Review: Lush 9-5 Orchid Oil Cleanser

Recently I've been having some issues with my make up removal process; it seemed like it was taking too long and eye makeup specifically wasn't ever disappearing entirely so i would wake up with panda eyes and my FoA budge proof eyeliner still well and truly not budged off. For background i was previously using a combination of Savvy makeup wipes (not bad, not great), Dove Foaming makeup remover and Models Prefer Eye Makeup remover. The wipes and eye makeup remover seemed to be the big culprits, so i went on line in search of something new to try.

I would love to get the Bioderma Makeup Remover as i have tried it before and it is amazing, however it also needs to be ordered online for me and i needed something now. Also i hate to pay shipping unless I'm getting a lot out of it, so i wanted to buy something locally if i could at all help it.

Now my favorite HG cleanser of all time is Lush's Fresh Farmacy and is the product i attribute my much changed and acne free skin to. I used to like scrubs and much rougher and "stingy" products but it turned out this gentle cleansing and calming bar was the answer. I discovered that they had two cleansers which were also makeup removers; 9-5 Orchid Oil Lotion and Ultrabland.

Ultrabland is a thick almost waxy translucent balm that you rub onto your skins and then wipe away with a wt towel or paper but although it had some fantastic look i didn't want anything so heavy on my skin so i looked at the alternative. 9-5 had some very contrasting reviews, and not the iffy kind bu as in complete opposites, everyone seemed to either love it or hate it with venom. Needless to say i was skeptical going in, but Lush has rarely if ever disappointed me, if anything i feel i disappoint them by not having a bath and being unable to use their bathbombs. 

So i thought i would give the product a bit of a test, before leaving the house i covered my hand in a few swipes of makeup that i find hard to remove; my budge proof eyeliner from FoA, a swipe of lipstick from Australis, some blush both powder and cream and a bit of my regular foundation. so despite looking a bit silly i was able to try out in store how it would fare against my regime. It did surprisingly and amazingly well, and on top of that it smelled amazing. If you tried their Ghost shower gel at  Halloween then this is very similar scent, Ghost was technically a Lilly scent but it's still very similar.

To help you make a decision here are some tests i did; first up Illamasquas Cream Blusher after it was rubbed in;

Secondly these are some quite dark/bright lipstick swatches;

For the lipstick i had to rub it back once and then the staining effect from the lipstick disappeared as well.

So since i purchased this i have been using it everyday to remove my makeup after wearing it all day, and after taking swatching pictures and the like. It works very well, requires very little effort on my part and gets rid of almost all my makeup in a single swipe. It does sting just a little if i get it in my eye b accident but that doesn't happen very often. I would be happy to repurchase this and look forward to using it more, the scent really makes it a relaxing and luxurious experience. I think one of the best things about this cleanser is that it makes my skin feel better, as i had used a moisturizer beforehand. I've never had a make up remover that actually seemed to do anything other then get makeup off.

However all the negative reviewed make me thing that you should test this out yourself before purchasing awesome people seem to be quite sensitive to the Orchid oil.

What's you favorite Makeup Remover?

Brown Eye Liners

Alot of my time online is spent on other Beauty Blogs, most of that time spent in wild jealousy over the stuff they are reviewing, awe at their bravery for showing their faces, or just giggle at their antics and feel better about my own shopping habits. But one blog, without fail makes me try new things, not always wild or crazy just different from my usual humdrum. This is sleep and water, something about is just very relaxing and at the same time convincing. So after reading the post linked above i of course went out and got a whole bunch of brown eyeliners to try, and Essence just happened to have some new ones so they got the brunt of my pencil eyeliner enthusiasm. Plus they were a cheaper test as to weather i like brown eyeliner then other brands.  Though admittedly i did look for the Australis 10 Hour Waterproof Eye Pencil in Bombastic Bronze but no no avail. So let's see what i did pick up;

Essence Stays no matter what in Stunning Brown is one of the new products from Essence after they discontinued a whole bunch of stuff to make some room, and it's very soft, but not too soft. It has the great staying power and is indeed waterproof, so i need to use an oil based or cream cleanser to get rid of it. It's a nice deep and very rich brown that is perfect for transitioning away from black liner.

