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!

May & June 2013 Beauty Haul

Good afternoon!

Just a short post today sharing a bunch of things I've bought over the last couple of months.


Nivea Pure & Natural Milk & Honey lip balm
A friend of mine who is a lipbalm fanatic recommended this to me as one of the best cheap lip balms she's tried.

Lush Mint Julips lip scrub
I seem to be developing a habit of buying lush products when I'm in a crappy mood lol. 

Daiso nail dotting tool

Aveeno Positively Radiant Intensive Night CreamYes, I know I'm on my 'Moisturiser Intervention' but the moisturiser I've been using for night time is almost finished, so I bought this to replace that.  Don't worry, I won't open it until I've finished the other one =P

Lancome Tonique Pure Focus toner
There was this random pop-up sale on Bridge Rd so I picked up this toner.

Moosehead Grubby Putty
I recently got a haircut and the hairdresser styled my hair all messy and I loved it.  But I didn't really want to buy the product he used on me since it was a pretty big tub and was fairly expensive, and knowing me, I won't be styling my hair everyday.  So I found this little tub and Priceline and thought I'd give it a try.

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips - Ultra
I always have these on hand.  No miracle workers but i still like them. (Click here for review)

Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Waterproof mascara

MAC Rebel lipstick
I've been wanting this forever!  So I thought finishing exams was a good enough excuse to reward myself.

Quick update:
I've been a bit M.I.A. recently because I was busy with exams and I was just starting to enjoy my holidays when I was struck down with a cold.  Woohoo... So I'm writing this post from the couch under 100 layers of blankets lol.

Enjoy your week!  And if you're in Melbourne, rug up! brrrrrr.

NYX Round Lipsticks - Review & Swatches

These were among the first lipsticks I ever bought. They kind of fell to the back of my collection as I started buying more expensive lipsticks, but I've recently started to whip them out again.

They're really cheap and great if you want to try a bunch of different colours. But the formula for most of them (particularly the cream finish ones), I find quite difficult to work with compared to other lipsticks. They are really pigmented and creamy but go on quite thick, almost cakey, if you apply them in a normal swiping motion. I think they work best if you wear a lip balm underneath and apply the lipstick in a dabbing motion to build up the colour.

Here are the colours I own:


(From left to right)
Pumpkin Pie - Peachy nude with slight gold shimmer
Frappucino - Neutral pinky brown
Milan - Mauve
Tea Rose - Medium pink
Indian Pink - Pinky peach with gold shimmer
Fig - Bright medium pink
Doll - Pinky raspberry
Rose Bud - Cool pink with gold glitter; the glitter feels gritty.
Rose - Bright pinky coral with pink shimmer

My current favourites are probably Doll and Rose.  But when I first bought these years back, Tea Rose was my most used shade.

Have a great weekend!

MAC Lustering lipstick > My staple hot pink

I got this lipstick not too long ago, but I had bought/received a few others around that time as well, so this one kind of just fell into the background.  But recently I was on a bright lip kick and this lipstick lived in my makeup bag.

Lustering is a lustre finish and is a bright, hot pink colour.  I think it falls pretty darn close to the middle between a yellow toned and blue toned pink, but leans just a touch more into the blue zone.  Many hot pinks tend to lean too far into the blue toned spectrum which washes me out, but Lustering does not.  This is probably as far into blue toned pinks as I can go with my skin tone.


This is such a versatile lipstick.  You can put one swipe of it and get a nice gentle shot of colour.  Layer it on and you can get quite a punchy bright lip.

 bare lips 
one layer 
layered up  Since it's a lustre, it is sheerer and has a glossy look.  It's sheerness makes it a very wearable bright colour, not too in your face and no need to fuss around with a lipliner.  I also just love that juicy look that lustres tend to achieve.  It feels smooth, doesn't dry out your lips and doesn't emphasise all those dry flakey bits for those who have dry lips.

I love this colour and highly recommend it.

Haul: Gmarket Korean Skincare

Recently I decided to give my skin a bit more attention. I had been using pretty much the same products for a while and not seeing many results. So it was time to change things up. I have never really gotten into Asian cosmetics or skincare. But my friend is an absolute Asian product junkie (yes, you know who you are lol). So she convinced me to give it a try, plus it was all pretty cheap.

Anyway, so we bought a bunch of stuff off Gmarket. It's a site that sells all kinds of Korean products including makeup, skincare, clothes, shoes, food, etc. From what I understand, Gmarket is a site that makes all different brands available to consumers in the one place. So when you order things from say Brand A and Brand B, those companies will ship your products to Gmarket, which will then put everything together in one box and ship it out to you.

