Worth The Hype: The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer

Let me show you a highlighter I've been glued to -- The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer.

Limited edition product embossing by yours truly, and the bedroom floor

I'm not one to know shit about undertones, but I have no problem with the undertones of this one. I've never tried one with peachy undertones though. Don't think I'd like it too much.

All I care for is, the finish.

Light sheen? Nop.

If you're one for the natural, light highlighting effect, then this is not for you. Why? Because it's fucking metallic.

Ok. That was over-eggxageration on my part, but yeah. This stuff is soooooooooooo luminous that it's, ridiculous. Suits me. I'm a nut too. Sometimes.

One light swipe of this will give your cheekbones that healthy glow, the Korean lookin' glows. A heavy sweep will, um, probably make you look like a disco ball. There are people who likes the disco-effect on their cheeks though. For example, me (and Kat of Kitsch Snitch)!

I love the finish of this. It's what I've always wanted. I've had only limited experience with highlighters, but this one does it all. A tad pricey, not very "me", but I had to pick it up as Amanda informed us that there was a sale on The Balm US' site!

(rollover to see where I highlighted)

I use this everyday. I love, love, love the pearly finish on my cheeks. It doesn't bring forward my dry-flakes to the world, so that's good.

The camera doesn't seem to pick up on how reflective this stuff is, so here's a low-cam quality photo to share.

Oh, the irony..

Look at dem cheekbones though!

Anyhows, besides that, a little goes a long way. Meaning that I probably won't need to repurchase another unless I break this one.... again.

Shoot me all your highlighter suggestions!

Powders only, no creams please!

Powders, because they're so quick and easy to apply. I live life on the edge, always waking up 15 minutes before class or outings, so will never have time for blending in creams!

DIY: Cookie Jar (~$10)

HI! Quick update.

I usually don't include videos in my blog posts, but there's really no point of me taking snaps of this DIY project when a short video to watch would be much better!


Yes! It's my very own video. I do have a YouTube channel if you did not know.

I'm still much more of a blogger than vlogger, but if you prefer beauty vlogs, then here is my channel. I do monthly launch videos too, and some rambles and vlogs.

Anyhows, the cookie jar costed me less than $10 to make and is fairly quick to do.

• Jar, $3 (The Reject Shop)
• Cookies, $3~4 (Woolworths)
• Ribbon, $2 (The Reject Shop)
• Gift Tag, FREE!
  

Something different, but I hope you like it!


X

Mani-Monday: Peek-A-Boo!

In midst of clearing out my nail collection (I have way too many nail polishes), so I thought I'd start a Mani-Monday series to brighten up everyone's Mondays.

Lucky me, life of a jobless uni student, so every Monday is already brightened. Don't jelly arh!

My first brand to clear out is.. Australis!

Peek-a-boo ($7.95),a creme lilac that goes on smooth and silky. I don't quite like these lilac colours so this one will definitely have to go to a friend, or my Mum's collection. She loves these light purples.

A quick snap of this other polish too. It's labelled "Aqua", but it's definitely the wrong label. It is most likely discontinued though, since I couldn't find it on their site.

Just a metallic blue. Probably will find them in those $3 Australis clearance bins. Worth getting though! Lovely formula, lovely shade with lovely pigmentation.

Daz all!

What's on YOUR nails this Monday?

Disclaimer: Both products were purchased by moi. 

Saturday's Swatches: Rimmel Provocalips 16HR Kissproof Lip Colour

UPDATE: Full review, face photos and more swatches here >

This post wasn't supposed to happen, but made it! Hasn't even ticked Sunday midnight yet, so ya. A bit late, but will do.

I dropped down to Priceline today to see what sales were happening. No good sales, but I spotted new products by Rimmel! Yeap! They've launched their Provocalips range ($17.95/8 shades).

I've been so out of the beauty blogging community, but I believe that we're not too late on these?!

I'm usually not into these 2-ended products, especially when it comes with balms, or glosses to top off the lip colours. Mainly because they look tacky and don't work. However, I was really impressed with the staying power when I swatched these!

These are described to be kiss-proof, transfer proof and food proof... and it did seem that way. When I swatched these at Priceline, they took about 5 minutes to dry down to a semi-matte finish (still had a slight visible sheen).

(Grainy as hell, but I wanted to show you what it looks like when freshly applied)

Although it was only my arm, the weather was damn hot and I was outside being a sweaty gardener in the sun. Yet these stood on, and they also stood on in the shower. I was really worried, because I actually got a body scrub to scrub over it and it didn't budge (⊙…⊙ )

(1st-5th) Dare to Pink, I'll Call You, Little Minx, Play With Fire, Skinny Dip

(All 6) Little Minx, Play with Fire, Skinny Dip, Make Your Move,  Kiss Me You Fool, Kiss Fatal

It did eventually come off with an oil-based make-up remover though (as claimed by Rimmel), so twas' all good.

