Top Ten - Victoria Cragg

This is the first in a series of blog posts on the top ten products of various women in my life to give a cross section of what products women of all ages enjoy. I thought I'd start with one of the most beautiful women I know, Victoria Cragg; this woman could make anything look good so I know her beauty choices must be awesome. So in no particular order here they are:



Elf Flawless Finish Foundation - Eyeslipsface.co.uk - £7.50 – Easy to apply with a dewy finish. Leaves you looking natural and not cakey. Cheaper and better coverage than most “drugstore” foundations.

MUA Heaven and Earth Palette - Superdrug - £4.00 – My go-to neutral pallet. Great pigmentation and 12 colours for £4, what’s not to like?

Tresemme Platinum Strength Shampoo and Conditioner - Boots - £4.99 Each - Claim to repair up to 2 years of damage. My bleached, straightened, over processed hair was softer and healthier looking after just a few washes. I'm definitely experiencing less frizz and breakage and will continue to use.

Sleek Blush in shade Rose Gold – Superdrug – £4.49 – Real pretty pink with gold shimmery bits. Almost like a blush and highlighter build into one. The packaging is nice and it comes with a little mirror. It’s a great dupe for Nars Orgasm.

B. Renewed Night Cream 50ml – Superdrug - £5.97 usually £11.99 – Cream is really thick and smells amazing. The quality is like a high end product but without the huge price tag. Lots of good ingredients and leaves my face feeling super soft in the morning. I also love the fact they’re a vegan brand.

Enrapture Extremity Heated Rollers – Amazon.co.uk - £65.00 – Priciest thing on the list but well worth it. The easiest and fastest way for me to curl my hair. The rollers heat up in seconds; I put them in, do my make up, and take them out. Big bouncy voluminous celebrity style curls every time. No messing around and burning myself with curling tongs… Too bad I just cut all my hair off.

Superdrug Vitamin E Skin oil – Superdrug - £2.99 – This range smells amazing. I especially love the oil though. Super soft and easy absorbs into the skin. Sinks in, in seconds so that you can apply make up. Not greasy at all. I mainly use it on my face as it keeps dry patches hydrated and seems to stop me getting dry lines/wrinkling under my eyes.

Quick fix facials Anti Blemish Mud mask – Boots - £3.33 – Does what it says. After using my skin looked clear and blemish free. I love the fact it contains Tea Tree so seems to keep my breakouts at bay and has a cooling feeling when it’s on your skin.  I even use it in the morning as a regular face wash.

Tangle Teezer Hairbrush – Amazon.co.uk - £9.99 – Super gentle on my over processed damaged hair. Completely gets tangles out of wet hair without any tugging, pulling, stress or damage to the hair. I didn't get what all the fuss was about, but seriously, everyone should own one of these.

Hoola Bronzing Powder – BenefitCosmetics.co.uk - £23.50 - Really adds colour to the face. Great for contorting cheeks and forehead area.  It has a matte appearance but still gives you that sun kissed, healthy glow. I use this every single day and it last forever. Probably my all-time favourite product ever.

July Favourites

This is my first attempt at writing a monthly favourites and it's been a bit difficult picking just a few products as my favourites as I tend to have a lot of products that I love on rotation constantly so there's a huge list.

I'll start off with my favourite lip products this month; the first is a lip balm that I got free with a magazine last month and that's the Rodial STEMCELL Superfood Glam Balm. This lip balm is amazing, it's so moisturising and it last for hours on the lips; it is pretty expensive but I can definitely say I'll purchase is when this one runs out. Next up is my ultimate Mac Lipstick in Up The Amp which is beautiful purple shade in an Amplified finish, I find this is a way to wear a striking lip shade that is also  easily wearable  and I get so many compliments when I wear this.
The other two lip favourites are from L'oreal one is the Glam Matte in Zip It Rouge and the other is Glam Shine Stain Splash in Milady, I only got these late in the month but I haven't stopped wearing them since they both give a lovely colour to the lips and last for hours. The Glam Matte is also not drying and I would say is more velvet in finish that the flaky mattes you usually get.

