Review: Lady Gaga Black Liquid Perfume "Fame"

Until May 1st, Priceline is having a 30-60% off all their regularly stocked perfumes and since I was in the middle of a move when they had their 40% off sale last week (so annoyed that I missed this!) I thought I could make up for it by picking up something at their perfume sale.

By the way, I'm doing this on the Blogger app while hijacking some wifi...from Macdonalds ^^
so it might look a bit odd as I'm still working out how to make pictures sit correctly and so on, hopefully going to sort out proper internets tomorrow.

So back to the review, but since this is my first proper perfume review maybe a bit of foundation talk is necessary, I am usually drawn towards fruity and sweet scents over anything floral or spicy and one of my some of my favourite perfumes are (in no particular order); nina rici "Nina", Britney Spears "Fantasy" and DKNY apples range (all of them but specifically the Golden Delicious). Hopefully that helps you figure out if your perfume taste is anything like mine ;)

The packaging lists the perfume's notes as "tears of belladonna, crushed heart of tiger orchidea with a black veil of incense, pulverised apricot and the combinative essences of saffron and honey drops". Various websites state that the perfume,instead of the pyramidal structure used in most perfumes, Lady Gaga Fame uses "push-pull technology", where the ingredients demonstrate aspects of each note without precedence. Rather than utilising top, middle, and base notes, the perfume is based on three accords – "dark" (containing the Belladonna notes), "sensual" (containing the honey, saffron, and apricot notes), and "light" (containing the Tiger Orchid notes) which come together to produce a floral, fruity scent.

Now I'm not sure if any of that is legit but it certainly sounds Lady Gaga-ish, it is true that the liquid itself is Black and that once you spray it, it becomes clear so although I was initially concerned I don't think it's going to stain any clothes though I have yet to try it with a white top, if it stains ill update this with a note to say so.

The scent is difficult to describe, it certainly leans towards sweet but not a young girl's sweet scent, it's certainly on the heavier more adult type of sweet, mixed with a deep spiced honey scent, I can still pick out the apricots. If you have not tried take a wiff next time your near somewhere that sells perfumes and I'm certain you will find it very unique even if it is not your personal cup of tea.

Oh, I also picked up Revlons new BB cream with SPF 30!!!! And I'm really excited about it, so hopefully a review will be forthcoming.

What are your favourite perfumes?

Moving House Update

Hello Beauties

As you may or may not be aware i moved house last Saturday and have been without consistent Internet access, as of right now i am still internet-less and it makes me sad, also my new apartment is so tiny i don't even know how I'm going to take photos of anything.  My boyfriend and I are going to talk to Vivid Internet on Wednesday so hopefully it will all get sorted out then and i can get back to new posts. But until then if you want more up to date info on what's going on, please check out the facebook page.

Hope to see you all soon and so i don't leave you on a sad note, here as picture of a cute thing;

Cococare; Using Coconut Oil

 

In recent months I've become more and more a aware of numerous beauty and health bloggers talking about the benefits of using Coconut oil for...well anything it seems. So I thought I would give it a go, this one that I purchased from iHerb was around $6 but you can also pick it up in health food stores or the health food sectioned of stores like IGA or Coles.

 

Coconut oil will usually be wither this sort of slightly yellow liquid similar to regular oils or a solid white waxy substance, this simply depends on the temperature and is easy to use either way as it will quickly melt in your hands and make it easy to spread.

 

It's commonly used in cooking and is especially popular with vegans, but it's health benefits as a food is not why we are looking at it today. We are looking at it primarily as a skin moisturizer, and as a tool to help with dry skin and reduces protein loss when used in hair ie. make it softer and stronger.

 

In terms of skincare it can be used in many, many, ways from being used as a deodorant, lotion, makeup remover, toothpaste, stretch mark preventative, natural spf 4 sunscreen, yeast killer, chapstick, massage oil, cure for athlete's foot, eczema cure, homemade diaper cream, and a natural anti bacterial cream among over 100 uses for it. I will in time be testing out more of these claims but so far I have used it as a hair treatment and I am very pleased with the results.

