Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer and Fast Base Stick Foundation - Review

Now, I admit I am a bit of a snob when it comes to  my base products. It is not like I do it on purpose, it is just the things I like the best are usually quite costly. Still, I am on the constant look out for an affordable option that will blow me away. 

Revolution Beauty is known for its affordable and good quality makeup, primarily powder products like eye shadows and highlighters, therefore I was glad to hear they have launched their base make up range. Their concealer, seemingly a dupe for Tarte Shape Tape, and their Stick Foundation have taken the beauty community by storm so I thought to give them a try. 

The best thing about these releases (beside the price) is the a good range of shades available. Foundation stick comes in 18 shades and concealer comes in 25 shades to suit variety of complexions from very pale to deep. 

Foundation stick comes in a cream plastic tube with rose gold lettering. The plastic is a bit cheep feeling but considering that foundation costs 5.99 Euro I  have no problem with it. There is 6 g of product, compared  with only other stick foundation I own Bobby Brown Skin Foundation Stick which is 9 g, it is considerably less (but it is also considerably cheaper). Concealer comes in a plastic tube with rose gold sticker and cap. It also has unnecessarily huge applicator like Tarte's Shape Tape. I hate the applicator on Shape Tape and I hate it here as well. I don't need such a huge applicator for my under eyes area. There is 3.4 ml of product for 4.99 Euro which is a bit more than half of what you usually get with concealers (liquid concealers like this one usually come with 5 to 6 ml of product). Which means you will run out of this one fast. 

Revolution Fast Base Stick Foundation

Ingredients: Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Synthetic Wax, Cera Microcristallina, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Nylon-12, Polyethylene, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Propylparaben, BHT (+/-) CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77499, CI 77492

As mentioned the foundation comes in 18 shades:

I have the F2 which is a good mach for my NC15 skin. 

Revolution states: The easy-to-apply stick formula melts into skin, blending seamlessly to leave a fresh and dewy finish. Twist up, swipe on and blend out with fingers, a beauty sponge or your favourite foundation brush.

I find it is best to apply directly on the skin and blend with the brush. It spreads easily and blends nicely but tends to gather around my nose. It looks really nice from a distance but up close it tends to sit on my skin instead of melting into it. I would not recommend it for textured skin as it does nothing to smooth over pores or other imperfections.  Finish is lovely, a bit on the dewy side and quite long lasting, some 6 hours before it starts to gradually fade. Some foundations look better after they sit on a skin for a bit, this one looks the best the moment you apply it but tends to look worse later on. Coverage is medium and buildable. It is a decent foundation but it did not blow me away. I still prefer the Bobby Brown Skin Foundation Stick. 

Longevity: 4/5
Coverage: 4/5
Appearance: 3/5
Price: 5/5

Top is Fast Base Stick Foundation in F2 and bottom is Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer in C2

Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer 
Ingredients: Aqua, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cyclopentasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Isododecane, Isobutylmethacrylate/Bis-Hydroxypropyl Dimethicone Acrylate, Cyclopemtasiloxane, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Quaternium-90 Bentonite, Propylene Carbonate, Butylene Glycol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Cetyl PEG-PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Silica, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Triethylhexanoin, Cetyl PEG/PGG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Hexyl Laurate, Lecithin, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Isopropyl Myristate, 2-Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isostearic Acid, Polyglycerol-3 Polyricinoleate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Rosa Rubiginosa (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, (+/-) CI 77891, CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499

Now this concealer has whopping 25 shades and they promise to keep expanding the color range which is amazing. 

Image taken from Revolution Beauty site

Revolution states: 25 shades ranging from fair to deep, in cool, neutral and warm undertones. Lightweight yet full coverage concealer to cover blemishes, even skin tone and counteract dark circles, with a matte finish that won't settle or accentuate fine lines and pores. Long wearing intense pigment that can also be used to contour and add definition. Our large doe foot applicator allows for smooth application that won't drag on the delicate skin under your eyes.

 Fast Base Stick Foundation in F2 and bottom is Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer in C2 with top part blended into skin

Now in theory this concealer is awesome. It has good medium to full coverage, it blends beautifully  and the color range is huge. However on my skin it looks horrible. It is very matte and very drying and even if I set it it emphasizes every fine line I didn't even know I had and creases like crazy. The first hour it is fine but after that it all goes to hell. I have normal skin which I keep well moisturized but when I tried to use it to highlight my nose it actually dried out the area so much it cracked and peeled. This never happened to me before with any other concealer. I think people with oily skin will like it but it is definitely not for me. 

