Think Pink for October: Lipsticks

As you know October is the month of pink - Breast Cancer Awareness month. In honour of this month, I thought I would do a special post showcasing some of my favourite pink lipsticks. This may be useful for those of you who are wanting to purchase any lipsticks online and can't be bothered going into the shops and trying it on. Or even those of you who are extra hygienic and prefer not to try on the testers before buying. Ive tried my best to give an accurate representation of each of the lipstick colours in my pictures. I was actually going to do this post a bit earlier in the month but never got around to doing it until now. I know it's a bit late.. but at least were still just in the month of October :)


 

Above: swatches of lipsticks
Below: lipstick packaging & lipstick applied on the lips

Revlon Matte - 002 Pink Pout

Missha Creamy Matte Lip Rouge - PK02

Revlon Living Lipstick - 36 Orchid Beach

YSL Rouge Volupté - 29 Opera Rose

Dior Addict - 578 Diorkiss

Chanel Rouge Allure - 91 Séduisante

Chanel Rouge Allure - 66 Confidentielle

Revlon Lip Butter - 080 Strawberry Shortcake

Ann x

October Favourites

Hello everyone. This is my very first favourites post containing my top beauty buys for the month of October. I will be doing one every month from now. Enjoy~

Sohum candle - Seagrass, Grande Vegetale range 

($39.95 AUD purchased at Soak)

I was really drawn to this candle mainly because of the beautiful design. Most candles you see these days have a more simple and typical smooth shaped glass design however the Sohum candle has a unique ridged glass design giving off an elegant look (perfect for putting on your vanity table or decorating your room). Sohum have so many different scents to choose from but I only chose one which was Seagrass as it has a nice fresh kind of smell (I am not a big fan of really floral scents). Because I'm no expert with candles, I cannot really tell you how strongly it burns but it definitely gives a nice subtle scent to my room, making it smell fresh and clean every time I walk in. I purchased this candle in a cute little candle shop called Soak (Shop 4, 372 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, Sassafras) however I believe you can also find Sohum candles in Queen Victoria Market and Chapel Street. 

Topshop Highlighter - Crescent Moon 

($15 AUD purchased from Topshop.com) 

Topshop Glow - Polished 

($14 AUD purchased from Topshop.com)

I initially purchased these two from the Topshop online store out of impulse to receive free shipping however I am quite pleased with both of them. The Highlighter in crescent moon is a sheer highlighting powder that gives off a subtle peachy highlight to your face. The Glow in Polished is a pigmented creamy textured highlighter that gives a more enhanced and slightly warm luminescence to your face. Perfect for when you are wanting to go out at night and dress up a little bit more. You can use these two separately or together (creamy texture first then powder after) depending on how illuminated you want your cheekbones, nose bridge, etc to look. Brush some in the middle of your legs/bone area for the illusion of more defined legs. 

 

OPI Avoplex - Cuticle Oil To Go 

($17.95 AUD purchased from David Jones)

Although I do have the original larger size of this cuticle oil, I find it very hard to take around with me as it is quite heavy due to being made out of glass. I often don't have time to put cuticle oil on before I leave the house so my cuticles get quite dry throughout the day so this Cuticle Oil To Go is perfect for me! Perfect for taking around with me in my bag as it is lightweight and so easy to use. All you have to do is squeeze a little bit of cuticle oil out, apply it to your cuticles with the in-built brush, and rub in. You can also apply this on any dry areas on your hand if you don't have any hand cream with you too.

OPI Avoplex - Exfoliating Cuticle Treatment 

($19.95 AUD purchased at David Jones)

This exfoliating cuticle treatment was great for taking off any fine, excess, and messy cuticle that is sticking out. I found that it moisturised and maintained the cuticle area so I didn't have to trim it as much. All you have to do is just rub the ointment in, leave on for 3-5 minutes and the AHA's (Alpha Hydroxy Acid's) will do the work for you by exfoliating and smoothing down the cuticle areas.