 

The way I used this as a hair treatment was after washing my hair and doing all the regular hair and conditioner stuff while my hair was still damp I rubbed this stuff into the ends of my hair and a lighter touch around my scalp. If you have oily roots then skip that step but my scalp is crazy dry so I went ahead with it.

Then put a shower cap or wrap a towel around your hair and leave it for as long as you like, 45 minutes will work fine but overnight works much better. When your ready step into the shower, but don't get your hair wet, get your shampoo and rub that into your hair first as oil and water don't have the best relationship. Once it's all lathered up just wash it out, you might need to use your shampoo twice as it can make your hair a little heavy if too much of it stays on and it can be a little difficult but I personally had no problems and was able to get way with one wash.

Then just let your hair air dry if you can but blow drying shouldn't cause any issues and you should find that your hair is now extremely soft and much easier to manage. I found my boyfriend kept trying to pat my hair because it was so soft for the next few days. Great Treatment and really cheap.

Have you tried it?

Review Models Prefer Grand Finale Eye shadow Quad

 

I purchased this to qualify for the Priceline beauty bag (see post here) and I liked the colors but I wasn't expecting much from it, the only other Models Prefer pallet I have tried was about a year ago and it was terrible and I threw it away, so not high expectations but I was intrigued by the light blue/teal color so I figured why not give it a shot, the company has clearly taken steps in the last 6 months to improve.

 

This particular piece is called  "grand finale" no caps for some reason? And contains a set of four (hence quad I guess) eyeshadows; I'm not sure if they have individual names but the colors are a yellow/cream, a reddish copper, a light teal and a blurple. A unique and interesting selection but I have to say the colors really stood out to me, particularly the teal.

 

When I swatched these at home I was pretty damn surprised, each of these is one layer only and you can see that they are damn pigmented, they have a frosty finish but feel very creamy and almost thick to apply.  Having worn the blues and the copper since then I have found that they are indeed pigmented but do have a little fallout, but it seems to all be pigment with little to no filler as it's the farthest thing from chalky.  I'm really pleased with this quad and it makes me less afraid to try other Models Prefer products. Plus at $4.99 it's a total steal.

Review China Glaze Smoke and Ashes + A England She Walks in Beauty

 

This combination is China Glaze Smoke and Ashes from their Hunger Games collection and A England's She Walks in Beauty. Both are beautiful on their own and I really like this combination.

 



China Glaze Smoke and Ashes is a black base with green/silver shimmer it goes on super smooth and didn't chip for about 4 days without top coat (so pretty good). I'm not sure how easy it is to purchase these days as it was, as I mentioned, part of the hunger games districts polishes and I had to order all mine online as I never even so much as heard of them here.

A England's She Walks in Beauty is indeed a thing of beauty, I have nothing like it anywhere in my collection and can't recall seeing a dupe anywhere; it's a clear base with tiny gold micro glitter and larger circle baby pink glitter and then slightly larger hexagonal baby pink glitter. This one comes from the ‘Heavenly Quotes’ collection. You can find a close up swatch over at The Subtle Shimmer.

 

Sadly A England is having some issues with international shipping as their carrier will no longer send nail polish over seas and although they are still trying to find a way to do so, international orders are no longer the awesome treat they once were. Ah, and i missed out on Moonbeams....

 

So these are some slightly difficult to get your hands on polishes but I think we can all appreciate how lovley they can be, and I urge you all to look at A England's ‘Heavenly Quotes’ and other collections because they are really amazing.

Review Loreal Nude Magique BB Powder

 

Finishing of on a brighter note (bb crème, brightener, get it? ) we have the L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Powder and um it's amazing. Thanks for reading, see ya next post.

 

 

What you want more then that? Ugh fine, it's super amazing. I'll be adding it to my HG list ASAP, because it fulfills all the needs I have in a powder; not cakey, not to thin, able to work with my foundation and not go oil crazy after a few hours. I'll put this on in the morning and it looks like I'm not wearing anything on my face, it doesn't even look like powder, it just looks like skin, I don't know how or why, I don't want to know, pixie magic or caged leprechauns are fine with me if they produce these results. I don't know how a powder can be a bb powder, it doesn't brighten or make my skin between but it's a magic powder that looks like skin and stays put for 8 hours plus!

