Makeup Must-haves

Australis Cosmetics: Velourlips Matte Lip Cream.

Now, I've done a post comparing this product to some other matte lip creams on the market (Savvy and Bourjois) and I've also done a little mention of them in my latest 'Priceline Haul' and my love for this product has only grown! When I first saw this on the market there were only five or so shades, and now there are at least 10 (with a few limited edition - I'm not terribly interested in them - but thats not to say they're not a bad product). I currently own eight of the 10 (the only ones I don't yet own are two nude shades) shades and in this post I'll just be going through them including swatches.

These retail for AUD$9.95 at Priceline stores which I think its a pretty good price (BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN AUSTRALIA IS OVER PRICED! #rant)

Even if you don't like all the shades or think they won't suit you, you are bound to find at LEAST one you like. Now me, I don't think they all suit me, but at the same time, I don't care because I like the colours they come in and if they're worn right - I guess they don't look terrible? - in my opinion some of the pinks don't suit my skin tone - but I'll wear them anyway if they go with what I'm wearing etc or the rest of my makeup. 

I not only match my lip colour to the rest of the makeup - but I also decide if I like it if it compliments my other features two of the main things I look for in a lip colour is how it looks against my skin tone and also how it reacts to my eye colour. My eyes are a chocolate brown, my hair is brown and my skin is quite fair, so I want the lip colour to compliment all of that and make my other features stand out. 

I'll now go through my opinion of the swatches I've so kindly done for you all. (my lips, man - so sore after all of this)

Now as you should already know - the general rule of makeup is 'choose one'. Statement eyes or Statement lips. Not both (unless the balance is flawless) I'm wearing a neutral eye look so the statement of course is the lips. NOW on to my swatch opinions. 

1. NY-CEE: This is a beautiful 'festive' red. Its more of a bright red with 'orange' undertones - but for me it just reminds me of Christmas. 
2. MAL-I-BOO: A bright bubblegum pink. My opinion of 'Barbie Pink'. I honestly didn't think this colour would suit me at all - and maybe it doesn't but don't disregard it. It brings warmth to the face. 
3. TOK-I-O: To me - this colour reminds me of 'Cadbury' chocolate packaging and with my brown eyes I love wearing this colour. It is perfect for the colder months too where you want a pop of colour on what might be a very 'black on black' outfit. 
4. RIO-D: I honestly thought I would wear this the least. But it is such a nice neon orange. (something I thought I'd never say) it goes perfectly with blue in the outfit or blue nails (sky blue) and again, it looks nice against my eye colour. I've gotten a lot of compliments when I've worn this colour. 
5. PAR-EE: This is so close to my skin colour and I love it. Its like a my lips but better matte. Because it blends against my skin tone so well, my cheeks seem more flushed and my eyes seem brighter. To me this is a WIN WIN situation!
6. MI-A-MEE: This colour reminds me of watermelon. I didn't think I'd like it but I find myself drawn to it. I don't think I own many lip colours in this shade. This is one of the newer purchases so I'm keen to start wearing it more in spring and summer.
7. HO-CHEE-MIN: I think this is the colour that suits me the least. I think (and this never happens) I might be too tan for this shade (at the moment) It looks like a very natural pink flush and against a darker complexion it seems a bit 'hoochie'. That is my opinion. It won't stop me from wearing it though.
8. LUN-DUN: I wore this colour out to dinner tonight and got quite a few compliments. It is a dusty cool tone pink that can go with a range of different outfits. This was the first time I've worn it out - and I must say I'm a fan.

I've worn all of these shades for at least one whole day (the first six I've worn multiple times) and I have to tell you, I don't need to re-apply. (unless I'm making a mess of myself eating) They stay on all day through food, talking, drinking - and once you've put them on and they dry - they take some time getting off. (Perfect for date night (; )

There wasn't really much to this post except for me telling you how much I love these products. Australis has some amazing stuff out and its not just these products, I own a number of different products by this brand and love them all.

What is your favourite Australis product? - have you tried any of the velourlips? Leave me a comment telling me which one is your favourite!

Ciao X

Makeup of the day.

'Burgundy Smokey Eye and Dark Wine Lips'

So I posted this photo on The Makeup Social app. And got a little bit of attention on it. Which made me wonder why I didn't think to do a blog post on it initially!

This will just be a short run through of the products I used to achieve this look - I wont be writing about foundation because my skin type is going to be different to yours and I'm sure you all have your favourite ways of doing your foundation. 

If you'd like to know the products I used - Keep on reading (;

Eyes: For the eye makeup in this look, I used my new Models Prefer Palette which I gave a 'brief yet in depth' review in my last post my 'Priceline Haul'. So read that if you'd like to know more about the palette, but of course you can use whatever you have that look similar. 