Longevity: 4/5
Coverage: 4/5
Appearance: 1/5
Price: 4/5

I guess my detour into affordable base products didn't end as well as I hoped it would. 

Revolution Life on a Dance Floor Palette in Guest List - Review and Swatches

In continuation of what seems to be a series of reviews of Revolution Beauty eyeshadow palettes we come to this warm shadows beauty called Life on the Dance Floor Palette in Guest List.

Revolution Life on the Dance Floor line consists of  4 palettes: VIP (neutrals), Sparklers (brights), Guest List (warm shadows) and  After Party (more cool toned shadows).

Guest List Palette comes in a sturdy, plastic, sparkly, rose gold packaging with a large mirror. There are 24 shadows, 1.1 g each; with 6 shimmery shades and 18 matte shades. It also comes with a see through plastic inset with shade names printed on it (I hate those inserts, I have a tendency to loose them or clumsily stick them in shadows and damage them).

Shadows range form warm oranges, reds and  browns with a smattering of pink, rose gold and cream. Now, Revolution is famous for duping high end palettes but I always end up enjoying their non-dupe palettes more and this one is one of those. Shadows are nicely bendable and long lasting. Colors are rich, intense and  pigmented. Revolution has consistently good shadows but as with all their shadows I tried so far there is quite a lot of kick up. 

Ingredients:

Mica, Talc, Magnesium Stearate, Silica, Paraffinum Liquidum, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polybutene, Dimethicone, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 15850, CI 15985, CI 45410, CI 16035

Shadows are vegan, gluten free and cruelty free.

And now for the swatches. My daughter has provided her perfect skin as a nice canvas for the swatches. Swatches are made one swipe with the finger without any primer.

From left to right (first two rows of the palette): Cha Cha, Spin, Slide, Lock It, Jive; Shake It, 2 Step, Light Up, Neon, Get Down , Loose, Crew

From left to right (two bottom rows of the palette): Hip, Roll, 2AM, Throw Back, Bold, Loose it, Lean Back, Grind, Stop, Dark Corner (stunning , beautiful wine red), Black Light, Sleep

If you want to dip your toes in the warm shadows sea than this is a great palette to do so, as it will provide a wide range of warm shades to try on without braking the bank.

Packaging: 4/5
Quality: 4/5
Price: 5/5

Hope Girl Jamong Cleansing Balm Grapefruit - review

I am a firm believer in double cleansing and in oil cleansers. If you wear makeup and/or sunscreen (you should always wear sunscreen) on daily basis you need an oil based cleanser to properly clean your skin. I am also lazy so a cleanser that can remove all my point make up (eye and lip makeup) in one go is a must for me, and that is what a good oil cleanser does.

Hope Girl Jamong Cleansing Balm Grapefruit is a rather affordable cleansing balm of a sherbet type. Meaning it comes in a solid form and melts when applied due to skin warmth. It comes in a pink/orange/white plastic tub and contains 75g of product and comes with a little plastic scoop.  The outer cardboard packaging has information in Korean and English. The product has a light and pleasant grapefruit scent.

You can check CosDNA for detailed list of ingredients with safety ranking. The main ingredient of this cleanser is mineral oil. Mineral oil is made from petroleum, as a by-product of the distillation of petroleum for production of gasoline. It is used a s solvent in many lotions and creams as it is cheep as chips. There are some people that are against use of mineral oil in cosmetics as it is considered comedogenic. The more refined mineral oil is, it is less likely to clog your pores. Some are worried about the toxicity of mineral oil, however mineral oil used in cosmetics is a cosmetic grade mineral oil which is purified and deemed safe. And lastly it does nothing for your skin in the sense that it does not have any beneficial properties that would improve the condition of your skin. And I agree to a point that I would never use a cream, serum or lotion containing mineral oil as the main ingredient or a costly product that uses mineral oil as main ingredient, because that is just daylight robbery.

However, having said that I have no problem with mineral oil used for affordable cleansers. I do not worry about its comedogenic properties in a cleanser as it will not stick to my skin long enough to block anything and same goes for beneficial properties, I am  going to wash it off right away so I do not need for cleanser to act like skincare. So I am OK with mineral oil in oil based cleansers because their job is to dissolve and help remove makeup and dirt and that is what it does. One benefit of mineral oil is that it is less likely to cause allergic reaction unlike plant based oils. 

Besides mineral oil this cleanser contains other plant based oils (olive oil, macadamia oil, grapefruit peel oil) as well as citrus extracts that can be potentially irritating. So as always read the ingredients list carefully and test the product on a small patch of skin to see if you have any reactions. 

