Easy eye look | Make up Revolution

Just a quick one today - to show you how I used this palette from Make up Revolution (Romantic Smoked) to do a really easy everyday look.


I started with the matte taupe in the middle of the palette, and applied it to my crease, with a wash of the third shimmery colour all over the lid - it's a really lovely almost - peach. I then added some of the bright white shimmer to the centre and inner corner of my lids and finished the look with the shimmery purple smudged along my lashline and pulled into a messy flick.


I have always really loved Make Up Revolution eyeshadows, I find that they wear really well and blend together nicely. This palette is a bit different with a few fun colours, but you can definitely use it to create such a simple look - just like this one.



If you haven't already, I would definitely recommend having a look at the shadow palettes from MuR - this one was only £4 and I've got so much use out of it!

Thanks for reading :)

Lou

2 Budget Liquid Blushes

Oh hi!

Now I know a lot of people aren't very keen on cream blushes but bear (bare?) with me here, these two are worth a couple of minutes of your time.

As you can see from the swatches above, these are two completely different products, both in colour and consistency, and I love them both. 

If you are a cream blush fan- or even if you're not, but you're still a teeny bit curious- these are a couple of really good options at really low prices.

Firstly, we have the Make Up Revolution 'Vivid Blush Lacquer'  in Rush  which is this really really bright barbie pink here in the foreground. This is a very different product, and the blush actually gets squeezed out of the tube via a foundation- like pump. The consistency is fairly thick, quite moussey, but really easy to blend out - and you definitely need to blend this product as the pigment is really strong.

The second product is by Rimmel, it's their Stay Blushed Liquid Cheek Tint in 005 Apricot Glow. Compared to the MUR offering, this is a much thinner, more watery consistancy, much like a cream cleanser or something like that. Again, this is fairly pigmented, but easy to blend into the skin. I would say out of the two, this one may be slightly easier to blend.

Both products come in under £3 (I think I paid £1.50 for the MUR and £2.50 for the Rimmel), and wear-time is good on both.

I hope this was useful to all you cream blush novices out there - I know these are really summer-y colours but I have actually yet to find a winter-y shade of cream blush. Any reco's would be appreciated :)

Thanks for reading, over and out!

Lou xxx

Make Up Revolution Ultra Sculpt and Contour Kit

I've been on the look out for a budget Bronze/Blush//Highlight kit for a while now, mainly for the convenience. So- I was really excited to see this offering from Make Up Revolution for around £3.50. I got mine in the shade Ultra Fair, and I've worn it a couple of times to check the wear time, which is surprisingly good.

(I did film a little video of my applying it but it was too large to upload to my blog, so I'll make a YouTube video and upload it soon)

 I would say the best of the threesome is the bronzer/contour. It's very pigmented but blends out like an absolute dream. The blusher is my least favourite because, when teamed with the highlight, the two together is a lot of shimmer. But hey, its summer so who cares? The highlight is beautiful; not chunky or glittery like a lot of cheaper highlights, but really shimmery and pretty, lav it.
I think this is a really good mini- palette, and definitely one to pick up if you're heading away on holiday and you want a quick fix.

Thanks for reading!
Lou x

Make-up Revolution Salvation Palette in Romantic Smoked ~ Review and Swatches

When a palette is £4, you can't really go wrong, nor can you complain if 80% of the shades are useless or un-usable. But, with Make- Up Revolution, you know you'll get a cracking product, even for £4.
This is one of their Redemption Palettes, in Romantic Smoked, and I've had it for over a year now. Admittedly, I often forget about this palette, but while I was digging around my drawer the other day I remembered how much I love this little gem.

You can see how much use I've had out of it by the state of it! In terms of packaging, it's definitely pretty basic, but its the quality of the shadows inside which make this such a bargain.

So what do you get in this 'Romantic Smoked' palette? A really nice selection of mattes and shimmers, in colours which are a little bit different.

