August 2012 Favourites

Hey Pretties

I wanted to share with you today my favourites for the month of August.  I'm super excited to say goodbye to August as we also get to say goodbye to winter here in the Southern Hemisphere and hello to spring so I could not be happier!

As always I like to keep my favourites to just 5 to stop me from rambling and rambling and if there are any questions on specific products I can do a whole review.

Firstly I could not decide which blush was my favourite this month so I decided to include the two I have been using the most.

The first blush is 'Primrose' by Face Of Australia which is a medium dusty pink colour and the second is Fleur Power by Mac.  A stunning pinky/coral colour.

Next is my Inglot colour palette that I recently added to when I went to Chatswood.  I have particularly been loving the top three shades together as a warmer weather combo.

Next is my Revlon lip butter in Peach Parfait.  When I first bought this lip butter I wasn't particularly fussed with it but this month I have been really enjoying a nude(ish) lip and this is the perfect colour for that.

Lastly is a product by Rimmel London and it is the Exaggerate eye liner in noir.  I have not been well this month as I keep getting the flu on and off so I've been trying to get as much sleep as possible.  Quickly taking this eyeliner across my top and bottom lash line with a neutral colour swept across the lid has been getting me ready for work and out the door really quickly.

So tell me, what are your August favourites?

Shopping My Stash - Day Two

Hi Pretties

Welcome to shopping my stash day two.  I managed to use another 5 neglected items today.

First up is a ModelCo lipgloss from a LustHaveIt in Showgirl red.  No real reason for neglecting this product I just prefer lipsticks.  This gloss has a nice sheer tint to it and it quite shiny.  This is not sticky at all which is really nice.

Next up is another product from my Priceline gift with purchase bag from a couple of months ago.  This is a nice Australis blush from the Paparazzi Perfect line in Poser.  I neglect this because it is very pigmented.  Even if I use a stippling brush to lightly apply it is very dark and can almost look muddy at times.  By the end of the day when it has started to wear off my skin it is a much prettier colour.

Another neglected Mac product.  This is an eyeshadow in the colour Blanc Type.  The only real reason this gets neglected is most palettes have a highlight shade that is just easier to use than this one being a single shadow.  I wore this across the lid today and as a brow highlight.

Fourth product is the colour 284 from the Loreal Studio Secrets range.  I wore this in my crease today for a very natural look.  I don't generally reach for this eyeshadow much as it is not overly pigmented and takes a bit of work to get a good colour pay off.  It's too much hard work of a morning.

Lastly is another old, old bronzer.  This particular one is by Face of Australia called Outback bronze.  A little too shimmery for a bronzing powder as I much prefer a matte bronzer (like Hoola!).  It is also the type where you shake a little out into the lid so it is a little hard to get an even application with a large brush.

Thanks for reading my pretties.

Have you shopped your stash today?

Shopping my stash - Day 1

Anyone with a largish makeup collection knows that you are going to have favourites.  Products will get neglected and start to feel a little depressed if they don't get some love.  That's why I have devoted this week to be a 'shop my stash week' for my unloved products.

The aim of the game is to stop reaching for my favourites and give some of my other makeup a chance.  The pieces I have chosen are ones that I cannot remember the last time I used them.  Today I managed to use 4 less used products!

The first product is old.  Really old.  So old the label has pretty much worn off and I have not seen this packaging for years.  I should probably throw it out, but I hate wastage.  In case you can't tell what it is, it is a bronzer by Covergirl in the shade Soleil.  I actually think they still make this shade but the packaging has changed.  I used this today instead of my Hoola bronzer and it did the job.  I have not fallen in love with it again yet though.

Secondly I gave an unloved lipstick a go.  I still don't like this either.  I got this Revlon lipstick for free with the Priceline gift with purchase bag.  The colour is called Blush and it is a orangy based nude which is not a great colour for me.  It looks like my lips but more orange when I can get it to show up at all.  This I may actually ditch.  I don't like it and I don't think I ever will.

Yup, I'm neglecting an expensive Mac product.  I did my research online before ordering this blush and I really wished I had waited until I went into the store but I am inpatient and couldn't wait and just ordered it online.  I tossed up for about 2 hours between Well Dressed and Dame and decided on Well Dressed.  I wish I picked Dame.  This colour is just a little too sheer for me and I really have to pack it on to get any colour to show up.  I'm pale too!  I don't really dislike this blush but since getting Benefit Thrrrob I rarely use it as the colours are so similar but the Benefit just has way better colour pay off.

