NotD: Audrey Meets Whimsy

For Christmas my mom sent me Revlon 'Whimsical' nail polish and I bought myself China Glaze 'For Audrey' during a BeautyJoint sale.   I decided to combine these two beautiful polishes and I love the combination.  It does appear that I really love similar looks if you look at my other recent NotD :)

L: Revlon Whimsical R: China Glaze For Audrey

Each nail has two coats of 'For Audrey' and two coats of 'Whimsical'.  This photograph was taken after three days of wear and I didn't use a top coat (forgot!)  They're holding up extremely well!

Do you have any favourite combinations or recommendations using Whimsical?  I'd love to branch out a little!

Don't forget out my mini-giveaway if you haven't already entered!

Battle of the Nudes: MUA vs Chi Chi vs Stila

I have three nude eye shadow palettes for you today.  The MUA Undressed palette.  The Chi Chi Nudes palette.  The Stila In the Light palette.  These palettes have some similarities to the Urban Decay Naked palette.  Unfortunately, I do not own that so I can't compare these palettes to it directly.  With that said, now owning these three, I don't really feel the desire to buy it anymore :)

The MUA Undressed palette can be purchased online through their site.  It retails for: £4

It's packaging is simple and sleek.  The case is very secure, perhaps too secure.  Sometimes I have trouble opening it.  It comes with a double ended foam applicator.

As you can see the colours are very similar to the Naked palette (if you're familiar with it).  These really are very versatile colours and are great for every day looks.  All the shimmer shades are quite smooth and pigmented; however, the mattes are pretty crappy.  In the swatches below, shades 3 and 5 are matte and they took a lot of effort to get the swatch.  Several of the colours in this palette have a pinker tone when compared to the other palettes.  This shades in this palette don't have names, but my favourites are 6, 7 and 12.  These are particularly creamy and pigmented.

Next up, Chi Chi.  This can be purchased at Myer and retails for $19.95AUD.

The Chi Chi Nudes palette looks a bit more like its 'idol' the Naked palette with the pans being in similar shapes and in the same layout.  I really like its clear lid.  It comes with two double ended foam applicators.

Again, similar colours; however, there are subtle differences between this palette and the others.  A big difference between this one and the MUA is that these mattes are better.  They're softer, but they still lack some pigment in comparison to the Stila palette up next.  The latter of the palette tended to be quite sheer, which was a bit disappointing.  My favourite shades in this palette are 2, 4, 6 and 7.

Finally, Stila.  I'd heard so many great things about this palette and decided to get it.  I purchased mine from Beauty Bay during their Black Friday sale for $29AUD.

The packaging of the Stila In the Light palette is quite beautiful; however, it is cardboard, which isn't the most sturdiest of containers.  It does have magnets in the lid to keep it closed.  I love that there is a quote on the lid ('believe in the beauty of the future').  Plus, it comes with a smudge stick in damsel. 

This palette only has 10 shades (6 shimmer, 4 mattes) whereas the other two have 12.  The formula of these eye shadows was far superior than the others.  They are all buttery and creamy and wonderful, even the mattes.  My favourites in this palette were kitten (shade 2), sunset (shade 4), champagne (shade 6) and luster (shade 8).  I actually like most of them.

Here are swatches of these three different palettes. 

These shades were all pretty close.  Shade 1 didn't register on my skin very well, but they're quite pretty.   

Stila was quite different in shade 4 (sunset) and 5 (sandstone).  

Again, some close matches.  Please note, shade 9 and 10 have been numbered differently for these swatches only.  What is labelled as 'shade 9' is actually shades 11 from MUA and Chi Chi and ebony from Stila.  The labelled 'shade 10' is shades 12 from MUA and Chi Chi and night sky from Stila.  I did not include shade 9 and 10 from MUA and Chi Chi because there was no match from Stila, but again they're similar differing mainly in tone.

