Ebay Makeup Finds and Reviews

Hey guys,

I hope you're doing fantastically well.

I'm here with a very exciting blog post.

The idea came to me randomly when I was browsing Ebay.

I saw a lot of dupes of high-end products there as well as some original cheap products and I thought it would be interesting to try them out and tell you whether they are a good alternative for those of us who can't or don't want to spend the money on those products but want to get the effect that they would give.

DISCLAIMER: I will be referring to these products by the name of the original brand names but I am fully aware that they are (most likely) knock-offs or dupes.

Let's dig in.

First of all, I bought this brush set. 

Price: £3.99

It consists of 10 brushes : 5 face ones and 5 smaller ones for eyes or small details.

They are synthetic with a wooden black handle and silver metal detailing.

They are all super soft and they feel very sturdy. The hairs don't fall out, don't irritate the skin and the handles don't wobble.

I found the face brushes to be fantastic. They distribute the product evenly and can be used in numerous ways. In addition, they can be used for both cream and powder products as they are synthetic and therefore they don't soak up the products.

The smaller brushes are good as well but not as great. My favourite one is the pointy detail brush. The issue I have with the others is the fact that the bristles are not very dense and therefore they do not apply very much product. However, this means that they blend well and are great for when you want to apply a wash of colour e.g. when applying highlighter or doing a quick everyday look.

 I would definitely recommend these as the face brushes are fantastic and even if you don't use the eye brushes, it won't be a waste of money as the set is only about £5.

 Rating: 4.5 out of 5

 *Please excuse the fact that they're dirty. I used them for a tutorial which is coming soon right before taking the picture and I didn't have time to wash them.*

Next, I got the Kat Von D Shade & Light Eyeshadow Palette.

Price: £12.99

This palette includes 12 matte neutral shades in both cool and warm tones.

The shadows are quite well pigmented, smooth and blendable. However, they do kick up a lot of powder dust when they are picked up. In addition, the lighter shades don't show up super well especially on someone who is as pale as me. 

The mirror and the packaging is of very good quality however

I have looked at swatches of the original Kat Von D palette and this seems to be not as pigmented as that one. Nonetheless, it is still a good palette but I think for the price Makeup Revolution Palettes are better and I would pick those over this one if I had to choose.

Rating: 3 out of 5

The subsequent item that I picked up is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit in Light Medium.

Price: £10.99

This palette/kit includes 2 highlight shades: one pink and one yellow, a highlighter and 3 contouring/bronzing shades.

The shades are all pigmented, smooth and blendable. I will say that the highlighter (shimmery shade) is not as strong as I would like but it's pretty nonetheless. In addition, the packaging is of good quality and is sturdy.

The only downside to this product is that it does not come with a mirror which would have been handy. However, as far as I am aware the original doesn't come with a mirror either so I guess in that sense it's spot on with the original.

I would definitely recommend this product if you are looking for a good contour kit and/or if you want the original one but can't/don't want to spend money on it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Next, I picked up the Too Faced Love Flush blush palette.

Price: £13.99

This palette includes 6 blushes, ranging from warm toned peachy shades to cool pinks and mauve purples.

All of the blushes are of great quality as they are are beautifully pigmented and bendable.

The packaging is super cute, light and sturdy and the mirror is of good quality. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

I also picked up the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Medium Brown.

Price: £6.99

This products is fantastic! It actually does magic to my eyebrows. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating but it is great. It's easily to apply precisely, it's super long lasting and smudge proof. It also gets bonus points because I've been receiving an elevated amount of compliments on my eyebrows since I started using it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

I also got another product from ABH. This was the Glow Kit in Gleam.

Price: £13.99

This kit includes  4 highlighters: one pink one, one bronzing one and two cool tones ones. All of them are nicely pigmented and do not have any chunky glitter in them and give a glowy, healthy, wet appearance to the skin. However, the shades don't feel super buttery and soft when touches and feel quite dry instead

The packaging is sleek, light and sturdy but again it doesn't include a mirror which is inconveninent albeit accurate. 

