30 October 2013

Think Pink! -- A small pink [market] haul!


Tell me guys! What is the first brand that hits your mind when the colour pink is mentioned! Is it not Australis? :P

For me, Australis is the first brand that comes to mind when I first started this Think Pink! project, but sadly, I don't think you'd be able to handle my continuous raves over the brand, so nah.



Anyways, I haven't updated you with my market hauls in a looooooooooooong time! Have I stopped? Nope. I've just been lazy so they're sitting in bags at the corner of my room (again!). Let's start off with the smallest bag though.

Most are Australis products, I'm not too sure where the girl was getting her Australis products from, but all I know was that she had quite a few at her stall each week. I've passed the other day and just had to pick up a few items that she was selling, as they were cheap and were products that I've finished, but have yet to repurchase. Yes, I'm forever waiting for sales x-x. Wait untill they discontinue and I still won't buy unless there's a sale LOL.

Didn't purchase too many items from her, but still spent a whopping $25. $25 is a lot of money at the markets, okay? Considering that things are usually so cheap.


My second eyeshadow primer! I can finally dispose my first tube and finally stop trying so hard to scoop out all the last bits. It lasted me a fair while as I've only ever used it as a base for my eyeliners! Purchased this for $4?


Also finally repurchased Australis Make-Up Finishing Spritz! I haven't used this in yonks and no, I don't use it as a finish make-up spray! I actually use it to blend in some of my liquid foundations. Dot foundation on face, spritz spray onto brush and then blend away! I've purchased this for $4 or $5, can't really remember x_x


Yoshhhhhhhh, a bunch of their Lash & Brow Extenders, because they were so cheap! Only $2 per! I'm nowhere near finishing my first one that I use as a brow gel, but having these for back-ups wouldn't hurt. Or maybe one day when I understand the point of using a clear mascara. Eeek.


Last, but not least! Australis' Kiss Me Quick Lip Pencils. I have their Nudie Rudie shade, and although I'm not very impressed with the formula, these were must-purchases because they were also only $2 each!!!


I still have another market haul, but that is all I've purchased for last week! I will make sure to update on the other haul some time soon! ^-^


Oooooo, tomorrow is also Halloween! Wishing you all a safe and happy Halloween everyone! ^-^

27 October 2013

Think Pink! -- Essie Nail Lacquer in 757 Super Bossa Nova



My nail stash consist of many, many pink varnishes! Probably 3 handfuls of pink lacquers, and most are of medium to deep tones, just like this one by Essie, called Super Bossa Nova! This is probably my first Essie feature by the way (thanks to my sister.... again!). 




Unlike my other cremes, Super Bossa Nova is a deeper pink which sides with fuschia/magenta tones and is infused with fine fuschia shimmers. 


It applies with a lesser glossy finish, somewhat dull. I wished it'd apply to be more glossy, as I am rarely bothered to apply my own top coat! 


The formula is very opaque, which honestly didn't surprise me, after all the raves within the beauty community! I could hit opacity easily within two coats, but I did find the brush to be a tad too small for my nails. The brush is probably half the size of OPI's brushes (along with many other lacquers I have within my collection) and as you could tell, I have really large nails so it does take me that extra effort. @_@


But overall, although I have nothing against this shade, I feel like there's no interesting spice to it. Sad to say, but it's just another pink in my collection really. Not very interesting, and I don't quite like the fuschia shimmers that's paired with it.

Oh well, since I'm done with using you Super Bossa Nova, time to return you back to my sister's room! As for my readers, will make sure to update you with other Essie shades my sister owns! Hah.. (fingers crossed that she's not reading this).



What are your FAVOURITE essie shades?!
Must tell me!



Essie Nail Lacquer in Super Bossa Nova, $17.95, available in a bunch of shades ranging from cute pastels to lovely deep darks. 

25 October 2013

Think Pink! -- Mehron Cheek Powder in Rose Wood

Oh Lord! As I was typing up this post, I just realised that I STILL haven't got to my overdued IMATS haul from the end of September!! Holy golly.. Pinky promise to get to that soon, but I'll show you one of the items that I've purchased from IMATS first! 