I'm egg-cited to see how everyone will love these!

Which shade(s) do you like more?!

My top pick here is Dare To Pink! The rest are shades I already have in my collection, hehe.

Big W Haul: 15 products for $11.85!

**THIS SALE IS STILL ON UNTIL 5 NOV 2014** 

HEY.

Your bargain queen is striking back today with a wonderful haul post. Short, sweet and stingy haul post!

The moment Amy from Bottled Beauty spilled about the to-be-on-sale deals at Big W, I knew exactly what I wanted to get. Yeap.

Every single time FOA does $4 off, my automatic go-to's are their Make-Up Remover Wipes and nail polishes. Drops down to 50c-$1 per packet of wipes and less than $2 for their nail lacquers. Unfortunately, there were none left at the Big W that I visited... urgh.

I was SO surprised to see lacquers or their nail collection dropping down to 75c though! FOA has always sent me their nail lacquers, but I cleared the shelf anyways. These 5 will go to my friend in Singapore (who's a nail fanatic) and the other 4 will go to my Uni friends since we're having our final exam next week and I won't see them until next year! Aaaaaaaaaaa.

Sharpeners -- My one broke, and these dropped down to... 75c? Or 95c. I forgot, but so cheap! I picked up 3 which should last my sister and I for a while!

Maybelline was also having $4 OFF, and I think most people miss this... but their Express Make-Up Remover.... originally retails for $4.95... So.... away I hauled, the 3 remaining bottles for less than $1!

The girl who worked at Big W didn't even realise that these products dropped down to be so cheap! Hahahaha.

Works for me though.

If you're gonna hit up these sales, I highly recommend:

• FOA Lip Liners (~$2)
• FOA Nail Polishes (~$2)
• FOA Lip Paints, review here > (~$3)
• FOA Sharpeners (~$1)
• FOA Wipes (~$1)
• FOA Liquid Eyeliner, review here > (~$6)
• Maybelline Express Make-Up Removers (~$1)
• Maybelline Nail Polishes (~$2)
• Australis Wipes (~$2)

Let me know, let me know!

A pick at Best in Beauty 2014 awards by BH

Unusual post today. Yes! A pick at BeautyHeaven's Best in Beauty awards for 2014. The list has been released yesterday and as I looked through it, I realised that were some products that I've used! So it'd be interesting for me to pick apart the list, yes?

Pick apart -- not in a bad way though. Or... maybe.

Let's go!

Note: No comments = have no used. Let me know if you've used it and think they deserve their place as the "best" though!

MAKE-UP

Best Eyeshadow -- Maybelline NY Color Tattoo

Best Eyeliner -- Maybelline NY Master Precise Liquid Liner
I was gifted this eyeliner from a friend, and it is pretty amazing, I must say! Doesn't smudge, precise tip, dark black, dries quick, affordable. Well deserved, MNY!

Best Mascara -- Benefit They're Real Mascara
Many beauties are a fan of this mascara. I've tried it, but only recently. I love using it on my bottom lashes since it does really well at lengthening. However, for my top lashes, it seems to weigh down a tad and clumps. Seems a bit unbuildable.

Best Lashes -- Ardell Lashes #120

Best Lip Liner -- Innoxa Invisible Lip Shaper

Best Lip Gloss -- Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour

Best Lip Plumper -- Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine

Best Lip Balm -- Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm

Best Lipstick -- YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick

Best Blush -- M.A.C Blush

Best Brow Product -- Benefit Gimme Brow

Best Bronzer -- Benefit Hoola

Best Illuminator -- YSL Touche Eclat

Best Concealer -- Maybelline NY FITme Concealer
I've tried this, but it caked under my eyes... and creased. Perhaps not one for under-eye concealing?

Best Foundation -- Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup
Urgh. I've yet to try this! Too expensive!  ⊙︿⊙

Best BB Cream -- Garnier Skin Naturals Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream
I have a review of this somewhere! It barely gives any coverage..?!

Best Primer -- L'Oreal Paris Base Magique Primer 
Not a bad primer. A bit thick in consistency and therefore, a tad hard to blend!

Best Make-Up Tool - Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler 
I really need this in my life! Even after so much hype, I've yet to purchase it! Pricey! >_<

Best Make-Up Remover -- Garnier Skin Naturals Micellar Water
A dupe to Bioderma. I've tried this. I can see why so many people love it.. Cheap and works well.