There's a shimmery white, which is only to be used with caution- personally, I'm don't normally reach for an icey white shimmer, but it's a good colour to have.

The shimmery rich brown is lovely, really pigmented and smooth- as most of these colours are.

The next shade is probably in my top 3 of the whole palette. Its almost a rose-gold shade which goes beautifully with a brown or purple colour in the crease. 

The olive/ green shimmer is a shade which I never thought I'd reach for, but I have worn this a few times. Not something for everyday, but definitely subtle enough to work some colour into your make-up look.

This next one is a bright shimmery lilac with silver glitter. Its really iridescent, and again, not one for everyday, but it's beautiful.

The last shimmery shade is more of a raw-red/brown with hints of purple and gold shimmer. I love this shade in the Autumn and Winter time.

Here we move onto the matte shades, and a couple of these are a little patchy, but build up beautifully to become opaque.

The lilac/ taupe is a really wearable every-day shade, and probably the one I've reached for most out of the whole palette. 

The matte brown/ khaki is a lovely colour on my green eyes, and would look amazing on brown or blue eyes too. This shade is so soft

The next shade is anther lilac, but greyer than the other. Not so easy to wear but a really nice colour to have on hand for a simple day time look or a smoky eye.

The next shade looks like its black but its actually a really dark green. Like, really dark. I can't say I've used this one, but its different, eh?

The penultimate shade is a very dark, smoky grey, which is useful for a soft smoky eye, but definitely not one for the day-to-day

The last shade you can hardly see here, but its a creamy light 'peanut butter' shade which is an amazing transition colour.

Overall this palette is a really good one to have in your collection as it has the balance of matte/shimmer, and a fair few interesting colours like the olive shimmer and the grey/lilac.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

5 Summer Essentials

I've been planning for my holiday for months now, and one of the most exciting things about going on holiday- for me, because I'm sad- is packing my make-up and beauty supplies. Very sad.
Here are five things which have been on my list since the very beginning, and will eventually come away with me.

1. Fairly crappy sunglasses. I would -obviously- rather spend money on skincare and make- up, and of course, on the holiday itself. So, I am not inclined to spend money on my sunglasses, the main reason being because I can break anything practically just by looking at it, meaning that pricey sunglasses just aren't a practical idea for me. Secondly, I'd rather have a selection of choices than just one pair. Primark is the place to be for sunglasses, This pair of classic sunglasses were a single pound, and they also come in black. Amazing. I have a couple more pairs which also cost between one or two pounds, but these are definitely my most- worn. Bargain!

2. Something cheeky. (D'ya see what I did there?) Summer is definitely the time for intense highlight, sparkle, shimmer, and peachy shades. All of those things come together in this Make Up Revolution Baked Highlighter in Peachy Pink Kisses. Obviously, this is dupe for the Too Faced blushes, but I have to say the quality of this is absolutely top notch.

It is intensely high-shine, so definitely not one for those who don't like a healthy helping of shimmer. However, the glitter is very fine , so you won't end up with chunks all over your face, which is always good. I use this as a blusher, with the peachier side, or as an intense highlight, OR both, with a tan and some bronzer. Loverly. These are £5 each.

3. Something Easy on the Eyes. (I am so full of puns today its insane. Punsational.)
Intense blending and layering of eyeshadow is something I don't have time for on holiday, and I tend to lean towards more cream- formulated eyeshadow. These two shadow sticks are fabulously long-wearing and pigmented. they can be worn allover the lid, as a smudged- out eyeliner, or even together to create a burnt-peach smokey eye.
The top shade is from Bourjois and its one of their Colourband  2-in-1 Pencil and Liner in the shade Rose Fauviste which is a kind of peach/gold colour. It's an amazing formula which sets pretty much as it hits your eyelids, so you have minimal blending time, but it sticks to your lids all day. The brown shade is from Collection and its their Eyeshadow Pencil in Hot Chocolate. Same idea as the other one, great staying power and handy application, and the colour is a beautiful bronzey- brown, perfect for an easy- smokey summer eye.

