Beauty Products Not Hyped About Enough

Nyx Love in Paris 'Merci Beaucoup' Eyeshadow Palette

The 'Merci Beaucoup' palette from Nyx is one of my all time favourite eyeshadow products from the "drugstore". The main reason why I love this palette is the colour range. You can create a great basic look or by pulling in some of the beautiful pinks, you can also have a pop of colour. The one drawback of this palette is that it doesn't last all day. If you want these shadows to last longer than 4-5  hours you will need to use a primer. With a primer they last for ages.

Maybelline Master Hi-Light Blush in 'Pink Rose'

The Master Hi-Light blush from Maybelline in 'Pink Rose' is a gorgeous pink blush that will suit many people. The blush itself is quite illuminating however there are no visible chunky glitters which makes this blush foolproof. You can build up the pigmentation of the blush easily and the added glow it gives is gorgeous and natural.

Revlon Powder Blush on 'Melon-Drama' 

'Melon-drama'  from Revlon is a pinky peach powder blush. 'Melon-drama' gives my face a really good dose of healthy colour without looking over the top. The blush is very buildable pigmentation wise and lasts quite well.

Multi-task Real Techniques Brush

Every man and his dog raves about the Real Techniques brushes and there are genuine reasons why: they are great quality, last for years, don't shed and do a lovely job at getting the make-up where you want it! The Multi-task brush is my favourite make-up brush because it applies blush really well and can also be used for powder. I have had this brush for a minimum of 2 years and it still looks brand new, no shedding at all. The only negative thing I have to say about the multi-task brush is that it comes in a kit. I wish I had more than one of these brushes but I don't necessarily want to buy the whole kit everytime I want one of these. It comes in the Travel Essentials kit with a foundation brush and a domed shadow brush. Both of those brushes are great and the domed shadow brush is my favourite eye brush so if you want a couple of great basic brushes buy the kit.

Maybelline Colorshow Crayon Kohl Eyeliner in 'Black'

I'm not an eye-liner expert and I don't wear it every day so keep that in mind whilst I tell you why I love this eyeliner from Maybelline. As I said, I have zero eyeliner skills but because this eyeliner is quite dry and similar to your typical pencil I can get a decent line that is quite thin. Once applied it doesn't smudge or transfer and it lasts well. If you are wanting to do something more than a basic line, you might not love this one but if you are an eyeliner beginner, I highly recommend this. Talking about recommendations...leave a comment below if you want to tell me about an eyeliner you think I might love!

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara Review

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a new Maybelline mascara, the 'Lash Sensational' Mascara in the pretty metallic pink tube. You've probably seen it...it's been everywhere lately. 

Let's begin by having a look at some of the things Maybelline claim about this mascara:

• It's their first patented fanning brush. 
• 10 layers of bristles to cover all your lashes.
• Gives you a full fan effect. 
• The "inner curve" of the brush is for the roots of your lashes and the longer brushes are to fan our your lashes. 

I have never seen a mascara brush like this one before, it has a small line of bristles and then the rest of the brush is filled with larger bristles. The brush itself is quite large and is slightly curved. The concept of the inner curve and the outer curve (is that what you would call it?) isn't some gimmick - I can clearly see what they are talking about. But that isn't to say that you pick this brush up and instantly know what to do with it (or maybe you do and it's just me?). Overall though I do like the brush and the inner curve definitely helps to to get into the roots of your lashes and the larger section of the brush does fan out your lashes.  

I definitely love how this mascara looks on my lashes. It lengthens them, gives them volume and curls them up and out, like a fan, easily. Plus it holds the curl pretty well too! My lashes normally look pretty ordinary but with this mascara I feel like they look awesome :) 

The one thing that stops me from saying "this mascara is amazing" is the formula of it. It is an extremely wet mascara and couple that with the fact that the wand holds an excess of mascara, it can get messy. I find myself scraping off heaps of mascara on the side of the tube before actually applying it. 

Overall this is a really good mascara and, if you don't mind a mascara that is quite wet, you will probably love it. I really adore the effect this mascara has on my lashes, and the brush is decent, but I do wish the formula wasn't as wet. 

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!!!

2014 - Favourite Eye Products

2014 is coming to an end so throughout the next couple of days I am going to be posting about all my favourite beauty products of the year. I'm kicking it all off with my favourite eye products.

I've had a bit of a love affair this year with pink eye shadows. I'm not talking about bright pink but the more pale, natural looking, pink shades. I'm all for simplicity and find these neutral shimmery pinks are great for when you just want to wear one eye shadow all over your lid. I feel like these make shades make my eyes look bigger and make me look awake - perfection! The Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Inked in Pink' is a great pink cream shadow. Simply swipe a finger over your eye lid and you have an easy and long lasting eye look. I also really love the pale shimmery pink baked eye shadow in the 'Summer Fiesta Eye Palette from Kit Cosmetics'. It doesn't last all day but it does last for a decent amount of time (4-6 hours, no primer) and it is easy to apply. For some reason I always thought baked eye shadows had poor pigment but the baked shadows in this palette have great pigmentation!