I've been really needing to stay matte in this ridiculous heat so I've been relying on a few matte heroes to help, for primers I've been loving the POREfessional and I've just picked up a brand new full size but I find it's a bit too expensive for every day use so even though it is my all time favourite I do like to use something a little more budget friendly for day-to-day use. The two products I like to use on a daily basis are No7 Beautifully Matte Make Up Base and Rimmel Stay Matte Primer these both work as well as the POREfessional but I find these do dry my skin out a lot more so they require my skincare to me more hydrating than usual, none the less these are the best budget matte primers I have come across.
The other step I take to keeping my skin matte is a setting spray I've got two that I'm currently using and loving and they are the MUA Pro-Base Fixing Mist and the Pretty Make Up Setting Spray, both of which are budget but still do the job right. These both keep my make up in place and keep me matte for at least triple the time I would usually get out of my make up.

Next up is my newest base love the Holika Holika Petit BB cream, this is an original Korean BB cream and I can see that they definitely got it right before the western versions all got spewed out. This really is perfect it gives a flawless finish and blends in seamlessly with the skin, I've since made an order for more Korean make up and skincare as I want to see what else they have to offer. This also contains SPF30 and I got the clearing version which I'm hoping will help me clear up my skin whilst also hiding the blemishes I already have.

I've also been loving the Makeup Revolution Viivid Blush Lacquer in Rush, this is so easy to apply and blends like a dream which really helps my 5am make up application a lot quicker, it also gives an amazing finish and a lovely wash of colour. The next step in my make up that's been creeping up the favourites list is a product I've been using not for it's intended use, I'm a rebel what can I say. I've been using the Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick in Trespassing Taupe to contour, this is a matte taupe shade that works excellent as a natural looking contour and blends out wonderfully but is pigmented enough to stay around. I did have a difficult job getting my hands on this as most stockists don't seem to have it and those that do just have half used testers.

I picked up the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara after seeing everyone rave about it and having smudged mascara under my lashes one too many times, they were right to rave because this stuff is a God send. This mascara has a tiny brush that gets the little lashes and the formula is sturdy enough to resist all weather. This has quickly become a staple and definite favourite closely followed by Benefit's Speed Brow, while everyone was shouting their love for Gimme Brow I was slowly falling in love with this little beauty. This gel sets my bushy brows for the day and I never have any problems with them going astray, this also helps to shape my brows into the shape I like them; an absolute blessing.
Another brow product that I've been getting a lot of use out of is the Mavala Switzerland Double-Lash serum which uses snail gel to encourage growth in the lashes but I use it on my brows as well. This really does work, it gives me fuller lashes and brows which is why I've repurchased it multiple times. I tried using different products but nothing works as well as this, this is a total staple now.

A skincare favourite is the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner which I got as a replacement for my Alpha H Liquid Gold but I have to say I actually prefer this, it's got a tingle to it which makes me feel like it's actually doing something. This has really helped get my skin back on track this month and I'm so grateful for it, I can see this being a constant repurchase in the future. The other thing I've been loving that is a little bit gross is an extractor, this has helped me deal with blemishes without causing a lot of damage to the skin; it also helps remove all the tiny blackheads that develop around my nose.

I've been loving this next product for ages, it's the Boots Expert Build Up Removal Shampoo which I've  currently been using to remove the coloured semi-permanent dye from the ends of my hair. This get's rid of product build up and dye from your hair without stripping it, to help with any dryness this might cause I like to go in with the John Frieda Miraculous Recovery Intense Masque which helps to keep my ends looking glossy and healthy; I've tried a lot of different hair masks and this is the only one that actually helps repair the damage I've done to my hair.

The final product is a Body Mist from The Body Shop in Vanilla, this actually smells like real vanilla as opposed to most of the fake vanilla fragrances you get. This is a fine mist that stays with you all day, I often get a whiff of this when I'm getting ready for bed hours after I first applied it. I often reach for this body mist over most of my more expensive fragrances because of it's lasting power and heavenly vanilla scent.

