Sleek Solstice Highlighting Palette

While the beauty community and makeup lovers world wide are going bonkers for blinding highlight and creating new brow trends, I am over here in a corner thinking ‘I don’t like a REALLY blinding highlight, nor do I want braided brows or McDonalds brows’. But, here I am, still plodding along with my blog and just doing me. 

Superdrug recently had an offer on all Sleek products; spend £12 and get a free essentials box. Of course, I took advantage of that offer and ordered 2 Solstice palettes. 1 for me, and 1 for my September giveaway on my Facebook page. 

I had heard so many good reviews about the Solstice palette. Youtubers and Bloggers were raving about it. It always makes me slightly dubious when a Youtuber is recommending something. I question whether their recommendations are real or if they are being paid to say nice things. But that’s another story. I watch so many makeup tutorials on YT that are filled with Morphe brushes, my heart is telling me ‘I NEED THOSE BRUSHES IN MY LIFE. NOW!’ And my head is like ‘😑🤔’… 

Anyway… getting back to the point of this blog 😂

My Solstice palettes arrived and when I opened the box I was stunned by the packaging. It looks stunning 😍👌🏻 

It’s very lightweight and definitely a handbag friendly sized palette. 

Inside the palette there is 2 baked powder highlighters, 1 cream formula highlighter & a silky shimmer powder. 

I always apply my highlighter with my finger tip. It’s personal preference I suppose. I just feel like I have more control with my finger tips. I also don’t highlight the tops of my cheeks, again, personal preference. I just don’t like the way it looks on me. But, I do highlight my Cupid’s bow, brow bone, inner corners and the bridge of my nose. 

When I tried the palette for the first time I absolutely fell in love. It’s not often that you find a highlighter palette that is affordable and really good quality. 

The powders and cream highlighters apply beautifully, they blend perfectly and are SO pigmented for an affordable product. 

I am currently sat on my daughters bedroom floor writing this blog, waiting for her to fall asleep 😴 so I have done some swatches for you, but the lighting isn’t that great in her bedroom. But I think I managed to get a pretty good shot of the swatches of the palette. 

(Please excuse the tiny bruise on my arm ruining the 2nd swatch 😔) 

As you can see, the highlighters are really pigmented, even the cream which is the far left swatch. 

If you are in the market for a new highlighter, or even a highlighter palette with a mix of shades, then I definitely recommend the Solstice palette. 

Have you got the Solstice palette? What’s your thoughts on it? 

Thanks for reading

Jen xxx

July Favourites

Hey! 

I feel like I am always late to the party when it comes to uploading monthly favourites blogs. I mean, how is it August already?! Time just flies by and before I know it, it’s the end of the month! 

How are you all? I hope you are all having a lovely Summer. The weather has been absolutely pants recently. 

Here are my July Favourites: 

If you follow me on my Facebook page you will have seen me post about some of these products regularly. The W7 Glocomotion, W7 Strobe Time (Vivid Glow), Essence Lash Princess mascara & Rimmel Stay Matte Powder are products that I use ALL the time! 

W7 Glowcomotion has been mentioned on my blog a few times, I had posted swatches of it over on my Facebook page a while ago. It’s just the perfect subtle highlighter that is nuildable if you want more of a glow. I have had mine for a while now, it gets used ALOT and I am no where near hitting pan yet. The amount of product you get for your money is amazing. 

The Rimmel Stay Matte Powder is what I use each time I do my makeup. Every time I apply foundation and concealer I always set it with this powder. I tried baking with a translucent powder, but it wasn’t for me. Baking made my skin feel awful and made my foundation look cakey. When I set my foundation with the Stay Matte Powder my foundation stays in place, it takes away any shine I have and it’s also a product I always end up going back to. If I ever use a different powder or try something new I feel like I am cheating on my Rimmel Stay Matte… is that sad? Am I crazy??? Probably! 