Essence Long Lasting Eyeliner in Bling Bling also seems relatively new to their stands but i think it predates the big shift, it's a retractable pencil and the color is much more light brown almost to the point of approaching gold. It's much lighter and much softer in application so it can be used for a very subtle look or layered for more of a bang. It's not waterproof and does fade away quite quickly but it is a lovely color.

Well i was going to pick this up anyway, it's Face of Australia's Budge Proof Gel eyeliner which i have discussed before, but had a hell of a time trying to find this color. Every Priceline i went to only had the black, purple and navy shades and most were on quite low stock of those. Finally i found it at Kmart and it was the last bottle! I hope it;s not being discontinued already because it's amazing. I love how easy the brush makes everything, you do have to wash it pretty often for it to stay soft and manageable but for me that's totally worth it as it;s almost idiot-proof. The color is similar to Brilliant Bronze but obviously much more spreadable and without any shimmer.

Models Prefer is not a brand i often look to, but while i was looking through it a few weeks ago to get my paws on the Priceline bag i saw a tester for this amazing liquid liner, it's a gorgeous black/brown/gold packed with shimmer. It glides on like a dream but takes a few moments to dry so you must be careful or it will smudge (and smudge it will, like a glitter bomb went off). But it's amazing color is worth the effort. The lasting time on the actual liner is about 4-6 hours and then it tends to dissolve into beautiful glitter bomb aftermath. 

So it turns out i like brown eyeliners, who knew? What's your favorite liner? Color or brand!

Review Australis Pout Paste

I'm a little late with this review, in fact the photos have been sitting on my hard drive before i moved but since i recently fell hard into love with the Australis Color Inject lipsticks i thought my first lip product from Australis deserved a little attention since it's really what made me confident enough to try other lip stuff from the brand. I am of course talking about the Australis Pout Paste Intense Lip Colours, and boy are they ever.

Believe it or not this color is the easiest to wear and the most...well not subtle but wearable i guess, the other two colors are a deep berry with slight purple tones and a bright bright my face is on fire red, so really the pink was the only...safe option? I don't know, who cares, look at the color payoff?! By the way it's actually called "Pash me Pink". Which is a bit silly but not in any way off putting. I still remember sending my boyfriend into Mecca to buy me "Orgasm". Good Times.

Even though it looks like it would be a tube application, not a huge fan, as you can see it actually comes with a soft and angled doe foot applicator making actually putting this thick yet glossy stuff much easier then it might otherwise be. The formula is super soft and ultra glossy, a little bit on the thick side but as i mentioned the applicator does a decent job of spreading that stuff around. The image below shows how nicely it spreads, no bold patches or bleeding.

I really like wearing this, it's crazy bright but a good kind of bright and really goes along way to brighten up the cold winter days. It leaves a slight stain which i enjoy and usually just use as a reminder to reapply some but being a gloss do not expect it to last through your dinner or drinks. You will however leave behind a Hollywood quality lip stain on your glass. I'm a fan, and i don't usually go in for gloss, but the color pay off sells it for me, and i hope they bring out some more colors.

Have you tried these?

Haul - Who cares why?

So over the past few days I've acquired a few things, mostly for the purpose of this blog and to try out something a bit different and outside my comfort zone. Specifically a different makeup remover, dark or bright lipsticks and brown eyeliners as opposed to my usual black. Also my Illamasqua blush finally arrived!