Over the entire lid I used a shimmery peach (1st colour - right side)

Blending into the crease and outer corner I used a shimmery burgundy (2nd colour - right side)

In the crease blending the two together I used a matte chocolate brown (3rd colour - right side)

 I liked the top and bottom lash-line with a brown pencil liner and used the 'They're Real' mascara from benefit. For a brightening touch, use a shimmery white or gold in the inner corner of the eyes. 

Lips: For the lips in this look I used one of my favourite dark lipsticks from 'Australis' from their 'Colour Inject' line its in the shade 'Grunge'. I was going to leave it at that, but wanted to bring a bit of red to it. Because 'Grunge' is a very dark colour going towards a brown, I wanted a splash of vibrant colour on my lips. So I put over the top the L'oréal Glam Matte Gloss (also mentioned in the post below) in the shade - 513 'Zip It Rouge'. 

I think this is a perfect look for Autumn/Fall (too bad its Spring at the moment) and I can't wait to get back into dark lipsticks when the seasons change. 

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Ciao! X

Priceline Haul!

40% off Cosmetics!

So Priceline are great in the fact that they have a lot of huge sales all year round. The last 40% off sale I took (major) advantage of was the 40% off all skincare - and let me tell you - no regrets were had. 

So when I found out about the 40% off ALL COSMETICS I couldn't not take advantage of it. So in the morning, I met my two good friends and favourite shopping babes in the city at 9:30am to get all the things! Here is what I got!

As you can see, there are quite a few things. I have no regrets on buying anything, and I picked up the brushes for an absolute steal! In this post I'll put in some swatches and first impressions too, along with the normal and sale prices. 

I'll start off with the brush set by Nude by Nature. The kit includes 7 brushes, a double barrel sharpener and comes in a nice zip up case with elastic brush holders. 

The brushes included in this kit are:

1. Kabuki Brush
2. Defining Blush / Powder Brush
3. Deluxe Eye Shader
4. Domed Eye Blending Brush
5. Concealer Brush
6. Dual Headed Eye Definer and Lip Brush (basically a fancy way of saying a double ended brush, one side is angled the other is for lips)
7. Precision Sharpener

Standard Price: $29.95 Sale Price: $17.97

SAVING: $11.98

There is no secret that I love the Models Prefer palettes. I have other posts on my blog here absolutely raving about them. So when I came across this little beauty, I couldn't resist. The one and ONLY bad thing I have to say about the MP palettes is: The matte shades just aren't up to scratch. The shimmer shades are fantastic! Such good pigmentation and colour pay off. But the mattes just aren't as good quality. Mattes are a hard thing to get right, and its not like they're useless, they just take some layering and some work to get them to be as good as they should be first off. 

This is the Warm Smokey / Brown Smokey palette.

Top Left: The mirror in this palette is amazing. Good size and quality, can definitely do a full face of makeup in this. 

Top right: The packaging on this is fantastic. The box it comes in shows you just what to expect and shows you ideas on how to use the palette in step by step instructions. The palette itself is sleek and made of a hard plastic, it feels like it could take a knock or two and is a good size for travelling. The lid as quite a good weight to it too. 

Bottom Left: The swatches - left column: There is a matte creamy/white shade, that on my skin just doesn't show up, it is poor quality but with some work and layering (I suggest using a primer) it will have more pay off - however in saying that, it does blend well with the other shimmer shades, so perhaps a test run of these eye looks are in order. The next shade down is a very pigmented cool toned gold, the colour pay off is excellent and it blends well. The last shade is a shimmer brown. Perfect for adding the smokey effect to the suggested look. 

Bottom Left: The swatches - Right column: Top colour is a shimmer peachy gold, very pretty and highly pigmented. The middle shade is a red/brown maroon/burgundy shade, how it is used in the suggested look is quite interesting and I'm very keen to do this look. The last shade on this side is a matte brown. It shows up on my hand well, but is still a bit chalky, however - it does blend well so experiments will have to be done. 

Bottom Right: Here I wanted to show the inside of the palette - the 6shades (and an eyeliner down the bottom - that I probably wouldn't use) and right next to the shade is the step by step of how to use the shades to accomplish the certain looks. I'm glad its included INSIDE the actual palette instead of just on the outside packaging. I hate it when you lose the packaging and then have no idea on how to do the looks. So GOOD ON YOU MODELS PREFER!

Standard Price: $10.00 Sale Price: $6.00

SAVING: $4.00

There is also no doubt that I love the Australis Velourlips range. I think I'm only a few away from completing the set. So when I saw these colours in Priceline, I thought 'WHY NOT?' Its coming up into the warmer months and these colours are perfect for spring!

Left to Right we have: HO-CHI-MIN

LUN-DUN

MI-A-MEE

The swatches on the side go down in the same order. 

Each colour is perfectly wearable on the daily. Get your hands on these bad boys. I love them and you should too!

