Makeup Revolution Iconic Palettes VS Urban Decay Naked Palettes

I was recently in Ulta the past month and have been super interested in a brand called Makeup Revolution. I have tried a few products from them before including their colored concealer palette, and one of their eyeshadow palettes. As I was looking at their makeup, I noticed the Iconic Palettes looked VERY similar to palettes I've already owned... the Urban Decay Naked palettes. I did some online searching and discovered they were actually a pretty close dupe to the $54 (I believe) palettes. So I decided to do some swatch and palette comparisons because... SCIENCE! I didn't post too many photos of the Naked palette's actual palette design because I'm sure by now everyone is pretty familiar with them and know what they look like by now! Please ignore the panned shadows in my palettes, I use my Naked palettes pretty often and have fallen in love with some of the colors, lol. 

Above is is a photo of all the Makeup Revolution Iconic palettes. From left to right: Iconic 1, Iconic 2, and Iconic 3. The palette itself isn't as fancy and pretty as the UD Naked palettes but presentation isn't really that important to me, especially when it saves some cash! However, these palettes do come with one of those cheap-y eyeshadow brushes that no one really uses, and all the UD palettes come with their own brand of brush which are amazing btw. The eyeshadows themselves are pretty good quality. You may get a few chalky or rough textured shadows but I've also found them in the UD palettes as well. The biggest factor in this is that the UD Palettes run for around $54 found at many stores (which is probably mostly due to the palette look itself, brand name, and makeup brush included), and the MR Iconic Palettes only cost $7 (personally I've only seen) at Ulta. *All of the swatches are over a primer with my finger*

UD Naked Palette 1 vs Makeup Revolution Iconic 1

 Just looking at the palettes next to each other, most of the shadows (just looking at them in the pan) look very similar to each other. The only color that looks off is the color Hustle. UD's Hustle is a lot more reddish-based looking in the pan compared to MR color that looks more gold-based.

[UD First, MR Second] From left to right: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked

[UD First, MR Second] From left to right: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

So by comparing the swatches, the colors that match the closest and I'd consider a dupe would be Virgin, Sin, Sidecar, Darkhorse, Creep, and Gunmetal. UD's Naked is much more pigmented than MR's shadow and also a bit darker. It took a lot of swipes for MR's to show up on my skin. Same thing with Buck. I'd saw MR's shadow has a bit of a grey-ish hue to it as well. UD's Half Baked is a more sub-dued gold compared to MR's, however I do love both of the shades equally. MR's comparison to Smog has more gold to it, and so does Hustle. Just like in the pan UD's Hustle is much more of a red-toned brown. Creep has a bit of a difference but if you're using it as a outer corner color, it will definitely have the same effect so I'm going to count it in as a dupe!

Rating: 4/5

UD Naked Palette 2 vs Makeup Revolution Iconic 2

Now these colors just looking at the palettes look EXACTLY the same, so let's just go right to the swatches.

 [UD First, MR Second] From left to right: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite

 [UD First, MR Second] From left to right: Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

I'd say that the majority colors of these shadows match prettyyyyy close to the UD's palette. I think this palette is the best matching out of the 3 in my opinion. Getting down to more specifics, I have to say that Foxy and MR shadow are not dupes. Foxy is more neutral, which MR has a pink tone to it. I was actually disappointed in BOTH of the way these two colors watched cause neither were really showing up no matter how many times I swatched them. They both would be good being a color to blend another out at the brow bone however. For some reason, UD decided to have Half Baked in both Naked 1 and 2, but in Iconic 2, MR got it right on this one in creating a dupe for this. At least you get a different gold with MR and not just the same shade!!! *AHEM, Urban Decay*. I actually prefer MR's version of Bootycall. It's a lot more shimmery. Snakebite, Suspect, and Pistol are a little off, but only by a touch. MR's version of Busted is a tad lighter than UD's. I was pleasantly surprised at how pigmented MR's Blackout came out to be the same as UD's!

