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Wednesday, 13 February 2019

First Impressions - New Revolution Makeup


Remember earlier on this month, when I did this haul of a good few things from Revolution that I've picked up over the past few weeks or so? Well, ever since then, I've certainly been testing and trying out everything that I featured in there and I thought it was about time I gave you all my thoughts...

Seeing as I had a lot of Eye-related items to try out and wanted to create very bold, 'out there' looks, lately I've been starting my makeup a lot of times with doing my eyes, so I figured it was the best place to start this post! And first up, is the new Prime and Lock Eye Primer. I was kinda unsure what to expect with this one - would it be like the more 'traditional' eye primer like Urban Decay's Primer Potion, with a focus more on priming properties than coverage; or would it align itself more with the likes of a modern favourite, P.Louise Base, with a more concealer-like, thicker consistency and much more full coverage finish? Well, I kind of feel like it's a bit of a mix of the both. It's definitely thicker than Primer Potion and has slightly more coverage, but it's certainly not as full, full coverage as P.Louise. It evens things out nicely, but your natural lid colour stills shines though a little. It applies as if it would offer more coverage, but soon sheers out when you start blending it in (it blends in pretty easily too) and has the kind of finish that dries down a little itself, without necessarily the need for setting it before going in with eyeshadow. You can set it if you want, but you don't have to and either way; eyeshadow applies, blends and lasts just as well. So, all in all, I like this and will definitely use it, but I don't love it anymore than my new fave, the P.Louise Base. I think this one's made more for 'standard' or 'easy' looks and the P.Louise for anything more bold, bright and intricate so I think that's what I'll be using it for! Then, moving onto actual eyeshadow, we have two of their new Reloaded Eyeshadow Palettes. This popular, super-affordable range of palettes has been around for a while now and I personally really like all of the colourways I've picked up before, so when I saw they were adding four more to the line-up - I knew I had to give a couple a go. So, I picked up the two which immediately caught my eye - 'Marvellous Mattes' (a gorgeous, all-matte palette, full of brights and bolds) and 'Provocative' (an equally-gorgeous pinky, mauve-based palette, with a mix of shimmers and mattes). So, I've given both a good few go's each now and so far, I am loving them! Both just as amazing quality as I've come to expect from the range. The bright mattes of 'Marvellous Mattes' are just as vibrant as they appear in the pan and stay true to colour, even when blending them out and layering them together. You can go all-matte, or pair it with some shimmers from another palette or a stand-alone liquid shadow, shimmer or glitter product (such as one option that I'll mention later) and you're good to go. 'Provocative' is also stunning. The mattes just as good quality and the shimmers this time are also great too. Super-metallic and foiled without even the need of finger application or a wet brush! The berry-inspired colour scheme is perhaps a little more wearable, but it's still got that somethin', somethin' to it, you know? It's not all-out neutral and you can still create some gorgeous, different looks out of this, which I really like. So, all in all, not only are the colours in both of these lovely, all of the shadows I tried across both so far are so well-pigmented, blend super well, work together like a dream and last impeccably on the eyes. What's not to love? Then, another eye product I had to test out was their new Cut Crease Canvas. Basically, a concealer-like product, with a built-in brush, all ready for cutting your crease or lid! I know a lot of people (myself included) tend to just use a concealer or eye base for this - recently, I've been using my P.Louise Base - but a product that's sole purpose is to cut your crease intrigued me. I picked it up in the second lightest colour 'Illustrate' (the first colour in the range is actually a white) and so far, I actually really like this! I did wonder whether this would simply be their infamous Conceal and Define Concealer renamed and repackaged, but I can definitely see the difference. This is slightly thinner in texture and so does make for a pretty easy application, but it's still very full coverage too. It completely blocks out the lid and makes for a great, even base for whatever you decide to place over the top. I also feel the finish of this works better for shadow application too. It kind of 'self-sets' in a way, in that it doesn't necessarily need to be set with powder like Conceal and Define, before going in with your lid colour. Once applied, the Conceal and Define almost immediately creases up and moves around, whilst the Cut Crease Canvas really doesn't. Just make sure you don't apply too much and really pat it into place - and you're good to go!

So, with powder shadow out of the way, we move onto something a little different - the new Eye Glistens! I was so, so excited to give these a go when they finally launched. I picked up two colourways, one lighter and one deeper, so I could really see what they were all about and now I have, I've got to say that I'm really not sure about them. If you're unsure, the whole concept of these is that you get a metallic shadow on one end and a liquid glitter on the other and you apply the former first, before topping it off with the latter and theoretically, your eye look should be bangin'. However, the first time I used these, I went in with the lighter colour I bought, 'Yours Truly' (which features a pink/gold duo chrome metallic shadow on one end and a light pink glitter on the other) and let's just say - it was a bit of a mess. I used the applicator with the metallic side, applying it straight onto my eye to create a half cut crease and so far, all was good. The shadow applied pretty evenly, dried down in just enough time to allow you to blend out any harsh edges and looked very pretty and metallic too. However, the troubles came when layering over the glitter. I used the applicator again to swipe this on top and though at first it looked great and felt fine, after drying down it soon began to make the whole thing crack. It also felt so, so heavy on my eyes too. This only got worse throughout the day - by the end there were actual 'holes' where the product had completely come off my lids - and my eyes felt so uncomfortable that I couldn't wait till I could take my makeup off. A shame as the finished effect of the metallic shadow and glitter together at first looked so gorgeous, but in terms of how it wore and felt, I wasn't as impressed. However, I persevered and the next day, tried the other colour I bought to see if I could make it work better. This was 'Dreamland' (which has a very pretty bronzey metallic and golden glitter combination) and this time, I applied the metallic side in the same, and when that was dry, when it came to the glitter, I actually took it off on my fingertip and used that to gently press it over the top. The definitely worked better and come the end of the day, things hadn't cracked as much and they hadn't come off at all, however I still wasn't really happy with it. My lids still felt very heavy and though there weren't as much cracking or any holes, my eyes looked so textured and 'product-laden'. I understand a lot of the time this is kind of what you get with liquid shadows, shimmers or glitter products (or just glitter in general really), but I think I've tried some before which navigate the issue better than this one does. Such a shame as I was so eager to give these a go and really felt I'd love them, but I'm afraid they haven't worked out as well as I thought and hoped. I will continue experimenting with them to see if I can find a way that makes them work better though!

