NotD: Flyin' High to the Milky Way

Again, this is an oldie, but I still wanted to share after finding it.  As seen in my blue ombre post, I really like China Glaze Flyin' High and it looks bright, vibrant and creamy here.  I cannot recommend it enough.

As for the other polish, I was really excited when I saw Australis Milky Way.  I love white/milky bases with lots of colourful glitter.  The first bottle of this I bought broke in the bag before I got home.  When I tried to exchange it, I found out how bizarre stores are in Australia.  Being American, I'm used to being able to exchange/return items to any store in the chain.  However, I bought my nail polish at a Priceline in the CBD and couldn't return it to any other one.  So lame.

This looks pretty nice.  Much better than I remember it looking.  In my opinion, it didn't apply very smoothly.  The base isn't sheer enough, so you lose sight of a lot of the glitter, which is a shame.  I honestly, don't think I'd have the patience to deal with it on all ten nails.

L to R: China Glaze 'Flyin' High,' Face of Australia 'Once in a Blue Moon,' and Australis 'Milky Way'

I chose to use FOA nail polish in 'Once in a Blue Moon' as a base for my feature in hopes that I'd only have to use one coat of Milky Way.  That wasn't too successful and I didn't like that polish that much either.  Perhaps, my expectations are too high, especially since I love Flyin' High so much.

March Bellabox

I will start this post by saying I really wanted to hate my box this month. I am currently subscribed to 3 subscription boxes (4 if you want to include the Bellobox) and I want to cancel some of them.

Since being subscribed to Bellabox, I have only loved one box (my first, October). I liked November, but December and January were utter disappointments. Unlike many people, I actually really liked my February Bellabox, but I decided if this month's was poor, I'd say goodbye. I believed that decision would reside in whether I received the Clinique lipstick. I didn't. And yet, I still really like my box. Darn!

I liked the strawberry sticker and the coloured tissue paper :)

I was very surprised with my box. I hadn't read any reviews of the exact box I received, which has been a first, especially since it takes so long for the box to arrive in WA.

Here are my contents. I just opened this upon arriving home from work so I don't have too many opinions (well, fact based opinions :) on the products themselves.

The contents

I received the Ocean Essence Coconut Body Milk, which feels really light and the smell is very subtle. My experience with coconut has always been overpowering. I also received the Ocean Essence Pink Diamond Face Mask. I am really intrigued by this. The card doesn't provide a lot of information, so I am going to do some research on it.

I received Glamourflage Lip Balm in Daisy Delight (Cherry). I have never heard of this brand, but I love love love the texture of this balm. It applies so smoothly. I have never experienced another tin lip balm like it. There isn't really any colour payoff, which is slightly disappointing since it is one of the two colour items in the box.

Next up is a DB lip pencil in pink. I received a DB eyeliner before with this packaging and I am not a fan. It is far too long and although I like the fact it has a sharpener in it, it isn't aesthetically appealing to the eye. With my hatred for the packaging placed aside, I don't mind receiving this. I don't own any lip pencils and this is a really nice colour so maybe it will inspire me to use lip liners or confirm that I don't need them.

My favourite item is the Clinique High Impact Mascara. I received a sample last year with a gift with purchase and I loved it!  It makes my eye lashes look amazing.  That one was in shade 11 Brightening Black, so I'm intrigued to see how shade 01 Black compares. I used it again today and I may like it more than Benefit They're Real, which I didn't think possible. I will definitely be experimenting with them both to confirm this.

There was a bonus product, a Swisse Active Energy Bar; however, since it contains milk and possibly traces of egg I can't eat it and neither can my partner because of our vegetarian diets. I will pass it on to someone at work.

All in all, I think I do like my Bellabox. This hasn't been my favourite, but I feel I received products that I will use and I feel I got a good deal for the price. It looks like I'm with you for at least another month, Bellabox.

Paul and Joe: Pencil Eye Liner

For a while, I was on the hunt for a beautiful (and natural) waterline eye liner.  I thought I had a chance when Rimmel released their Scandaleyes eye liner in nude.  It's so hard to find a good nude eyeliner, especially an affordable one.  Unfortunately, the nude one wasn't great for my skin tone.  It's far too yellow and looks a bit fake.