So here's what i got and here's where to get it'

Rimmel Lipstick (Kate) in 04
Rimmel Lipstick (Kate) in 20
Australis Color Inject in Foxtrot
Lush 9-5 Cleanser and Makeup Remover with Orchid oil
The Face Shop's Jelly Apple Peeling mask(?)
Illamasqua Cream Blush in Rude (!!!)
Face of Australia Budge Proof Eyeliner  in brown
OPI Liquid Sands Stay the Night
Essence All about Matte compact
Essence Stays waterproof eyeliner in brown
ModelsPrefer Liquid Eyeliner in brilliant brown
Lush Sexy Peel Soap
Lush Fresh Farmacy


Let me know if you have a preference for any reviews :)

FFS Friday - Slow Internet Edition

So I've spent the past three hours trying to get this post up - ffs

After working brilliantly for the past week, last night when i was being super productive and actually trying to send some work to someone the net slowed down, as in so slow it couldn't even load Facebook or Google - ffs

I figured it would better in the morning, it wasn't - ffs

So my partner called our provider (vivd) at 2 pm because he really needed to submit some homework to Uni and so really needed the net to work. He has to leave for work at 3 pm. He was still on the phone at that time so i had to take over the conversation in the middle of everything - ffs

It took a further 45 minutes to upload seven, 6kb (absolutely tiny files) notepad files and email them off to vivid so they could "analyze and get back to me" - ffs

Internet is currently still ultra slow but is actually letting me load one website at a time, so hopefully it will let me post this ...post? - ffs

At least the lady on the other end of the line was nice and friendly, i imagine it must have been pretty boring for her too - not ffs

Earlier in the week we had to get the car serviced, and it was already 3 months overdue so i was freaking out that i was going to be super expensive, luckily it wasn't - not ffs

Buuuuut, they said the engine might be leaking and if that is the case then at the next service it's going to cost between $500 and $700 to get it completely replaced - ffs

On the way to pick up the car we received an email telling us that the hotel booking we had for June in Melbourne had been cancelled because the booking company we had used had gone into voluntary liquidation - ffs

Also, they would like to move our booking to another random hotel but first they need us to pay them the money we owed for the booking because the booking website had never received it, you know three weeks ago - ffs

So currently we have no hotel booking, no trace of the money which left the account but apparently never arrived at the booking website, and less then 60 days before we have to be in Melbourne - ffs

We are going to Melbourne to attend PAX, a huge gaming convention coming down from America for the first time ever - not FFS

I also spent 10 days waiting for my Illamasqua blush to arrive, from Melbourne, as in, in the same country only one state away. I've had things arrive from England at a faster rate then that - ffs

When it finally arrived, it arrived at my mums house (because i live in a dodgy neighborhood and don't trust them to not go through my mail), first thing mum asked me if she could try it, i said sure, when i got it later that day it had tiny little specks of hair and dirt in it from an uncleaned makeup sponge - ffs

To make myself feel better i went to Priceline to pick up a new lipstick, i wanted something really different from my usual pinks and mauve so i went for the darkest shade i could find, Rimmel's Kate Moss lippy in 04 and awesome dark plum color - not ffs

But when i opened it at home someone had twisted the lipstick all the way up at the store and the top of it was all mushed up - ffs

So that's been my FFS this week, Let's hope this post goes up on Friday, if not then - FFS!

My Favorite Brushes

I recently ordered two new brushes from iHerb and it got me thinking that i had never shared my favorite brushes with you, most of the makeup i show off on this blog wouldn't go anywhere with out these my favorite brushes;

1. Lust Have It Kabuki Brush
This arrived in a Lust Have It box maybe two or three months ago and it instantly replaced my older Chi Chi kabuki brush and this is probably my most used brush next to the Blush brush. It's eco-friendly and like all of these its a synthetic brush. I find it does a great job of buffing in my face powder which is its main purpose in my arsenal.

2. Real Techniques Enhanced, Shading Brush
I love this brush for blending out eyeshadow on my crease, i have a few similar brushes but i like this one the best as it is the softest one and doesn't require a lot of effort to make ti do it it's thing.

3. Eco Tools Angled Eyeliner Brush
I like using this brush for my powder eyeliner  but more commonly i use this for filling in my eyebrows. Among my two other angled brushes this one is the best width and the individual hairs don't tend to bend as much as the others so it's stiffness is a real plus.

