Makeover Essentials: 24/7 Makeup Portfolio, Shimmer Brush, Mascara Duo and Lipgloss 12-Piece Set

Admittedly, Makeover Essentials is not a brand I’d heard much about in the past and there’s very little about them on the internet except for their website: http://makeover-essentials.com (with www.beautygroup.org.uk being the only U.K. distributor I could find), but this made me all the more excited to try out the bag of goodies I acquired today! Presented in a stylish, black gift bag, I felt as if Christmas had come early and, clichés aside, the packing was incredibly sexy.

24/7 Makeup Portfolio

The first item I picked out was the 24/7 Makeover Portfolio, which looks like an adorable, leather wallet. Inside are two compact, mini makeup kits (Sunrise and Sunset), mascara and a double-ended eyeliner pencil.

Sunrise

Top: Bronzer. Bottom: Blush.

Top: Eyeshadows. Bottom: Lipglosses.

Sunrise contains a warm-brown, shimmery bronzer; a trio of eyeshadows in beige, tan and dark brown; a sweet, peach-pink blush and 2 lipglosses, one a glittery pink and the other a chocolate-red (it also contains 2 tiny, double-ended brushes but no one should ever use those… ever). The first thing that struck me was how cute the little compact was, the second was how soft the powders were; the bronzer in particular blended really well into the skin. The lighter eyeshadows were a little disappointing as they weren’t as pigmented as I’d have liked but the dark brown was really pigmented and silky. The glosses were a bit of a surprise, as I expected them to be more like lipsticks and solid to touch, instead they were really squidgy and easy to apply, if a little gloopy.

Sunset

Top: Highlighter. Bottom: Blush.

Top: Eyeshadows. Bottom: Lipglosses.

Sunset is a whole other animal. Where Sunrise is pretty and feminine, Sunset is passionate and sexy. It contains a pale-yellow, shimmery highlighter (you’ll soon learn that Makeover Essentials love their shimmer); a trio of purple, shimmery eyeshadows, varying in shade from lilac to aubergine/eggplant; a mature, plum-pink blush and due lipglosses, one in a nude-brown, the other in a hot, shimmery pink. Again, the powders are incredibly soft and a pleasure to use. The eyeshadows look better in the pan than on the skin, but, as with all the Makeover Essentials products I’ve tested, they’re very buildable so that if you prefer a more subtle eyeshadow colour, it’s easy enough to achieve this without applying too much and wasting product. The brown lipgloss is very wearable and autumnal, whereas the hot pink is playful and ideal for Christmas.

Eyeliner Pencil

I didn’t hold out much hope for the eyeliner pencil; I’m an Urban Decay girl and am a firm believer that nothing will ever beat their 24/7 range. However, this eyeliner shocked me, it’s amazingly pigmented and so creamy it just glided onto the skin. The black end is one of the blackest I’ve ever seen and the brown is warm and beautiful; both are very smudgy so may not last for long, but can be blended into the lid for a softer or smoky look.

Mascara

I’m seriously fussy with mascaras; I have really short, light eyelashes so I end up spending a lot of money on trying to find the ‘right’ mascara. I still don’t think I’ve found it but I’ll keep looking. This mascara is good… I mean really good. The brush is really bristly and the opening/exit to the bottle is narrow so it squeezes off any excess formula or clumpy bits, which could transfer to the lashes. It also means that it’s really buildable and after three coats, I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Shimmer Brush

The shimmer brush (in bronze) is one of the most intriguing mechanisms I’ve ever come across. It’s a medium-sized cylinder with a sheathed brush at one end and bronze, shimmery powder encased in the other. I couldn’t actually work out how to use it for about 5 minutes; there were no instructions other than: ‘don’t open the bottom’, so other than that, I was at a bit of a loss. After a pulling, pushing and twisting (you pull the transparent bit down over the brush!), I discovered the brush actually dispensed the powder. It’s great and the shimmer is pretty, but I’m not entirely sure how you’d clean the brush without ruining the powder, which could pose a bit of a problem.

Mascara Duo

Mascara Duo is a concept I’ve tried before with varying results. You have a white primer on one end and the mascara itself on the other. This mascara is probably the best duo formula I’ve encountered, once again due to the brushes. The brush on the side of the primer separates and elongates the lashes, whereas the other (same as the mascara in the 24/7 Makeup Portfolio) volumises and thickens. If you’re going to do for a duo mascara, I’d honestly go for this one.

Lipgloss 12-Piece Set

I’ve saved the best for last. The Lipgloss 12-Piece Set is by far my favourite part of the lot and I can see this getting a lot of use. The only downside is that the glosses (as with the other products) don’t seem to have individual names, so instead I’ve had to number them 1-12. The tingly formula is beautifully smooth and silky without being sticky and they all smell like mint, which adds a nice touch.

Top: 1. Bottom: 2.

 1: Transparent and glittery, this can be used alone or over the top of any lipstick.

2: Matt, dark-red, both autumnal and Christmassy. Use just a little if you don’t want the colour to be too strong.

Top: 3. Bottom: 4.

3: Shimmery, glittery, pink. Very cute and feminine, not as bright as in the bottle.

4: Shimmery gold. Subtle for those who want to add a bit of shimmer and colour without being too bold.

Top: 5. Bottom: 6.

5: Matt, phone box red. Sexy and bold.

6: Shimmery bronze. More sheer on lips than in bottle, almost nude.

Top: 7. Bottom: 8.

7: Matt chocolate. Not a colour I usually like but it comes out more red on the lips than in the bottle and enhances natural colour rather than masks it.

8: Iridescent champagne. My absolute favourite, I’m a sucker for champagne colours and this is so stunning.

Top: 9. Bottom: 10.

9: Shimmery dark, pink-red. Really pretty and a unique colour.

10: Matt nude. Not one of my favourites as it blends too well with my lip colour and looks as if I’m not wearing anything; it might look good on paler lip colours though.

Top: 11. Bottom 12.

11: Shimmery, iridescent, pale bronze. My second favourite as it’s very similar to number 8 except slightly less striking due to its darker colour.

12: Iridescent bronze. My third favourite. Darker still than 8 and 11, this is a more nude, wearable gloss than the others.

I don’t think Makeover Essentials will have a problem expanding. They seem to know what they’re doing and have a trendy, unique, stylish way of doing it. My personal favourites have to be their lipglosses, especially their iridescent ones. They’re simply stunning, comfortable to wear and a really cute size so that you can pop them in your bag no problem. My only gripe is the fact that each product doesn’t have its own unique, individual name and that the lipglosses, for example, can’t be purchased in larger form.

They’re also quite pricey (£30 for the Shimmer Brush); I imagine this is perhaps due to the brand being manufactured in the U.S. and being shipped over, although I can’t be sure. Therefore, I’d advise going for the cheaper products first, to see if you’re interested in the brand, before going all-out. Some of the items I’ve reviewed don’t seem to be widely available in the U.K. just yet; hopefully this changes soon because I’d definitely be buying more. I mean, who doesn’t like a bit of shimmer?