Rating: 5/5

 UD Naked Palette 3 vs Makeup Revolution Iconic 3

Unfortunately, I do not own UD Naked 3. I never bought Naked 3 because the colors seemed like I wouldn't wear them as much as the other Naked palettes, and I could buy a TON more things with $54 besides a makeup palette. But I added a photo of the palette for pan comparisons. Just looking at them, they seem to have the similar "rose gold" color assortment. The first color in MR's palette barely showed up, if at all. And MR's version of Limit was a very strange color and took a while for the color to actually show up. My favorite colors out of the Iconic palette would have to be MR's versions of Trick, Nooner, Liar, and Blackheart. 

Rating: N/A

Do you think the Makeup Revolution Iconic palettes are good dupes of Urban Decay's Naked Palettes? 

Must-Have Products for Platinum Blonde/Silver Hair

I've been pale/platinum/silver shades blonde for over 10 years now so I have a bit of product knowledge under my belt as well as the luxury of working at a professional beauty supply distributor in the past. So, I have decided to create my "master list" of products I cannot live without as a blondie. This list will only include products, which will exclude all hair color, toners, etc.

(PS* None of these products were sent to me for free, I have paid with my own money for them. All of my opinions/reviews on these products are of my own)

First I'm going to start my favorite shampoos and conditioners:

The first on my list is Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo and Conditioner. The reason why it's my top favorite is because this is the duo I use most often and the ones that leave my hair feeling the softest and repaired. The whole Pureology line of shampoos are sulfate-free so they won't strip out hair color or toner, and they are also 100% vegan which is a plus! The Strength Cure line is specially designed for all damaged hair (heat/mechanical damage, environmental, and chemical/color damage). So being that I do bleach my hair to keep it light and bright, this is the perfect product to repair the damage in my hair. Another thing I especially LOVE about these is that the smell is sooo sooo good! Strength Cure also contains Keravis and Ceramides to replace the bonds in the hair and to heal micro-scarring in your hair cuticle (so basically in 'simple talk', it repairs from the inside). 

***If you are NOT a fan of this shampoo+conditioner, try using Biolage "Repair Inside" Shampoo and Conditioner. I recently started swapping between Biolage and Pureology and I actually really LOVE both. These are the best two in my opinion!***



Next is L'Oreal INOA Color Care Shampoo. The reason why I only have the shampoo on this list is because I don't really see any "difference" in my hair after using the conditioner and compared to other conditioners it works okay and does the job. This shampoo is pretty amazing. I would say it's the second best on my hair compared to the Strength Cure by Pureology and it's a nice shampoo to switch up the routine on my hair a bit. It has a great smell and it leaves my hair feeling super super soft. Usually as a person with finer hair, I generally stay away from absolutely ANYTHING that has the words "oil" in it, so I was reluctant at first to use this. This product does contain Argan Oil but it doesn't weigh my hair down at all. It's sulfate-free and also contains a green tea extract which will protect the hair fiber and maintain color (if that's an issue for you). The only color issue I have is prolonging my toner but I do use an awesome colored conditioner to help with that anyway (coming up!). I would say this shampoo is the best "all-around" shampoo that anyone with any concerns should try at some point!

Clairol Shimmer Lights should probably be a household name in a blonde's shower inventory. It's used by so many blonde's that it's crazy! I only use the shampoo about once or twice a week when I feel like my hair is feeling extra brassy in-between toner and root touch-ups. It does have a sort of "flowery" smell which isn't my favorite, but when it comes to smells in my hair products, I don't really mind. It's just a plus when a product is awesome and has a wonderful smell. What I also like about this product is that it's fairly cheap and you can pretty much find this stuff anywhere. I find that a 16 oz. bottle lasts me fairly long and I don't have to buy another one after about 6 months or even longer! The only thing I do dislike about this product is you have to be super careful with how long you leave this stuff on. Since the purple in the shampoo is very pigmented, if you leave it on a bit too long it could leave you with a temporary "lavender" tinge to your lighter/more porous blonde pieces (this has happened to myself and a friend before, so it's okay if it happens to you! This actually happens to a decent amount of people!). I would say just play around with it until you get the right timing perfect for your hair. If you are worried, I would try leaving it for 3 min. max, and just keep upping the timing by 2 minutes. A final recommendation for using this product is pairing it with a really moisturizing conditioner because it can get a bit drying.