The searched continued and then I found this beauty.  Paul & Joe Pencil Eye Liner in Angel.

First, can we acknowledge how adorable the packaging is?  I think they could have convinced me this was the product I needed with that alone.  I'm such a sucker for cutesy packaging.

It's not exactly nude and it's not exactly matte (it's none of those really), but it works so well!  The pink tone and shimmer surprisingly look fantastic on my water line.  In a way it looks natural.  It matches my skin tone far better than the Rimmel one plus the shimmer makes it bright and glistening.

The swatch makes it look like a highlighter or an eye shadow, but I cannot express how great it looks on the waterline.  I wish it was a tad more creamy.  It ever-so-slightly pulls on the skin a bit when applied.  Nothing horrendous, but not perfect.

I have a couple of Face of the Days that I'm going to see if I can successfully post.  Some that use this beauty on the waterline.

I purchased this from Asos for under $15.

What is your go to product for your waterline?

NARS Foreplay Palette

This product had been on my wish list for ages.  Its visual aesthetic was calling out to me.  That and the fact that I still had never tried, let alone owned, Nars Orgasm.

Beautiful Box and Classic Packaging

I loved the box (I think I may actually keep this one).  And now I understand what everyone says about their Nars packaging getting dirty so easily.  I wish I had taken photos of this product before using it for a while.

The palette

This palette has been describe as Nars Orgasm deconstructed.  The big pan is Orgasm.  It is quite shimmery, which is part of the awesomeness surrounding this blush.  The two squares on the left are very pigmented, matte blushes.  They're not the easiest to blend out, but they aren't bad.  I really really like them.  The top rectangle is a highlighter and its very gold.  I think it's a bit too gold for my skin, but if I use it very sparingly, I can get away with it.

L to R: Orgasm, Fuchsia Blush, Coral Blush, Highlighter

I can't believe it has taken this long for me to get my hands on Orgasm.  I love it!  In fact, I love all the blushes in this palette.  My only gripe is in regards to the size of the pans.  They're pretty small and I feel hard to get to.  I use my Real Techniques blush brush and it does okay, but I'd love the pans to be slightly larger just so it's easier to get the powder onto the brush.

I purchased this for $49 from Amazon's Sephora shop.

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream

I've been searching for the perfect BB cream and I think I may have found it.  I will admit, I haven't searched that hard.  In fact, this is the second BB cream I have tried and I think I'm content.

My first BB cream experience was the Garnier BB Cream for Oily Skin in the Light shade.  I received this free from Garnier.  I didn't really like anything about this cream.  I know there are heaps of people out there who absolutely love it, but it did nothing for me.  To use the word 'cream' is used very loosely since it is extremely runny, but nothing that a Real Techniques stippling brush cannot handle.  The shade was wrong for me.  Too dark.  Too yellow.

I read a review about the Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream and was super excited when I heard it was SPF 42.  Number 1, I need that kind of protection.  SPF 15 means nothing to my skin.  Number 2, 42 is the answer to the universe, so surely it would be the answer to my BB cream dilemma.  I placed an order through KeautyStore.com.  They had two sizes, and I decided to go with the mini to see how I liked it.  They were kind enough to send heaps of samples.

My goodies!

The packaging was really simple for the mini bottle.  It's a squeeze tube.  The first thing I noticed about this BB cream was that it was actually creamy.  It also smells like baby powder, which could put people off; however, it doesn't last long once it's blended in.

The shade I chose was No. 21 Bright Beige.  This BB cream does have a slight grey tone to it, but it works really well on my skin.  Much better than yellow undertones.  It looks fantastic on my skin and it does what I thought a BB cream would do.  It acts as a moisturiser.  I feel no need to use an additional moisturiser with this.  I don't need to add any sunscreen.  Recently, it had its sunburn test and passed splendidly (unfortunately, my body sunscreen did not do its job).  I have no need for a concealer; the coverage is build able, which makes it perfect in my opinion.  I have combination/oily skin and it holds its own regarding that.  I do set it with powder, but I only touch up once (if that) during the day.

