Review: Maybelline Super Stay 24hr lipstick

Hey all, hope you have a day off today like I do! Today I wanted to show you the Maybelline Super Stay 24hr lipstick. I picked this up in the hope that it would last me through the work day as my mum was a huge fan of it and it's basically the only lip product she buys, and it was the lipstick she used to wear while she worked at a restaurant. So I had high hopes.

It's a double ended tube containing a creamy lipstick on one side and a balm on the other end, The colors are all fairly neutral and it's relativity easy to find one that works for you, as all of them (except maybe the red?) are very work safe. It applies very creamy and soft, your then supposed to wait for it to set then apply they clear balm on top.

It works really well, as long as you are careful and put in a bit of extra effort, because it sets relatively quickly you want to make sure your application is done well, this isn't one you will be able to use on the bus to work.

In addition you want to remember to apply this balm (not other balms) and perhaps more importantly remember to reapply this balm over the day.

If you forget to reapply it will dry out your lips out something fierce, and it will not look good. However if you can do this it will last at least 12 hours and maybe longer as i usually take it off when i get home so i won't comment. The best part is that unless your eating super greasy food the lipstick will not come of while eating or drinking throughout the day and is very very slow to fade. 

Like i said if your lazy then it will dry out your lips and you will find the color peels of along with your lips which is painful and unattractive but a little effort goes a long way, and if your looking for something to lastthe whole day then this is a great contender. Happy Holidays!

Have you tried a long lasting lipstick? What's your favorite?

New Job Haul

Hey all, sorry for the slow posts recently, new job in combination with a computer glitch that deleted all my blog information meant hat it was a bit more difficult for me to get anything up. The issue is still being fixed and it might take a little while to completely fix it. However I did have a chance to pick up a few (okay more then a few) bits and pieces many of which were driven by me new job and new found makeup needs, so let me share!

I picked up:

Elder Scrolls Online (map edition) - I really enjoyed Skyrim and I'm totally looking forward to playing this on my days off. So far it's been a bit of a difficulty in logging in and dealing with server crashes but I'm still hopeful.

Essence gel-look top coat - On the day I got my first pay check i immediately placed an order for some Illamasqua nail polishes that have been on my mind for ages but for whatever reason suddenly went on special, also with working longer hours with lots of computer clicking I really need my nail polish to last better then it does with no top coat so i figured i would give this one a try.

Essence purple sugar nail polish - I've been seeing this color a lot of blogs and youtube videos but  couldn't recall what the name of the polish was ( Pretty sure it was from Essie) but it's a beautiful color anyway (plus it's color of the year) and it lasts really well, I was able to wear it for three days without chipping and only a tiny bit of tip wear.

Essence all about nude eyeshadow palette - I picked this up because I saw the new collection and got really excited but nothing else really struck me as being too amazing except the blush but I realized that I love my Illamasqua Katie and Hourglass Ethereal glow too much to bother with almost anything else. It's not anything tooo amazing but it's nice enough and has some nice transition tones.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette - This was actually a congratulation on new job present from my amazing boyfriend, and I've been using it everyday since. I love it to death and adore the combination of matte and shimmery shades. It smells amazing and has incredible lasting power. Full review coming soon.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance (original) - I discovered in my first week at work that my eyeshadows were doing terribly at lasting through the whole day, and regular bases (maybelline eye tattoo and Illamasqua hollow) were only doing a so-so job of keeping the longevity of my eyeshadows. They did a great job at improving the color but my eyeshadow woulds crease and slip (not attractive). I choose this one since I was so in love with my Chocolate Bar pallet that i though brand to brand would work better together and it's a pretty well thought of primer.

e.l.f blending brush - Since I no longer have as much free time to clean my brushes I decided to add an additional two brushes and though these would make an interesting comparisons to some of my other brushes. 

e.l.f eyeshadow brush - I choose these two as they get the most attention on American blogs despite not being as cheap as they are over there ($1) while here they are ($3) they are still much cheaper then what other brands are offering.

Maybelline Super Stat 24hr Lipstick in Timeless Rose - Another thing i discovered in my first week of work is that my super moisturizing lipsticks were no good at lasting a day of work, and my mum swears by these so I figured it would be a good shot. So far so good though it an be drying if your not careful about using the balm side of it regularly.

Rimmel Scandal Eyes in 005 Nude,001 Black, and 004 Taupe - With less time to get ready in the morning and a limited time to get ready in these have been a great time saver and the fact that they are waterproof and super easy to use have been amazing. Really happy with these, wish I had found them before.

Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose - I loved the other two of these i have (macademia and caramel) but this one is by far my favorite, it's scent is much more subtle and seems much more hydrating then the others although that might just be because i'm more prone to use it as I love the smell so much.

Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying night treatment - Needing more sleep now but getting much less of it was threatening to wreck havoc on my skin, I needed something easy to use at the end of the night that wouldn't have any issues with my cleanser. This seems okay so far, i like how light it feels and absiors quickly but i haven't seen any amazing results as yet. 

