Review: Makeup Revolution Ultra Professional Blush Palette in Golden Sugar and Hot Spice

Makeup Revolution is still not familiar makeup brand name in Singapore. I think many would think of Sleek Makeup when asked about affordable English drugstore brand. Makeup Revolution has arrived in Singapore and it has garnered quite a following with over 25000 likes on the Makeup Revolution Singapore facebook page. 

The blush palettes that I'm reviewing today are not available in Singapore yet, but I'm quite sure the Singapore team will introduce these palettes very soon because they are BOMB DOT COM. I love these palettes so much, I need to glorify them and spread the gospel! 

I bought them from the English website and they were only £6 each. Super affordable! Shipping was more expensive than one palette (£7.50) but I had a 20% discount code so okay lah, I checked out. Googleland has plenty of coupon codes for Makeup Revolution, so be sure to google first before checking out!

I bought the Makeup Revolution Ultra Professional Blush Palette in Golden Sugar and Hot Spice. I couldn't decide between the two, so I just got both because they were so affordable. 

Packaging: Nothing too fancy and nothing to be wow-ed about. Simple and neat black packaging with a large functional mirror, so nothing to complain about either.

Golden Sugar is too gorgeous. Look at those baked highlighters, bronzers and blushes! I even used the baked gold bronzer as an eyeshadow and it was super beautiful on the eyelids.

Hot Spice focuses more on matte and shimmery shades and it only contains two baked shades. More muted than Golden Spice but still amazing!

Swatches of Golden Spice

Swatches of Hot Spice

When I received both palettes, I immediately took photos for this blog and then I applied them before going out. They are beyond incredible. I love them and I haven't used any other blushes/highlighters in my collection.

Pigmentation: When they used the words "high pay off" for the packaging, they were not kidding at all. These are highly pigmented. All my swatches were the results of just one swipe on each colour. Crazy right?! This also meant that you have to be careful during application because there's a risk of applying too much.

Application: Despite being so highly pigmented, these were surprisingly easy to blend out. Application was a breeze using my usual elf blush brush and the colours glide on smoothly. It does not stick to dry areas and cause unsightly patches (my cheeks are usually quite dry after cleansing).

Longevity: The blushes and highlighters last for a good 8-10 hours. I haven't used the bronzers on my face since I'm not into contouring, but I did use one bronzer as an eyeshadow and it lasted for around the same number of hours also.

Seriously, for 6 pounds each, these palettes are very impressive. I have NO negative points at all.

Here's a the finished makeup look after mixing 3 shades from the two Makeup Revolution Ultra Professional Blush Palettes.

Damn pretty leh, buay tahan. I LOVE THEM.

Will I buy it again? I don't think I will use them up that quickly, but if I really do run out, I will buy again!

Have a good Friday guys! :) 

Review: Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette

How many nude palettes do I actually need? Just one. 

How many nude palettes do I actually want? GIVE ME ALL OF THEM. 

Seriously man, ever since trailblazing Urban Decay started the nude/naked/neutral eyeshadow palette trend, every single brand in the cosmetic industry (generalization here to illustrate the booming neutral palette situation) has formulated one of their own as well. And I'm not complaining because even though palette A looks exactly like palette B, which is also highly similarly to palette C (and palette D, and palette AA and palette ZZ), I still want to possess as many as possible because as shopping is my vice and I need to fulfill my vice to be happy. Yah okay, it's a long paragraph to basically explain my total addiction to collecting neutral eyeshadow palettes. 

I bought the Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette a couple of months ago from ShoppingDistrict.net for S$38.90 and I'm glad I bought the second installment instead of the first one. 

