review

Review: Liz Earle

April 23, 2014

The Liz Earle products from the U.K have been widely talked about in the beauty blogosphere. Always one to try new face products and skincare lines, I quickly ordered these online and soon enough they were on their way to me to Australia. Shipping was quick, and I got a small travel size pack plus a free Brightening Treatment Mask too.

What Is It? I got the skincare essentials Dry/Sensitive range. It’s made up of three products – a cream cleanser, a toner and a moisturiser (dry/sensitive). It also comes with a Muslin Cloth which is used to polish the skin after cleansing.

What’s In It? This trio of products all contain naturally active ingredients. The cleanser contains cocoa butter which helps softens skin, and eucalyptus oil, rosemary and chamomile which soothes and purifies skin. The toner contains aloe vera and cucumber helping your skin feel refreshed. It also has essential oils such as rose-scented geranium, lavender and sweet orange which just smells absolutely amazing. The moisturiser contains avocado oil, borage oil and echinacea which nourishes the skin, and Vitamin E which helps protect the skin.

How To Use It? Rub a coin size amount of the cleanser onto your face using both fingers. This can be applied straight onto your dry face. Massage in, collecting all the dirt, makeup and oil on your face. Wet the Muslin Cloth with warm water and gently wipe all over to get rid of cleanser. Rinse face with warm water then pat dry. Next use the toner, and wipe all over face, then follow up with the moisturizer. I do this morning and night.

How Much Is It? I paid 50 pounds (approximately $90 Aus). This is quite exy but it is for 3 full size products, a travel kit, a free brightening mask and shipping. I’ve been using this twice a day for 2 months and still have A LOT of product left. You can get them here.

Why I love it? Good daily skincare routine products are important for me. It’s hard to find a 3-step program that work, and work well together. The scent of all three products are divine. It’s so refreshing and revives the spirits. I almost feel like I’m giving myself a mini facial when I’m massaging the cleanser into my skin. It feels so smooth and gentle. It fact, all products are gentle (nothing is abrasive, and nothing stings). It may not feel like it’s doing that much (because it really is that gentle) but, trust me, it is effective. You’re skin will feel cleansed, fresher, smoother and nourished. It’s only when you stop using it that you really can tell the difference. I also like it because it takes off all my makeup. I don’t even have to use a makeup remover before this! It’s just a good daily skincare line to use. I haven’t used a 3 step program all together like this, stuck with it and loved it since I bought Pevonia a while back. I would like to revisit Pevonia just so I can refresh and compare it but for now, these Liz Earle work just fine and I highly recommend.

Makeup for: Every Day

February 16, 2014

Wanna know what makeup I use every day? Here it is!

Foundation: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Skin Perfecting Makeup in #40 Beige. – $64.95
My favourite every day foundation. The fluid texture goes on smooth and it blends so naturally into the skin. It doesn’t feel cakey or that you have a tonne of makeup on. It’s also SPF+15. Shake first before applying. I apply this with the Experts Face Brush by Real Techniques but you could just apply with fingers.

Concealer: Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer in 40 Soft Beige – $14.95
Use the wand to conceal under your eyes. Then blend in with the same foundation brush or use fingers. Brightens up the eye area while also concealing dark circles.

Powder: Nars Pressed Powder in Desert – $39.95
This stuff lasts for ages. Trying to use it all up before trying another powder but I still like it. It’s finely milled leaving a smooth texture to your face and is also great for touching up during the day. I actually use the Blush Brush by Real Techniques to apply all over the face.

Bronzer: The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder in 04 Deep Matte – $28.95
Newly discovered and a new favourite! I love everything about this bronzer – the packaging, the shape, the mirror, the look, the colour – it’s a great bronzer. It’s not shimmery or orange – it just leaves a really nice bronze colour to the cheeks. I got the darker shade because I tend to get a bit darker during summer and I can always blend it out. I use MAC’s 168 Large Angled Contour Brush to apply on the hollows of the cheeks.

Highlight: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle – $47
Lovely frosting finish onto the top parts of your cheeks. I use the Perfected Setting Brush by Real Techniques to apply.

Eye Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion – $33 (approx)
My lids tend to get a bit oily and shiny during the day so I love how this potion makes them look smooth and matte. I just use my finger to apply all over the lid and use a bit just under the eye for any smudging from my eyeliner.

Eyeshadows and Eyebrows: Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
I use the colour ‘Faint’ to fill in my eyebrows using MAC’s 208 Angled Brow Brush. It’s the perfect shade for my eyebrows. Sometimes I’ll use ‘Naked 2’ all over my lids and ‘Venus’ as a brow highlight.

Eyeliner: Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal eyeliner in 001 Black – $9.95
My favourite eyeliner because it’s smooth, easy to apply, and waterproof. This means that it doesn’t smudge or fall down my face at the end of the day – which most other liners do to me! Line in the waterline and along the top lash line. Smudge in using the Angled Brow Brush.

Mascara: Maybelline Mega Plush Volum’ Express Mascara in Blackest Black – $19.95
A few coats of this and your lashes will look lengthened and voluminous. It doesn’t make your lashes heavy or clumpy, it makes them look fluttery. Make sure to use the tip of the wand to get all of your outer and inner lashes – it really makes a difference.

Bottom Lash Mascara: Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara – $28
Since my very first time using this over a year ago, I don’t use anything else on my bottom lashes. I have very short bottom lashes so this mascara really defines those hairs and it also doesn’t smear. The wand is a small baby brush which really helps!

Lips: Maybelline Baby Lips Loves Color (SPF 16) in Berry Crush – $3.95
I usually just use a balm with a bit of colour for every day because my lips are doing so much throughout the day (eating, talking, eating, drinking and more eating) – I like to keep it moisturized. On the odd occasion I will use a lip product with colour, but that tends to go everywhere when I’m doing all that eating.

