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Blogger's Christmas Beauty Brawl Day 8: Foundation

Today I'll be sharing my current go-to foundation - Bourjois' City Radiance. I have been using this foundation for a couple of weeks now but like moisturisers, I think it's best to try a foundation for a while before sharing my thoughts with you. It's hard to tell whether you like it or not just from its first application.

PRODUCT QUALITY: This foundation is a liquid foundation (the only texture I use nowadays really) and gives a light to medium dewy coverage in my opinion. I tend to mix it in with a small squirt of Freedom's Pro Studio Strobe Cream which gives a more natural, glowy finish. I apply the foundation with my Real Techniques buffing brush and dab over it with a beauty blender. I really like the coverage, texture and application of this foundations. My only negatives would be that I think the colouring is slightly off (I have the lightest shade and I still find it a bit dark) and its longevity isn't that great. However, I love that it has an SPF in it and I'd prioritise that over the negatives anyway.

PRICE: This foundation retails for £9.99. As with all Bourjois foundations, I'd say it's probably on the pricier end of high-street foundations. However, it's very affordable compared to the luxury foundations from the likes of Dior and Estee Lauder. 
PACKAGING: The packaging is very simple. The tube is flat which means it's easy to pack if you're travelling with it. However, I do prefer a glass foundation bottle with a pump, but I think that's something down to personal preference. I think for the price, a glass bottle would have made it look more expensive.

SCORES (/100)
Product quality: 80
Price: 75
Packaging: 79

OVERALL VERDICT: I am a fan of this foundation, but having used Bourjois' Healthy Mix foundation in the past, I think I'll be going back to that one after I've finished City Radiance. I found Healthy Mix lasts longer and is more buildable in terms of coverage. I'd recommend this foundation if you want to wear something light on your skin.

SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her blusher, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/
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Blogger's Christmas Beauty Brawl Day 7: Lipstick

Slight cheat with today's product review as I'll actually be reviewing a lip lacquer rather than a lipstick. This one is from MUA's Luxe range which I've heard great things about from other bloggers. Not only is MUA a great, affordable brand, I love a lot of their products already, particularly their eyeshadow palettes.



PRODUCT QUALITY: The velvet lip lacquer claims to have a matte finish and this I can vouch for. It also describes itself as long-lasting which I'm sure it is as well. However, on putting this product on my lips I found it so uncomfortable to wear from the get go! As the product dries, it's very sticky on your lips. It dries fully in about 30 seconds and you KNOW it's there. It also didn't look great on as it sucked any moisture there was out of my lips. After 5 minutes I had to take it off and put a lip balm over the top. I persevered and tried it again after exfoliating and using a lip balm which did make it look better, but it was still really uncomfortable to wear. It's a shame because the colour (Tranquillity) is so nice! 

PRICE: As always with MUA, the price of this is really affordable. It cost me £3, which is in their higher price bracket as it's in their Luxe range. For a liquid lipstick, it's definitely one of the cheapest I've seen.

PACKAGING: I think the packaging also makes its look more expensive than it actually is - the frosted effect on the tube and gold lid are simple but elegant.

SCORES (/100)
Product quality: 55
Price: 90
Packaging: 85

OVERALL VERDICT: Although the price and packaging are really great, I just didn't get on with the formula of the lip lacquer. Some people may be able to persevere with it and make it look great but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I'd much rather spend slightly more on a NYX soft matte lip cream which is much more moisturising and feels a lot more comfortable.

SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her blusher, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/
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Blogger's Christmas Beauty Brawl Day 6: Brows

I thought I'd deviate from the norm slightly with this one as I recently reviewed a brow pencil on my blog (you can read it here). So for today's post, instead of reviewing a product that fills brows in, I'll be reviewing Makeup by HD Brows Browbeater. This product is a clear brow gel which you can use to hold your brows in place all day.I love filling in my eyebrows but I do find that if I don't use a gel over the top of them, they tend to lose their shape throughout the day. I received the HD Brows Browbeater at a blogging event last year but haven't had the chance to discuss it on my blog yet, so here goes!

PRODUCT QUALITY: One of the things that stands out to me about this gel formula is that it's not sticky like some brow gels can be. It's still quite a wet formula so I would suggest that you don't need to use much of the product each time. The gel applies very smoothly and the wand is great for brushing your eyebrows into place. 

PRICE: The HD Brows Browbeater retails for £14.99 which is slightly more than I tend to spend on a makeup product, but I think that the price reflects its quality. It's pretty much in between high street and high-end in terms of price.

