first impression: urban decay naked 3 palette

Hi lovelies!

 

I am soooo excited to do this post for you. I have literally been bouncing off the walls since I received this yesterday.

 

I am a huge fan of Urban Decay cosmetics. I have all the Naked palettes (1,2 and the Basics), their Naked foundation and some of their revolution lipsticks. I love everything, and have seriously considered buying more, but their price is stopping me in my tracks. If you know me, you would know that the original Naked palette is honestly my favourite eyeshadow palette of all time. I use it constantly on myself and others. I do like the Naked 2, but I tend to lean towards warmer shadows (the Naked 2 is cool toned). So when I heard that the Naked 3 was an actual thing (remember when everyone was saying that it was fake?), and that it would be a PINK warmed and cool toned ROSE GOLD palette, holy hell, I knew I had to get my hands on that.

 

When I went to New York last year, I was meant to be there from the 1st of December til the 7th, which meant I would've been there for the release of the Naked 3 palette on December 6th. However, my trip was moved up a week, and instead I returned home on the 1st instead of leaving, so I missed the release. As most Australians who love cosmetics know, Urban Decay is not available to buy over here. It is available online, but is incredibly overpriced when compared to the US price. So instead of buying it on BeautyBay, where it is over $80, I decided to wait until a family member went to the US and asked them to purchase it for me.

 

 

I, like most other females, love rose gold. And the packaging is rose gold. The excitement. Can't handle it.

 

The eyeshadows are encased a tin, similar to the Naked 2 palette. Its pretty easy to open, but not in the way that it is just going to fly open at first touch. It's pretty sturdy, so I know that this baby won't be opening unless I actually do it myself. I'm guessing that this will be good to travel with.

 

 

It also comes with samples of its well known Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, but instead of the teeny little bottle that it came with in the original Naked palette, it comes with four little samples the of original formula, a matte formula called Eden, a shimmering formula called Sin (which I assume is similar to the eyeshadow Sin) and an anti-aging formula. I personally prefer the bottle that came with the Naked palette, just because I think its more hygienic, and am partial to tiny versions of products. But, I am happy that this came with four different bases, which I didn't actually know they had, so that was a nice little surprise. I guess they're also catering to everyones needs, as the original formula may not work for everyone. That's pretty considerate, I'm impressed.

 

It also comes with a dual ended brush, similar to the one that came with the Naked 2 palette, but I forgot to get a photo of the brush itself.

 

 

Now to the actual palette..

 

I decided to dedicate this post to swatches of the eyeshadows in the palette. As the palette is pink and rose gold themed, the shadows really keep with this and almost all have a pink undertone to them. It is super romantic, and I only wish I had this to do a Valentines Day look for you guys, because this is literally Valentines Day in the form of an eyeshadow palette.

 

 

The shadows in the left half of the palette are:

 

Strange: A white highlight

Dust: A shimmery light pink

Burnout: A semi-shimmery mauve pink

Limit: A matte mauve pink

Buzz: Glittery pink. Is quite chunky, as you can see in the swatches above

Trick: A rose gold, and my favourite out of all shadows. It is tricky, like its name, to swatch. I think to get this colour to come up more you will have to wet your brush with some sort of setting spray.

 



 

The shadows in the right half of the palette are:

 

Nooner: A darker, purple-ly pink. Perfect transition shade

Liar: A purple-ly pinkish shimmery colour

Factory: A shimmery taupe, with pink undertones

Mugshot: A gunmetal grey, with shimmer

Darkside: A darker shimmery grey

Blackheart: A black colour, with pink shimmer throughout

 

So, is this palette worth it?

 

I believe it is. I think because it is so different to the other Naked palettes, you can create so many different looks with it. I love that they have a palette dedicated to pink shadows, and the palette has such a romantic feel to it. I am a lover of all the Naked palettes, as I said before, so I knew that the chances of me disliking this palette were slim. I think this has the perfect mix of warm and cool shades, so it has something for everyone. If you are someone who leans towards warm or cool neutral shades, and are looking for something different (but not too out of your comfort zone), I would definitely give it a try.