Coastal Scents Revealed Palette 

Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette

The Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette focuses more on the reds and corals of the neutral eyeshadow family, while the Coastal Scents Revealed Palette contains the more usual neutral shades of browns and taupes. To be honest, I like the Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette better because it's a palette that can complement my other neutral eyeshadow palettes. I have Urban Decay Naked, Lorac Pro and NYX Nude on Nude and these 3 palettes mostly have browns and taupes (just like the Coastal Scents Revealed Palette), hence second installment is a better fit to my makeup collection. This does not mean that I didn't have the temptation to get both palettes. Oh yes, I had both in my cart... 

Ingredients list

Packaging: Very travel-friendly. It's not a bulky palette (like the Naked series) and it's very compact and thin. It actually reminds me of the Lorac Pro Palette, just that this one has no mirror, which is both good and bad (less heavy, but less convenient for application). The cardboard packaging does not bother me at all because the design on it is sleek and very appropriate for a neutral palette with all the different hues of browns and reds. The only thing that irked me a little bit is the black cardboard on the eyeshadow side - very irritating because if I'm not careful, the product will get everywhere and black being the packaging colour on this side of the palette, the mess can get pretty obvious. So I always make it a point to load the product on my eyeshadow brushes very very carefully. Mild OCD perhaps? I don't know... Everything must be clean, always!!

Colour selection: The Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette has an impressive repertoire of colours. The first row is mostly lighter shades with a great balance of mattes and shimmers, corals and reds. The second row introduces you to darker shades of the same family, complete with a matte black for that classic smokey eye or just for lining the eyes. The most disappointing colour for me has got to be the second from the bottom right side - it looks pretty with the black base and red glitters, but oh my gosh it's a fallout disaster and the chunky glitters have the tendency to make their way INTO my eyes. A nightmare to apply and a nightmare to maintain. I ended up having super irritated eyes when I used this colour on my eyes.

Pigmentation: Great pigmentation on a whole. I'm most impressed by the mattes. Usually matte eyeshadows in palettes are quite redundant because you can't get any pigmentation out, but in this one, all the matte shades have amazing payoff - not only swatches, but also on the eyelid!

Longevity: To be honest, these eyeshadows don't have the best staying power. Without a primer, give them 4-5 hours and the colour will start to fade and at the end of the day, the shade is much less intense than when you first apply it. With a primer, the situation gets a little better, but still not the most long-lasting eyeshadows. In comparison, my Lorac Pro eyeshadows maintain their intensity after a full 12-hour wear WITHOUT a primer. but then again Lorac is a high-end brand so I can't really do a 100% comparison with this palette. For a S$38.90 palette, the Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette has decent longevity. 

Will I recommend this palette? For those of you who are (like me) into collecting neutral eyeshadow palettes, then this is a good addition! If you're just a beginner when it comes to eyeshadows, I will suggest that you get the first installment because browns and taupes are safer colours. Overall, it's a great palette (with one black-sheep shade) that's worth trying out!

Review: bh cosmetics San Francisco California Makeup Palette Collection

bhcosmetics is a familiar name in the YouTube beauty world, but I have never really tried anything from them, mainly because the US-based company charges a lot of money for shipping and delivery to Singapore. Fortunately, Singsale was having a bhcosmetics deal a few months ago and I jumped at the opportunity! I heard itsjudytime rave on and on about how amazing the eyeshadow palettes and so I decided to get one! 

The bh San Francisco California Makeup Palette Collection is available online for US$8.95. 

The palette consists of 16 eyeshadows (both matte and shimmery) and 4 blushes. It's a really unique palette that combines browns and golds with blues and greens! I had high hopes for this palette and to be quite honest I was quite disappointed with some of the eyeshadow shades. 

Packaging: It's a fancy one. That's for sure. The makeup palette packaging is made mostly out of cardboard and it comes with a handy mirror. I'm not one for fancy packaging but somehow I don't detest this. It's colourful and it will catch your attention but not obnoxious or too loud. I just really hate the white strings at both sides of the blush section. Overall, a cute and decent packaging that will not bother minimalists.

The left eyeshadow section consists of more neutral and smoky shades.

