Review: Hourglass Ambient Powder Review

Hello all, long time no see. 

Let's not dwell on the reasons why but just move on to the new review, and maybe i will explain another day. For now let me introduce you to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in mood light. 

I picked this one up while I was in Melbourne last October for the Penny Arcade expo and spent some time at Mecca Maxima falling deeply in love with some products, it was love at first swatch. 

If you spend anytime on beauty blogs then you know all about these and so feel free to skip because this review is going to get a bit gushy.

Very simmiliar in packadging to the Hourlgass Blushes it's glossy brown case with interior mirror which while nice is probably not going to be highly used (by me at least). It fits nicley in your palm and is a very good size, it's going to last a while.

I picked out mood light after swatching several of the powders at Mecca and pretty much swooned, i walked away but came back 20 minutes later because I couldn't stop thinking how pretty it was. The powder is designed to mimic flattering light as it would appear on your skin. Like many other mineral powders it's mad eof tiny particles built to diffuse light and blur imperfections. Most of the the time this can be a major problem as they tend to be shimmery and turn your face into a disco ball, however the hourglass powders make that not be the case, now sure how, leprachaun magic maybe?

The one you choose will depend on your needs, the diffused light shade for instance is yellow toned and does a good job of brightening and covering any dullness or redness. I choose Mood light as I am terribly pale and have a bad relationiship with sunlight, mood light is pink toned but not red and is great at making my skin look like I might have actually been out in the sun at some point, it makes my skin look alive and awake and photoshop perfect.

Review Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder

It's taken me a while to do this post because shortly after i got this i found the L'Oreal BB Powder and fell in love, and this one sort of got left in the dust. However i have recently finished that and I'm waiting for it to go on sale again since $26 is a bit expensive for me, so this one is back in rotation along with my Ben Nye loose powder which i will review after it's gotten a bit more use. 

This is a two layer compact with a powder puff and mirror in the bottom section and a circle of powder in the top layer. It's fairly creamy despite being a powder and is very blend able and if you require extra coverage it's not too difficult to build up some more color. I particularity like that it's a matt finish with no sparkle at all despite what looks like some sparkle in the product itself, i suspect that a darker shade would therefore make a nice contouring shade if you felt so inclined. (overall there are 18 shades though i am not sure how many of those made it to Australia as i have seen different shades at different stores). The shade i have is 920 Classic Ivory. There are 9g of product in this compact which is a pretty good deal.

As you may be able to see in the photos it's very densely packed and using a brush on it (kabuki) brings up no extra powder so it looks like it will last quite a while. Overall i do like it, but i like the L'Oreal better as it just seems more natural on my skin where this can sometimes look a bit too powdery and feel a ittle heavy as a result. It's decent enough but not anything special, use it if you don't have a favorite or are looking for something new to try.

Review: Essence all about matt!

Hey, i'm in Melbourne right now! Woot, if you have know any cool places to visit let me know in the comments below. Now, todays review is about one of Essence's new line products the "all about matt" essence powder which as the name suggests is a matt-yfying compact powder. It's a quite hefty at 8.0g and feels like it's got a lot of product in there, it also seems to be quite popular as this was the last one of the shelf when i picked it up.

It has a very nice clean and simple look, with a very subtle line design raised in the powder that takes a while to disappear because honestly you do not need a lot of this product, personally my forehead gets a bit oily toward the end of the day and even just one swipe of this makes it disappear where as applying it in the morning slows down the process significantly, but it should probably be limited to use only on areas that need it otherwise it might be a bit heavy, plus if it's not necessary why bother?

It's a white powder in the compact but on your skin, unless your particularly dark it becomes transparent especially if it's applied over foundation. It's quite nice and i can see it lasting for a long time, so if you have trouble with oily or shiny skin this is the product for you.

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.

My Makeup Storage

I always enjoy seeing how other people deal with storing/handling their makeup stash, therefore since i have recently reached what i feel might be the zenith of what one of my drawers can hold it seemed like a good time to share.

