Review: Revolution Blush Queen Palette with arm swatches - Cruelty Free Cosmetics

Ever bought makeup online and when its arrived been like... What did I just buy? This palette was one of those purchases and I initially didn't love it and wasn't going to review it as I didn't want to seem negative. I now feel like we passed that point after the Natural Collection eyeshadow and 7th Heaven Argan Mask reviews. As times gone by I've given this palette more of a shot and don't hate it as much so I thought I'd dive down that rabbit hole.

So I bought this because on the Revolution website it looks like a palette of little planets for your cheeks (link here so you can see for yourself). It's very, very cute and I was excited to have it in my collection because I loved outer-space as a kid.

It's a little used not and the planet look only seems to stand up on the blush's where the accent colour is stronger. Also packing from Revolution comes in two forms, nice or cheap. This falls into the cheap camp, the nicer ones have sturdier plastic and a large mirror in the lid. The only thing that the cheaper packaging has to its advantage is that you can see through it and tell exactly whats in it, making it much easier to find what you're looking for. It just feels so plasticky.

Top Row.

Bottom Row.

All the blushes are sparkly, and some of them are very similar. So even though you're getting 13 grams of product for £6, its not over 8 pans, more like 5 (or maybe six if you really build it up). Also its not so much a blush palette as a blush topper or highlight palette. The only shades that could conceivably be used as blushes are the send and fourth ones on the bottom. 

I think that might have been part of my instant dislike for it. As its called Blush Queen I was, understandably, expecting for it to be filled with blush. Seven out of eight of them are very soft  and easy to use, and all of them blend well. That scary looking bright pink actually sheers out really nicely and gives you a gorgeous, flushed glow.

Would I recommend this as a blush palette? No. Would I recommend it as a cheek and highlight palette? Maybe. There's not a lot of blush options, and everything is baked and sparkly. If that's what you're into then go for it though. 

XOXO Scruffy 

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com 

Makeup Revolution Unicorns Unite Lipstick Collection Review and Swatches - Cruelty Free Affordable Makeup

So I got these Lipsticks in a huge Makeup Revolution haul a while ago, and for the longest time I had no idea why I bought them. I've come to the conclusion it was a moment of madness, coupled with some curiosity over the name of the collection, I love all things unicorn.

LtR: Throne, Horn of Magic, Magical, Pink Myth, Legend

These have the standard Makeup Revolution  packaging with the wee pot things on the end. I heard somewhere this was lip liner and in others it was lip balm. After testing it I would say its "weird, not very pigmented, jelly goop I don't care for". I got these in a five pack when they launched on the Makeup Revolution website but they are still available and cost £1 each. They are the cheapest thing I've ever reviewed. 

So the bottom line is the weird goop out the pot is applied with a lip liner brush and the top one is the lipstick out the bullet itself.

Throne

So Throne is light purple/grey colour. Its really shiny and reflective and I actually don't hate it. It's not an everyday colour and I will probably get rid of it the next time I de-clutter my lip products, but I might use it as a topper over Christmas and see how I go. 

Also this is the one shade I can no longer find on the Tam Beauty site. I'm not sure why as the rest of them are still up.

Horn of Magic

Yipes, this is not a flattering colouring on me. If it was more opaque, or maybe applied better and my naturally pink lips didn't shine through as much it might look better. It just highlights how pink and blotchy my face is. This will go in the de-clutter as well.

Magical

I hate this one more than I hate Horn of Magic. It has zero pigment and feels waxier than my favourite candle. Looking at the lipstick in the bullet I had hoped for so much more. but if you look at the swatches (especially the hand one) you can see how poor it is. Would not recommend it.

Pink Myth

So I actually kind of like this one. So the colour isn't particularly flattering but the formula isn't bad. If I was going to recommend one from the collection it would probably be this one, which makes me sad as its also the most boring. 

Legend

Again, this one isn't bad either. The shiny cement grey isn't the most flattering or wearable but the formula is better than the light blue and purple ones. It has a nice blue sheen to it too but again I wouldn't wear it 98% of the time.

Final thoughts. This collection isn't work the £5 it costs to buy all the colours. The best shade is a bright pink and for a couple of quid you could get a Barry M one that was 10x better and I would recommend doing that instead(in other news I got some Barry M lipstick and I actually really like it). All of these, except maybe Throne, will be going out in the next de-clutter. 

Thats all for now duckies.

