August Favourites

August Favourites

Hourglass - Ambient in Ethereal Light (Cool Translucent)

This powder looks great on the skin - It is such a fine luminous powder that subtly diffuses fine lines/open pores whilst giving your skin a silky natural beautiful glow. If you want coverage, this powder wont give it to you as it acts more like a setting powder. However the benefit of being a light weight powder is that you use it to touch up several times during the day without creating that cakey look or feel. 

Hourglass - Veil Mineral Primer

This primer is great if you have oily skin or an oily T-zone as it is not just an oil free but it also has the ability to absorb up excess oil. Perfect for a long shift as you'll come back home with no oily residue on your skin at all. It also smoothes out open pores and fine lines and makes your skin feel so velvety smooth. If you're like me and have combination skin, you can just use it on your t-zone.

YSL - Glossy Stain in 15 Rose Vinyl

I recently got introduced to this product from my friend Elena at Lulu & Char. This lip stain is amazing! Not only does the colour stay on all day, but the glossiness doesn't seem to wear off either. There are heaps of lip stains around these days and most of them tend to dry out your lips but because YSL's Glossy Stain is like a lip gloss, your lips will feel nice and hydrated throughout the day. Best thing about this is that it doesn't feel sticky like other lip glosses.

LHS: Away from natural light

RHS: Towards natural light

Lancome - Hypnose Doll Eyes Waterproof

This mascara gives volume and length without being clumpy. Because of it's more separating acting, you can achieve a more natural, fluttery and 'doll-eyed' effect. I got the waterproof version as my eyelashes tend to droop very easily if I use non-waterproof mascara's. 

Image Above: Wearing Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes

By Terry - Touche Veloutee #2 Cream

I have never heard of an eye brightener and blemish cover up in one until I discovered By Terry's Touche Veloutee! For those of you who don't know By Terry, she is the maker of YSL's renowned Touche Eclat. A few years later, she came out with her own line which houses luxurious makeup products that have skincare benefits in them too. This highlighting brush is not only a light reflecting brightener that can be used underneath the eyes to cover dark circles but it is also a smooth and creamy concealer that can cover up any imperfections such as blemishes, dark spots, redness, fine lines and wrinkles. And because this product contains hydra-plumping hyaloronic acid microspeheres which hydrates and smoothes away fine lines, it is less prone to creasing into your lines. Great for dry under eyes or dry skin in general!

Thoughts on getting eyebrows tattooed

Don't you hate it when your eyebrows just can't be shaped to how you imagined it to be no matter how hard you try? One week you'd have amazingly neat brows and not long after they would turn scruffy and shapeless. I was pretty fed up with my moody eyebrows so I decided to get them tattooed.

Now before you jump to conclusion about eyebrow tattooing, words that might pop up into your mind may include 'fake-looking', 'crayola', 'obvious', 'blue', and 'asian women' (I say 'asian women' as a description because drawn-on looking eyebrows are typically seen on older asian women). 

Honestly, those are the exact images that into my mind when thinking about eyebrow tattoos, but after seeing a few people I know get them done and having it done myself, I have now totally changed my view on it. You just need to do your research and get it done by the right person. 

If you have untameable eyebrows like me, I definitely think it's worthwhile to get your eyebrows tattooed as makes it SO much easier for you to trim and shape yourself (it's like having a semi permanent stencil there). This means less time and energy to get your eyebrows shaped every few months by a professional or yourself.

  LHS: Eyebrow filled in with eyebrow pencil (also with eyebrow tattoo)

RHS: Bare eyebrow with no fillers (just with the eyebrow tattoo itself)

As you can see you still need eyebrow pencil to make them look more defined and full however it still looks quite naturally full even without eyebrow pencil.

All in all, it is a big investment to make (it cost me $350 AUD and you will need to get them touched up at least once a year if you want to maintain the shape) but I'm so glad I got them done because now even when I don't expend as much energy defining/shaping them, they look more even, full and defined. 