My makeup used to fit into my side of the bathroom cabinet but shortly before i started blogging my collection was...overflowing into my boyfriends side of things, so after doing a bit of research i picked up a clear plastic set of drawers from Officeworks, i believe it cost around $20 and also came in white.

So the first drawer contains my eyeshadows and blushes. The ones visible here are;

Maybeline Eye Tattoos (5) | Essence Cream Eyeshadows (2) | Essence Powder Eyeshadows (4) |

Essence Cream Blushes (2) | Burjois Blushes (2) | Essence Powder Blushes (1) | NARS blush (1) | BD Blush (1) | Revlon Eyeshadow Set (1) | Prestige Eyeshadow Set (2) | Chi Chi Eyeshadow Pigments (1)

There is also a Australis red eyeshadows set underneath the Revlon. 

Second drawer is for all things lipsticks, lipgloss, lipliner, eyeliners, mascaras and those sorts of things. The lipsticks that live here are ones that are currently out of my main rotation or are too dark or too something for everyday wear. Here is what we can see;

Korres concealer pen (1) | Face of Australia lip crayons (2) | Revlon just Bitten Kissable Lip Balms (3) | NYX Lip Creams (2) | Essence Lip Creams (2) | Essence Lip Gloss (2) | Essence Lipstick (1) |Revlon Lipstick (1) | Sportsgirl Lipstick (1) | Wet n Wild Lipstick (1) | Revlon Lipbutters (2) | Avon Lipstick (1) | Revlon Mascara (1) | Essence Mascrara (1) | Burjois Mascara (1) | Essence Eyeshadow Primer (1)| Maybeline Mascara (1) | Essence Eyeliners (2) | Essence Lipliner (3) |Lipsmacker Gloss (2)

Drawer 3 is th one that I'm looking to change up, my house and bathroom is quite tiny so I've been trying to think up a better way to store these. For now however my brushes and random nick-nacks live here.

Here we have

Real Techniques Blush Brush (1) | Eco Tools Brushes (6) | Chi Chi Brushes (2) | Random Unknown Brushes (4) | Burjois Puff (1) Essence Eyebrow kit (1) | Essence Gel Eyeliner (1) | Korres Eyeshadow (1) | Essence eyebrow brush (1) | Ecotools Brush Travel bag (1)

Lastly we have th Foundation and Powder drawer that also takes whatever is too weird a size for the other drawers.

Lush Emotional Brilliance Collection (8) | Chi Chi Translucent Powder (1) | Essence Concealer (1) | Burjois concealer (1) | Physician's Formula Face Powder (3) | Chi Chi Kabuki Brush (1) | Foundation Sponge (1) | Revlon Powder (1) | Garnier BB Cream (2) | Covergirl Blush (1) |Burjois Flower Foundation (1) | Watsons BB Cream (1) | Essence Eyeshadow Set (1) | Essence Eyeshadow pigments (2) | Burjois Primer (1) | BD Primer (1)

Annnnnnd..... last but not least is my main lipstick stand and my lip balms next to the case. The one i currently use the most; Lancome Rose Defile, Revlon Soft Rose, Lipstick Queen Medieval, NYX Saturn and Tea rose, Mac Creme de la Femme, Rimmel 21, and two random Revlon colors in caramel and plum.

The lip balms sitting there are Haus if Gloi Spun Sugar and Korres Quince and Wild Rose.

So that's most of my stuff, there are other bits and pieces that float around the house, lip balms especially and a few other favorites in my purse/makeup bag. S

o if you see anything you wanna know more about drop a comment, or if you have another cool storage post/video i would love to see it!

Review: PF Flawless Complexion Kit

Physicians Formula Flawless Complexion Kit

This pack was my first  Physicians Formula purchase, I've been itching to try something from them ever since the pretty new re branded shelves appeared in Priceline about a month ago. Which to be honest is a little confusing since these items, with this branding seem to have been available in America and the Easter states a good deal longer. But can't miss what you never had and it's here now so all is well with the world.