XOXO Scruffy

Enquiry? Message me ascruffyduck@gmail.com

Makeup Revolution Haul June 2016

I buy quite a lot of make up (no more till after my hollibobs in September though) and if I can trust the company I will do it online, because places like Boots and Superdrug (and if I'm feeling sassy and rich Debenhams) are not fun at lunchtimes. Big crowds stress me out and waiting in line is annoying. Also if I get there and they have several of what I want but they're all funked up as people have chosen to open them rather than use a designated tester. No, just no. Why do that? It's just gross and unnecessary.

I fell in love with Makeup Revolution a while ago, however the bay in Superdrug is always heaving with people and out of what I want or they never even stocked it in the first place. So I was over the moon when I trial ordered off their website and it went well. Shipping can be a little (or in the case of my last order, a lot) slow however they are a small UK based company so I'll let them off.

I've now ordered from them four times, and never had any kind of problem except maybe some slow shipping. Everything arrives in a kind of magical bubble-wrap burrito and emerges item by item as you unwrap it. Its like an amazing, infuriating Christmas present that you've ordered yourself.

June's Haul

Top: I <3 Makeup Naked Chocolate Palette, Middle: Unicorns are Real and Mermaids vs Unicorns Palettes, Bottom: 1 Salvation Velvet Lacquer, 2 Ultra Velour Lip Creams and Two Matte Lipsticks

OK so June's haul maybe wasn't the biggest on record (not even close) and that's down to me owning most of what I want already and trying to save money. I set myself a strict budget and took so much out the shopping cart, its amazing how quickly an eyeshadow palette and a couple of £3 lipsticks becomes well over £40 and that was more than I had to play with.

Here's a breakdown of what I got.

I <3 Makeup - Naked Chocolate Palette

This palette is the reason I ended up on the website in the first place and had it been available when I placed my previous order (where I got the original I <3 Chocolate and Chocolate Vice palettes) , I probably wouldn't have even checked the website again. This palette is a glorious collection of nude shades. It is slightly on the satin/shimmery side of things however I find those shades are generally better than the the mattes so I'm totally fine with that.

I know own all the palettes in the I <3 Chocolate range and plan on doing a full post about them in the near future so if eyeshadow is your thing, look out for that.

Unicorns are Real and Mermaids Vs Unicorns Palettes

OK so I may have actually crept on to buy these anyway, even if I already had the Naked palette. A co-worker who I like to talk all things makeup with came in to work wearing one of the shades from Unicorns are Real and it looked so pretty I had to buy them.

 I've never tried the long thin pan type palettes from them before however, I love the salvation eyeshadow palettes which I have in Unicorns Unite and Dia de los Muertos (although the strange neon yellow matte in that one is beyond questionable). These only cost £4 each when I ordered, and I've paid more than that for an eyeshadow single in the past so even if only 3 colours are usable its still fine by me.

Salvation Velvet Lip Lacquer - Keep Lying For You

When it comes to liquid lipsticks I want something with the longevity of LA Splash and the feel of NYX Soft Matte lip cream. In other words I want a the unicorn of liquid lippy and that ain't happening any time soon. I've tried a couple of the velvet lip lacquers before though and honestly they're not bad. They do come off on cups and food and need reapplied more than a higher end brand would. That being said though, they don't dry my lips out anywhere near as much, and they don't seem to peel or flake the way some liquid to matte formulas do so they're a nice compromise.

Keep lying for you just looked like a really pretty muted rose colour. Its a little like Rose Garden by LA Splash (which is one of my favourite lipsticks of all time) however slightly brighter and with a hint of purple to it.

Ultra Velour Lip Cream - Their Eyes Can't Find Us and All I Think About is You

I've never tried the lip creams before but I was curious so I thought I'd try a couple. Inside the box the packaging definitely looks and feel a bit cheaper than the Velvet Lip Lacquers. The font is more basic and the tube just doesn't feel or look as nice. They are actually cheap though, and anyway the packaging isn't such a big deal in the long haul.

Their Eyes Can't Find Us is a nice light "honey nude" kind of shade. I feel some people might describe it as their lips only better, however mine are very rosy red and will probably shine right through. Will keep you posted on how this goes.

All I Think About is You is basically a more pink Keep Lying For You. I also have the Velvet Lacquer in Rebel and all three of them are very similar colours. Definitely don't think I need all three of them but oh well.

