Makeup Revolution: The Old & New

Dexia A Gira Girar (jbg edit) by Os Tincoãs

A couple of years ago I bought a large amount of Makeup Revolution products consisting of many eye palettes, lip products and basically the works. There was some special offer and ultimately I got carried away. I've been meaning to review bits and pieces from the collection for a long while and after the new releases caught my eye and my pockets, I thought I'd compile a complete run-down of what I have (minus any products I've already reviewed/swatches - Renaissance lipsticks + a lip velour). 

*Warning* This post is lengthy!

 I did try to be succinct as we ain't got all day right?😅

BASE

One Foundation

One Foundation in Shade 15

This is quite a light, oily and runny foundation with a satin/natural finish (not dewy). However, it doesn't feel oily and it has some decent coverage when layered. The orange undertone is great for my skin tone (matched to Nars Skin Base Foundation in New Orleans) although I do think it deepens slightly during wear. From what I can see this looks like it's been discontinued. However, the "new" Pro Foundation Drops do look eerily similar so perhaps its a case of slightly improving the product and or just changing the packaging and price.  

Price: £4 for 29mls

Revolution Fast Base Foundation

Fast Base Foundation 

Revolution Fast Base Foundation in 13

I could actually get away with using shade 13 as an overall base in the right lighting (when last have I see the sun?) ... I was going to opt for 14 but a quick instore swatch showed me just how much deeper it was so I played it "safe". This foundation is smooth, pigmented and very easy to blend. It creates a really natural though decently covered base that I really like. I haven't tested out the wear etc. on my skin type (combination?) but, I imagine many will need to keep their powder close at hand. From my various sporadic trials, I think this foundation works best on hydrated/moisturised skin rather than dry or oily. I do appreciate the shade range having tones darker skin can actually wear but, if you're looking for an exact match in the range you may have to mix shades which can get kinda costly. 

Price: £5 for 6.2g

Revolution Conceal and Define in 13

Conceal & Define - shade 13

Applying shade 13 and blended it in around the entire eye area

I love how the concealer colour matches the base colour. I notice many people with dark skin use concealers 4 times lighter than them but, it has never worked that well for me. I was considering opting for shade 12 but, I'm so glad I didn't because shade 13 is light enough and works really well for me. The concealer is pigmented, lightweight and easy to blend. It feels very light and is one of the better concealers I have tried. The tone is very natural and as someone who doesn't use concealer too often - I think I may start using this regularly since I only need a little, it's very easy to blend and looks natural. I'm impressed.
Price: £4 for 0.14 fl oz / 4g
Expiration: 12 months

Full Coverage Revolution Pro Concealer in 13

Pro Concealer

Applying Pro concealer and then blending it in around the eye/cheek area

Just like Conceal and Define the tone matches with the base but, that's where the comparison ends. The pro concealer is thicker and more heavy than conceal-and-define thus, it offers more coverage but this, in turn, gives a heavy initial feel and look. It is easy to blend but it's not as light and spreadable. Plus, it has a very dewy look - almost greasy appearance under the eyes - which will need to be "set" aka powdered, otherwise, it draws attention to an area most people don't want necessarily want to highlight. Plus, a little bit of the product goes a very long way. At first, I wasn't that pleased with this but, after it sets I really began to like it even with a dewy finish (in the pictures).
Price: £5 for 0.29 fl oz / 8.5ml
Expiration: 6 months

LIPS

Revolution Salvation Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick

Velvet Lacquers

Nice array of shades, not really that drying but when rubbed or slightly touched it does crumble away in little pieces which ain't great. Out of the 3  - black heart (the blackened purple) is a bit patchy, depravity (lavender bright purple) is gorgeously bold and bright but Rebel (the berry red) doth have all my affections. The formula is not terribly sticky and as long as you stay away from drinking and eating you'll be fine and won't have it balling up on you ... Hah! Good luck! Needless to say, I have not used this much at all ...

Price: £3 each

Revolution Salvation Intense Lacquer Lip Gloss

Intense Lacquer Gloss

Nice formula, nice array of shades but has a major packaging flaw that sometimes makes the stopper get attached to the wand ... which results in a very messy and time-consuming clean up. Basically, completely defeats the point of having a tube and wand for easy application because it makes the process 10 times worse. 
Price: £3 each 

I Heart Makeup WOW Lip Gloss

Wow Gloss

They're OK - not particularly wowing though. No real scent needs to be well blended in, alright shades. The packaging looks like the shorter and broader sister to hourglass lip products. 

