NARS Fall 2013 Blush Palettes Photos & Swatches

A Mecca Cosmetica bag can only mean one thing.. High end products that have burnt a whole in my purse!

I blogged about the NARS Fall 2013 Blush Palettes a couple months ago and I've been on the lookout for them in Australia ever since. THANK GOD Mecca got these in because I have been seriously lusting after these. They're surprisingly $69AUD each, I thought they'd be a bit more as they're $49 in the States. My boyfriend picked them up for me on Sunday the 20th October which is the date that Mecca said they'd be released.

NARS Adult Content Blush Palette

Top left: Zen (Neutral beige)

Top right: Miss Liberty (Soft, shimmering peach)

Bottom left: Desire (Bright pink)

Bottom right: Deep Throat (A flirty, sheer peach with golden shimmer)

Killing Me Softly

Top left: Gilda (Perfect coral with a hint of red)
Top right: Albatross (Luminous glow)
Bottom left: Outlaw (A soft rose tone with golden shimmer)

Bottom right: Orgasm (Peachy pink with golden shimmer)

NARS Adult Content

NARS Killing Me Softly

 I was really surprised by the size of these palettes. I don't know - everything looks bigger in the pictures! I thought they would be larger than an average sized NARS blush but they're not. I've included a picture with A Revlon Lip Butter and a NYX round lipstick. Can you spot the false lash cut off? Yeah - I was doing makeup for a music video shoot and it must've fallen into the lipstick compartment of the kit haha.

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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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.

Benefit Brow Bar Review (Chadstone Myer)

My brows for the past three months have been SHOCKING! They got completely butchered by a woman who worked at one of the threading bars that have been popping up in Australian shopping centres the last couple of years. I love threading and I love the results but unfortunately if you have a bad threader it can totally ruin the experience. So, I have been growing them out for the past three months and I've been on the lookout for a good brow artist!

I decided to give Benefit's Brow Bar a go. I've tried a 'walk in' appointment three times but they were all booked up. So if you want an appointment, call in advance. You may be left disappointed if you don't. Allocated appointment times I think are 15 minutes but mine took 20 (most likely because I had never been before). Before they begin you have to sign an agreement and also disclose if you use benzoyl peroxide and roaccutane. Turns out they won't wax you if you do, they will instead tweeze. I thought this was interesting and a credit to Benefit.

I went to the Chadstone Myer store and thought my beauty therapist was beautiful! Really took an interest in what I had to say and talked me through the whole process. She recommended me getting a tint so that the colour in the start of my brow continued to the end. The dye stayed on for a few minutes and whilst it was applied well and consistently, I found the colour to be a bit wrong for my red hair. There wasn't a "red" or a "auburn" option so next time I won't be getting the light brow tint that I received. However, if you have blonde or brunette hair I think you would like the tint. Tinted brows are easy maintenance if you don't like filling in your brows. If you like filling in your brows though you may as well skip out on the tint. Apparently Benefit's tint lasts for 2 weeks.

[iPhone pic!] Tint applied and the right (your right, but actually my left eye!) waxed.

She then mapped my brows and we established that one brow had a higher arch than the other and both are a little short near my nose. Waxing then took place. It wasn't painless but it wasn't the most painful wax I've ever had. I think this is because they used cloth to take the wax off which was really nice. She then tweezed any remaining hairs and lightly filled my brows in with the Instant Brow Pencil.

I paid $37 total for a brow wax and a brow tint. It's $27 for just a wax which is what I'll be getting in 4 weeks time. The brow tint I wasn't happy with as it did not suit my hair colour at all. Not a fan unfortunately and I won't be getting it ever again. I will however be back for a brow wax. 

Finished, with glasses. Taken one hour after completion at night.

I'm really glad that I waited on posting this review. A few days after my tint I noticed that the colour had actually darkened from the photos above. Basically, they looked awful!! I had strangers telling me that "if you paid someone to do that to your brows, don't ever let them get at you ever again". Even my father said I looked ridiculous. Now, I've had tints before but NEVER this dark. Obviously there are some lighting issues in the photos above and below. My hair in real life is lighter than the one above and darker in the one below. However the brow colour in the bottom photo is very accurate.

