February Favorites

It's been a pretty good month for me makeup wise as I found quite a few products and grew to love a couple that were already in my stash. Let's start with the new items this month:

L'Oreal  Studio Secrets Professional Eye Shadow Quad in Desert Sands - I'm loving this color combination, it's perfectly neutral but also a little bit special. The colors are pigmented enough that I don't feel bad using this over something else and the small size makes it easy to travel with and store. Since my place is tiny I can only keep a few things near my mirror and this is a bit easier then my beloved Naked 2.

L'Oreal Glam Bronze in Blond Harmony - Finally a bronzer I can actually use, I've never been a huge fan of bronzer because it's so hard to find one for pale girls, I originally wanted to pick one up from Body Shop but it was sold out and the next day I saw this at 30% off and snatched it up. I like the little highlighter part as well, another great one for travel!

Revlon Scented Perfumerie Nail Polishes - in Apricot Nectar, Spun Sugar, Autumn Spice, and Watermint

I got two and then couldn't resist getting more, I love them for their amazing color application and surprisingly not terrible and overwhelming scents. Their subtle so your not smelling it every time your hand goes past your face but it's there if you stick your nails near your nose. Also these are the only polishes in a long time that have lasted more then 3 days on me (without top coat!). I only wish they were a tad less expensive!

I also fell in love (or more deeply in love?) with a few things that were already in my stash, these were:

Revlon Nearly Naked Mineral Powder in 010 Fair - I love the ease of using this, so much faster then a liquid or mousse foundation, just brush it one, add a bit of powder blush and your good to go! It's a little messy but it's too easy to use for that to be a big problem.

MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque - My favorite base lately, the L'Oreal quad looks great over this as it really brings out the shimmer and helps it last, plus it's so soft compared to some of my Maybelline Eye Tattoos some of which kind of dried out despite being closed.

Benefit They're Real mini mascara -  I picked this up from a Lust Have It box a few months back and really liked it, this month i started using it again as I got new contact lenses and to begin with was a bit weirded out by the possibly of mascara gunk in my eyes that tends to come of larger brushes. 

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - I've loved this brush since the moment I got it and if I had to give all my brushes away and was only allowed to keep one it would be this one. It's so soft and dense there is very little you can't do with it; I've used it for liquid and powder foundation, blush and recently as a bronzer brush. It's amazing!

Review: MAC Wedge Eyeshadow

Keeping up with the luxury feel for Christmas season i thought I would show of another MAC product, this one has been a fan favorite for a long time and it's numerous appearances are what convinced me to get it. Wedge is a matte warm brown slightly taupe eyeshadow, it's quite pale and a little hard so it takes a bit of effort to get onto your brush.  It is however great as a crease color or as a transition shade. It's a staple in many collections.

I do like the color but the texture was a little disappointing; it seemed quite hard and difficult to get any pigment off without scratching the surface just a touch, not sure if I just got a bad batch or something because I've seen stellar reviews of this and I'm just a little sad that mine didn't live up to them.

Have you had a similar experience with a product that has great reviews but just doesn't click for you?

Review: MAC Rubenesque

Welcome to December, since it's the month of festivities I thought I would start with something gold and a little bit luxe. This was a product I came across quite early with Elle & Blair's Youtube videos, though I've moved on to other Youtube guru's since then. The MAC paint pots are perhaps the original predecessor to many peoples (mine included) much loved Maybelline Color Tattoos. The paint pots are cream eyeshadow which come in 5g containers, since they are cream products it's very important to make sure they don't dry out and keep the lid screwed on tight.

Rubenesque is maybe the most beautiful color I have ever seen in any product ever, it's a golden peach with pink undertones, the peach tones in this make it so beautiful and ethereal. I want a powder eyeshadow in this color, and a blush...and a lipstick and just everything really. It's shimmery, not glittery, almost frosty, and super smooth. Despite this amazing peach color it's still very neutral and wearable for everyday wear.

This paint pot is much thinner then the eye tats, the closes I have in texture is the Bearly Branded, it's almost gel like rather then cream. It's somewhat build able in consistency, if you load it up to much though it starts to wipe away the color so it's better to let it dry down for a few seconds. I would think this might looked better on darker skin then mine as it get's a little lost on me when applied thinly, but it makes a perfect base, is very waterproof and easily warms up any powder eyeshadow and can be used for some great effects.