Left: Kit Cosmetics Baked Eye Shadow Right: Inked in Pink Maybelline Colour Tattoo

Top: Kit Cosmetics Baked Eye Shadow Bottom: Inked in Pink Maybelline Colour Tattoo

When I haven't been wearing pale pink shimmery eye shadows, I have been wearing nude shades. This year I have loved wearing the 'Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil' in 'Yoghurt', which is a great champagne / beige /  rose gold colour...It is hard to put your finger on exactly what colour it is as it is quite shimmery  and changes colour depending on the light. I really do love the colour of it though as it is neutral and appropriate for any occasion or time. Plus, I just "colour in" my eye lid with this and I'm ready to go. Lasting power is reasonable (around 5 hours) and pigmentation is good. The only downside I can see with this product is the packaging - the plastic cap easily breaks and this means it is very easy to push the cap down too far and smudge the shadow.

I have also loved and used regularly my Chi Chi 'Nudes' eye shadow palette. With a  great selection of matte and shimmer shadows in neutral shades I have everything I could possible want or need for a neutral eye. Lasting power is fine and pigmentation is pretty good (except for a couple of the shadows that are slightly lacking in the pigmentation department). If you haven't already tried this palette out I highly recommend you do!

Top: Nyx 'Yoghurt' Middle + Bottom: From the 'Nudes' Chi Chi Palette

This year the mascara that has impressed me the most is the Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless mascara. It truly makes my lashes look longer and has an easy-to-use formula.

So those were my most loved eye products of 2014, I would love to know which eye products you loved throughout the year! You may (or may not) have noticed that I have added Disqus to my blog. I hope this makes commenting easier and more interactive for you.

Cheers :)

Simple kind to eyes make up remover - review

The kind to eyes make up remover from Simple claims to remove waterproof mascara without the need to rub at your eyes, while being suitable for sensitive skin. 

With the same consistency as water I drizzle some of this on a cotton pad and wipe this over my eyes. It removes my eyeshadow and mascara well. I don't find myself rubbing my eyes when I use this. I also find this really useful when I make a mistake and need to quickly fix it. I just grab a q-tip However, I do have to confess that I am lazy and often go to bed without removing my mascara. Using a q-tip, this is perfect for wiping away mascara that settles underneath the eye, quickly in the morning. 

I don't experience any stinging or uncomfortableness so would expect that this would be fine for those with sensitive eyes. However everybody is different! 

Finally, the packaging! Not much to say here...it comes in a bottle with a flip top. Nothing here to dislike. Overall I really enjoy this product and have already been through 1.5 bottles of it :) thanks for reading! Cheers 

My everyday face

Don't get me wrong, I love to experiment with make-up and try out new products but most of the time  I rely on a handful of trusted products. Boring? Maybe. But lets be honest it is no fun sitting through a meeting wondering if that new foundation has oxidised and turned you orange, or if your new blush makes you look like a clown!

These are the four products I pretty much wear everyday. I do alternate between a couple of eye shadows and blushers but these are the #1's. If I'm in a rush or I just don't want to do anything different these are what I reach for.

1. Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Foundation in 'Natural Beige'.
This is my holy grail foundation. No matter how many different foundations I try, this is always the one I return to. I have probably gone through five jars of it and will always repurchase it. It's a lovely creamy formula that blends and smooths over your face easily; gives good coverage (I would say medium coverage) but is easily buildable, and; lasts for most of the day.

2. Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara
This mascara lengths your lashes like crazy and doesn't transfer anywhere despite not being waterproof.

3. Nyx Blush in 'Mocha'.
'Mocha' is a gorgeous warm pink. This is a very buildable blush but it is easy to apply without looking like a clown.

4. Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Inked in Pink'.
A sweep of this across my eyelids and that's it! The pure simplicity, foolproofness and longevity of the Maybelline Colour Tattoos make them perfect for your everyday look.

What products do you reach for on a  daily basis?

Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Endless Review

I don't talk about mascara much on the blog. Probably because I have only recently fallen completely in love with mascara. Seriously, how could I not know the magical powers of mascara? Anyway,  I have been using the Physician's Formula Organic Wear Mascara for a good two years and don't get me wrong, I love the fact that it is free from nasty chemicals. But...it is pretty expensive and Priceline had 50% off Rimmel. I use to use a Rimmel mascara years ago so decided to pick up the Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara for the awesome price of $8.97. I have heard good things about this mascara in the blogger universe so I decided to give it a shot. One stroke of this mascara on my pretty ordinary lashes and I was sold.

