Sunday, 29 September 2013

The Balm Shady Lady Palette Volume 2 Review and Swatches


Ahhh The Balm... I am SO in love with this brand. I adore this really unique and quirky line of makeup. What also impresses me is that you can purchase this American brand at an afforable price from Australian retailer David Jones. There is a price markup but not as extravagant as other brands. You can also purchase online through their website and get it shipped to Australia.


 Today I will be reviewing the Shady Lady Volume 2. It retails for $39.95 in the States and I THINK $49.95 at David Jones Australia. There are three volumes total and they all have nine eyeshadows and a mirror.
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Packaging wise I really like this palette and the mirror is a perfect size for makeup on the go. It closes shut tightly thanks to a magnet. It is cupboard so make sure to keep away from water! As you can see in the above photo Just This Once Jamie shadow has popped out slightly and it's been like that since I opened it. Obviously I have a faulty one but I'm going to call it special ;)


What I like about the selection of colours is that they're all incredibly wearable yet still have that pop of colour. It is possible to get a look using only this palette but I think it would be hard to travel with. I would recommend a neutral palette to accompany with it. 
Caught in the act Courtney, feisty Felicia, insane Jane, bossy Bobbi, makeout Mary, just this once Jamie, mischievous Marissa, tempting Tara & devilish Danielle
Courtney and Felicia are the only shades with visible specks of shimmer whilst the rest are all frost in finish. They perform beautifully all day long and are silky smooth that blend superbly. The Balm creates beautiful eyeshadows that are superior to most brands in formula. 

I really like this palette and would recommend it to all!

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Thursday, 19 September 2013

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation + Powder Review and Photos


The Nearly Naked Foundation is Revlon's latest liquid foundation product and if you watch Youtube you would have seen the ads EVERYWHERE! Seriously, on nearly every video I've watched Emma Stone pops up with her 15 second advert featuring this foundation. I wish there was an option to exit out as I've already purchased and their marketing has obviously already worked on me! I purchased the foundation and powder together for $30 from Chemist Warehouse about a month ago and have been using it a fair bit.


The Revlon Nearly Naked Liquid Foundation comes in 12 shades and retails in Australia for $25.95. The glass bottle comes without a pump (urgghh) and has an SPF of 20. It has 30 ml (1 fluid ounce) of product. I would describe it as having a medium buildable coverage.  It doesn't cover all of my blemishes and I do have to go over it with a concealer. I will be reviewing the lightest shade which is 110 Ivory.

Please note: these photos were taken a month ago - my skin has greatly improved thanks to my new skincare routine which is coming soon!
Before without any makeup

Half on, half off

Both sides with foundation

No concealer
As you can see from the above photos it takes away nearly all of the redness and matches my neck really well. This is the lightest shade and I would say this is the MAC equivalent of the shade NC15. In terms of wear, it lasts all day with me and it will last a couple of hours longer with primer and powder. Please note, I have "normal" acne prone skin. What I like about this foundation is that it wears evenly and doesn't break down around the chin area (which is usually a problem for me).


The Revlon Nearly Naked Powder retails for $25.95 and contains 8 grams (0.28 ounces) of product. The packaging is bulky. I much prefer a more compacted design such as the MAC Studio Fix Powder and Australis Fresh and Flawless. This powder comes in 6 shades and I have 010 Fair. This powder is a shade darker than the Ivory foundation that I used and is noticeable upon application. Make sure to use with a light hand or you will have two different shades on your face. This powder does not cake up and feels lightweight on the skin. Think of this powder to add longevity to your foundation rather than adding coverage as it will not cover up any further blemishes or problem areas.


The packaging is bulky and features a small mirror (which is fairly useless). I don't care for the pillow like sponge applicator that is included as it's not sanitary nor practical. I think any powder/blush brush that you already have in your collection will suffice. The brush will kick up some product in the pan but is brushed away easily with a brush. What's also interesting to note is that I think it would be very easy to depot! Perfect for a Z Palette. 

Swatch
As always, I would recommend purchasing Revlon from Chemist Warehouse as they're always 15% off the RRP. I think a good price to pick these up on sale would be $20 or under. I doubt this product would be cheaper than $15 (if it goes down to $10 buy buy buy!). From a quick google, both powder and foundation retail for $10 in the States. 

