Essence colour & care 'I care for you' Review

Essence have a new line of nail polishes, in addition to their colour & go collection they now have a colour & care collection. The colour & care collection consists of 4 polishes and all are soft, creamy and pastel shades. 'I care for you' is a gorgeous pale pink polish.

The polishes from this collection are marketed as nail polishes that are made with natural ingredients and with strengthening properties.

The ingredients are:
BUTYL ACETATE, ETHYL ACETATE, NITROCELLULOSE, ISOSORBIDE DICAPRYLATE/CAPRATE, ADIPIC ACID/NEOPENTYL GLYCOL/TRIMELLITIC ANHYDRIDE COPOLYMER, ALCOHOL DENAT., STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE, STYRENE/ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, DIACETONE ALCOHOL, N-BUTYL ALCOHOL, TRIMETHYLPENTANEDIYL DIBENZOATE, BENZOPHENONE-1, PHOSPHORIC ACID, CI 19140 (YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 77491 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE). 

As you can see these nail polishes are 5-free, that is free from the 5 ingredients that should be avoided in nail polishes (dibutyl phthalate, toluene, camphor, formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin). 


The formula of this nail polish is really good, quite thin but easy to work with thanks to a lovely brush. The brush is flat and very wide, making it easy to coat your nails with minimal strokes. After two coats I felt like the polish was opaque however on a few nails I felt like I could do another coat. They were opaque but there was a very faint streak. Another coat solved this problem and in the future I can see myself stopping at 2 coats. The coats themselves dry quite quickly. 

I always wear base coat but for the first time in probably four years (yes seriously) I applied this with no base coat!!! The polish applied well onto my nails and didn't emphasise any random bumps on my nails. At work I am very very very tough on my nails, so please keep that in mind...on the third day I started developing a little bit of tip wear. There were no major  chips or anything. I was really pleased with this as it was with no base-coat or top-coat and, as I said, my job is out to murder polished nails.

New Products on the Shelf in Australia

New products have hit the shelves in a big way. So lets skip the unnecessary ramble which I usually begin posts with and dig into all the new goodies! There are a lot of new products from Maybelline, Australis and two new limited edition collections from Essence.

When this foundation originally launched in America everybody on Youtube seemed to rave about it. I am definitely interested in giving this one a shot! 

Australis have new cream blushes and lip glosses. I actually picked up one of the lip glosses and they are very thick. If you're not a fan of glosses this one might not be for you. The pigmentation was nice though! The blushes look gorgeous don't they? 

The first limited edition collection from Essence that is currently on the Priceline shelves is 'Winter Wonderful'. Ignore the random matt touch blush...I don't think that is part of the new collection. BUT there is a gorgeous blush that is included in the collection, keep scrolling to see a pic. This range is beautiful! It includes 5 nail polishes, a blush, two lip oils, eyeshadow palette, hand cream, cajole eye liner and hair accessories. 

I picked this blush up and since I have not owned it for 24 hours yet, I can't give a full review. But, having said that, I can say that it has really good pigmentation. I went a bit too heavy handed with it this morning! It gives the cheeks a lovely rosy flush. 

 The second limited edition from Essence is 'light of orient'. This collection included lots of deep and moody colours and is available at Target. The eyeshadow palette looks gorgeous and obviously lots of other people thought so too since it was sold out!

Essence also have some new products in their permanent collection:

What are you excited to see? Let me know in the comments what you want to pick up and what doesn't float your boat.

February Favourites

Today it is time for me to write one of my favourite type of posts...monthly favourites! So let's skip all the inevitable rambling about where the month disappeared to and get onto all the products that won over my heart this month.

I'm going to begin with Garnier's Moisture Match Start Afresh Moisturiser. Last month my skin was feeling dreadful. I put it down to a lack of a good moisturiser and, hey presto, once I started using this moisturiser my skin felt so much more hydrated. I love this moisturiser and definitely recommend it!

A product that is by no means a new love of mine, rather a love I have rediscovered, is Rimmel London's Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 'Silky Beige'. I think this powder is dearly loved by many bloggers and for good reason. I'm not a "powder" person and this is the only powder that has ever impressed me. In particular, this month I have been loving this powder in combination with the Physician's Formula CC cream. I wrote a post all about that, click here to read it.

All month I have been blown away by the Essence Maximum Definition Mascara. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to love it this much because it costs a mere $5.75 which is ridiculously cheap. But it is a really good mascara!!! The brush is great and even though it isn't a waterproof formula, it never smudges on me. A great everyday mascara, check it out!