The last product I really like.  It is an eyeshadow palette by BYS called Summer Sheen (I blogged about this here and have included swatches).  I bought this back in April and the colours are amazing but sadly it has gotten a little neglected for a couple of reasons.  1. This was an impulse buy and around $6.  I had not long before ordered my UD Naked Palette and it arrived a couple of days after I got this.  Clearly I'm going to be way more excited about my UD Naked Palette that I had ordered and waited on and lusted over for months that an impulse buy. 2. The colours in the pan are very difficult to tell what they actually look like so it makes it pretty hard to put a look together without being covered in swatches.  I don't have time for swatches of a morning lol.  But I used this this morning and loved the look I came up with.  This is a little treasure I think I'll get some more use out of.

Thanks for reading pretties!  Stay tuned for episode 2 tomorrow of 'Shopping my stash!'
 

June Favourites

Hi Pretties

It is time for my June favourites!

This month as I was on Project X Pan I had a really good chance to 'shop my stash' and some of my favourites were some old products I revisited.

You can check out the video of my favourites here!

Or you can read about them!

My first favourite of June is a product that has been in my collection for quite a while but I am just getting back to using.  This is the Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder in translucent.  I went off this a little when I purchased my Mac MSN as it was new and exciting, but while doing PXP I started using up and old foundation that had quite a dewy look to it and looked awful with the dewiness of the Mac MSN.  So I pulled out the old fav and I still love it.  I've just hit pan on it too but I will be repurchasing when it is done as it is a great powder to have in your collection.

Secondly I have a repeat favourite from last month I am still in love with and using nearly everyday.  It's Benefits Thrrrob.  I love this blush so much I can't stop gushing over it every day.  It is the perfect cool toned pink for my skin tone (pale) and the perfect wintery colour.

My third favourite for the month is a blush brush by Coastal Scents that I received in my 22 piece brush set.  This brush set is fantastic value for money at only $34 USD plus shipping and I love every single brush in the set.  This blush brush in particularly I have been raving over this month as it is super soft and dense enough to give you a light application or even a heavier application of colour if that is what you are after.

I received my Naked Palette and my Inglot palette in April so May was consumed by those and I neglected my other eyeshadows but this month I pulled out Mac's Naked Lunch again and I have been loving wearing this all over the lid with just some black eyeliner and mascara for a quick and easy work look.  It is such a nice subtle colour that it doesn't require any blending to look fantastic.

My last favourite is a Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart.  When I first purchased my lip butters this was not one of my favourites.  It was pretty, but I didn't love it.  Now out of my 5 lip butters it is my absolute favourite and I am using it up too quickly!  Two swipes of this across the lips gives a hint of colour to the lips where 4 or 5 swipes gives a beautiful hot pink colour that is not tacky at all as some shades like that can be.  I will repurchase and repurchase this until they stop making I think.

So those are my favourites for June.

What are your June favourites?

FOTD - Casual day

Happy Friday lovelies

Today I though I would do a face of the day/tutorial using my new UD Naked Palette.  Yup, I'm really slow to jump on the Naked Palette bandwagon, but I'm so glad I finally did.  I LOVE my Naked Palette.

How to:


1. Apply foundation - I use Loreal Matte Morphose in 115

2. Dust powder to set.  I use Mac Mineralise Skinfinish Natural

3. Apply blush - I used Mac Melba applied with my Manicare Artiste no17 Stippling brush

4. Fill in eyebrows - I used Rimmel Eyebrown Pencil in dark brown.  I got my eyebrows tinted yesterday so this is a new colour for me.
5. Prime eyes - I used UD Primer Potion

6. Apply shadow to CREASE - I used Darkhorse which is the 8th colour from the left (I took the same colour as a bottom lash eyeliner.)