 

However, as I always recommend, I would definitely try to find it cheaper online, especially if you are Australian and use BeautyBay quite frequently. Don't get me wrong, I love BeautyBay and use it often myself, and in most cases their prices are fair for our market. But to charge $81.60AU for the palette isn't fair (even with free shipping), so I would have to say that the best option is to either use a shipping service and get it from Sephora, where it is $52US (around $55AU), or search online further. Do be careful though, because others have been duped with fakes!

 

Hope you enjoyed the first impression! Let me know in the comments below if you would like to see more of these posts, and keep your eyes peeled for tomorrows post which may be a tutorial on this palette ;)

 

*all products mentioned in this post were purchased by me, and opinions and photos are all my own*



holiest of holies: my holy grail mascara

Hi lovelies!

 

I really don't have too many holy grail products, ones that I believe to be the best of the best, the crème de la crème if you will. There are some that come close, but not that I will go to the ends of the earth to find because I desperately need it in my life.

 

One of the exceptions to that rule, the one holy grail product that I have continuously used for three years is a mascara. To say that I love this mascara is an understatement. It is everything I want in a mascara and more. Without further ado, let me introduce...

 

The Christian Dior Diorshow Mascara!

 

 

 

This is the original formula, by the way. They do have a waterproof version, and the Diorshow Blackout, which I also own, but this is the best out of all of them. It separates, lengthens and volumises all at once, and even though it is not waterproof, it does not smudge on me at all. It has a super huge brush that grabs every single lash, and is even great to use on my bottom lashes.

 

 

 Close up of the brush :)

 

The big brush is probably my favourite thing about this brush. I prefer mascaras that have big bristle brushes over those with plastic brushes, just because I feel that they give more volume to my lashes. My lashes are quite long, so I prefer volumising mascaras because mine are usually long and spidery. I feel like this mascara gives me a natural false lash effect, and gives me a ton of volume.

 

This is an example of the volume from the mascara:

 

One coat



Two coats

Three coats

 

As you can see between coats, the volume builds and builds, without getting clumpy ever. Usually I would actually put more coats than this on, but I didn't want to go overboard because really, I don't need that much to show you guys how amaaaazing this mascara is. I love this mascara, I am currently on my third tube (with a back up) and I'm sure I will always repurchase. No other mascara I have used comes close to this. Sure, I have other favourites, but this is the one I always find myself coming back to. Because it is so expensive, and can be a little hard to get a hold of in Australia, I mostly use this on special occasions. But, I know if I'm having a bad mascara day (I'm sure you know what I'm talking about), I can always rely on it to fix the situation.

 

Now.. The price. Yes. I got my first tube of this as a gift, so when I went to repurchase, I was a little shocked. This retails for about $51-52AU, and is available in selected Myer and David Jones stores. I haven't been able to find it much cheaper online, and also I am a bit sceptical because there are a lot of fakes out there. If I'm going to purchase it, I will only do so if I believe it to be the real deal.

 

 When I went to New York last year, I purchased two tubes for $25US (about $28AU) each in Sephora, which is a lot more reasonable. Because this isn't an everyday mascara for me, I won't be running out for a while, but once I do, if family or friends are going overseas, I will ask them to repurchase it for me. I love this mascara so much, but it does break the bank. And if I can get it for cheaper, why not?

 

What mascaras do you guys love? Is there any that I should be trying? Let me know in the comments below :) Also, if anyone has a drugstore dupe for this, please comment it below!

 

*all products mentioned in this post have been purchased by me, and all opinions stated and photos are my own*

battle of the bb creams

Hi lovelies!

 

I have yet another confession to make: I am a total face junkie. Out of all the beauty products in the world, my favourite would have to be foundations. This is mainly because I have naturally very rosy cheeks, and its something I am super self-conscious about. No one wants to look like they have been sitting in the sun for too long and roasting to the point of no return, or Rudolphs long lost sister. Therefore, when I discovered foundation it was a real lightbulb moment, because I could hide them from the world and keep them my secret.