I would say that the Highlight Palette is just as good plus it includes shades that very more from each other (the two cooler shades are quite similar) and is a bit cheaper (£8) so I don't think this kit is a must have

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 

Furthermore, I picked up the Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette.

Price: £13.99

OMG, I honestly can't believe this is not the real thing. The packaging and mirror are of the same quality as my original Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette. The eyeshadows, are of the same quality too as they are also soft, blendable and pigmented albeit some are less pigmented but that is the same in the original palette. Plus, it smells like peaches! 

Rating: 5 out of 5

My final purchase was the Kylie Lip Kits in Dolce K and True Brown K. 

Price: True Brown K £8.50

Dolce K £12.50

This was a great find. These liquid lipsticks are pigmented, long lasting and not super drying. I will say that True Brown K is a little bit more patchy but after a couple of coats it looks even and stunning. They also smell like chocolate which is just delicious. In addition, Dolce K is super flattering on my pale skin and I've received numerous compliments on it but the one that stood out to me the most was one I received from an elderly lady who kept telling me how beautiful and flattering it looked on me which just warmed my heart.

The lipliners are super soft and pigmented too. I will say that the Dolce K liner is a lot more pink than the liquid lipstick but somehow when the liquid lipstick is layered over it it looks perfect.

However, I have a couple of bones to pick. First of all, they do not wear down in the best was as they just come of in the middle and stay completely put every where else which is not super problematic with a nude tone like Dolce K but True Brown K (wouldn't you know, it's brown!) it can end up looking pretty bad. Then again, that is common with most dark liquid lipsticks so I don't think it's a huge issue. 

My biggest disappointed was the True Brown K lipliner as it is cracked in the middle so I can't use it as it just crumbles to pieces and it is impossible to sharpen. I believe that this is most likely are one-off dud as the Dolce K lipliner is fine but I thought it was worth mentioning anyhow.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I hope you enjoyed this post and that maybe you found something that caught your eye. 

I'll see you next time.

Mollie

xxx

Recent Favourites

Hey guys,

Hope you're doing great. I'm not so bad myself :)

I'm here to show you some of my recent makeup favorites. Well, when I say some I mean a lot of them but not all since this post would be eternally long.

Palettes

The first palette that I have been loving is the Makeup Revolution Ultra Brow Palette in Medium to Dark.

This palette includes 4 brow powders of various dankness and warmth, 2 brow waxes (pomades), 1 concealer and one highlight. Essentially, everything you need to get your brows on fleek.

I personally don't use the concealer or the highlighter however the top two powders and the pomades are very well loved. I use the powders on the days when I want more bushy, quick brows and the pomades when I want to have super defined, perfect brows. If I'm going super full glam, I even layer the powders over the pomades. 

This product is definitively worth checking out for all those who want to try out different eyebrow looks or for those who are unsure what they prefer.

Next, I've been loving the Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Palette. It literally smells like chocolate heaven and looks like it too. But that's besides the point. 

The palette in itself is great. It has 15 neutral shades and one blue shade (16 in total) with various finishes from matte to shimmery and it's great for creating both day and night looks. I even created a look with it for you guys here.

Overall the palette has great pigmentation and little fallout with the exception of the shade called Mousse. That shade bugs the crap out of me because it has little to no pigment even though it looks like a gorgeous, glittery pink. 

If you're looking for a great do-it-all eyeshadow palette, and you feel like splurging, I recommend checking this one. Unless you're trying to eat better, because this makes you seriously hungry ;) 

And here's another product from Makeup Revolution. This is their Ultra Contour Palette. This palette includes 2 highlighting powders, a pink and a yellow one, 3 highlighters, one white, one pink and one bronze and 3 contouring/bronzing shades. 

All of the shades are nicely pigmented. When I say nicely, I mean they're not super pigmented but I mean that in the best way because it means you have more control over the product and it's easier to build it and you don't end up looking like a stripy zebra as soon as the slightest amount of product touches your face.