3. SPF for your face. Very very important for holidays. I like to use this Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturise with SPF 30 to keep my skin safe and well- moisturised. Nothing much to say about this one apart from that its my perfect summer moisturiser- nourishing but not too heavy.

5. Finally, a mini- selection of bright nail varnishes is an essential for any holiday. I love a mint green in the summer ,especially if I look a little bit tanned. Lilac is my favourite nail colour for all- year round, so this Barry M Paint in Blueberry Icecream is a must- have. A red nail will never get old, but for the Summer, a more orangey- red looks great with tanned skin. If you already have darker skin, bright polish will already look fabulous on you all year round -lucky!

Thank you so much for reading!

Follow the blog on bloglovin' to keep up-to-date

Lou x

Four Budget Blushes

So, I'm having a bit of a blusher moment. I think its the warmer weather, I just want to have beautifully flushed cheeks All.The.Time.

These are four really good budget options if you are after a new blusher for Spring and Summer,  all with amazing lasting power and an even application.

From left to right-

Make Up Revolution Vivid Blush Lacquer in Rush. -This is an interesting liquid/cream blush formula which comes out really pigmented and beautiful. Now, there is definitely potential for clown-face here. You have to use a VERY light hand, you literally need the smallest smidgen dotted on the apples of your cheeks, and then go ahead with a blending brush- or your fingers- and blend it. And, let me tell you, this blends out like a dream. If you've gone a little overboard you can sort it out with a quick swipe from your foundation brush/sponge to merge it all together. Lovely. Really nice natural colour which lasts all day long.

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Blusher in Onamatopeacha. - First of all, I have a lot of love for the name. Second of all, I have a lot of love for this product. The handy stick formula makes this really quick and easy, and unlike the make up revolution blush lacquer, this goes on quite sheer and is one you build up rather than blend out. Obviously, you would blend this one out too... but you know what I mean. Despite the swatch, it is really subtle on the skin, with the smallest hint of sheen but no glitter. Lovely for a natural peachy cheek and perfect for summer.

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Lavish Mauve.- This is a colour which I would normally steer well clear of, as I would assume it would be too dark for my fair skin. But, used with a light hand, this is a beautiful bronzer-blush-highlight hybrid. It adds a bit of depth, a bit of a pink flush, and has a lovely shimmer running through it which really brightens up the cheeks. Amazing.

Sleek Blush in Pixie Pink. - This is a lovely blue-based pink which is no way near as scary as it looks in the pan, believe me. The colour is actually very sheer and buildable, which I absolutely prefer to scary unblendable pigmentation. Such an easy colour to wear, and definitely a go-to for a matte pink blush. 

Hope you enjoyed these recommendations,

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Make up Revolution Tutorial/GRWM

Oh hey these look familiar.

Yep, I've already done a review on all three of these,but I've put  them into live action over on my YouTube channel.

This is Make up Revolution's Radiance Palette, Blush Palette in Sugar and Spice and Salvation Palette in 'What You Waiting For' and they will all be on my face in this video:

So head over to :

http://youtu.be/MNbsc1i0tqE

and make sure to subscribe :)

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Peaches and Cream: Easy Spring Everyday Make-up Look

If you love a peachy eye and a fresh, summer skin, head over to my YouTube channel and watch me putting my make up on and make my face look like this:

I'm not sure what's going on here, but my camera has made my skin look flawless. It's a lie.

All the products I used are mentioned in the video.

http://youtu.be/NyHb7Lre6hA

It's nice and easy and uses pretty much all drugstore products and brushes :)

Check it out, and appreciate my music/editting skills. Been working on dat ting alllll day.

Probably should be doing coursework...

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Revolution Ultra Blush Palette Sugar And Spice ~ Mini Review and Swatches

This is the Make Up Revolution Blush Palette in Sugar and Spice which is a set of 8 'blushes'.

It is a strange set of powders to be honest, with two intensely glittery, unwearable highlighters at the far end, and then 6 completely matte, insanely pigmented powders in the rest of the palette.

