Creaseless Cream Shadow;

A few weeks ago I hauled a few things from Mac. Today I bring you the first review. This is the Mac Paintpot in Groundwork and I thought I'd review this first as it has actually been my favourite product of the bunch and the one that has surprised me most.

To give you bit of background although my eyes aren't generally oily for some reason me and cream eyeshadows don't really mix. I've tried the Maybelline Colour Tatoos which stayed perfect for about 3 hours then the product clung to my creases and the rest of the eyelid was left with little to no product. But I've read so many raving reviews of Paintpots that I decided to pick one up anyway and I'm so glad I did.

 The texture and consistency of these is almost thinner than most cream eyeshadows, it's easier to get out of the pot, easier to blend and just all around the texture makes it easier. When applying I press the product onto my eyellid with my finger which warmed it up making it even easier to blend. I then take a fluffy brush to blend any harsh edges, something that I find hard to do with other cream eyeshadows but is easy easy with this. This provides a blank canvas on your eyes, it covers up any veins, and is a great base for any powder shadows. I feared the consistency might make it greasy and not long lasting but it sets matte and dries completely, whereas I have found other cream eyeshadows leave a sticky feeling that is noticeable throughout the day.

As I said in my haul I bought this at a Cosmetics store so there were a limited selection of shades and Groundwork was pretty much the only neutral shade. It is a warm toned medium brown, I really love this shade as it looks great worn alone all over the lid with a flick of liquid liner. But with shadow on top it intensifies darker browns and provides a nice contrast to shimmery eyeshadows and really makes them pop. I do definitely want to pick this up in a more nude tone as well to use instead of primer so it will go with any colour because the lasting power is so great.

Are there any products that you thought you wouldn't like but fell in love with?

FLAWLESS;

If you were to throw away all of your eyeshadows today and survive with just one palette this would be the one I'd recommend. I mean in reality you're probably like me and have neutral eyeshadow palettes coming out of yours, which is why it took me until now to pick up Makeup Revolution's Ultra Eyeshadow Palette in Flawless.

 Gosh, the rose gold box alone is nice enough to keep just to stare at...

The Ultra Eyeshadow Palettes are made up of 32 shades. Flawless is one of the more neutral of these palettes, but still contains some truly unique shades to jazz up your everyday eye. The first column of four is all matte which is nice as a lot of the shades are shimmery and I can see myself wearing these a lot as they are all great base and crease colours. The next two columns are pink toned shadows that will look great for this time of year as they are really spring-y, there is also a lovely red which is really stand out. The middle three columns are all warm-toned mid shadows. There are a lot of brown shadows, but also a lovely gold, some coppers and a gorgeous khaki green as well as darker burgundy red. Some of these shades will be perfect to see you through into autumn for some deeper looks. There are then some more cool-toned browns and taupe, I love that there are both warm and cool shadows in one palette. The last four shades are silver, blue and blacks for night-time eyes. The variety of shades makes this palette so versatile. I recently took this palette on a long weekend with me and although it's of course larger than the average palette, I enjoyed that I could create eye looks for daytime wandering and nights out all in one compact. I also think this would be great for transitioning through seasons as there are shades to cater for all. This is all homed in a sturdy black packaging with Makeup Revolution's signature gold writing, and it managed being squashed in my suitcase unscathed. The top side also contains a huge mirror that made doing my makeup in a tiny chalet room a lot more manageable, and another reason I think this is great for travelling.

My favourite shades; Red Night, Green Stars and Lowlite after just one swipe.

As for colour pay off as soon as I swatched this I need I needed to review it, the shades above are my favourite and you can see for yourself. My Iconic Palettes have been my holy grail for the past year and I think the payoff in this is better. The lighter matte shades aren't completely opaque but a lot better than some drugstore ones I've tried, but the shimmery shades are completely opaque from first swipe. One thing I noticed is the dimension of these shadows, a lot of these you can wear on their own and give a similar effect to Makeup Revolution's Pure Pigments. Burgundy Nights worn over my Mac Paintpot gives a lovely twist to a smokey eye and Lowlite looks lovely with just a little liner smudged into the lash line and it looks great for day and night. I also think this palette would be great for beginners as you can creat some basic looks, then build up to more extravagant and inject a little colour into neutral looks. I think this is my favourite palette that I've ever tried so far. 

I'm thinking of starting a new series where I show several looks from one palette and I'd like to include this one, would anybody be interested?

Radiant Light;

If you haven't read about Makeup Revolution's Radiant Highlighters yet I don't know where you've been hiding, but when you've already read 40 reviews what's the harm in reading another? Mine is in the shade Breathe I did want to get my mits on the whole palette as I'd convinced myself in a moment of splurge that I needed it. But it was out of stock when I was making an order on Superdrug and I'm glad it was as I'd have probably only used 1 or 2 of the shades and Breathe definitely would have been one of them.

 In the pan this doesn't look overly glittery or sheeny and if I'm honest the first swatch didn't initially wow me. The highlightaholic that I was last year probably would have never picked this up. Swatching this just doesn't do it justice, it looks to be sheeny beige. But on the skin, this is phenomenal. It adds a glow and that's the only way I can explain it. These are dupes for the Hourglass Ambient Light Powders, I've never tried any of those, but I know the idea is that they give you the effect of being in candlelight and I can completely see that with the Makeup Revolution alternative.

I tend to use this as more of a dusting powder over my cheeks and forehead rather than a concentrated highlighter. This really lifts your skin out of the shadows and stops your skin looking flat without looking fake. I am forever noticing this when I catch myself in the mirror throughout the day and it only gets better. This highlight matches well to any blush you wear. I also enjoy wearing this alone as it adds a neutral glowy look and complements a dramatic eye and bold lip look. I really don't know if any description does this product justice but I've reached for this every time I've done my makeup since I bought it and haven't regretted it.