(INDIVIDUAL / SINGLE PRICING)

Standard Price: $9.95 Sale Price: $5.97

SAVING: 3:98

I have never really gotten into the 'essence' brand. They're cheaply priced so I always assumed they were cheaply made and poor quality. I assumed they were aimed more at little girls who are first getting into makeup. This might be so, but lately I have been really liking coloured eye shadows, and have been drawn to this brand. These are two essence mini palettes each containing 6 shimmer shades. 

Left top and bottom: 'All About Candies' - beautiful pastel colours. Perfect for sprint

Right top and bottom: 'All about Nude' - gorgeous neutrals. Perfect for every day. I will definitely be doing some looks with these little gems. 

(INDIVIDUAL / PER PALETTE)

Standard Price: $7.15 Sale Price: $4.29

SAVING: $2.86

This product had my friends and I baffled! Obviously it is L'OREAL'S take on the liquid matte lip product that so many brands are doing (such as Australis - Velourlips) But the description of the product had us thrown. Its one of the 'Glam Matte' (everything good so far) 'Intense Matte Gloss' (I'm sorry, what?)

We were all confused on how you can have a 'matte gloss' but never the less once one was swatched - I fell in love. This is in the colour/shade 513 'zip it rouge'. Sarah and I each purchased this shade, we took a risk because there was no tester for this one. But we're both so happy we did. I definitely want more of these. (probably in all the shades because I have to complete the set) But as they're on the pricier side - I'll wait until there is a sale - or slowly buy them.  

Standard Price: $21.95 Sale Price: $13.17

SAVING: $8.78

I have really been getting more into nail art recently and for some reason I've been loving grey toned nails for sprint. Because in my opinion its the perfect colour to stand out against all the pastel pinks without being as harsh as a white. SO, I was on a mission (or so it would seem) I picked up 4 polishes all up. 3 grey tones and a base coat.

Left to Right:

'Bourjois Paris - laque glossy - shade: 05 - Taupe Modèle

'Bourjois Paris - laque glossy - shade: 03 - BCBeigé

'Sally Hansen - Xtreme wear - shade: 330 - Grey Area

'OPI' Natural Nail Base Coat.

I love Sally Hansen polishes, OPI is such a fantastic brand and I've used many Bourjois products before and I'm really excited to try out the polishes. 

Bourjois: Standard Price: $12.00 Sale Price: $7.20

SAVING: $4.80

Sally Hansen: Standard Price: $6.95 Sale Price: $4.17

SAVING: $2.78

OPI: Standard Price: $10.00 Sale Price: $6.00

SAVING: $4.00

I think this is the only reason why I needed to go into Priceline. I have been using this product ever since I can remember. 

I have quite dry skin so I can use a lot of cream products. This product is for 'oil and shine' control so I think it will be perfect for summer. In summer I don't like to use a lot of foundation so, I might change to a BB cream and use this too, then set with a translucent powder. But I'll save that for another post. 

This product is the 'MATTE UP Cream to Powder Foundation' in the shade 'Nude'.  I love australis products but I think they need to get a wider range of colours, even the nude (their lightest) is a bit too dark for me, but as its summer, I'll tend to tan. 

Standard Price: $14.95 Sale Price: $8.97

SAVING: $5.98

This is the other reason I needed to go in, I needed an eyebrow pencil. 

This is just a basic pencil, its not the ones I usually use but it does the job. This is by the brand Savvy. 

I got a dark brown one, because thats my natural colour - side note: Finding the right shade of eyebrow 'filler' is important. Eyebrows really stand out on the face and its good to know that you're using the right colour!

Standard Price: $3.00 Sale Price: $1.80

SAVING: $1.20

The last items on my list are these three blushes. I've really been on a mission lately to expand my blush collection and I've heard rather good things about these. I have sworn by savvy matte lip creams and some of their other products, I've always walked up to the display and swatched their blushes but they've always been out of stock. So when I saw some in stock, I knew I had to get some! Swatches: Left to Right:

'Silky Pink'

'Rose'

'Plum'

you can see how they show up on my hand. They're highly pigmented and I can't wait to start using them!

With a normal affordable price, I think I've just begun my new obsession!

(INDIVIDUAL / PER PRODUCT)

Standard Price: $4.99 Sale Price: $2.99

SAVING: $2.00

And there you have it! Here if you made it this far, thank you! You did a great job! Usually I wouldn't spend this much in one go, but because of the amazing sale, (I also had a $13.08 off 'coupon') I went for it.  The original price of all of this is $179.92AUD (NOW THAT IS A LOT) with the 40% off that brings the total to $107.95AUD. That is a saving of $71.97AUD and if you also minus the $13.08 from the total sale price $94.87AUD.

I paid $94.87 and got $179.92 worth of products. I am beyond amazed by this! 

Sale ends midnight on the 19th of November - There is still time to shop online!

Good Luck! 

Ciao! X