Makeup Revolution Radiance Palette vs Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder

 I initially bought the travel size Ambient Lighting Powder due to the massive hype that surrounded this innovative product and I didn't fancy paying nearly £40 for the full size if it turned out not that great (the travel size isn't that cheap either at around £17 for 1.4g).

My initial impression upon first applying it was that it did create a nice finish on the skin but nothing worth noting and I think even that could have been a placebo effect as when I applied it to one half of my face and asked a friend to guess which one... she guessed the opposite side. I tried it out with different brushes but none made that much of a difference, however I will say that the application was a best using a mid-density brush.

(Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Travel Size: Dim Light)

A few months later I noticed that Makeup Revolution, famed for its high quality and low cost, had brought out a 'dupe' for the Ambient Lighting Powder called the Radiance Palette. So I did a little bit of research and found that a lot of people actually preferred the Radiance Palette to its pricier counterpart and for £8 it was worth a shot.

(Makeup Revolution Radiance Palette: 1st shade)

 

It's so obvious that this palette is meant to be a less expensive alternative to the Ambient Lighting Palette and although I can only vouch for the Dim Light shade, I personally think that it would be a waste of money to buy the Hourglass powder if you can get your hands on this. The MUR powders give an incredible 'lit-from-within' look to the skin that the Hourglass one just doesn't do and you can see from the swatches that the Hourglass powder is nearly matte compared to the soft glow that the MUR one provides.

(Left: MUR Radiance Palette first shade, Right: Hourglass)

To summarise, in my opinion, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (available here) does give a nice, soft finish to the skin, but not to the extent the marketing and hype would lead you to believe. Whereas the Makeup Revolution Radiance Palette (available here) is incredible finely milled and gives a very lifted and illuminated - but not shiny - finish to the skin.

 

 

- EF

How to Shop Your Own Collection

- A tip for skint makeup addicts!

Most of us know the feeling of being in boots and romantically strolling down the makeup isles lusting after everything we see and swatching that gorgeous lipstick only to put it down again because 'I can't really afford it".

Having been a student for the past 3 years this was definitely me and I definitely didn't help myself by making excuses to go into boots as it was on the way home from Uni. I knew I didn't need anymore makeup, but being a collector I really craved the excitement of trying new products.

This is how I came up with the idea of 'shopping my own collection'. Basically I would keep a diary of the makeup I used every day for a week and at the end of the week I would remove everything I had used and for the next week, only choose from what was left in my collection. I found that in doing this I was re-visiting old favourites that had been neglected over time and that this gave me a similar feeling as going out and buying new!

The great thing about 'shopping your own collection' is you can adjust the rules for nearly any size collection. For example if you only have one eye shadow palette, note down the shades you use for a week (or even a day) and only let yourself choose from the ones left - it's that easy!!

Hope this helps,

- EF

Lush Colour Supplement Review & Application

A few months ago I was on the hunt for a new foundation with medium coverage and a natural, healthy finish and when I saw the Colour Supplement in Lush - available here - I thought I'd give it a go.

Lush describe this product as "subtly enhancing the colour of your skin" and that by adding moisturiser it would turn into a tinted moisturiser. They also claim that the product is "protecting and nurturing" which is what initially persuaded me to try it out.



(Lush Colour Supplement: Light Pink)

I found the texture to be thick, comparable to MAC Studio Sculpt, and even though I have a slight yellow undertone to my skin, the light pink shade was the best match. It's much less emollient than your standard foundation too, meaning that it can difficult to blend.

Initially I tried to apply it with a Real Techniques expert face brush which left my skin looking patchy and dehydrated (both on its own and mixed with moisturiser), so back in the draw it went for a few weeks.
Due mainly to my not wanting to waste the money I spent on this foundation (£9.95), I dug it out and began to persevere with a few different methods of application.

Flat foundation brush: streaky and patchy (both with and without moisturiser).
Real Techniques buffing brush: the product dragged and became patchy (both with and without moisturiser).
Beauty Blender: Surprisingly proved the most stubborn to blend as it work so wonderfully with literally every other product I have (without moisturiser).

Just as I was beginning to loose hope the penny dropped. The only other foundation I could compare it to was MAC Studio Sculpt with which I can only get a truly flawless finish using a duo fibre brush (I used the MAC 188) and kind of flicking the product onto the skin in a sort of dusting motion (honestly the best way I can describe it). At the same time I should say this isn't a dupe for the Studio Sculpt as it lacks the gel-like texture and doesn't quite give the same level of coverage.