1. Is a colour I stayed completely clear of until very recently. It's like a deep browny peach which I thought would be horrible on pale skin, but actually looks really natural, and can be used as a contour/bronze/blush hybrid because its matte

2. Is a really dark bright pink, I will never ever use this colour to be honest. It's so pigmented and dark that it just won't look right on my skin, so I don't think I'll ever use this colour, but  I think would look really nice on darker skin.

3. is a lighter, less brown version of 1, as you can see, so it's a really good all-in-one shade.

4 & 5 are ridiculously similar, I tend to use 5 rather than 4, I just think it's a shade lighter, but is still quite a full-on darkish pink

6 is my favourite shade out of this whole palette. It's a proper bright coral with a huge pigment punch, love it

7 & 8 are highlighters. Now...I don't understand how you would use these, except maybe as eyeshadow. 8 especially is just...unwearable. It's incredibly, incredibly glittery, and a super bright pink. Totally unwearable and basically a little bit crazy. 7 is like the same thing but a silvery lilac, so could work as a really super intense highlight, but I still think is not very wearable.

All in all, I don't think this palette is really worth getting, unless you love a range of super matte, SUPER pigmented blushes and crazy highlights. They are so pigmented that they are quite hard to blend, so you have to apply with a really light hand. However, I love having a range of blushes in a palette, and I'm eyeing up the All-About-Cream blush palette from Revolution which I think would be more usable. 

Thanks for reading :)

Lou x

Revolution | Radiance Palette

If I had to recommend one item from Make Up Revolution, it would be this palette. I would pay premium prices for these powders, which are amazing! It's eight pounds for the whole palette, and even though the outside looks a bit cheap, the inside is lovely, huge mirror and a nice matte...package. All three are really blendable, and very light but buildable if you want a more striking highlight. 

These powders are so natural and nice that they're really hard to photograph, I had to build them up a lot on my arm to swatch them. All three are quite different, and I think they would suit all skin tones. The far right shade is the most natural, and my favourite, it looks almost golden in the picture but its pretty much a natural...beige ish, skin colour with a fresh sheen which is wearable for every day, and so lovely. The middle shade is more of a classic champagne/ white/ gold highlighter, and a bit more ..obvious than the first one. Still lovely, and really nice for the brow bone. The last one I haven't actually used yet, but I know I will love in the Summer. It's pretty much a golden brown iridescent colour, and would look great on a darker skin tone, or on top of bronzer when I'm tanned in the summer.

I think this is a really good palette, only £8, and really worth it if you want a nice selection of highlighter shades. All three are very sheeny, not too glittery so no nasty chunks of glitter, but obviously some sparkly as its a highlighter.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Budget Brushes

Normally, when someone talks about Budget make- up brushes, they mean Real Techniques or Eco Tools. Not me, I mean straight -up under five pounds budget. I do own Real Techniques brushes, but they are  some of my most precious beauty items, and I love them so much- most of them were actually presents for Christmas/ birthday. So, I know the struggle of trying to find good make up brushes for a couple of quid when you can only dream of MAC or Zoeva brushes. 

(I apologise for the photographs- it was dark so I used my desk light. Everything is awful.)

So here's the collection. I'll talk you through bit by bit, and as far as I'm aware, all of these brands still excist and are easily available. All of these brushes cost me under £3, most of them under £2, and I'll let you know which ones are worth picking up.

We'll start with the two odd ones out. These two are both powder brushes, and I have had them both for about two years, having washed them at least once every two weeks. Neither shred, and they are both as soft as when I bought them. The black one is from Primark and it is so soft and lovely, perfect for powdering or for bronzer. The only bad thing about it is the size. You've probably noticed, it's a tiny brush. You don't understand how angry this makes me, and how irritating it is sitting in my brush pot. But, it was one or two pounds, and has lasted so well, I would definitely recommend it. The pink one is from H&M and was £1.99. I haven't tried anything else from their beauty range, but this brush is the perfect blush brush. The right size, nice and soft, and blends everything like a dream. Also it's pink and a heart shape- what is not to love here.