The rest of the items on my favourites are not make up items but random favourites, I'll start with my favourite blogger which has to be Gh0stparties because she just has the best writing style and covers a variety of subjects. Favourite Youtuber has to go to Caroline Hirons for her amazing videos full off great advise and her utterly beautiful personality. TV show of the month has to be Prison Break which I'm watching on Netflix from the beginning and cannot get enough of, plus there are so many hotties I can't even cope. Book of the month is The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides which I finished his month, I've been looking to read books that movies I loved are based on and this was one of them; the film starred Kirsten Dunst and was a favourite of mine in my teens. Last but not least is Barry, my ultimate favourite.

Bad Week = Good Haul.

I'm going to start this haul off with the big guns, I'd been eyeing this up for the longest time since seeing so many bloggers rave about it and when I saw it in Blush Beauty Loughborough I had to have it. This is The Balms NUDE'tude Eyeshadow Palette, coming in at £26 this was my "splurge" of the day; a  beautiful 12 shades of mattes and shimmers. Let's address the packaging, what a beauty; although I'm not a fan of the cardboard packaging the design is absolutely lovely. I have swatched the shades and I have to say most of them are shades I'd use over other mattes from my collection as these are all more "stand out" shades. I'll probably do a full review at a later date.

Next I'll do the round up of my bargain lipsticks (also from Blush Beauty), I got one full lipstick and they also had "testers" on sale for £1 so I thought I'd pick up a couple of shades I wouldn't usually buy to try out before purchasing the actual product. The full lipstick was the Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick in Shake-Up Pink which is a beautiful pale pink that's not quite matte but also super creamy. The packaging again for this is so sleek and beautiful, I have to say I think Rimmel are pretty close quality to Mac but half the price. Now for the "testers" I got Rimmel Lasting Finish in Heart Breaker which I wore as soon as I got out of the shop and am now 100% in love with. Next up was Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Matte in 110 which is a matte bright pink which is still really creamy and doesn't feel like it will dry out the lips, I'm super excited to wear this out. Last but not least is the Rimmel Moisture Renew in Nude Delight which is something new for me as I'm not a nude lip kind of girl but I'm looking forward to trying out and seeing if I can make it work.

I then picked up three (yes three) brow pencils as I've been looking to switch up my eyebrow routine so I grabbed up three of the darkest ones I could find. After doing some research I knew already I wanted to give the Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil a go, I got the Black/Brown which comes with a little brush on the lid that could come in handy. Next I got the La Femme Eyebrow Pencil in Black which is probably the closest match to my eyebrows and the Laval Twist Up Eyebrow Pencil in black, I've not worked out how to work these yet but I'll be trying these out over the next few weeks.

I then grabbed another Kaeso product from Blush Beauty as I am in love with most of their range, they're both good quality and affordable. I got the Hydrating Balm Mint and Cotton face mask which I have on right now and it's bloody lovely. I'll see how this compares to my Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask.

I then nipped in Boots and got a few hair bits because recently my hair has just been letting me down. The first thing was another Frizz Ease Miraculous Recovery Mask because I cannot be without this, it is the best hair mask I have ever tried and it helps treat my bleached and damaged ends. With that in mind I also picked up another mask in the form of the Herbal Essence Soft Waves Intensive Mask as I do like to try a new mask every now and again just in case it brings something new to the table. The final thing I picked up was the Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce Texturizing Spray as I've heard so many bloggers rave about this and it's been compared to the Orbie product, plus it was on offer so obviously I had to get it.

Then there was part two, I went to Debenhams and picked myself up the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. I've been wanting one of the Naked palettes since I got the Naked Basics and my love affair began, these are the holy grail of palettes as far as most bloggers are concerned and I couldn't agree more. The shades are buttery soft and although there is slight fall out from some shades it's very minimal compared to a lot of more expensive brands, I think £37 is really reasonable price for 12 beautiful shades considering MAC shades are around £15 each. This also came with 4 samples of the Primer Potion in Original, Eden, Sin and Anti-Aging which I'm all too excited to try as I seem to have tried every eye shadow primer under the sun and my eye shadow always ends up creased within 5 hours.

