Sunday 15 June 2014

Review: Chi Chi Baked Eyeshadow

L-R: I'm Every Woman & Living On A Prayer

Hey Beauty Lovers!

Coming at you today with a review of the Chi Chi Baked Eye shadows I picked up from Target during their 30% off Chi Chi Sale. Usually these eye shadows retail for $14.95 but I got them for $10.47. I've been waiting for a sale on Chi Chi to try these!

The shades I picked up are, I'm Every Woman - described as a matte light brown and Living On A Prayer - described as a matte medium brown. The names of the shadows are song names and the packaging is a mini record. Cute! 



I know, I know I was a little boring in just picking brown shades, but seriously that's what we gals use everyday right? Besides there are very few drugstore/high end options for completely MATTE eye shadows. Everyone needs a good matte eye shadow just because it is so versatile. You can use is for stand alone eye shadow, transition colour and my favourite contouring!

Yes I specifically chose these shades to contour with. After seeing the Maleficent collection by MAC I really wanted to find a dupe for the sculpting powder because it's out of stock :( I'm happy to say that these are great shades to contour with because they have zero red undertones. HOW RARE FOR A BROWN SHADE! 

Now here are the claims on the box:
 

I must say these claims all hold true! These are so pigmented and buttery soft, it's a dream to blend in. It is also VERY long lasting, I had these on my arm for the photos and they didn't budge until I removed it!

L-R: I'm Every Woman & Living On A Prayer

These are so smooooooooth! 

I'm Every Woman
This shade is about 1-2 shades darker than my skin tone. I love using this to blend out shadows or even just alone. This is my favourite out of the two shadows. I love using this to contour the nose! I feel like this is a MUST shade for everyone. If you don't have a colour like this already you need to try it out!

Living On A Prayer
Now this brown is definitely leaning on the taupe/grey side. In terms of colour it is pretty much identical to Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Tough as Taupe. If you love that product then I'd recommend this to you. This is the powder equivalent of that. If you don't like using greys on the eyes this is still good for a more dramatic contour for the evening. It's lack of orange/red undertones make it great for sculpting.

Swatch time!

Here they are swatched dry and wet on my arm. I have a medium olive/yellow skintone ~ NC37 for reference.

I'm Every Woman (Dry), I'm Every Woman (Wet), Living on a Prayer (Dry), Living on a Prayer (Wet)
Swatches under slightly cooler lighting....

I'm Every Woman (Dry), I'm Every Woman (Wet), Living on a Prayer (Dry), Living on a Prayer (Wet)
As you can see using them wet gives you a much darker and vibrant colour. With no surprise, the wet shadows also lasted longer.

Conclusion:

Love these! I want to get more and even try out the shimmery shades. However I do feel that these are a bit pricey for a single eye shadow with only 2g of product. With a little more dollars you could get a 12 pan palette for $22.95. These are on the more luxurious side of Chi Chi and I'd definitely suggest you pick these up during a sale/special.

Highly recommend for contour lovers :)

Overall Grade: 8.8/10


Quickie Review: $2 Eyebrows from eBay

Shoutout to brow lovers, this one is for you ;)

I am a huge brow fanatic. I honestly probably spend more time on my brows than my eye makeup. I'm obsessed with plucking, shaping and filling them in. When it comes to brows you NEED to go all out okay? Haha. But seriously a good brow makes a world of difference. 

Lately I have been using pencils to fill in my brows and specifically these pencils from Hong Kong/China that I bought on eBay (my favourite place to shop). I have always wanted to try out Asian pencils and I love these. They're a bit waxy and last for a long time! Not to mention these are so cheap - around $1.50 USD for four different coloured pencils. I recommend buying them as a set since one pencil is already 99 cents anyway.  



L-R: Gray, ,BO8, B03, B01

L-R: Gray, ,BO8, B03, B01

Gray - Blue undertone, very cool toned.
B08 - A red brown, very warm toned, good if you have red tones in your hair
B03 - A dark bark brown, some red undertones though not as red as B08.  Good for brunettes/black hair
B01 - An off black. Not really a raven jet black. A really natural black actually. My favourite of the bunch. Use this the most since my hair is pretty much black right now.