SKINCARE

Best Exfoliant -- Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

Best Face Mask -- Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask
What? There's such a product? I've never seen it around!

Best Day Moisturiser -- Dr. Lewinn's Day Cream Moisturiser

Best Night Moisturiser -- Nuxe Creme Prodigieuse Nuit

Best Age Management Product -- Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Syncronized Recovery Complex II

Best Spot Treatment -- La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+]

Best Eye Treatment -- Strivectin Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles

Best Wash/Cleanser -- Cetaphil - Gentle Skin Cleanser
Ah. I've used this years ago when I had really bad acne. I should give it another go after I finish these cleansers!

Best Face Wipes -- WOTNOT Facial Wipes
Definitely the best! A tad pricey, but they are really good! My review here >

Best Toner -- Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner
Uhmm... no. For my dry skin, I found it became too dependent on this product. I've mentioned it somewhere on the blog, some time ago. But that was basically what happened!

Best Skin Care Device -- Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System
I have this at home. It has been sitting away in the cupboard for yonks! I should get to it.... [lazy].

Best Skin Tone Corrector -- Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+

Best Treatment Product -- Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil

HAIR

Best Hair Treatment -- Moroccanoil Original Treatment

Best Shampoo -- Fudge Clean Blonde Shampoo

Best Conditioner -- Aveda Invati Thickening Conditioner

Best Hair Colour -- Garnier Olia Hair Colour

Best Curler -- muk Haircare muk Curl Stick

Best Straightener -- ghd eclipse

Best Dry Shampoo -- Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk

Best Hair Dryer -- Phillips Pro Dryer

Best Styling Product -- Wella System Professional LuxeOil Reconstructive Elixir

Best Hair Accessory -- Lady Jayne Bun Styl'r

A closer look at the list... I'm surprised L'Oreal has only been mentioned once (their Base Magique Primer). Besides that, there's not any other mentions. Especially hair.

Brands like WOTNOT and Lady Jayne are not very well known so I'm glad to see them there.

The scoreboard topper is Maybelline, with 4 products that made the list! Followed by Garnier and Benefit with 3 winning products.

It's nice to see a round-up on these categories. ( ⋂‿⋂’)

Are there any products mentioned that you feel should not be on the list?

Give me them thoughts! I'd love to hear your thoughts on these products, and which ones you think do not deserve these "BEST OF..." labels!

Type away!



Discloser: Not a sponsored post, in any way. 

Face Of Australia Lip Paints Review & Face Swatches!

I don't think I've ever been so excited to trial lipglosses like this time, ever. Loved them in highschool, but that phase is long gone. Moved onto lipsticks and never really looked back.

There are some lip glosses that I do adore and pick up to use here and there though. Lately, I've been so into pouty lips that I've been reaching for lip glosses more often.

So these landed on my desk at the PERFECT timing!

Not many shades, only 6 shades, but wide range. Not too bad.

My first thoughts were that they may be mixable like the OCC Lip Tars, but once I saw this squeeze-tube packaging, I immediately knew that they are definitely not! Yeah, I did read that they were described as "lipstick/gloss hybrids", but I somehow imagined away anyways. Hahahaha.

The packaging, poses a lot of problems for the "lipstick/lipgloss hybrid formula". It's true that wearing these alone will give you a stained lips effect, but with some shades, it looks very messy!

The packaging of these are not made to define, which is actually very necessary when the product is pigmented (especially with the darker, and some brighter shades). With this packaging, it's hard to strive for clean edges. Hard to strive for a non-blotchy application.

It would be more ideal if these were packaged with doe-foot applicators. (๑´•д • `๑)

Nude Nymph, Tangerine Queen, Pretty In Pink

Poison Apple, Very Berry, Fired Up Fuchsia

Besides that, the formula, it's pretty nice. I can't say that it's exceptionally great, but it's pigmented, and glossy, as it's supposed to be. I really like how it feels on the lips. Not thick at all, not overly sticky and smells fruity. The only problem is its potential to bleed when worn alone (with the darker shades), AND, the glossiness only lasts for about an hour. After that, the pretty gloss is pretty much gone, though the tint of colour is definitely still visible.

WARNING: Photos ahead are makeup-less, with swelled up cheeks (had my wisdom teeth removed two days ago, okay?!)

Poison Apple
Casual red gloss that gives a pretty, rosy-stained look when worn alone though. Can be blotchy, but somehow forgivable. Much thanks to KPOP culture for the stained-red lips trend, that makes blotchy-red lips forgiveable.

