I found it dried very quick so I couldn’t really layer it up, it also didn’t separate my lashes very well and there was far too much product on the brush. There definatly wasn’t any volume going on my lashes looked more whisby and crispy! It’s very rare I give a total bad review as what works for some people doesn’t work for others and I tend to find the silver lining in life in general…but I just don’t see how this could work for anyone! Apart from the cool packaging I didn’t like the brush, application or formula. Sorry Kiko total fail for me!! Looking forward to trying some other products in the future but sadly this was definatly not for me.

Love Becca xxx

Freedom Makeup London Dramatic Sensitive Eyemakeup Remover

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Hello my little buttons!

If you follow me on instagram or my blog you’ll know that I’ve been testing out the new range of skincare at Freedom Makeup London, so far I adore their moisturiser (review a few posts back) and will be blogging this week about their Oil Control Makeup Base.

Today, however were talking about their Dramatic Sensitive Eye makeup Remover. All the packing in this line is gorgeous, silver and sleek looks great on the vanity. What was quite different is that the product is pumped out of the bottle, which is very hygienic so I liked this feature. However I think I must of gotten a dud one as every time I pumped it squirted the product out sideways instead of straight down. This was easily solved by holding my cotton pad right over the pump so it couldn’t go anywhere other than the pad but was a little irritating. The product itself has a light fresh scent which you can smell on the skin afterwards. I have tried the product several times and I’m so sad as I seem to be allergic to an ingredient or two in it! It’s so disappointing as it removed my make up spectacularly quick, it felt cooling and I was really pleased with the results. Until maybe one minute later when my eyeballs virtually set on fire, they were streaming and stinging for hours. Even after washing them it was still painful, I wanted to really make sure it was the makeup remover that was setting my eyes off (as I was testing out other new products) I tried it twice more (crazy I know but I really wanted it to work lol). Sadly it happened both other times which ended in me taking an antihistamine tablet, so it’s definatly this! I do have to say my eyes are very sensitive so this isn’t the first time a product has done this, I have to be careful with eyeliners and mascaras as well as skin care products. Im not an expert in skin care or makeup ingredients so I have no clue what exactually it is my eyes don’t like about it. This was quite hard to review as although it didn’t work for me it could be someone else’s holy grail makeup remover as it worked really well until the reaction! It’s also very affordable, costing £5 for 30ml/1 Fl.Oz avaliable at: .Freedom Makeup London No matter how much you love a brand there’s always going to be products you don’t get along with, and this is sadly one of those products. Have you tried this remover? Did it work for you? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

Becca xxx

Products I can’t live without – Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

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Hello my little buttons!

There are several items I find myself rephurchasing over and over again, no matter what other products I try, I always have as a backup and always go back to. I really enjoy hearing/reading about other people’s “must haves” so thought I would start a mini series on my own must have skin care and beauty products.

I’m really enjoying my skincare at the moment and noticing a big difference in my skins completion and texture. One of my favourite cleansers is Garnier micellar cleansing water. Nothing fancy or expensive but I just love this stuff!! It totally gets the job done, it removes every inch of my makeup, even water proof mascara and gel eyeliner. It’s gentle on my skin and doesn’t irritate my eyes which is a big plus for me as they are very sensitive so I have to be careful what I use. It’s also fragrance free! Afterwards my skin feels clean, fresh and ready for the rest of my routine. It costs between £3.99-£4.99 for 400ml so you get lot of product for your money. It claims on the packaging there’s 200 used based on 2ml per cotton pad, I’ve not counted how many pads I’ve used per bottle as no one has time for that lol but it does last me at least a month using it twice a day. Sometimes just to cleanse, other times to remove make up as well. Because it’s so affordable I don’t mind going to town while trying to remove heavy makeup as it’s not breaking the bank. There’s nothing worse than finding a product you love but it being so pricey that it breaks your heart everytime you use it!

If your looking for a cleanser to remove makeup and gently cleanse your face without rinsing this might be the product for you!

Becca xxx

L’oreal Infallible Matte Foundation – is it worth the hype?

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Hello my little buttons!

I was in the market for a matte medium to full coverage fondation, I mainly use bb creams or lighter foundations but I do like to have something with a bit more coverage for events and bad skin days. One of the first products that came to mind was L’Oréal Infallible Matte liquid Foundation, I’ve read amazing reviews and from what I’d seen in photos it looks gorgeous on the skin. I ordered mine online so took a bit of a gamble on the shade, I went for ‘natural rose’ as I’m fairly pale and have a lot of pink tones. As I’m getting older instead of covering up the pink I’m just going with it! Turns out the shade was perfect, it blended in lovely with my skin tone. I love the packaging, it comes in a tube with a small nozzle so you have full control over how much product comes out and you can see how much you have left as it’s mainly clear packaging. The black and red writing/detail looks awesome together as well.

Ive been using the foundation for a few weeks now and I have to say I absolutely love it. I’ve been buffing it in with a foundation brush, no I don’t have a beauty blender I realise I’m the only person alive who doesn’t lol. That a side even with the brush it blends in beautifully with my skin and layers up really well so I can take it from medium coverage to full coverage. It doesn’t cake up and still looks surprisingly natural for such high coverage. Even though it’s matte it’s not drying on my skin at all and even after a whole day of wear still looks fantastic. I have been using a primer as I always do and a light powder to set the foundation and my concealer. I’ve not needed to powder through the day what so ever which is a new thing for me!!! It mainly stays matte throughout the day but what I actually do like is as it settles you can see a natural glow through it which I think is what makes it look so subtle and real-skin like. I would definitely agree it’s water proof and steam proof as even when I’ve been out in the hammering rain it’s all still been in place when I’ve got back.

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In the photo I had been wearing the foundation for around 6 hours and had been rushing round sweating getting all my jobs done, it still looks great! I highly recommend this foundation and at £8.99 it’s easily replaceable when you run out.

Here’s a few more photos of the foundation:

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What’s your favourite affordable matte foundation? Comment below!

Becca xxx