Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone, hope you are all having a great time staying safe and comfy with your family and friends. I'm having a lovely Christmas taking care of my neighbors kitten (above) and he is proving quite the handful and not letting me onto the computer much.

See you all in the New Year :)

Review: MAC Wedge Eyeshadow

Keeping up with the luxury feel for Christmas season i thought I would show of another MAC product, this one has been a fan favorite for a long time and it's numerous appearances are what convinced me to get it. Wedge is a matte warm brown slightly taupe eyeshadow, it's quite pale and a little hard so it takes a bit of effort to get onto your brush.  It is however great as a crease color or as a transition shade. It's a staple in many collections.

I do like the color but the texture was a little disappointing; it seemed quite hard and difficult to get any pigment off without scratching the surface just a touch, not sure if I just got a bad batch or something because I've seen stellar reviews of this and I'm just a little sad that mine didn't live up to them.

Have you had a similar experience with a product that has great reviews but just doesn't click for you?

Review: MAC Rubenesque

Welcome to December, since it's the month of festivities I thought I would start with something gold and a little bit luxe. This was a product I came across quite early with Elle & Blair's Youtube videos, though I've moved on to other Youtube guru's since then. The MAC paint pots are perhaps the original predecessor to many peoples (mine included) much loved Maybelline Color Tattoos. The paint pots are cream eyeshadow which come in 5g containers, since they are cream products it's very important to make sure they don't dry out and keep the lid screwed on tight.

Rubenesque is maybe the most beautiful color I have ever seen in any product ever, it's a golden peach with pink undertones, the peach tones in this make it so beautiful and ethereal. I want a powder eyeshadow in this color, and a blush...and a lipstick and just everything really. It's shimmery, not glittery, almost frosty, and super smooth. Despite this amazing peach color it's still very neutral and wearable for everyday wear.

This paint pot is much thinner then the eye tats, the closes I have in texture is the Bearly Branded, it's almost gel like rather then cream. It's somewhat build able in consistency, if you load it up to much though it starts to wipe away the color so it's better to let it dry down for a few seconds. I would think this might looked better on darker skin then mine as it get's a little lost on me when applied thinly, but it makes a perfect base, is very waterproof and easily warms up any powder eyeshadow and can be used for some great effects.

This was a birthday present, as ordinarily i wouldn't even consider buying any MAC products here in Australia, but sometimes you just have to treat yourself. I love this little pot and use it at least once a week, also it doesn't seem to dry out as much as i thought it would. 4 months since purchase, it's just as sft as the day i bought it. Have you tried the pain pots?

Empties: November 2013

End of November, almost Christmas time :) Even better yesterday was the PS4 Australian release so that's going on. Let's jump into it then shall we?

Maybelline Dream Pure BB for Oily Skin
reviewed here
+++ repurchase: no
One of the better BB cream's I have tried, if not for the fact that it didn't turn my skin super oily after a few hours it would be a winner. I might try the regular version and see if that has a similar effect on me.

Ponds Flawless White BB+
reviewed here
+++++ repurchase: yes
My favorite and most easily available bb cream, has the slightly ashy coloration of the original bb creams, lasts ages and fades naturally. A favorite

Burjois Flower Perfection Primer
+++ repurchase: no
This was my first ever primer, and the product that really introduced me to the concept. It's small size is actually why it took me so long to finish, i didn't want to go buy another one for the price so I really made it last. Over the past few months I finally used this up which did not take long as other primers have made their way into my life and I'm okay letting this go.  Heavy flower scent, thick texture, probably better for more mature skin.

Essence Marble Mania Mascara
++ repurchase: no
This was from the Marble Mania trend edition about a year back (yeah yeah 3 months mascara blah blah) and i picked it up to check out how the marbled effect would work, it's supposed to be a black mascara with silver shimmer. I saw no silver shimmer, it's dried up and gross now so bin it goes.

Maybelline Illegal Length Fiber Extensions Mascara
++ repurchase: no
I picked this up when it was first introduced as i was intrigued by the concept but it didn't really do it for me, the brush i really don't like as it's impossible to get lower lashes. It smudged when first applied and then i had a terrible time getting it off in the evening. No thanks.

