Drugstore Cosmetics Launches for Australia -- November 2013

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late post this month. For anyone who follows my YouTube channel, I probably won't be able to make a video this month! Huhu! I have the baddest sore throat and still feelin' hot and cold at the moment. I'm a little sick goose.

Let's put all the illness aside though, and look forward to this month's awesome launches!

~

Face Of Australia Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons ($14.95/7 shades)
Hello wello cello! It seems like every brand is hopping onto releasing lip crayons at the moment! According to Face Of Australia, these lip crayons:

• Glides on smoothly
• Provides sheer gloss colour
• Have a moisturising and non-sticky formula
• Have a vanilla scent

I love vanilla scented products!! We'll see how this goes! The colour range looks nice too, as it seems to cover all back-to-basic shades.

Natio Smoothie Lip Colour Crayons ($12.95/8 shades)

See! I told you! Then there's also Natio with their new range of lip crayons, but unlike FOA's, these lip crayons promises rich colour payoff!

Chi Chi Baked Eyeshadows ($14.95/24 shades)

Baked eyeshadow singles for all you Chi Chi lovers! Chi Chi describes their baked eyeshadows to be "smooth, long-lasting and highly pigmented". Formulated without parabens and is designed to be applied wet or dry! Available in so many shades too!

Covergirl Ink It! Eyeliner ($12.94/4 shades)

Finally a Covergirl product (besides their lip products) that actually looks enabling! These eyeliners are described to be waterproof, highly pigmented and fade-proof and crease-proof for up to 12 hours! 

Australis Veleourlips Matte Cream ($9.95/5 shades)

These only launched recently, but I'm sure you've heard about these all over Insta! Deemed to be highly pigmented, long-lasting and also comes with the mattest finish that one can have without the flaky-business!






L'Oreal Paris SuperLiner Blackbuster Eyeliner ($16.95/1 shade)
This one, is a marker-pen eyeliner that offers a "thick liner technique". The eyeliner is formulated to glide on the eye smoothly, lasting for eight hours. Easy to remove! I've seen swatches and it looks extremely black!




L'Oreal Paris Luminosity Code BB Cream ($29.95/2 shades)
Dubbed as "the first illuminating BB Cream that evens skin tone and covers imperfections", this new BB cream is a combination of the best skincare and cosmetics technology! It has a light and luxurious formula that instantly melts into the skin, whilst keeping the skin moisturised for 24 hours and protecting it from UV rays. Of course, leaves it with a fresh and flawless luminous finish.



LACURA Beauty Colour Sticks ($6.99/2pk)
I've never ever featured this brand on my blog.... I don't think! But in case you're not aware of Lacura, it is Aldi's very own beauty brand. I've heard about SOME of their beauty products (including skincare products), but these products are newly launched. I've only known from their latest catalog, so I have absolutely NO information about these, except for its price and that it comes in a pack of 2 colours! A snippet of their catalogue...

Chi Chi's New Viva La Diva Lipstick Shades ($18.95/6 NEW shades)
Okay, with their usual richly coloured and long-wearing formula, Chi Chi has now added 6 new shades to their existing range of 36 shades. Here are a few photos.... (I can't locate their press images!).

*credits to @ChiChiOfficialCosmetics on Instagram*

Sportsgirl Pucker Up Lip Crayons ($8.95/3 shades)
Eeeee! More lip crayons, but by Sportsgirl this time around... I'm not 100% sure why I have no info on these... On Sportsgirl's website, they are just described to be "long wearing matte lip crayons" @_@!

I LOVE their 'Fruit Tingle' Pout About It Lipstick... I'd like to try out their lip crayon named after the same shade... Huhuhuhu.


Sally Hansen Spring Racing Collection ($9.95/7 shades)
If you're looking to update your nail collection this Spring/Summer, Sally Hansen has something for you! Their new Spring Racing Collection has been around since September, so I'm a little late on this! Only available exclusively to Priceline!

Last, but not least..... NEW LASHES!!

By who?

Glam By Manicare of course!
Five new pairs of lashes, named and inspired by 5 top celebrities! I'm in a rush to study for my exams at the moment, so I'm just gonna slip in this photo n jet!

