Dupe or Duped? Urban Decay Naked 3 vs Makeup Revolution Iconic 3

Could it be? A makeup post? I think it might just be!

I've been thinking about doing this post since Christmas (yes it has taken me 6 months to get off my ass and actually swatch some stuff).

My mother in law very kindly bought me the Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Palette for Christmas, and to be honest, I had been eyeing all of the Iconic palettes for a while, as they are supposed to be dupes for the Urban Decay Naked Palettes.

The palettes from Makeup Revolution (MR from here onward) are around 10% of the price of the Urban Decay (UD) palettes. Yes that's right! 90% cheaper.

So, down to the comparison. First up, Packaging...

  


As you can see, the difference in packaging is huge. The UD palette is made of beautiful Rose Gold metal whilst the MR palette is Black plastic with a clear window. The UD is much sturdier and comes with a Good Karma double ended shadow brush and a mirror. The shades also have names in this palette, whereas the MR do not. The MR has no mirror and comes with a sponge tip applicator (does anybody use these?). With such an enormous price difference, you would expect the packaging to be a bit more pants lacking.

Now for the swatches - left swatch is MR, right swatch is UD...

Strange

Dust

Burnout

Limit

Buzz

Trick

Nooner

Liar

Factory

Mugshot

Darkside

Blackheart

From swatching these side by side, pretty much all colours are almost identical, the exceptions being; Nooner, Burnout and Strange, where the MR equivalent is slightly lighter in colour. However, this is not noticeable when blended onto the lid.

In terms of pigmentation, I am super impressed with the MR palette, it stands up to the UD well and in my opinion is an excellent alternative for those who don't want to shell out for Urban Decay prices, and I have already recommended it to friends.

If you want to buy the Urban Decay Palette, you can find it here for £38.50

If you want to buy the Makeup Revolution Palette, you can find it here for £4.00

Overall, both palettes are beautiful and I definitely recommend everyone has one of them in their collection - the colours are so pretty.

Are there any other Makeup Revolution dupe palettes you want to see?

BYEEEEE xxxxxx

Long Overdue Post - Life Update

Two Years! It has been almost two whole years since I last posted anything - and it's only now that I'm sat with a cup of tea, laptop open, that I realise how much I've missed it.

This post is purely as an update, to show how far I have come in these two years, and to show where I'm currently at.

I suppose I'll start with the biggest change, and the one that will have the biggest influence on my future posts...

On December 4th 2015 - after being ill for weeks - I finally bit the bullet and peed on a stick! This was the result. Whilst initially I was filled with panic, this soon wore off and it didn't take long for me to become very excited.

It hasn't been the easiest time, but I have not had a difficult pregnancy by any stretch. I've had horrendous heartburn and I'm currently at the stage where standing up, rolling over in bed and just general movements have become a struggle - but both myself and my little pickle are happy and healthy, so I have no complaints. 

Due to some childhood health problems, I have had extra scans to keep an eye on baby - and I have included the best of the bunch here...

First Scan - 13 weeks - 14.01.2016

3D Scan - 29 Weeks - 05.05.2016

I'm not gonna lie, having to have extra scans has both it's pros and cons. Whilst it's been lovely to get extra opportunities to see my little pickle, I panic every time that they will find something wrong. But at yesterdays scan (37 weeks), the doctor has decided that I don't need to be seen again until I'm in labour. YAY :)

I'll throw in some pictures of how enormous I have become, along with some cutesy things I've bought.

Bump at 32 weeks

Bump at 37 weeks

Mummy's and Princess' new shoes

Cute shoe collection - they're so tiny!

So that's the biggest update since my last post in October 2014. Since then I've also got engaged, moved in with a boy (expect some posts about the annoying things men do) and finally got a job I enjoy and excel at.

Overall, my life is pretty darn good right now, and I have grown so much as a person in the last few years - I would even go as far to say that I'm proud of myself. So I'll end this update with a picture of my engagement ring and an updated photo of me (I've had a lot of hair changes).

If you've made it this far then congratulations :) and thanks for bearing with me whilst I had a life makeover and neglected my blog. I am planning to get some posts pre-written before little one arrives and will hopefully manage to get a routine going and some regular posts.

Thanks for sticking with me

BYEEEEEE xxx

Haulin' 'ell

Hey Guys, I know I've been a bit MIA as of late (part of the reason can be found in my previous post), not only have I been dealing with some personal issues, but I have finally got a new job.

Today just felt like a shopping kind of day. I had saved some money up for some necessities and some little treats and decided that today was the day to get them. So I had a drive into town in my little car and loaded up the back seat with goodies.

First stop was obviously going to be Lush! The new Christmas stuff came out on Friday 3rd and I just had to have a good sniff. I'll post a full review of everything I bought at a later date.

Northern Lights Bath Bomb £3.50

Wizard Bubble Bar £3.25

Holly Go Lightly Bubble Bar £4.75

FUN Snowman Kit £5.00

Yog Nog Soap £3.40 100g

Next stop was Primark. I recently saw Helen Melonlady haul an absolutely fabulous jumper, and I knew I needed it.

