Revlon Lips and Cheeks

Revlon is a brand I am just getting myself reacquainted with and not too long ago on this blog this post introduced some newly released eye makeup products.  Today is the turn of the lips and cheeks with some products I have really enjoyed using and if anyone ever mentioned lipstick, I am usually there quick as a flash.

Now I love a good highlighter and have used quite a few different ones over this past year. Revlon's Insta-Fix Highlighting Stick is available in two shades and has the following description:

Highlight instantly with this mistake-proof stick. In two gorgeous shades, perfect for highlighting on virtually any skin tone. Formula with light filtering technology delivers a professionally re-touched look. Use with PhotoReady Insta-Fix™ Makeup to get a mistake-proof contoured look.

I have shade Gold Light which gives a really lovely glow to the skin and it is so easy to use and blend. Both shades retail for £9.99.

When it comes to lipsticks, I never thought I would be the person who likes a Matte lip, but actually I really do and am yet to find a formula I dislike. The Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Colour (£8.99) is available in 12 shades (24 for America) and is described as follows:

Lightweight, high definition velvety matte color. Moisturizing, velvety feel. 100% wax-free, gel formula. Now Available in 24 high definition shades.

I have the shade Seduction which comes with a doe foot applicator and it has a really lightweight formula which is really easy to apply and when you do apply it, it looks like a gloss and takes a good few minutes to mattify. What I really like is how moisturising it is rather than drying on the lips and it really gives great coverage.  The shade Seduction is one I absolutely love and it is definitely a nude shade which I really like and it is perfect for everyday wear.  Once applied you get a good 3-4 hours wear from it before needing to re-apply.

Staying with lipsticks again, this time we have two of Revlon's Ultra HD Gel Lipsticks which retail for £7.99 each. Taking on the role of a slimline lipstick, these Gel Lipsticks and they come with the following description:

Get high-definition, lightweight color with NEW Ultra HD Gel Lipcolor. Intensely hydrating formula with hyaluronic acid. Available in 15 high-definition shades.

So the first thing to note is that they have a really glossy formula and if you like a glossy lipstick, then this definitely will tick the boxes for you. I have two of the twelve available shades which are Desert and Vineyard. Vineyard is an amazing berry shade whereas Desert is a pink nude. The lipstick itself is slanted making it easy to apply once it has been twisted up out of its stick and whilst they last a good few hours and need re-applying a few times a day, I am more than happy to do just that because I really like the formula.

The final product in my stash is the Revlon Photoready Insta blush in shade Berry Kiss £9.99. Described as follows:

Our sheer, blendable blush is mistake-proof. The luxurious, cream-to-powder formula creates a naturally flushed, beautiful kiss of color. Use on the apples of cheeks for the perfect finishing touch to a contoured or highlighted look— Anytime, Anywhere.

The Revlon PhotoReady Insta Blush Sticks are available in two shades Berry Kiss and Rose Gold Kiss. I have the shade Berry Kiss which is a beautiful berry shade and I am not usallu a fan of blushes and cream blushers wouldn't usually be my first choice, but I really love how easy this one is to use, you simply swipe it across the cheeses and then blend, again really easy to do, even with your fingertips.

Then with the swatches from Left to right we start with the HD Gel Lipsticks, Insta Fix highlighter stick, The PhotoReady Insta Blush Stick and finally the HD Matte liquid Lipstick. 

Again, Revlon had been off my radar for such a long time that this was a nice re-introduction to the brand and I absolutely adore the Gel Lipsticks and have already purchased another one from the range! If any of these grab your attention, if you are quick, Superdrug have Revlon on a 3 for 2 deal!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Barry M Light Me Up Liquid Highlighter

If you haven't guessed by now, I am a bit of a highlighter obsessive and I have quite a few within my collection.  It is an item I use pretty much everyday and I don't mind whether it is liquid, powder, gel based or even a cream, if it does what I want it to do, then it gets the thumbs up.

Barry M Light Me Up Liquid Highlighter is described as being the fast track to giving your skin a gorgeous, natural glow.  With this highlighter, you can apply to the parts of you face which you highlight, you can also mix it with your moisturiser or foundation for that extra glow.  Personally, because this highlighter is quite pigmented, I prefer to dab it and blend it down the centre of my nose, along my temple, on my chin and on my cupids bow.