This was a birthday present, as ordinarily i wouldn't even consider buying any MAC products here in Australia, but sometimes you just have to treat yourself. I love this little pot and use it at least once a week, also it doesn't seem to dry out as much as i thought it would. 4 months since purchase, it's just as sft as the day i bought it. Have you tried the pain pots?

Review: Possibly Fake MAC Eyeshadows: Carbon, Sable, Shroom & Passion

If you saw my last post then you saw that i picked these up at Uni from a  supposed "auction seizure" and while thinking it was probably all a load of bull decided to try some stuff anyway as despite all that it seemed like pretty high quality stuff. i picked up Shroom and Sable as i had heard a lot about them before and was interested to see how they performed. Carbon was somewhat of a test purchase as i had seen numerous reviews saying that it was in fact a pretty terrible black eyeshadow and i thought this would help me judge the honesty of these shadows. Lastly passion was a cute pink and i wanted a more exciting color to try as well.

Packaging seems pretty legit to me from what i can tell with my very limited experience.

The color pay off on the first three is amazing and like it should Carbon is a bit fail, so either these are very good dupes, after i depotted my own mac shadows (ones bought at MAC counters that is) i was able to see that the authentic MAC pans are more rounded then these were. However quality speaks for itself and Fake Sable, Shroom and Passion all have good pigmentation and blend very easily and do not irritate my eyes, They do seem a bit softer though then the real MAC shadows i have (amberlights, star violet and wedge)

I'm happy with these and will continue to use them, but probably won't be going to get more when the seller reapears. The whole thing was an interesting experience and i will know in the future what sort fo things to look out for when it comes to fake products. However, just because their fake doesn't mean their bad.

Possibly Fake MAC & LUSH Haul

A few days ago i was sitting at home (playing Skyrim if you must know) when my partner calls me from Uni to tell me that there is a stall there selling a huge load of MAC stuff that had been seized at auction. I was pretty skeptical but at the prices they were offering, even if it is fake it was still cheaper then buying similar products at Priceline or Chemist Warehouse so i decided to had down and pick up some stuff. When i got there and questioned the sellers it seemed to pretty legit from what i could glean and from what i can tell it seems authentic enough - sized are correct, labels match other MAC products i already had, everything seems to be of an exceptionally high quality including the brushes which are the only items that i would question the authenticity of. Either way though i got some stuff and I'm really happy with everything i got. But i bet you want to know just exactly what it is that i got? Well I'll show you.

MAC Eyeshadow Refills : Sable, Shroom, Passion and Carbon

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in B01 Light

MAC Brushes in 187, 194 and 266

(If these are fake, which the handle on the 187 makes me think they are, they are still freakin' amazing and so incredibly soft and delicate that whoever made them should just make their own brush company because these were a complete steal)

 

Very Fake, MAC Eye/Lip Liner Pencil with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E

I was pretty sure this one was a fake right of the bat, mostly because i don't think MAC eyeliners have silver lids and there was no name of the color, I also wasn't able to find any reference to this lip/pencil when i got home. It still work pretty well though an i quite like the colors.

MAC Lipmax Lip Pigment

Not much to say about this, i was hoping it would be similar to a lip tar but it's mostly just clear with a slight pink tint to it. I should have just gotten more eyeshadows instead of this. The only real disappointment.

After this spree which amounted to about $40 i also needed to get my monthly dose of Fresh Farmacy from Lush and whilst there i also picked up some Sexy Peel Soap for the boyfriend as he doesn't like Shower Gels.

Overall I'm very happy with the things i got, especially the brushes and eyeshadows as they both seem great quality products so even if they are fake (which most likely they are) they were still a amazing deal. I don't really have too many feelings about fake makeup products, it can be annoying and disappointing if you go in thinking it was the real deal but that wasn't the case here as i was pretty sure it was all fake going on it. Keeping that in mind i was able to purchase a few things that were good quality and seemed like good products to try. What do you think about buying fake makeup products? Is it inevitable in Australia where prices are so incredibly steep?

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.

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.