Bottom line: I think the foundation is definitely worth picking up and I will be repurchasing as it is a good foundation with a medium coverage. The powder I'll use up but I won't be repurchasing.

Tuesday, 17 September 2013

Two Days In Daylesford at Ablac Studio


It's been too many days since a blog post! Unfortunately work got in the way. Fortunately I was also busy taking off for a couple of days to Daylesford! This post will be fairly picture heavy. 

My boyfriend D and I stayed at the Ablac Studio which was booked through Dayget. We paid $440 plus booking fee for two nights (Thursday + Friday). Yep, fairly steep for the "country" but from doing some digging around it seemed to be the going rate. I've got some pretttyyy pictures of the studio house below:



Oh yeah - outdoor tub!


A cute free little package - a REALLY nice touch with some great stuff inside.


The site was set on quite a few acres and these little guys were about 50 metres from where we were sleeping!





We took advantage of the reasonable kitchenette and made a couple of our own meals.


Not going to lie - it was a bit creepy bathing in pitch black!

The boyfriends great idea of adding Nerds into the pancakes (men...)


Overall we did enjoy our stay at the Ablac Studio. It wasn't perfect - the cooking utensils needed to be replaced and properly cleaned and there was also zero reception but it was a great getaway. It's absolutely surrounded by Australian bush and is located on a dirt road with a heck of a lot of pot holes but I think it all adds to the charm. The only deterrence would be the price.. In the future we will take advantage of some accommodation sales in Daylesford. Check in was 3pm and check out was 12pm which is very reasonable.

We went to quite a few places but I didn't get any photos of them (worst blogger ever) but I did get a couple of an AMAZING coffee place called Buffalo Girls Cafe. With a superb Urbanspoon rating of 97%  it was a must go for us and we went twice. The reviews speak for itself. The setting is casual, comfortable but still incredibly interesting with all the different furniture and decor. The owner is really friendly and had a really interesting background story - ask him about it! I just drank whatever he gave me and loved it. By the way - a coffee is $3!! Yep, $3! Pretty good compared to Melbourne CBD prices.






Oh Daylesford we will be back.. So many places to explore and only a 90 minute drive from Melbourne. A must go.



I am not affiliated with Dayget or Buffalo Girls Cafe. Everything was paid for out of our own money. 

Monday, 9 September 2013

The Balm Schwing Liquid Liner Review, Swatches & Photos

I have a very sad review today. First of all, I LOVE the brand The Balm, it is one of my all time favourites. However this liquid liner is the worst product I've tried from The Balm.


The Balm says that "Create winning looks with this rich, matte-black finish that won’t smudge, flake, or take forever to dry". Wrong, wrong, wrong. This will smudge, it will flake and it will take awhile to dry. Liquid liners in my opinion need to be budge proof. Otherwise you will look like a panda mess!

The Balm Schwing Liquid Liner, 1.7ml. $23 AUD, $17 USD
I had high hopes for this liquid liner as it ticked all the boxes. Felt tip, long handle, the ability to give a small to big line and a reasonable price. But instead this liner smudges awfully as you can see from the (really bad quality iPhone) picture below.

Yep, that bottom wing was never meant to be there...
Upon initial application it does give off a really nice look. Clean, sharp lines delivered from the felt tip pen. The handle is excellent and aids in the control of application. The pot is also quite good for 'scraping off' excess product off the tip.



I definitely won't be repurchasing this product and I hope you don't either. A friend of mine also had the same problem with smudging of the liner (which was purchased in the States) so I know I didn't just get a bad batch.

Saturday, 7 September 2013

Sleek Wishlist

Which country has the best drugstore products? The US or the UK? It's tough! A British drugstore brand I reaaaally want to try is Sleek. I've heard rave reviews about a lot of their products and want to try them out for myself. However, I am too much of a tight arse so I will be waiting for a sale online. Sleek ship internationally from their online shop. They're worth checking at: www.sleekmakeup.com Here is what I would like to get: 

Blush in Sunrise, $5.99

Face Form in Fair, $12.49
Luminous Pressed Powder in 01, $8.99


Sphynx Lashes, $3.99


Eau La La Liner in Lingerie, $6.49

Matte Me in Party Pink, $6.99


Pout Paint in Lava, $6.49

Pout Paint in Peachy Keen, $6.49
Oh So Special Palette, $9.99

Primer Palette, $9.99

Showstopper Palette, $9.99

Ultra Matte v2, $9.99