Review: Models Prefer Essential Brow Kit

I feel like brow care is really come into the fore front of makeup in the past year or two as before I never saw things like brow specific products except for in quirky or high end brands but these days full and well groomed brows are all the rage and this product can do quite a bit to help in the area. 

After I finished my Models Prefer brow pencil  and went to pick up a new one but they were sold out so I decided to try  a new brow product from them, the Essential Brow  Kit. The shade I bought (light to medium) suits my hair and skin color perfectly and my brows stay put and shaped throughout most of the day. The best thing about this kit is that it includes everything - a powder, a tinted brow gel/wax, a set teeny tiny tweezers and a angled small angled brush and a mirror so if you feel like it you can use it on the go.

This kit does take more effort then my brow pencil but I think the overall effect is a bit more polished and professional, I like using the wax as it's a perfect color match and then using the powder to just fill any gaps and take the shine out of the wax, surprisingly the colors are actually quite dark considering this is the light to medium kit.

I usually hate included brushes but this one actually works quite well as it's quite stiff but angled so it does a god job of mimicking the look of eyebrow hairs. However if you loose it any angled brush will do the job just as well. The tweezers are handy but I don't really use them as this is in my at home make up kit and doesn't travel so I tend to use my regular tweezers unless I'm in a big hurry.

Overall I would repurchase this, probably along with a regular brow pencil because some days you just can't be bothered with a whole set up like this and brow pencils do a pretty damn good job. This however is nice if your looking to spend a bit more time and get a really perfect brown look going.

Powder on the left, wax on the right

Here you can see the difference; the left brown is done up using the kit while the right is left untouched.

August 2013 Most Reached For

I don't always do these posts because month to month i usually reach for the same stuff, but every now and again new stuff comes in that seems to take over my world. The last two months have very much cause this to happen, everything here except the brow brush is either from Melbourne or from Birthday presents.

Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction perfume (and matching shower gel) is probably my most loved perfumed since i got my very first Angel perfume, it's the most gorgeous scent combining red plum and freesia, with what i suspect is vanilla and rose thrown in too. It's sweet, it's fruity, but it's not a kiddy scent, it is as the name says very seductive. I bought this at the domestic airport in Perth, where if you didn't know there is a Victoria's Secret store. However you have to go up into the Qantas boarding lounge to get to it (ie. you have to go through security check). But boy i think this will be worth going back for. Plus the bottle is gorgeous.

Models Prefer Retractable Brow Brush in medium is at the end of it's rope and i will be repurchasing soon as it's just so very easy and fast to fix up your brows. It has a spiral brush on the other end which blends out any harshness you might add in your haste. The easiest way that i have found to do my brows. My mum loves it too, she's gone through 4 of them.

Illamasqua's Hydra Veil has been the go to morning primer and moisturizer because there is no reason to use anything else. It's very hydrating, and as a primer works very well too. It leaves your face slightly tacky making foundation/bb cream application a breeze. Plus you only need th tiniest bit so it will last a very long time.

MAC Rubenesque has been my eyeshadow primer of choice basically everyday that i got and it's a gorgeous color. Full review coming soon. I love the Maybelline Eye Tattoos and they are totally worth the money, and if they had released a color anywhere close this golden peach shade i wouldn't have bothered with the MAC paint pot. But wow, it's just too pretty to pass up.

L'Oreal Color Infaillibles have made me pretty crazy this month, i love the almost insane levels of pigmentation and the absolute smoothness that they apply with, i wish i had discovered these earlier. I would honestly say that the quality is as good as anything in my Naked Palette.

Pond's Flawless White BB+ in light is a great purchase, i saw the stand appear in Perth before i left for Melbourne but both this BB cream and the Mature Age BB cream were out of stock with a shrug indicating when it might be in. I did however manage to find it in Melbourne and it's just great. It reminds me of the Watsons BB Collagen Cream which mum brought back from Hong Kong due to it's thicker consitency. It also has SPF 15 which is nice. This might be my new go to BB cream.

Last but not least, Illamasqua's Powder Blush in Katie, I have worn this blush basically everyday since i got it. It got great pigment, smells like vanilla and is the most gorgeous baby/pastel pink which works so well with a pale complexion. The only time i haven't worn this, i wore Illamasqua's rude instead.