Illamasqua nail polis in Fragile and Mottle - Ah I have wanted these for a long time, ever since i saw then in Melbourne last year but wasn't quite willing to pay $23/28 when there was so many new things to try. Also if you want to pick up some of these babies, Myer is selling them atm for $5 each!

Cream Eyeshadow Comparison - Bourjois, e.l.f, Maybelline, Essence

Since the release of the Maybelline Eye Tattoos I have become a huge fan of cream eyeshadows and it seems so have a lot of people have too since almost every company seems to be getting on the bandwagon.

Whilst shopping today I popped into Priceline and spotted something new and shiny in the Bourjois section - the 24H Color Edition Cream Eyeshadows and was immediately drawn to one of the colors, when I got home with it I was reminded of how similar it was to the Maybelline Eye Tattoo (packaging wise) and I thought a comparison post was in order so I dug up my other cream eyeshadow and took some photos for you.

So, the contenders are;

Essence Ballerina Backstage Edition in "pas des copper", Essence stay all day  in "for fairies", Bourjois "

Pétale de Glace",  e.l.f "Soiree", and Maybelline Eye Tattoo in "Pomegranate Punk". I tried to stay in a similar color palette to give a better comparison between them. I also gave Essence two spots as their formula for cream eyeshadow is so variable it's best to judge them by collections rather then as a company standard.

Here they all are swatched side by side, no primer, photo taken a few seconds after application.

Essence Ballerina Backstage Edition in "pas des copper" 

I've talked about this one a lot before, and this was the first cream eyeshadow I ever owned, it cost about $3.50 and I feel it can hold it's own against almost any competition. Essence struck gold with this one.

Texture: soft, creamy and very slightly powdery. Non drying (I've had it for two years and it looks like like i could have picked it up yesterday). Almost mousse like.

Opacity: Very opaque

Wear: 6-8 hours

2.8g

Essence stay all day  in "for fairies"

As amazing as pas des copper is, sadly Essence's regular range does not reach the same hights, this one is the same formula that has appeared in at least their last three collections (Breaking Dawn, Circus, Paradise). It was also in their permanent line for a long time but I'm not 100% if it still as as they changed it up a few months ago and I haven't looked at these since then. It's sadly quite terrible, patchy, drying, please go back to the soufflé formula!

Texture: hard, dry. Very difficult to blend without taking color off. With the shimmery shades sometimes the color with get wiped off or fade away and leave big chinks of glitter.

Opacity:  Medium, when it works. 

Wear: 2-4 hours

5.5g

Bourjois "Pétale de Glace"

Brand new collection here is Australia but it's been out for a little while in the UK now, I only saw three colors available at my local Priceline - the pink/beige (which i came home with), a silver and a dark blue. However I know overseas has at least three more colors, though I'm not sure if Australia will get them.

Owning Chanel you might also see some similarities between these and the Chanel Illusion d’Ombre Long-Wear .

Texture: Fluffy and soft. It's a cream to powder and blends very smoothly.

Opacity: Medium but can be built up.

Wear: 4-6 hours

5g

e.l.f "Soiree"

If you haven't heard yet e.l.f cosmetics are now available in Kmart (who is redoing all their beauty sections to be less nasty) and i picked this up the same day as the Bourjois for two reasons 1) for this comparison 2) I have never tried a e.l.f product before. It's smaller then the rest but packs quite a punch, I was expecting something closer to the Essence stay all day but it's probably closer to being somewhere between the Maybelline and the Backstage Ballerina.

Texture: Thick, and very fluffy. Whipped really is the best description.

Opacity: Medium/Heavy with more shimmer then the others

Wear: 4-6 hours

3g

Maybelline Eye Tattoo in "Pomegranate Punk"

These have been out for a while and most people probably have at least one with Bad to the Bronze being the standout shade (I personally love Bad to the Bronze, Tough as Taupe and Pomegranate Punk). There are many more colors overseas and a new nude collection which i really hope makes it to our shores! These are hefty little jars of awesome, they make great bases and the huge color range makes them much more accessible then the rest.

Texture: Average leaning toward hard, best applied with fingertips to warm it up a little.

Opacity: Heavy, some colors much less so.

Wear: 6 - 10 hours

4g

Photo of the same swatches 5 hours later

Review: Maybelline the Rocket

Hello, I  wasn't planning another Mascara review so soon but the day after i put up the Covergirl Flame Out Mascara my mum came home from a trip to Thailand and Singapore and gifted me this one, the Maybelline "the Rocket" Volum (? what's with the weird spelling?) mascara. This is another one that I've hear about quite a bit from UK and US beauty blogs but it's yet to hit our shores. However it was favorably compared to both Flame Out and The Falsies mascaras. Unlike the Covergirl mascara this one is supposed to add volume rather then length.