Wow, this has become quite a long post.  To conclude, I think the Stila palette is the best.  It's quality is far better than the other two and it comes with the smudge stick.  However, the other palettes are still pretty good.  If I were to choose between the Chi Chi and MUA palettes, I would choose the Chi Chi.

I hope this has been an enjoyable, albeit lengthy read!  Which palette do you prefer?

Benefit Fine One One

Yesterday, I received Fine One One by Benefit (and yes, I may have a slight Benefit obsession, but it is well merited :)  This is their latest product and was released in December.

So shiny

This product is described as a 'sheer brightening color for cheeks and lips.'  Basically, it's a cream blush.  I'm not the biggest fan of cream blushes, which could be because I haven't tried too many good ones, but I really like this one.  It glides onto your skin and blends really easily and smoothly and totally doesn't mess with your foundation underneath.

Colours from L to R: pink champagne, sheer watermelon and soft coral

Fine One One is made up of three colours: coral, watermelon and a pink champagne highlighter on the top.  When blended together, these colours look amazing on your cheeks and can be built up very easily.  It can also be turned sideways and used on your lips.  I was skeptical whether it would work as a lip product, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It leaves you with a nice coral colour and feels rather smooth on your lips, albeit slightly drying.  I like to use Baby Lips on top of it to give a bit more moisture. 

Swatch: L: swipe, R: blended

It is a bit pricey ($30USD for 8.0g), but I think the design, formula and portability are worth it.

Don't forget about my mini-giveaway.  I'm going to include some additional benefit samples!

NotD: Mint and Sparkles

I have a NotD for you all today. I used L'oreal's Color Riche in 602 Perle de Jade (see rave here). I truly do love this nail polish and recommend it to all. To add some sparkle, I used Rimmel's Disco Ball. I adore this combination.

What do you think?

My Love for Femme Fatale

After being introduced to Femme Fatale through Kat's blog (check it out here, it's fantastic), I knew I had to order a few of their nail polishes. They also have samples of their other mineral products you can purchase. I highly recommend doing this before committing to a full size product.

I ordered three nail polishes: Winter Hyacinth, A Tisket, A Tasket and Star's Lament. I decided to get the smaller sizes in case I didn't end up loving them. I have only tried Winter Hyacinth so far and I loved it so much, I have already ordered the full size (however, it is horrid to remove). The other two are wrapped under the tree.

The formula is very sheer and this is four coats. You may choose to use a base coat to reduce these. With that said, I do love the layering effect you get when you continue adding layers. This nail polish has a beautiful combination of teal and fuchsia. The fuchsia and red glitter is awesome, but my favourite part is the inclusion of white diamonds and hexes.

In addition to the nail polishes, I also wanted to try their blush and eye shadow. I ordered samples of Archangel and Starcaller (both eye shadows) and Fire Bloom and Velvet Cupcake (both blushes). There were also surprise samples of Amber Eyes and Enchanted (both eye shadows). The samples come in plastic bags which can get a bit messy; however, there is a fair amount of product included.

I will start with the blushes, because I am far more obsessed with them than I am with eye shadow.  Femme Fatale has 12 different blushes to choose from and are quite unique in comparison to the blushes I currently possess.  In their descriptions, it gives recommendations for which skin types (i.e. fair, olive, dark, etc) the blush is best suited for.

L: Fire Bloom, Right: Velvet Cupcake

Fire Bloom:  This is a beautiful rose and coral blush.  It is buildable, which allows for versatility when wearing it.  It can look like a modest glow to a pretty dynamic look.  It has a lot of gold shimmer in it, so if you're not a fan of shimmer, this probably isn't for you.  

Velvet Cupcake:  I love this blush!  It's extremely different from anything I own and it is super fun!  It looks like it will be candy-like than it actually is.  It shows up as a bright pink on the cheeks.  I wore it to the Nicki Minaj concert (see here) because I thought it really fit the mood. :)  It doesn't have any noticeable shimmer, which I think it good considering its vibrancy.  I will be picking this up once my sample runs out.