Testing the cleanser on concealer, liquid liner, eyebrow pencil, eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow, liquid lipstick, and matte lipstick. 

It melts easily when in contact with skin.

If you add water it emulsifies and washes off easily. 

You are left with clean, soft skin. There is no feeling of dryness or tight skin.

I find the cleanser easy to use, its grapefruit fragrance is pleasant without being too strong or overwhelming. It melts into skin easily and dissolves all makeup, including waterproof one. You can add water to it and it emulsifies easily and can be rinsed with water. I personally prefer to remove it with a flannel soaked in warm water. It did not cloud my eyes while removing eye makeup and my skin did not react to the product, no redness, no bumps or any kind of irritation.  It can be purchased on Jolse for USD 12.75.

It is a good, affordable, no fuss oil cleanser which does what it is supposed to do and that is remove dirt and makeup. 

Revolution Reloaded Palettes in Iconic Fever and Iconic Division - Review and Swatches

Makeup Revolution London, a brand famous for its affordable dupes of high end products, recently went through a a bit of a face lift and now is called Revolution Beauty London. These two palettes are from their line of reloaded palettes .

Image taken from www.revolutionbeauty.com

There are 4 palettes in the line: Newtrals 2 (only one that is not a dupe of a high end palette), Iconic Vitality (a ABH Modern Renaissance palette dupe), Iconic Fever (Urban Decay Naked Heat dupe) and Iconic Division (a ABH Subculture dupe). As I don't own any of the palettes these are dupes for I will not be comparing the two but talking about the quality of shadows on their own merit.

Each palette contains 15 shadows that is 1.1 g each, so you get 16.5 g of shadows all together in a palette for 4.99 Euro /£4.00 or $7.00. They are vegan, cruelty free and gluten free. 


ICONIC FEVER

Iconic Fever is a warm palette and allegedly a dupe for Urban Decay Naked Heat. Shadows have no names but they are nicely pigmented and very blendable. The palette has 9 matte shades, one satin and 5 shimmer/metallic shades. As all Revolution shadows there is a bit of kick up so go gently into that pan. Matte shades are nicely pigmented and easy to blend while metallic shades have this almost creamy consistency. The first light shimmer shade (first shadow on the top from the left side) is less pigmented and a bit crumbly compared to others. Light shadow right next to it is a creamy satin shade that serves nicely as a highlight but it is not too pigmented. Those two are the least pigmented shadows in the palette for the rest pigmentation is superb. Palette has a nice range of warm toned shades and you can get get complete looks just by using this palette. It is a budget palette and packaging reflects that, it is practical but quite cheep feeling. 

Ingredients:
Mica, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Talc, Magnesium Stearate, Paraffinum Liquidum, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polybutene, Polyethylene, Dimethicone, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, May Contain (+/-) CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77510, CI 77007, CI 77742, CI 15985, CI 15850, CI 16035

All swatches were one swipe with a finger (except for the lightest shades those were built up a bit) and no primer was used.

First row swatches from right to left.

Second row swatches from right to left.

Third row swatches from right to left.

ICONIC DIVISION

Iconic Division is an interesting palette containing both warm and cool tones, but it is decidedly a grungy autumn palette with its selection of green, brown and orange shades. It is a dupe for infamous ABH Subculture palette,which got a lot of flack for being extremely prone to kick back and hard to work with. This palette, as all Revolution palettes, has a bit of kick back but nothing extreme and shades are pigmented and easy to work with. It has one satin shade, 12 matte shades and two shimmer/ metallic shades.The one satin shade (top left light shade) that looks like matte white in the pan but it is actually a satin off white shade that reflects pink,is quite chalky and not very pigmented and despite being very interesting shade I find it quite hard to work with. The green/gold metallic shade (4th shade in the second row from the left) is also not richly pigmented but it has the most beautiful sheen that gives this wet look to the lid. On other shades pigmentation is rich and they are easy to blend without going muddy. Packaging is serviceable but cheep (mine arrived cracked, probably got damaged in shipping).

Ingredients:
Mica, Talc, Magnesium Stearate, Paraffinum Liquidum, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polybutene, Kaolin, Silica, Polyethylene, Dimethicone, Tin Oxide, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, May Contain (+/-) CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77510, CI 15850, CI 42090, CI 19140, CI 77288, CI 16035

First row from right to left.

Second row from right to left.

Third row from left to right.

All in all these are great quality palettes for the money. Great palettes for those trying to branch out to more unusual colors or for beginners as they are easy to work with.