Empties: August 2013

I don't usually do Empties post (read : never) because my apartment is small and i have enough stuff filling it up without keeping junk that;s empty or used up. However this month i set myself the challenge to do it and i ended up finishing enough products to make it worth posting.

The products are as follows:

Swisspers cotton wipes

++++ repurchase: yes

Go to cotton wipes, i find them soft and easy to use though i prefer the pads, especially for nail polish removal, but those are a little expensive. The work just as well but can be a bit fluffy when it comes to nail polish.

Savvy makeup remover wipes

- - -  repurchase: no

These made my skin sensitive, i don;t usually have sensitive skin so no way am i repurchasing this. They smelled fine and worked okay but after a swipe or two they started to make my skin feel raw and achy, sort of like how your nose area feels when you have a cold and have to keep wiping it.

Bastise Dry Shampoo in Tropical

+++ repurchase: yes

Great dry shampoo, i sometimes forget to use it though because i perfer to just wash my hair but on the odd days i forget or get lazy this is a god send, i'm currently trying out the cherry one and i really love the scent so i might look for a full size of that rather then my go tropical.

Models Perfer Mattifying Primer

+ repurchase: no

This worked well as a primer, not exceptional but not bad. The reason i won't repurchase is because after about two months the lid would no longer stay screwed down and started to get gel over items in my makeup bag. Not fun so this one is a no go.

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in black

+++ repurchase: yes

I love this mascara and will repurchase as soon as i have gone though a few others or they have a sale on L'Oreal as the thin brush makes it so easy to get the lashes on your lower lid but does a great job separating lashes in the top lid. My lashes are naturally long so i don't need a huge amount of volume but this still does add extra oomph.

Schwarzkopf Brilliance Conditioning Sample

- repurchase: no 

This was okay, i noticed my hair color leaked a lot after i used this, i 'm not sure if it was because of this or because it had only been my second wash since dying it but this didn't do anything special, smell especially nice or give me any other reason to repurchase.

Aveda Conditioning Sample

+ repurchase: no

This conditioning cream was a bit nicer in that it smelled good but there honestly wasn't enough product for me to tell if it was any good so i might try the brand at some point but feel no inclination ti go out and try this any time soon.

Lynx For Her Deodorant

+ + repurchase: yes

I like this, it lasts throughout the day and the lock cap makes it great for travel. You can even take it on a plane because of that. It smells pleasant enough and works, with good packaging. Not sure if this is still limited edition or not.

Honey I Washed the Kids shower gel

++++repurchase: yes

A great honey smelling gel, it's a gel version of the solid soap that Lush have had for a long time and i will surley repurchase this again, however right now im rotating Philosophy's Cinnamon Buns shower gel and Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction shower gel both of which are super yum.

Not pictured

Fresh Farmacy

+++++ repurchase: yes

I go through at least one of these or more in a month and i will continue to buy this until i die because it's the most amazing cleanser. That is all.

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.

FOTD: I like my new eyeshadows

My 2nd FOTD! yay, since everyone was so encouraging the first time around i wanted to do another of these posts, in addition i just wrote up my pre-birthday haul post and really wanted to try it all, i think it turned out pretty well.

Products Used:

face:

Illamasqua Hydra Veil

Illamasqua skin base foundation in 02

Illamasqua Hollow pigment (contour)

Illamasqua Rude cream blush

Korres Wild Rose concealer in WRC3

Rimmel Stay Matte translucent powder in 01

eyes:

MAC Rubenesque paint pot (base an inner lid shadow)

L'Oreal Infallible in Naughty Strawberry (outer lid)

MUA Dusk till Dawn dark purple shade (crease)

Essence Long lasting Eyeliner pen (black) (top lid liner)

Urban Decay Bootycall (brow highlight)

Urban Decay Blackout (top lid, inner line)

MUA intense color eyeliner in snow white (highlight at eye corner)

Maybelline The Falsies black mascara (top lashes)

L'Oreal telescopic (bottom lashes, the brush is easier for small lashes)

brows:

Models Perfer retractable brown pencil in medium

lips:

Maybelline 445 On the Mauve (base)

NYX soft matte lip cream in Antwerp (layer on top)

Travel Supplies

So i haven't really traveled much since getting into the whole makeup thing so i thought it might be fun to share the stuff that i decided to take along with me, what i thought counted as essentials for my time away.