So sorry for the rush this month! I'll make sure to be more prepared.... next year. I will be flying away to Vietnam in December, so I can't promise next month's launch post. Huhuh! I will try my best though! However, as always...

Let me know which products you are keen on!

What! Why! Where! Who! How!

Tell me everything!

Drugstore Cosmetic Launches for Australia -- July 2013

God... It's already July guys.. Five more of these launch posts and I'll be starting on 2014! Time flies by SO quick.. It's unbelievabubble.

I haven't been posting lately, because my laptop's hard drive broke down. Had to get it replaced (costed a whopping $170!), so I'm starting this month with not a penny to spend. X_X Sad..

But for those who has no buying restraints... here are some awesome cosmetic launches to look into!

Chi Chi adds 6 spankin' new shades to their existing collection of Viva La Diva Lippies ($18.95)! They are available in mattes and cream finishes, and as you can see, some deep plums/purples for your wildness!

• Game On (matte)
• Chekin In (matte)
• Lady Bump (matte)
• Countes Turn Me On (matte)
• Let Me Tempt You (cream)

God knows what the last shade is called.. They've forgotten to include it :(

More matteness from Chi Chi with their Creamy Matte Liquid Lipsticks ($16.95/14 shades)! These are intensely pigmented, long-lasting matte lip products which applies to be creamy and bright.

If you're not one for mattes, then they also have these Glossy Lip Stains ($16.95/5 shades) which are described to be pigmented, lightweight stains for the lips. The 3 products from the middle to right reminds me alot of Australis' Pout Pastes, except that the red isn't as bright! What do you say?

Physicians Formula is hitting back this month with quite a few bronzers and blushers, and these are probably the sexiest of them all!

• Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Bronzer ($29.95) -- duo-toned bronzer that features a golden glow, giving off a radiant and healthy glow. 
• Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Blush ($21.95) -- same deal, but this is a luminous duo-toned blush. 

• Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker pH Powdered Bronzer ($29.95) -- a bronzer that reacts to light and the skin's natural pH levels, supposedly to suit your very own skin tone.
• Physicians Formula pH Matchmaker pH Powdered Blush ($21.95) -- Same, same!

• Physician Formula Mineral Wear Talc-free Mineral Correcting Bronzer ($29.95) -- 3-in-1 mineral correcting powder, brightener and bronzer. The swirl designed of the complementary shades is supposed to "brighten" the skin -- pink tone highlights, yellow tone adds warmth, orange tone brightens. 
• Physician Formula Bronze Booster Glow-Boosting Season-to-Season Bronzer ($29.95) -- a multi-coloured bronzer which features 4 bronzing tone for your convenience to customise your own shade.

Of course, they also have a pH Matchmaker Powered Lip Gloss ($19.95) that has an in-built LED light inside the cap. The lip gloss itself, is also suppose to adjust to the light and pH levels of your lips.. Only available in 1 shade.

Sportsgirl rocks back with the 3D Caviar trend with their to-be-released Nail Sprinkes ($7.95)! Available in Silver, Black and Multi.

Woop.. Almost forgot to mention that Rimmel's famous Apocalips Lip Lacquers ($15.95/8 shades) have already hit the Aussie shores! It's a rich, intense and pigmented liquid lipstick with a glossy finish! According to the reviews that I've read, they are deemed to be lightweight and non-sticky.. Sounds pretty good, in my opinion!

Not too many launches this month, but they all are pretty interesting, don't you think? From pH blushers and bronzers to almost a handful of liquid lipsticks to check.

Have you tried any of the products mentioned?

Liquid lipsticks -- yay or nay?

I feel iffy about Physicians Formula's launch. That's 4 bronzers and 2 blushers that's going to be hitting the shelves. I have a gut feeling that they're all gonna be duds, LOL. All these pH-products never workkkkk! The Sexy Glow range surely does look nice though.. although the prices aren't so nice. 

The Lipstick Tag!

I love love love lipsticks! There can never be too many lipsticks in Tram's world, so when I saw The Lipstick Tag going around blogs... I just knew that I'd have to get down to it!

THE LIPSTICK TAG

How many lipsticks do you own?
72 -- Sadly, this is not even counting the ones that Mum and my sister has took and kept in their bags!!