Images Above: Both tattooed eyebrows filled in with eyebrow pencil (using Hourglass - Arch in 'Soft Brunette')

A Smart Exfoliator: Perricone Blue Plasma

I have been absolutely loving the new Perricone Blue Plasma. Its like no other exfoliator I have ever tried before - no irritation, no tears, no redness, and no sensitivity whatsoever.

In the past I have tried many different types of exfoliators - from chemical peels that contain ingredients such as salicylic acids, fruit acids, and lactic acids to grainy surface scrubs that contain sea salt, almond flakes, and even diamond core powder! As a beauty junkie, I can tell you the exfoliators that have given me that instant glam glow effect have usually left my skin with an unpleasant tingling sensation accompanied with a delicate sore red face and the ones that have been gentle on my skin have usually given me no results at all.

What I love about Perricone's Blue Plasma is that gives you the best of both worlds - It's gentle on the skin but results driven at the same time. And what I mean by results is that it has reduced my pore size, given my skin an extra boost of radiance and glow, buffed away a few of my dry patches and has also plumped up and hydrated my skin. But the one word above all to describe the effect that it has had on my skin is 'SMOOTH'. My skin has never felt more smooth, supple and soft before and it is so easy to glide on my makeup now. Before when I applied my makeup, I would have dry patches of skin here and there (especially around the noes area) and would be especially visible once I finished my foundation application. But now after using Blue Plasma for a week, those dry patches have seemed to magically disappear.

Initially when you use this product, you may doubt that it's actually working because you don't experience any roughness/pain like most other traditional exfoliators give you. But due to Perricone's advanced technology (Bio-Specific Peeling and Salmon Egg Enzyme), it only dissolves dead skin cells and leaves the healthy skin cells unharmed therefore you dont get the unnecessary pain with results. Smart right? It also contains ingredients such as Copper to restore and regenerate cells and Hydro-fusion to hydrate and balance the skin - thats where you get that nice smoothness and suppleness from.

Blue Plasma is so gentle that you can use it once a day (either day or night). And you can rest assure that any skin type can use it - even the most sensitive. So now when I do makeup applications for customers, I always use this as a makeup prep as it will buff away roughness on anyones skin and allow the makeup to glide on a lot easier.

No wonder it's one of the best sellers in Sephora at the moment! Give it a try and let me know what you think xx

New STILA Countless Colour Pigments

Im usually not a big fan of wearing bright coloured eyeshadows as I have no idea when it comes to vibrant colour combinations and have difficulty blending these sort of colours in however Stila's user friendly Countless Colour Pigments have converted me. This long wearing, pigmented and also pearly formula allows you to effortlessly glide on the eyeshadow and blend them in.

There are 10 different types of palettes you can choose from and really each pan is like a piece of art.

There are so many different colour combinations you can do - You can use each shade individually or custom blend any of the pigments to create your own colour. It gets your creativity jogging.

If your not a big fan of bright colours, there are some more neutral palettes you can pick from. I personally wanted to choose the bright pigments because 1. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and try something different and 2. I have way too many neutral shades already. That being said, I can still  use these bright palettes on a day-to-day basis with my neutral shades (e.g., pick a vibrant colour from one of these pans and line either the top/bottom lash line with is to add a touch of colour to your everyday look).

Stila Countless Colour Pigments - $30 AUD

Above: Swatches of Tie Dye (Pink, Turquoise, Cobalt) and Light Show (Emerald, Teal, Ocean Blue) 

The colour at the end of each swatch is achieved when all three pigments are swirled and mixed together.

If you swirl and mix the pigments together it becomes one mush of colours. To get the pigments separated again, all you have to do is use a large fluffy brush and dust over it a few times. After about two swipes, the pigments will be back in their original separated form.