La Prairie - Cellular Lip Renewal Concentrate

($140 AUD at David Jones)

Although this lip product was sort of a splurge, it was very much worth it for me. Most lip products I have used in the past have a thick, rich, and sticky sensation when applied on the lips and not long after they tend to get dehydrated/cracked again. Unlike other products, La Prairie's Cellular Lip Renewal Concentrate continuously hydrates without having that thick rich layer on top of your lips. This sheer lightweight formula when first applied feels watery in texture but only a couple minutes after soaks into the lips leaving a nice matte appearance however feeling nourished and hydrated at the same time. Not only did I find that it helped rebuild my lips moisture barrier but it also firmed and smoothed out any fine lines & cracked skin on my lips thanks to the AHA based formula (Alpha Hydroxy Acid made out of fruit acids hence the citrusy scent and slight tingling sensation when applied). In addition I found that this product gave my lips have a natural glow and made my lips pinker and plumper. The best thing about this product is that it will last you for ages as it comes in quite a size large container plus a little bit of product goes a long way. Apply some before you go to sleep at night and you'll wake up with smooth and flawless lips!

Also, Please check out my friend Cindy's Youtube Channel. She has tutorials and lots of helpful tips on where to buy clothes & makeup online!

http://www.youtube.com/user/2ccindy?feature=results_main

DIY Manicure

Step by Step Manicure Guide

Things that you'll need for your manicure:

1. A shallow bowl (Daiso)

2. Small hand towel (Daiso)

3. Hand and nail cream (Clarins)

4. Cuticle oil (O.P.I Avoplex)

5. Nail Strengthener (O.P.I Nail Envy for sensitive & peeling nails)

6. Nail buffer (O.P.I Brilliance)

7. Nail filer (O.P.I crystal filer)

8. Cuticle pusher (Sally Hansen)

9. Cuticle nippers (O.P.I)

DIY Manicure

Start off with clean nails (as you can see my cuticles and nails are dry/untrimmed).

Fill your bowl with warm water.

Soak your fingers in the warm water for about 5-10 minutes (this will help soften the cuticles).

After 5-10 minutes, dry your hands with the hand towel.

Using your cuticle pusher, start pushing the cuticles back (the Sally Hansen one that I am using is made out of plastic and in my opinion more gentle than using a wooden/metal cuticle pusher).

And work your way from one end to the other. 

 Once you have pushed all your cuticles back, they should look tacky and ready to cut off.

Using your cuticle nipper, start cutting your cuticles from one end of the nail to the other. By cutting your cuticles, this will expose more of the lunula (the white crescent shape at the bottom of the nail) therefore making your nails look longer and more appealing.

Once all your cuticles are cut, start buffing your nails with the rougher side of your buffer. This will help remove any excess cuticle and smooth out any imperfections on the nail.

Then take your nail filer and file it to the shape you prefer (here I am creating a rounded shape however you can also create a squarer shaped nail if you like). Start from one side of the nail to the other. Your filing strokes should be in one direction. 

Once your nails are filed, dip your fingers in to the water to remove all the excess nail trimmings. 

Your nails should look neater already.

Take your buffer again and this time use the smoother side to polish the nails. This should create a nice glossy shine to your nails. 

After you have polished your nails, take your cuticle oil..

..and apply some to your cuticles (make sure you get the very sides of your nails too).

Rub the oil into your cuticles.

And with the remaining cuticle oil, rub it all over your hands..

..or any particular dry areas.

Apply some hand and nail cream and rub thoroughly into hand and nails.

Lastly, take your nail strengthener and apply this to your nails however avoiding the cuticle area. You should apply two coats to start off with and then one coat daily for the next 5 days (paint it on as if it were nail polish and let it dry between each coat). This will help prevent your nails from peeling/breaking.

Make sure you apply this to the very ends of your nails as that is where they usually start peeling/breaking. 

Your nails should look cleaner and neater than before & ready to put nail polish on!