SS Candy Popcorn £14.00

From New Look, I desperately wanted a blanket wrap, and I found this lovely Aztec Print one.

Aztec Wrap £19.99

Finally I went to Boots, as I was running dangerously low on conditioner and hair treatment. Also my skin has been at it's absolute worst lately, so I wanted to pick up some new products to try out. I'll let you know how I get on.

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment £8.49

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Conditioner £7.49

Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray £3.50

Clean and Clear Advantage Spot Control Moisturiser £4.49

Soap and Glory Fab Pore 2 in 1 Pore Purifying Mask and Peel £10.00

I'll let you know how I get on with the new skin products, keep your fingers crossed for me.

BYEEEEEE xxxxx

My Anxiety Struggle

I've been debating whether to write this post for a while, and I'm still not entirely sure if or when i'll post it. So for now this post will be my outlet of emotions and explanations and feelings, which if published, will hopefully be of some help to someone. It will be a ramble, and there won't be a structure of any sort, I'll just write when I have something to write.

A few months ago I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder, although I had been suffering silently for quite some time. I confided in a few friends, but it didn't really help, as the last thing I wanted was for everyone to tiptoe around me, so I played it down.
I began to consider seeking medical help when hearing 'cheer up' all became too much to handle. 
I was suffering from panic attacks more frequently than I cared to admit, and it wasn't until I had a particularly bad one whilst at work that I finally bit the bullet and went to see a doctor.
FYI the single worse thing you can ever say to someone suffering from panic attacks is 'what do you have to panic about?'

One of the things i struggle with is not being in control of situations, it puts me really on edge and I get super antsy.

My new philosophy on life is that if something doesn't make you happy, then don't so it. So although currently I have no clear path in life, for me that's better than being on the wrong one. I've decided that if something makes me happy, then I don't care what anyone else thinks. It might sound selfish, but I'm putting myself first. 

I'm currently finding comfort in girl time, pampering, chick flicks and wine, as well as learning to drive, which I'm really enjoying.

A big thing for me at the moment is learning to love my body. I know I am overweight and i know I can lose weight if I really try, but dieting just doesn't make me happy. So for now, I am focusing on being happy with the way I look at the moment, and wearing clothes that make me feel like myself. It's quite a challenge at times but I'm feeling much better for doing it. Other people can think what they want about my figure, my style, my hair or my makeup, as long as I'm happy then there opinion is redundant. 


I have recently been taking a break from blogging for a little while, but will do my best to get back to it as soon as possible.

Wilkos Stippler Foundation Brush

On a recent shopping trip, I noticed that Wilkinsons had some own brand makeup brushes which I hadn't seen before. They had a very Real Techniques feel due to the colour scheme and I counted 10 basic brushes in the collection.

I only bought one (go me!) to try out, as I really don't need anymore brushes right now. I went for the Stippling Foundation Brush, as I am always looking for better ways to apply foundation to get the perfect coverage and finish.

The bristles on the brush are very long and soft, and not very dense. The packaging claims that it's great for use with liquid foundation and highlighting powders. I've tried this with my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation and my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, and I surprisingly prefer it for powder. I found the bristles weren't dense enough for me to get a nice blend and it took much longer than usual to get an even finish. However with the powder, it gave a nice light application as the brush didn't pick up too much product. I'm yet to try this for highlighter as I feel it's too big to get the precise application I like.

For comparison purposes, I took some photos of the brush next to the Real Techniques Stippling Brush.

As you can see, the Wilkos brush (on the left) is much larger in terms of length and width. The Real Techniques has much shorter, denser bristles. 

At £4 this brush is very inexpensive, I did really enjoy it for powder and for those who only want a light coverage from their foundation this might be more suitable. I may try this with a BB cream or perhaps blush to see how it fairs.

Have you tried any brushes from the Wilkinsons range?


BYEEEEEE xxxx

Clothing and Accessories Haul

I don't normally do fashion type posts, but recently I watched the most amazing lookbook video (which I'll link below) and it really inspired me to think about my style and the sort of things I feel happy and pretty in. So I did a spot of shopping and picked up a few things that I really fell in love with.

I really like bright colours but wanted some more subtle options, as opposed to the bright block colour tops I usually wear. I also really like the look of little crop tops with high waisted skirts and trousers. 
The skirt, crop tops and kaftan are all from Select. Socks and Accessories are all from Primark.

I begrudgingly included a few pictures of the clothes on, to give a better look at them, as photographing clothes was a lot harder than I imagined.

I love these clothes and I just feel nice in them. If this post goes well, I may do some Outfit of the Days now and again.

As promised, the lookbook that inspired me to put more effort into my outfits.

Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter really inspires me. She is such a happy person and has great style. She really knows how to dress perfectly for her body and she always looks gorgeous. Check her out if you haven't already!

BYEEEEEE xxxx