OFRA Cosmetics DupeThat Highlighters – Review & Swatches

I am obsessed with highlighters! I remember when I started taking interest in makeup I actually had no idea about a lot of cheek products other than a bronzer and a blush, I was pretty naive. MUA Golden Lights was the first highlighter I ever bought and the transformation it brought to my every makeup look was enough to leave me in awe..every..single..time. There was no looking back after that, I have hoarded a good amount of highlighters now and continue purchasing more. I’d blame Instagram as well for my obsession. A lot of instagrammers do go a little (or perhaps a lot) overboard with the product but still it is something every makeup fanatic loves.

About The Product

OFRA Cosmetics collaborated with the lovely ladies behind @dupethat to bring you two of the most stunning highlighters!

You Glow Girl is a gorgeous pink highlighter with the perfect amount of shimmer to bring out that blushed pinky glow on your cheekbones! The other beautiful highlighter You Dew You has a lovely golden tone to it giving ALL skin tones a peachy golden dewy highlight making those cheekbones POP!

What Do I Think?

The product comes in a pretty average-looking packaging with a clear lid which does not feel expensive at all. For a product to be priced this high I’d expect it to come encased in a rather above-average packaging which at least feels luxurious. Besides the feel and look of the packaging it holds the product pretty securely with the lid that shuts perfectly in place.

Pressed pretty firmly inside the pan the product shows little to no signs of fall out. Both the highlighters are much pigmented and feel super soft at touch. Another amazing thing I noticed about these highlighters is how easily, yet not excessively, the product gets picked up by the brush which gives you the choice to either flaunt the soft highlight or layer it up and rock that dazzling, eye-blinding highlight which is very popular these days among women. Although the shimmer in both “You Dew You” and “You Glow, Girl” is very fine and not at all chunky or visible to the naked eye unless seen up close, it will enhance bigger pores if the skin is not prepped well prior to foundation and highlight application – which by the way all powder highlighters tend to do.

There are strange days when I would feel like putting on just a lipstick and highlighter without worrying much about my dark under eyes, sparse eye lashes, undone brows and the uneven skin tone – have done with these highlighters as well. Although this observation probably does not matter but without any primer/foundation/makeup fixer these tend to stay good 2 – 3 hours before they start fading away. Don’t worry, any powder highlighter would behave the same way unless given a good surface to cling to and fixed with a spray afterwards. With a face prepped with primer and foundation and set with a setting spray at the end, the Dupe That highlighters last pretty much all day i.e. around 5 – 6 hours before I noticed the intensity fainting away.

You Dew You – A warm peachy golden highlighter which will flatter all the skin tones in my opinion. It has very fine golden shimmer which imparts a warm radiance to my medium complexion, goes pretty much in coherence with my undertone. Perfect highlighter to wear in day time I’d say.

You Glow, Girl – A cool pink highlighter with very fine silver shimmer which again, will look equally amazing on everyone. I was a little sceptical about this one since cool-toned highlighters are not my cup of tea but was left amazed by the ice-y highlight it gave to my warm skin which neither clashed with the undertone nor looked in-your-face type. I’d call it my glam highlighter, perfect for night-time looks. Does that look bad on my warm skin either in person or on camera? Not at all. It, in fact looks phenomenal in photographs, I’d go as far as to say it looks more wonderful than You Dew You. I have worn it in the look which I posted a few weeks back on my Instagram.

Women of colour would probably choose You Dew You staying on the safer side since it goes along easily with the undertones but I’d pick You Glow, Girl over it any day.

Price

$24.95 USD (for 10 grams of product)

$15.00 USD (for 4 grams godet refill)

Note: Please refer to the page for price in PKR

Availability

Makeup 4 U (For Pakistan Only)

Pros

Excellent pigmentation

Buttery soft texture

Little to no fall out in the pan

Very fine shimmer

Good staying power

Do not transfer

Cons

Pricey

Packaging isn’t at par with the price tag

My Rating

4.5/5

What are your favourite highlighters?

Love,

Fizzah

Disclaimer: This is a personal blog edited by its owners and the opinions expressed here belong solely to its owner's. For questions and queries please email at thepoutpainter@gmail.com

PR sample(s) for consideration. This, however, has not affected my sincere opinions as my loyalty is to the readers. For further details, check our Blog Policy.

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Sigma Brow Expert Kit – Review

Blogging does require one’s time, energy and passion and putting together a perfect post for readers to enjoy exhausts us at times but then there are a few perks that come along with blogging, free goodies!

Yes, you definitely know by now that our blog is now a Sigma Affiliate! So here I am sharing the welcome gift we received as a token of appreciation from Sigma to join their affiliate program.