The Olivia Hale Primer was picked up on a complete whim. Whilst I was being dragged around Home Bargains by my 2 year old daughter shopping for toys, I noticed the Olivia Hale makeup section. All the products are super affordable so I picked up a few bits. I am SO impressed with this primer. It fills in my pores as well as making my foundation last longer. 

The Essence Lash Princess Mascara is something I recently posted about on my Facebook page. It’s super affordable, around £3-£4, and it is honestly the BEST mascara I have ever used. It puts my Benefit Roller Lash to shame! Not only does it make my lashes look fuller and longer, but it also separates them perfectly and I haven’t suffered with any smudging or dodgy panda eyes. 

June through to July was a bit tough for me. I was really poorly and in and out of hospital. I spent a long time in bed trying to recover, which meant I was bored. When I am bored I shop online for makeup. I got the Slay All Day setting Spray (Cucumber) from Beauty Bay. Firstly, the scent is perfect. But, it also does a great job at setting my face and keeping my makeup in place. 

The W7 Strobe Time (Vivid Glow) is another product I have posted about on my FB page. The pans are huge, so they will last a really long time. The palette includes 4 different highlighter shades, that range from subtle to HELLO GLOW! The Highlighters are also buildsble and blendible. 

If you don’t follow my page on FB, please do, that’s where I post the most often (pretty much every day). Head over to http://www.facebook.com/bargainmakeupblog 

Did you know I recently started my own website selling affordable makeup?? You can pick up the W7 Glocomotion, W7 Strobe Time & Rimmel Stay Matte Powder from http://www.bargain-makeup.co.uk 

Thanks for reading

Love Jen xx

So Eco Brushes – Yes or No?

Hey!! 

I hope you’re all doing well? 

I was recently sent 2 So Eco brushes by My Cosmetic Corner. My Cosmetic Corner is an amazing website that is filled with makeup products and accessories all below RRP. 

I have known the owner of MCC for a while now,  I can’t even remember how we first started talking! Our friendship has blossomed and we speak on a daily basis (pretty much). When she messaged me and told me she was getting So Eco brushes in stock I was so excited! I had wanted to try their brushes for so long, but never got round to buying any. She asked me to try a couple of brushes out for her and give her my honest opinion. 

I received the So Eco Multi Tasking Brush & the Bronzer Brush. 

Please excuse the dirty brushes, they have been used a few times and put to the test 😊 

Firstly, the brushes are so comfortable to hold. The Multi Tasking Brush blended out my foundation really easily, and it also worked perfectly at blending out my concealer. 

The brushes are super soft and the brissels feel really nice on the skin. Not scratchy at all. 

I am in LOVE with how big and chunky the Bronzer Brush is. Again, it’s super soft and comfortable to hold, but because of how big the brush is it really helps to give you a natural bronzy look. It doesn’t pick up too much product either. 

I would 100% recommend both of these brushes.

If you want to check out what So Eco brushes My Cosmetic Corner has in stock, please go to the following link: 

 https://www.mycosmeticcorner.com/shop?olsPage=search&olsFocus=false&keywords=So%20Eco

Thank you for reading 

Jen xxx

Home Bargains & Poundworld Mini Haul

Everybody loves a bargain, right? 

I was recently dragged in to Home Bargains and Poundworld by my 2 year old daughter who is addicted to shopping for toys 🙄 

To make the shopping experience a bit more interesting for me I checked out the makeup ranges in each shop and came across some hidden gems! Here is what I picked up: 

From Poundworld I got the set of individual lashes, the Miss Beauty Primer & the Miss Beauty Eyeshadow crayon. From Home Bargains I got the Makeup Brush Cleansing spray for just 99p & the Olivia Hale Cosmetic Face Brush Set for just £5.99!! 

I am yet to try out the Primer from Poundworld, and the Individual Lashes are for a future giveaway. But, the Eyeshadow Crayon is absolutely gorgeous. It’s creamy, easy to blend and very pigmented for a product that is just £1! 

The star of the show is definitely the Olivia Hale Brush Set. Did I mention this is a dupe for the Real Techniques Core Collection? 