Femme Fatale has a large range of eye shadows.  They have around 90 different shades available on their website.  I was quite surprised by their eye shadows. I ended up liking the free colours better than the ones I had chosen, which only reinforces the need to sample!

Indirect Sunlight: L to R: Archangel, Amber Eyes, Starcaller, Enchanted

Archangel:  Browsing the website, this was my favourite shade.  I love champagne-looking colours, but this one fell a bit flat.  It didn't look great on my skin and I think that is partly due to its translucent nature.  However, in direct sunlight, you can see the violet shimmer it has, which is pretty sweet.  In the end, I'm still undecided about this one.

Amber Eyes:  I didn't really give this one too much thought, but I am so happy that I received it!  It is my favourite of the four colours and reads peachy.  In direct sunlight, you can see some green and pink shimmer.  The green surprised me and I may purchase this when I run out of the sample.  I love how complex each of these eye shadows is.

Direct Sunlight: L to R: Archangel, Amber Eyes, Starcaller, Enchanted

Starcaller:  This one didn't do it for me.  I didn't look nice on my skin and I just wasn't impressed with it (perhaps, because I liked all the others better).  In sunlight, you can see some subtle pink shimmer, but it didn't do enough for me to like it.

Enchanted: Again, I hadn't really looked at this colour when I was placing my order, but wow!  I like it.  This is a dusky pink with a red/coral duochrome.  I'm not sure how often I would use this colour, but I'm definitely considering purchasing this one. 

Femme Fatale is an Australian small business. I love supporting local brands, especially those who are also Eco-friendly. On each sample it says if the products are vegan or not. Being a strict vegetarian (cheese is the only animal product in my diet. I am too selfish to give it up), this is very comforting. Definitely give them a try!

Check them out here: http://femmefatalecosmetics.com.au/ 

Oz Sale Haul: Revlon Edition

A few weeks ago (it seems like ages) I placed an impulsive order with Oz Sale since they had four or five make-up brands up for grabs (see the first order I received here).  My first order was for a bunch of Revlon products; however, it was the last to arrive.  The others all under my Christmas tree as I felt quite guilty in purchasing all of them.

I haven't had a chance to use most of these products, but I have tested them all to validate my spending.  Up until now, I've only bought one bottle of Revlon nail polish.  I really liked it, but for some reason, I just never purchased any others.  I chose these two colours because I don't have any purple nail polish and Royal Cloak looked pretty sweet (I'm not a big fan of purple).  Black with Envy is supposed to be a pretty close dupe for Chanel's Black Pearl and the swatches I have seen look fantastic.  I adore black nail polishes and this charcoal grey suits me just fine.

L to R: Royal Cloak and Black with Envy

To be honest, I haven't been a huge fan of eye shadows.  I tend to stick with neutrals and neutrals.  Lately, I have been trying to incorporate more colour into my small, but growing collection.  The third colour in this palette drew me in and I'm so glad I purchased it.  The palette is the Revlon Colorstay 12 Hour Eye Shadow in Lavender Meadow.  The formula is smooth and creamy with great pigmentation and reminded me how dry my other Revlon quad is (see post here).  I do believe this product has been discontinued, which explains why it was so cheap on Oz Sale; however, if you come across it, I would definitely pick it up.  The colours are beautiful.

Packaging

Close up of the gorgeousness of these colours

Shades swatched from top to bottom

Now onto the lip products I purchased.  There were a lot of pretty cheap lip glosses and lip sticks and I didn't really know what to pick up.  So I decided to get whatever looked unique and colours that I don't already own. 