7. Apply shadow to LID - I used Half Baked with is the 6th colour from the left

8. Blend out colours

9. Apply highlight - I used Virgin which is the 1st colour

10. Apply eyeliner - Today I used Maybelline Master Precise on the top lash line

11. Line waterline - I used ChiChi eyeliner in Virgin

12. Mascara! - Loreal Extra Volume Collagene

13. Lipstick - Today I wore Rimmel Pink Blush

Eyes Closed

That's my face of the day :)

Blush and Bronzer Collection

Hi Pretties As I said in my make up storage post I'll be gradually showing you my collection in more detail.  You can view my nail polish collection here!  I've been waiting on one last product to come so I could show you my FAVOURITE collection.  My blush collection!  I'm not hugely into bronzer, but I've thrown those in this post too.

Now that's the full collection!  There is a mix of cheaper and higher end products there and I have to say my favourites are not necessarily the most expensive ones!

Bronzers


As I said, I'm not overly into bronzer, and some of these I have had for YEARS, but I'll still reach for them in summer.

Face Of Australia - Outback Bronze
Benefit - Hoola
Covergirl - 315 Soleil
Designer Brands - No name

Mac Blushes


Top row
Melba (Matte)
Fleur Power (Satin)

Bottom Row
Springsheen (Sheertone Shimmer)
Well Dressed (Satin)

Miscellaneous Brands


BYS - Pretty in Pink
Models Prefer - Desk to Date
Face of Australia - Primrose
Australis - Poser
Benefit - Thrrrob







That's my collection.  My favourites are Mac Melba, Mac Springsheen, Benefit Thrrrob (even though I've only used it once!) and Models Prefer Desk To Date.  I absolutely love Models Prefer I think they are a brilliant brand.  Hmm, maybe I'll need to do a Models Prefer review.

If you would like to see any of these blushes with swatches and in details please leave me a comment and let me know :)

April Favourites

Happy May my pretties!

The fifth month is upon us (wow this year is flying by) and it is time for April favourites.

Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Ultra-Cleansing Mud Mask

This product has one of the longest names I've ever seen!  It is a nice gentle mud mask that is in fact ultra cleansing.  I've been enjoying using this every third day or so this month.

Manicare Artiste Stippling Brush no17


Although I've been using this every day since I bought it, I've really enjoying the application I get with this brush.

I don't use if for foundation, but for blush!  It give the perfect amount of colour and doesn't give me that clown look.  Ever.

I've also washed this loads of time and it's still in great condition.  A wonderful brush for the price.

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie


What would April favourites be without a lip butter!  My favourite colour this month has been Berry Smoothie.  It's the perfect Autumn colour.

I now have 5 of the lip butters.  Eeek!

Mac Blush in Springsheen


My favourite blush this month has been Springsheen.  I would have loved to have picked Melba but I have only been using it for a week.  I've used Springsheen nearly every other day this month though.

It's a pretty shimmery coral colour.

Essence Gel eyeliner in Midnight in Paris


My last favourite for the month is this gel eyeliner.  I've had a great time the past few weeks playing around with different types of eyeliners and this is my new favourite.  I was always a crayon girl but now I'm loving the gel.  So easy to apply and this Essence liner is so black and it was so cheap!




What are your April favourites?

FOTD Tutorial - Make up for shopping

Hi pretties

I thought today I would do a face of the day for weekend shopping!  This is also a fairly neutral look that could easily be worn to work or any occasion really.

How to:

1. Prime - I used David Jones Primer

2. Foundation - I used Benefit Hello Flawless that I received in my April Bellabox.

3. Powder - Natio pressed powder

4. Blush - Mac Melba

5. Lips - Revlon lip butter in Peach Parfait

6. Prime eyes - Mac Paintpot in Bare Study

7. Brow highlighter - Mac eyeshadow in Blanc Type

8. Inner Corner Colour - DB Palette (bottom left colour)

9. Lid colour & Crease Colour - Intensifeye Quad Choc-a-Block shade two from the Australis Nudist Palette

10. Liner - Essence Gel eyeliner in black

11. Eyebrow - Savvy by DB liner

12. Waterliner - Chi Chi in Virgin

13. Mascara - Loreal Extra Volume Collagen

Eye Close up!

That's my look for shopping.

I hope you enjoyed and if you have any suggestions for a look please contact me :)

Sunday night haul night!

Hi Pretties

It's Sunday night and that means haul night!  I hope you all had a great weekend.