Softlips spf 20 Raspberry Lip Balm
++++ repurchase: maybe
Got this one during a stress day at school last year and used it a lot when i was out and about, it smelled like raspberry and had a pleasant cooling sensation. This always felt like a bit of a treat to use. If i see it again i will pick it up but I also have a lot of lip balms so I'm in no rush.

Nice'n ease Color Condition Gloss
++++ repurchase: yes
I wish they would sell these separates and not just as part of the coloring kit, this was a really nice conditioner and I usually hate the included ones as they feel quite cheap. The Nice'n Easy coloring kits are by far my favorite too, the best part is that after the first shower the color doesn't leak all over your shower.


Swisspers Cotton Wipes
+++++ repurchase: yes
A staple. No more need be said.

Rexona Delicious Long Lasting Protection Deodorant
+++ repurchase : no
It's an alright deodorant that smells nice, but it seems to run out quite fast.

Review Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush

I've had this in my stash fir a little while now, I got a hold of it a few months ago but haven't used it much. It is however a unique and interesting product to look at and try and i admit i like having it. Sadly these aren't available in Australia and so far as I know they won't be either so if your itching for one you will have to look online. The shade I have is 50 Plum Wine, as far as i can see it's the darkest shade available.

The bouncy blushes are very soft and sort of puffy, the're a bit like a memory foam pillow - you press it in and it (mosty) bounces right back. Use a light hand though or it will smush more then it bounces. It' supposed to be a powder-gel formula and it delivers quite a sheer wash of color when used. It smells a little....heavy but not unpleasant. Be sure to wipe this onto the cheeks and do not scoop the product out, that's not really going to work.

I'm not a huge fan of the packaging but it doesn't make a huge different, it's a fun product to play with but the staying power isn't really there, around 4 hours at most but it's reasonable as a base since it's such a light wash of color. 

Have you tried a bouncy blush? Would you?

Review Revlon Whimsical

A polish many of you have no doubt seen many times, but this is the first time I have gotten to wear it since my terrible nailpocalypse which took place over the past few months. So feeling a bit braver i decided i could wait no longer to wear this beauty. So if nail polish isn't your thing or you've been living on the moon this polish "Whimsical" is a dupe of Deborah Lippmann's Glitter in the Air. It was for a long while unavailable here while it's companion polishes "Popular", "Scandalous", "Radiant"  and "Stunning" were easily found leading many to think that for whatever reason this one would not be making it';s way to our shores. Luckily this is not the case as it appeared maybe two - three months ago at basically every Revlon stand, happily so.

It's a very sheer blue base with a hint of green and sparse pink and blue hexagonal and round glitters. In the pictures here I'm wearing it over two coats of China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint which is very close if a little more green. This is one that really need a solid base coat underneath as it's so very sheer that it would take about 4-5 layers to get it to show up solid (trust me i tried). The glitter spreads evenly and doesn't clump but does have a bit of a tendency to bubble a bit so use thin layers. Wonderful for layering and a beautiful and delicate polish.

Have you tried it?

Priceline 40% Haul

The last 2 days Priceline has been having a 40% off all cosmetics sale at which I couldn't quite help picking up a few things I've been wanting for a little while now but have thus far resisted. Well so much for that. Here are the products I piked up:

Physician's Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls (Translucent Pearls)

This a highlighter type powder, it looks quite frosty. As you can see the product looks super cute and ever since these were released I've always had an eye for this and the Happy Blusher but could never quite bring myself to pay the money for them.

Physician's Formula  Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Pearls (Natural)

Another super cute product, I've heard a lot of love and praise for these "happy" blushes but since I had my 2 NARS and 2 Illamasqua blushes i didn't feel right spending the money on a drugstore blush when i could get another one of those for an extra $15.

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation (081 Fair Ivory)

I would have picked this up much earlier if I had not been detracted my the NYX Stay Matte but Not Flat liquid foundation which turned out to be a bit disappointing but I've managed to make it work a little better. The texture on this is amazing and it literally just disappears on my skin and looks like skin! I'm so happy to have this now and plan to use it everyday.

Revlon Nearly Naked Mineral Powder Foundation (010 Fair)

I've been interested in trying a powder foundation for a little while and this one seemed like a nice one to try, what with the SPF 15. I usually only use powders which are translucent as setting powders. i'm interested in seeing if this will work for me.