Tangerine Queen
This was surprisingly pretty. The packaging makes it look very intense, but it's such a pretty orange colour on the lips! Although it's quite bright, it's one of the easier-to-apply shades. Not as blotchy, this one.

Very Berry
OK. THIS SHADE. VERY DARK, VERY PIGMENTED, BUT VERY BLOTCHY! Definitely need to take some time to apply this if you're gonna be sporting this alone.

Fired Up Fuchsia
Initially, I thought this was a MLBB colour. It's clearly not. Very punchy shade, but not as hard to apply as other shades.

Nude Nymph
The easiest shade to apply and wear alone out of the whole collection. This shade was surprisingly pigmented! It could pass as a nude lip when worn alone (and my lips are naturally quite pigmented)!

(I look like a zombie here, hahaha)

Pretty In Pink
Light and cool-toned. Very unusual shade for me. However, although it's a lighter shade, still quite pigmented when worn alone.

I LOST THE PRODUCT FOR THIS....... (✖╭╮✖) Yeah, I really have no idea where it is. Lucky I took a snap of it when I was wearing it to Uni to trial. Here it is:

Ah. I'm so bummed. I hate having inconsistent photos!

That's all for the six shades! Urgh, I'm so sorry about the last photo! Rar rar rar rar rar.


Overall, I don't think they live up to the "full, opaque coverage" claim. However, they're not bad products. The packaging is bad though. And with some of the darker shades, you may not like how blotchy they'll look as they wear off. Reason why I'd prefer to wear these over a lippy.

My top pick... Tangerine Queen, only because I don't have any oranges in my collection that's flattering like so! Nude Nymph is impressive too, but I'm not a fan of nudes..

Which of these shades are your favourite picks?!

Will you be looking into these?

Face Of Australia Lip Paints, $6.95 , 15mL, available at FOA stockists.


Disclaimer: Products featured in this post were provided for review consideration only. 

Impulse REVAMPS!

Impulse, is a brand that brings me back into the past. Back to my primary school and high school days where girls would have Impulse deo-sprays in their bags. And it was after P.E. classes, lunch or recess that we'd stink up and ask each other, "Hey. Do you have any Impulse?". 

Hahahaha. I've actually never owned a spray by Impulse. Not because they weren't affordable, but because I've never really cared too much about sprays. I use whatever my mum buys home, but I've actually never brought them to school.... because they just didn't look pretty like those from Impulse. I was a teen, okay?!

Back in my years, Impulse's sprays looked something like this...

I've never gone near them, even after high school. The sprays just makes me feel like a young teen. In my mind, it's the same idea of listening to a song that reminds you of a particular phase, you know?
(⊙﹏⊙✿)

But I got mailed just yesterday!.

Three of their scents, in the new, revamped packaging!

I actually had a peek at their press release prior to the surprise mail that came through. Initially, I was planning to show you guys the press-release photos that hit my inbox. I actually thought they were really pretty illustrations, but now I can show you guys some of the products in my own photos! AND sniff and tell too!

All three comes in metallic-gold packaging, with a twisted, covered top.

I suck at describing scents though... so here goes.......


Romantic Sparks (violets and wood)
Perfectly suited name. Reminds me of what I'd wear on my first [teenage] date. Floral scent, a bit overwhelming for my personal preference. I don't usually go for floral-scented perfumes. Fruities are my favez!

Merely Musk (lime and sandalwood)

I actually like this much more than Romantic Spark. Not as overwhelming, very fresh and clean with a spark. This is actually my favourite sniff out of the three. (´ω｀★)

Illusions (rose and sandawood)
This is a confusing one for me. My sister prefers this out of the three though. It's not strong like Romantic Spark, but still a floral vibe. My favourite is still Merely Musk!

So those were the ones which were sent to me! These are marked as "perfume in a spray". Don't underestimate em'. They are really perfume packed in a spray. The less is more!

I'll show you the other pretty illustrations for the other scents they have though! I'm actually more eggcited to show you the illustrations more than anything, haha. ヽ(=^･ω･^=)丿


Love Story (violet and raspberry)

Sweet Smile (pear and jasmine)

Into Glamour (sandalwood and vanilla)

Very Pink (roses and grapefruit)

Tease (red fruits and woods)

Goddess (gardenia and pear)

That's it! Aren't the illustrations pretty? Matches the packaging!

I will go take a sniff sniff at Into Glamour. I love everything vanilla-scented, so I'm keen to see what it's like!

If you're a keen bean on these, they are on sale at Priceline at the moment. Half price until 22 October, so only $2.50 each for now!

Disclaimer: Products mentioned in this post were provided for review consideration only.