I've heard of Mehron products for a while now, but that was my first time coming across Mehron products! Their stand was so interesting! So many bright colours with beautiful displays and their prices were so affordable!


Of course, there's no way in hell that I could skip their blushers range so.... I grabbed two -- one in Rose Wood and one in Tropic Coral (something along the lines of that). Not sure of their retail price, but at IMATS, these were $8 each!


They are packaged in the most simple plastic packaging. Not meant to look luxurious, so that's fine with me although I don't want to imagine the after results when dropped. Adding to that, has a clear cap, so all that means is it'll allow easier navigation in your stash of ten thousand blushers :P


Since it IS a make-up brand for professional make-up artists, I've already expected this blush to be super duper pigmented, so its rich pigmentation doesn't really hit me by surprise. Needless to say, it surely is the most pigmented blush I own to date. Even more pigmented than the powder blush that I've purchased from Ben Nye two years ago from IMATS.

Ultimately, that means... a teeny tiny bit will go a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG way. Please don't go swirling your brush in this blush. A dab is enough, I kid you not!


There are some loose fall outs though, so be highly cautious about that!


The colour is medium-deep reddish-pink with a true matte finish. Matte finishes can be versatile for both daily and professional theatre uses, but if you're after luminous or shimmery blushers, probably skip Mehron. Their powder blusher range only features matte finishes, so... either skip, or top it off with a luminous powder highlighter (like moi!).


Its long lasting powder for everyday is use is preeeeettty decent. Vivid when freshly applied at 11AM with about 30% opacity at 10PM. Impressive, anot?

Blended vs. Heavy handed swatch

So overall, if you do pass Mehron products from online shopping or next time you're at IMATS, I'd highly recommend you to give their blushers a go! $8 a pot isn't a bad price! Cheaper than Ben Nye's and I like it much better than Ben Nye's!



Mehron Cheek Powder in Rose Wood, $7.95, available at Mehron's Official Website and/or CameraReadyCosmetics.


23 October 2013

Think Pink! -- Australis Color Inject Mineral Lipstick in Honky Tonk


Another lippy that I wanted to share with you today!

If you've read my blog for a looong time now, you would've already know that Australis' Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Mambo was one of my very first lipstick love. Besides being a flattering nude shade on my lips, its formula is surely worthy of a mention.



I have quite a few of their Colour Inject Mineral Lipsticks (CIML) in my collection actually! Besides their limited edition shades from a few years back, the rest are mainly pink colours except one red shade. The pinks I own are called Mambo, HonkyT Tonk and Salsa. YES! All named after fab dance styles.


Honky Tonk, was one that I had high hopes for. It swatches to look sooooooooooooo pretty in store, but sad to say, I rarely reach for it. It's a warm-toned, lighter pink which is a pretty pink shade itself! The only problem I have with this is how digustingly yellow it makes my teeth look with its undertones. It's not exactly the colour's fault, but I really wished that this shade worked for me without bringing out all the yellow tones in my teeth. Sigh!


It's such a pretty and cutesy girly-pink @_@


Oh, actually, besides that, due to the bright shade, it also tends to stick around flakes a tad.

(currently trialling out a new foundation, so don't mind me! Q.Q) 

The formula is creaaaaaaaaaamy and if you haven't tried Australis' CIML before, they apply with a tad of a thick (but creamy!) feel. Lasts for a decent amount of time, is decently pigmented and affordably priced!

Argh.. I haven't shopped any Australis Cosmetics products in such a long time. I really need to hit up Priceline when I could find some time! @_@


Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me.

18 October 2013

Think Pink! -- Face Of Australia NEW Carnivale Nail Collection


I'm gonna cheat a bit here... I know Face Of Australia's new Carnivale Nail Collection isn't 100% pink, but there's a pink shade! :P I just can't wait to share my thoughts on these with ya!

The limited edition collection only launched recently, so you should be able to find these at your local Big W, Priceline and other Face Of Australia stockists by now! 



The range consists of 8 shades, 4 of which are supposed to be reminiscent of the summer sunset sky, and the other four [glittering] shades are inspired by "elaborate masks worn during the great Carnivales of Europe"!