 

Once I had discovered the wonder of foundation, and what it could do for my face, I noticed that dry patches began to appear on my skin. Just to point out, I have normal skin, and it is really rare for me to get any dry skin or oil. Because I am loyal to about 5 different foundations at any one time, I couldn't pinpoint if it was one of them that was having this affect on my skin. It could have been the moisturiser I was using as well, but I'm really not sure. It was then that I discovered BB creams.

 

Traditionally, a BB cream (which stands for blemish balm) is an 'all in one' product, priming your skin, being able to cover your imperfections, while moisturising and providing SPF. I was drawn in with the moisturising option, as well as it covering my skin. But the fact that they are have other added benefits was definitely not a bad thing. During my trial of BB creams, I have noticed a big difference between those that are glorified 'tinted moisturisers', and those that are all they claim to be and more.

 

For this post, I am going to be giving you a mini review of each of the BB creams pictured below. I actually do own more, but I haven't used all of them to the extent that I believe I can fairly review them. The ones that I am reviewing are BB creams that I have used on regular basis at one time (or still use today), and can definitely give you an idea of which are actual BB creams and which are those you can steer clear of.

 

I should mention, that even though some of these BB creams did not receive rave reviews, it is not a review of the brand. I do love all of the brands, but the experience I have had with the product may be different.

 

Pictured above:

Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector: Sensitive Skin

Rimmel London BB Cream 9-IN-1 Skin Perfecting Super Makeup

Chi Chi Super BB Cream

L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

Lioele Dollish BB Veil Vita BB Cream (Natural Green)

Skin 79 Super+ BB Cream (Pink)

 

 

 Swatches of the above BB creams in same order they are pictured :)

I also have self-tanner on my skin at the moment, and am not at my palest.

 

1. Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector: Sensitive Skin



I wanted to like this.. I really did. This is talked up SO MUCH within the blogsphere, and after reading and watching so many favourable reviews on this product, I went straight out and brought this as my first ever BB cream. There is an option for oily skin, normal skin and sensitive skin. I do have normal skin, but there was none available to buy, so in my haste I decided to pick up the sensitive skin option in the light shade. First of all, there is nothing light about this. I am naturally super pale, and lighter than the lightest options in most foundations. This goes on a little dark, but then oxidises to make me look like an oompa loompa. The second thing is that it balls up! I applied it to my face, and it started shredding off. I tried applying it with my fingers, a brush, sponge, you name it, the result was the same. I honestly didn't feel that this really moisturised my skin any more than a subpar moisturiser. This was a huge let down, especially given that it has such favourable reviews, and I'm going to go ahead and put this in the 'tinted moisturiser', and the 'not worth your money' categories. This retails for $13.99AU.

 

2. Rimmel London BB Cream 9-IN-1 Skin Perfecting Super Makeup





A really long name for a tinted moisturiser.. This was the second BB cream I tried, and ugh. This review would pretty much be the same as the Garnier BB Cream, so I'll keep it short and sweet. Again, I brought this in the 'Light' option, and excuse my language, but light my ass. It is super dark, and then oxidises. But this doesn't ball up on my face, and it actually is quite moisturising.. And that's it. Seeing as it claims to 'prime, moisturise, minimise pores, conceal, cover, smooth, mattify, brighten and help protect', it really only matches two of its claims. To me, this is definitely a tinted moisturiser under a super fancy and long winded name. Retails for $12.95AU.