This week I bought a few items, not too many though as I am going to Melbourne next weekend!  Hurray!

First thing I bought was a Revlon lip butter in Peach Parfait.  I love this colour, I think it's so pretty.

Second purchase was a pair of false lashes by Revlon in the Fantasy Lengths range.  They are the 99501 Defining self adhesive lashes.  I have not tried these yet, or any lashes in fact but I am excited to try these.

As I posed about yesterday I bought two nail polishes by Ulta3 in Gold Digger and Silver Glitter.  These are so sparkly and pretty :)

For my birthday on Tuesday I bought myself a new Mac blush.  I have a slight addiction with Mac blushes and purchased the colour Melba to add to my collection.  It is a beautiful matte coral colour.  I raved about this blush here.

My last purchase is something I have been searching for for quite a while.  I've been looking for a peach/nude eyeliner and although I am yet to find one I found this white one by Chi Chi called Virgin that is not a bright white, nor is it sparkly so it works perfect for my waterline.

That's my haul for the week!

What did you get this week?

Product Rave - Mac Blush in Melba

Mac Blush in Melba

Hi Pretties

I would love to share with you my new favourite product!

My birthday was this week and to be honest, it was a pretty crappy day.  I had all my celebrations before my birthday so by the time Tuesday hit, there wasn't anything left to do!

So I decided to treat myself to a new Mac blush.  I'm a little obsessed with Mac blushes.  I love the packaging, the colours, the pay off and how pretty they look.  The MUA at my local counter and I decided Melba was the perfect blush to add to my collection.

Mac describes this blush as a soft coral peach (matte) and this retails for $41 AUD.  Now my favourite of late prior to this was Mac blush in Springsheen which is a light peach with gold gold pearl and it is a sheertone shimmer.  I LOVE Springsheen, but I wanted something less shimmery.

My colouring is fair with pink undertones, but my skin wears colours like a more neutral tone.  I can wear pinks and corals quite easily and this blush wears sort of like a matte bronzer, but more coral and pretty.

Here's a swatch!

Oh how I wish my camera did this justice!

This blush wears like a fairly typical Mac blush.  It is highly pigmented, long wearing and very build-able.

As I like my blush to be very subtle I apply my Mac blushes with a stippling brush (except Well Dressed).  I use the Manicare Artiste Professional Stippling Brush in No 17.  I think this is a great brush for blush!

My favourite thing about this Melba is that you can apply it ever so slightly, and it can just brighten your whole face up without being obvious.  Great for work!

Melba subtly brightens without being too obvious

So I'll make a suggestion to you, next time you want to spoil yourself at Mac, check out Melba!

Tutorial - Sea inspired eyes

Hi Pretties

I know I had an eye post earlier today.  But I wanted to show you a quick tutorial on how I did my eyes for a family dinner tonight!  Tonight I had sea inspired eyes :)

The whole look is to the left.  I kept the rest of my face very minimal with only a dusting of blush (Models Prefer Desk to Date) and a lip gloss (Essence My Favourite Milk Shake).

 Products used

Step 1 - Prime your eyes.  I've used Mac Paint Pot in Bare Study

Step 2 - Apply a frosted or shimmer white on the inner half of your lid into the tear duct, and take below the eye again only half way across.  I've used the white from my DB Got the Blues for Mauve palette.  This is amazingly pigmented for how cheap it is.

Step 3 - Take a blue/green colour and apply to the outer part of your lids, and under the eye as a liner across the outer half of the eye.  I used a colour from my 88 shimmer palette.  You can get these from ebay or Coastal Scents.

Step 4 - Take the same colour and apply to the outer crease and v.  I like to keep the look simple as I think it is more effective with just the two colours and no darker colours.

Step 5 - Apply a highlight - I like Mac Blanc Type as it matte where the rest of my eye is a frost and shimmer.

Step 6 - Apply eyeliner to your entire water line.  I used Rimmel Exaggerate eye definer.

Step 7 - Line your lid.  I used Maybelline Master Precise liquid liner.

Step 8 - Curl your lashes and apply mascara.  I used Loreal Extra Volume Collagene mascara.


Here is the finished product!

That's my look for this evening!

Let me know if you would like to see more tutorials!  