BB cream blended in on the right

I'm really glad I tried this BB cream and I'm so happy that I don't think I will continue searching for others.  Maybe if there was a colour in this range that had a slightly more pink tone, then I would consider it, but for now I'm totally happy with this product!

What is your favourite BB cream?

NotD: Attempt at Nail Art

These nails were from a while ago.  I just never got around posting about them, but when I stumbled over the photo, I wanted to share them because I really liked them!

This was my first attempt at nail art and I don't think it went too badly.  I used the dotting pens that so many of you either own or have seen.  I really wanted to use the bellapierre nail polishes that I had ordered late last year from OzSale.

I adore the colour.  It's a bit more rose than the first image shows it to be.  The bottom image is more true to life.  I paired it with OPI Ski Teal We Drop simply because I like the contrast.  The glitter bellapierre polish ('Glitter Surprise') looks beautiful on top of the deep teal.  The three colours work really well to create a layered look on my feature nail.

L to R: bellapierre 'Chic Pink,' OPI 'Ski Teal We Drop,' and bellapierre 'Glitter Surprise'

The formula of all three is really nice.  I'm a big fan of OPI, so no surprise there.  I didn't know what to expect from bellapierre, but I can easily say that these polishes are definitely two of my favourites.  They're different from others I own and they apply so easily!

Have you tried any polishes from bellapierre?  I'd love to add some more to my collection.

Mirenesse VIP February Box

Every two months, I get a wonderful surprise in the mail from Mirenesse.  My VIP Beauty Box.  I have received two so far and I have loved each one.

These are the contents of the February box.  I love the Mirenesse packaging.  It always feels so classy.

I will admit, initially I was a little disappointed because I have two of these items (eye shadow and a mini version of the lipstick); however, I have completely different colours so it all worked out!

Pearl Crush Creaseless Shadow in Bora Pearls.  I'm a nude girl when it comes to eyeshadow so when I opened the packaging to see these blue ones, I was a bit shocked.  They look stunning and the formula of these shadows is to die for.  It is so pigmented and so creamy, plus it lasts!  I would never use all three of these together, because I connotate blue eyeshadow with the Drew Carey Show.  With that said, I do love using these in combination with other more natural hues.

Inside Out 27Hr Eye Kohl in Isis.  I've been dying to try these.  When I saw that I received one, I crossed my fingers and hoped for Cleo or Ra.  Unfortunately that stunning green wasn't in my package, but this really pretty blue was.  The swatch was darker than the packaging hinted at, which was a little disappointing.  Again, Mirenesse has a wonderful formula.  It applies so smoothly and doesn't smudge. The shade does have some sparkle in it.  I loved this so much, I ordered a pack of 5 from the website (yes, it has Cleo and Ra!).  It also has another Isis in it, so perhaps that will be in a future giveaway.

French Kiss Lip Cocktail in Red Lotus.  I have one of these and I really liked the formula.  It is really smooth and moisturising on my lips.  Plus, it's a nearly perfect shade of red for me.  I've always wanted to pull off the red lip, but I feel most look to bold and wash out my pale skin.  This one is a bit brighter and sheerer than others I have tested and it works really nicely.

Swatches L to R: Pearl Crush Creaseless Shadows, Inside Out Eye Kohl in Isis, French Kiss Lip Cocktail in Red Lotus

I also wanted to include swatches for the other Pearl Crush Creaseless Shadow I have.  I bought this before Christmas and sadly it doesn't get enough wear (I think I forgot about it).  The palette is in the shade Akoya Pearls and it's a lovely nude collection.

Akoya Pearls

The swatches are lovely.  I wish the third shade was a bit more brown instead of orange, but it still looks really pretty.

Swatches

If you're interested, the Mirenesse VIP program cost $25 a month.  You receive a beauty box every second month.  Each month you receive a $25 voucher to spend online, so essentially you get your money back.  Even if you don't use your voucher each month, the box will make up for it.  Being a VIP member, also entitles you to discounts on all items and free shipping.  If you like Mirenesse products, this is definitely worth it.