Whilst at the Urban Decay stand I also picked up one of their lipsticks in Rapture which is a beautiful your lips but better shade, this is so creamy and pigmented but doesn't transfer when you're eating or drinking. I can tell this is a shade that I'll get a lot of wear out of and that will definitely be worth the £15 price tag.

Next up I grabbed Benefits The POREfessional as I have a sample size of this but I figured I pick up a full size so that I'd never be without this bad boy. This is the only primer that gives me the flawless finish while keeping me matte longer than 5 minutes, there are a few budget primers that do almost as good a job as this  but for special occasions I like to have something a little more fancy.

I also stopped in at Superdrug and picked up the Sleek i-Divine Palette in Oh So Special because it has some beautiful pale pink shades and some stunning buttery shimmers all for £7.99. I have another of the Sleek Palettes that is more bright shimmery so I wanted to try out another of their more wearable palettes, this is a palette that I can see myself getting lots of wear out of.

Then a couple of items I'd ordered turned up, I got the La Femme Liquid Blusher which I tried out as soon as I got home and the formula is absolute perfection; it's creamy and blendable whilst also being super pigmented. I can tell me and this blusher are going to get along just fine. The other item that turned up was the Indeed Labs Pepta-Bright which I've been wanting to try for a while, this is a brightening treatment which I'm hoping will help reduce the hyper-pigmentation caused by acne. I'll probably do an update post on this once I give it a good few weeks.

The final product I got was a huge bargain, I had a little sniff of this the other week and fell in love; this is the Primark He Loves Me Eau De Toilette which smells remarkably like a certain Marc Jacobs Fragrance but for £6. If you can ignore the super tacky lid on this then it's a lovely fragrance, it's light fruity and floral which is perfect for the summer months. I'd definitely suggest giving this a try as it's £6 for 50ml so you can't really go wrong.

Disappointing Products

Most products I put a lot of research into before buying so I don't end up disappointed however sometimes I make impulse buys that aren't always successful, most times I do end up pleasantly surprised but I thought I'd share my recent batch of disappointing products.

First up is a nude lipstick that sounded appealing but ended up being a dud, I picked up the Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Galactic Mauve a while ago and it looks like a beautiful nude shade but is actually a glittery mess. This just looks tacky on the lips and the worst part is that it smells awful, smells like playdoh which is made worse by the fact that it's right under your nose so you cannot get away from it. Epic Fail.

Another disappointed lip product is the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in Luna, I actually love the rest of the shades in the line but this one was just a no go for me; it's a peachy nude but it's just not a good match for my skintone. This shade washes me out and makes me look like one of the walking dead, it was even more of a disappointment because I love formulation and the rest of the shades are beautiful and I was looking to add the perfect coral to the mix but was left disappointed.

Moving on to blush I have the L'oreal Nude Magique BB Blush which I picked up because it sounds like the perfect idea of a blush in liquid form that adapts to your skin but in reality it's a blotchy pink stain that you cannot blend and that is difficult to remove once it's on the skin. It says it's a universal rosy blush but this is far too bright for a natural rosy hue.

Next is the George at ASDA Creme Blush in Coral which I was expecting to be very similar to the MUA cream blushes but this just isn't as blendable and is just not a wearable shade. I thought this would be a sheer wash of coral but wearing this makes you look more like a clown than anything, I've still not found a way to make this work but I still live in hope that one day this might be that perfect creamy coral hue.

I was recently wanted to try out a green concealer as I have a lot of redness around my nose that I wanted to cancel out, I picked up the Natural Collection Green Corrector Stick which is a pale green shade that I figured would be easier to blend into the skin. This is a tad to powdery to work as a concealer around my nose because it creases within half an hour of application. I picked up the Gosh green concealer after this and it's much easier to work with even though it's a more vibrant shade of green.