4. Models Prefer Smudge Brush
I picked this one up recently to get the Priceline Makeup Bag and i have come to like it alot, it's stiff but not so much that it hurts, it's great for blending eyeshadow or eyeliner.

5. Real Techniques Perfect Blush Brush
I bought this because it is so incredibly soft, i have a lovely Eco Tools blush brush that lies abandoned since i got this. it's nicely tapered so i feel like

6. Real Techniques Perfected Stippling Brush
I bought this on iHerb because it (like the other RT brushes) are stupid expensive and its main purpose is dealing with liquids; as in liquid foundation or bb cream if i don't feel like using my hands or for cream blushers. It's quite good and gives me a very nice and even coverage.

7. Chi Chi Double Sided Eyeshadow Brush
This one i picked up probably about a year ago when i desperately needed new makeup brushes after i first started getting back into my makeup and for actually placing eye shadows i find this to be very good. It picks up both powders and creams easily and can be used for both patting the eyeshadow on or blending it onto the lid. I like that it's double sided as it means i don't have to go rummaging for a second brush if im just doing a two color eyeshadow look and it's flat edge makes it good for multiple uses including eyeliner, eyebrows, applying concealer and even as a lip brush.

8. Eco Tools Bronzer Brush
This one i bought got for my birthday last year when i was staring out with bronzer and although i still feel like it's not really my thing a lot of the time, this brush helps alot and i love the feeling and heft of it. Not a subtle one.

So those are my go to brushes which i use basically everyday and i really like and would recommend all of them, though i have to say the sheer softness of the RT brushes probably makes them my favorite and i hope they bring out some more, especially a lip brush would be nice or a domed rather then angles kabuki. What are your favorite brushes? Post a comment below :)

10 Products I Would Repurchase or my Top Ten Favorite Items

So i was recently watching missglamorazzi when I came across this tag and though it sounded like fun. The basic idea is that if a magic fairy (as opposed to a non-magic one) stole all of your make up what would you 10 products would you repurchase. (after the heart palpations stop). So i thought about what my favorites in my stash are and here is the list i came up with:

#1 The Garnier Miracle oil-free BB cream

Can't start to redo my makeup without some sort of foundation and i know i can trust this product, i know it works for me and that it won't fade away, crease or oxidize on my skin.

#2 The Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balm Stains in Honey

Lip Products are always a bit of a secondary concern for me so i like something that lasts a lot and won't need a lot of effort or care on my part. Honey is my favorite neutral my lips but better shade.

#3 Lush Liquid Eyeshadow in Sophisticated

Again the easiest and fastest way to put on eyeshadow, one swipe and you have hours of beautiful neutral eyeshadow that can be used on it's own or as a base.

#4 NARS Orgasm Blush

I would not go back to any other blush as the NARS blushes are so fine that they beat any other powder blush out of the park.

# 5 Naked 2 Eyeshadow Pallet

For powder eyeshadow i don't think i can think of a single pallet that can been out the Naked pallet. I was skeptical to begin with but it's hard to argue with perfection.

# 6 Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

Surprising amount of eye shadows, but my favorite is Bad the the Bronze as it's not too creamy like the the Cream and Pink but not as hard as the Taupe. Again a great by itself product or a base.

# 7 Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla and Macadamia

I initally though that the caramel would be the one i loved the most but it can be a tad too sweet sometimes so i use this one before bed and in the morning. where as i carry the Caramel in my bag and use when I'm out and around. Lovely relaxing scent.

# 8 Face of Australia Budge Proof Gel Eyeliners

I talked about these recently and i would highly recommend this, it lasts an age and is amazingly easy to apply. Great for those like me who are terrible at eyeliner.

#9 L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Powder

The best powder i have come across, it's light and seems to disappear on my skin while still holding my makeup in place.