PACKAGING: The packaging is simple but I think that's the beauty of it. It looks very classy and the box that it comes in also looks pretty special. If you know someone who loves to look after their brows, I think this would make a really nice gift.

SCORES (/100)
Product quality: 92
Price: 80
Packaging: 88

OVERALL VERDICT: This is a great brow gel and if you're in the market for a good quality gel I'd definitely recommend this one. It's a great mid-range buy for any brow lover!



SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her blusher, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/
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Blogger's Christmas Beauty Brawl Day 5: Blusher

As if we're half way through the Christmas Beauty Brawl already! Today I'm reviewing Makeup Revolution's Baked Blush in the shade 'All I Think About Is You'. You might be noticing a slight Makeup Revolution theme - I honestly just love the brand and find that most of the things I try from them I really liked. I think in their own way, they've revolutionised (pun intended) the drugstore/high street make-up game by bringing out high quality beauty products for a fraction of the price you'd pay elsewhere. Okay, enough praise for Makeup Revolution (I promise I'm not being paid for this (...but maybe I should be... hint hint TAM Beauty PR)), onto the review!

PRODUCT QUALITY: The actual product is a really gorgeous rosy pink colour and is very pigmented. I only dab my blusher brush onto the product very gently and that's all you need for a beautiful glow. There's a lovely hint of shimmer in the blush as well which I'd say could double up as a blush/highlighter duo if you wanted a subtle shine.

PRICE: This blush comes in at £2.50 which is such a steal for such a great little product! I often buy Makeup Revolution's £1 blushers which are very standard and don't have any shimmer to them, but I'll definitely be paying the extra £1.50 in the future for their baked blushers.

PACKAGING: You have the same plastic packaging as the highlighter for this product but like I said, this is expected of such an affordable product. I think the actual blusher looks really gorgeous though, with its patterned baked effect.

SCORES (/100)
Product quality: 95
Price: 90
Packaging: 80

OVERALL VERDICT: This is a really lovely blusher which I can't really fault! If you like a pink, subtly shimmery blush, then I'd absolutely recommend this one. I think it's also a great one to go for if you want to try a baked product without a luxury price tag attached to it!


SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her blusher, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/
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Blogger's Christmas Beauty Brawl Day 4: Mascara

For day four of the Blogger's Christmas Beauty Brawl I decided to review a mascara I received recently. As you can see in the picture below, it's only a sample size of Chanel's Dimensions de Chanel mascara, but using these are great if you want to try a new higher end mascara without forking out the luxury price tag. You can usually pick these up in-store or occasionally online for free so you can be sure whether you like it before you buy it!


PRODUCT QUALITY: Being a Chanel product, the mascara is of a pretty high quality so I was excited to try it out. For me, I found this mascara really separated my lashes (which is great as I'm not a fan of thick, clumpy eyelashes) and made them look much longer. The mascara is a true black in colour and I found my lashes were still looking good by the end of the day.

PRICE: This mascara usually costs £25 which is pretty steep but what else would you expect from a luxury product?! I'm not sure I'd buy the full sized version for myself, but it would be a fab high end gift for someone else.

PACKAGING: In terms of the full-sized packaging, it's fairly standard Chanel black with a gold band around it. It looks elegant but in my opinion I wouldn't say it stood out to me. However on the plus side, this sample version is a great little product to travel with!

SCORES (/100)
Product quality: 92
Price: 77
Packaging: 75

OVERALL VERDICT: Don't get me wrong, I do really like this product, but for now I think I'm going to have to stick to my high street roots and say I don't think I could justify the price of this mascara! Great as a little sample to travel with but I'm sure there are high street mascaras that are almost/just as good as this one.


SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her mascara, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/

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Blogger's Christmas Beauty Brawl Day 3: Highlighter

Day three of the Blogger's Christmas Beauty Brawl will be a review of a highlighter I picked up recently. Make Up Revolution's Strobe Highlight caught my eye for a number of reasons (of which I will discuss below!) and so I thought I'd give it a little trial. I've been loving my Sleek Solstice highlight palette recently so I was interested to see how this highlighter compared.

PRODUCT QUALITY: This highlighter is in powder form and is very glittery and shimmery - perfect for the Christmas season in my opinion! I applied it across my cheekbones with a fan brush and then in my cupid's bow, down my nose and along the bottom edge of my eyebrows using my finger. I found the colour pay-off to be a lot more intense when I used my finger and so I'd recommend doing this if you like a full-on glow.