L to R: Colorburst in Rosegold and Liquid Lipstick in Grand Garnet

I don't own too many lip glosses because many I've tried tend to be thick and sticky, which I cannot stand.  I didn't look up any reviews of the two lip glosses I chose, I just took a chance.  (If I didn't like them, I was just going to send them to my mom :)  The first one I chose was Revlon Colorburst in Rosegold.  To start with, I really really like the packaging.  To me, this is a great nude.  It has the right amount of pink mixed in with nice bronze shade.  I wasn't sure if I would like the shimmer it has, but it is quite subtle unless in direct sunlight.  The formula is fairly thin, but it definitely leans towards that thick-ish consistency I'm not fond of; however, it is really smooth on my lips.  I really like it.

The other lip gloss I selected, ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Grand Garnet, isn't really a lip gloss, but rather liquid lipstick and that it truly is.  It lasts quite a long time and stained my arm when I swatched it (see swatches below).  First impression, wow!  It is super thin, super lightweight and super pigmented.  Plus, it dries super quickly, so be sure to fix any errors otherwise they will be there for a while.  The colour is a bright burgundy, but is not too bold for those who are weary of red lipstick.  Again, I'm very pleased with this 'gloss' as well.

L to R: Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, Lip Butter in Cherry Tart, Moon Drops in Goldmist Bronze

The next products I chose were the Lip Butters.  I know, I am so behind on this trend.  I was totally never going to buy them at Australia prices so I had resigned myself to waiting.  However, when I saw them on Oz Sale, I decided to cave and get two, Tutti Frutti and Cherry Tart.  I knew I wanted Tutti Frutti because I love orange coloured lip products (so great for sumemr).  I debated for a while whether I wanted Cherry Tart or Candy Apple and I ended up doing eeny, meeny, miny, moe to decide.  (I've asked my family who are Stateside for Candy Apple.)

The other lipstick I chose was Revlon Moon Drops Frost in Goldmist Bronze.  I'm not entirely sure who named this lipstick, because I don't think it is anyway 'gold' or 'bronze.'  As you can see from the swatch, it is a fairly bright fuchsia, pink.  I think my favourite part about it is the smell.  It reminds me of my grandma's lipsticks and playing with them as a kid.

Swatches, L to R: Colorbust in Rosegold, Liquid Lipstick in Grand Garnet, Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, Lip Butter in Cherry Tart and Moon Drops in Goldmist Bronze

Have you received any sweet hauls in the post or in-store?  Leave a link, I'd love to check them out!

Natio Blushers Review

It seems like ages ago that I purchased these blushers. I bought them to receive a GWP (as you do).  I really enjoy Natio products; their skin care smells so good.

The first one is the Blushing Rose Palette. It is made up of four different blushers in quite distinct shades (though two are a bit similar). They have a smooth, creamy texture and look great on your skin. They are very buildable to meet your intensity needs. My favourite is the third, purple-y colour.  It's really different to the other blushes that I own.

The second one is a single blusher in Rosewood. The formula for this one isn't as creamy as the palette, but the colour is stunning. It felt a bit dry as I was trying to swatch it today, but I don't recall it being that way before.

Swatches: L to R-- Blusher Palette and Rosewood

I really like the packaging of both of these products.  The exterior of the palette looks amazing.  (I adore stars.)  The large mirror on the palette is awesome and a pleasant surprise as you open it. I highly recommend the palette.

Have you tried any Natio blushers?

NOTD: Mirenesse Bullet Proof Nail Laquer

As most of you are aware, Mirenesse had teamed with Woman's Day to bring us some sweet GWPs. I picked up some nail polish in Blood Red (after failing to find the silver one).

I used it a few days ago and it is holding up quite well. The formula is really smooth and two coats was all I needed. I would pick up a couple more if they weren't that expensive.

I paired it with an OPI 'I have a herring problem' accent nail.

For those of you who have tried the Mirenesse nail polish, what did you think?

Review: Benefit Box o' Powder in Sugarbomb

Here is a review for Benefit's box o' powder blush in Sugarbomb. I got this a few weeks ago off the Benefit website. It came with a deluxe sample of Posietint (which I haven't been too impressed with, but more on that later).