Essence Studio Nails Ultra Strong Nail Hardener 

I would have picked this up regardless of sale, lately I haven't been able to wear much in the way of nail polish because after several months extended every day wear my nails were completely wrecked; peeling, breaking, cracking. It was nasty, these last two - three months or so I haven't worn anything but my nail polish collection has been calling my name and I can't hold out much longer but I also don't want my nails to go through the same terror. So hopefully this will do the job.

So how did you guys go with the 40% off sale?

October 2013 Most Reached For

Better late then never right? It occurred to me that 1) Lush has Rose Jam in again and 2) My new RT Expert Face brush is amazing and you guys should totally know about it. Two of these items are making a return from last month; my Illamasqua blush in Katie which I fell in love with so much I actually didn't wear any other blush since I got this, NARS Orgasm and Deep Throat lie lonely and abandoned in my makeup storage case.Second item making a return for another month is Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction perfume, a amazing sweet and fruity perfume, though i wish it stuck around a little longer.

Rimmel's Stay Matte Powder has been my go to for a little over 2 months now an it does a fantastic job of keeping my makeup in place, getting rid of shine and has great oil control.

Can't believe it took me so long to pick up the expert face brush from Real Techniques, its so good, the short dense domed shapes bristles are perfect for applying foundation and I can't see myself going back to the stippling brush for that purpose ever again.

At the same time I'm loving using the NYX Jumbo Pencil in milk as a eye primer, it stays on all day and makes every color pop. Now that NYX is in Australia you can try it too!

Last but not least is Lush's Rose Jam shower gel, there is nothing better. I bought 3 bottles and i'm considering getting more before they are gone. Just go smell it.

New Blogger Award

Hello Everyone, this is my second time putting up this post as for some inexplicable reason Blogger deleted the fist version. Crazy stuff. Anyhow, I wanted to spread a bit of happiness around since we're coming into the holiday season. I recently received the Versatile blogger award from Gemma over at the Lady Sapphire Blog (thank you so much)  and wanted to do something a little more then share the same award a lot of the bloggers that I personally appreciate have received a thousand times. 

So I 'm here to introduce my new award for blogs that inspire you in one way or another and this is just a way to to let someone know that they are doing a great job, and that their works helps to inspire others. The rules are simple, nominate at least 3 people (more if you feel generous) and tell everyone why they inspire you. Then let them know so they can share the love.

So since Gemma inspired me to come up with this idea she will be my first nominee, if you go check out her blog it's full of a great variety of stuff, personally I love seeing stuff different to just the latest drug store releases and her blog is wonderful for that. So go check it out here.

My second nominee is the Beautifully Glossy blog, her Friday posts have me rolling around in my seat and her showcase of lip balms will make you lust to go and fill your stash too.

My third nominee is Mishelle's Sleepy Time blog which I love for it's wonderful excitement and dedication, this girl's enthusiasm comes though in every post, so if your feeling in a blogging slump this is where i would point you to go.

Well i said three at a minimum, but I want to make an additional acceptation bu also nominating the Born to Buy blog, her showcase of Spehora stuff, MAC stuff just to name a few always makes me green with envy but this bloggers good humor and great range are a winning combination.

Thank you to all these wonderful ladies and their extraordinary blogs :) 

NYX has Arrived!

So we all knew it was coming for weeks now, Perth (well WA in general) seems to have been near the bottom of the list but as of Monday they have made it over here too. Personally I've been following their facebook page (stalking more like) and was thrilled to discover that my local target got stocked up yesterday. So I made my way over before they had even finished stocking (as you can see in the photo above). If your in WA the current stores that have NYX are; Joondalup, Midland, Morley, Whitford (today), Perth City (today) , Victoria Park (today)  and Carousel (today).  If you need more info on other states then I suggest you check out their facebook , as they have been very forthcoming and responsive with info.

But moving on, all the stock wasn't on show yet but I managed to pick up three things I have been curious about for a while, the stock seems very decent though I was a tad disappointment to see there was no eyeshadow singles. I've has a few Nyx products in my day but it's so much nicer to be able to see it in person and swatch the colors yourself.