These are my lashes before applying the mascara. I had no idea what I was doing with these photos...apologies!

 These are my lashes with one coat of the mascara.

                                      

This mascara claims to wrap and extend every single lash, condition your lashes and make your lashes look 90% longer. I have it in 'Black'. It also comes in 'Brown' and 'Extreme Black'. I haven't noticed any smudging of the mascara and the wand is quite thin and long. This makes it quite quick to apply.

Do I think it makes my lashes look longer? Absolutely! I'm not sure if the photographs capture it but I really do think this makes my lashes look super long. Which is fab because I have really short lashes.

Does it extend and wrap around every single? I think it does. I have zero skill when it comes to applying mascara and am lucky if I don't stab myself in my eye with the mascara wand! Yet I don't think there are any lashes that are not completely covered with mascara.

Does it condition your lashes? I honestly can't say whether it does or not because I'm not sure how to tell if it has. I definitely haven't noticed it having a negative effect on the health of my lashes.

Please let me know what your favourite mascara is and if you know of any good ones that are free from nasty chemicals :) Cheers!

Face of the day #1

Yesterday morning I was in the mood for doing something a bit different with my make-up for the day.

As I was in the mood for experimentation I decided to use a combination of primer and bb cream, something I don' think I have done before. The primer I used was Revlon's Photoready Perfecting Primer. I haven't used this primer much so I don't really have a strong opinion of it (yet). But I do like how it feels on the skin. Wanting something foolproof (because I was doing my make-up in a rush and in bad lighting) and natural I used my Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in 'light'. This is the only bb cream I have ever loved using and will definitely repurchase it. I then used my holy grail blush, the Rimmel London Match Perfection Blush in 'light/medium'. Sadly I think this has recently been discontinued?! I've been on the hunt for a back-up but I can't find them anywhere! What I love about this blush is that it is foolproof, easily build-able and gives a lovely natural look.

On my eyes I used #2 from the Chi Chi Nudes Palette which is a pearl pinky nude. I don't have the Naked Palette but I believe this is similar to UD's 'Sin' colour. I also used my Rimmel London 'Endless Lash Accelerator' Mascara. This mascara makes my lashes look amazingly long and the brush is really good - very thin and long. 

On the lips I wore Maybelline Baby Lips and Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Honey'. 

I was really happy with how this look came together which was nice as I often feel disgruntled with how things turn out! Usually things look better in my head than they do in real life. 

And now a question for you. I have never done a FOTD post before. I don't want to post photos of my face here on the blog. Would you prefer to see swatches on hands or cropped photos of my face? Cheers :)

Blogmas - My Introduction to Nyx Products

Hi guys!!! Today I realised I had never done the first impressions Nyx post I  had intended on doing. So... I'm doing it now :)

So when I first spotted the Nyx stand at Target early in November I was like a kid in a lolly store. The prices were a tiny bit more expensive than I thought they would be, but that doesn't mean they are expensive. Their jumbo eye pencils are $9.95, powder blushes $9.95, cream blushes $11.95 and their famous butter glosses are $9.95. Not too bad, right? 

I picked up their jumbo eye pencil in yoghurt, butter gloss in creme brulee and a creamy round lipstick in tea rose. 

I am planning on doing a full review of these products once I have worn them more but so far I can tell you that that the butter gloss is amazing! Not only does it smell like cake mixture and cupcakes (yummy) but they feel really moisturising, don't dry your lips out, don't feel sticky, have good pigmentation and are super easy to wear. The lipstick feels really creamy and has great pigmentation and the jumbo eye pencil is a really lovely colour, easy to use but without a primer or setting crease after 4-5 hours. 

What Nyx products should I pick up next?
Cheers :)

Chi Chi Nudes Eye Shadow Palette + BARGAIN Alert

Today I have swatches from Chi Chi's 'Nudes' Glamorous Eye Shadow Palette. Consisting of 12 different shades,  2 matte and 10 shimmers and housed in a sturdy plastic palette, with a clear lid it's a great palette and very good quality...especially considering how cheap it is! I don't personally own the Naked Palette by Urban Decay but I believe it is very similar...

I only recently picked this up so this post will only be swatches but I will do a more in-depth review once I've used it for awhile. Before I get stuck into the swatches though I want to let you know about how YOU CAN GET THIS FOR A BARGAIN!!!Yes I know...I probably went OTT with the bold and the underlining but, seriously, give me a second to explain and you'll be rushing down to the shops to score yourself a bargain :) This palette can be brought alone for $22.95 or you can get it in a gift set with a RRP of $24.95 that also includes a full-sized blush and 4 mini lipglosses. And now here comes the clincher, there is 25% off Chi Chi gift sets at Target at the moment meaning that this palette + full sized blush + 4 mini lipglosses will only cost you $18.71. So you can either buy this palette individually for $22 or buy it in a gift set with a blush and 4 mini glosses for $18.71. Kind of absurd really but nonetheless a great bargain! 