When I was swatching these I noticed they have a sweet, artificial, cupcakey (vanilla maybe?) kind of smell. Its not unpleasant but if you're sensitive of lip products with a scent these maybe aren't for you. From memory the Velvet Lacquers don't have a noticeable or at least noteworthy smell so these might be better.

Matte Lipsticks - Duel and Propaganda

A while ago I tried one of their matte lipsticks in the colour Liberty (for the record its bright purple, I love really intense lip colours) and I was so impressed I figured I would try a couple more.

Swatches, Propoganda on the top and Duel on the bottom

I got Propaganda and Duel, both are reds and look virtually the same in the packaging, but when swatched (which I conveniently photographed when I got them, sorry about my raggedy nails) Propaganda shows up as a gorgeous pinky red where as Duel is more of a true red. Also they smell so good, and not that nasty fake watermelon smell you get with some drug store products. I can't describe it but there's something really nice about it. Makes me kind of want to lick them, don't worry though, I haven't given in and tried that yet. Will keep you posted if I do though.

I also got sent the three Iconic Bronze, Blush and Brighten trio palettes they were promoting recently as I spent (pennies) over £25. I'm not sure what I think about these yet. I barely highlight and do not bronze however as they were free, I'll have a play with them and let you know my thoughts.

Tried any of the Makeup Revolution products I bought. Let me know what you think.

XOXO Scruffy

Makeup Revolution - Solo Blush Review

So lets have a little chat about Makeup Revolution.

Makeup Revolution are a UK based brand that have a reputation for making fantastic quality products that rival and often dupe high end brands such as Urban Decay and Too Faced. Their products aren't tested on animals either, which is awesome.

I've been using there stuff for a few months now and I largely find the quality to be amazing with their eye and lip products. Their eyeshadows are usually amazing, nicely pigmented and easy to work with. Sometimes you come across one or two in a palette that aren't as good as the others, but, seeing as I paid under a tenner for 20 shades, I'm not going to loose sleep or claim to be ripped off if one or two are a bit pants.

The only area they have ever disappointed me in was their blush palettes. I own two and just found the quality to be no where near as good, also out of 8 pans you get maybe 3 or 4 that are unique colours and the rest are all very, very similar to each other. Not a fan.

A while ago, in a moment of madness, I picked up one of their single colours in the colour Treat. I say moment of madness as it looks a stunning shade of orange in the pan. I don't know if I genuinely picked up the wrong thing, it looked different in Superdrugs insane lighting or I just spaced and thought pumpkin-chic was in this season.

However, this little guy is the business.

Now, buyer beware, as its orange. When on my face it just gives me a warm peachy glow though. I don't know if this would look good on anyone else. I have really rosy red cheeks so it might be mixing with my skin tone, or it might just be an awesome colour. I don't know but I love it.

I love it so much I went and bought another one. I got Now!. A soft pinky shade that reminds me of Dandelion by Benefit. Its really nice as well. Really, really nice.

Yesterday I went out and bought the other four shades they do so I have them all.

Top Row (ltr) Love & Treat, Middle Row (ltr) Now! and Hot!, Bottom Row (ltr) Sugar and Wow!

As you can see some of the shades are kind of similar and I'm honestly a little scared of putting Hot! anywhere as its so pink. This photo isnt the best colourwise though as its made Love and Sugar look far more similar than they actually are. Love is far more cool and brown and Sugar is more like a warm muted pink.

The only thing I'm really not crazy about is the packaging. It looks and feels really cheap and nasty. The white plastic does nothing for the products (and the only other brand I can think of that used white plastic is Natural Collection, Boots budget line). Honestly, even if all they changed was the white for another colour, I think it would do wonders. MUA (Superdrugs own brand) has it blush in similar packaging but in black, and it looks so much better. Makeup Reveloution's own eyeshadow singles come in the exact same packaging as these but in black as well, and again, so much less cheap and nasty looking.

Also I'd have preferred it if the pans were either round or square as its hard to swirl a big brush into a rectangle, but that's just me moaning.

I'll keep you updated on how I get on with these, especially Hot! and if you want a post with swatches or me to do one about the blush palettes, let me know.

Makeup Revolution is available at Superdrug in the UK and also you can buy it direct from their website (I know they ship to America, Canada and New Zealand but can't be sure about anywhere else). Also I think some of their products are available in Ulta stores, but from watching American Youtubers I think the selection is pretty limited.

XOXO Scruffy