 

It comes in a cute and basic container, I like to use a kabuki brush with it and it works damn fine if I say so myself, I should point out that mum tired this one as well and although she too loves it he finds the light version a little to light on her skin but has no problems with the bb crème so if you can swatch them otherwise remember that the powder is a bit more pale then then the crème.

 

 

So wrapping it up the  L'Oreal Nude Magique BB collection is a little hit and miss, the blush is useful for beginners but mostly a gimmick, the crème is good if your tan and terrible if your not, while the powder makes up for all of that by being the amazingest (not a word, don't care) powder ever.

Review L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream

 

Continuing with our exploration of the L'Oreal Nude Magique line, a terrible mouthful it is I might add. Today we have the BB Cream of this line and I was looking forward to this a lot, my mum loved the hell out of it and swears it's her new HG foundation/bb cream. (Mum and I made the switch from heavy foundation to tinted moisturizers to the new bb creams which are mostly the same thing). Mum would tell me how awesome and amazing this was and all I could say was "but o haven't finished my other two bb creams yet, I can't justify this!"

 

But circumstance intervened and I got very close to finishing the two I had and gave away one of my backups to a makeup-less friend, the stars aligned and there it was waiting for me, I picked it up, I brought it home, I excitedly washed my face to give it a try, It was really different; when you first open the cap the cream inside is white with tiny grey/blue capsules that pop as you rub them in.

 

 

 

 

And then....ehh. I wanted so bad to love it, but it turned orange on me! Not just a little orange, a terrible brown-orange that even my best powder could do nothing against. I picked up the lightest shade they had available and it was still orange. A terrible disappointment, I have my eye on the new Revlon bb cream coming out this week but I suspect that the oil-free Garnier will continue to remain my go to face coverage.

 

I have to say that it is unique, and I know my mum well enough to know this product must work on her for her to praise it so much (she's repurchased it twice already) so if your not albino white or baby pink and have any tan on you at all, it might work for you, it might be your new favorite foundation of all time and you will mock and laugh at us pale girls, I hope so, I wanted to love it.

 

Giving the bottle to mum tomorrow. Sad face.

 

 

 

Have you tried it, or has a bb cream ever disappointed you so badly?



Review L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Blush

This is perhaps one of the most unique products i have seen in a long time, and honestly I'm not sure if i buy into the premise but it's certainly a fun product. Obviously it's not a bb - anything, it's not going to make your skin feel or behave any better. What it will do is give you a very light, very natural blush look that is basically idiot proof.

 

The product is a clear silicon based pink and transparent gel, you only need the tiniest amount to use, half the size of a pea really to get all you need out of it. It feels incredibly smooth when you apply it and at first appears super bright, like crazy Barbie doll pink kind of bright.

 

Luckily it mellows out pretty fast, and you need only blend so far as you want it to, the longer you blend the more it disappears until you have almost entirely erased it from your face, It reminds me most closely of the Essence Ballerina Collection soufflé blush, it's similarly smooth and very natural looking. It's not a product that's ever going to make you look like a clown if you go to hard on it and it's not going to oxidize and change color. It feels very smooth and sits pretty well, but probably works better as a blush base if you want it to last all day. By itself it provides maybe 4-6 hours worth of blush time. I would recommend it if your a blush newbie or have a terrible fear of over applying, otherwise it's more of a fun gimmick. I'll probably continue to use it when I want a very low maintenance and low effort look.

 

Note, I'm moving house today so there will be few scheduled posts going up as I don't know how long it will take to get internet up and running and my new place.

 

 

Have you tried anything from this line yet?

Why Do I Wear Make-Up Tag

I saw this over at Beautifully Glossy and thought it looked like fun, also I'm moving at the moment so any other type of post has difficulties though i do have a few scheduled posts going up, I'm not sure when i will have Internet access after Saturday. Seemed fun anyways;

1. When did you begin loving make up?

I was never very find of makeup as a teen, it was more of a necessity to cover up acne and so for almost all my life until two years ago makeup consisted of Dove tinted moisturizer, concealer and any old blush i could find. At that point it seemed unnecessary and terribly girly which at that point in my life equated with "stupid and shallow". Happily for me that changed two years when i walked into a LUSH store and then started looking up LUSH reviews which led me to makeup and nail polish blogs and eventually makeup blogs. The whole thing came full circle when LUSH released a makeup line last year.