The package came nicely packed and contained a hand-written note, Sigma Brow Expert Kit and a Mini E55 Brush. Read on and I share with you the trick I have been using with my brows to get the perfect arch.

E55 – Eye Shading Brush

E55 - Eye Shading Brush has a broad somewhat square shape with rounded edges which is great to apply colour on your lid as it can cover a large area quickly. The bristles are really soft and blend the colour really well; they do not feel harsh at all against the skin.

Price: $14.00

Sigma Brow Expert Kit – Medium

The packaging of all the items contained in Sigma Brow Expert Kit is sturdy, well made and travel-friendly. The brow kit contains everything that anyone could need to have perfectly tamed brows:

E75 - Angled Brow & E80 Brow & Lash dual-ended brush

The double-ended brow brush is easy to use and carry along with you in your purse. The bristles of E75 are soft and pick up the product really well. The E80’s bristles are a bit harder than I had expected but works great to shape the brows.

Expert Trim and Expert Tweeze

Expert Trim and Tweeze have a nice hold even on small stray hair and can be used to trim and pluck smallest of hair as well. I have seen and used tweezers which completely fail to pluck any hair at all, these tools aren’t like any of those.

·         Brow Powder Duo – Medium

The brow powder duo gives you the option either to incorporate both these colours at the same time to get the most natural looking eyebrows or just use the darker/lighter shade as you like. The powders are much pigmented; formula is very smooth and easy to work with. I use the lighter shade at the beginning of my brows and the darker shade to shape them perfectly and fill in the arch. Then brush them with the spoolie, apply wax and brush them again. I wouldn’t use brow powder after applying wax on as it becomes more difficult to blend with your hair.

·         Brow Highlight Duo – Bring To Light

The highlighter duo comes with two finishes, one is matte the other is shimmery which makes it perfect for highlighting brow bone, inner corners or lower lash line. The formula of both the powders is buttery soft, much pigmented, blends easily and does not feel chalky at all.

·        Brow Wax

Now this is something I was excited about, the finish you get after filling your brows and taming them with Brow Wax is super natural and amazing. The formula is light weight and doesn’t make the hair sticky or clumpy. I noticed the cap doesn’t hold on to the pencil no matter how hard I try, so I would say do not just throw this product inside your purse. Find a proper way to travel with it or just keep it inside the kit to carry along.

·        Sharpener

The sharpener included in the kit is supposed to be used for big pencils like the Wax pencil in the box so you won’t be able to sharp smaller pencils with it.

I didn’t have a proper brow kit before Sigma sent me one, I used to fill in my brows with a matte dark brown shadow from my eye shadows palette but that was too dark for my choice. This one’s just perfect; I am pleased that I got the kit with Brow Powder Duo in Medium shade which is just the right match for me. What to say more! Now I am obsessed with keeping my brows shaped and flawless all the time.

Price

$49.00

My Rating

5/5

How do you groom your brows? Would you like to recommend me some other great brow products?

Love,

Fizzah

Note: This post contains affiliate link(s) for which I get a commission if you purchase through them. If you want to support me and my blog feel free to click on them.

PR sample(s) for consideration. This, however, has not affected our sincere opinions as our loyalty is to the readers. For further details, check our Blog Policy.

Disclaimer: This is a personal blog edited by its owners and the opinions expressed here belong solely to its owner's. For questions and queries please email at thepoutpainter@gmail.com

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10% Off On All Sigma Products This December!

Hello lovelies. Sigma once again has come up with a sale on their products! They are offering a 10% discount on all of their products. The offer is valid till December 31' 2014. You can shop for their products here and do not forget to use the code DEC2014 at checkout!

Recently Sigma launched some very exciting products for this holiday season. These loose shimmers and glitter sets and the brushes are on my wishlist now and I will definitely try these out when I get the chance.

I have recently ordered a few Sigma brushes which will definitely complete my essential brushes collection. I am really looking forward to my package and cannot wait to try out my picks. Here they are:

E45 - Small Tapered Blending

E30S - Pencil

E44 - Firm Blender

E46 - Shader - Inner Corner

E57 - Firm Shader

E21 - Smudge

What is on your wishlist from Sigma products?

Happy Holidays everyone! :)

Love,

Fizzah

Note: This post contains affiliate link(s) for which I get a commission if you purchase through them. If you want to support me and my blog feel free to click on them.

Disclaimer: This is a personal blog edited by its owners and the opinions expressed here belong solely to its owner's. For questions and queries please email at thepoutpainter@gmail.com

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Makeup Revolution London Vivid Baked Highlighter Golden Lights – Review and Swatches

Hello beautiful people! No matter the season or occasion it never hurts to bring a little glow to your face so today I will be sharing my thoughts on this new highlighter that caught my eye by Makeup Revolution London from their Vivid Baked Highlighter series in Golden Lights.