 

3. Chi Chi Super BB Cream


Let me begin by saying that I adore this BB cream. It is honestly the best 'westernised' BB cream I have ever tried, and the only one that I truly believe is worth the money. Available in 3 shades, I picked up the Medium shade, which is a little light with yellow undertones. It contains caviar extract and collguard, and claims to be anti aging and ultra moisturising with SPF 30. This cream goes on like a dream (ha, rhymes), and is seriously as moisturising as they claim it to be. The colour match isn't exactly dead on, but that's ok with me because I can warm up my face with bronzer. It gives me sheer coverage, but covers where I want it to, and leaves me healthy, radiant looking skin. I would recommend this above all the other BB creams you can find in the drugstore. Retailing for $22.95AU it is a bit more expensive than the others. But I would rather save up my money and spend a little extra than buy others and be completely disappointed. The only other downside is that is only available in Australia, but I'm sure other countries would be able to find it somewhere. Chi Chi products are available at Target and Myer in Australia (with regular sales, might I add), or online at www.chichicosmetics.com.au .



 

4. L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

 

This BB cream claims to prime, correct, hydrate and perfect. It also goes on white with little particles, but once you rub it in it does adapt to your skin. I have this in the fair shade, and again, it isn't fair. However, it doesn't oxidise too bad, but once it does it is still a little orange and dark when I am at my whitest. This isn't a bad BB cream.. But then again, I don't believe it to be a true BB cream. It doesn't moisturise, it doesn't have SPF and it doesn't really cover much either.  But that also means it  also doesn't fit into the tinted moisturiser category. However, I do like using this as a base for my foundation when I am self-tanned, as it does provide just a little coverage and is nice as a primer. This retails for $26.95AU, which I don't believe it is worth, but if you are willing to give it a try, I would recommend going through eBay. I brought this through the seller special_spice, for about $14AU (I think).

 

5. Lioele Dollish Veil Vita BB Cream (Natural Green)

 

After growing tired of not being able to find a BB cream, or one that fit its description, in the drugstore, I started researching more into them. I found that the best BB creams supposedly come out of Korea, and Lioele BB Creams were highly favoured and reviewed. After looking at my options, I went with this because it has two options: one for colour correcting (green) and one for dull-looking skin (purple). The green one got me, because of my cheeks and I wanted to see if this would have an affect. This BB cream is similar to L'Oreal one, as it goes on white with a green tinge and then oxidises to match your skin. This matches my skin well, is pale enough for me to wear when I am white, and covers my redness. The only downside to this is I don't think its very moisturising.. But again, it makes a great base if I was to wear this underneath my foundation. I believe this is only available online if you are outside Korea, and retails for $21.98US on prettyandcute.com . However, I did again go through eBay and brought this from the seller cosmeticmarket2012 for about $15AU. If you are going to go through eBay, be careful and only buy from reputable sellers that have good feedback. Lioele is a brand that is faked quite often, and a lot of those fakes are sold on eBay. If you want to be sure that you are getting the real deal, buy from a site like prettyandcute.

 

6. Skin79 Super+ BB Cream

 

My favourite of all BB creams I have tried. Again, this is another Korean BB cream, and is another brand that is reviewed often, and quite favourably. This is supposedly for oily skin, but to be honest I do own the counterpart that is for dry skin (Skin79 Super+ Gold BB Cream), and I prefer this. This is a very pale bb cream that is quite ashy when first applied, but this does go away once it is set. I apply it with my fingers and then pat around my skin with my hands to help it set (this is recommended on the back of the bottle). It moisturises my skin really well, and covers really well as well, as it has whitening properties. I wear this every day underneath my foundation, and when it runs out I will be repurchasing straight away. Again, I brought this on eBay through the seller cosmeticmarket2012 for $13.22AU, but if you are going to go through eBay, I warn you to be careful as this is a another product that is faked often. There are blog posts available to compare yours to a fake Skin79 BB cream, so I would recommend reading them and checking your bottle once it is received. This retails for $30 on prettyandcute.com .

 

I hope this post was helpful! It is quite long, but I really wanted to point out the differences in the western BB creams when compared to those of the Korean BB creams which are definitely more traditional. Apart from the Chi Chi BB cream, I can't really recommend any of the drugstore BB creams, unless you are in the market for a tinted moisturiser.