What i reallllly want from this brand is their happy lover heart covered blush and eyeliners sets. Part of me also wants their lace covered nude/neutral pallet (supposedly a low end dupe of the Naked pallet) but other people's reviews have convinced me to steer clear of this sadly un-pigmented (is that a word?) piece. Although the lace is difficult to resist.

Anyhow, although those are this things i wanted, what i actually NEEDED was new face powder as my previous one (PUPA) is no longer available seemingly anywhere. Any ideas where they went?

So for $27.95 ( Physicians Formula was at 20% off) i purchased the Flawless Complexion Kit in Light.

It seems a pretty good deal to me, usually a powder or blush by itself would be around $20 and here are both plus a Mineral Veil (???) Not sure what that one's about. It doesn't come with nay instructions just what you see in a plastic holder.

I've been using these for my everyday makeup the past few days and I'm so far very happy with it, after purchasing it (not before) i looked up my own reviews about it and freaked myself out when i found a few were quite terrible and was scared id purchased Cthullu in make up form. But i decided to go ahead and try it form myself, because....well i really wanted something from  Physician's Formula.

So how did i find it? Pretty fantastic, I'm generally not a fan of Mineral make-up, it has a certain smell that's almost metallic and i find a bit unpleasant. This also has that, but it's not super strong and i don't notice it once it's on my face, actually only the Mineral Veil seems to have this smell and its actually noticeable

So let's look at the individual pieces; 

(Check out the Old Spice shower gel that belongs to the boyfriend in the mirror)

The blush is "Rose Glow" and is a fairly dark slightly plum colored pink and it opens up to a little mirrored compartment holding a small fan brush (which you can see i haven't touched as it's quite pointless and id much rather use a regular blush brush. 

                                                      Very Bright! ( only one swipe)

The color is quite a bit darker then i expected and it takes a light hand to apply it without looking too much like a clown face, took a few tries to get right but with a little practice it comes out quite nice. But seriously be careful, it is very pigmented and quite matte. There is no shimmer in this blush and so its quite suitable for winter/autumn as we have here right now. When using a large blush, as with most mineral make up i have encountered there is quite a lot of fallout.

The powder is simply listed as Translucent no much to talk about in  terms of color, it is very lightweight and feels smooth. I was afraid after other reviewers mentioned it, but i did not experience the chalky finish that some did. For me, it was a the kit mentioned "flawless". 

The powder opens up just like the blush but is a fair bit heavier and won't just sit there (hence the need for me to prop it open for this picture), and like the blush includes a little mirror. This is pretty cool, and who doesn't love secret compartments but i honestly don't see it being that useful. 

This included brush is missing it's clear case as i though i should at least give it a go, and as suspected it was quite terrible. A fan brush is not useful for distributing powder anymore then blush and because the powder bunches up into a line if your not careful with blending you might be left with a sold cake line of powder if you try to use this. Overall very happy but the compartment is a little useless unless you want to keep tic tacs in there....hmmm

And last and kind of least the Mineral Veil;

Not too sure how this is different from face powder but my research indicates it's to be used after you have both the powder and blush on to even things out (not sure if that's what you want especially if your adding a bronzer for contouring) 

Im not as thrilled with this product as the rest, it certainly seems to do something, as i can smell the mineral poweder coming out. (it takes a few moments of shaking it while holding it face down to get the powder to come through). So something id definitely happening, just not sure what for? The idea i think it to helps to smooths out my complexion a bit more and eliminates some shine which is why i assume that a mirror is also included in the top case.

See, mirror.

I guess in terms controlling shine it might be more useful in the handbag then on your makeup stand. Also if you do purchase this kit be careful of the brush on this thing. It's not awesome, it spiky and prickly and doesnt feel great but it's not going to be in contact with your skin for more then a few seconds of touch up. What's more concerning is that if your in a hurry or moving on to the next part in your makeup rutine you might be a little haphazard with the lid and cause this to happen:

I've done this about 4 times now, and the bristles on the edges aren't looking happy.

So overall? Love the blush and powder, okay with the veil not happy with the Veil applicator.