US Makeup Haul

If you know anything about the price of makeup in Australia, you would know that is it an absolute rip-off and is something I've ranted about on numerous occasions on my blog. So it really should surprise you that I bought a good amount of makeup while I was there.

I had so much fun checking out all the drugstores and I also visited the e.l.f Studio on Broadway which was awesome. And of course my trip wouldn't have been complete without going to Sephora. I absolutely loved it. Only downside was my holiday was during the weeks leading up to Christmas so the stores were always packed and super crowded. Definitely didn't help that I tended to visit the busier stores i.e. Times Square and the one near Macy's on 34th. Anyway, who doesn't love a makeup haul, so here we go!

• Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 50+ for Face
• Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow - Barely Branded
• NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder - Sunny
• YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Mats Lipstick - 202 Rose Crazy
• Essie Nail Polish - Fiji
• Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
• L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes (Waterproof)
• Make Up For Ever HD Primer
• Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Liner - Clear
• Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer - 7 Sand
• MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation - C4
• MAC Eyeshadow - All That Glitters
• L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara (Waterproof)
• MAC Sheertone Blush - Gingerly
• Inglot 20 pan palette (empty)
• Inglot Eyeshadows x 3 (most of the shadows I already owned)

• e.l.f Eyelid Primer
• e.l.f Studio Complexion Brush
• e.l.f Studio Powder Brush
• e.l.f Studio Small Stipple Brush
• e.l.f Studio Flawless Concealer Brush
• e.l.f Studio Concealer Brush
• e.l.f Studio Contour Brush
• e.l.f Studio Small Smudge Brush
• e.l.f Daily Brush Cleaner

Hope you enjoyed having a peak at my new stuff.  I will have reviews for some of these items up in the future.  I'm contemplating whether or not to post a haul for all the clothing/accessories I bought.  Anyway I'll see how I go.  Have a good weekend!

Nars Blush - Desire - a review...

The newest addition to my little Nars blush collection and I LOVE it!! I had been wanting this for ages and my cousin bought it for me =D.


Desire is a matte, really bright pink. It is a bit more on the cooler/blue toned side which I was really concerned about initially since I have very warm toned skin with very strong yellow tones. So I thought it would clash and just look terrible on me. But it's not like that at all. It appears a bit warmer on my skin, a beautiful pink that isn't as intense as in the pan, it brightens up my face and just makes me look more alive and youthful. I'm roughly a NC35-37 for reference. I would think this shade would be flattering every skin tone.

It is amazingly pigmented like most Nars blushes so it should last you forever. You only need to lightly dab your brush in a few times for each use. Also, it is very buildable.

Have a good weekend!

My Mecca Maxima Makeover!!

Hey guys!! This is going to be a MASSIVE post, so brace yourselves!

I had this AWESOME experience 2 weeks ago. Mecca Maxima in Melbourne Central is holding a series of free events on a number of dates where basically you can rock up and learn some tips and tricks and receive some free samples.

So the day I went, they had the "Show Stoppers" event where you would get a mini session with a makeup artist who'd show you some tips and ideas when getting ready for a party. I thought I may as well just drop by after uni and see what I learn. A makeup artist named Amy took care of me, she was SO sweet, helpful and honest. Not only did she give me some tips but she gave me a full face makeover!! Everything from skincare to makeup. I was SO excited because I have never gotten my makeup professionally done and I was able to pick the brain of a really experienced makeup artist. She did a really god job with my makeup, the way she did things was different to how I usually do my makeup which was great as a learnt new ideas and some things that I thought I wouldn't be able to pull off actually worked and looked good.

I thought I'd share some photos of the makeover. Excuse the average hair and all that, I rocked up to Mecca after uni and it was a pretty warm day, so by the time I got home to take the photos, my face was getting oily and hair getting messy. I tried to capature the makeup as best I can in the photos, but it was a bit difficult. I will also go through all the products Amy used, how she used them and if I like them.