What I love about this highlighter is that it does have a pump action dispenser, but you need such a small amount because as you can see from the photos above, you get a lot out of one pump and it is more than you will need.  Once out of the tube, there is a slight rose/pink colour to it, but once onto the skin, the colour doesn't transfer and instead it leaves behind a soft, subtle glow.

At just £4.99 I think this is totally worthy of trying!  

Do you have a favourite highlighter?

Beautiful Bronze Highlighter - A Boots No.7 Dupe?

I am a huge fan of the Boots No.7 Instant Radiance Highlighter and have reviewed it HERE. It costs just £9.95 and has an amazing formula which dried incredibly quickly and creates an amazing highlighting effect.

I love highlighters in general and have a growing collection of them, so whilst in Primark, I came across the Beautiful Bronze range by Sunkissed, which looks amazing. The one product which caught my eye from the range was the Glow Stick Highlighter which is paraben and alcohol free and contains Vitamin E and costs just £3, so it quickly went into my basket.

It looks absolutely stunning and when I swatched it, I was shocked to find it is the perfect dupe for my favourite Boots No.7 highlighter. Infact it isn't just the colour which is a perfect dupe, but the formula is also very very similar which you can see below.

I am absolutely delighted to have found a dupe for my beloved highlighter and at a saving of almost £7 I am definitely going to check out the rest of the range.

Have you tried anything from this range?

Generation Next - The Spring Collection from KIKO

One brand of make-up I haven't ever used or played with is KIKO, a brand I know a lot of my blogging friends adored, so imagine how excited I was when this little lot dropped through my door!

KIKO Milano Generation Next Colletion is new for the spring and it is full of all kinds of amazing shiny packaging that every magpie would love, not to mention lots of colour with the main theme being celebrating the future.  The dynamic geomatric packaging has been inspired by the famous italian Murano glassware, using those designed to capture the playful multicolours used throughout his work. 

Starting with the KIKO Mosaic Highlighter in 01 Future Light.  Everything about this highlighter is stunning, from the outer box, to the silver casing within which the highlighter sits.  Once opened, as you can see, in front of you is a mixture of matte and shimmery shades which help to create a perfect glow. Enriched with multi-reflective pearls the soft powder makes it easy to blend, highlight, illuminate, enhance and brighten any skin tone.  As you can see from the swatch below, it is a very delicate shimmer and that is just one swipe of my finger across the top of the mosaic pattern, you can of course build it up.

What I also love is that there is also a mirror which is always handy to have. This highlighter has an RRP £14.90

KIKO Cool Touch Eyeshadow in 01 Original Cream is one of eight creamy intense eyeshadows.  Once applied it gives a long-lasting metallic and glossy finish. Again it is packaged inside a truly stunning case which compliments the highlighter and the shade I have is absolutely stunning, it works with any shade and highlights the eye area.  There is an RRP £8.90

KIKO Frosted Look Lipstick in shade 01 of 6 shades.  To look at, as you can see, it is a creamy chubby pencil lipstick which makes the application quick and easy, especially if are on the go.  Given that it is called a frosted lipstick it gives you a satin finish with colour that holds for a good 4-5 hours after application.  I applied this when I went to see Slipnot at Wembley as I left work at 5pm, when we got home at midnight, there was still a hint of the colour on my lips, which considering I had eaten some chilli beef nachos and had a few bottles of desperado beer, is quite impressive! you easy and quick application on-the-go. There is an RRP £7.50

To work alongside lipsticks is a lip gloss and the KIKO Glassy Lipgloss which I have in shade 02 is again beautiful, from the outer casing which again looks stunning alongside the Highlighter and eyeshadow compacts with the silvery finish, is one of six shades.  This liquid lipgloss provides intense pigmentation with a really glossy wet-look finish.  It is described as being a hybrid of a lipstick and lipgloss and has a water-based formula which coats the lips whilst moisturizing them at the same time, but it is not at all sticky or tacky when applied. When you first come to use it, there is a really subtle vanillery scent which soon disappears. There is an RRP £7.90 

The final item in my little bundle of joy is two KIKO Crystal Eyeliner in shades (5) which is a stunning bright blue and shade (6) which is an almost black shade.  As these are pencil eyeliners, they are really smooth on the eye area, given they are formulated with a combination of waxes and filmogens, it gives the feel of a liquid liner and once it has been applied, nothing budges it, not even a day in front of a computer screen, even with a hand swatch, it is really hard to remove. There are six shades available and they have an RRP £6.90

As someone who has just been introduced to the world of KIKO, I am really impressed with these products and love everything about them from the amazing packaging to the long-lasting formulas, it is an exciting collection to have and it doesn't stop there.  The collection also includes a Generation Next Face Brush, CC Cream Cushion, Masterpiece Bronzer, Mosaic Blush and Crystal Fusion Super Moisture Face Serum which sounds amazing. The Generation Next collection launches in March.

