Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today I’m reviewing makeup, which I’ve not done in ages!
I received this Ted Baker gift set at Christmas, but since similar ones tend to pop up every year in the winter months, I thought it would still be worth posting my review. Makeup gift sets can be a little bit hit or miss, so I was interested to see how Ted Baker’s would work.
Let’s start with the packaging. It comes in a box with the classic bow on the front. The makeup was held together in plastic packaging, which is unnecessary in my opinion. The box itself is really pretty though. It’s a nice twist on the classic Ted Baker style!
The contents are just as pretty! The set comes with two nail polishes, an eyeshadow trio, a bronzer and highlighter compact, a mascara, an eyebrow pencil, three lipsticks, a fan brush, an eyeshadow brush and a set of eyelash curlers. It’s all rose gold, which I really like!
Here are some swatches of the eyeshadows, the bronzer and highlighter, and the lipsticks.
The packaging may be super pretty and perfect for those aesthetic Instagram shots, but how does the makeup actually perform?
My favourite item from this set has to be the eyebrow pencil! It was really easy to use and a good shade for my eyebrows. I can easily see this becoming a staple: I’m looking for something to replace the L’Oréal one I use. The downside to this is it won’t work for everyone. When I learned to fill in my eyebrows, my hair was blonde, and I’ve been too scared to use a darker colour in case I look ridiculous! It would work well if your hair was blonde or light brown, but probably not any darker.
Next is the eyeshadow. The pink and brown shades aren’t very pigmented, and need to be built up. The white is fairly pigmented though. All of the shades are shimmery, and it would be useful to have a matte brown to put in the crease. I would use these again, but I’d probably either put another shade in the crease or just put it on my lids.
I wasn’t a big fan of the bronzer. It wasn’t very pigmented and it was too shimmery for my liking. I might use it for an eyeshadow in the future. I did like the highlighter though. When I applied it in my bedroom, I thought it had a subtle glow. It wasn’t until I was outside in the sun that I noticed how glittery it was! I probably would use it again, but it won’t become a regular. That’s reserved for my sophdoesnails palette!
The mascara is very lengthening and separating. I struggled to get volume from it. I think I will use this again for natural days though. I usually like lots of volume, but it’s nice to have a change during the day.
The tinted balms smell amazing! Usually you can buy these in a separate set, although they are different shades. The crimson shade looks quite intimidating, but is more sheer when applied. I would probably end up with this all over my face because it’s so creamy though!
The lipstick also smells good. It has shimmery particles in it, but it’s not too pigmented.
Overall, I was quite impressed with the set. Although some of the shades aren’t as pigmented as my normal makeup, they’re still nice and work well to create a more natural look. The only thing I probably won’t use again is the bronzer, but it will definitely be in an Instagram post or two!
Have you ever tried Ted Baker makeup? Send me your recommendations!