Price: £1.99 each

I Heart Revolution Lip Lavas

Forgiven, Tremour, Shockwave, Unleash and Firestorm

I think these lip lavas are based on Too Faced Melted Matte liquid lipsticks that also come in squeezable tubes. These glosses are pigmented, have no scent, the formula is smooth (not sticky) and they're very well priced. I'm not sure if these shades are available but, I bought them in a packaged deal (£7.99 for all 4). Of course, I'm only smitten with one shade which also so happens to have the best formula with an applicator that isn't broken  (Tremour), extremely messy (Shockwave) or jammed (Forgiven & Unleash) and applies the product evenly. 
Price: £2.99 each 

Lipsticks

I've tried a few lipsticks from the Revolution line etc. and whilst I do generally like them I wasn't initially blown away. They have a very creamy feel and have good pigmentation which can be built up. The packaging is simple and usable although it is not without some faults these lipsticks are great starters in the realm of "alternative" lipstick shades. Depraved and Make It Right have virtually seamless formulas and would be my personal pic from the quartet. 
Price: £1 each

Revolution Pro Matte Lipstick

Subliminal

A very nicely packaged product - looks similar to Nars liquid lipsticks! This liquid lipstick is much better than the earlier ones from the brand. It's pigmented and very soft yet, does take a while to dry down but it's not drying and has no particular scent.  I only bought one in the shade subliminal - I think it's a gorgeous red and I'm very happy with it. This will suit a lot of skin tones. 

Price: £4 each

CHEEKS

You Rock My World, Glow, and Vivid

Baked Bronzer in  Rock On World 

Looks gorgeous and works well as a nice golden-copper highlight. Great for dark and deep skin tones. The lid use-to close tight but, now flip-flops as and when it pleases so, it's not particularly travel-friendly + it broke whilst I was writing out this review ... Definitely not travel-friendly.
Price: £4 each

Baked Highlighter in Vivid

Unlike Rock On World the packaging is tight. This highlighter has a very obvious golden green glow with very fine pink shimmers - very pretty to create a dewy highlight that can be played up or down. 
Price: £3 each

Revolution Light Glow 

Very pretty subtle highlighter. Great for those who don't want to send messages to outta space with their highlighter ... The packaging is crappy as it broke very early on but at least it does have a mirror which is a nice feature but, who cares when it's so cumbersome to open without breaking. If I could make a suggestion to revolution - I'd suggest making the lid magnetic so it can flip to the side and you can take it off yourself. Similar to how melt cosmetics eyeshadows are - if all their highlighter packaging was the same then this may solve the shoddy lid problem - Just a thought.
Price: £5 each 

The One Fluid Blusher

The One Blusher

Based heavily on slash dupe of Daniel Sandler Watercolour liquid blushers. Since the real deal cost, £16.50 and this dupe was much less than half the price - I did the simple maths and bought it. I've had this bottle for a while so when it came time to swatch and test it - the stopper was a bit jammed hence the splurge you see in the pics as I squeezed too hard but, usually it drops out fine. A little does go a long way and this shade does stain my skin. It's a pretty pink blush with golden shimmer. The oil/product does separate if not shaken so perhaps keep that in mind too when even buying a Sandler. 
Price: £3 each

Stick Cream Bronzer

Pretty and shimmery a good shade for dark skin for a natural but slightly amped up highlighter. I believe this was meant to be a Narsh Bronzer Stick dupe.
Price: £5 each

Stick Cream Orange 

Pretty though a tad chalky on the skin but once blended gives a nice warm glow to the skin. 
Price: £5 each

EYES

I don't know what happened to me but, I was beguiled by all the dupe videos ... Most of the palettes I purchased are dupes of something else (Urban Decay, Kat Von D etc.) and whilst the pigmentation is OK I rarely go out of my way/routine to use them on a regular basis. Mostly because I'm not really an eyeshadow person plus, whenever I've opened the revolution palettes (the ones I have and instore) I'm hit with a really chemical strong powder smell that puts me off. I know that's not a signifier of quality or danger but, it's just not pleasant. The only palette that doesn't have such a strong smell is the Kat Von D dupe which is Talc-Free so it is possible for Revolution palettes to not be stinky. Anyway, the formula is smooth and pigmented so I'm not dissing them entirely - I just don't like the scent and I have not really been amazed.

I've swatched most of the palettes below with a brush to give a general idea how the palette looks on my skin tone. The exception being Parental Advisory and Light & Shade which I swatched with my fingers for convenience ... Some shades/palettes show up more than others especially the shimmery shadows which tend to have better pigmentation whereas the mattes tend to blend out to nothing with a brush. This is a  really quick rundown. Prices for the palettes range from £4 but £8 max.

Mono Eye Shadow in I want You

A vibrant gold - my first eyeshadow from the brand. Its very nice and would be a perfect option for a makeup beginner or someone who doesn't want to have complicated eye looks. When in doubt a simple pop of gold brightens the eyes and suits pretty much all skin tones, eye shades, shapes, and sizes. 