I picked up a Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Paint in Rich Russet after hearing so many good reviews about it but I think my eyelids must be far too oily for this to stay on me because it doesn't even blend onto the lids without separating out. I've not tried any other shades to see if it's just this one shade because I have far too many cream eyeshadows to get through already.

I'm not much of a nail polish person because working in a laboratory I'm not allowed to have nail polish on but every so often there is a shade that makes me stop and put the effort in to paint my nails. One such shade was Barry M Gelly Nails in Papaya, this is a beautiful peachy orange shade that I loved wearing one weekend until I came to take it off and realised it had stained my nails a horrible yellow colour. It's a lovely colour but it's not worth wearing as my nails look horrible for weeks after.

Moving on to skincare I have the Soap & Glory No Clogs Allowed self heating mask, the idea of this is excellent but it's just not that great. I got this while it was on offer to use instead of the Sactuary offering but it was a waste of money because this just doesn't work for me, I can't seem to get it to turn blue and heat up properly like it's supposed to but it just will not work.

The second skin care item is something most bloggers rave about; Hydraluron. This just does nothing for me, I used this every day for six weeks but it just didn't improve my skin at all. Hydraluron isn't exactly cheap either which is the worst part about it, I spent £24 on a serum that does absolutely nothing for me. Not good.

I have one final product for this list and it's hair product for this list and it's the Umberto Giannini Root Boost Volume Spray For Big Hair which luckily I got at the reduced section in Boots but this is just a useless product, I spray this in my roots and they end up crispy and stick which ruined my hair and I had to wash it out.

Back 2 Basics

I recently found my skin having a major meltdown on me, it was breaking out whilst also being flaky and dry. I've been trying out a lot of different products in the past few weeks and I figured it would be best to take my skincare back to the basics. These are the few products I always go back to when my skin is acting up.


My first step in my basic skin care routine is a cleansing balm, the Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm to be precise. This is a thick balm that I use to breakdown and remove make up and dirt from my skin, this is super gentle but also effective and I find that a balm also replaces some of lost oils from my skin.

I have two face washes that I go to in these desperate skin times. The first face wash of choice for these times is The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Face Wash, this is so gentle that it doesn't irritate my skin but also makes sure my face is left clean but not stripped. This is a night creamy wash that smells lovely. The second skin saviour face wash is the Kaeso Beauty Rebalancing Mallow & Cucumber Cleanser, this is a super gentle and soft lotion cleanser that cleanses the skin without drying it out. I usually just go for whichever one of these is in reach as they're both perfect for sensitive irritated skin.

I never understood the hype with Bioderma so I never gave it a shot but when all these other brands brought out their own versions I tried a few out and fell in love with the Garnier Micellar Water. This is so gentle but removes all those last traces of make up from around my eyes after my usual cleanse, I've actually dispensed this into a strange nail varnish remover bottle I got off eBay after seeing Lily Melrose's post about it here. I find this bottle a lot easier to use as opposed to having to tip the solution onto a cotton pad you can just place the cotton pad over the dispenser top and push down to release the solution, genious!

After having thoroughly cleansed my skin I like to go in with the Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water, I like to spray this onto a cotton pad and then wipe it all across my face and neck. I don't like to go to strong with the toner when my skin is aggrevaited so this is gentle enough to fill in that toner step without stripping my skin and drying it out. I've also tipped some of this into a smaller bottle with a finer mist so that I can carry it around in my bag for a little skin pick me up when I'm out and about.

I then go in with my Balance Active Formula Hyaluronic 554 Youth Serum, I use this nearly every day because it helps keep my skin soft and hydrated; I've also found this serum helps to heal blemishes a hell of a lot faster than usual. I've said this before but this serum is all I hoped Hydraluron would be but for a fraction of the price, I mentioned this in my Things I Couldn't Live Without post here.



Next I go in with Soap & Glory's Dr Spot, this is my go to over the counter spot treatment; it contains saliclyic acid and witch hazel. I only put this directly onto blemishes as I don't want to dry out the whole of my skin, I always make sure the rest of my skin is thoroughly moisturised because this treatment can be a bit drying.