What was your first ever lipstick?
Ah.. I really liked nude lipsticks when I started off with make-up so my very first lipstick was Australis' Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Mambo.

Swatch of Australis' Mambo

What is your favourite brand for lipstick?
Ahhhhhhh. I'm torn between Australis and Face Of Australia! >_<" I probably would have to go with Australis' as they have two ranges of two different finishes. They also have a wider shade range!

What is your most worn lipstick?
To be honest, to this day.. I still have not finished one lipstick! My most "worn down" lipstick is Australis' Mambo, if I'm on the right track. If not, my most worn lipstick (in terms of it being a favourite) always changes! I'm always going through different phases with different lipsticks... I will post about my lipstick life/phases soon!

What is your favourite finish?
CREAMS! Mainly because they can be worn comfortably without feeling dry on the lips. I rather retouch every often than have my lips feeling dry and flaky at the end of the day.

What was the last lip product you bought?
I still haven't got to this small market haul, but if you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen that I've purchased two new Revlon lipsticks for around $7 each! They are from the Super Lustrous range, and are called 'Pink Velvet' and 'Love That Pink'! I love my pinks!

Revlon's Love That Pink & Pink Velvet

How many lip products do you currently have in your handbag? (Including lipbalms and lipglosses)
I actually don't wear handbags most of the time... I'm always carrying my wallet around, so that calls for no lipsticks! However, when I do... there's about 3 lip products -- two lipsticks and a lip balm!

How do you store your lipsticks?
They are lined up neatly in this paper organiser that I've purchased at the markets (but you can find them anywhere)!

What lipstick do you use to rock a red lip?
I have three red lip products that I hit up whenever I feel red-dy. Lips are always lined with Face Of Australia's Mechanical Lip Liner in Red and then topped off with either... Sportsgirl Fashionista (renamed to Bombshell, methinks) or Max Factor's Ruby Tuesday.

(bottom-top) Red, Fashionista/Bomshell, Ruby Tuesday

What lip products are you currently lusting after?
Lusting after? Hmmmmm.... I'm not heads over heels for any lipsticks at the moment, but I don't mind me some Maybelline's Vivid Lipsticks or some pretty pinks/corals from Rimmel London! :P


That's all the for tag! I don't think there are follow on tags for this Lipstick Tag, but I'd love to see YOUR collection! If you do plan or have already did this tag, please link it in the comment section!

I'm keen to know..

How many lipsticks do YOU own?

Which lipstick have you been obsessed with recently?

*Disclaimer: All products mentioned within this post were purchased by myself. 

NOTD: Sportsgirl's Hello Sunshine & Chi Chi's Glitter

Hi. I don't think I've posted about my NOTD in yonks! Oh. Wait. I've posted about Max Factor's Fantasy Fire not too long ago! Woooooooooops. Totally forgot >_<

So as I've mentioned in my previous nail post, I'm trying to clear out my nail polishes at the moment so I've been trying to wear ALL the nail polishes [that I'm not keen on keeping] at least once so I could review/swatch them on blog.

I've previously gone through my Rimmel London stash, cutting from 9 nail polishes down to 3. My next stop is my Sportsgirl's collection! I actually have quite a few that I don't intend to keep back and one of them is 'Hello Sunshine', a bright yellow (duh!).

Yes! I've paired it with a glitter top coat from Chi Chi. I've used the purple glitter top coat (from the same collection) before and it was disgustingly gloopy and thick. I really thought this one was going to be the same, but it's much thinner! Thank Buddha!

Chi Chi's glitter top coat contains tiny green rounds with small yellow, green and blue hex glitters! If the lighter blue was any darker, then it would probably be my go-to glitter top coat for Australia Day LOL.

Like I said, its consistency is thin which is awesome for layering! I didn't have any problems with this one, but I DID have so many problems with Sportsgirl's Hello Sunshine. Like any other yellow nail polishes (still haven't found the perfect one!), it's sheer and is so annoyingly streaky. I had to layer 5 medium coats for a full and even coverage!

Wa. As you could see, the yellow is still somewhat uneven!!! Meep.

On the plus side, its lasting power is GREAT. With 5 thick coats, it's still going good with 5 days of wear with very, very minor tip wear! However, the colour isn't really my thing so sad to say, but bye bye to this one.