***If you are NOT a fan of this purple shampoo, try using AG Sterling Silver Shampoo or Pravana's Purple Shampoo!***

This product by EVO is called Fabuloso in Platinum Blonde and it is a company that's based in Australia who produce these awesome colored conditioners! It's a good alternative to using a colored shampoo and is actually more moisturizing for your hair. All of the conditioners have a wonderful "fruity" smell to them and they actually come in all different colors for different hair color maintenance. (Ex: Chestnut, Mahogany, Purple Red, etc.) I, of course, use the Platinum Blonde. The color of this shampoo is the perfect violet mix so there's a good half and half of blue tones and purple tones in this conditioner. You can leave it on for 3-5 minutes to just tone out brassiness in hair or you can do what I did and leave it on for about 15 minutes to tone your hair to a white/silver shade of blonde. The conditioner also has it's added benefits of restoring and maintaining moisture, softening and detangling, frizz-reduction, as well as shine. The only negative I can think of with this product is to think about how much you will use for the price. For my hair, (without extensions) is shoulder-length and I use 6 pumps of the conditioner to fully saturate my hair to make sure there's even distribution of the color.

The next thing I'm going to talk about is a HUGEEEEEE life-saver when it comes to repairing bleached, processed hair. I owe the strength and quality of my hair to Olaplex. I honestly believe my hair would be in a much worse stage without it. I use the kit that you would only be able to buy with a cosmetology license (unless you go for the Amazon route which, shhh... You didn't hear it from me!). What the product does is it repairs the bonds in your hair from the inside, so it reduces breakage and damage. There's a bunch of scientific factors involved in Olaplex and why it really works, but you can research it further if you'd like. You can get it added to your bleach, or get an Olaplex treatment at a salon offering it near you. They will upcharge you for it, but I promise, it's worth it! There's also a retail product that goes along with Olaplex which is a take-home treatment and it's called Olaplex No. 3. It's basically a more diluted version of the Olaplex treatment you would receive at a salon, but if you're curious to see how your hair will feel afterwards, I would suggest using that before to see if it is worth it yourself. Or, you can use it to maintain the health of your hair after getting it bleached/processed/etc. The way it works is you apply it BEFORE you shampoo and condition. Olaplex recommends leaving it in for 10 minutes minimum, but you can leave it in much much longer like I do for maximum results or for extra damaged hair. I also do use it as a leave-in conditioner which Olaplex does not officially say you can do, but it makes a lot of difference in my hair.

 These are two "healthy hair care" products I cannot live without. I've used tons and by tons I really mean tons, of leave-in conditioners and I haven't found anything that compares to 12 Benefits Leave-In. I've used leave-ins by It's a 10, Pureology, and Redken but this gives me the best results. My hair always feels the best after using it and if I don't use it after my showers, I can definitely tell the difference. It makes my hair feel so much softer, smoother, and instantly more manageable.

It promises these 12 things:

1. Seal hair color
2. Smooth frizz
3. Repair damage
4. Prevent split ends
5. Moisturize dry hair
6. Strengthen fragile hair
7. Prevent flat iron damage
8. Prevent chlorine, wind & sun damage
9. Add shine, softness, and a silky finish
10. Protect hair from blow drying
11. Improve detangling & manageability
12. Keep hair youthful

The second product is a cuticle smoother which contains Keratin and Argan Infusion. The smell is AMAZING (kinda like a tropical/coconut smell) and the consistency is very smooth. It's easy to use and you only need a tiny bit to smooth out frizzy, split ends. 

The next product you will need (well, pretty much anyone regardless of their hair color if they use mechanical heat) to protect your lightened, blonde hair is a heat protector. The one I have been using lately is Chi's 44 Iron Guard. I haven't found a heat protector this is OMG AMAZING!!! but this one works just fine, so I feel like they all pretty much work the same and are great as long as they are protecting your hair from the heat, it should be fine no matter what you use! 

So that's it for now! I hope you got some product ideas to help keep your blonde hair healthy! If you have any questions, you can just leave it in the comments and I will try to get back to it ASAP! <3