Okay now onto the actual swatches that I promised you...forgive me for getting side-tracked by bargain, pretty please :)

(Shade)

Cheers and have a great weekend!

July Favourites

This month I have fallen back into love with some old products and have attempted to get into better make-up habits. I have also put an emphasis on trying to use some products up because I have way too many lotions and potions open...on my desk alone I have three hand creams and probably five or so lip balms floating around. Ridiculous! I finished one tube of balm up (it's currently sitting in a box marked "empties" hopefully I will eventually get enough products in there to do an empties post!!!) and have tried to stop myself from buying more :p 

Anyway, I should probably stop rambling and get onto what I have been loving. 

First up is my omSHE lipstick in Moon (which I reviewed here) which I have been reaching for quite a lot this month. It's a lovely warm brown/nude colour and smells divine. It's quite pigmented, lasts awhile and really easy to wear. OmSHE should seriously make a perfume with this scent, I would definitely buy it. 

Second is my trusty old Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Lip Butter (phew, what a mouthful!) which has been the only balm I have been using for a couple of weeks now because as I said I am trying to finish up some products. This is another product which smells absolutely amazing, it also protects your lips from drying out in the cold winter weather and also gives a nice gloss effect. I also use this over lipsticks when they have started to wear off or when they start drying out my lips out. I will definitely repurchase this once I work my through my collection of lip products. 

Third is the mascara I've been using. I'm not really a mascara lover, mostly because I find application tricky, but I really like the effect mascara gives and have started wearing it a lot lately. I feel really comfortable using this mascara since it's free from harsh chemicals, synthetic preservatives and parabens. Also, clumsy me finds the brush easy to maneuver without stabbing myself in the eye and it lasts all day. 

Fourth is a product I don't think I've featured on the blog before (probably because I rarely wear mascara and never take my make-up off *guilty face*). It is The Body Shop's Camomile waterproof eye make-up remover. I haven't used any other make-up removers so I don't have anything to compare it to but it removes my mascara easily and without rubbing excessively. It feels really gentle and works well.

Finally, number five is a product that has probably featured in every single favourites post I've done...it's my revlon Colorstay whipped creme foundation in 240 natural beige. Easy to apply, lasts nearly all day and gives a good amount of coverage. I apply with my fingertips and sometimes put some of Rimmel's stay matte powder on top. This works really well for me. My jar is nearly empty so I'm currently trying to decide between buying another one, or the beauty blogger in me is tempted to try another foundation. What do you think I should do? Any suggestions? 

So that's it for July. I hope you have had a good July and here's to hoping August is another great month :) 

Cheers  

Maybelline Eye Studio - Copper Chic: Product Review

Generally speaking, I am not an eyeshadow person. When I was a teenager and was first getting into make-up I use to whack on the eyeshadow like it was going out of fashion. Black shimmery eye shadow was my favourite....I guess it went with the whole 'emo-look' thing I had going on. I wasn't emo or gothic but I liked pretending. I guess when we are teenagers we don't want to be ourselves? Anyway, I haven't worn eyeshadow for a very long time but after starting this blog earlier this year and reading a heap of amazing blogs reviewing all kinds of make-up I decided I wanted to buy a new eye-shadow palette and toss out all of my old eyeshadows because they were all bad quality and horrible when I first brought them and now they are just a rainbow of powdered mess. Think purple,black, blue, pink...... 

So I set out to buy a new eye-shadow;  I read reviews on blogs and spent hours on Priceline's website. I decided to get Maybelline eye studio copper chic. It wasn't the cheapest but I figured since it was going to be the only eye-shadow in my arsenal of make-up that it was okay to spend a little. It was on sale too....... 

I have actually only worn it once, and I forgot to notice how it wore :( I know, epic blogger fail!!!! So this review will be based on application, quality and vague memories. Sorry, sorry, sorry. 

The palette contains 4 tones: a white-ish shade, a red-ish copper, a golden-copper and a darker brown. All are metallic and have good pigmentation. They are all neutral tones but look special and can be worn in multiple ways. I only wore the golden-copper tone as I am not skilled at eye-make-up but I'm sure you could do great things with these. Since this is my first eye-shadow review my photos don't properly show how pigmented the shades are and the pictures themselves are kind of bleh. Overall, I was impressed with how pigmented the eye-shadows were (all of the colours). The applicator thingy that comes with it works well and is a good size. They apply easily and wore well { I can't give you specifics because I was too busy having fun to notice my eyeshadow, hahaha } 

Overall score: 9/10