SKINCARE 

After removing my makeup, she gave me a skin peel using Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare - Alpha Beta Daily Skin Peel. I was really nervous because I had never gotten a skin peel before and frankly "skin peel" sounds scary lol. But I had nothing to worry about at all. There are 2 steps to this product. You wipe the first cotton pad, which is already soaked in a solution, all over your face. So this is basically the chemical exfoliator. Then you go in with the second step, do the same thing but this time the cotton pad is soaked in a neutralising solution which stops the first solution from working and lets your skin go back to normal. I LOVE THIS STUFF! It made my skin feel so soft and smooth and it looked so radiant. Flakeyness was removed and some pores were cleared. It is absolutely amazing. Makeup looked so much better on my skin after using this. However the product is rather pricey, $130 for 30 uses, which includes both steps. But I did manage to find it on Strawberrynet for about $77. I have never forked that much for skincare...but I may have to in the future because I can't stop thinking about this product lol.

Next Amy moisturised my skin using Murad - Skin Perfecting Lotion ($50). She told me it was a moisturiser but also had some treatment qualities. It would help balance out my skin since I have very oily skin and also improve the texture and general look of my skin. This lotion is actually quite thick which I was concerned about due to my oily skin. It feels a bit much when you first put it on, but if you let it settle a little, it feels light and really moisturising and my skin felt healthy. I ended up purchasing this (that is the most I have ever spent on skincare), I've been using it more as a night treatment as opposed to a daily moisturiser. Still love the light but super moisturising feeling. As for the treatment side, I haven't noticed any changes to my skin but I haven't been using it that long. So at this stage, I like the product but I'm not to sure that it's worth the $50. 

FACE

Amy decided that her aim was to focus on my skin and make it look amazing since it seemed to be my primary concern. So after prepping it with those awesome skin care products, she spent a lot of time working on face makeup. 

Primer : Smashbox - Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light
I already owned this product. Still love it, makes your skin looks smoother and keeps your foundation matte and fresh for longer. But she used much more product than what I would usually use. She stressed the importance of using enough since it's the barrier protecting your skin. 

Highlighter : Nars - Multiple - Luxor
She applied this on my cheek bones and up to my temples before applying foundation which I thought was interesting. I had heard of people doing this, but I always thought what's the point since your foundation is just going to cover it all up. To my surprise the glow came through, it was a nice and subtle inner glow. You can see it in the close-up picture.

Foundation : Nars - Sheer Glow Foundation - Punjab
I was definately apprehensive about her using this foundation. I knew that many people love this foundation. But if there is anything I avoid when buying liquid foundation is "glow." Glowy/dewy foundations just get oily too quickly on me. I was very impressed at the way the foundation could be built up. She showed me how it looked with s sheer application and then she built it up. The general appearance of the foundation was also very natural, it looked like real skin. Definitely purchasing this in the future. 

Concealer : Nars - Conealer - Ginger
A full coverage concealer in stick form. Not really much to say about it lol She used it just like any other concealer and I thought it did a good job covering these 2 HUMUNGOUS zits I had on my face. 

Setting Powder : I don't remember

Bronzer : Stila - Sun Shade SPF 15 - Shade 2
I don't use bronzer much. When I do, I've been using more cool/neutral toned bronzers for contouring and I don't usually use it for all over. This product is more bronzey...kinda more orangey toned...but NOT in a horrible fake way. It added a nice glowy and alive look. She dusted it all over my face. I think she may have added a bit too much for my liking. I will definitely look into getting a bronzer with more of this tone.
 
Blush : Nars - Blush - Desire
I requested to use this blush since it's on my wishlist and I just wanted to confirm whether I wanted it or not lol. Still love it, still REALLY want it. She did a really light dusting to show me its versatility. She also pointed out that another makeup artist was wearing it, she had a totally different complexion to me and it looked totally different on her but still amazing. 

EYES

I was pretty happy with the eye makeup. Many makeup artists tend to struggle on Asian eyes or just make us look all kinds of weird lol. Amy did a great job. Unfortunately I had a hard time capturing it in the photos. 

Primer : Too Faced - Shadow Insurance
A classic product. I already owned this. Makes your shadow appear more vibrant and fresh for longer. Reduces creasing. 

Eyeshadows : 
Stila - Baked Eye Shadow Trio - Gold Glow
She used the gold from this trio on the inner half of the lid and the brown on the outter half. Very pigmented and metallicy.   
Nars - Eyeshadow - Fez 
A medium-deep shimmery brown shade with I think a red undertone. She used this to deepen up the outter corner a bit.
Nars - Soft Touch Shadow Pencil - Aigle Noir
This was applied along my bottom lashline and smudged out to look really smokey and sultry. This black pencil actually had some gold in it which was really pretty. When I normally apply eyeshadow under my eyes and smudge it out, I keep it very close to the lash line. I always thought that smudging it too far down would make me look tired. So it surprised me when it didn't lol. I thought it looked really sexy and sultry. Definitely going to experiment with this more myself.