The three products I picked up were the Butter Gloss in Eclair, Stay Matte but not Flat liquid foundation, and a blush in the color Terra Cotta. I used all three products yesterday when i got home and to do a proper face of makeup today so I'm able to provide some initial thoughts on all three.

Starting with the  Stay Matte but not Flat liquid foundation, i picked it up in the color 04 Creamy Natural which seems to be the palest pink toned foundation as 01 Nude was the lightest in the yellow toned group. I picked this one up on a whim since I've just finished my Maybelline Dream bb Cream and needed something new. Upon trying I'm not sure how I feel about it. The color is a great match so no problems there, the texture is super smooth and surprisingly light for a matte foundation, the coverage is light to medium which is enough for me, the only problem being that...well it seems to cling a little to dry bits of skin.

I have never has this issue before with any foundation/bb cream/ or even powder. I have combination to oily skin, as far as i was aware I had NO dry bits on my skin. Turns out I was wrong. I'm going to play around with some different application methods as i still have hope that I can find a way to make this work for me.

The second item i grabbed was the butter gloss in the color Eclair, I'm usually not a fan of gloss of any kind but some of my favorite Youtube gurus mentioned they liked these and they smelled really nice that i decided to give it a go. Surprisingly i actually like it a lot, it doesn't make me any kinder to lip gloss in general but I'm willing to make an exception for this because it smells amazing, isn't high shine and isn't sticky. It smells kind of like a soft buttery pastry mixed with something sweet like maybe strawberries but it just sinks into your lips, it really reminds me of lip balm rather then a gloss as it feels insanely hydrating on the lips. I've been testing the Australis Velourlips the past few days and my lips were dry as dirt and this helped more then my Nivea lip butters, so I'm very impressed.

I've heard nice things on the blogo sphere about NYX blushes and the color i most often see is Terra Cotta so that's the one ended up picking up. It's a bit of a scary shade for me as i nearly always lean towards a more pink based blush.This one has a bit of shimmer (not glitter) and does lean towards the bronze with clear peachy notes. It's well liked as a dupe for MAC 'So Ceylon" and is also quite similar to Sunbasque which is why it gets more attention. It's quite soft and impressively pigmented but quite packed into the case so my ultra soft RT blush brush took a little bit of swirling around to pick up the color. I think this will make a great summer time blush as those golden peachy notes make it a wonderful blush/highlighter hybrid. So far very impressed with this.

Swatches are a little off, the foundation isn't quite so bright and the blush is a little more golden but the lip butter is pretty dead on.

Here's a pic of some of all my current NYX stuff, if you want a review or info on any of these let me know :) 

Here are links to other NYX reviews i have done; NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils and NYX Matte Lip Creams.

Review: BH Cosmetics Galaxy Palette

Sorry for the absence, just not really been feeling very bloggy the past month after doing a post every other day in September, although I did get a few interesting things that I will show off over time the heat in Perth and trying to restrain myself when it comes to buying new stuffs there isn't as much for me to talk about right now.

I got this at the start of October and I really love it, the design on the outside is kinda silly and very...teen but since the eyeshadow are so amazing I am willing to overlook that.

The palette was $14.00 plus shopping when I picked it up though it may have gone up since then since it was a promotional offer but nothing on BH seemed very expensive to begin with.

The Galaxy  palette is a set of 18 baked eyeshadow that can be used dry or with a bit of water for a more intense and long lasting experience. Because they are baked eyeshadows they all look like tiny planets themselves and this works really well into the theme of the  palette, but it does mean that every one will be a bit different. For instance Asteroid in mine is much more blue then red but the website photo was much more red with very little blue. 

Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn, Sun

Uranus, Comet, Aphrodite, Asteroid, Meteor, Prometheus

Eclipse, Neptune, Cosmic, Moon, Earth, Milky Way

The photos are all dry and without primer so you can only imagine what they must be like with either of those, they are wonderfully pigmented and soft and easy to blend. They are brights and very shimmery but if your looking to try something a bit outside your comfort zone this is a great way to go as they can be used together to make wonderful bright intense looks or simply as highlight colors on more neutral toned makeup.

Catch ya next time

Review : Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner

I picked this up recently when my Physician's Formula Eye Booster Liner dried up, I really like that one but the brush bends very easily so I thought I would try this one as it was on display with the Metallic Eye Tattoos which I have most of but want to buy every time I walk past them anyway. Hmm that could be dangerous.