Moving onto Face, first up we have a new primer! Namely, the Hydrate Primer. Having dry/dehydrated skin and being a lover of a glowy, radiant look, I love a good, hydrating primer that claims to nourish my skin whilst providing a slightly tacky base for my makeup to apply and last well throughout the day at the same time - and supposedly, this one seemed to fit that bill. And you know what? I am very impressed! This is such a super-thin, watery consistency so you do have to be careful when dispensing this that you don't squeeze out much as a little really does go a long way and like I said, it is pretty runny, but it's more than worth it when you actually apply it. This makes my skin feel so, so soft, plump and hydrated. It sinks into the skin in no time at all and ensures my makeup glides on like a dream over the top aswell. But, perhaps most importantly, it also makes it last all day/night long with no issues at all. I think I may have found a new favourite face primer...

Next up, we have two new face powders! Revolution recently finally came out with a full range of loose powders (previously they've only had a few shades) and a whole new collection of pressed powders too! I'd never tried their loose powders before as there was never a colour in there for me (I tend to prefer translucent powders personally) and I'd always wished they'd expand their range. I also always hoped they'd finally release pressed powders too - and would you know it - they finally did both. Yay! They are the Loose Baking Powders and the Bake and Blot Pressed Powders. I picked up both in 'Translucent' (again, as I said before, always my preferred powder 'shade') and so far, so good. The Bake and Blot is awesome. This really sets my makeup into place and mattifies nicely, but is so super-lightweight and almost invisible at the same time. I only ever apply powder where I need it but regardless, my skin retains its 'life' - it doesn't make my skin appear too matte or flat. It also never makes my skin feels or look heavy or cakey in anyway either and wherever I've applied it, keeps that area in place and matte, all day or night long. No creasing, smudging. transferring - whatever. The Loose Baking Powder I also do really like, however, I suppose I have a few more things to say about it. Let's just say after the first use, I didn't really like this. However, I soon found out after my second application trying it again and ever since, that once you nail the application, this is a great loose powder. Because the top lid of this is so small, you really have to be careful when dispensing it out not to get it everywhere and also really ensure you sponge is covered in the product. The first time, I didn't and therefore, when I went in to 'bake' under my eyes and smile lines and so on, it all clumped up and as I later found out, didn't actually properly work and so by the end of the day, my under-eyes were creased, my smile lines had come through and it was all a bit of a hot mess. However, the next day I really ensure I worked the product onto my sponge and as a result, the application was a lot smoother and the finished effect was perfect. Everywhere I 'baked' stayed fully matte, but not dry and really locked into place all day long. Again, no creasing or smudging of my other makeup in sight! Though I used it to 'bake', nothing looked heavy or cakey or 'too 'powdery' and when I wiped it away, there was no texture or colour cast left behind either. I also did a little flashback test and couldn't tell that either powders left a white cast in anyway, which is a really good thing too! Finally for the Face, there just had to be a highlighter thrown in here somewhere, right? And this time, we have the Obsession 'Mega Lightening' Highlighter! I'd wanted to try the glow-givers from Obsession ever since hearing amazing things about another shade in the range. I was hoping one more suited to my skin-tone would be just as good and if you ash me - it definitely is. A super-petty white, with gold marbled throughout - this is a gorgeous highlighter, both on looks and how it actually performs on the skin too. This is so, so pigmented and gives such an gorgeous, blinding glow with just the smallest amount. The finish is so super-intense, but still so smooth and not glittery or chunky in anyway at the same time - which is always a good thing when it comes to a highlighter. I think I've found a new favourite!

Last, but definitely by no means least - we come to Lips - and for this, I have just one new product from one of the brands at Revolution. And, that is the I Heart Revolution Chocolate Lip Gloss in 'Salted Caramel'. When these were first released a couple of months back, I was instantly intrigued. However, back then I was as much into the occasional glossy lip as I am now, so I stayed firmly away. Until I decided to try gloss again, and this range was the first I went back to - this popular shade being the one I decided to go for. And let me tell you - I am so glad I did. Not only is this formula gorgeous - creamy, not at all sticky or goopy and really shiny and hydrating - the colour is awesome. This is like my lips, but better - my perfect pinky-brown nude. I'm really happy with this!

So, a bit of a mixed bag with this one I guess, but for the most part, I've found some proper awesome gems in here. Like, 'new favourites' type gems. Let me know if you've tried any of these products from one of the many brands at Revolution, I'd love to know!

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