affordablemakeup

Makeup Revolution ‘Fortune Favours the Brave’ eyeshadow palette by British Beauty Blogger!!

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Hello my little buttons!

Well well well hasn’t there been some huge online hype around this palette!!?? I have to say I’m not suprised, it was created by British Beauty Blogger for Makeup Revolution and as you can see it’s beautiful. There were lots of sneek peek preview photos of this palette from Makeup Revolutions birthday party  all over instagram which in my opinion really hyped this product up!! As I own way too many eyeshadow palettes I’m more selective with which ones I buy these days but after seeing the palette for myself at the party I knew it had to be mine.

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The packaging is really unique for Makeup Revolution, it’s matte gold with a shiny gold design, it feels and looks more luxury that most of the other palettes within their range. The palette is equipped with a hefty 30 eyeshadows as well as a big mirror and an eyeshadow brush. Not the best brush but by far not the worst, the flat side is perfect for packing colour onto the lids. I used it slightly damp for the swatches and as you can see it really gave the colours even bolder pigmentation.

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I think the colour selection is fantastic, there is a bit of everything!! Light to dark neutrals, pinks, mauves, blues, greens, metalics.. it has it all. You can create so many different looks with this palette it’s a great all rounder. There’s a fab selection of mattes and some really pretty shimmers, although the stunning baked marbleised finished eyeshadows in the palette are what really caught my eye, I think it’s what also makes this palette so appealing and different.

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To swatch most of the shadows were pigmented and smooth, there were a few stiffer colours that require more work to build up the pigmentation which was slightly disappointing but for less that £10 for 30 eyeshadows you can’t complain. Some of the colours that were more difficult to swatch with my finger applied much better with an eyeshadow brush and we’re lovely and blendable. Because of the fantastic colour selection it’s super easy to create a whole eye look without reaching for any other eyeshadow products. It drives me crazy when I buy a beautiful palette and to complete a look having to reach for other shadows to get either a matte or shimmery cream or even a crease colour. This palette has it all! You definatly need a good primer for these shadows to last but thats something I would use every day anyway. Overall a lovely little palette, again slight shame some colours require more work but this is the case with most affordable palettes. Using them slightly damp really helped with this issue. I will add some photos of the different looks I have achieved with this palette down below. Do you own this palette? What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts the comments below!

Becca xxx

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For this look I played around with the greens on the palette for a smudgy  olive toned smokey eye. To add some lilac I used Makeup revolution eyeliner in ‘depraved’ on the waterline.

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For this look I used the peachy colour with a shimmery white inner corner highlight and to line my eyes I used some of the gorgeous navy shades. To finish the look off I used Makeup revolutions blue eyeliner in the shade ‘baddest blue’.

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For the top look I used a damp brush and packed on a metallic pink (very similar to a colour in the urban decay naked 3 palette) with a bronzed gold on the outter corner, a light brown in the crease and a matte cream on my brow bone. I also used a Makeup Revolution lipliner in the shade ‘the one’ in my waterline. To add to this makeup for more of a night time smoked out look, I used the darkest marbleised eyeshadow which is black with metallic red running through it and pressed that into the gold shadow. I also added a shimmery white on my brow bone.

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 Oil Control Base

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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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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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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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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

£5 dupe for Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow?!

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Recently I purchased Anastasia Beverly Hills dipbrow in the shade blonde for £15, soon after that I found out Freedom Makeup London also did a blonde brow pomade for £5, naturally I ordered it lol! The past two weeks has been the battle of the brows, to see how these both perform side by side and if Freedom Makeups version could really be a good dupe for me to recommend. I blogged a first impression of the dipbrow and long story short I loved it, so easy to use, great colour, lasts litrally all day. It really does something magic to your brows, if you have used it you know what I mean! It is avaliable in 11 shades, you receive 4g of product and it has a 6 month expiry after opening. I ordered mine through http://beautybay.com and received free delivery (I’m in the UK)

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The first thing I noticed about the Freedom Makeup brow pomade in comparison to dipbrow was how similar the packaging is, both are cute little glass pots with sleek black lids. The next thing I noticed, that really shocked me was how similar the colours were!

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Freedoms was a hair darker (do you see what I did there haha) but the similarity is impressive. Anyone with blonde hair/brows knows that most drugstore ‘blonde’ products really aren’t blonde, and even if they look blonde in the pan when you apply them they seem far darker. Don’t get me wrong these are still a darker shade of blonde but thats perfect for my brows and I imagine if you had lighter brow hair it would appear lighter on the skin. Getting back to my original point it’s hard to find affordable blonde brow products but the Freedom pomade was spot on. They felt very similar in texture and throughout the day both swatches lasted equally as well on the back of my hand, once they had set they didn’t budge. I also thought it was fab that Freedom also carried 11 shades, which again for drug store is a rarity. There is less product though, you get 2.5g but the product expires after 12 months instead of 6 so if you didn’t use it every day it’s still good for twice as long as the dipbrow and it is £10 cheaper. I ordered mine through http://freedommakeuplondon.com

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Next up are the brow swatches, again super impressive! They both acheive a very similar result which I wasn’t expecting. I found the Freedom pomade adhered to the hair slightly more than the skin but after good comb through with my spoolie it evened out nicely. I found the dipbrow adhered to skin and hair more smoothly but I would still brush them through so really it doesn’t matter too much. With both products you can lightly fill in your brows or go full on defined “instabrow” depending on what you prefer.