Eyeliner : Bobbi Brown - Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner - Violet Ink
I loved this! I am pretty conventional when it comes to eyeliners, I pretty much only use black and brown. But this purple looked wow. I'm so annoyed the camera didn't pick it up. She used it along my upper lid and also on my bottom waterline. I used to like applying eyeliner to my waterline. But for some reason stopped. So I hadn't done that in a while. When she applied some of this to my waterline, it brought back memories lol. Again I was surprised that the purple looked SO good! and lining my waterline added drama n definition as well as adding to the sexy sultry eye look.

LIPS

Stila - Lip Glaze - Amaretto
I'm more of a lipstick girl than a gloss girl. And definitely more into pinks than nudes. Amy decided to go with a nude lip, just to do something that I normally wouldn't do. I actually really liked the look. The lip glaze was pretty pigmented, shimmer free which I like, pretty long lasting and super moisturising. I really liked the colour. It allowed my natural lip colour to peak through a bit which I thought was really nice.



I think that was everything lol. I was really happy with the look. The highlight product for me was the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare - Alpha Beta Daily Skin Peel, love it, will have to save some money and build the confidence to spend that much money on a skin care product lol. I felt that Amy definitely achieved her goal of making my skin the stand out feature. My skin isn't the best in the world but she made it look and feel the best I've ever seen it. Hope you aren't too bored after reading that massive post.

Nars Blush - Amour & Orgasm - review/swatches

Hey guys!

These are the only 2 Nars blushes that I own. I'm am hoping to get Desire next. Anyway, I've had these for quite a while now but never got around to doing a review. But here it is!....finally.

Orgasm was the first blush I bought due to all the hype. I have done a short review on it before (click here if you want to read that). But here's a slightly more in depth review.


This is a peachy pink blush that is loaded with gold shimmer. The shimmer really adds to the peachy tone. If you like a glowy look, you will love this. The shimmer is really fine so you get more of a sheen. I think this is a beautiful blush, however I do have a preference for matte blushes, so I have been reaching for Amour more. I don't find this to be a super pigmented blush, but that is just the nature of it. Due to the large amounts of shimmer, you aren't going to get amazing colour pay off after one swipe. That being said, it's not like you have to scrub away at it either. It it still pigmented, just not super pigmented, you just need to work a little more than you would with Amour for example, since that has no shimmer you just get colour pigments. This blush looks amazing on its own but it also looks good on top of other blushes if you want some added golden glow. Also really good for those days when you look blah...this really makes you look more radiant.


Amour is a bit harder to describe I think. In the pan...it looks like a medium, dull (as opposed to bright) pink. On, it's a medium pink with kind of coral undertones and looks more vibrant than in the pan. However you describe it, it is a beautiful colour. Like I mentioned before, this is a matte blush. It looks so smooth on your skin, doesn't look cakey or powdery or anything like that. It is so pigmented, I like using a stippling brush to apply it so I have more control building it up. I have medium skin, so if you have paler skin definitely be very careful applying it. I absolutely love this blush at the moment. It has been my go-to blush for the past couple of months through winter and has become equal with my beloved Revlon Floral Affair Collection blush in Pinking of You. (That has been a favourite blush of mine for a long time. I am in LOVE with the colour, however its pigmentation and lasting power falls short. Click here if you want to see my review. If you know of a better quality colour dupe for Pinking of you, please let me know!) Overall love this blush. After trying this, I really want to try other Nars matte blushes.

Here are some comparison photos:



That is all for this review. By the way...anyone notice this is my 100th post? =P

Smashbox - Skin Tint - Bella

I recently bought Smashbox Skin Tint in Bella from All Cosmetics Wholesale for only $10.99 USD. In stores in the US I believe they are about $28 USD. Mine was unboxed (so had a few tiny scratches on the outside) which made it cheaper and I'm not 100% sure but I think this colour is no longer be available in stores. I only use this product on my cheeks and not on my lips. I have tried it on my lips and the colour doesn't work for me so this review is focused on using this as a cheek colour.


Packaging

The tube is just over 10cm long and over 2cm in diameter. It has matte black packaging and feels pretty sturdy. Net Wt. is .25oz or 7.2g.