The brush is really soft and feels good on your skin

The colours are quite bright and when blended together they create a very peachy glow on the cheeks.
As with most other Benefit products, the blush does have a fragrance. It is really subtle and pleasant to the nose.

The four colours

It takes a few swipes to get a decent amount of pigmentation, which could be a drawback for some. However, I think it is worth a try. It looks amazing on the skin.

Swatch: Starting with the Orange-ish colour and going anti-clockwise.  The final swatch is the four blended

I have a sample of Bella Bamba which I haven't had the chance to try.  I also have the Hervana and Dandelion blushes on their way (they're Christmas presents) and I will certainly review those during the holidays!

What is your favourite Benefit blush?

GA-DE Lipstick in English Rose

A couple of weeks ago Oz Sale had a lot of different beauty brands for sale (Revlon, Almay, China Glaze, Zana, Bellapierre, and GA-DE).  As usual, there were some pretty good deals, which I took advantage of.  As a result, I am on a spending ban for the rest of year.

Friday, I received my first parcel from Oz Sale and it contained the GA-DE lipstick I ordered.  I had never heard of GA-DE, but their packaging was really appealing.  From what I have gathered, GA-DE is a really popular cosmetic company based in Israel.

I ordered a lipstick in English Rose:

Beautiful Packaging

The packaging is really cool.  To open the lipstick, you push the bottom up, then it pops out.  I don't have any lipsticks with packaging like this.  

Closed: You can see the bottom is flush with the container

Open

The colour is a really nice pink with glitter in it.  The formula is a tad bit gritty due to the glitter.  It is definitely not creamy, but still not unpleasant.

Swatch

Artificial light/ No Flash

Although, there were some negatives to this product, I believe it was definitely worth the $9 I paid.  If you see GA-DE on Oz Sale, definitely check them out.

Have you tried any GA-DE Cosmetic products?

Rave: Benefit She's So Jetset

A couple of weeks ago I received my She's So Jetset from my Benefit haul (found here).  I love it!  I have asked for more Benefit products for Christmas; I really think they are worth the price.  The American price that is, totally not the Australian price.

1. POREfessional  I love this product!  I included it in my October Favourites (found here).  It leaves your skin really soft and makes it look way smoother.  Here are some before and after shots:

Before

After

2. Eye Shadow Palette These are fantastic eye shadows.  They have a creamy texture, great colour and shimmer.  I am a sucker for nudes and these certainly impress me. 

Colours: Champagne Please, Gold Card, Pretty in Mink and Elegant Expresso

L to R: Champagne Please, Gold Card, Pretty in Mink and Elegant Expresso

 Champagne Please and Pretty in Mink are my top picks of the four, but I use all of them.

3. First-Class Face Powder  The box doesn't provide any information as to the names of these two shades.  They are quite subtle and create a peachy look on skin.  They have a pleasant smell and texture, but I would prefer a bit more pigmentation.  With that said, you can just layer the blush to create a more vibrant look.

The brush is pretty nice for one coming with a kit. 

L to R:  Colours blended, Lighter (L) and Pinker (R)

 4.  Life on the A List Lip Gloss   To start with, I must say I prefer lipstick to lip gloss; however, the formula of this one is quite pleasant.  It's thick, but not sticky and feels nice on your lips.  The colour is very sheer, light pink.  It adds gloss, but that is about it.  If you're looking something with more body, this isn't your colour.  Yet, it still may be nice to have in your collection.

As you can see, very sheer.

 5.  They're Real Mascara  This was also listed in my October Favourites.  See here for photos and review.  This is a must have mascara.

I would definitely recommend this kit!  It's fantastic for value ($34 from the Benefit website).  The packaging is really cute and I will definitely be taking it with me on trips!

Have you tried any Benefit products?