These pencils are pretty waxy and they aren't crazy pigmented. You've kinda got to work the pencil onto your brows to get some colour. I see this as a good thing since it means your brows aren't gonna look like you filled them in with an eyeliner pencil. Plus the wax helps your hairs stay in the right place. Although on some occasions using these pencils has lead to some of my brow hairs falling out, but maybe they were always gonna shed? 

Conclusion:

Good for girls who struggle with their brows looking too drawn in. I really cannot complain with these, I mean these were DIRT CHEAP. I recommend just buying all 4 pencils since it's cheaper. Also since I ordered one in the past in it came in snapped in half.

Overall Grade: 8/10




Monday 28 April 2014

Fragrance Haul and Review: DKNY, Guess

L-R: DKNY Be Delicious, DKNY Golden Delicious, Guess Girl, DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom

Hello beautiful people!

If you follow me on instagram I posted my packages from MYER. YES GIRL I did some damage on their online store since they were having their annual mid-season sale. I didn't buy any makeup so I didn't break my spending ban!

MYER was having a 20% off sale on (most) fragrances and since I was in search of my signature scent I went a bit crazy. I had only sniffed DKNY Be Delicious before and loved it but the other three I purchased were blind buys. I guess I was feeling adventurous? 

Here's my order receipt. It was the first time I've ordered from MYER online store and I was pleasantly surprised. They came within a week and all had tracking numbers. I didn't have to pay $10 for shipping since I went over $100. 



Now onto the reviews/first impressions! I've been wearing these fragrances since I got them and I must say I am not disappointed by any of these. Feel free to click on the Fragrantica links as it lists all the notes of the perfume and other reviews as well.

DKNY Be Delicious

Fragrantica Summary

Can I just say I love the Be Delicious bottles? They're so sleek and cute! They look great in my collection. The perfume fluid is a gorgeous green but don't worry it doesn't stain. I love, love, LOVE the smell of this. It's so fresh, clean, cut, feminine and I have nothing like it. Out of the entire Be Delicious range the original is my favourite. I feel like this scent is appropriate for all seasons and I really enjoy wearing this at night. If you like fruity yet clean, ozonic, scents try this one! It really does smell like a juicy green apple to me..mmm I'm drooling! On me this lasts a good amount of time and I feel like it has really good sillage too.

DKNY Golden Delicious 

Fragrantica Summary
The lid is gold and the fluid is a really pale gold. This is probably my least favourite out of the three, that's not to say it isn't good! This is my Mum's fave. I'd say this smells a bit more mature than the other two. Not like an old lady scent, just more sophisticated. I don't really smell any apple in this, it's a heavier, musky floral. It's creamy and still yummy. It really really really reminds me of Curious by Britney Spears. They're not exactly the same but really identical. I'd say Golden Delicious is a more expensive and fancier version of Curious. This has good lasting power on me and moderate sillage.   

DKNY Be Delicious Fresh Blossom


Fragrantica Summary
Silver lid and a pale pink fluid, so adorable! I'd describe this scent as a sweet citrusy floral. Too much of this though and I get a headache. This scent smells really expensive to me haha, I love it! It is perfect for spring and summer. It's lightweight and makes you smell oh so clean. It's like a garden full of flowers after rain. If you like rose/florals this one is for you! I haven't worn this enough (since it's winter) to comment on lasting power and sillage.

Guess Girl

Fragrantica Summary
I just adore this bottle and the box, it was the main reason why I bought it. The fluid is a pretty pink and I love having it in my collection. Sweet. fruity, floral. It's a classic scent in my book. This is not super unique but I feel like it's a good staple to have. To me you can really smell the sugar and sweetness. It's not sharp like the Be Delicious range, since it doesn't have citrus. This is the perfect pretty girl next-door scent. Like you know when you walk past a pretty girl, I'd imagine she'd smell something like this. I wear this to work since it's not offensive, it's a really nice daytime scent. This lasts me all day and the sillage is great. My boyfriend likes this on me.