Colour & Finish

Bella is a bold corally pink with no shimmers or sparkles at all. That being said, it doesn't appear that bold on your cheeks. After blending it out it just gives your face a nice bit of colour.


Quality

This product is nicely pigmented. You don't need much at all. I've tried it with a bit of translucent setting powder over the top and I find it does last a long time but does fade and lose a bit of intensity towards the end of the day like many blushes.

Usage

I find that this is a little hard to blend, but by no way is it impossible. I find swiping some on at the beginning then trying to blend is a little difficult so what I like to do is kind of dab the blush on my face, applying just a very small amount, and then blend it out with my fingers. If I want more intensity I just keep repeating this process. Sometimes I get some product on my finger then dab and blend from there. That way, blending is easier.

Overall

I'm not a massive fan of the formula as it does require me to be gentle and take my time to blend. The fact that I'm mainly a powder blush user probably doesn't help lol. Sometimes I feel as you blend, you do kind of rub at the foundation you've already applied which is particularly annoying when you've packed on foundation/concealer on your cheek to hide a blemish lol. The pigmentation is great so 1 tube will last you forever and I absolutely love the colour. I will continue to use this.

Mini Inglot Haul

A few weeks ago I went shopping with my best friend because she was in need of some accessories and makeup for her ball. We stopped by Inglot and can you believe they had some things on sale!! It wasn't like a whole section or product on sale, just random items. So there were a few shades of eyeshadow, blushes, powders, pigments, etc. with little sale stickers on them. So I'm not sure if these sales are consistent through all stores in Australia.

Anyway I was pretty excited when I saw them. I had only bought a pigment, angled eye liner brush and makeup remover from them previously so I really wanted to try some more stuff. And how often do you see this stuff go on sale?!

First I bought 2 AMC Eye Shadows in number 67 and 52 . (Yes it totally sucks that they don't have names lol).
They were originally I believe around $20 AUD but these were reduced to $8 each. They have a net weight of 2.4g.


52 is a yellow toned brown shade with brown and gold sparkle/shimmer.


67 is a medium to dark indigo colour with blue and white sparkle/shimmer.
The reason I say "sparkle/shimmer" is that the flecks in it aren't fine enough to be shimmer as you can detect each individual fleck, but it's not chunky enough to be a glitter. I was somewhat disappointed with these as they only have reasonable pigmentation. When trying them in store with fingers they seemed really pigmented but when actually applying with brushes it wasn't amazing. I was expecting full-on pigment after hearing good things about Inglot eyeshadow. However I think it may just be this particular line of eyeshadows because my friend bought one of their Freedom System palettes and the pigmentation on those was absolutely stunning. Nonetheless, if you apply some base or primer they turn out pretty well.


I also bought a Face Blush in 26.


This is a matte light peach shade.
The blush was originally around the $20-25 mark as well I think (sorry I've forgotten all the prices) and was reduced to $6!! It has a net weight of 2.5g which isn't very big at all which is a shame. The pigmentation of this is amazing and so smooth! I've been looking for a cheap straight peach blush for ages (no shimmer and no pink tinge). On my yellow toned skin, the peach colour is definitely more subtle than a pink. It makes me look more tanned. The only downsides would be the quantity which I mentioned earlier and also the packaging. It comes with a screw top lid, I would much prefer a flip top since I tend to misplace the lid lol.

That's everything!

Stocking up on my all time favorite blush

My all time favourite blush is...
Revlon's Floral Affair Collection blush in Pinking of You

It was a limited edition range so it is no longer available *cries* So that is why I stocked up lol. The blush is huge (8.0g) so it would take me forever to use up but thought I would be safe and grab a few more off ebay.

I bought a set of the Floral Affair blushes from Camelliashop Cosmetics Wholesale UK . I had no problems or hiccups ordering from them. I received my package about 8-9 days after my payment was confirmed (UK to Australia). The blushes arrived in perfect condition and all wrapped up very well and securely in individual boxes.

The specific set of blushes I ordered came with 3 x Pinking of You and 1 x Hushed Blush. I haven't used or tried Hushed Blush and I am giving it away so I can't tell you much about it but I can definitely tell you about Pinking of You lol.