Pigmentation: The eyeshadows on this side have decent pigmentation. The shimmery black is amazing and I especially love the matte reddish brown. They are all very smooth eyeshadows and application using eyeshadow brushes will be better than using your fingers. I swatched using my fingers and it's not as pigmented as when I used a brush.

The right eyeshadow section has more eccentric shades - lavender blue, shimmery cool white with a purple undertone and a really gorgeous sparkly forest green.

Pigmentation: This section has eyeshadows that prove to be quite problematic, especially the matte light green and matte brown. These two colours are very light even after 3-4 applications. I was quite surprised because there are so many reviews online that have photos of the amazing pigmentation! Perhaps I received a palette from a bad batch. :( The shimmery lavender blue is really pretty though, it's an extremely lovely shade for inner corner highlighting.

The 4 blushes range from a pretty peach that will do well as a highlighter to a matte coral red for extra rosy cheeks.

Pigmentation: I love these blushes. I have been using the blushes more than the eyeshadows because they are all decently pigmented and the colours are not so in-your-face. The matte coral red is a clear winner for me because it's not crazily pigmented and it's very buildable.

Application (eyeshadow): Some of the matte shades are quite powdery and chalky. The matte black is especially prone to fall-outs so be extra careful there. The shimmery shades are great and they are smooth and very easy to apply and blend using the correct brushes.

Application (blush): These blushes are a dream to apply! Very smooth and easily picked up by a blush brush. It's also quite creamy. I know it sounds weird - how can a powder blush be creamy? It's one of those textures whereby it's a powder, but when you apply and blend, it blends so well like as if it's a cream! I hope I'm making sense here haha. But long story short - GOOD BLUSHES.

Longevity (eyeshadow): Not very long-wearing. I went out of my comfort zone and applied the matte light green and shimmery forest green on my eyelids and maybe 5-6 hours later, I could barely see the matte light green.

Longevity (blush): The matte coral red is the best performing blush in terms of longevity. The 3 other shimmery ones just disappear into thin air at the end of the day.

Will I buy it (or another similar palette) again? Maybe not. I have plenty of eyeshadow palettes and they all work better than this one. As abovementioned, I'm quite shocked at how average this palette is because I have read a lot of extremely positive reviews. I can only say that I'm unlucky and perhaps I have been sent a bad one. Oh well~

Hopefully this review's useful for you! Have a good day - make it better than yesterday! 

Singsale haul: BH Cosmetics brush sets and palette

So many temptations for shopaholics! My latest craze is Singsale. I have the app on my iPhone and it is disturbing my sleeping routine because I HAVE to browse the sales before I go to bed every night! Such a terrible addiction. Yikes. 

Singsale is basically a bargain shopper's paradise. It's a members-only service (free sign-up!) and you'll be able to browse sales from various international brands. New sales start every morning and each sale goes on for typically 2 to 3 days. Singsale hosts almost all kinds of sales - beauty, apparels, household products, etc. If you love convenient online shopping (My BH Cosmetics products purchase was done entirely on my phone. GREAT!), please download the app/visit the website regularly!

Some BH Cosmetics products that I purchase for S$10 each! 

Double-Ended Travel Brush Set (original price US$17.95, now on sale on store website for US$9.95)

(Source: X)

(Source: X)

Judy (itsjudytime, itsjudyslife, itsmommyslife) was raving about the BH Malibu Eyeshadow and Blush Palette in a few of her vlogs and I wanted to try the palettes so badly! Malibu has more greens and blues so it's not really up my alley, but the San Fransisco Palette looks great! So I got them!

BH San Fransisco Eyeshadow and Blush Palette (original price US$17.95, now on sale on store website for US$8.95).

(Source: X)

(Source: X)

I'm obviously on a brushes kick. Got myself another brush set! The brushes with the purple handles are so pretty! Reviews on the website are mostly extremely positive too, so I'm excited! :D

7 Pieces Travel Essential Brush Set (original price US$18.95, now on sale on store website for US$11.95)

(Source: X)

(Source: X)

Shipping takes some time though, and I had to pay S$8 more for shipping + delivery. But then again, if I ordered from BH Cosmetics website, it would have cost me much more and would take around the same timing to reach me. So, yes, patience is a virtue. 