FOTD - Make up for work

Morning Pretties


I thought I would start the week off with a face of the day!  Being that it is Monday morning, it's a work make up day!


I generally like to keep my work make up pretty and understated (sometimes I'm a little bolder) but this is a general look for work that is achievable in no more than 10 minutes and you are out the door!

Face
Loreal Matte Morphose souffle foundation in 115 - applied with fingers
Natio mineral pressed powder in light tan - set with Nude mineral foundation brush
Mac Springsheen blush - applied lightly with Manicare Artiste stippling brush 17

Eyes
Savvy by Db eye brow pencil
Mac paint pot in Bare Study - applied with fingers
Mac eye shadow in Naked Lunch - applied with Models Prefer MP24 small eye shadow brush
Covergirl lash perfection mascara in very black
Essence gel liner in 01 Midnight in Paris - applied with Essence slanted gel liner brush to top lash line
(Name worn off) white shimmer crayon - applied to tear duct and brow bone

Lips
Revlon lip butter in 090 Sweet Tart - just one swipe

Well there you have my face of the day for work make up.

Have a good day pretties.

My favourite 5 autumn lipsticks

Hi pretty people!

I thought today I would share with you my top 5 favourite lipsticks for autumn! Yes, I know there are 6 in the photo but one I always wear with gloss, so I count them together!

Without flash

With flash

The first swatch and the front left lipstick is by David Jones and it is the colour Antique Musk from the Moisture Cream range. This is probably one of the darkest lipsticks you will catch me wearing as I am quite pale, but it is a pretty dusty plum colour and is the perfect shade for darker clothes (I normally wear with black) this autumn. I got this in a pack, but from memory this range is around $14.95. I will definately be wearing this colour right into winter. I find this formulation to be quite moisturising which is a bonus for the cooler months!

Second swatch and front middle in the top picture is the much lusted after Revlon Lip Butter. This particular shade is in 050 Berry Smoothie. Another colour perfect for autumn with a great formulation. It is so nice and creamy and I think I will use this little baby up VERY quickly! RRP $21.95

Next is a colour by CHI CHI called Centerfold. This lipstick is a muted, matte nude which is very pretty, but unfortunately quite drying on the lips. However I love this shade so much I will persist with it and use loads of lip balm underneath. I have quite pigmented lips so this is the perfect colour to mute out my lips to make them truely nude. RRP $18.95???

Fourth lipstick and top left in the top photo is a Mac lustre in the colour Lovelorn. This is a new purchase for me but I know I'll be wearing it year round as it is a super pretty medium pink. The formulation for this is great and this is not overly moisturising, but it is not at all drying. It is shiny without being too lipglossy. RRP $36

Lastly are the two I group together as I don't wear either along, but together this lipstick and gloss make a great glossy nude combo. The lipstick is by Maybelline in the colour 132 Nude Blush (I think this is discontinued and I purchased for $5), and the lip gloss is by Essence in the colour 01 Pure Nude. RRP $3.95.

So that's my favourites for this autumn, and tell me, what colours will you be wearing?

Sunday Night Haul

Hi All

Well it's the end of the week and it's time for my Sunday night haul. And i'm a day late! Easter weekend has really thrown me and I completley didn't realised that yesterday was Sunday lol. I promise I'm really not that dumb normally haha.

Anyways this weeks haul was pretty small due to public holidays etc but I did pick up a couple of things.

Firstly I got 3 Orly nail polishes (blogged about here) from Priceline that were reduced even cheaper to $2.95! From left to right the colours are Aspen, Not So Dusty Rose and Walk Down the Isle.

Secondly I got a crease brush by Models Prefer and it is the MPP120 Crease. I plan on using this more as a blending brush as I already have another style crease brush I'm quite fond of. I really like the Models Prefer brushes and every second Priceline catalogue they seem to be on special which is even better!

Lastly is a Mac lipstick in the colour Lovelorn. It's a lustre and it's a beautiful medium pink colour but it is not too bright that it can't be worn by day. I really like the lustre formulation and I think I will definately be getting more in this range. It's mildly moisturising, but definately not drying as I find my other Mac lipstick Angel which is a frost to be.

Well that's the haul for this week?

Did you buy any new beauty products this week?