2. How do you feel without make up?

I'm mostly okay without makeup, but i usually will wear at least some bb cream and a setting powder with a lip color of some kind, just makes me feel more confident and like I've put in some effort for the day. Feel less slob like while at home too.

3. What do you like about make up?

I like that it makes you feel more polished and gives you time to yourself, it's both a creative outlet and in some ways a meditative one. Putting on your makeup is a moment just for yourself where you have time to think about your day, think about the look you want to express that day and what you might face. Do you want to show a professional and neutral face. or a bright and vibrant face with a lot of color. It's a way to focus on your day.

4. List three ‘Holy Grail’ items:

This is soooo easy, I'm very picky about these "HG" items and for the most part it will take a lot of time for a product to become a must have item, as in literally the best of the best, can;t live without sort of item.

My most recommended item of all time is LUSH's Fresh Farmacy , in reality this would be my number one, two and three HG item but just to play along with the tag; the other two would be the Maybelline Eye Tattoos and the Haus of Gloi Satyr Soap.

Fresh Farmacy is an amazing cleanser for combination/oily skin, it's also great as a shaving aid for girls and boys and leaves yout face feeling clean, smooth, calm and beautiful. I would never go back to anything else and even my boyfriend is a complete convert even buying it by himself when we run low.

The Eye Tattoos are hg not because of their colors but because of their adaptability; you can use them on their own as a primer, as a base and the taupe is a great contouring color. They can be used in so many ways and that's why i love them.

Lastly the Haus of Gloi soaps are amazing, and i particularly love it in Satyr, their a luxury soap and a treat to use, they make you feel like you've just spent a lot of money on a very expensive skin care package but really it's just the smoothest, creamiest soap in the world which makes you feel like a million bucks.

100th Post: Review MAC Amber Lights

Hello, welcome to 100th post. Yay. To celebrate a little i though i would review something a little outside my usual price range. I mentioned a little while ago that i was hankering after some MAC eyeshadow and Violet Star will be mine eventually.  This little beauty however is MAC's Amber Lights.

Amber Lights is a a rich, warm-toned coppery bronze with a frost finish and is from MAC's permanent range. Mac calls it a peach tone but it's really much closer to a warm copper/bronze color leaning a little orange. It's quite creamy and very pigmented with very little fallout.

It stayed on relatively well though i think my skin prefers using a primer with eyeshadow otherwise they just slip off, it's not too powdery or chalky, it's really all an eyeshadow should be. I find it works very well as both a lid and crease color and i imagine it would look amazing on darker skin tones. 

For light skinned girls (and guys, i don't judge)  it may be a little hit and miss, if you have pink undertones it should work well and bring out lighter eye colors where as those with yellow undertones might find that it becomes a little too orange on them and bring out any redness in their skin.

I'm quite happy with this eyeshadow and look forward to trying more MAC eyeshadow (if only they weren't so damn expensive). Now that i have the Naked 2  i find I'm pretty set on neutrals and so I'm really more interested in unique shades that can compliment that rather then purchasing another set of neutrals and this fits the bill; it can be neutral if used lightly or it can be a statement shadow.

So thanks to my followers, and here's to a 100 more. :)

Priceline Beauty Bag 2013 Haul

(see catalogue here)

 

It's been a while since I did a haul post but I know a lot of people have been curious about the current Beauty Bag that went on sale today at Priceline, so I though I would do a bit of a haul post as well as list some of the items included so people can make a better choice if they want to pick it up.

 

Now the deal is that you spend $60 on selected brands, in this case Rimmel, Revlon, Models Prefer, Nude, Manicare, Burjois, Kiss, Natio, Australis, EcoTools, Sally Hansen and Savvy. Not the biggest range but decent, especially if you have a few things you might need to pick up anyway. In return you will receive a bag full of stuff worth $220 (supposedly) in value, almost entirely consisting of full size items from those ranges themselves.

 

So let me note that when I pick up the Priceline beauty bag, for the past 3 years (I picked up the skincare beauty bag before I was ever really "into" makeup) I usually split it with a friend or in this case my mum. We have both similar tastes but different needs so it's fairly easy to split it up between us and means no one goes home with something they really don't like. For this reason not all the items from the bag will appear in the photos because mum already took them home, but I will list them anyway.