PRICE: The highlighter cost me only £3 which I think is a great price for what I'm getting. The product is pretty big and I have no doubt that it'll last me for ages.

PACKAGING: The actual product looks pretty high end, and echoes Laura Mercier highlight products with its blanket-like pattern. The plastic outer layer cheapens it slightly but for the price I don't think you can complain!

SCORES (/100)
Product quality: 82
Price: 93
Packaging: 78

OVERALL VERDICT: A great highlighter if you love a glittery, intense highlighter like I do! For £3 I think it's a great addition to any makeup bag because you never know when you need a super glittery glow.

SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her highlighter, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/
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Blogger's Christmas Beauty Brawl Day 2: Eyeshadow Palette

Today's review for the Christmas Beauty Brawl is an eyeshadow palette and I've chosen Makeup Revolution's Fortune Favours The Brave palette. The palette was made in collaboration with British Beauty Blogger Jane Cunningham (who I met earlier this year at Makeup Revolution's 2nd birthday party which was pretty cool!). I actually picked up this palette a few months ago and am somehow only just getting round to using it! I love my Naked palettes but this is a great high street alternative.


PRODUCT QUALITY: You get thirty different colours in this palette which is amazing in itself! The darker colours have great pigmentation, although I will say the lighter/white shades are noticeably less pigmented. That being said they're still fab as a more sheer, subtle coverage over the eyelids. The eyeshadow brush that comes with the palette isn't great and I opted to use my own brushes instead, but it's a nice touch to include one (that isn't that ridiculous sponge applicator you get in most high street palettes!) and could come in useful if you're applying eyeshadow on the go.

PRICE: At £9.99, this is a steal compared to other palettes such as Urban Decay's Naked palettes which retail at about £38. Although the individual eyeshadows themselves are quite small, the range of colours definitely makes up for that.

PACKAGING: I think the matte gold case is absolutely gorgeous and looks very high end. I love that it also includes a huge mirror and an eyeshadow brush, as it makes it perfect for applying make-up on the go. I think this would make a fantastic Christmas present for any make-up fanatic as it looks expensive and the variety of colours means it would suit pretty much anyone.

 SCORES (/100)
Product quality: 85
Price: 90
Packaging: 95

 OVERALL VERDICT: I'm sooo happy with this product! For me, Makeup Revolution always go above and beyond with their products and this one is no exception. I also love that it was made in collaboration with a fellow blogger, and it makes me super proud to be part of our little community!


SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her eyeshadow palette, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/bloggers-christmas-beauty-brawl-2016_2.html
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Blogger's Christmas Beauty Brawl Day 1: Moisturiser

My first mini review for the Christmas Beauty Brawl! If you're interested in finding out more about this mini series I'm doing this month, you can read all about it here.

Today's review is my current day moisturiser: Garnier Moisture Radiance Daily Energising Gel Moisturiser (talk about a mouthful!). I've been using this product for a couple of weeks now, which I know kind of goes against the whole idea of a first impressions review, but I think for things like moisturisers it's important to use it for a while to know what you really think about it.


PRODUCT QUALITY: As you can probably tell by the name of the product, the moisturiser has a gel-like texture to it. I've used a few different moisturisers with this texture before (read my review of The Body Shop moisturiser here) and they're definitely one of my favourites to use as they feel really refreshing on the skin. It is also quite light as far as moisturisers go which is good for me as my skin can be quite oily. I'm not sure whether I've noticed my skin being more radiant as it claims to do, but it does make me feel more energised - or at least more awake - thanks to its texture and cooling effect.

PRICE: I bought this product from Boots when it was half price (it still is now along with its sister products - you can find them all here) and so it only cost me £1.99. At such a bargain, I'd say this is one not to be missed!

PACKAGING: The tube is quite small and compact so it's great if you're travelling and need something easy to pack. For the price, I'd say the packaging is pretty standard - nothing fancy but it doesn't look dirt cheap which is always a bonus! Of course, with it being small you get less product in it, but I wouldn't expect more for the price.

SCORES (/100)
Product quality: 81
Price: 88
Packaging: 70

OVERALL VERDICT: Pretty good little moisturiser! It does its job and I love the refreshing feeling of the gel moisturiser. If you haven't tried a moisturiser with this texture before and you don't want to spend a lot, I'd definitely recommend trying this one out first.

SHARING THE BEAUTY BRAWL LOVE: If you want to see what Kimberley thought of her moisturiser, head over to her page http://happiness-is-madness.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/bloggers-christmas-beauty-brawl-2016.html
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