The packaging is very similar to The Falsies but just blue rather then purple, and peaked at the top to I guess resemble a rocket shape. The brush is like a wider version of the L'Oreal Telescopic, same small "spikes" but a rather large base. Personally I find that it does indeed add volume but it's also quite thick and therefore difficult to remove at night, it tends to clump a bit in corners or among the lashes, almost as if it was a bit sticky. The other issue is that the fatness of the brush base makes it difficult to reach the very base of your lashes, however despite those (numerous) issues the formula does in fact add a lot of blackness and volume and I would personaly probably use it with a different mascara wand or put the formula on a eyelash brush/Brow brush and use that to comb through the lashes without the clumping issue. However that's a lot of work and there are better mascaras out there.

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 : 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

Gold/Plum Eye Makeup Tutorial

Hey Beauties, i decided to take a shot at doing a tutorial with some of my eyeshadow recent and not so recent as eye makeup has very much been my focus, especially since i purchased 10 of the Color Infallible eye shadows and have been over the moon about them since.

Products Used:

MAC Rubenesque paint pot

Color Infallible eyeshadow in Goldmine

MAC Amberlights

MAC Star Violet

Essence Cappuccino, Please!

Urban Decay Blackout

Models Prefer Liquid Liner in Brilliant Brown

Physicians Formula Eye booster in Ultra Black

Maybelline the Falsies mascara

1. Starting with a makeup ready face, ie. foundation and primer in this case it was Ponds BB Cream as foundation and Illamasqua Hydra Veil as a face primer.

2. Apply MAC Rubenesque as a eyeshadow base to the base of your eye lid. Not into the crease. Smudge it out so it's not too thick.

3. Apply Goldmine to the lid by patting it on with flat and rounded brush.

4. Apply Amberlights to the crease and corner of the eye, going over some of Goldmine.

5. Apply Cappuccino, Please! to the brow bone and blend out slightly, apply some to the inner corner and blend out.

6. Apply Violet Star to the upper lid and blend out into Amberlights and Cappuccino, Please!  Finish off with black eyeliner, i used Physicians Formula Eye booster in Ultra Black on the top and Models Prefer Liquid Liner in Brilliant Brown on the bottom lashes. Lastly top with  Maybelline the Falsies mascara.

Rainbow Tag

The Colours of the Rainbow Tag has been making its way around so, I thought I'd give it a go, and also it's my birthday today :) So a rainbow tag seemed wholly appropriate. Hope you are all having a great day too.

 Red:

Illamasqua Deamon eyeshadow - a gorgeous deep matte red. Goes on and stays smoothly  on for ages, an impulse buy from Illamasqua, one i am totally happy with and i love using it with the gold Maybelline eye tattoo/

Orange:

Korres Lip Butter in Mango, i had no idea what to do for orange until i looked through my photos. and duh! of course it would be this, my first ever Korres lip butter was a magical and wonderful experience and i always keep this in my makeup bag.

Yellow:

Lush Brazed Honey face mask, i don't get a lot of masks from Lush because of the time restriction but they always feel great and i haven't had a bad experience with any, but this one if probably my favorite, it's a great detox mask and a pretty reasonable ex foliation mask too.

Green:

A England St George nail polish, perhaps the greatest gem in my entire collection, and I'm not usually a fan of green, my photos of this nail polish don't even do it half justice. It has a depth of color that i have never seen in any other polish and it has a beautiful multicolor shine in sunlight.

Blue:

Lush's Calm liquid eyeliner, I no longer use this as much as i used to as it is approaching it's expiry date which i find terribly depressing because for the price i would like it to last longer but for a colored liner this is unparalleled by anything else i have tried, Great for a pop of color when your makeup is a bit drab.

Indigo:

Lush's Sweetie Pie shower jelly, is on this list because i had nothing else i really liked in this color, and the scent on this thing is absolutely amazing, i was a body spray in this scent. However as a soap it's not awesome and really hard to use, but if you put it in the fridge it's quote awesome for hot days.

Violet:

This was a no brainer, it's right in the name Mac's Star Violet, my lust product for the longest time i love it still, it's a beautiful color perfect for lid or transition colors and even though it looks a bit red in this photo it does lean more toward a violet plum. Looks great paired with bad to the bronze eye tattoo.

Pink:

There was alot of contenders for the pink section, but my most loved and missed shower gel from Lush, called Rose Jam is a missing part of my heart. It was gorgeous, it was love at first scent and it was limited edition. I pray this comes back, it smells like the condition cream Ro's Argan Body Conditioner.

Multicolored:

My Maybelline eye tattoo collection has grown significantly since i bought tenacious teal on a whim, these are great bases or their own eye shadows. Although the formula has a bit of variation I'm still quite fond of the colors i have and would happily purchase some of the other colors out there, assuming Australia ever gets them. My top 3 would be bad to the bronze, tough as taupe, and pomegranate punk.