Product Claims

It is a unique formulation and shape of powder. Three shades available for perfect highlights.

What Do I Think?

For starters, the packaging is made of quite sturdy material with a lid that clicks in place securely so hopefully it will not smash to smithereens if you accidentally drop it. I really like the swirly design of the actual product and with its creamy colour strangely reminds me of vanilla custard. It has one of the silkiest textures I have ever come across in a powder highlighter. Golden lights can be picked up effortlessly if you lightly run your finger over the swirls but surprisingly the pattern holds and does not crumble beneath your finger even under greater pressure so there is absolutely no fall out. The pigmentation made me really happy because it was so intense! Golden Lights blends beautifully and evenly with the prettiest pale gold sheen imaginable. Yellow toned beauties are not even going to feel like they have put on a highlighter because it will match so well and give you that much sought after inner glow. You can use any soft brush to pick up the product and blend it onto your cheekbones, forehead, and the bridge of your nose, chin, cupid’s brow and brow bone. You can create a heavier layer by applying it with your finger and blending it gently. On my combination skin over foundation it lasted over 8 hours before I removed it myself. As you can clearly see in the swatches the baked particles of this product are almost microscopic and present a gorgeous layer of subtle golden shine on your skin perfect even for daytime. All in all I am really impressed with the performance of this product which is amazing for its price.

Price 

£3.00 (PKR 550) for 7.5 g

Availability 

Online from Just4girls.pk and anywhere where you find a Makeup Revolution stand.

Pros

Zero fallout

Great pigmentation

Smooth fine texture

Effortless blending

Impressive staying power

Very fine particles for a subtle inner glow

Good quantity for the price

Affordable

Secure packaging and pretty design

Cons

Contains parabens

My Rating 

5/5

Have you tried any of the Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighters?

Love,

Fizzah and Sadaf

Disclaimer: This is a personal blog edited by its owners and the opinions expressed here belong solely to its owner's. For questions and queries please email at thepoutpainter@gmail.com

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Makeup Revolution Blushing Hearts in "Peachy Keen Heart" - Review and Swatches

Hello everyone! The new drugstore brand that has taken the beauty world by storm is Makeup Revolution. I did a small haul of their products and you guys requested a review of the Blushing Hearts Triple Baked Blusher in Peachy Keen Heart first so here goes!

Product Claims

Blush Heaven - 3 shades in each blush merged together - Blush to send you to Heaven!

What Do I Think?

This product is said to be a dupe for the Two Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blushes but I do not own any of them so I cannot really compare them. Most people love this packaging because it is cute but I learnt the hard way how impractical it really is. When I received my order I was devastated to discover that the smallest third of the product had almost completely separated from the rest of the blush! Thankfully, that piece did not fall out of its heart shaped box and I am careful about handling it now. It does look quite attractive because of the cute feminine design.

The actual product has a pretty baked surface with three different strips. The shimmer is really fine and plays hide and seek with the light so it’s really flattering. The texture is unbelievably silky and allows effortless blending. The fallout is not horrendous and the packaging captures most of it so you don’t have to worry about seeing it everywhere. So by now you guys have already calculated the number of ways you can use this fascinating product. Both the lighter shades can serve as highlighters or mixed with the central strip to create a lovely new blush colour.

I am really pleased with the pigmentation as you can see in the facial swatches with my neutral tone. I did not even have to build up the intensity to clownish levels or alter the photos to make the colour show up! Its staying power on my combination skin is impressive too. It lasts over 6 hours on me without primer in winter without fading the slightest bit. All in all a really useful good quality product with an affordable price tag.

“a” is a pale gold

“b” is a medium rosy pink

“c” is a light to medium peach depending on your skin shade

“a+b” give a stunning rose gold

“b+c” give a rosy peach color

“a+b+c” gives a unique coral beautifully balanced between pink and peach

Price 

PKR 850 for 10g

Availability 

Online from their official website. I bought it from Just4girls.pk

Pros

Super pigmented

Beautiful texture

Acceptable level of fallout

Really easy to blend

Good staying power

Super fine shimmer for a flattering highlight effect

Comprises of two highlighters and three blush combinations

Good quantity for the price

Affordable

Cons

Packaging a bit unsuitable for the fragile product in my opinion

My Rating 

4.5/5

Have you tried any of the Makeup Revolution Triple Baked Blushers?