Conclusion


I am not a fan of sickeningly sweet sugary scents, heavy florals, musks or spicy woods. If you like light, slightly fruity, aquatic, ozonic, fresh scents then I would recommend these to you. My favourites out of this haul are DKNY Be Delicious and Guess Girl. I'd say these are definitely at the top for my signature scent. I can't say for sure yet though since I only got them last week :)

Have you smelled these scents? Do you have a signature scent? Hope this post helped you perfume lovers out there!

Wednesday 16 April 2014

Tag: 15 Facts About Me

Firstly, thank you to all the lovely ladies who tagged me on Instagram - you girls are the sweetest!
I hope you enjoy getting to know me, I enjoyed getting to know you guys :) 

I did 15 since I was tagged to do the 10 facts and 20 facts so I went halfway.


1. My favourite subject is Math!



To be honest though I kinda sucked at it back in school. I came in last in my year 12 specialist maths class and was NOT expecting to be doing it in university. But I'm so glad I did because I really think it helped me think better. #nevergiveup


2. I'm very indecisive and still don't know what I want to do with my life.



Do you ever feel like there are so many things you want to do but can't choose? At the moment I'm leaning towards civil engineering because I feel like it would have design and maths involved, which are two things I'm interested in.


3. I was raised in a conservative Catholic family but am now Christian.


Art by Sarah Gaugler
I'm not really big on religion, I'm doing it for myself and own relationship with God. I love believing in God but don't worry I won't shove my ideals down your throat, I'm very open minded :)


4. I don't have an Aussie accent! :(


I love the Aussie accent, I think I only have a really slight one and can fake it sometimes haha.
It's because I moved around a lot as a kid. Before I moved to Australia, I lived in New Zealand. Friends describe my accent as American though...weird huh.


5. I'm VERY musical. I pretty much play and own most musical instruments.




I literally live and breathe music.It's my other hobby apart from beauty related stuff. I listen to everything. EVERYTHING. Rap, country, heavy metal, jazz, motown, anything but this generation's popular music ughh. I'm currently obsessed with Pentatonix - Mitch Grassi in particular..


6. My love for makeup started in my first year of university.


Currently loving these runway looks for this winter
I just love how makeup can transform you, it's like magic. Some people are so talented, it's literally an art form.


7. I used to rock the emo look back in high school. 


Edward Scissorhands, one of the original emos


As in spikes, studs and black everything. I mean who didn't? (probably most people haha) I'd show you guys a picture but it's just too embarassing because I'm so tanned, it just didn't look right girlfraaaan!


8. I'm afraid of birds. Especially pelicans, magpies and large flocks of pigeons. 



Okay, I admit these gifs are really cute (then again anything inter-species is). But the magpies round my neigbourhood ain't nothing like this honey booboo, nuh uh!


9. I prefer to shop ALONE.



No I will not. You biatches will just slow me down and pressure me into buying something I probably will only wear once (it's happened before). 


10. I hate cake unless it's cheesecake.



I've just had a lot of bad birthday cakes that were really dry but cheesecake never disappoints me. Not even the cheap ones you can get from coles or woolies.


11. Last year I was seriously infatuated with one of my math lecturers.


I didn't do this but I can't say I didn't think about it...ughhhhhhhhhhhh
What can I say he was cute, had an amazing speaking voice, was passionate about his subject and come on, everyone knows that intelligence is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

I added this is because Ted is a hot professor and this episode was hilarious


12. I have my full licence but I don't own a car.




If I could have any car of choice though it would be this matte black lambo. I mean need I say more?


13.  My favourite flowers are peach/cherry blossoms.



They only blossom for a short time but that means you've got to appreciate them more while you can. 


14. I go gaga over anything related to Japan.



If I wasn't such a pussy I'd drop everything and live there.


15. I'm no good at keeping friends

What can I say, I guess my expectations on relationships are just too damn unreasonable.


Okay that's it! Hope I didn't bore y'all.