Have you found the PERFECT yellow yet? 

Which was by far the worst/best yellow nail polish you've tried?

I've tried Australis' Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Face Of Australia's Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy and Rimmel's Lemon Drop. The worst of the bunch is probably Face Of Australia's Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy, for me.

Saturday/Sunday Steals #28: The most awesome haul ever.

Okkkkkkkkkk! So I haven't stopped going to the markets! I've just stopped posting about it because I've only been purchasing a few products here and there each week so it's really not enough to put together for a post!

But it's been a few weeks of hoarding now, so here's what I have since two to three weeks ago..

Sunday markets (Trash & Treasure) are the best! I picked up:

• Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Colour in 'White Off' -- $2. The consistency seems perfect for nail art! The whites I have at home are all thick, gloopy and disgusting.
• OPI Lacquer in 'Sparrow Me The Drama' -- $1. Thrifted this in a random box full of crap.
• Rubi Nail Polish in 'Pina Coladas' -- $1. Already have this at home, but it was too cheap to pass up so this is going in my 'beauty bag for friends'! :P

Over the weeks, I've also collected some Sportsgirl Nail Polishes..

• Hello Sunshine! -- $2. An extremely bright yellow.. one of the many nail polishes that I purchase only for blogging purposes.
• Mermaid -- $1. A very pretty aqua with shimmers. Keep this one!
• WOW -- $2. Bold punch of purple. Purchased this for blogging purposes also, but I think my Mum will like it!

Now.. moving onto the 'awesome' part of this post... I seriously would never expect to find my favourite brand at the markets............ Let me tell ya now.. My jaw dropped when I walked pass a basket FULL of heavily discounted Australis products!!

Although I've never been a fan of Australis' nail polishes (from the ones I've tried anyways), I decided to purchase 3 because they were SO cheap! They were $1 each! 

Across is Blue Tiger, Titania and Satine. I still can't believe the girl were selling these for $1! She was also selling Napoleon Perdis brush sets (that she said she bought for $70-$75) for $20!

From her, I also picked up:

• Australis' Lipstick in 'Salsa' -- $4. This is one of my favourite pink lipstick, so when  I just had to get it since it was so cheap anyways! 
• Australis Eye Pencils in 'Grape Cake' -- $2 each. I already have this at home, but as they were so cheap.. I'm going to be giving these away to friends.. :)

Last products from her stall were these two Mineral 'High Lights' Face Highlighters in Gold and Pearl! I've always wanted to try these... Here's FINALLY a chance and they were only $4 each!!!!!!!!!!

Honestly, the best market haul ever! I'm hoping she'll come by the markets again next week! 

OK. Now for the last product of the post.. It's pretty unnecessary for me. You can full tell that I'm a hoarder because I can't see myself bringing this into use anytime soon.......

Bellapierre's 9 Stack Shimmer Pigments in 'Bella'. The shades look gorgeous, but I have no idea what i'll do with this.. I'll probably end up making nail polishes by mixing it with a top coat.. Most likely. 

I searched this product up and it retailed for a whopping $99.95 on their official website.. I got this at the markets for $2. Cheers!

OVERALL, I'm super happy with the Australis products I purchased! They were so cheap! I hope this doesn't happen too often or I'll be forever broke...

If you are wondering which markets I go to.. I go to Sydney's Paddy's Markets in Flemington on Saturdays (great for thrifting clothes and shoes) and Trash & Treasure in Prestons on Sundays (they also have branches in Melbourne, check their official website).

My take on LipstickCake's Nail-Polish-a-Day Challenge!

If you follow me on Instagram, you would be familiar with the hashtag #lipstickcakepolishaday throughout October!

Basically, Lipstick and Cake was hosting an Instagram challenge where you can show off your manicures throughout October! You could paint daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly! Whenever you do, just snap and tap!

And being the nail polish lover I am, I had my gears ready... so here's 'what's on my nails' throughout October..

Day 1: Starting the challenge with my fave Mirenesse Bullet Proof Nail Lacquer in Charleston Me -- posted about it here.
Day 2: OPI's Black Cherry Chutney -- meh, not a fan of dark vampy's and the purple tone was really hard to see! Meep!