 

I also want to point out that at the moment Priceline has a lot of sales specifically on Revlon, Rimmel , Nivea and Burjois. (The Burjois lipsticks which are usually $21 are currently all $10)

 

 

So, to qualify for the $60 buy in, mum and I purchased the following items;

 

Burjois "Vert Peptite 55" Metallic Eyeliner Teal (mine) $16

Burjois "Bleu Cinquant 54" Metallic Eyeliner in Blue (mums) $16

Models Prefer Eye shadow Quad in Grand Finale (mine) $4.99 (huh, just notice it was cheaper then listed on the floor where it said $10)

Models Prefer Bronzer & Illuminator Quad (mums) $10

Models Prefer Mystic Smudge Brush $14.99

 

As you can see I also picked up the Nivea Pure and Natural Toner (on special for $5.99 down from $10)

 

With these purchases we qualified for the BeautyBag but also for the Burjois (Spend $20) gift :) Muhahah

 

The Burjois gift included a Burjois blush in D'or (but this may vary), a kabuki brush and a small mirror.

 

The Beauty Bag on the other hand included; (there may be variations in color in individual bags)

 

Sally Hansen Salon Manicure Nail polish (in Midnight in NY)

Revlon Lip Butter (in Sweet Tart)

Natio Lipstick (in Flutter)

EcoToolsShower Puff

Models Prefer Brow Highlighter (what?)

Manicare Cuticle Therapy Oil

Rimmel Wake Me Up Primer (not full size like pictured on the promo)

Australis Pepperatzi Perfect Concealer

Kiss Stick on Nails(in French Manicure)

Press & Go Glue on Nails (in Red)

Burjois MAXI Mascara

Nude Mineral Airbrush Primer

Savvy Facial Wipes

 

For some people this will be worth it, others not so much, but I hope this helps a little.

 

 The Beauty Bag sale will run from Thursday 11th April - Monday 22nd April 2013
 

 

New & Upcoming Products

So i feel like i have been seeing quite a bit of new stuff these last few weeks and i thought i would share them with you, if you've tried em let me know!

L'Oreal - They seem to be expanding their Nude Magique Range with a new(ish) bb and cc cream, a bb blush and bb powder. I actually have both the blush and powder and will hopefully get reviews up soon but i;m totally dying to try the bb cream as it my mum's favorite bb cream. So of course when she bought it she gave me her old Garnier oil-free bb cream which i feel like i need to finish before i can buy yet another one.....but it seems really nice from what i have tried, Any thoughts?

Australis - Compared by most bloggers to the OCC lip tars these seem pretty damn pigmented and crazy bright, i'm considering the pink one.

Maybelline - Just recently hitting shelves is the Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara, like kinda cool. They are currently running a promotion to win these; enter here http://www.maybelline.com.au/medition

Some new bright colors in the Mabeline lip range; the new ColorSensational Vivids.

Rimmel - Rimmel is now adding matte versions to their Kate Moss lipsticks which were released earlier this yes, they look a bit more wear-abe then their glossy counterparts.

They are also rocking some new "match perfection" foundation.

And a set of (4?) Duochrome metallic nail polishes called "Metal Rush".

Face of Australia - has added some new shades to their lip quenchers line. I've never tried these, but they seem popular.

Nivea - Lip Butters! 

Revlon -  The Colorstay Suede look pretty interesting, i wonder how long the actual product is since the packaging is non standard.

Essence Products Discontinued & Upcoming Trend Edition

So a little while ago i mentioned that Essence were discontinuing some of their products so i thought it might be useful to spread the message a little so no one is left without a back up of their favorite product;

Image from Essence Au Facebook group

The items which they have stated are going to be discontinued are;

colour & go nailpolish 102 sparkling water lily, 108 ultimate pink, 110 modern romance, 116 gorgeous bling bling, 117 i’m so very, 118 little miss sunrise, 119 boho chic, 121  gold fever, 123 1000 miles away, 124 wanna say hello, 127I Love Bad Boys, 130  whats my name?, 133 oh my glitter!, 139 Walk On The Wild Side, 140  go bold!, 142 grey-to be here.