Moving away from face products and onto the lips, I have two lip balms that I have been loving recently. Nivea recently launched their Pure and Natural 'Olive and Lemon' Lip Balm here in Australia (I think this was launched in America a year ago?). I feel like this lip balm actually moisturises and heals my lips. You would think all lip balms would do that, but no...I actually find a lot just dry my lips out unless I slather them in lip balm every 20 minutes. Am I the only one who thinks this? I have also been loving the 'Salted Caramel' Lipsmacker. After hearing that the company had been sold in the news I thought I would relive my childhood. It truly does smell like salted caramel, absolutely delicious! Plus it does moisturise my lips and is a decent lip balm - a yummy scent isn't everything!

This is where all orderliness goes out the window. We have a random nail polish and a body butter. Shall we talk about the nail polish first? 'Timbleberry' by Sinful Colours is a polish that I have had for a couple of years now and I haven't worn it for over a year :( With the crazy hot weather we were having I thought it was time to break it out. And I love it as much as I did when I first brought it. Timbleberry is a gorgeous (and very bright) coral pink. Great for the summer!

I have also been loving a new discovery, Jergen's Deep Conditioning Shea-Butter Rich Body Cream. This is a luxurious body cream that absorbs quickly, lasts a long time and isn't greasy. It also smells really nice. I'm not a huge body moisturiser person but what makes me love this so much is that it doubles for hand cream. Most body creams and body butters are way too thick and greasy for hand cream  but this truly sinks in quickly.

What were your favourite products for February?

EOTD #1

2014 was a year where I practically had zero amount of time to experiment with makeup so now, in 2015, I am trying to make up for that. Digging through some of my favourite eyeshadows I put together some that I hadn't worn together before.

I started with a L'Oreal Paris Infallible Eyeshadow in 'Forever Pink' along the first 2/3 of my lid. Then I reached for my Nudes palette from Chi Chi. On the remaining 1/3 of my lid I reached for a dark brown with some shimmer, In the crease I used a matte medium brown, again from the Nudes palette. Underneath my brow and in the inner corner of my eye I used a shimmery highlighting shadow from the Nudes palette. I blended like crazy, maybe I blended too much? The mascara I used was Maximum Definition Volume Mascara from Essence. This is a great mascara for everyday, I really love it.

I'm only beginning to experiment with eyeshdows (I usually only ever wear one or two eyeshadows at the same time) so let me know what you think of this...and if you have any tips :)

Thanks for reading!!!

Makeup Brush Collection

Today on the blog we are taking a peek at my makeup brush collection. I'll also be sure to point out my favourite brushes and what I typically use to do what. I am by no means knowledgeable about brushes so this post is going to be all about what I personally like and what I finds works best for me.

I have to confess that I don't use makeup brushes a lot. I typically use one brush a day - to apply blush. I prefer to apply foundation with my fingers and I usually apply my eyeshadow with the little applicators that come with eyeshadow palettes, or the applicators you buy from Essence (I'll talk more about these later). 

Multi Task Brush - Real Techniques 

This is by far my most used and favourite brush of all time. I typically use it to apply my blush. I also use it occasionally to powder my T Zone. Not that I use powder very often.

Essential Foundation Brush - Real Techniques

This is a brush I often turn to when I am experimenting with my make-up or playing around with a new product. I feel like it is a little bit small for applying foundation with? 

Foundation Brush - Real Techniques 

This is another brush I rarely use. Like the essential foundation brush it is really only when I am experimenting that this gets pulled out. I'm not saying these are bad brushes, I'm just lazy and prefer to use my fingers when applying foundation.

Duo-fibre Contour Brush - Real Techniques

Another brush I use for blush. As I mentioned before blush is my main reason for reaching for a brush.

Duo-fibre Face Brush - Real Techniques

This is the largest brush in my collection. I reach for this when I want to wear a pigmented blush and want to make sure I don't apply too much! I also use it for bronzer. A very nice brush indeed :)

Domed Shadow Brush - Real Techniques

This is a really nice, and always reliable, brush! When I've had a bit of a disaster and need to blend an eye shadow out, I reach for this brush. Or when I am experimenting with new eyeshadows. 

Duo-fibre Eye Brush - Real Techniques 

I don't use this brush very much to be honest. So I can't say if it is a good or bad brush...

Real Techniques - Pros

I love my brushes from Real Techniques:

• The brush name is on the handle of the brush - genius idea!
• Synthetic and 100% cruelty free.
• They are not too expensive. 
• They are very soft. 
• There is a brush for everything. 
• I don't look after my brushes particularly well but they last and wear really well. 
• The brushes are self-standing.
• Their sets come with really nice cases. 

Real Techniques - Cons

My main gripe?

• You cannot buy all of their brushes individually. A lot of their brushes can only be brought within sets, which obviously cost more. This is the reason why I have so many brushes that I don't use much, if at all, because there is one or two brushes in a set that I have wanted which means I have had to buy the entire set. 