I am just going to put this out there…. I have fallen out of love with Real Techniques 😲 here’s why…

The first ever brush set I purchased was the RT Core Collection. I thought they were fab brushes, great quality and at a really good price. I further purchased their Starter Set which included 5 eye brushes. I became a massive fan of RT. Since those 2 collections they have gone on to release more brushes and sets. When they released their Bold Metals Collection I instantly fell in love (yes… I am a makeup brush addict/hoarder – whatever you want to call it) I saw the price… and I was so disappointed. They have recently released their Powder Bleu brushes. They are gorgeous brushes specifically made to be used with powder. Again, I saw the price and was instantly disappointed. 

I love makeup, I love brushes, and I loved RT for the quality and price of their brushes. I just refuse to pay over £20 for one brush (personal preference of course), so you can imagine my absolute joy when I saw the Olivia Hale brush set in Home Bargains! And I was so shocked at the price that I went back and got another set (for a future giveaway!) £5.99 for a brush set & a travel case! I am certainly not complaining! 

They feel just like the RT ones, and they are great brushes! They blend really well & feel super soft! 

Have you tried any of the Olivia Hale products in Home Bargains? Another favourite of mine is the Primer! 

Thanks for reading 

Love Jen xx

April Favourites

So April has been and gone. During April I celebrated my 28th birthday, and the 2nd birthday of this blog! 2 years has absolutely flown by, and I absolutely love my blog and everything that it stands for. 

I am passionate about affordable makeup. I am a big believer that affordable brands and products are just as good (if not better – in some cases) as high end brands/products. 

April was a crazy month for me, I set up my own business, I went to see Ed Sheeran in Nottingham (my husband surprised me with the tickets for my birthday) and for the past week I have been quite poorly. Thankfully I am getting better now 😊

Here are my April Favourites: 

I recently placed an order with Superdrug for a haul of makeup and beauty products. In that haul was the Vitamin E Hydrating Mist & the Simply Pure Hydrating Serum. Do you ever use a product once or twice and just know that you love it? I did that with these two products. They made my skin feel absolutely amazing, silky smooth and hydrated. I am living for this combination right now. The texture on my skin has almost gone, my makeup applies much better now too! 

The Technic Mega Lash mascara is just brilliant. It’s my favourite mascara right now & I reached for it a lot during April. It doesn’t smudge, it’s easy to apply and it makes my lashes look fuller and longer. It ticks all the boxes for everything I want a Mascara to do. It’s super affordable too! 

I am pretty sure I have mentioned the Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer before in a previous blog. The Eraser Eye concealer is my go-to concealer. It hides my dark circles perfectly, it lasts really well, it doesn’t cake or crease and doesn’t feel heavy on the skin at all. 

Another haul order I placed was with Essence Cosmetics. In that order was the Matt Matt Matt Longlasting Lipgloss in the shade Beauty – Approved! 

First of all, this product smells incredible. It smells good enough to eat. 

I absolutely love the shade too, it’s a perfect pinky, brown, terracotta nude shade. Here is a swatch: 

A matte lipgloss sounds weird doesn’t it? But I am living for this product right now!! It’s like a liquid lipstick only you don’t have any trouble removing it at the end of the day. I was surprised how long it lasted during the day too. 

Another product in my recent Essence Cosmetics haul was the Prime Of Your Life primer. On the bottle it says it’s a smoothing, light reflecting primer. I don’t hold out much hope when it comes to primers. I have tried other primers that claim to make my skin smooth and give me a pore-less appearance. But, I gave it a go and OH MY GOSH, it is amazing. There are really no other words to describe it. 

I used this primer in my problem areas (where I have texture in my skin, on my nose and my cheeks) and then applied my No7 primer on the rest of my face. My skin looked completely different before and after applying makeup. I can’t believe how good this primer is. It does exactly what it says on the bottle. I will definitely be stocking up on this product. 