I've been making the conversion to liquid liners over the past few months and I really like the effect you can get with them, with enough (read: lots and lots and lots)  practice you can a perfect cat's eye or a lovely liner on top. The effect is smoother then gel liners and doesn't dry out and harden like some of those can.

I didn't really give much thought to what I wanted when i picked this up so I was pleasantly surprised,  the tip is soft and flexible without bending out of shape and it's black enough to not need going over several times, for a liner it's decent. However it is not waterproof and does smudge a little too easily for my liking so I probably won't repurchase it next time and look for something in that category. One thing I didn't like was when applied over the top of a light eyeshadow powder it would seem to absorb the liner and instead of being black it would become ashy and no longer smooth.

As you can see it;s quite flexible in what kind of line you can make and is pretty easy to use as far as liner's of this type go. It just takes practice and I'm happy to say I'm seeing some improvement. 

What eyeliner would you recommend?

Review: Maybelline Superstay 24hr Concealer

I've never been a huge fan of concealer since I probably overused them in my high school/acne filled days and since then I mostly avoid them and this is only the second one I have bought in the last 3 years. Since High School my skin has improved to an extent where I feel comfortable not needing it but every now and again a blemish or a redness will pop up that my regular bob creams and lightweight foundations can't quite cover.

After doing a bit of research into some easy to obtain concealer I picked this one, the Maybelline Superstay 24hr Concealer in Ivory, which has turned out fairly well and seemed the best of the bunch available at Priceline. Ie. I wanted one now, not in three weeks when an overseas brand could deliver it. 

The packaging is nice enough, nothing too special or outrageous but it gets the job done. It has a doe foot applicator and is very smooth and soft which makes it very easy to apply. I prefer cream concealer a like this to stick ones as they just feel way to heavy for my skin and always seem to clog my pores but not this baby. One thing that may cause issues is that, as I discovered through trial and error is hat is dries fast, very very fast so it's not one of those things you can let sit on your skin for a bit before blending out. Secondly you need to go light in application otherwise it will crease, I recommend dotting it on and around e problem area and using your finger to dab it and blend it out. Do not just start waving the wand around or you will be in crease Central.

As you can see that even in Ivory this one is a bit yellow toned and it was the best. ACTH I could find in the range which doesn't cater much to dark skin or cool toned girls but in that respect it makes a decent underage concealer if you want to brighten that area up a bit.

Overall I would recommend this but I think if you can get away within you should try not bother with this at all, or if you have a heavy foundation it can be used as concealer too if you want to save a bit of money.

Review: Maybelline BB For Oily Skin

Like the rest of you i went a bit mad when Maybelline had their sale, i picked up their Dream Pure BB 8 in 1 BB Cream (for oily skin) which is the one with the blue cap.I have mentioned in previous posts that I'm a fan of BB creams as they work really well for my skin and I don't like heavy coverage. As it is this BB cream is quite god, though I'm afraid I'm not quite as wild about it as many reviews I have seen, and the reason for this is that while it's good, quite good in fact, I'm not fond of the packaging as it feels very "teen" and the texture on the container is a bit unpleasant to touch and i dislike the screw on lid and lack of a tapered tip so i often end up with a lot of extra product.

Having said that the product is actually quite good, the smell is a little "chemical: and I assume this is the salic acid contained in the product, but when it's on the skin it can't be detected. The shade is a little ashy which is similar to the Ponds BB cream I reviewed (here), this works quite well on cool toned pale girls but might be a bit off for those with warmer tones to their skin. It's a medium coverage and sometimes I find I don't need any concealer for my lighter blemishes or freckles, and stays put for a good 6 hours and up to 8 with powder on top. 

A unfortunate effect however is that when I use this particular bb cream after about 4 hours my forehead (and nothing else) gets very oily and kind of icky, powder on top does help somewhat but not enough for me to repurchase this particular BB cream, at the moment I will use this one up and then go back to the Ponds bb Cream.

WIN: Good consistency, Not too expensive, Good undertones for pale girls
 LOOSE: Cheap looking/feeling packaging, chemical smell, oily on forehead, and screw top cap
 REPURCHASE: No
AVAILABILITY: Priceline $13.99