#10 MAC Star Violet Eyeshadow

No surprise here, i fell in love hard with this color and i would not happily give it up.

So what 10 products would you repurchase?

May-hem Haul

So shortly after i posted my wish list earlier this month i decided to try pick up one of the items that was on there, this was before my boyfriend surprised me with my oh-so-loved MAC Star Violet. Initially i was only going to pick up one item but because I'm a terrible human being with no self control i picked up another; as the photo above shows i got the Revlon Photready Cream Blush in Pinched and i ordered Illamasqua's Cream Blush in Rude. Can't help it, cream blushers have been on my mind lately and i thought a comparison of them might make an interesting post. So below is the list of stuff i got;

1. Garnier Oil Free BB Cream (previously reviewed) on sale at Priceline for $6.99. At such an amazing price I couldn't let this pass me up. This is my go to foundation/bb cream and although i keep trying others i know this is where my heart is. I'm not sure if i would quite say HG product but very much in the ballpark.

2. Limited Edition LYNX deodorant for women in Anarchy. I actually really like this, i hope they decide to keep it or bring out some more ladies products because i would totally switch to using this. It smells nice, maybe a tiny bit flower-y? I think this was around $5 at Priceline

3. Revlon Photoready Cream Blush in Pinched. (review coming soon) Such a nice peachy color, it's not super strong but i didn't want it to be. Build-able and super soft. Also makes a great base for powder blush. I was originally wanting to get the coral but somehow i had missed that this color even existed. $13 at Chemist Warehouse.

4. Clairol Foaming Hair Dye in #2 Black. I like the foam hair dyes, i always make a mess but i kind of miss my pink hair every time i do it. Worked really well and i will totally repurchase this as it was really easy to use and didn't take longer then 25 minutes. $7 at Chemist Warehouse

5. Dove facial cleanser in Citrus. My first time trying this, the consistency is very slippery and similar to other Dove cleansers but this one smells very nice, a fresh and not overwhelming citrus scent. It foams like crazy though, it's actually a bit insane how much this foams.

6. Face of Australia Budge Proof. I reviewed this the other day, the purple is a really nice shade and had the same awesome formula as the black, the color is slightly less pigmented but it makes a nice change from black.

(This pircture is the wrong color, i stole it from the Myer website)

7. I caved and bought the Illamasqua Cream Blush in Rude, it hasn't arrived yet but i couldn't it as part of the haul as it was all purchased on the same day. Hopefully it will arrive soon (coming from Sydney). I can't wait for it to arrive! $28 at Myer online

8. I got am email that same day from Strawberry Net with massive sales and wanted to try this, it's the Korres lightweight ginger and vitamin foundation in LF2. Seems quite nice and i like korres, plus i was willing to go on a limb for $12.95 but stopped myself getting anything else. This also has not arrived yet and the picture is cutesy of korres.com. Let you know how it goes.

So that's my May haul, it was nice to blow of a little steam and get a pile of stuff. i'm usually way to poor for hauls, but it IS a lot of fun. Hope you are all having a great day.

FFS Friday - I hate dealing with Phone/Internet companies

Every Friday i head over to Beautifully Glossy  so read her list of weekly crap/complaints and it's actually...quite relaxing. Makes me feel somewhat better about the crap that goes on in my life, so i thought i would let you guys into my complain fest and hope it makes you feel a bit better. So let's get into it;


So as you might know i recently moved house, when i moved in there was a single missing blind in the bedroom. I sleep on the left side of the bed and I'm attacked by a sunbeam of fire every morning. FFS

I've been trying to get a new set of curtains installed but the walls are not brick so i need a new set of stuff to install the curtain rods, because of course there are only curtains in the living area. FFS

When we moved in, the sink in the bathroom was leaking. Although it's since been fixed the bottom cupboard still smells like mildew. Gross. FFS

In the new place we also can't get cable Internet because of many weird and seemingly pointless reasons so we had to get wireless. FFS