FOTD - Rock a red lip by day

Hi lovely peopleI did a bit of a different make up look today so I thought I would show you. Normally I'm into the coral and pinky shades but I thought I would be adventurous today and rock a red lip! I based my look around a ModelCo red lipstick/lipgloss I received with a magazine for free!

I kept the rest of my make up really simple to avoid the 'clown' look :)

Products Used
Foundation - Loreal Matte Morpheous Moose in 115
Powder - Mac Mineralise Skin Finish Natural in Medium
Bronzer - Face of Australia (it's that old the name has worn off! The package is a large container with loose bronzer in it)
Eye liner - Savvy by DB
Eye shadow - Rimmel quad in Smokey Noir
Mascara - Covergirl Lash Perfection
Brows - Savvy by DB
Lipstick - ModelCo lipstick/lipgloss (no name)
Nails - Rimmel lasting finish in Double Decker Red

Do you like to rock a red lip by day?

March Favourites

Well it's the start of a new month and that means it's favourites time! I've narrowed my favourites down to 5 as I really have so many this month, but the list could just keep going on and on!

The first favourite of the month is a face product, and it's a MAC blush in Fleur Power. The MUA at the Mac counter said this was his favourite and I really liked the swatch of it, and have been wearing nearly every day since! It's a perfect coral and is very, very pigmented so a little goes a long way. I apply with a stippling brush and then buff out with a blush brush. I think this will be in my collection for a long time!

My second favourite of the month is a eye balm I received in my March Bellabox. It's by Bellamer and really feels like Vaseline to the touch. You apply for 15 minutes in the evening and then wipe off the excess. I have definitely noticed a difference in the skin around my eyes since I have been using this and when my sample runs out I will definitely be buying a full sized product which is valued at $40 and well worth the money I think.

Next favourite is a new shampoo and conditioner I have been using this month by Matrix. The shampoo is from the Sleek Results range which the sales associate at Hairhouse Warehouse told me is the same they use in the salon. This shampoo does contain a silicone which normally I don't like in a shampoo, but this product does not leave my hair greasy at all. The conditioner is from the Biolage Range and is the De tangling Solution. Again this contains a silicone, which I don't really mind in conditioner, but the sales associate recommended the De Tangling Solution rather than the normal conditioner as it is lighter and won't way the hair down as much. I find both to be really moisturising, I don't get any fly-aways and my hair feels so soft after use. It cost me $40 for the two but it is well worth the money I think.

My fourth product is another eye product, but this time an eye shadow and it is Naked Lunch by Mac. I was tossing up between this and All That Glitters and I love just a simple all over lid colour for day time with eye liner and mascara but decided on Naked Lunch as it is a little more my colour. Its a very gentle colour for office wear but also blends out nicely with a matte brown for night time. Again this is a colour I've been wearing almost every day for the month of March.

Last favourite of the month is a lip product, and its a lipstick by Rimmel. The colour is Guest List from the Lasting Finish range that I got on special at K-Mart for $6. It's a really nice moisturising medium pink that goes wonderfully with my Fleur Power blush. I really like the Rimmel Lasting Finish lipsticks and have three of them now. They are great for the price as you can normally get them for around $6 on special!

Well those are my favourites for the month of March.

What are your favourites?

Sunday night haul

Hey all I hope you all had a great weekend! My week has been busy busy as I have been moving into a new house and have had to spend a lot of time putting together flat packs and packing and moving and cleaning and basically doing a lot of boring things!

I still had the chance to buy a couple of items this week and did get a lovely new house present off my wonderful boyfriend. He got me my first Mac Paint Pot! He even remembered the colour I wanted ♥

So my haul this week is as follows;

Mac Paint Pot in Bare Study
Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in 006 Pink Blush
Sally Hanson Salon Effects in 360 Laced Up
Sally Hanson Salon Effects in 340 Girl Flower
Rimmel Lasting Finish nail polish in 170 Lively Lilac (another gift from the man)♥
OPI Nail Lacquer in Lourve Me Lourve Me Not
Revlon Lip Butter in 050 Berry Smoothie

So that's all my new products for the week. I'm very excited about my Mac Paint Pot as I have been eyeing this off for a long time and of course the Revlon Lip Butter which I got for only $5 at my local chemist (the sales girl rang up the wrong price).

What are your favourite new products??