Topmodel Backstage Secrets Set - A Review

Hey Everyone!


So I have pretty much abandoned this blog over the last few months! A lot has been going on and for many reasons (which I won't bore you with!) this hasn't been a high priority for me. However 2012, new year, new start and all that jazz...I'm hoping things can only get better!..Anyways I received a  Topmodel Backstage Secrets set as part of a Christmas present and I thought it would be something worth posting about! I got the "Professional looks for Smokey Eyes" kit and it looks like this..

As a general overview I would say this kit would be perfect for a makeup beginner; some one who likes make up but maybe hasn't quite got the confidence to try "smokey" kind of looks yet; for more in depth info, read on! 


It has really nice packaging to start off with and it says it offers "insider know how" on how to create the perfect smokey eye; with instructions on the inside of how to use all of the products included. As well as written instructions it also has some diagrams on how to achieve your smokey eye look. That bit looks like this...

So on to the actual products. Inside you get three baked shimmery eye shadows, a white, a silver and a black; a purple shade of eye dust; a black/silver glitter eyeliner; a black mascara and an eyeshadow applicator. Not bad for (I believe) under £10. Here is a few pics of the products themselves..

So firstly the shadows, nice shades but not overly pigmented. They definitely are not the most pigmented shadows out there but at the same time they give quite a nice look. I created a look for a night out using them, and they lasted all night.They are quite forgiving in that you can play around a bit and still get a good look. Which is why I say perfect for a beginner. 

Next up the glitter eyeliner! I really liked this, gorgeous for a night out look and good quality. I find with liners such as this they can tend to kind of have colour or glitter, not both. However this is just a nice black liner with some nice glitter through it (which it obviously should, my point is products I have tried in the past which have claimed to do this have let me down!)..It also lasts quite well...Here are some swatches!

Next up is the eye dust and it is beautiful! Such a gorgeous colour and SO pigmented - I just love this. It goes perfectly with the other shades when used to blend out alongside the black, to give a bit of a different edge to your classic smokey eye. In my opinion the best thing about the whole kit. Some pictures....

 Then onto the mascara, this worst product in the kit in my opinion. This is what it looks like..

Fairly standard brush and wand but I found the formula to be quite dry and basically it just didn't do much for my lashes. Here are some pics to demonstrate..

No Mascara

One coat

Two coats

Three coats

As you can see it's not awful , but I felt it took a lot of work to get to that point. There are much better mascaras out there and I won't be reaching for this one anytime again soon..


So to sum up, it's a nice kit and was a lovely little gift. I think it makes a really nice present in general, I will be using all the products in future (except the mascara!) and also its really quite reasonably priced. If your looking for a gift for a makeup lover in your life,or just something for yourself, you can't go too wrong with this! :)


Karen :) x