As gamers, this is not optimal. FFS

So we looked around and eventually went with Vivid Wireless since they seemed the cheapest and best for our needs. So we wanted to buy the Home Gateway for $129 as it sends out a wireless signal and connect by cable to a big PC. It was out of stock. FFS

According to the sales person, it had been out of stock at the Good Guys and Dick Smith Electronics and on their own website for months. No idea when it might come back into stock. FFS

But we needed Internet so we were recommended to get the smalled single Internet USB dongle ($49) and a 3G/4G compatible router. Our old router of course was not 3G/4G compatible. FFS

There was none in stock at Good Guys so we had to go to Telstra and pick up theirs where we were told "It should work with the the Vivid Wireless device" okay, so we bought it ($79) and got it home to find that of course it doesn't work.

They said since we opened it, it means we can't return it. FFS

We went down there and argued about it, called a million numbers, got yelled at by the in store staff (Telstra, Joondalup FYI) fun times. FFS

Eventually we got through to their head office and they gave us a reference number for our complain which we took to the store and said that if they can't return it at this juncture then we would have to go to the Telecommunication ombudsman. They gave us store credit. Sort of FFS

So since only my main computer could get online we still needed a way to get the Internet on our phones, ipad and various gaming devices so we though to do the smart thing this time around and call Vivid to ask for a list of compatible 3G/4G routers. They asked us why we hadn't gotten the Home Gateway instead. FFS

We told them, that we had not gotten it because it was out of stock. Turns out it was in stock, they just had not bothered to update their website. FFS

However they let us return the USB dongle, refunded the Internet we had already paid for and sent out the Gateway which arrived the next day. They also gave us a free month of Internet. Not FFS

As soon as we got wireless Internet back we tried to update the Playstation Online network, which we learned was having issues of it's own and not letting updates through properly. FFS

Have been trying to get it to update since last night, still no luck. FFS

So that's my weeks whinge. this was kind of fun so i will try to do this at least every two weeks or so and i encourage you to do so as well. If you do leave a comment below as i love reading these kinds of posts.

Review Face of Australia Budge Proof Gel Eyeliners

I recently purchased the Face of Australia Budge Proof Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black and then more recently for some fun i also purchased the Pure Purple since i liked the black version so much. I believe these have only been out since early March or so but they are quite good and luckily for my terrible eyeliner application skills also very easy to use.

Now, admittedly, they look a bit weird. But actually they are a stealth secret weapon of awesomeness, the long top part is actually the brush which lifts out and the lid is a screw top, making it very travel friendly just not so stacking friendly but i am willing to overlook that.

The color pay of is quite nice and it stick very well, it really is quite budge-proof and the brush makes application so easy it's almost idiot-proof a swell. I include myself in that category, I'm terrible at eyeliner but this product really makes me feel like I'm a lot less fail then i actually am.

The formula is very impressive, soft and creamy which makes the product just glides on and stays put. I've tried gel eyeliners from Essence (not bad) and from Maybelline and i like this one the best, in fact next week I'm going to and get myself the bronze version. (It also comes in navy and a sparkling black). The brush i also surprisingly good for drawing shapes, getting between lashes and making a winged eye look.

I use the black basically everyday now with any look at all because i know that i can trust this product  and it's really helped me warm up to Face of Australia a lot. I love it, and I'm very sure you will love it too. If you haven't tried it yet then do so, it's worth the $10.

Review MAC Star Violet Eyeshadow!!!

I finally got it! I'm so thrilled to finally add this to my collection as i can now actually show off what a gorgeous shade it is. After i posted up my wish list my boyfriend surprised me with this the next day because he's awesome like that.

MAC Star Violet is a warm pinky-purple with a hint of brown, it has a slightly frosty finish and despite the violet color is still subtle enough to use as an everyday color. I personally like pairing it with a gold or a bronze on my lid and then star violet in the crease. Because it's a warm toned shade it blends really well with other warm shades and neutrals like browns and taupes.