To counteract the dryness in my skin I need a good moisturiser so I go for the Kaeso Beauty  Balm Mint & Cotton Hydrating Moisturiser which is seriously hydrating but light enough not to smother the skin, this little beauty is everything I could ask for in a moisturiser and it smells heavenly. Since finding the Kaeso Beauty in Blush in Loughborough I've come to realise they have a lot of amazing products in the range, they have multiple lines depending on your skin needs which can be mix and matched depending on what you're feeling.

I also think an important part of skincare is face masks, my favourite when my skin is acting up is the Dr Organic Manuka Honey Face Mask which is deep cleaning but also has manuka honey to aid healing. This is so gentle but also antibacterial at the same time, it's also not a mask that sets to a hard tight feel so it's easy to remove without pulling the skin.

The main thing that is important when you're having skin trouble is to fight the problem from the inside, I take a lot of vitamins anyway to help with my Fibromyalgia Syndrome but when my skin is being naughty I pull in the big guns. I up my intake of Evening Primrose Oil and Omega 3 Fish Oil to give my skin some extra nourishing oils and to stop my skin over producing oil to make the skin greasy. I already take Selinium and Folic Acid but these are something I'd suggest taking if you are having trouble with your skin as they can truely help.

Mascaras of the Moment!

I've got seven different mascaras on the go at the moment, I use a different mascara based on the look I'm going for and depending the mood I'm in. I've picked these mascaras up over the past few months and I love pretty much all of them.

The first one I picked up was the L'oreal Volume Million Lashes in extra-black for £10.99 at Boots, this has a plastic wand and an excess wiper which means that you don't get too much product on the wand. This mascara gives you thick fluttery lashes but with a natural look, not too in your face but beautiful fuller lashes. This lasts pretty well too, I work in an extremely hot laboratory and this lasts a good 7-8 hour; there is a little smudging and flaking but not more than usual.

The second and my least favourite is the Rimmel GlamEyes Day2Night in Black for £7.99 again at Boots, this is supposed to be a mascara that can be taken from day to night using the "magic" cap; basically it is one bristle wand with a larger amount of product dispensed for a night time look and a tighter cap to remove product for a more natural day look. This is a good idea but it is executed poorly, the "day" product is excellent but the "night" is awful clumpy mess. The amount of product dispensed for the "night" look is way too much, it would have been better to have a plastic want for this product so that too much product couldn't be harboured in the bristles. The "day" mascara however is an absolute dream, I'm not one for bristle mascara wands but this gives beautiful long separated lashes that look beautiful. It holds a curl well but does cause some flaking throughout the day.


Next I went a little more high end when I picked up Benefit They're Real which comes in at a hefty £19.50, I was expecting this to give me amazing lashes and I'll be honest I was kind of disappointed. Don't get me wrong I Like this mascara, it does give length and volume but it's just a bit meh; I think the formula is just a bit thick which can lead to a clumpy look if you're not careful. I use this mascara mostly for evening looks as I find it's a bit too much for my every day look, I also like to go in with a clean spoolie and separated all the lashes so it's not too clumpy and last well without flaking.

The most budget friendly of the bunch and my go to for daytime is the George Lash Xtend mascara that I picked up for £3.50 as Asda, this has a plastic wand that separates and lengthens lashes beautifully. This is what a day time version of they're real would be, this lasts a whole day and doesn't lose the curl. This mascara is a god send for those days where you want a natural lash but with beautiful longer fuller look.

Another high end mascara is the Lancome Hypnose Drama which you can get in a double set from Boots for £33.00, this is definitely a more extreme look mascara and can be a little difficult to work with at first. It is a bristle brush but it's an S shape with flattened edges which is something I've never seen before. I find I need to wipe of some of the product before I use this as it can dispense a little too much product on the lashes if you're not careful. This lasts really well with minimal smudging/flaking and it holds a curl like nothing else! I definitely wouldn't suggest this for day time use as it is very dramatic.

