Illamasqua Empowered Palette RRP AUD$78
These eye shadows are highly pigmented; naturally you will require abit of a blending to avoid having a huge slab of shadow on your lids. The shades in this palette are Synth (iridescent pale pink glitter), Fervent (reddish brown with multi-tonal shimmer) and Blink (soft beige nude) and Liquid Metal in Slick (charcoal grey metallic). I must say this is a very interesting choice of eye colours combination.
Alternatively, it is also good enough for individual wears for your day to day eye makeup especially Fervent and Blink shades. If you want for a more intense or night time look just pile on the rest of the shadows for a perfect finish.
Texture wise, these eye shadow is smooth (not silky) and goes on pretty well with minimal fall out when applied with eye shadow brushes.
Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in #Boost RRP AUD$33
If you like colour in your gloss, I’ve always pointed people the direction to Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss. It is intense, high shine, pigment rich and comes in a wild collection of bold shades. I have previously blogged about these intense glosses and I am sure you would know by now how I feel about them.
Easy to apply and the colour is rich, exactly what I love to see on my lips. I hate nothing more than purchasing a gloss and the product colour does not look the same on my lips as it is in the tube. Almost like a liquid lipstick.
#Boost is a violet pink shade that would look good with all skin colours.
Made in Germany
Illamasqua Gleam in #Aurora RRP AUD$28
This product was available in the previous collection and is back by popular demand with a new and improved formula. While I have not tried the previous product, so this review is based on my experience with the latest formula.
This is an iridescent cream based highlighter helps to illuminate face (nose bridge, cheekbones, under brows) and face (collarbones, middle of leg). Even though this is a cream product, it is surprisingly lightweight in texture.
The finish is sheer and even though the champagne iridescent looks intense in the pan but it delivers glow where needed without OTT and looking unnatural.
It is recommended to apply this with fingers or brush and my personal preference is to use this with my fingers over foundation as a finishing touch after my full face make up. By far one of my favourite highlighter product and it is a shame Illamasqua hasn’t updated their packaging as it is so hard to open and always chips my nails.
Made in Italy
Illamasqua Nail Varnish in #Creator RRP AUD$34
I have two words for this nail varnish, black & glitter. It is exactly what I would expect once I laid my eyes on this. The colour and pigment you see in the bottle is exactly what you see on the nail.
As always, it is a joy to apply, application was easy and the colour is long lasting.
Made in Australia
All products are available on Illamasqua counter now
Check out more information about the Illamasqua Generation Q collection here
To sum this up, I LOVE the product but HATE the packaging.
Why I love it:
- It is a concentrated treatment concealer that covers your flaws instantly and treat it by tightening and improving skin elasticity at the same time
- Promises to eliminate dark circles, puffiness, revitalizes, re-plump and minimise fine lines
- Star ingredients: Goji berry, haloxyl, collagen
- Available with a Neutralizer shade (for extreme dark circles, to be used on top of usual concealer) and in #Pure beige, #Nude, #Creamy Natural, #Honey, #Creamy Beige and #Buff Beige
- Comes with a micro corrector applicator (in other words a round sponge!), it is recommended to wipe off with tissue after each use. Personally I don’t like this as I find this unhygienic. I also find the whole applicator turning mechanism is very confusing.
- I find it works very well at eliminating my dark circles and brightens the whole under eye area, making it look younger, fresher and less TIRED looking (I’m calling this my HG concealer despite the unhygienic applicator)
- I also love how this concealer does not seep into fine lines, look obvious on the skin (like so many concealer can!), dries onto skin (happens to me with so many other concealers!)
Other notes:
Shade I’m using is #120 light pale and is my perfect match
RRP AUD$24.95
Available on counters now
The long awaited Tom Ford Beauty makeup and skin care collection has finally hit our counters Australia wide on 13th November 2011. Definitely a day to celebrate and rejoice because these comes with 1) luxe packaging 2) are of amazing quality 3) will soon be cult items must-have !! Tom Ford Beauty has previously taken the beauty industry by a storm with their luxurious and high-quality lipsticks. Beauty editors, beauty bloggers both abroad and local went nutso about them.