These two are from the Wilkinson's brush range, and they are both good. The stippling brush is really nice, cost about £3, and does blend your foundation in nicely. However, because I have the RT Buffing brush, I don't normally stray from it, so this brush doesn't get much use. The small brush is one of my favourites, and perfect for travelling. It's a double sided brush called the 'smokey eye duo' brush. I don't use this for smokey eyes, but I use the angled brush for eyebrows and it is PER.FECT. I even prefer it to my RT eyebrow brush because it is smaller and even softer. The other end is a nice fluffy blending brush which is good for the crease, or for blending in foundation- whatever you want. This can be annoying to store, but I kept the little plastic wrap it came with, for the eyebrow end, so I pop that on and store it that way up and nothing gets squished! Perfect. The Wilko brush collection is definitely worth a look, I have my eye on their large powder brush which is so soft.

These two slick looking black brushes are actually part of the new brush collection from Revolution. These were both under £2 and I'm seriously impressed with them both. They are the E103 and E104. I've been looking for a cheap brush like the thin slanted brush for AGES, perfect for applying dark eyeshadow along the lashline. Amazing. The other is a really good blending brush, not the fluffiest, but pretty darn good.

These two are my oldest make up brushes. Bless them, theyve had a lot of wear. They are both from the brand W7 which I have never seen a store, but I bought them both from Amazon. The bigger one is a really really good staple eyeshadow brush, not too big, not too small. Amazing. I would recommend picking it up. The other one I use as a lipbrush, but I suppose it could be used for eyes too.

These last two are ELF brushes. When I did this order from ELF, I ordered three, I also got the powder brush from the main collection- the white packing. It was AWFUL. Scratchy and gross. Anyway. These two are good, so ignore that. The white one is a 'defining eye brush' which is quite thin and quite... not packed with hair?  It's very fluffy, so I wouldn't use it to apply along the lashline, but I would absolutely use it to smudge it out. The black brush is from the studio line, which is a slightly more expensive but still really cheap, and its the Blush brush. Now, this does work for blush, yes. BUT its the perfect size for highlighter. Amazing. Really soft and great. I would definitely recommend the ELF studio brush line.

I hope that's helped you know where to look for really good value brushes, it's definitely taken me years to find some good ones!
Thanks for reading
Lou x

Revolution 'I Heart my Lips' Collection/ Review

I love Make Up Revolution. Normally.

Unfortunately, this collection of I Love my Lips lipsticks which came as free gift ( so I can't really complain) with my order, are quite disappointing. 

I haven't actually tried anything else lips-wise from Revolution, and so I was pretty excited to get a whole free set of these. 

On arrival, I actually got five out of six, and a two of 'Irregular Heartbeat' which is a shame, so I don't have the red shade which is called Heart Attack.

The packaging is obviously a copy of MAC's bullet shaped lipsticks, but it has a shiny, rather than matte finish, and feels a lot lighter and, well, pretty cheap. The purple shade, Racing Heart, was actually broken when it arrived, and is really hard to twist up. 

This is 'Heart is Pumping' and it is probably my favourite one of the bunch. It's very sheer (as they all all are) and is basically a very subtle pink. Very little to complain about here, but nothing to get excited about. You can't build up this colour as it is so sheer, but it's a very quick easy option if you want something balmy and tinted. This lipstick actually broke when I did the arm swatch which is SO annoying.

This is 'Beating Heart' and actually this one is not so bad. It is a nice medium pink which applies pretty evenly, and actually stayed in place quite well which is good. You can build this one up to a certain extent but the finish gets a little patchy after a while.

This is a coral shade, which is Irregular Heartbeat. It looks nice when just patted onto the lips, for a really subtle corally- lip. HOWEVER, you can build it up, but please don't. It sinks into all the lines on my lips, goes patchy, and suddenly becomes quite neon- and not in a nice way. Again, as a subtle shade applied carefully, this one is okay, but nothing amazing.

