Revolution Skincare | Better Than The Ordinary?

Revolution have long been known for their- well, the kindest term would be ‘tributes’- to luxury beauty products, producing high-performance dupes for cult items like Anastasia's Dipbrow Pomade and the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palettes.

Now, it seems they're coming for the crown of The Ordinary- the no-frills, wildly effective skincare brand that has become a favourite of so many people, including me.

This is a little different from going after the expensive brands and replicating them, as The Ordinary's whole ethos is about being low-cost but powerful.

And with The Ordinary's parent company, Deciem, on shaky ground at the moment as their founder seems to be in self-destruct mode, perhaps the time is right for a new challenger.

Revolution have also had a bit of a glow-up recently, with everything looking much more luxurious and grown up. I would definitely go so far as to say they are my favourite budget beauty brand, as the products are effective and look lovely.

So I was excited to see if their skincare offer matched up. They have a whole range from a gentle quinoa peel to matrixyl serums and rosehip oil.

There is plenty I wanted to try, but I decided to start with just one of their skincare products to see what I thought.

Sold as a ‘double shot of espresso for the eyes’ - which sounds like just what a sleep deprived mum of two young children like me needs - the 5% Caffeine Solution with Hyaluronic Acid comes in a sleek little frosted glass vial with a pipette applicator.

There are touches of rose gold and the whole effect is extremely classy, but the price tag of just £6.00 makes it highly accessible, too. This is actually a grand total of 20p more than the equivalent from The Ordinary, whose version also comes with EGCG, an antioxidant complex.

If you look at comparisons across the board of the wider product range from Revolution vs The Ordinary, Revolution usually come off worst.

They don't have the purity of ingredients (for example, the Rosehip Oil contains very little rosehip and lots of filler ingredients, whereas The Ordinary's version is actually 100% rosehip oil!).

Revolution's offer is also marginally more expensive - we're only talking a few pence really but when it's less effective, the verdict really has to be why wouldn't you go with the original?

It feels as if Revolution have gone a little for style over substance, making some pretty elementary mistakes, such as packaging their retinol serum in clear glass, when exposure to sunlight deteriorates it and stops it being effective (the version from The Ordinary is sold in opaque tinted packaging for this reason).

It's a little disappointing and lazy from a brand who have always been so good at offering quality for a low price.

The eye serum isn't a bad product  though, and I've been enjoying patting it on every morning to perk up my under-eye situation.

I also picked up one of the new launch Opulence palettes to try. It's similar to the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick - a mosaic of beautiful, bronzy, glowing shades that you can either sweep a brush over all of them and use as a shimmery bronzer or apply individually to eyes.

The shades range for a white champagne gold to a deep sunset orange, and they blend together beautifully on the cheeks. The effect is quite strong and very pearlescent, so if you are big into shining bright, you'll love it.

The shades also work well as eye shadows, and you can wet a brush with a little setting spray before applying to make the pigments even stronger.

The compact itself is absolutely gorgeous and doesn't look out of place next to high end brands. It's a great little addition to your makeup bag if you're into warm shades to restore a little of the lost summer back into your life.

Finally, I also picked up the Fast Base Foundation Stick, which there's been a lot of buzz about online.

Stick foundations are one of those things that are long overdue a comeback, as they are so easy - just swipe on, blend and go.

The formula here is really creamy and feels wonderfully light on the skin. The finish is dewy and flattering, so I can see exactly people love this - at only £5.00 and in it's sleek nude tube, it's a great find.

The only problem for me is that I ordered the wrong shade! I actually wanted a darker one so I could use it for a quick contour, but it's sort of too light for me to contour with,  and too dark to use on the rest of my face!

That is the one problem with ordering online, and I'm always more cautious with foundation for that reason,  but at least this didn't break the bank.

Perhaps by the end of the winter, when I'm super pale it will work as a contour shade!

Do you like Revolution products? Will you be trying their new skincare offering?  What do I need to try from the range? Let me know!