I purchased 5 skincare items and threw in a couple of makeup items. I also received a few samples but forgot to take photos of those.

• Tony Moly Dear Me Balancing Lotion
• Tony Moly Dear Me Balancing Skin (toner)
• Tony Moly Floria Pore - Tightening Toner
• Tony Moly Floria Pore - Tightening Emulsion (moisturiser)
• It's Skin Power 10 Formula VB Effector (serum)
• Etude House Apricot Stick #3
• Etude House Wonder Volume Lashes

I've started using the two products from the Dear Me line, the It's Skin serum and the Etude House Apricot Stick. I'll do separate posts on what I think about the products further down the track.
Shipping time wasn't too bad. Don't quite remember how long it took, I think it was around 2-3 weeks. The packaging was definitely a bit excessive. The box it came in was massive, so was only like a third full (it was not fun carrying that on the bus, believe me lol). There were heaps of little boxes (from all different brands) inside and a ridiculous amount of bubble wrap lol. But at least that meant everything arrived safely.


Anyway I should stop procrastinating. This mid-semester break went by WAY too fast.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick - Coral Berry - Review & Swatches

As far as I know, Coral Berry is one of the newer shades within the Revlon Super Lustrous range. I had been pondering over whether I should buy it. My best friend went out and bought it for me (thank you!).


This is actually my first ever lipstick from their classic, permanent Super Lustrous line. Funnily, I have been a Revlon lipstick fan for ages and have bought lipsticks from their Matte line, Colorburst line and even their Renewist and Beyond Natural lines which were discontinued ages ago, but never bought one from their Super Lustrous line.

Anyway, Coral Berry is a really pretty pinky coral. I was concerned that it would turn out too orange which wasn't what I was looking for. I hoped it would have some pink tones to it which it does. I like to apply it quite lightly (pictured below) and that way the pink tones to it are more obvious. It's not a full coverage lipstick, it has a medium level of pigmentation. The more you build it up, the more coral and full coverage it appears. There is a tiny bit of really really fine subtle gold shimmer. I didn't even realise there was any shimmer until I held the lipstick in the light. On, it's barely noticeable at all.


A great colour to try as the weather is heating up for summer =)

Mini Update

I have been so tired and busy over the past month or so. I am in the middle exams at the moment, only one more to go until freedom (well at least until next semester starts lol). I've also been kind of getting a start on my career ("career" - such a scary word isn't it? when you start looking at your career you know you're growing up lol). Anyway so I've been attending programs and things like that. I'm behind in a lot of posts as always. I've done a fair bit of shopping lately so I want to share my purchases. As you guys would have noticed, usually I take pictures of the clothes on me so you can get a better idea of what the pieces look like, but I'm finding it a bit time consuming so I might just take pictures of them on the hanger. Tell me your opinion if you have one about that.

Anyway, have a great week!

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.

MAC Viva Glam Cyndi review & swatches

This was SUCH an impulse buy for me. I rarely purchase high end makeup at all, and when I do it often involves a lot of testing, thinking and planning because it is a lot of money after all. Especially with the ridiculously high prices on makeup here.

Anyway, so I had a $10 voucher to spend in Myer's fragrance and cosmetic department. Initially I was just going to spend it on something random and cheap, around $10, so I would basically be getting a little somethin' for free. But then I thought "how often do I get a $10 discount on any makeup I want?" Eventually I decided I would grab a MAC lippy. I had no idea what shade I was going for or what look I wanted so I was kinda just grabbing shades willy nilly lol. Then my eyes came across Viva Glam Cyndi and I remembered all the videos and blogs I had read ranting and raving about this baby. It didn't look particularly spectacular in the store, it was just ok, but I grabbed it anyway. Here, MAC lipsticks cost $35AUD.


When I got home I tried it on again properly and I fell in LOVE! MAC's site says that it is a "light coral-red" however I find it more like a pinkish red. It doesn't have any shimmer. The colour isn't that unique, but I find the smooth, slightly sheer, lustre finish is what makes it so amazing. The more you apply, the more red it appears, so you can control the intensity. I like to apply a few good swipes to get a kind of 'natural red lip,' if that makes sense.


I've read that this baby will be discontinued in February next year! It's a real shame that I decided to try this out so late, I know like every blogger was going nuts about Viva Glam Cyndi and Gaga quite a while back. Now I know how much I've been missing lol. I think this lipstick is definitely worth trying, especially for those who want to start venturing into the world of red lips but are still a bit scared about going all out.