So here is the list of what i packed:

Base

x MUA Matte Perfect Primer

x Korres Ginger & Vitamin Foundation

x Garnier Oil free BB cream

x Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Cameo

x Essence Breaking Dawn Shimmering Powder

Eyes

x Naked 2 Pallet (essential neutral eyeshadow for any occasion)
x Maybelline Eye Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
x MAC Star Violet eyeshadow
x Models Perfef Eyebrow Pencil in medium
x Essence Long Lasting eye pencil in teal
x Essence Long Lasting eye pencil in brown
x Maybelline "The Falsies" waterproof mascara
x Napoleon Perdis mascara (don't which one because the name has faded away)
x Face of Australia black gel eyeliner

Lips
x Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stains in Honey and Crush
x Australis Long Lasting Lipstick in Foxtrot and Oogie Boogie
x Korres mango lip butter

Blush
x NARS Blush in Deep Throat
x Illamasqua blush in Rude

Brushes
x Real Techniques Duo Fiber Blending brush
x Real Techniques Blush Brush
x Real Techniques Buffing Brush
x Real Techniques Blending Brush
x Eco Tools eyeshadow brush
x Urban Decay double sided Naked 2 brush

Lush

x Godiva Shampoo Bar

x Fresh Farmacy cleansing bar

x Godmother soap

x Butterball bath bomb

Other

x Moo Goo Full Cream moisturizer

x Swisspers cleansing wipes

x Paw Paw ointment

x Antispeptic cream

x Bandaids

That seems like a huge list having typed it up but I'm pretty confident that everything there will be useful, if not I'll do an updated post with what was most useful and what wasn't useful at all. What beauty stuff do you pack when your going away?

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!

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 :)

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.

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
 

 

Review: Models Prefer Eyeshadow in Bronzed Belle Duo

I got this eyeshadow as a freebie when i purchased the Primer from Models Prefer so i really had no idea what i was getting into with this; was it going to be a terrible chalk fest or a reasonable eyeshadow?

Overall after having used this a few times the pigmentation is really quite awesome, especially if you use your finger for application, the colors work quite well together as it;s basically a highlighting shade paired with a darker shade for contouring and both colors are quite pretty and fairly neutral.

I would say this eyeshadow is decent and  as i said the pigmentation is impressible, when applied dry it does have a few transferability issues but applied wet or with a good eye primer i don't have the same issues. For $12.99 you can probably do better but you can certainly do worse.

What do you think of  the Models Prefer stuff?

P.S. Have a Happy New Year!

Review: Models Prefer Mattifying Primer

I recently started running low on my first primer i ever got; the Burjois Flower Silicone Primer so i decided to go looking for something similar but maybe with a tad more usability; the Burjois primer is in a tub and you have to dig it out with your fingers; not great. I loved the use of silicon in the primer however; it gave the most wonderful silky smooth feeling and meant that my foundation could just glide on.

The reason i choose to test out the Models Prefer brand primer is for several reasons; the brand has been showing up more and more as i read through various blogs so i was interested.  I also liked the idea of a mattifying primer as i hate to look shiny, just very unappealing to me. Thirdly, Models Prefer was at the time doing a gift if you spend i think over $20 or $25 so a nice way to try out the brand. (I picked up this and a eyebrow pencil to get a free eyeshadow duo)

The primer is a clear gel consistency and goes on incredibly smooth, one pump is usually enough to suffice as it spreads out a lot when you massage it in. It does a pretty decent job in terms of mattifying your complexion but i found that i could use a touch up maybe 6 hours in but for me that's not a huge problem.

I found this quite impressive for the price, it obviously decreased shine, helped reduce pore appearance and make my make up go on super easy and clearly made it last longer. I was happily surprised. The only down side i guess is that the bottle is a little small but price wise i think it probably makes sense. Also, i love the fact it's silicone based but i know this is a problem for some people so be aware of that.

I think for the coming heat of the summer or those going to the beach for the holidays this would be a great primer to help keep the shine down, it makes your makeup stay on surprisingly well and doesn't have a waxy effect I've noticed in some other primers. Perhaps not the greatest primer in the world but by far not the worst, and for only $12.95 (Priceline) it's certainly worth a try if your looking for something like this.

What's your favorite primer?