As I briefly mentioned there, I have also been using the No7 Airbrush Away Primer. This is another fab primer and keeps my makeup on all day. I use it every time I apply my makeup, and since using it I have noticed a big difference in how my makeup applies, looks and lasts. 

I have been reaching for the Technic Treasury palette SO MUCH lately. I mean, it’s just the perfect palette! There are so many shades, mattes, shimmers and possible eye looks with this palette. I just love it. 

The Technic Treasury palette is pigmented, really easy to work with and blend out. Let’s be honest, it’s so pretty too 😍 

Apologies for the long blog, but that’s it for my monthly favourites! What have you been loving lately? 

Thank you for reading 

Jen 

PS, head over to my Facebook page where I am currently running a giveaway 😊

http://www.facebook.com/bargainmakeupblog

MUR Flawless 3 Resurrection Palette Review & Swatches

Hey Beauts! 

I hope you are good. I recently celebrated my 28th birthday, and the 2nd birthday of this blog. It’s crazy how much my blog has grown in 2 years, and also how much I have grown as a person. (It’s also crazy how much my makeup collection has grown too, but that’s another matter 😂) 

I recently went on Tambeauty.com for another makeup shopping spree. The Flawless 3 Resurrection palette immediately caught my eye. It’s absolutely gorgeous. 

The packaging is so pretty. 

Inside the palette there are 32 shadows, with a mix of mattes of shimmers. 

This palette would be perfect for natural or dramatic looks. 

When I opened the palette, there were 5 shadows that immediately caught my eye. I swatches those shadows here: 

Yet again Makeup Revolution have absolutely nailed it and created a gorgeous, versatile eyeshadow palette. It’s only £8, you can see it here on the TAM Beauty website https://www.tambeauty.com/Mobile/MobileModels.aspx?ModelID=2385 However it is currently not in stock on their website. It is also out of stock on the Superdrug website too. So keep checking back to see when they are available to buy again. By the looks of it, I was lucky to get my palette when I did 🙌🏻

Have you tried this palette? I have heard that it is a dupe for The Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette. 

I am not sure it’s a dupe. I can see similarities between some of the shades though. What do you think? 

Thanks for reading 

Jen xx

http://www.facebook.com/Bargainmakeupblog

March Favourites & Exciting News..

Hello again! 

This month I have really made an effort to try and do my makeup everyday, or atleast every 2 days. Being a stay at home parent to a toddler means I very rarely get time to myself or time to do my makeup. Often it’s a toss up between getting up early and putting my face on, or getting more sleep and looking like something out of the walking dead. 

Recently I have been feeling really pants about how I look on a day to day basis. So I gave myself a kick up the bum and this month I have discovered new products & rediscovered old ones that I had forgotten about. 

Here is what I have been absolutely loving this month:

March Favourites

Clockwise: Red Cherry Lashes #213, Arrow Boost Colour Enhancing Lipbalm, Unbranded makeup brushes, Technic Treasury Eyeshadow Palette, Technic Mega Lash mascara, w7 Flirty Eyes mascara, Benefit They’re Real Push Up liner, MUA 6 shade palette Soft Suedes. 

Red Cherry Lashes #213 Normally I am not a false lash wearer unless it’s a big night out or a special event. But, I saw this set whilst browsing online and had to try them. They are wispy, Natural looking but add a bit of drama to the eyes. They are so comfortable to wear & I am definitely going to stock up on them! They have been used – excuse the glue & mascara on them 🙈

Arrow Boost Colour Enhancing Lipbalm I think I have mentioned this little beauty in previous blogs, but I have been reaching for it a lot this month. It brings out the natural colour of your lips. It’s a bit tangy and a bit minty too, which I love. If I am in a rush or my lips feel a bit dry I will use this. It’s such a great little product. 

Unbranded Makeup Brushes I will admit it, I am a makeup brush hoarder. I also cannot stop buying makeup brushes. If I see a set that look a bit different, or are too pretty to resist then I will buy them. I was browsing eBay recently and came across this set of brushes. They are ridiculously gorgeous, and not only that but they are super soft & so easy to use. They apply and blend products beautifully. Did I mention how pretty they are??? 