In conclusion I think the Freedom pomade is a brilliant dupe for the more pricey dipbrow, both are fantastic and get the job done. They both wear well and last all day with no flaking or running all over your face in the rain (nothing worse than loosing your brows!). The shade range in both lines is unbelievable there really is something for everyone, what more could you want for your brows? What’s your fav brow product? I’d love you hear in the comments below!

Becca x

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My July favourites!! 

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Here’s a count down of my favourite products from the month of July 2015. This month for me has all been about trying new things, as well as lightening up my makeup for the summer. I’ve been super busy with work and the kids so I’ve needed practical products that get the job done fast. 

  
The Pro Decadance Magic eyeshadow palette from Freedom Makeup London has been a staple in collection, I have done an in depth review on this on my blog recently so if you scroll down it should be there! To keep it short and sweet, fantastic quality all shades are pigmented blendable and just stunning I really can’t praise it enough. For £6 I was bowled over.

  
Blush highlight and contour palette from Makeup Revolution £3.50 I have owned for a while but rediscovered this month. Beautiful shades that are easy to work with, I would say use a light hand with the contour shade (I would use this more as a bronzer or for suble contour) as it’s highly pigmented. The highlight is pretty and also works very well as an eyeshadow, the shimmer is to die for! The blush is a dupe for the sleek blush rose gold, side by side there is very little difference. 

  
I might have found my Holy Grail liquid eyeliner, again a Freedom Makeup London product, the brush is perfection. It’s a rubber tip that is mainly firm to get your line straight but the end is flexible to get your wing on!! It’s really helped with my eyeliner application  and as you can do very fine lines with ease I can do for a lighter look without it going wrong and ending up super thick, you all know what I’m talking about!!!! 

  
I will have a review up soon on this product as I have bought a few other colours, this is the Bourjois Color Band eyeshadow and liner 2 in 1 pencil. I LOVE this pencil, the rose gold colour is so metallic and smooth to apply no matter how I wear it im always happy with the result. It’s sets really well and lasts most of the day even on my oily lids. Can’t wait to try more looks with the other colours they are quick and convenient, great for if your in a rush. 

  

Another Boujois product that I can’t believe I’ve not mentioned sooner in a favourites as it lives in my handbag and this is my second one!! Color Boost Lip crayon in Proudly Naked. Balmy, creamy this glides on the lips with just the right amount of colour. It’s sheer but packs a punch it’s my perfect pinky nude and the best thing is you don’t need a mirror to apply, it also goes with nearly every makeup look so it’s very diverse. 

  
 
I have an in depth review on this product too which I wrote recently. The swatch speaks for itself, if I could paint my whole body in this I would. Super affordable, the cream to powder formula feels good on the skin and works well over liquid and powder foundations. 

  
Last but defiantly not least is House of Glam Dolls lashes, here I’ve used the half strip. I’ve always struggled with applying lashes, mainly getting the glue tackiness correct. The glue that goes with these lashes is the bomb, it applies blue and is ready to be instantly applied. It also holds them in place all day with zero slippage. The lashes are made with natural hairs and are light and comfy to wear there is also a huge range of styles to suit everyone and anyone. At £5 a set these were my deal of the month! 

Freedome London Makeup Curl Mascara Review

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Here’s a quick review on Freedom Makeup Londons ‘Curl Mascara’ £2. There is also a volume mascara and lengthen mascara in the range. The first thing I noticed was the gigantic size of the wand, I photographed it next to a lipstick so you could see how long this thing is! I have big eyes but even on my peepers it wasn’t the most comfy mascara to apply, I really had to watch what I was doing so not to ruin the rest of my makeup. I do have to say though true to its name it did curl my lashes, really lifting them up and holding them up for most of the day. It’s super black and the end result was soft fluttery lashes that did look fairly natural. This would defiantly be a ‘no makeup day mascara’ as it opens up the eyes and isn’t chunky or clumpy.  This was a good few coats and as you can see its layered up nicely. Think I’m going to get the other two mascaras and review them all side by side. Might even try them all together for crazy huge lashes! Overal like this mascara for natural days and light summer looks, great price for £2 and oddly enough it smells gorgeous, just annoying the wand is so huge. Please subscribe for me reviews like this! 

Disclaimer: I received this mascara while on a Freedom Makeup London makeup course, curtesy of Freedom Makeup London but that doesn’t remotely effect the honest review I have given I have not been sponsored or paid to promote this product. I would not sell my soul for makeup. 

Makeup Revolution Pro Hygiene Anti Bacterial Brush Cleaner Review 

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Hello my little buttons!

For years I have used the Bare Minerals brush cleaner paying about £10 for 110ml, a friend recommended it and it seemed to be doing the job just fine. I then noticed one day on the Makeup Revolution website they sold brush cleaner, which was £5 for 200ml. I love Makeup Revolution so thought it was worth a try! I let my brushes get nice and dirty to really  test out this product. 

The first thing I noticed was the smell, it was lovely! Really sweet and pleasant I couldn’t smell the alcohol at all, nothing worse than a boozy smelling brush cleaner lol. The next thing I noticed was the spray, it was a fine wet mist which was great for covering all of the bristles. It also had a special top that made it possible to spray from all angles which was really handy. The first time I used it I could not believe how much product came off the brush , way more that would of come off with my bare minerals cleaner. As I went through all the brushes and more and more product came off it really got me thinking, how much was left on my brushes before finding this cleaner?! So gross the thought of rubbing half clean dirty brushes all over my face. I’ve had the bottle for about 2 months now and there’s still product left. Favourite brush cleaner ever, I just love it! 

Here’s the link to super drugs site of your interested in this product:

http://www.superdrug.com/Makeup-Revolution/Makeup-Revolution-Antibacterial-Brush-Cleaner-200ml/p/246410