Below is 4 sets of different looks achieved from using the new Stila Countless Colour Pigments

(just to add - they can't be used wet)

'The Peacock' 

(colourful, vibrant, rainbow, dress up party) 

'Light Show'

(greens, blues, purely using the 'Light Show' palette)

Here I've blended all three colours together and have applied it to the centre of the lid.

'Tie Dye'

(purples, pinks, blues, purely using the 'Tie Dye' palette)

 

'Everyday Purple'

(dressed down purple, everyday look)

Here I'm using 'Foxy' in the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette 

all over the eyelid.

Here I'm using 'Busted' in the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette to 

darken the outer edges of the purple.

Here I'm using Nars Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in  'Hollywood' to line 

the inner corners of the eye.

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April Favourites

Eve Lom Hand Cream

$48 AUD at Mecca Cosmetica

- Attractive, clean, and simple packaging.

- Contains natural exfoliators (salicylic acid and kokum butter) smooth and brighten skin and Jojoba oil and beeswax seal in moisture.

- Rich in antioxidants, edelweiss extract, shea butter, and has SPF 10 which all guard against environmental damages and premature ageing. (You know what they say about aging - your hands give away your age). 

- Consistency is not too rich or too watery - it's just perfect.

- Soaks into the skin well.

- Non-greasy and doesn't leave a sticky residue.

- Hands feel velvety smooth and soft after applying.

- Appealing smell; smells like orange blossom.

Soap & Glory Glad Pits Deodorant

$9.95 AUD at Kit Cosmetics

- The main thing I love about this is the fragrance (in fact, most of soap & glory products are fantastically fragranced).

- Provides 24 hours of anti-persperant.

- Has a low whitening formula so it doesn't leave streaks.

- Contains Aloe Vera which is good for soothing sensitive armpits.

Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover

$35 AUD at David Jones

- Takes off eye makeup and lip makeup effortlessly (no need for constant rubbing)

- Love the fact that it also takes of lip makeup.

- If you wear waterproof eye makeup like me, you'll know how hard it is to take it off at the end of the day (especially mascara). This eye makeup remover is the best one I've tried in terms of how well it takes off my waterproof mascara (second best & cheaper option would be the Neutragena eye makeup remover - $10.90 AUD at Priceline)

- This is oil based so if you don't like oil-based products, I suggest you try the Neutragena one I mentioned above. Although I find that being oil-based, it takes off my eye makeup more easily.

Ciate Speed Coat

$24 AUD Kit Cosmetics

- Fast drying (only takes 60 seconds).

- Leaves a high gloss finish to your nails.

- Extends wear of nail polish as it locks in the colour.

- It's Formaldehyde-free (most nail polishes out there contain formaldehyde which has been linked to many health problems).

- Apparently this formula has also won many nail industry awards including U Magazines Best Top Coat Award.

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pen - Soft Brunette

$48 AUD at Mecca Maxima

- The angle on the brow pencil makes it easy to achieve a nice smooth arch on the brow.

- Achieves full natural looking brows.

- Has a convenient brow wand at the end which helps comb through the eyebrows to make them look more clean and defined.

- Has all 3 brow properties - pencil, powder, and wax. It's applied like a pencil, goes on as a powder and sets to a wax.

- Stays on all day so it doesn't need to be touched up (Doesn't wear off like most eyebrow pencils do)

- Formula is not too soft or not too hard so you won't get artificial looking brows.

Smashbox Limitless Eye Liner - Onyx (Black)

$28.95 AUD at Kit Cosmetics

- Creamy formula allows it to glide on so easily.

- Colour is extremely pigmented.

- The main thing I love about this is that it's waterproof. I've been looking for a good waterproof pencil eyeliner for ages.. mainly to tight-line my top lash line (this creates fuller looking lashes). 

- Colour lasts all day however if you put it on the top waterline like I do, it may smudge a tiny little bit towards the end of the day (as it claims it won't smudge/budge for 8 hours).

- Has a convenient sharpener attached the the lid.

- Contains Vitamin E & Jojoba oil to moisturise and protect.

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