This collection really did caught me by surprise! I never expected any drugstore brands to have a go at sandy-textured lacquers so soon (besides Sally Hansen, I guess), so I skipped the press release that was attached and gave these a go without knowing what to really expect. 

They dry to a matte finish, with a sandy-texture, like OPI's Liquid Sand lacquers. If you haven't tried any similar sandy-textured varnishes before, they apply just like any other regular varnishes, but dries to a gritty, matte texture. Careful though, they are surely hard to remove!

To cheat that 15-20 minutes of your life that you'd be spending to remove these gritty lacquers, check out my post on DIY Peel Off Base Coat. It's what I always use for stubborn glittery nail polishes, or when I'm doing some mass-swatching! ;)

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Bird Of Paradise is a summery, light pink. It has that sweet tint of coral to it, which makes it perfect for Spring and Summer! A bit irrelevant, but I think it'd also make an absolutely amazing lip colour.. x_x 



Mango Slurpee, a bright, creme orange, which reminds me much of rockmelons! Quite flattering on the nails, methinks! Such a cute colour to have in this sandy-texture!



Between The Flags is one of the four glittering shades. It's a red colour with a golden sheen. Reminds me much of Rimmel London's varnish in Hot Rock, but the golden sheen of Between The Flags isn't really visible when applied. A tad bummed about that..... A tad only~



Ferris Wheel is another one of the four glittering shades. This one contains additional [reflective] silver glitters, so even with the matte finish, it still sparkles like crazy! Looks amaaaaaaazing on the nails! Reminds me of their Let's Go Scuba Diving lacquer from their previous Barbados collection, but much more oomph'ed up.


That's all for the four shades. I'm in the process of saving up for my holiday trip at the moment, so let me share with you my plan of attack: 
  • Wait until there's a sale on the brand and attack FOA counters! <-- Highlight!
Nice, right?


Your two cents on this collection?
Yay or nay for sandy-textured lacquers?



Face Of Australia Carnivale Nail Collection, 8 shades, $5.95, available at Priceline, K-Mart, Target and Fashion Addict


Disclaimer: These products were provided to me for review consideration only. My opinions on these products remains to be uninfluenced. 

16 October 2013

Think Pink! -- Models Prefer Gloss Stick in Marshmallow

Ahhhh, I've promised to do a swatch post of this range some time ago, but I still haven't got to it! Sorry for those who have been waiting! I'll work on the other shades in another post, but for now, let's think and talk pink!

Besides Max Factor's Giant Pen Sticks, I've never really laid an eye on any other gloss sticks. I've tried Face Of Australia's previously, and I can't say that I'm impressed, so since, I've never really looked into gloss sticks. Even those Showstopper Gloss Sticks by my favourite brand, Australis!

The only thing that made me purchased these Models Prefer Gloss Sticks were its cheap price tag... I've purchased them at my local flea markets for $2 each! I have a few more shades, but like I said, let's only yap yap about this bright pink shade!


Marshmallow IS a bright pink shade. Almost barbie bright. It's not exactly a shade I wouldn't wear, but in all honesty, it's not the most flattering shade of pink for me.


The formula also makes it a tad more high maintenance. It has a thin and velvety consistency, and is less creamy in terms of texture. It applies on like a thin layer of glossy-colour that just sits on top and doesn't really settle. The only problem with it "just sitting there" is that, it becomes more transferable that way and once transferred away, it doesn't really leave any colours behind on the lips.



As for the shade, because it's so bright, exfoliating is a NECESSARY step! Wearing this with chapped and flaky lips... Oh, I'm sure you can imagine! The colour WILL gather around any flakes on the lips, which is NOT a pretty look! @_@ Therefore, either non-chapped and exfoliated lips or nil!


On the brighter side, this wears quite well. Wears nicely until 2-3 hours later, or until you eat or drink. As I've mentioned, it's not very transfer resistant!


So although I'm not overly impressed with the formula (I hate slippery lip products), I'm still looking forward to the other shades that I own from this range! I have a darker berry/plum colour sitting around, which I'm keen to try.

Anyways, the last time I visited my local Priceline, I saw these on sale so they MAY have be discontinued. Check your local Priceline if you'd like to give these a go though!

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