The iPhone app doesn't show you in detail your order's trail. You have to go to the Singsale website and check it under your account! I'm estimating to receive mine maybe by next Monday? *fingers crossed*

So far, shopping on Singsale has been extremely fuss-free! Do try it out you shopaholics! And if you're in Malaysia, no problem, they have Mysale. Australia? Ozsale! New Zealand? NZsale! I think there are more countries, googling time!

Yay can't wait to get my stuff! :D

Latest obsession: Urban Decay Naked3 Palette

My brain has been telling me - go get the Naked 2 soon! - and yes I was almost sure that I would be getting it for Christmas this year (actually it seems like I'm getting myself a lot of things for Christmas this year). Then, Urban Decay dropped this bomb. The gorgeous Naked3 Palette will be out very very soon. Initially, I thought it was just a plain rumour and that the photos that I saw roaming around Googleland were just of fake palettes from China. Today, I saw JulieGBeauty's tweet on the palette, and then I saw Temptalia's posts on it. That was when I realised, "CRAP. THIS IS REAL."

Let me now present to you the beauty that is Urban Decay Naked3 Palette.

(via Musings of a Muse)

(via Temptalia)

(via Temptalia)

Before I start on my paragraph on how badly I need this in my no-need-makeup-already life, here are some posts that you may want to check out to find out more about the breathtakingly, jaw-droppingly, amazingly, desirably, exquisitely, yes you get my point right, gorgeous palette. Temptalia already reviewed this and she have two excellent posts up. Talk about efficient.

Temptalia (Review + Swatches): http://www.temptalia.com/urban-decay-naked3-eyeshadow-palette-review-photos-swatches
Temptalia (Comparison against Naked and Naked2): http://www.temptalia.com/urban-decay-naked3-eyeshadow-palette-swatch-comparisons

OK. Don't talk cock already.

This needs to be in my life. Do I need another eye palette? Perhaps not. Do I need this eye palette? Most definitely. A beauty addict's brain works in an amusingly strange way.

First of all, the metal casing is not any ordinary metal casing, but a ROSE-GOLD metal casing. If you are like me and you have been watching YouTube beauty/fashion gurus' videos since 2007/2008, then you will know that there is an OBSESSION with rose-gold everything. Maybe I used to hate this colour in the past, but after years and years of YouTube videos, I have become completely sucked into the world of rose-gold marketing (the other colour is mint green! Stop it YouTube gurus!!). Hence, this palette fulfills my need for a cleverly packaged cosmetic product.

Next, look at the range of colours Urban Decay is offering in this palette. The colours are more different to the original Naked than those in the Naked2 are. The reason why it took me so long to convince myself to get the Naked2 was because the colours are so similar. Some shades in my Naked palette don't even have a dent in them, so how can I purchase another palette with almost similar shades right? Naked3 is, thankfully, a palette that is visibly different. I'm quite sure many Urban Decay fans will appreciate this kind gesture. This palette consists of rose-hued neutrals (hence the casing, getit getit?) and the usual suspects. It still has the taupes, browns and beiges but the pinks and plums add to the variety and usability of the product. Moreover, there are so many gorgeous matte shades included! From the swatches, the matte shades look AMAZINGLY PIGMENTED (I need to bring your attention to Limit and Nooner. GORGEOUS.). See how this palette fulfills my need for a palette that complements my Naked palette?

Also, all 12 shades are TOTALLY NEW.

I cannot take it. I MUST GET IT. The list of Christmas gifts to get for myself has been edited this morning (especially after I read Temptalia's post) - that pair of Superga can wait. Urban Decay Naked3 Palette is number one priority.