Powder Brush - Essence

Powder and I don't get along very well however when I wear powder I do reach for this brush. Essence's brushes are good and don't cost much! Definitely a great option if you are a beginner. I also like taking my Essence brushes on holidays because if they get destroyed I can replace them easily.

Blush Brush - Essence

This was my first ever brush. As you can guess from the name...I used it to apply blush :) It is a really nice brush blush, with a nice shape and size.

Eyeshadow Applicators - Essence

I love these applicators for packing eyeshadows onto my lid. A packet of costs $2.65 and the packet is sectioned keeping each applicator separate from the the others and clean. I especially like the short handles as I find it easier to hold a short handle. I feel really clumsy with the longer handled applicators you occasionally get for free with drugstore palettes.

Phew! That was a long post...would love to know what your favourite brushes are and what you use them for :)

Essence Beach Cruisers 'Summer Break' Blush Review

A new limited edition range from Essence has hit the shelves at Priceline - Beach Cruisers. Today I will be reviewing the "I <3 Summer Break" blush from the collection. It is stunning!!!

The blush is housed in a clear, sturdy, plastic pan. Whilst the blush comes with no brush or mirror I think the packaging is pretty much perfect. I rarely use the brushes that come with blushes and I like how the packaging is clear - makes it easier to find!

I <3 Summer Break is a beautiful ombre brush, with the ombre ranging from a warm-toned hot pink to a light apricot colour. You can swirl the colour together and get a bold pink blush or be more selective with where you place your brush.

This blush is insanely pigmented. It is by far the most pigmented blush I have in my collection. And to think it only costs $5.35!!! Bargain!!! You definitely need to be light handed when you apply this blush. While we are talking about application...this blush is quite easy to apply. The blush also lasts a really long time. I put this on in the late afternoon and when I woke up the next morning I could still see the blush on my skin.

Top swatch:the pale apricot end of the blush 

Bottom left swatch: All colours blended

Bottom right swatch: the darkest hot-pink end of the blush 

Also in the collection are:

• Body Spray
• Nail Polish $3.65
• Mascara $4.25
• Lip gloss $3.50
• Bronzing Powder $5.35
• Liquid eyeliner $4.25
• Eyeshadow $4.25
• Wet bikini bag 

Overall I think that this blush is great quality, has great pigmentation and lasting power. However if you are only starting to use blush or have very fair skin this blush might not be perfect for you. Definitely an impressive product and I would absolutely recommend going to check out the collection at Priceline - it all looks amazing!

Easter Dotticure

Hi guys,

Happy Easter!!!

I'm afraid this is going to be a rather chatty post so if you don't like my chattiness feel free to just look at the pictures! Anyway, onto the chat...

When I got home yesterday it was sunny so the beauty blogger in me thought it was a good opportunity to do my nails and then obviously take photos. Winter is coming and the sun is playing hide and seek behind clouds. Why do you think I decided to do a dotticure?

a) I am an expert in dotticures. 

b) I didn't want to study. 

c) I wanted to spend an inordinate amount of time doing my nails, only to ruin them. 

d) Options b and c. 

Did you guess option d? Give yourself a pat on the back because you are correct. By the time I finished my nails it was too dark for photos so I decided to take the dog for a walk (see, I really didn't want to study!). Let's just say it is a bad idea to take a dog for a walk when your nails are still drying. Then, this morning (the walk was yesterday) I decided to do a bit of a clean which only contributed to making the manicure look even more scruffy. 

You probably didn't want to know any of that so I'll move on. The polishes I used for this skittle dotticure were:

That's What I Mint from Essence (mint green). 

Apricot Nectar from Revlon (peach). 

How Do You Lilac It? from Rimmel (lilac). 

Grey Matter from Rimmel (grey, used for the dots). 

Champagne Kiss from Face of Australia (baby pink). 

Platinum from Face of Australia (matte top coat). 

I think it turned out okay considering I wasn't using my brain when I sat down and did the manicure. I love the matte effect and the combination of pastel colours. Now I need to stop procrastinating and get some study done! 

I hope you enjoy your Easter break and have a very safe Easter. 

Cheers :)

Maybelline 'Sea-quins' & Essence 'Miss Universe' NOTD

If you like anything that sparkles and/or the colour teal, then this manicure is for you. Essence's 'Miss Universe' is a black based polish with teal shimmer to make you swoon. Sea-quins which is part of Maybelline's Sequins range is a stunning teal glitter. Together I thought these polishes looked stunning and I add that I am really happy that I only used Sea-quins as an accent because it was a super tricky glitter to remove (silly me forgot the peel-off base coat). 

Sea-quins is a great glitter polish. Over 'Miss Universe' I only needed two coats to get complete density of the glitter and I think you would get pretty much the same result if you didn't have anything under it. A very dense glitter, no doubt about it! 

