Favourite Five From Freedom
The day is here, Freedom is launching and providing everything has gone according to plan you should be able to view their site online here. I will have a few more videos up on the YouTube channel if you want to check that out and in honour of the launch I thought I'd share my favourites from the products I've been testing out over the past few weeks.
You knew lip products were going to dominate here, didn't you? and of course they're practically the same shade.. so predictable. I'm still very much in to my mid-tone pinks and this lipstick in shade 103 (it has a name I just don't have it to hand, forgive me) and Pro Melts Gloss in Up are so very 'me' right now. The lipsticks are creamy, very comfortable on the lips but as a result they don't last all day - be prepared to reapply! This is one of the more opaque colours, there's a real mix of finishes (expect extensive swatch posts) some are really quite sheer but none are matte.. so far. BUT while we're on the subject the Pro Melts Gloss is almost a semi matte. It reminds me a lot of the Lip Lava's from Makeup Revolution (no surprise to see cross over products) but I find it easier to apply with the doe foot applicator as it's a very opaque liquid lipstick. This one is VERY long wearing and something I'd carry with me just in case but wouldn't worry about it disappearing within the hour.
The contour kit is a nice basic that truth be told I haven't perfected using yet but for a while I was obsessed with contouring and I'm trying to get back in to it. What I like about this one is that it's not too dark and the highlight is matte. I find it far easier to blend two similar finishes together than a matte/shimmer. Once I've blended I do usually top it with something that has a bit of a sheen to it but for the initial 'sculpt' (hark at me, eh?) I'm really liking the matte. This is the lightest one (needless to say) but there are much deeper colours available.
The next product was tough as there are so many blushes to choose from but I've consistently been reaching for this one this week so I couldn't not include it. There are 4 'Pro Glows' (the leopard print compact) these are somewhere between a blush, bronzer and a highlight and swirled together they in theory do the job of all 3. The shade I've been using is called Purr and again it reminds me of the Miners Bronzer/Blusher blend I loved so much, a wash of colour and sheen and possibly the easiest kind of cheek colour to work with for those of us totally rubbish at blending. I'd love to see what someone with actual skill could do with it but I like it worn high on the cheeks in place of a highlight.
Although I'm working with Freedom on their videos you know (or I hope you know) that my reviews will always be honest (I don't love EVERYTHING) and one of the products I really didn't expect to like was the concealer palette. Historically low cost versions of these are greasy and not very pigmented and when I first swatched this I feared the worst. Luckily it's just the top layer that's waxy (probably something to keep it looking smooth as a finished product) underneath it's much dryer and reminds me a lot of Benefit's Boi-ing which I used to use exclusively back in the day. Could be a little heavy for the under eye area if you have fine lines (me) but elsewhere it's great and the shade range is awesome, regardless of cost!
Lastly I want to address a couple of concerns that were brought up in the comments of Mondays post. Obviously there will be attempts to dupe higher end, popular products.. a lot of brands do this and for the most part it's what the consumer wants. We want to see lower cost versions of things we can't afford whether that be in Topshop or Superdrug. We want to know if we're really getting what we pay for or if the price is inflated because of the name on the box. Having trialled a lot of products from a lot of price points I can tell you there's no hard and fast rule. Some things are genuinely better the more you pay but I have dropped big money on eyeshadow palettes that were hugely disappointing too. You may feel like emulating another product is 'ripping it off' but it's common place and definitely not exclusive to one brand/industry. Korean brands made BB cream famous and now we have CC, DD, EE.. Bioderma became the must have thing overnight and suddenly every skincare brand has a micellar solution in their range. It's just the way it is, in fact didn't Maybelline launch that gel liner concept BEFORE Benefit did? You'd be hard pressed to find a cosmetic brand who had only original ideas but I think there will be enough of them from Freedom for those who don't like dupes to get on board with.
Miss BB