 

But, just because they didn't work for me does not mean they won't work for you!

 

What BB creams do you guys love? Let me know in the comments below :)

 

*all products were purchased by me, and all opinions and photos are my own*



review: kardashian beauty en-joystick lip lacquer

Hi lovelies!

 

Ever get that feeling when celebrities release products, such as perfume or jewellery, and think that they must be really desperate to try yet another attempt to prolong their fame? I know this went through a lot of peoples mind when the Kardashian sisters added a cosmetic line to their rapidly expanding business empire.

 

Personally, I am a fan of the family. I watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians every week, and am pretty up to date with their news (as much as anyone can be). When I first heard that they would be releasing a line that involved make up, I was actually excited. Not only because it was make up and I need every new product that is released, but also because the Kardashian sisters are known for how they do their make up, and how perfect and airbrushed it always looks, especially Kim. After some drama with the name of their brand, the line was finally released under Kardashian Beauty.

 

I looked at the products that would be released online, and the one thing that struck me was the En-Joystick Lip Lacquers. Lip products are up there with my favourite types of cosmetic products, but there is something about a lipstick in the form of a crayon that makes me think that I need it. These were in the US for about a year before they made it to Australian stores, and as soon as I noticed they had gone up on www.kitcosmetics.com.au (available in Myer) for the low price of $15.95AU, I brought three of them to try out.

 

 

I brought these in Baby Doll Pink, Sea Coral and Shocking Pink (swatches in that order). First of all, can we talk about the packaging?? These girls sure know how to make products look pretty. They are housed in sleek white packing in the shape of a pencil, with rose gold detailing. The colour of the pencil is represented at the bottom so that it is easy to find which one you want in your make up bag. They also do not need to be sharpened, as they are a twist-up.

 

Not only is the packaging absolutely beautiful, but the product inside is not half bad either! There are so super creamy and just glide on to the lips so easily. The tip of the Joystick comes sharpened, so it is easy to line your lips and fill them in. Both Baby Doll Pink and Sea Coral stay so creamy, with a lustrous finish on the lips, whereas Shocking Pink dries to an almost semi-matte finish. I get maybe 2 hours wear out of Baby Doll and Sea Coral, maybe less if I eat or drink in between, and with Shocking Pink, I am able to push it to about 3-4 hours. I assume this is because it dries to a semi-matte finish, and the other two are still quite creamy when set.

 

The only real complaint I have about these products is the smell. I am not really sensitive to smells, but this is sort of like a plastic vanilla smell, definitely not like the pleasant vanilla smell that comes with MAC lipsticks. It does disappear after about 10 minutes, but if you are someone who is really sensitive to smells you may want to try them out in store before purchasing. It isn't a deal breaker for me, just one thing I am not so crazy about.

 

And now for the actual lip swatches. These were taken in natural light, and the sunlight does wash out the intensity of the colour a little bit.

 

 

My lips, with nothing on them whatsoever.

 

 

Baby Doll Pink

 

Sea Coral

 

Shocking Pink (sorry for the shoddy swatch...)

 

So what's the verdict on these?

 

If you couldn't already tell, I LOVE THEM!! These have literally lived in my make up bag since I brought them. The Kardashians have actually created a product worthy of all the hype that they have recieved. Not only are they compact, travel friendly and beautifully packaged, the product itself is just amazing. Sure, they don't have a seriously long wear time, but touching up only takes a couple of seconds. And for $15.95AU, its even better. These are cheaper than most Australian drugstore items, for example the Revlon Just Bitten Kissables Balm Stains, and I can honestly say I prefer these. I'm sure these will be a staple in my make up bag for a while to come, and I will definitely be purchasing more colours when I get the chance. I recommend these a million times over!

 

For Australians, these are available in Kit Cosmetics Stores (available in select Myer stores), or from www.kitcosmetics.com.au 

 

*all products discussed in this post were purchased by myself. photos and opinions are all my own*