What do you think to this collection? Are you a KIKO fan?

Boots No7 Instant Radiance Highlighter

A few months ago I went into my local Boots store for foundation matching which you can read about HERE and as part of that service I was also matched with a lipstick and as it was a 3 for 2 offer on at the same time, I was to choose something for free! Well we all know how good a Boots 3 for 2 offer is and it took some time swatching everything I liked the look of and in the end I opted for the No7 Instant Radiance Highlighter. This Highlighter was something I had had my eye on for some time after seeing another blog post on it and it was the last one in stock (fate) so it was mine.

We all love a good highlighter and this is one brilliant. The highlighter comes in a stick or crayon as some people call them and is quite rotund. To use you simply twist the silver part at the bottom it to show the nib which you then use as the highlighter. When I decided this was the product for me, luckily the lady at the counter decided to give me a crash course into how to use it properly. As with any other highlighter you might have, I was told to begin by sweeping the stick gently onto cheek/brow bones, down the centre of your nose and then onto your cupid's bow to create that illusion of younger, dewy skin.

When you look at the highlighter it is not a wet formula as you might expect it to be, instead it is a dry formula and if you have used similar blush or bronzer sticks you will know what I mean.  It glides onto the skin so you need to pretend you are colouring in with your Crayola crayons, one glide along the skin is enough for you to dab and blend with your finger tips, I tend to simply pat my skin where I have applied the highlighter to get the best effect for me.  I was surprised to find it so easy to use and it really does give a nice subtle glow, perfect for when you are going out or for everyday use. 

I have become really impressed with No.7 of late and have a wish-list as long as my arm, starting with the concealer match service which I intend to take advantage of as soon as I have some time to do it. This Highlighters costs just £9.95 and is such great value for money.

Have you tried anything by No7 recently?

Make-up Revolution Haul

Yes I finally did it, I succumbed to the magic that is Make-up Revolution/I Love Make-up Range. My local Superdrug doesn't stock any of the brand, but in the West End, there is everything you need and much more, so I thought I would treat myself to a few bits and this is what I bought:

Summer of Love Triple Baked Bronzer - My beloved Hoola has almost run out, so I decided it was time to try something new, after all I can always go back to it right? This caught my eye because of the packaging and having had a quick swatch, I think I am going to like it alot! Priced at £4.99 this cute 3D heart-shaped box is just stunning.

Goddess of Love Triple Baked Highlighter - Again, a similar design to the bronze with the 3D heart shaped box, this highlighter is perfect for my complexion and one I am looking forward to using a lot. Priced at £4.99, an absolute bargain.

I want Candy Blusher - I bought this because I loved the swatch in store, it is a beige pink to me, not too neutral, not too pink but a perfect mixture of the two and for £2.99 again it is a bargain.

I Heart Definition Palette - I bought this in fair because these are the shades which closesly match my skintone and as a palette of three you get a Blush, bronzer and highlighter all in one compact with a really handy mirror. Again it costs just £4.99

Make-up Revolution Nail Polish in Heavens above - with over 40 shades to choose from, I was like a kid in a sweet shop and I finally settled on this shade as I don't have one like it.  It is a deep pink shade and for £1 pretty amazing.  The two shades I had actually gone to purchase, Are You Available and You Are Amazing available were out of stock, so I have my eye on the two of those still along with Devil Inside and Heart was broken, which again are two amazing shades!

The final item I bought was a lipstick - oops.  I saw it and just had to have it, I was intrigued by the shape and design, not to mention the shade is just amazing.  The Amazing Care #Happylips in Nude, is everything I want in a nude lipstick.  As I said it was the design which drew me in.  The colour is seen in the inside and surrounding it is Argan oil to add hydration to your lips. Once applied it feels really smooth and almost like a lip butter on the lips as well as leaving behind a glossy sheen.  It costs just £3.

So there you have it, my very first look and purchases from Make-up Revolution and I have to say, I am really impressed with every item so far and don't doubt that I will be adding to my collection.

Which piece from Make-up Revolution do you recommend as a next purchase? Do you have a favourite product?