I will say this palette has two main downsides. One, the white and the bronze highlighters are not fantastic. I mean I use them from time to time but only when I'm being lazy when I can't be bothered to reach for a separate, much better one. 

Moreover, the palette comes in one shade. Since this palette suits me so well, I believe it won't be great for people with deeper skin tones as I'm super pale. 

However, if you have a light to medium skin tone and you're looking for a good contour palette, that's inexpensive and you're not too bothered about it including highlighters, I think you will enjoy it like myself.

This is the last palette from Makeup Revolution that I am going to recommend today. I'm sorry that this is so one-brand heavy post but they do make great products at an affordable price which is great for those makeup addicts that are on a budget.

This palette is called Highlight and it includes 3 highlighting shades, a champagne-yellow one, a pink one and a lavender purple one. They are beautifully pigmented, they aren't glittery and they all look gorgeous on the skin. 

When I first used this palette I thought I'll never use the pink or the lavender shades but I found that with the right makeup look and blush they just complete the whole thing and look super flattering. 

I also think that the champagne shade is a good alternative for the Mary Lou-Manizer by TheBalm which is my favorite highlighter. They're both champagne shades that give a wet finish to the skin, but the Mary Lou is just a tad more intense.

I honestly don't have anything bad to say about this product and I recommend that you all go check it out.

Face Products

Moving on from all the palettes I have some bomb face makeup products to recommend.

The first one is the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray.

This is essentially like hairspray but for your face. It just keeps everything looking great and in place for longer. In addition it takes away the powder-iness of products that are on your face making them look more like your skin and less like a layer (or few) makeup. Moreover, this can be used as  a primer before applying makeup to make everything last even longer. 

Lastly, I use this product to wet my brushes before applying less pigmented eyeshadows to get that pigment out of them. Unlike using normal water, this won't harder the eyeshadow in the pan once it dries from using a wet brush on it. 

Overall, I think this is a must have makeup product and when it runs out, I'll be buying a second one.

Next, I have a foundation which I never thought I would grow this find of. This is the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25Hr Foundation ( I wear the shade 100 Ivory).

This foundation gives a natural look but with great coverage and it stay in place all day. I use one pump for a super sheer and natural everyday look and 2 pumps for full coverage glam. 

I do find that I have to powder it a lot because I have oily to combination skin (although it being summer it's a little bit more dry than usual) but once I've set it, it wears beautifully and wears great.

Next I have a cult product. It's the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. It's full coverage without being cakey and heavy. The best thing about it for me is the fact that the shade Fair, which I use, is actually light enough to highlight my face and not just cover imperfections which is hard to find for me. 

The last face product that I've been loving is the biggest brush from the Makeup Revolution Ultra Sculpt and Blend Brush Set. 

This is a dense, angled, soft,  synthetic brush and it is recommended to be used for contouring. However, I find that it is useless for powder contouring. I like using it as a foundation brush. It blends foundation in quickly and seamlessly and because it's dense it doesn't sheer it out. I think that if you're looking for an affordable foundation brush, you should give this one a go. 

However, do keep in mind that it comes in a set ( I use the smaller contouring brush for concealer and the eyeshadow brush for highlighter) so unless you see yourself using the other items from it, I don't think it's worth the purchase.

Lips

Lastly I have two fantastic lip products.

The first one is the MUA Velvet Lip Lacquer in Tranquility. This is an awesome liquid lipstick in a beautiful nude shade. You can check out how it looks on me here. 

It is pigmented and long lasting and the way it fades is nice because it fades from the middle rather than coming off in weird patches. I also find that it is not super drying, as far as liquid lipsticks go. 

The last product that I've been loving is the theBalm Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long Lasting liquid lipstick in Charming. This is a deep, reddy brown neutral colour. It's super flattering and it matches a lot of different looks on top of being long lasting. It also makes a statement without making a statement as it is super wearable and not too bold. 

The only thing that I dislike about it is it's minty flavour but it disappears quickly and the product itself is worth those few seconds of distaste.

That's it for today's post. I hope you enjoyed and that you'll check out some of these products. See you next time.

Mollie

xxx