This is the nude shade, which is Rising Pulse, and is actually really pretty. Sheer, like the rest of them, but a nice medium- nude with peachy brown undertones. Very nice, I like this one.

Lastly, this is Racing Heart, and I don't think it gives credit to how awfully  it applied. On the website it looks like a rich purple, but it's more like a berry-red which is pretty patchy, and just generally quite horrible. Sorry make up Revolution!

Out of the collection I would recommend Rising Pulse as a really nice nude sheer lipstick. The two pinks are alright, but nothing special, but I would say steer clear of the coral and purple- not good. 

I'm a bit disappointed because Revolution haven't let me down before, but I will definitely be thinking twice before purchasing any other lip products from them.

HOWEVER, the rest of my order was absolutely amazing, and I will include a few top items in a full review or a collective review.

Hope this was helpful, thank you for reading!

Lou x

Revolution Salvation Palette [What You Waiting For?]

If you live in the UK and you haven't tried anything from Make Up Revolution yet, sort your life out. 

I've tried a few things, I have a couple of their other eyeshadow palettes, the £4 ones instead of this £6 version (I'm such a big spender), and they are really good, but I have to say this palette- called What You Waiting For- which is part of the 'Salvation Palette' range, is far superior in quality, colour range, and packaging. It has a huge mirror which is always good, and the layout of the eyeshadows is nice and clear. The circular shades are a row of matte, and the rest are shimmers which I think is a GREAT way to lay a palette out. I have swatches of all three rows, but unfortunately no names for individual eyeshadows because I  threw away the little plastic sheet which came inside with them on.

This is the matte row, and I think if you're looking for a basic selection of matte shades, this is a really good one. All of these shades are really smooth and pigmented, I don't know if the white will show up so well, just because my arm is so white it's probably just blended in. So there's a basic white, light brown which is perfect for the crease, and then a light and dark dusty pink which are so lovely, I probably use these two the most out of the matte shades. On the end theres a deep chocolate brown and a really black black. These swatches were one-swipe only, and the black really comes out very pigmented. 

This is the bottom row of shimmers, so the middle row of the three. This row is hit and miss it has to be said. The three shimmery shades on the left are amazing. So pigmented and pretty, a champagne/ pink (the pinkness didn't come out so well in the photo), a bright gold and a nice baby pink. I have to say I don't use the bright pink so much because its so shimmery and colourful, but it is so pretty. The colours on the left are a bit of a disappointment. Firstly because the colours are almost identical, and secondly because somehow the formula has just completely failed on these three. They are patchy and not very pigmented, and I don't tend to reach for these at all.

Fear not! This top row is definitely my favourite. Although the three in the middle look VERY similar, they are actually all slightly different. At the far left there is the most amazing cream/ champagne shimmer which is pigmented and can be used as a highlighter as well as a base shade. The next two are both medium shimmery browns, one just slightly darker than the other, and the third is a slightly pink/purple version of the same shade. - This shade actually picks up a lot more purple when applied on the lid than on a swatch, the next is a more chocolatey warm shimmery brown which is amazing. The last one looks like a dark/brown plum in the pan but comes out looking like a dirty brown which isn't really worth looking at as the pigmentation and quality is similar to the last three on the previous row. 

Overall, about 75% of this palette is amazing, and the other 25% is disappointing. For £6 I think this is a well- rounded collection, and even if you ignore the four rubbish shades, the other 14 make up for it. I would recommend having a look at this palette if you were looking for a selection of some neutral mattes and shimmers, with a couple of pinky shades thrown in.

I used a couple of shades from this palette (the lightest shimmery brown on the top row, and the darkest in the crease) on top of the Maybelline 'On and on bronze' cream eyeshadow this morning, and just added a flick of eyeliner and some mascara for a neutral everyday look.

Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading!

Lou x