So I tried it with the 188 and I swear I heard angels singing - I'd finally found how to get the best out of the Lush Colour Supplement!!



(Finish when applied with MAC 188)

I know this may sound silly to some, but I really did struggle to find the best way of applying this foundation and I'm glad I persevered as this is now one of my favourite bases for a natural but flawless coverage.

-EF

Cargo California Throwback 3-in-1 Magnetic Palette Review

I saw this unique little palette in TK Maxx not too long ago and thought the concept was quite ingenious, with nearly everything you need to do your makeup that won't take up much space in your bag. I have purchased a few Cargo products from TK Maxx in the past and have not yet been disappointed and even though I found absolutely no reviews for it online, decided to purchase it anyway.

The palette itself is presented as a stack of vintage-y Polaroid’s and the thing as a whole feels really sturdy and of high quality, including the industrial strength magnets that hold it all together so you don’t have to worry about it falling apart in your makeup bag if you’re travelling.

 



The first layer is a full sized eyeshadow quad consisting of 1 satin, 1 matte and 2 shimmer and although there are no names on the palette itself, they are on the ingredients list on the back of the packaging. Overall the shadows are well pigmented, very blendable and are all available as singles in Cargo's permanent collection.

(left to right: Windsor, Mojave, Aegean, Colombia)

(Photographed in daylight)

 

Windsor: Neutral, skin tone highlight/base colour. Satin finish. Gives a brightening & perfecting wash of colour all over the eye. Mid-level pigment. Very blendable.

Mojave: Bronze Gold. Shimmer finish. Catches the light beautifully when placed in the centre of the lid or lower lash line. Looks incredible when foiled. Well pigmented and very blendable.

Aegean: Turquoise, blue with a green shimmer. Shimmer finish. Looks beautiful all over the lid and blended up through the socket. Looks great when foiled. Well pigmented and very blendable, watch out for staining though!

Colombia: Neutral/cool toned grey/brown. Works well as a liner as it smudges well but is the most difficult to blend colour in the palette. Good pigmentation and lasts all day.

 

The second layer is my personal favourite. It contains a blush and bronzer duo, both of which are in their permanent collection and are great for a light to medium skin tone (I'm around NC20/25 and they suit my skin tone so nicely).

(Blush: Rome, Bronzer: Swimmables™ Water Resistant Bronzer)

Rome: On the Cargo website this shade is described as "soft tangerine", however I disagree, to me this comes off as a rosy coral. This could be a holy grail blush for those who, similarly to me find peachy corals difficult to wear. The formula is buildable in light layers so you can customise the intensity to suit your look and will last all day. I love this blush.

 

 

Swimmables™ Water Resistant Bronzer: This is a warming bronzer with a golden shimmer (shimmer, not glitter) with a neutral undertone. It has just the right amount of shimmer to colour pay-off ratio to give a radiant finish that looks close to natural on the skin. A number of years ago I bought a limited edition bronzer from MAC called Sun Dipped which I loved to death and have never been able to find a replacement for. In my opinion the only difference between that and the Cargo one is that the Cargo one gives a slightly more radiant finish. It lasts all day, but I'm yet to test it's water resistant qualities.

 

 

 

Finally, the last section of the palette is a lip gloss quad containing 2 shimmer and 2 metallic glosses. As someone who finds it difficult to get on with lip glosses, my immediate thoughts were that I would never use this part of the palette. However when I finally gave them a go I was very pleasantly surprised. None of these shades are available in the permanent collection, but I have found them all to be non-sticky, non-scented, moisturising and fade evenly as they wear. The 2 shimmery shades are very wearable and the 2 metallic shades are surprisingly opaque! The only down side to them is that the longevity maxes out at around the 1 and a half hour mark, but the nature of the whole palette means you can easily take it with you to top up throughout the day.

(left to right: Pearl, Rose, Bronze, Copper)

 

 To summarise, I really like this palette. It's clear that it has been well thought through and is perfect for travelling and helping you to stick to a minimalist makeup bag. The majority of the products are longwearing and blendable putting it up there with some of my favourite products. My love of Cargo products continues to bloom.

-EF