Monday 14 April 2014

Eyeshadow Palettes Wishlist

I need to STOP making wishlists girls. These palettes have been on my mind for ages, but I just can't afford/don't have access to these beautiful palettes! I know, I know, I know these palettes are mostly neutral warm tones that all look pretty similar and uninteresting. I always say you can never ever have enough of these shades, I mean it's what we wear everyday. By the way I didn't add any Urban Decay palettes because the Naked 1 is still the best to me.

Stila In the Light

Too Faced Chocolate Bar 

Too Faced Natural by Night

Sonia Kashuk Eye on Neutral (Mattes) 


The NARSissist Eyeshadow Palette

LORAC Pro Palette

Do you own any of these palettes? What do you think of them? What eyeshadow palettes are on your wishlist? Any other recommendations? Would love to hear your thoughts!



Review: NEW Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks (+Swatches)



So I went out today and came back with four new lipsticks. All I can say is that I NEED to stay away from priceline. In fact I am going to go on a makeup buying ban from now on.

These lovely lippies are Buy One Get One (BOGO) at priceline till the 26th of March. The usual retail price is $13.95 AUD. Not bad for a drugstore lipstick though slightly higher than the average $9.95 AUD lipstick. I think it's because these are a fancy new formulation oOoOooh! 

Rimmel has added new colours to their range and here in Australia they have fun English names which I think are great. I say in Australia as the shades have different names in other countries. The colours are gorgeous and there are a wide variety of shades to choose from.
You can view the 12 shades available HERE 

Claims: Maximum colour. Lips feel up to 70% more hydrated and up to 60% smoother! SPF 20, Vitamins A, C and E for protected lips.

Packaging: In my opinion they are bulky but I still like them cause I have no purple packaged lippies in my collection. They are sturdy and look nice.



Swatches L-R: Two swipes. Notting Hill Nude (720), Heather Shimmer (220), Piccadilly Pink (150) and In Love with Ginger (660). Top: Natural lighting, Bottom: With flash.



Bare Lips:  My lips were a bit dry so they might look a little janky, sorry! But good for testing out these lipsticks right? :P

Lip swatches (T-B): Notting Hill Nude (720), Heather Shimmer (220), Piccadilly Pink (150) and In Love with Ginger (660). All taken indoors with natural lighting.

Colour descriptions:

  • Notting Hill Nude (720):
Pale pinky nude with some beige that would be nice on most skin tones. I'm quite tan (nc40)and it looks alright on me. Would look amazing with dark smokey bedroom eyes.
  • Heather Shimmer (220): 
A browny pink, not too dark. This one makes me look more mature. Would be good for the office and darker ladies.
  • Piccadilly Pink (150): 
Blue based medium-lightish pink. I don't know why I bought this, I don't really wear pink lipsticks since I don't think they suit me. This one is ok on me?
  • In Love with Ginger (660):
 Bright coral orange. Really fun, colour. If you build it up it looks more red-orange. I was hoping it would be more orange than coral red but it's still a great colour for spring/summer.

My opinion: 
Good pigmentation, one layer is enough to add decent coverage to my pigmented lips. Though if you want a bolder lip colour you might feel the need to add more than one layer. I feel like if you look at my lips closely you can still see the dry areas. They were moisturizing though not in the revlon lip butter kind of way but a vaseline way. As you can see in the pictures they give off a glossy finish. 

These did feel a bit slippery and I was worried that the colour might slide off. Although it didn't, it did transfer very easily. I wish these were a thicker formula like the Kate Moss range (which I LOVE) but then again these are sold as moisturizing lipsticks and makes no claims on longevity. These had an ok-ish wear, not long lasting but the colour stays on. If you eat you definitely need to touch up.

These sat comfortably on my lips though I did blot my lips with a tissue (which I recommend). I also suggest you exfoliate and line your lips beforehand. I also found patting some translucent powder onto my lips made them last longer.Unfortunately these lipsticks did not have a sweet candy-like smell instead they strongly smell and taste like sunscreen. So not yummy :S

Would I buy these again? Peronally, no. I prefer thicker, creamier lipsticks but if you are someone who likes thinner, moisturizing, glossy, lipsticks then you should check these out.

Overall grade: 6.8/10