I got the privilege to play with Tom Ford Beauty before the Australia launch. First up, it’s the Shade & Illuminate (RRP AUD$100). It is a duet of highlighting and shading cream to create the polished model looks that Tom Ford adores in his fashion campaigns. While I am no expert in sculpting and contouring, I find this product relatively easy to use because the pigment is quite sheer and the formula is light.
Much like the crème blush technique, I dab “Shade” into the outer jaw lines of my face to blend it out with my fingers to achieve the illusion of a smaller face. Next, after wiping my fingers clean I’d rub some of the “Illuminate” and dab it onto the bridge of my nose, under brow bone and on top of my cheeks post applying blush. The key is to go easy at the beginning and dab more when you need. Overall, this product is “really sheer” hence you can’t really go wrong with it. I wonder if I should jazz things up with a makeup brush and see how the intensity goes.
Tom Ford Beauty Cheek Brush (RRP AUD$120) – Overall, this is a sturdy good quality brush. While the brush isn’t the softest I have tried throughout my “brush testing” career as a beauty blogger, I did however find the density and the feel of the brush very comfortable to hold and picks up heaps of pigment for blush application. One thing though, once you put colour in the brush the brush heads looks tainted and don’t appear snowy white anymore, so please admire this picture below at its purest form.
Australis Paparazzi Perfect – Concealer & Brightener
RRP AUD$11.95 each
Introducing two new products to the Paparazzi range, the concealer and brightener both comes in a little tube that is creamy and is easy to blend. Personally, I find the concealer is best used for the eye area as it balances the discolouration around my eye area better than say a acne. The coverage is medium and is a long lasting formula. On the other hand, the brightener is great as an overall product to brighten dull area. Occasionally, I’d mix some brightener with my foundation for that overall brighten look. Both products are SUPER affordable for its price. Total steal!
Jurlique – Hand Sanitiser
RRP AUD$10 (50ml), $19 (175ml)
I am no fan of hand sanitisers until I came across Jurlique’s. Comes in a small travel friendly 50ml and a desk friendly 175 ml, these sanitisers effectively eliminates bacteria and moisturises hand leaving it silky and smooth. It doesn’t dry my hands out like so many other hand sanitisers do in the market and doesn’t stink like alcohol. It’s high time that hand sanitisers can smell good and does the job step into the market to take out the crappy ones that we’re constantly bombarded with.
My Face Works – Facial Cloth Mask
RRP AUD$67 (a box of 6 masks)
Made with 100% biodegradable silk, this sheet mask is lightweight and more transparent which helps absorption of the serum into the skin. Comes in a huge range that targets sensitive skin, acnes, pre-makeup express pamper, detox, anti-wrinkles, intense hydration, brightening, eye area and so on. The ones targeted for acne, pre makeup express pamper and intense hydration is IMPORTANT to have on hand for beauty emergencies. They are now available here online.
St Tropez – Skin Illuminator
RRP AUD$29.95
New St Tropez illuminator collection comes in Rose, Gold and the original Violet. These are essential beauty must-have and my favourite is Violet, perfect for all skin tones. Great for cheekbones, decolletage, tops of arms and shines for luminous skin. I mix them with my foundation! It finishes skin with a gorgeous iridescent sheen. Word on the street is that Jennifer Aniston uses St Tropez Skin Illuminator as well!
I have always liked Benefit stuff because they have the quirkiest packaging, they are fun to use and they always comes with instructions. Easiest for beginners to mess around with makeup and all their product are almost mistake-proof.
I know this may seem a little too much all at once, but here are some wonderful stuff you should really consider adding to your makeup bag. The reason I am peddling about them because they all make my face look naturally enhanced and have this smooth flawless finish instead of those cakey, rubbery and flakey results some other makeup can make your skin. (Which is why I don’t blog about them)
Why: Georgia is a peachy cream powder for the cheeks that just so happen to be the loveliest shade. It is very sheer and suits just about everyone. On top of that, it smells of a faint peachy scent. Yummy.