Technic Treasury Palette This gorgeous palette has 24 shadows that range from mattes to shimmers. I was actually shocked at how good the shadows are in this palette. They apply lovely and blend really easily. I have been using this palette A LOT this month! 

Technic Treasury Palette

Technic Mega Lash & w7 Flirty Eyes Mascaras I simply couldn’t choose between them, so I had to include both in my March Favourites. It’s not often that you find a good affordable mascara that ticks all your boxes is it? But I have found two! They’re not clumpy, they separate my Lashes perfectly, they don’t smudge and they last all day. I love love LOVE them! 

Benefit They’re Real Push Up Liner So, I am absolutely pants at winged liner. I have one eye that is a different shape to the other, so trying to get my wings even is a struggle. I rediscovered the Push Up Liner in my collection, and thought I would give it another shot (I really didn’t like it the first time I used it), and MY GOSH, I love it. Winged liner is so much easier with this, and it doesn’t budge! 

MUA Matte Soft Suedes Palette I spend a lot of my evenings browsing websites for new products and MUA have some seriously fab new products on their website right now. I wanted a compact palette with Matte shadows in, and added this little beauty to my basket. When my MUA package was delivered this palette was the first thing I tried. The shadows are gorgeous, blendable and buildable if you need to. This palette would be perfect for a natural/smoky eye. 

Wow, that’s a lot of Favourites this month! If you have managed to stick with me this far then I must share my exciting news with you. 

I recently launched my own affordable makeup website!!!! 

It’s something I have always wanted to do, and I am so excited about it. I am very proud of my website & I am currently building up my stock. 

www.bargain-makeup.co.uk 

I would love for you to check it out. 

Thanks for reading! 

Love Jen xx

My daughter refuses to smile for all photos

Silicone Sponge vs Beauty Sponge vs Brush

Hey!! 😁

A few weeks ago I was browsing through the makeup products and tools on Amazon. I saw “Silicone Sponges” on there for a very affordable price. (I am unsure if it is a genuine Silicone Sponge or a dupe) anyway, I ordered one as I was intruiged to see if it worked and what all the hype was about. 

I cannot describe how strange it was applying foundation with the “Silicone Sponge” for the first time. I have been used to brushes and beauty sponges, and it just felt strange applying my foundation with it. I felt like I was having an affair and cheating on my brushes and beauty sponges. (Ridiculous, I know!) 

I soon discovered that I didn’t need to use half as much foundation as I would normally use. The silicone sponge doesn’t absorb any product, where as a brush and a regular beauty sponge do. 

The “Silicone Sponge” blended out my foundation nicely, however it did take longer than usual. In the mornings I probably have around 5-7 minutes to apply my makeup for the day, because my daughter will lose her mind if I actually take my time and try to do a nice makeup look. Normally my makeup routine goes a bit like this: Primer, foundation, tell my daughter it’s ok if mummy puts makeup on, concealer, read a book to my daughter, play princesses with my daughter, one brow, tell my daughter to go and play in her room, the other brow, tell my daughter to stop crying, whack on mascara, bronzer and powder as quick as possible. 

Anyway… I am waffling. So what I am trying to say is I don’t get a lot of time to do my makeup. 

I wanted to see what the difference was between the “Silicone Sponge”, beauty sponge and foundation brush. So I put them all against each other. 

I used my Milani foundation and applied maybe a quarter of a pump to each applicator and then applied it to my arm to see how differently they applied the product. 

The “Silicone Sponge” applied the foundation quite thick, but there was a lot of excess product left on it. As you can see from the above picture. 

The RT Sponge applied the foundation very sheer, and it had soaked up a lot of the foundation as you can see above. I used the sponge damp as I normally would. 

The RT brush soaked up a lot of product and gave a very sheer, hardly noticeable swatch. 

All in all; I think the “Silicone Sponge” is great, I found that a little product goes a long way when using it. My only issue with it is that it takes a long time to blend my foundation out, and I just don’t have that amount of time in the mornings. 