It's fairly pigmented, not crazy so, but nothing terrible. For a subtle shade it's actually a bit better this way as you can build it really easily to get exactly the coverage you want. I've seen it described once that it's best to think about Star Violet as the best supporting actor in your makeup movie not necessarily the main "star".

The eyeshadow itself feels really soft and smooth and glides on with out being patchy or having heap of fall out, it blends really nicely and has a wonderful shimmer to it.

All in all, it's amazing. i love it. It's my favorite eyeshadow that i own :)

What's your favorite/dream eyeshadow?

Review: Revlon Photoready BB Cream

Hey all, after my disappointment with the L'Oreal BB cream i didn't want to go back to Garnier immediately so i looked around for something new to have a go at and came across the new stand of these and their new illuminators. I was pretty excited about it since it's SPF 30!  

It's a very sheer bb cream but it goes on very easily and you do not need a huge amount to cover your entire face, despite being sheer it's also relatively build able and sits well with powder on top. The everyday result is very smooth and dewy skin which looks very natural. I find that it's not great at controlling oil build up so personally i always use it with a powder but in that respect the oil free Garnier is probably better.

Although I've tried this with stippling brush, sponge and finger application i find using my fingers works best as the other techniques tend to sheer out the already sheer bb cream, plus the warmth in your fingers helps it spread even better.

The consistency is quite light and although it doesn't cover all blemishes,  pores are quite minimized and my face is given a natural and radiant glow. It also smooths out lines and as the name suggests actually is quite good for taking photos. It basically looks natural, bringing out the best in your skins natural beauty. 

Plus as i mentioned at the start it's SPF 30 so if you hate putting on sunscreen on under your makeup (like me) this might be a good choice, it doesn't have any real scent except the very faintest smell of sunscreen but even then i asked my mum to smell it and she didn't notice it so it might just depend how sensitive your nose is, and if that particular scent bothers you.

If it was better at controlling oil then i would happily switch over to this and away from my trusty Garnier but so far no such luck, after i finish this tube though im going to try the bb creams from the new Physicians Formula line.

What's your favorite bb cream?

My Wishlist (or I wish there was an Illmasqua counter here)

Whilst i wait to figure out how best to take photos here is my current wish/lust list.

1. MAC Star Violet Eyeshadow - I've talked about my lust for this eyeshadow and it hasn't changed but I'm still put off by the exorbitant price here and no real way to try lower it as buying from ebay i can't really guarantee if it's legit or not. It's such a lovely plum shimmer and one day it will be mine.

2. Revlon Photoready Cream Blush - I've been walking around this blush since it came out, i always convince myself it's not necessary but its so pretty and I'm developing a love of cream blushes, the only other one i have is an essence one and i would like to see how a somewhat "high end" cream blush is like.

3. Sephora/Pantone Color of the Year Collection - Only recently found out that this is even a thing, but i really love the teal color that was color of the year, and all the makeup looks really fun. It seems like it would make a really cool birthday gift or something (hint hint).

4. Philosophy Cinnamon Buns Shampoo -CINNAMON BUNS as a shampoo scent, i don't need to say anymore.

5. Chi Chi Nudes (Naked 1 Dupe) Pallet - It looks like a good dupe and I'm super happy with my Naked 2 but have no desire to spend another $50 on very similar colors, this seems better for my wallet.

6. Illmasqua Hydra Veil - I lust after anything Illmasqua, everything from them always seems super pigmented, gorgeous and really unique. This is the first time i ever lusted after their skincare but it seems very cool, i like primers and haven't really found one that hits the spot yet.

7. Illmasqua Cream Blush (in Dixi or Seduce) - Again Illmasqua and Cream blush lust combine.

8. Illmasqua Liquid Metal Eyeshadow (in Enrapture) - If you have eyes you can see how gorgeous this gold looks, i want it on me now.

9. Illmasqua Nail Varnish (in Mottle, Speckle and Scarce) - Maybe its because the fruity essence edition never came out here. but i kind of feel like these speckly nail polishes and i have a date with destiny.

10. MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque - I love my Maybelline Eye Tattoos but i want to try the original and wow the color on this is to die for, some kind of majestic combination of gold and cream.

11. Not a make up product but a videogame one, I've been playing through Starcraft 2 the past few days and i'm almost done. What am i going to do if this doesn't come out soon! The 3rd and final act is the Legacy of the Void expansion which i just know will drive me crazy till i get it.

Review: Essence 24h Hand Protection Balm (Winter Edition)

So I'm back :) Happily, though it took longer to sort out Internet then i liked as it turns out new apartment can't get cable Internet so it's mobile Internet for now. My video games don't care for that as much and I'm still trying to figure out how to get a wireless signal on my iPad and such but all in good time.

Today i;m looking at the Essence Winter drinks edition hand "protection balm" or as the rest of the world calls it a "hand cream". There are 3 of these; Apple Cinnamon Punch, Caramel Hot Chocolate and Gingerbread Chai Latte and they are all quite decent and at a price point of $1.95 it's hard not to be okay with it. Each one is 75ml so a decent amount.

I actually bought all three but decided to give one away to mum, but i might go pick it up as it really did smell quite delicious. My favorite by far is the Apple Cinnamon as it smells like an Apple pie to me and the smell isn't overly strong so it's not like i can smell it all the time, but it stays around for a few hours so i do get a nice wiff of it whenever my hands go near my face.

The Caramel Hot Chocolate is one which takes a little while to get going,  when i first put it on it really doesn't smell like anything but really warms up over a few minutes and does smell quite nice, very warm and comforting which is nice with all the rain the past few days.

The Gingerbread Chai Latte is wonderful too but i suspect it's not everyones cup of tea as the gingerbread is quite strong but so is the Chai, so it might be a bit too strong on your nose. I really like these though and i'm very happy Essence brought a little of their skin care to our shores.

As for how they work? Well i have never been huge on hand creams the only one i ever used before was a generic store brand one and only because it was scented like creme brule, but the two top ingredients are water, coconut oil and shea butter so it certainly does a fine job of keeping your hands soft and hydrated but i can't really say about the 24h protection.

I mean, i suppose it's stressful as i put it on 24 hours ago and i still have hands so in that respect i guess it works, but i suspect that's not what they really meant. They smell gorgeous and they make your skin soft, and if you hate it, well it didn't even cost you $2 so just toss it or give it to a friend.

Nice to be back and looking forward to more posts as soon as i figure out how to take better photos here ;)


P.s. If you want to stay updated on what's going on then check out my facebook page, if my internet is funky i can always post there to update things since it's free to acess on my phone.

Review: OPI Liquid Sands Stay the Night

Look how pretty that bottle is! That's why i picked this up you know, the bottle. I didn't care about the finish, i was just mesmerized by all the dark red glitter floating around in the darkness. It makes me think of magic. Plus i really hadn't felt any attraction to the liquid sands until i saw this, honestly i thought they looked a bit icky and i was pretty sure the texture wasn't for me. I'm glad i saw this color as it helped me branch out a little and try something new.

Turns out i don't actually hate the texture, but i do think it is one you need to see in person to decide if you like it. It's one that makes the glitter stand out much more so then a glossy nail polish  but yes, personal discretion  required. However the texture doesn't bother me when it's on my hands, i was initially worried it would be rough and catch on clothes and things however it's actually a bit soft and not rough against the touch.

Application was a breeze, two coats which actually go on smooth and then after about 40 seconds change texture and roughed up into the gritty sand like texture that is the end result. It also has pretty great staying power compared to regular creams or glitters, i got 5 days wear out of it with only slight wear on the tips and no chipping. I hope this is something the others in this collections can repeat.

I would be interested in trying a few more though probably not the light pinks and blues, however the white shade "Solitaire" from the Bond girls collections is quite intriguing. Have you tried any of the liquid sands?