I hope you enjoyed my run down of what makeup I use on a daily basis! Might do more looks later on – like going on dates, travel, Valentine’s etc! If you have any other suggestions please comment below!

Lip Balms

November 11, 2013

One of my fave essential beauty products I buy regularly (for several reasons) is – a lip balm! There are SO MANY lip balms out there – all with different purposes. It’s the beauty product that gets applied several times during the day, and because of that, the one that gets misplaced the most often!

I have yet to find the perfect lip balm that has everything – good moisturization, smells nice, feels smooth on application, protects lips and lasts long. If anyone can recommend me their absolute favourite lip balm, do please share! All of these outlined below are good contenders!

Smith’s Rosebud Salve – Minted Rose Lip Balm – $29.95 (for set of 3 including Original and Strawberry)
This one is a popular one amongst the online beauty world. I think the scent is really nice (a mix of mint and rose) and I love the vintage package tin. It’s also massive. The texture of the balm is very slippery and greasy though (petroleum-based) when applied to lips. It’s good at treating – has this minty cool feeling on the lips, but doesn’t last very long. I like it to smooth dry lips, but then would still apply a thicker balm on top to moisten.

Burt’s Bees Ultra Conditioning Lip Balm – $4.99
I love Burt’s Bees lip balms. I have the Mango one that I carry in my bag but might have to swap it out for this one. It contains more butters (Kokum, Cocoa and Shea) than wax so it’s not thick but hydrating. It’s Hypoallergenic and provides 4 hours of moisturization. It smells a little of honey and lemon.

Blistex Lip Conditioner – $4.99
Blistex is another good conditioning lip balm. It protects from the sun, wind and cold – stopping dry lips and treating sunburned lips. This also contains SPF 15. If you’ve used Blistex before, you’ll know that slight stingy feeling you get when applied to lips to let you know it’s working and that strong scent.

Maybelline Baby Lips Love Colour – Pink Lolita – $3.95
I also have this balm in Berry Crush and I’ve already expressed my love of it. It’s a balm, but also provides a hint of colour to the lips so I use this instead of lipstick sometimes.

Nivea Lip Butter – Caramel Cream – $5.69
A few months ago, I was obsessed with this! The smell of this lip balm is my favourite scent ever – EVER! It smells like caramel popcorn. I’ve stopped using this when other lip balms caught my eye, but just smelling this again – I’m going to have to declare my love all over again. The formula is dermatologically approved and contains Shea Butter and Almond Oil. I also love the round flat tin.

Lucas’ Papaw Ointment – $4.99
This is Australian made and owned and a cult favourite down under. It has many uses not just for cracked lips, but can be used for chaffing, nappy rash, and treating dry skin. Made from fresh Australian papaw and is really moisturizing to the lips.

Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid – $15.99
Heard many a good things about Lanolips and it seems like it’s right to do so! It smells like Lemonade, comes out thick but melts in and is really hydrating and conditioning on. There’s no petroleum and it’s main ingredient is Lanolin which is a wool wax. This wool wax comes from sheep (duh) which helps them waterproof their coats and protects it from the climate and environment. It also has a bit of a sparkle.

Nuxe Reve de Miel – $19.95
Another favourite balm circling around. It smells like honey and lemon but with a slight nut scent too. It has a rich melting texture restoring softness and comforts damaged lips. Although I like what it does to the lips and the smell, I don’t quite like the texture.

Dior Creme de Rose Lip Balm – $32.95
Yes, it’s a doozy! Over $30 on a lip balm? You’ve gone bananas! This is a favourite amongst many Beauty Guru YouTubers. And I have to agree. The smell is divine. Smells like roses. The texture is so so soft and so so smooth. Many people have complained that the packaging is lacking. But I actually adore it! I think the plain white tub with the ‘CD’ logo embossed into it is beautiful! Probably my favourite out of the bunch!

Tell me your favourite lip balm!

Review: YSL Rouge Volupte Lipsticks

September 27, 2013

So I may be late hopping onto the bandwagon with this one, but once I took the plunge and purchased these babies, and tried them… I absolutely had to rave on about them too. This is the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Lipsticks. I am reviewing 01 Nude Beige and 13 Peach Passion.

What Is It? A smooth creamy lipstick that leaves lips soft and gives a radiant colour. Nude Beige is a light pinkish nude colour and Peach Passion is a coral pink peach colour.

What’s In It? These lipsticks contain Hyaluronic acid microspheres which gives this formula intense moisture and hydration.

How To Use It? Like any lipstick, wind the stick up and apply over your lips. The texture is so creamy it only needs 1 or 2 swipes to apply the colour.

How Much Is It? You can purchase these at Myer or DJs for $55 each. Yeah, another steep one for us Aussies. Or you can try your luck on ebay for around $40 each.

Why I Love It? It’s just a lipstick right? A very expensive lipstick! Why so much fuss? Well I believe that these are worth all the hype. A lot of people talk about how creamy, most pigmented and glossy it is. And it’s very true. The colour is so rich, it doesn’t take much to get it on your lips, and the creaminess means it glides on so smoothly. It’s also mega glossy so you don’t need a gloss on top! And it’s not gloss-sticky either. But what I think is the best quality in these lipsticks is it’s moisturizing ability. It feels so hydrating on, while still maintaining the colour pay-off. It almost has this balmy texture to it. The colour doesn’t come off as easily as some other lipsticks. Don’t get me wrong, it does come off if you accidentally brush it against something, or while drinking your coffee; but because of it’s balmy/moisturizing formula, the colour doesn’t smear off – it’s more like how a lipbalm would smear off – the pigmented colour remains on your lips. With my other lipsticks, the rich colour would GO EVERYWHERE. I love them!