If you want to see swatches of these click here.

nude glam nailpolish 06
eyeshadow 11 Wild At Heart, 16 Go Glam, 22 blockbuster, 30 Happy Hour, 34 Love That Grey!, 45 Back To Khaki, 51 Absolutely Nature, 52 Olive Garden, 54 Yes Eye Can, 56 Hyped Up, 57 In The Clouds, 59 Copper Island, 60 Kermit Says Hello

If you want to see swatches of these click here.

quattro eyeshadow 01
fix & matte! translucent loose powder
forget it! 3in1 concealer
gel eyeliner 01, 05 and gel eyeliner brush
I love runway highlighter
I love stage eyeshadow base - i know alot of people swear by this one so I'm sad to see it go too
kajal pencil 18
lipstick 40, 50, 59
mattifying compact powder 07
my base-illuminating make-up base and my base-skin perfection make-up base
sun club large bronzing powder 01, 02
smokey eyes set 01, 02
stay all day long lasting eyeshadow 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9
stay with me longlasting lipgloss 09
XXXL shine lipgloss 05

I'm not to bothered since i either already have these products or never used them, besides loosing the eyeshadow primer I'm not personally loosing anything i love but i do know some people really love the makeup bases and lip sticks and lip glosses so i hope if that's you, you go get yourself a spare right now!

________________________________________________________________________________

So onto happier business, though no date exists yet so far as i can tell, but Essence have said that their Sweet Home collection will be the next one hitting our shores.

Image from Miss Firuz Blog

The edition consists of;

3 Eyeshadow; 01 happy couching, 02 light the fire, place! ,03 my home is my castle.

2 Lipsticks; 01 red-y to relax (red) , 02 berry me home (pink).

1 Gloss; 01 mugs & kisses.

2 Blushes; 1 knits for chicks (pink), 02 wool-d you cuddle me? (apricot)

4 Nail polishes; 01 caramel cheesecake (apricot), 02 red-y to relax (red), 03 hot fruit punch (plum) , 04 berry me home (pink)

1 Set of Nail Stickers; 01 neither swedish nor-wegian.

1 purse; 01 knitted with love.

It's a really nice cuddly theme to be releasing with the on set of winter and i will totally be picking up a few, at the moment i have my eye on the plum nail polish, the apricot blush and maybe the pink or brown eyeshadow, plus the bag. I can use it for my dice, cos I'm a Dungeons and Dragons nerd. The lipsticks are cool but a bit to bright for me so i will pass but swatches of them look pretty bitching, especially the pink one.

So what products are you sad to see go, or alternatively what are you looking forward to?

Review: Nivea Pure & Natural Regenerating Night Cream

Hey all, hope you had a good easter break. Today coming to you from the new (to Australia) pure and natural range from Nivea is their regenerating night cream. Now I've never used a night cream so i don't have a huge range of judgment here; at this point I'm not sure what does or does not constitute a "good" or "bad" night creme. Instead i will just tell you about my experience with it and let you decide if you want to try it or not.

So for me, and my unexperienced skin i wanted a night creme that was preferably eco friendly, if something is going to be sitting on my face all night i don't want to risk irritation or discomfort, secondly i wanted it to be relatively fast absorbing; i don't want creme all over my bed covers/boyfriend, and lastly i wanted my face to feel "better" when i woke up after using it.

So this product did satisfy all those conditions and so i quite like it, it's super soft and smells very inoffensive, it's mostly the familiar nivea scent just way toned down/ I never even notice it after it's on. I do wish the product had a little more...glide to it, i feel like i have to use a good amount just to get it to cover my face and neck and the jar isn't huge. 

I only use this maybe twice a week or so because it does feel a bit heavy and although my skin feels great it also feel a little...extra oily, but perhaps my skin is just used to lighter moisturizers since as a teen i had pretty acne prone skin. (which has thankfully cleared up now for the most part).

Overall i do like it, but i'm just not sure if i need it yet. It feels nice but it also feels like a lot of work and the heaviness is a bit hard to not notice it; i think i generally prefer my rose-hip oil but i will retry this in the future.