Price: £1 each

Redemption Palette Iconic 2 - Urban Decay Naked 2

Pretty and basic. Has some really nice strong shimmery shades (silvers/golds) decent neutrals. If you're into the "city chic look this is a good choice.

Redemption Palette Iconic 3 - Urban Decay Naked 3

More Romantic than Iconic 2 - Iconic 3 is filled with pretty pinks and muted greys that can give you a very tres pretty Parisian next door vibe with soft smoky eyes.

Redemption Palette Mermaids vs Unicorns - not a dupe

Bright, bold and filled with entirely shimmery shadows. Possibly the most pigmented palette which I have from Makeup Revolution. Note - I did use a stiffer brush to swatch them which I think helped show up the strong pigment well. If you like bold colours and adore shimmers you'll adore this.

I ♡ Makeup Parental Advisory Explicit Content - not a dupe

Granted I find the hologram case pretty cool (sad). This 36 pan palette is filled with mostly neutral shadows so if you like a mostly "natural" eye but still want some "fun" options this is a great palette to have with really strong blue and red plus backup accent colours. However, I find most of the neutral shades on my dark skin pointlessly unpigmented when used with a brush so, if you do find that frustratingly happening to you - I'd suggest applying it as best you can with the pads of your 4th (ring) finger very lightly which seems to work. Alternatively, you can skip this angsty palette altogether.  

I ♡ Makeup I Heart Chocolate - Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

A really warm, spicy and rich palette that makes me think of elegant and intelligent sophistication despite its gimmicky presentation. I adore the deep burnt sparkly red, smooth golds, smoky khaki, dusty deep lavender etc. Since reviewing this my packaging hook broke which makes me sad but, even with duck tape I'm sure it'll still be a beautiful palette to behold. If you're after a laid-back palette that's more exciting than a set of  4 beiges and a smoky black - you might just like it. 

Ultra Eye Contour Light & Shade - Kat Von D Shade and Light 

Honestly, if Kat Von D didn't make some noise over this palette probably would never have hit my radar. Most reviews I saw said it was a really good dupe and since it was Talc Free (the second ingredient is Aluminum Starch though ...) I decided to try it. The shades are really smooth, very neutral (all matte) and give me "my work is my life" type of "boss" vibes. I did have an accident with it whilst taking pics (my fault) which I hastily fixed with some Isopropyl Alcohol and it still works fine. My most fav shade is the rusty brown (3rd on the bottom right) which doesn't show on my eyelids which is a shame but, I guess its part and parcel of a natural neutral eye palette. 

Reloaded Makeup Division - Anatascia Beverly Hills Subculture Palette 

Iconic Division

It's a neat little palette but, I was disappointed with how some shades looked on my lids - the mustard looked beige and the overall pigmentation is average to poor. If you're looking for shade intensity its best to use a base/primer and a specific brush and or technique depending on the type of eyeshadow as the two shimmery shades do not apply opaquely on the lids (works well with wet application). Thus, whilst I do like this palette regardless of its flaws I'll make it be surely known that this palette is by no means faultless. However, it does have some really pretty and unique colours and is possibly the most exciting eye palette I have from the range that really ignited my passion to try some newer products from the range again.

Revolution Pro Eye Elements

Central

Revolution Pro Elements eye primers are a similar concept to Mac Paint Pots. I was going to choose Vitality (a brown) but I figured a lighter eye base would make shadows pop more so at the last minute changed my mind. If I had been reading the description of the product I would've noticed Vitality is an eye base specifically made/recommended for dark skin tones so it would've been interesting to see how it worked. Nonetheless, applying a dull, less pigmented eyeshadow on top of central does make it stand out more and show up better. In the photo above I used the greyish eyeshadow with the primer and without (on the right side of the swatch).  

Price: £4.00 each

EyeBrows

I Heart Makeup - Tint My Brows in Black

Very pigmented but perhaps a tad too black to look natural. A little goes a long way so I would need to be very careful to not end up looking crazed. I don't think I've ever perfected the fine balance between beautiful brow and crazed brow so, this product has gone largely unused (perhaps I wore it once). Yet, in the swatches, even the heavy application doesn't look so bad. Perhaps my brow skills have become better or perhaps I can get away with wearing black on my brows (?).
Price: £1.99 each

Phew, there it is my complete rundown of old + new Revolution products. 

There are so many products that Revolution does and add-on brands etc. that just choosing what product to look at can get really confusing and a tad tiresome. So if you've got here looking for some info I hope it helped. 

Have you tried anything revolutionary lately?
Any products from Makeup/Revolution Beauty?

As always feel free to let me know your thoughts or ask questions.

Your comments are always welcomed and appreciated!