That's it for now, have a great day :)

The Boy Next Door - Essence

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Essence has made yet another stunning nail polish but I always find it staggering that they can make such high quality polishes for such a bargain price...only $2.75! No kidding, their polishes often surpass other polishes that are ten times more expensive. So anyway I guess I better get onto the actual polish...

'The Boy Next Door' is a stunning electric blue shimmer polish. It's opaque in one coat but I used two thick coats for these photos. Next time I will just use one coat as I found it took awhile to dry with my two super thick coats. This isn't the polishes fault though! The formula, as it always is with essence polishes, was great. No streaks or brushstrokes. I love how the bottles click when you close them and their brushes are definitely some of the best out there. Also, I should probably point out that I used a coat of top coat over the polish, in these photos, for extra shine, however the polish is pretty shiny alone. 

I absolutely love this polish and can definitely see myself reaching for it all the time. 

Cheers :)

Essence Ticket to Paradise - Sun Said Red Nail Polish Review

Hi guys. Today I have a review of one of the new jelly polishes Essence has released in their limited edition "Ticket to Paradise" collection. Sun Said Red is a bold tangerine orange jelly polish.

Despite being a jelly polish I didn't find it too sheer, after two coats it was pretty much perfect but I ended up doing three coats. Next time I'll probably just do two.A very easy formula to work with and dry time was okay but I recommend a quick drying top coat to be safe. After three coats I didn't want to risk getting orange polish on everything!!!  The brush was good although it might be worth mentioning that it isn't Essence's usual wide brush. I think this is the first true jelly polish I own (how is that even possible???) and I am in LOVE!

So that is what happens when I run into Priceline to buy sunscreen... I end up buying nail polish :)
Have a great day, cheers.

Teal Dotticure

I absolutely adore teal and I think it is pretty safe to now say it is my favourite colour! I don't think I've ever really had an absolute favourite colour. Usually, I've been on the fence and named black, blue and red. 

I decided to do a dotticure because I love dotticures and it's a type of nail-art that is usually harder to mess up. Hahaha, I can mess anything up :p 

I used one of my favourite polishes, Jungle Gem from Sally Hansen. Despite my ever-growing collection of polish I have lost count of how many times I have reached for this polish this year. It's a stunning teal colour, one-coater and has a great formula. Need I say more? Probably not! The silver polish is Icy Princess from Essence. 

I was super excited that the sun had came out the day I did this NOTD because it's been overcast, windy and cold for awhile. The fact that it gets dark pretty early too doesn't help my attempts to take semi-decent photos for the blog either! Can't wait for spring to come :)  I think this dotticure worked quite well except for the bit where I got impatient and put my topcoat on too soon, smearing my silver polish everywhere!!! 

Thanks for reading.

Cheers

Nail Art - Teal and gold stamping

Hi guys,
this weekend I finally got around to doing some actual nail art. For the past couple of months I've really only done boring old manicures and swatches and used the striping tape occasionally. With that in mind I pulled out my stamping stuff. I always feel like stamping is a "risk" because if done improperly you can completely stuff up your manicure and have to start all over again...but this time I think it worked out relatively well. Especially when you consider that I haven't stamped for a really long time!

I used a polish from Face of Australia's Barbados limited edition series called 'Let's Go Scuba Diving' which is absolutely gorgeous. Requiring two coats or three thinner coats, this is a really striking teal shimmer polish with heaps of depth. I used 'A Piece of Forever' to stamp.

And now I am finishing with a bit of a random picture (which I hope you enjoy). Whilst I was trecking around the backyard looking for good lighting I snapped this photo of a camellia bush which is about the bloom. It's all furry!!!

Thanks for reading, cheers :)

Miss Universe - a teal lover's dream

Hi guys,
today I have a new polish from essence to show you. I picked this up from Priceline a couple of days ago on an accidental haul. I love teal and this polish is just amazing!!! It is a black-based polish with tons of teal shimmer in it giving you a dark polish which is somehow illuminating. Does that make sense?

The bottle is the standard essence bottle with the cap that 'clicks' on which I think is great! The brush is also the usual wide and easy to use brush typical of the essence polishes from the core range. The formula is relatively easy to use although you do need two coats for complete coverage. I found that the polish looked best when applied quite thickly which of course meant the drying time wasn't amazingly quick. But it was definitely worth the wait :)

By the time my nails had dried the sun had decided to play hide-and-seek behind clouds so I tried my best to get some good photographs of the amazing shimmer but pretty much failed :( I love nail polish and I love blogging, don't get me wrong, but it drives me crazy when I can't get a good picture and especially when it is such an amazingly beautiful polish. This polish has well and truly moved into my top few polishes!!! Easy to apply and beautiful. And it is only $2.75. Don't think I could ask for more.
Cheers,
thanks for reading :)