Love,

Sadaf

Disclaimer: This is a personal blog edited by its owners and the opinions expressed here belong solely to its owner's. For questions and queries please email at thepoutpainter@gmail.com

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My Daily Makeup Guide

Makeup is all about enhancing your features instead of layering up different products and end up looking like a disco ball. Getting familiar with makeup and using it is a dilemma many girls out there face who are new to it or are still getting used to it: What to wear and what to skip to get that “minimum makeup look” is usually the question asked by many newbies. Today I thought of sharing with you guys what I personally like to do to keep my face fresh and colourful without going overboard. I am neither a professional makeup artist nor an advisor; everything I share here is based completely on my experiences.

Start off with a clean face. A cleaner face requires less makeup to make it look better. Here is what I like to do in my routine.

Primer (optional)

A primer is applied before you apply foundation/BB cream to reduce the appearance of pores and make your makeup last longer without budging or fading away. Use a tiny amount of your favorite primer and apply onto your face and neck especially concentrating on the T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) where you are most likely to get oil.

What I Prefer

I skip this step until and unless I want my makeup to stay intact the whole day. I use MUA Face Primer.

Moisturizer/BB cream

Use a moisturizer to replenish your skin of the lost oils. Your skin needs moisturization irrespective of the season. Use either a clear moisturizer or a tinted one (BB cream) if you have uneven skin tone.

What I Prefer

I prefer a moisturizer which does not feel heavy on the skin. I have used Garnier BB Cream as well as the Maybelline one and found the latter to be more comfortable on my face. I like to wait one or two minutes after applying BB cream to let it set before I proceed.

Concealer

Apply your go-to concealer in a small quantity under your eyes to cover up dark circles or double up the BB cream if you do not own a concealer yet. Make sure you blend well.

What I Prefer

I skip a concealer in routine makeup unless I have to deal with severe dark circles. My BB cream doubled up as concealer works well for my under eyes. On bad days, I use my Luscious Studio Secret Concealer.

Mattifying Powder

Use a compact powder or loose translucent powder to keep your face matte and lock your makeup in place. Dust a little concentrating on your T-Zone, do not layer up if you use compact powder otherwise it will look cakey.

What I Prefer

Using a fluffy brush instead of a sponge to apply compact powder gives me just enough of the product preventing the cakey appearance. I use Essence Mattifying Compact Powder (Natural Beige) or Oriflame Air Soft Powder (Clear) or Catrice Prime and Fine Translucent Loose Powder.

Highlighter (Optional)

Wearing eye shadows daily may not be everyone’s cup of tea, instead try using a highlight shadow or pencil (champagne, rose gold or off-white or white) on your brow bone, middle of eyelid and inner eye corners to brighten them up.

What I Prefer

I like to use my Essence Stays No Matter What eye pencil in “Whipped White Frosting” on my eyelids, inner eye corners and brow bone to give my eyes extra dimension.

Mascara

Apply lots and lots of mascara to open up your eyes both on your upper and lower lashes. Doing this even when you are not using eyeliner makes your eyes appear wider and bigger. Just make sure you apply mascara on EVERY single lash fanning them out.

What I Prefer

I like to wear mascara in steps; I wait for the first coat to dry before I apply a second and third coat. This helps me build up the volume and length since I have very thin lashes. I use Essence Maximum Definition Volume Mascara.

Blush

Use your favourite blush concentrating on your cheek bones instead of apples of cheeks to get that defined sculpted look. You can skip a bronzer if you apply blush this way. Make sure you blend well, though.

What I Prefer

Since its winters; the season to take out all those warm and deep blushes one has, I like to apply a warm blush such as MUA Blush “Bon Bon”, Sleek Blush “Pomegranate” or Makeup Revolution Vivid Blush Lacquer “Heat” on my cheekbones for a definite sculpted look.

Lipstick/Lip Gloss

Winters call for berry and plum lips. If you are not comfortable wearing a dark lip colour wear any that you like or are comfortable with. Do not hesitate to experiment with lipstick shades though; some might pleasantly surprise you, who knows?

What I Prefer

Being a lipstick hoarder and a fan of full opaque lips, I like to experiment with my lip colours. But for this season I am all berry and plums. My favourites for the season are Essence Matte Lip Cream in “Smooth Berry”, Colour Studio Professional Pure Matte Lipstick in “La Rouge” Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in “On The Catwalk” and WetnWild Mega Last Lipstick in “Cherry Bomb”.

Makeup is about one’s preferences and comfort zone but, like I always encourage my friends, sisters and you guys, experiment with techniques and colours. One not only learns this way but also discovers what looks good and what looks better.

What are the products that you like to wear in your routine makeup?

Love,

Fizzah

Disclaimer: This is a personal blog edited by its owners and the opinions expressed here belong solely to its owner's. For questions and queries please email at thepoutpainter@gmail.com

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