How: Instead of applying it straight onto my cheeks, I find the largest brush I can obtain, swirl it a couple of times (tap, tap) and brush it lightly all over my face for that lightly peachy glow. Then, use a blusher brush and apply on the apple of my cheeks. Alternatively, I apply Posietint onto my cheeks and lightly brush some Georgia over it.
Results: Fantastic cheeks that might be mistaken as a rosy peach all day long.
Why: Because it is cheekily new. Because it is Benetint’s sister. Because it is super easy to apply and it comes in a lovely petal-pink shade that actually looks natural instead of rubbed/brushed on. Smudge-proof too baby!!
How: I dab a very small amount onto my fingertip (roughly the size of a pea) and dab it on the apple of my cheek and rub it upwards. Repeat with the other cheek. Finish with a brush or two of Georgia goodness. Also, try dabbing some onto a freshly balmed lips and watch it glow subtlely.
Results: Very Asian skin approvable. Lips look positively pinky and has been the naturally pinkiest that I have seen. (Yes, I have dark lips.)
Why: Award winning luminizing lotion. (Yes I am a sucker for that.) Claims that models/actresses uses it. (Sucker for that too.) It highlights your face in areas you want them too without looking too sparkly, greasy or too shiny. Just that gentle pinkish sheen that makes your features stands out.
How: I use a little and dab it all over just slightly under my eyebrow, the bridge of my nose, a little on top of my eyebrow, a little on top of my cheekbones, a little on my chin and a little on my lips. In other words, all over my face for that freshly radiant face. Alternatively, I mix a little with my tinted moisturizer/liquid foundation and blend it all over my face for that all over glow.
Results: Sexy radiant face is that you?
Use your imagination and make the most out of your makeup.
I love multi-purpose products.
Here is why:
- It is a concealer that does its job well. Hiding imperfections the way you want it.
- It cares for the very sensitive eye area with natural concentrate of cucumber pulp extract in it to moisturize the eye area. We all know cucumber does wonders for the eyes.
- It is nice and creamy, gives the eye area a smooth and bright finish.
- It has some type of caffeine in it that reduces swelling and the look of dark circles.
- It has subtle, pearl thingy reflective pigments that help dull areas look brighter. Brighter eye area? Yes !!
- It comes in a flow-thru pen with a soft brush applicator. Precise application guaranteed !!
- Promise it won’t break your wallet either.
What more can you ask for from a clever little concealer?
Roughly 36 licks.
Today is a happy day. It is a happy day because it is shopping day. Shopping day is definitely happy day because shopping = happiness right? Well, I won’t ramble on about my shopping day and what I’ve brought, but there are a few things that are worth mentioning for.
Especially this new one just fresh off the shelves, came out TWO days ago – Bobbi Brown – Sandstorm Shimmer Brick ($80).
It is a bit pricey but I’d say you should not put a price on something that can make you glow, something that can make you look amazingly pretty. Good thing about it, is that it is very versatile.
You can dab the entire palette with a bronzer brush and use it as your normal shimmering bronzer. Alternatively, swipe the individual color you want with a medium eye shadow brush and blend it on your lids. The friendly assistance at the counter even dabbed a little on the middle of the lips for that extra JLO glow. You can also use it as a highlighter. What’s there not to love this handy thang?
She also gave me an entire make up session and persuaded me into buying a handful of other stuff. (More about that later.)
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Next up, some Benefit goodies. They been around for some time and I’d always been a MAC fanatic and I guess make up is all about having fun and I am ready to loosen up my range and give everything else a go.
My eye contouring set was running low and I thought it is time to replenish my collection with something new. Benefit’s Big Beautiful Eyes is great for everyone, even beginners. It comes with concealer, base, shadow and liner. All in one pretty and handy case. Define, contour and enhance all in one. I like.
Doesn’t make much sense why would I buy two bronzer/highlighter kit in a day. Well, I guess a girl can’t live with just one lipstick, same theory applies for everything else. I love that comes with multi purpose features. Anything pretty in a nice palate, multi purpose and I am sold.
Benefit’s 10 fits exactly into that category.
Bronzer and highlighter in one sweep. Glow, sleek, sculpted cheekbones all in one go. This one comes with a sanity pink and bronze powder that do wonders for the face.