Day 3: Layed over Inglot Flakie #202! Been waiting to use this since I've bought it at IMATS the month before! Breath taking!
Day 4: Then Amanda told me a matte top coat looks really good over Inglot Flakies so here I am with Inglot Matte Top Coat.

Day 6: My favourite sandy beige colour -- Jordana's Chiffon ($3 at CosmoCosmetics!)
Day 8: Matte top coat over that thing! Beautiful matte beige nails!

Day 14: Suddenly fast forward to Day 14 (lol, I'm a lazy bum!) when I attempted gradient nails... which turned out to be disastrous by the way!
Day 18: Not my nails, but my friend Wynona recreated this manicure by Cosmetic Cupcake for Face Of Australia! Looks pretty cute on her nails, yes?!

Day 19: OPI Tickle My France-y! Didn't really like ittt.
Day 20: Tried some triangle nail art with OPI The One That Got Away (Katy Perry collection) which turned out looking like beanies/Santa hats! :(

Day 21: On the other hand (punny!), I did some whack stuff. Not sure what it is really... just a simple quirky design.
Day 23: Whipped out Sportsgirl's Iceberg, finally!

Day 24: A better attempt at gradient nails this time! I used a darker blue/green by Sportsgirl called 'Mermaid'! It really is a beautiful colour!
Day 28: Finishing off the challenge with a perfect orange by Rimmel London called 'Tangerine Queen' for Halloween!


Yeap! That was all! I painted my nails 13 times for the month!!! Record!

Did you participate in #lipstickcakepolishaday Instagram challenge?
Which manicure from my overview do you like best?!

I really love the Inglot Flakies. I could literally sit and stare at my nails all day long. Not even kidding ya!

Colour Me In: 4 Affordable Pink Blushers!

'Colour Me In' is a series of posts in collaboration with Alice of ArsyParsy, Tezza of Myteeefine and Amanda ofThai-Tales!

*****

Yeap yeap, it's Thursday! My post this week will walk you through some of the most affordable pink blushers! Last week, I've posted about 4 Ravishing Red Lipsticks, so check that out if you are into the brights and bold!

My blusher collection are majority pinks and they are all quite affordable, nothing pricey actually!

So first up, I have Sportsgirl's Get Cheeky Cheek & Eye Shimmer Trio in Rose. I think many people do avoid Sportsgirl's beauty products, but they're actually not that bad at all! Promise! This trio is actually decently pigmented with a shimmery bronze, pale pink and deep dusty rose shade. I only use this on days I skip illuminators to avoid lookin' overload shimmery!

..and on days that I do use luminous/shimmery highlighters, I do opt for matte blushers instead. That's when I lean towards Australis' Paparazzi Perfect HD and alternate between Flash It and Shoot To Thrill*! I wholey heart this range! Besides the awesome pigmentation and price, I love that they're available in trios which allows you to mix and match the shades!

Lastly, is my least favourite pink blusher from my little collection. Yeap. It's the Maybelline Fit Me Blusher in Medium Pink. I have nothing against the shade, although I have to say it's probably not best suited for me as it's too light. What I loathe about this product is its sheerness. Sheer is okay! It's not always bad! But this Fit Me Blusher is so incredibly sheer that it can pass as 'not pigmented at all'. Ya know?

And of course, here are some swatches!

From left to right:

1. Sportsgirl Get Cheeky Cheek & Eye Shimmer in Rose (middle strip)

2. Australis Paparazzi Perfect HD Blusher in Flash It! 

3-5. Australis Paparazzi Perfect HD Blusher in Shoot To Thrill

6. Maybelline Fit Me Blusher in Medium Pink

So that's four affordable pink blushers that you may (or may not.. *ahem* Maybelline Fit Me) want to look at if you're seeking for a pretty pink blusher.

What colour blushers do YOU prefer? Coral? Pink? Purple?

I do think corals suit me better, but I love pink lippies which doesn't really work with coral cheeks! Gah!

You love being pretty in pinks don't ya? Check out Tezza's Real Technique babies, Amanda's collection of pink lipsticks and duo two-toned lips and also Alice's go-to pink lippy!


Disclaimer: Products marked with (*) was from ABBW2011's goodie bag. However, I am not obligated to review or post about the product. All opinions are of my own and are truthful and unbiased.