Well, yesterday when I got home from work a lovely package was waiting for me (keep it clean, keep it clean!) – the new limited edition Makeup Kits from Real Techniques! Super exciting. I impulse ordered these like a super ninja as soon as I saw they were available...
If you don’t know who Sam and Nic Chapman are then I highly recommend you find out! They are sisters, professional makeup artists and beauty “gurus” known as “Pixiwoo” on YouTube. There they have hundreds of videos on various topics from skin care and makeup tutorials to videos on dealing with anxiety and confidence. Go and check out their channel! Besides YouTube, Sam (recently joined by Nic) has also collaborated with U.S. brand Real Techniques to design and release makeup brushes, of which I have purchased quite a few! I really highly rate and enjoy using every single brush I have purchased from Real Techniques, and so I didn’t bother hanging around when these kits were released, I just hoped that they would live up to their brush counterparts! Plus, as both of the kits are limited edition, I didn’t want to miss out and regret not getting them.
Each palette has 4 eyeshadows, 1 gel eyeliner, 1 blush, 1 cream highlighter and 2 mini lipglosses – not too bad for under £15! The kits are called Night Owl and Modern & Natural – a slight giveaway to the kinds of colours you can expect in each.
So, anyway, I’ll stop rambling as I’m sure you are all eager to see them - and here they are!
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| Top: Night Owl Bottom: Modern & Natural |
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| Modern & Natural Kit |
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| Night Owl kit |
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| Modern & Natural L-R: Quicksand; Gold Metal; Caramel Mocha; Nightshade; Dark Chocolate (Eyeliner); Coral Sunset (Blush); Champagne (Cream Highlighter) |
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| Night Owl L-R: Quicksand; Royal Orchid; Midnight Sapphire; Galaxy; Ink (Eyeliner); Flushed (Blush); Champagne (Cream Highlighter) |
Sam and Nic have each done a YouTube tutorial using these kits, which you can check out on the Real Techniques YouTube channel, or on the Real Techniques website. These are worth a watch as they create two beautiful and contrasting looks (as per usual!) and demonstrate both the kits really well.
So what do I think?
Packaging
Well firstly I have to admit that, although the packaging is attractive, I am a little concerned about the plastic window being flexible enough to allow the shadows to get damaged when it’s closed. Only time will tell if this is the case, but I would just be extra careful for now about stacking things on top of these kits. It has a magnet closing, so won’t fly open of its own accord. As for the lack of mirror, I know some people will dislike this, but I am not really bothered; I rarely take a whole palette or kit like this out in my handbag, so don’t really need one, especially as this would have no doubt driven up the cost of the kits. And I would rather have no mirror than a cheap wobbly one (you know the kind I mean – the ones which look like funhouse mirrors and distort your face as nicely as an Ewok trying to use Photoshop).
Shadows
I think these are the main reason to buy these kits, to be honest. As you can see from the swatches, the colours are all lovely and they are wearable, easy to blend, and pigmented. There are shimmers, two mattes, and a glitter. They have a lovely soft, creamy texture (although they are powders), apart from Galaxy in the Night Owl kit, which is more of a powder texture due to the high glitter content (the texture actually reminds me of Dust from the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette). I think my favourite is the deep gold from the Modern & Natural kit, although Midnight Sapphire in the Night Owl kit is a beautiful alternative to black or brown for a dramatic smokey eye. I can’t comment on the staying power of these shadows as I haven’t worn them out yet. I will update when I have!
Eyeliners
You get a mid-brown in the Modern&Natural kit, and a straight black in Night Owl. Both are really nice and creamy, and both have surprisingly awesome staying power! It took me aaaaaaaagggeesss and a LOT of scrubbing to get these swatches off my arms with a makeup wipe, so be prepared to use an epic eye-makeup remover to avoid rubbing your eyes when taking this stuff off. Great news for longevity purposes though! I can’t stand having smudged eyeliner all over my eyelid by lunchtime.
Blush
The blushes are again a really soft and creamy powder, pigmented and easy to blend. The Night Owl blush is a slightly paler, cooler pink than the more peachy-toned blush in the Modern & Natural kit. Also, the Night Owl blush is ever so slightly shimmery, while the Modern & Natural blush is matte.
Cream Highlighters
These are also a major plus point for me as I love cream highlighters! A surprise to get a creamy texture in a kit like this, but definitely a good choice. If you don’t like cream highlighters you can always use the eyeshadow in the kit, or if you have problems with them slipping and sliding off your face, you can use the eyeshadow over the top of the cream to set in place for all day wear. The highlighters are the same colour, Champagne, in both palettes.
Lipglosses
First of all, let me just say this: THEY ARE NOT STICKY! *fist pump* I LOATHE sticky lipgloss, and am forever getting my hair caught in it (NOT attractive) so this is a HUGE plus. They also smell really nice, sort of like vanilla, and reminiscent of MAC lip products? The only downside – they are really teeny BUT this also means they are the perfect size to throw into even the smallest purse for on-the-go touch ups. Silver lining and all that!
In Modern & Natural you get a warm gold, Copper, and a pink, Nectar. Copper is really nice and comes out almost clear with a hint of gold shimmer in it. Nectar is a peachy pink which coordinates with the blush, and this is seriously pretty.
In Night Owl you get a beige-toned nude, Nude Rose, and a lovely deep berry red, Cabernet. All lovely! Cabernet is nicely pigmented, allowing for a slightly sheer or more opaque colour depending on the amount applied.
Overall I really think these are really great kits and I am not disappointed in the slightest - well done Sam and Nic! The products are great quality for the price, and I think I am going to get a LOT of use out of both of these palettes. Loads of exceptional looks have been appearing on instagram and twitter over the past couple of days which have certainly inspired me to dip into these this weekend. I think generally the Night Owl kit has a cooler tone to it, and Modern & Natural is warmer, but honestly I think these palettes will suit most skin tones. I hope this is the start of something beautiful and that there are more goodies to come from Sam, Nic and Real Techniques.
Both Night Owl and Modern & Natural are currently for sale on the Real Techniques website both priced at $25.00 (just under £15.00) but like I said, they are limited edition, so I wouldn’t put off getting them for too long! I hope this post has helped anyone contemplating buying these, and if you have also got these kits I would love to hear your opinion too! Please do leave a comment :)
I will leave you today with a quote from the ever wise master Yoda - "Do or do not, there is no try..."
**Disclaimer: all products featured here were purchased by me, and all opinions are my own. This is not an affiliate post. Photographs also owned by me. Please see my Disclaimer page for full deets on all the boring stuff**
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