I love love love this blush. It is a vibrant matte pink colour with a hint of peach and it is just SO pretty and wearable! It is very sheer though so you do need to really swirl your brush in there the darker your skin is. It is buildable so it is very hard to mess up with this baby. The staying power isn't the best, when you get home after a full day, it definitely isn't going to be as bright and vibrant as in the morning. The packaging is sleek but sturdy and you get so much product!


There are definitely some cons to this product such as the pigmentation, but I am SO in love with the colour that I'm happy to let that go. If you know of a matte blush that is exactly the same colour as this, PLEASE let me know!

Cheapie Finds

Hey guys! Over the past few months I've collected some items which were either really cheap, on sale or on clearance. So I thought I'd show you and give a little review.

First up are these Australis blushes. I think this brand is just sold in Australia, but I'm not too sure...I had never really considered trying their products but Priceline had a bunch of Australis stuff on sale for $2.99AUD (the blushes are originally I think around $8-10), and me, who can never resist clearances, had to grab something. I must say I am very impressed. I bought Pretty in Pink and Smitten. I believe these shades aren't available anymore but I'm sure the new colours have the same quality. Both of mine are soft, smooth, pigmented with very fine shimmer. So be careful you don't get carried away with swirling your brush in them otherwise you'll end up with doll cheeks lol. Overall very happy with these and I am really excited about trying other Australis products.

I also bought 2 JQC Cosmetics eyeliners from Groove. I got it in white and silver. I got them last Friday since they were on buy one get one free so I paid $3 for the 2. This is a cheap brand which I think is only available at Groove and Ice Accessories. I really don't like the white one, it's not creamy or pigmented and doesn't glide on. The silver one on the other hand is WOW. It's so pigmented and metallic, you don't need to apply much pressure at all and it is very smooth.

Last I got 2 brushes from Sportsgirl. They were on sale for around $5 each. I got the Brush with Fame Cheek Brush and the Brush with Fame Kabuki Bronzing Brush. They are SOOO soft! I'm in love with the kabuki brush, it's dense but soft and I use it daily to buff on pressed powder foundation.

So I definitely recommend you guys try these or any other products from cheaper brands or clearance items because you never know...you might stumble on some treasures =)

Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush Review & Swatches

No I am not dead lol I've just been SO busy lately with my mid-semester exams and assignments so I haven't had the time to blog. I know I've said this a million times but I will try to post more regularly.

Anyway today's post is about Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush. I bought these a few weeks ago from Priceline for about $8 which is awesome since they are normally about $17AUD.

I love the mousse texture, it's really light and just fun to use. I use my fingers to apply it which allows me to have much more control over the application and placement.

Peach Satin - is as the name suggests a peachy colour. It is very shimmery and almost sheeny which you can see in the swatch. It is very very sheer especially on my tanned yellow toned skin. If I only apply a little all I get is a sheen. I need to apply quite a bit to get the colour showing. It can be used as a blush base for you sheer powder blushes.

Pink Frosting - is a very bright pink. It has a bit of shimmer but it also has micro glitter which I am not a fan of. So when you apply it you can see the individual flecks which you can kind of see in the swatches. I find this one more pigmented than Peach Satin but still sheer. If they removed the glitter I would be a whole lot happier.

Overall I love the colour and texture of both of them but not crazy about either of the finishes nor the pigmentation.

Thanks for visiting!

Kiss and Makeup Haul & Swatches

I received my products from Kiss and Makeup a couple of weeks ago. So this is what I got:

Nars blush in Orgasm (left) and Deep Throat (right).

Here's a swatch of Orgasm (sorry I don't have a swatch of Deep Throat because that was a present for my sister):

Orgasm is a peachy pink blush with lots of very fine gold shimmer giving it that shimmery/sheeny finish. I find that it is not really sheer nor super pigmented, so somewhere in the middle and it does have pretty good lasting power.

I also got the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage in SC-3.

I love the idea of having the two shades. This is quite a dry matte concealer, so it can look a bit cakey. These shades are too light for my skin tone. The darker one is 'acceptable' i suppose, but you can still tell it's too light.

Hopefully it won't be too long before my next post =)

Cherry Culture Haul swatches #2: NYX Powder Blush

So here's the last installment of products from my Cherry Culture haul. Sorry it took so long.

I bought 3 NYX Powder Blushes in Peach, Spice and Taupe. These blushes are very soft and pigmented so be careful with your brush and don't get too carried away haha

Peach: matte pale pinky-peach
Spice: matte rose pink
Taupe: matte very cool toned grey brown