I picked up the No7 Lash Adapt for £2 on sale at Boots but it's usually £12.99, this has a bristle wand and gives big fluttery lashes; it can be worn for day time or built up for a more dramatic look. It holds a curl very well but is susceptible to smudging and flaking is extreme heat , although to be honest it's not that big of a problem for normal conditions. I thought this was being discontinued but it looks like it's still available online so I'll be grabbing another tube when this runs out.

Lastly I finally got the Clinique Bottom Lash mascara for £13.00 at Boots, this is an amazing product; there's no smudging and flaking that you usually get with mascara on your bottom lashes. Using this really helps to open up the eyes, you don't realise how naked your bottom lashes look without mascara until you try this. The tiny bristle wand helps to really separate he bottom lashes and make them more visible, I don't tend to go right into the roots of my bottom lashes as I find that it causes the mascara to smudge. This may seem expensive for a mascara that you only use on your bottom lashes but you can definitely see a big difference when you use this.

This is my little collection of mascara I'm currently using and loving, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I'm enjoying these mascaras.

Make Up Revolution vs Make Up Academy - Palettes

There has been a big hype recently about Make Up Revolution and that it is the new Make Up Academy, both are budget brands and have pretty similar products; I have three MUA palettes and three Make Up Revolution palettes so I thought I'd do a bit of a comparison of their £4 palettes.

Firstly I'll fill you in on what palettes I have;

MUA
Undressed - 12 neutral shades, 3 mattes and 9 shimmers, 9.6g.
Starry Night - 12 metallic shades, 3 satin and 9 shimmers, 9.6g.
Ever After - 10 shades, all matte, 10g.
Make Up Revolution
Romantic Smoked - 12 shades, 6 mattes and 6 shimmers, 14g
Iconic 2 - 12 shades, 4 mattes and 8 shimmers, 14g
Romantic Smoked - Again because my order got messed up.

Packaging-
I'm not sure why but the Make Up Revolution Packaging just looks nicer than the MUA packaging, I think it's the strips in stead of circles, they remind me more of high end palettes (such as Urban Decay). The rose gold writing on the Make Up Revolution packaging also screams class compared to the silver of the MUA, we all know rose gold is the in thing recently.

Size -
The Make Up Revolution palettes are bigger than the MUA palettes and generally contain more product; the MUA palettes have between 9.6g-10g where the Make Up Revolution palettes have 14g of product. Which going on price per weight makes the Make Up Revolution palettes better value for money.

Selection-
MUA have a more limited collection than Make Up Revolution with their variety of thirteen palettes in the £4 range compared to MUA's 11. The MUA palettes all seem to be variations of the same 12 shades where as Make Up Revolution have covered all the bases.

Shades - 
The MUA palettes tend to have mostly shimmers (except the Ever After palette) which I'm not a fan of, I like to have a more even mixture of mattes and shimmers which is why the Romantic Smoked has to be my favourite of the whole bunch. The Make Up Revolution shades tend to be much more wearable too, they're more flattering shades. I find some of the MUA shades can look cheap and wash me out where as the Make Up revolution shades brighten up the face, however the MUA palettes are lovely for the night out looks when you want to go big or go home.

Fall out -
I'm not going to lie, both of the brands do give fall out but I have high end palettes that cause a world of fall out. I think the main way to reduce fall out is to not pick up too much product, these eye shadows tend to be very soft which causes you to pick up a lot of product on your brush so blowing off some of the product first can also be helpful.

Staying Power-
Both eye shadows have a pretty good staying power for a £4 palette, I need a good eye shadow primer at all times because my lids are an oily mess. I can get about 5-6 hours wear out of both palettes which is only a couple of hours less than I'd get from my high end palettes, which isn't bad considering that they're a good amount cheaper than those palettes.

Overall-
I'd say that Make Up Revolution currently have the market here for eye shadow palettes but I am still in love with my MUA Undressed palettes, they're all excellent palettes and I'm glad I have each and every one of them. For £4 all of these palettes are worth taking a look into especially since they're amazing quality and could give the high end palettes a run for their money!