Now, I can predict a problem.... will this run out as soon as it's launched in Singapore? This prediction brings fear to my veins. I need to call Sephora soon.

WISH ME LUCK GUYS. GET YOURS TOO!

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Review: Daiso Eyeshadow Palette and Blushers

Every single time I walk in to Daiso, I will step out with a plastic bag filled with some ... random things that I don't need. It doesn't help that I live so near a Daiso outlet. Daiso is just magical! HEEHEE. 

So it was one of those days - I stepped into Daiso with no specific goal in mind. Then, I found these babies - a brown shimmery eyeshadow palette that looks mega gorgeous and blush palettes! These were S$2 each only so I had to get them!!

Just wait till you see the swatches. These products are SPECTACULAR. Two bucks???!!! The quality of these products are so much better than products that cost almost 10-20 times more! 

First up, Daiso Special! Mix Cheek Powder in Pink and Magic.

Packaging: SO PRETTY! Even for a product that retails at S$2 (or 100-110yen), the packaging still looks pretty darn good. It's really sturdy too. I dropped one a few weeks ago and the product was intact. No damages anywhere. I dropped it from quite a height, so yes I'm very impressed!

Daiso Special! Mix Cheek Powder in Pink - a combination of a shimmery white, a muted pink, a coral and a coral red.

Daiso Special! Mix Cheek Powder in Magic - a combination of a muted pink, a shimmery pink purple, a light red and a cool-toned purple.

GORGEOUS.

Pigmentation: Goodness gracious me. Were you expecting non-existent pigmentation? Certainly not with these blushers. A little goes a long way! I also love how moderately powdery the blushers are. The product is easily picked up by a blush brush and it applies beautifully.

Application: Beautiful and effortless application with a blush brush. Shimmers are not too in-your-face and the shimmers actually help to accentuate the right places. Application was not streaky at all. Basically, it's a product that works extremely well and to be honest I wouldn't have guessed the blushers were bought from Daiso.

Longevity: The blushers are quite long-lasting. I give it around 5-6 hours of wear before it starts to fade. At the end of a long 10-hour day, I could still spot the blusher on my cheeks!

Will I buy it again? Heck yeah! Daiso, please provide us with more and more and MORE shades!!!

Pink on the left, Magic on the right (Sorry for not labelling my photos :S)

Pink on the left, Magic on the right. 

Next is the Daiso Eye Shadow Palette in Brown.

If you are someone who loves neutral shimmery eyeshadow shades, please get this. Just get it!!

Packaging: Less fancy than the blushers, but it will do. The sponge-tip applicators are not great though. Mine fell apart after 4-5 uses?

Pigmentation: I'll let the photos below do the writing. I'm speechless at how this palette costs only S$2.

This kind of pigmentation level is definitely on par with high-end brands. It's so unbelievable! When I swatched this, I had a winning-the-lottery kind of emotion. A bit drama-mama, but trust me, I have never paid S$2 and received 6 beautifully pigmented eyeshadows.

Application: I tried two ways of application - with my trusted eyeshadow brush and with my finger. Applying the eyeshadows with a brush can be a little tricky, especially for the glittery white and the shimmery black. A good advice will be to use the eyeshadow brush and gently pat the product on your eyelids first. If you swipe the product on your eyelids straight away, you will get nothing but fall-outs. Not pretty. For those who want a less dramatic look, it'll be good to use your finger to apply the eyeshadow. Works like magic and the eyeshadows blend better.

Longevity: I'm not overly over-the-moon about the longevity of these eyeshadows. I applied the dark shimmery brown in the morning, and by around 4pm, the colour is not that obvious anymore. But hey, I'm not going to whine about it because there are many more expensive eyeshadows which have the same problem.

Will I buy it again? As of now, I only saw the purple and the brown palette. I don't really fancy purple so I'm not going to get that palette. However, if Daiso sells an orange-red palette, or a gold palette, or even a green-brown palette, I definitely will get them!

HOORAY DAISO!! :D