I love my RT brushes and sponges, infact any makeup brush (I am a makeup brush addict 🙈) I love that it takes hardly any time to apply my foundation and concealer. 

On the day to day makeup I will stick with the brushes and beauty sponges, but if I am doing a makeup look for a night out or something then I will definitely go for the “Silicone Sponge”. 

Have you tried the Silicone Sponge? 

Thanks for reading 

Love Jen xx

Technic Cosmetics

Happy Friday!!!

The lovely people at Technic recently sent me some of their newest products. 

Technic PR Package

Technic kindly sent me: 

Colour Correcting Setting Powder

Eyeshadow Primer

Brow Pen

Get Gorgeous Bronze Highlighting Powder

Mega Lash mascara 

The colour correcting powder is like magic in a pot. It evens out my skin perfectly and makes my skin look flawless. It doesn’t make my foundation look cakey either. 

I don’t usually use eyeshadow primers; I usually just prime my eyes with concealer. But I noticed a massive difference when I used the Technic Eyeshadow Primer. My eyeshadow applied easier and lasted much longer than usual. 

I am completely stuck in a rut when it comes to brows. I have found the product that works for me, and I usually stick to it. However, I was so excited to see a new brow product in my package from Technic. The Technic Brow Pen is like a felt tip for brows. It is absolutely PERFECT for creating natural looking brows. 

The Get Gorgeous Bronze Highlighter is ridiculously pretty! 

This product can be used to highlight, define and Bronze your features. And it also doubles up as a Gorgeous shimmery gold eyeshadow! 

I have saved my favourite product til last! 

The Technic Mega Lash mascara is right up there in my top 3 favourite mascaras, ever! It isn’t clumpy and I haven’t noticed any smudging under the eye. The Mega Lash manages to give your lashes a good coating of mascara whilst making sure that your lashes are separated. 

Thank you Technic for kindly sending me this lovely package. I now have some new favourite products in my collection. Especially the mascara. Did I mention how much I love the Mega Lash mascara? 

*Disclaimer: Although Technic sent me the products they have not paid me to say nice things about their products. All opinions are my own. I am always completely honest and transparent in my blogs and I genuinely love the Technic brand and I think their products are really good quality and amazing value for money* 

Thanks for reading 

Love Jen xxx

February Favourites

As a self confessed makeup addict/hoarder I am always buying something beauty related. 

Here is what I was loving in February

From left to right we have the I Heart Makeup Bronze & Glow palette, w7 Flirty Eyes mascara and the Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder. 

I only got the I Heart Makeup Bronze & Glow palette a couple of weeks ago, but I have used it a few times and fallen in love with it! Naturally, my skin is really pale, so on the days (or weeks) where I haven’t used any fake tan I struggle to find a Bronzer that isn’t too dark for me. I have found it now!!! 

It is absolutely perfect for a subtle Bronze and highlight, but it can be built up for a more dramatic look. It is now my go to product. Love love love it! 

I had lots of recommendations to get the w7 Flirty Eyes mascara. And I was a bit dubious at first. I didn’t think w7 could top their Absolute Lashes mascara…. but I think they might have just done that! This mascara is fab. I am not sure there are any other words to describe it. 

The wand is amazing, it picks up just enough product to give your lashes a good coat of mascara. It isn’t clumpy and it doesn’t smudge. I 100% recommend this mascara. 

The Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder does exactly what it says on the tin (as the old saying goes). It keeps my face matte in the places that I need it. It is Lon lasting and somehow manages to make my skin look flawless. 

What have you been loving over the past couple of months?? 

I am sorry that I have been seriously slacking with my blogs over the past couple of months. My monthly Facebook giveaways seem to have taken over my life. But, I am back and going to be blogging more regularly now. 

Thank you for reading! 

I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend

Jen xx

( To join in the Bargain Makeup Blog fun on my Facebook page, go to http://www.facebook.com/bargainmakeupblog)