Three days after wax & tint

I got in touch with the area manager to organise a refund on the tint. I was most unhappy with the final result of the tint. However, I loved and highly recommend the wax. The tint didn't work on me because of my colouring. The area manager did not give me a refund but instead was willing to give me a complimentary brow wax which I really did appreciate. I'll definitely be back, I think I've found my forever brow home!

Chi Chi Nudes vs Urban Decay Naked Palettes - Review & Swatches

I was putting together a little welcome home goodie bag for my sister. I set myself a limit of $50 and I spent awhile finding the perfect makeup items to go in it. I knew I wanted some kind of eyeshadow palette featuring neutral shades but my beloved Urban Decay Naked palette would have completely blown the budget. Enter, the Chi Chi Nudes palette for the price of $22.95.

Let's state the obvious here - the quality of the packaging is nowhere near as good as Urban Decay. However for the price that you're paying, can you really expect more? It still feels sturdy when held in hand and is sleek and non obtrusive in design.  The pans that the shadows are set in are also good candidates for depotting and slipping them into a Z Palette.

The main difference I found between the shade formulations is that Chi Chi did not include the visible chunks of glitter. The biggest culprit was in the UD shade Bootycall. However when swatched it wasn't as noticeable. 

These swatches are all DRY with no primer. Urban Decay on bottom and Chi Chi on top. As you can see Sin and Virgin are not as vibrant as the Chi Chi alternative. The rest of the shades are very good dupes of the other.

These swatches are all WET with no primer. Urban Decay on bottom and Chi Chi on top. Both of these palettes perform magnificently when applied wet. I did find the Chi Chi matte colours (third and fifth from the left) did not like being applied wet and were disappointing. I would put this down to the quality of the shadows not being as up to par on the Urban Decay equivalent. 

If you have been lusting after the Urban Decay Naked palette but not the price tag you should definitely pick up the Chi Chi Nudes. It is a bargain for what it is and you shouldn't have to pay full price as Myer, Target and Gloss cosmetics regularly have 25% off (not usually at the same time I've found). The swatches speak for themselves in terms of how similar and saturated the colours are and the quality is fairly good throughout the whole palette. Soft and blendable is how I would describe these shadows. I wouldn't mind swapping my Urban Decay palette for my sisters Chi Chi if it wasn't for the packaging - I do think UD wins out on that. I presume though that Chi Chi would have to raise their prices to also rise to the standard of packaging.

Check out what Chi Chi has to say about this palette here. 

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer - Review & Swatches of Apocaliptic & Nova

Rimmel London have recently launched  Apocalips Lip Lacquer. Rimmel say that they are "neither a lipstick nor a gloss... It's BIGGER than both! ".  Unfortunately Australia (as usual) are a bit late to receive these absolute gems from Rimmel as they were released about six months ago overseas. The RRP is $15.95. There are 8 shades in total in Australia and I have two for review today that I think are just lovely.


Apocaliptic is a bright fuchsia pink.

Nova is blue based mid toned pink. 

The applicator is definitely not typical doe-foot in style. It has a sharp tip with soft curve that fits the contour of the lips perfectly that aids in a beautiful application. There is also a well in the centre of the curve that holds some of the product without dripping out. A really nice touch. 

The longevity of this product is truly impressive. As to be expected the colour isn't as bright after eating but the stain of the colour still remains. I think you can expect 4 hours of good wear with touching up after eating. The colour also didn't transfer onto cups I was drinking out of. The photo below is of me wearing Apocaliptic after five hours. I had devonshire tea, a  latte and spent a good two hours outside in cold, windy weather. Obviously there's some wear around the the centre of the lip however the outline has pulled up very well. There's some miner feathering but nothing I was too worried about.  

All in all this is a FANTASTIC Rimmel product that I really recommend. I'll definitely be picking up some shades when I see them on sale. I think a good deal for these would be a BOGO (buy one get one free) or for when they're on sale at or below the $10 mark. Remember that Chemist Warehouse and My Chemist in Australia ALWAYS have 15% off Rimmel. So if you can't wait for a sale, check there first. If you like buying online click here which will take you to Asos. They've got them for $10.51 with free worldwide shipping. Gotta love Asos!