W7 Makeup

W7 is a brand I've always felt a bit iffy about. I mostly see it in shops such as Poundland and B&M and felt it was simply a cheap brand of makeup that simply could not compare to other drugstore giants such as Maybelline and Rimmel. However, since blogging, I've come to be a bit more open when purchasing cheaper makeup brands, knowing that there are hidden gems out there. I still can't fathom that one of the most praised concealers in the beauty blogging world is a Collection 2000 and costs £4!

With that in mind, I've recently began experimenting with W7. I own 5 products, 2 I bought myself from Fragrance Direct, the other 3 included in a goody bag at a beauty blogger event. I think W7 are mostly known for their dupes- I see a lot of products that highly resemble highend products. Whether this is intentional or not, I don't know. But looking at the Naked Nudes palette, I can see where they got their inspiration from.

I will start with the 2 products I purchased myself, the first on these being the Honolulu bronzing powder. As you can see, it looks a lot like Benefit's Hoola. Same style of packaging, similar names, almost same shade of product. I bought this as someone said it was a dupe on a youtube video (forgot which blogger, sorry) and although I'm not a massive bronzer fan, I simply could not resist buying this product to see if it really was a dupe. I own a small sample of Hoola from the Best of Benefit kit released in Boots at Christmas time and decided to swatch them to compare. I think Honolulu is a tiny bit darker although they look almost identical on the photo. I'd say Honolulu is slightly more orange toned but when used in small quantities and thoroughly blended out, I'd say it would be almost impossible to distinguish between the two.

Left - Hoola, Right - Honolulu

The second product I bought was Candyfloss. The description on the box says this is a brightening face powder, but I wouldn't use this all over my face. It has a slight shimmer to it, so I suppose it could be used as a highlighter but I prefer to use it as a blush. It isn't that pigmented but you can build it up. Like Honolulu, the packaging resembles that of a Benefit blush, although I've never owned a Benefit blush so I couldn't compare it in terms of colour. I know W7 have a few other boxed blushes out and they are definitely something I would consider buying.

The next three products I received in a blogger goody bag. I received this Lashtastic Mascara* which I've seen in B&M retailing for £1.99. The packaging is just typical mascara packaging, resembling offerings from Maybelline and Rimmel. It's bright and cheerful and I have no problems with it. The wand is very different to any other mascara I've owned in that the bristles are very short. When applied to my lashes, it does not really make a difference. My lashes feel short and stubby, and I wouldn't favour this over mascara's I already own, as I feel it doesn't alter the appearance that much. However, last summer I worked with frozen food and they didn't really allow excessive make up on. In times like that, when it's inappropriate to wear a full face of makeup, I think this mascara would be perfect.

I also received this Creme de la Creme cream blush in the shade 'Heavenly.' * As you can see from the swatch, it's very bright, however, I find that with a lot of cream blushes. I'm not entirely sure how to apply cream blush, so I simply use my finger to blend it onto my cheeks. If you have any advice, then please leave a comment as I'm clueless. This blush is very pigmented, so only the smallest amount is required or you'll end up looking like CoCo the Clown. I feel it applies quite well, although I don't favour it over my powder blushes. The packaging is simple enough, a plain black case with a see through lid of you can see the shade. Not the prettiest, but not the worst. This retails at around £3 on amazon, so for that price, I think it's brilliant.

The last product I received was a Puff Perfection cream powder in the shade 'True Touch.*' First of all, I want to say that this is way too dark for me, so I don't feel like I could give an accurate review, however, there are a few things I could comment on. First of all the packaging, like the cream blush, is quite plain, but it clearly states what it is. A bit of the gold writing has already began to rub off though, even though I haven't really been using it, so that's not so good. The product comes with a 'puff' which is simply a thin layer of sponge and as you can see the product appears quite orange. I may look at using this as a bronzer, but other than that, I can't see myself ever using this product. This retails at around £4, so not too expensive. If I purchased this in my actual skin tone, I may change my mind.

Overall, I don't think these are bad products, but I also don't think they're the best. The boxed blushes are definitely worth buying and trying out though. I also really want to try the light diffusing concealer as I've heard a lot of people say it's a dupe for the YSL one.

*Products received in Hull Blogger Goody Bag, but all opinions are honest.