I can't believe the two MAC lipsticks I have are limited edition lipsticks, hence are/will be discontinued. I really need to get onto the permanent lines lol.

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick - Pink Please - Swatches & Review

A while back, after seeing Youtube makeup guru, Hollyannaeree, rave about this lipstick, I HAD to have it! lol


It is a pale, slightly blue-ish tone pink, with maybe a tinge of peach. It has medium pigmentation and no shimmer. The colour looks very pretty and I so wanted it to work for me, unfortunately, it doesn't suit me. I have a bit of a tan and very strong yellow undertones to my skin and this just washes me out.


And to add my 2 cents worth to the debate about the smell of this lipstick. Some people have said that it smells nice while others say it smells like Play Doh. I find that my lipstick smells kind of sweet, vanilla-y and coconut-y.

I'm going to work with this a bit more and see if I can make this work. I will update you guys if my opinion on this changes at all.

By the way, some of you may have noticed, a few days ago I changed my blog profile pic. Thought it was time for a change =) It's just a picture of me doing a bit of cam whoring before heading off to a Christmas party lol

Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Passion Fruit - Review & Swatches

I got this gloss (full size!) as a gift with the purchase of Marie Claire magazine. This was only available in Australia and it was quite a while ago so this issue won't be available anymore =( At the time these glosses were only just released so the gift was obviously to promote the product and get people to try it.

On with the review...Estee Lauder's Pure Color Gloss in Passion Fruit has a shimmer finish (this collection comes in 3 different finishes: shine, shimmer and sparkle).


I adore the colour of this gloss, it's a vibrant red-y pink shade with pink and gold shimmer. It has a sheer-medium coverage, so the colour does show up while allowing your natural lip colour to show through. I would definitely prefer if it was more pigmented. If you have very pigmented lips, this would probably be a bit too sheer for you.

Bare lips:

With gloss:

Overall, I really really enjoy this gloss, it adds a nice bit of colour to your bare lips. I like using it on top of bright pink lipsticks such as NYX Round Lipstick in Rose. I think that this gloss is very fitting now that it is Spring.

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Blush and ColorStay Lipcolor in Pink Indulgence swatches

I bought these two lippies a little while back at Priceline as Revlon was having a buy 1 get 1 free sale on lip products.


I kind of took my time putting these swatches up...mainly because I'm lazy lol. Plus when I take photos of swatches I want to take them when the lighting is good so that I can get the best colour representation for you guys. But then I keep delaying it and forgetting =S
Just note that my skin tone is more yellow toned and darker than it appears in the photos, however the lipstick colour is a pretty good representation. Without further or do, here are the swatches.


Bare lips
Revlon Colorburst Lipstick - Blush
A pretty neutral pink colour. Kind of a MLBB shade for me. There is no shimmer and it has a creamy/glossy finish. Can definitely see this working on many people. This is definitely a go to lipstick for me when I don't want to think too much lol

Revlon ColorStay Lipcolor - Pink Indulgence
A pale bright blue toned pink. This is a full pigment lipstick and so is very opaque and has a kind of matte-ish finish. Has the slightest hint of shimmer that isn't noticeable. Because of my very yellow skin, this lipstick appears a little lilac-y on me and is a bit too cool for my skin tone. Not sure what I'm going to do with this. I could imagine this working very well on paler people and those with a bit more of a pink toned complexion.

Cleo magazine + FREE ModelCo Lip Duo

Just letting you guys know, (this is probably only going to be interesting for Aussie readers), that August's edition of Cleo magazine comes with a free ModelCo lip duo worth $36!. The magazine is only $7.95 so it's a pretty good deal, I purely bought this magazine for the the lip duo lol.

The lipstick end is in the shade "Kitty". It's a semi sheer neutral pink shade. It resembles Revlon's Colorburst lipstick in Blush but slightly less pigmented. The lip gloss end is in "Boogie Nights" which looks pale pink in the tube but on, it's practically clear with a iridescent look. These are the kinds of shades I would imagine anyone can pull-off, kind of an everyday look.

This pic is just with the lipstick.

And this one is with the lipgloss as well. It isn't a great pic of the gloss, the camera couldn't really pick up the right colour. Oh and ignore the weird white speckly bits...I think the light was just reflecting off my lips and the camera picked it up funny lol.

Anyway talk to you guys soon!