Veluxe Pearlfusion in Greenluxe

I never used to be such a fan of eyeshadow palettes. I preferred my individuals, but as I'm starting to accumulate more and more makeup, why not save a bit of space and purchase a palette? I was so keen to get my hands on the Veluxe Pearlfusion Palettes by MAC, they looked just so goshdarn pretty and different to all the other shadows I've ever owned. I mean, I've never really been too big a fan of shimmery eyeshadows, but something about these palette screamed special to me. So much so, that I ended up purchasing the smokeluxe palette while waiting for my mother to return with my first requested greenluxe. And boy was I right to wait for greenluxe; it is quite possibly the prettiest palette ever.

Firstly, I love the packaging, of course. It's the usual MAC palette packaging with the clear front and the magnetic closure; but I really like how the colours are separated into shimmer strips (akin to that of Bobbi Brown) yet are separated by a thin line of plastic. Some people have said that it's difficult for them to get their brush in, but so far I have had no problem, although I do use smaller brushes to accommodate my smaller sized eyes. I was so intrigued by the greenluxe palette, simply because of the nice cool tones and the slightest pink/green tint to it. Pretty much because I thought it contained cute and pretty colours, nevermind that it might not "suit" my skintone too much. I make it work.

All of these shades were a lot more shimmery than I was expecting, I mean, they're veluxe pearl, but at least two of these shades are definite glitters. The lightest shade looks pink with a silver shimmer that turns more silver on my eyes (removal of the pink). The second lightest shade appears to have a green tinge in the pan, but when swatched, it's basically a very pretty, very smooth multicoloured glitter; the photos don't really do it justice as it looks amazing in person. The middle shade is a satiny-taupe colour, good for an all over colour to bring a bit of life to the eyes (I'm also assuming that's what was in mind considering the size of this shade in comparison to the others). The next shade is the darkest in the palette, being a deep brown with gold/green glitter in it. It was a bit hard to swatch this one, and needed a bit more effect to get the colour payoff shown. The last shade is akin to that of club eyeshadow or blue brown pigment, where it is a brown base with a blue/green duochrome. Glad I had this palette which saves me from purchasing club. 

While it probably is that I won't get the most use ever out of this palette, it is quite a good one for the holidays coming up, what with all the shimmery shades; although, I could probably at least use one shade a day in any look to add a bit of pop to my eyes. It really is one of the prettiest palettes that I own, and definitely one of the most unique, so I'm quite glad that I was able to get my hands on it. 

The underrated Chanel blushes

My, my, you say you're a blush fanatic? Well, sorry (I'm not sorry), you don't know blushes until you've tried Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blushes. As much as I love cheek products, there's not much hype over the ones by Chanel, but mostly what I've heard is that they're quite underrated; most people preferring to pick up the (slightly) less expensive NARS or Tarte. But I've owned both NARS and Tarte blushes, and while I do quite enjoy Tarte with a light hand, I've never quite been able to pull off any of my NARS blushes properly. In fact, dare I might say that I find them to be overrated. Either way, a few weeks ago, feeling in need of a pick-me-up, I thought I would listen to that ebbing of try out the Chanel blushes, you'll be pleasantly surprised, and off I went to Myer to pick up two from the Chanel counter, a pretty pink shade in Rose Initiale (72) and a more everyday, nude shade in Espiegle (65). 

rose initiale

espiegle

Rose Initiale (72)

A lovely slightly blue-tone pink, I can see this shade working on a number of skintones. On the cheeks, it's a lot more subtle than it looks in the pan, but these blushes are easily buildable or you can have a gentle flush. It's the type of shade that looks like you're actually blushing, rather than having, well, blush on your face. I'm not the type to wear this pink blush everyday, but the season is right for it, so I've been a bit more rosy than usual. I haven't tried the included brush, instead prefering to use a soft stippling brush to apply it; these blushes do kick up a bit of dust, so a firmer brush would be a bit harsh. Oh, and it smells like roses! I wasn't expecting that, but it's not too overpowering, only when you actually go in for a little sniff of the product.

Espiegle (65)

This blush I've been wearing a lot more often, as it is quite the nude/neutral everyday shade. It looks a bit frosty, a light orange-y shade, but don't let that alarm you. When applied, it adds a nice touch of subtle colour to your face, with a gentle, overall glow. No frosty, orange cheeks in sight. You would think that this blush would be harder to pull off than the Rose Initiale, but I absolutely love it, and it looks wonderful on my slowly tanning skin (approximately an NC30). This is a really good shade for Summer coming up (well, considering the weather, it might as well already be), perhaps I might use it more as an illuminator when my skin deepens further. This blush also smells like roses, but, and this may just be me, maybe not quite as strong as Rose Initiale. 

left to right, without flash: rose initiale heavy swatch, rose initiale blended, espiegle heavy swatch, espiegle blended

With Flash

Sunlight

God, don't those colours look so pretty? I know arm swatches can prove quite different on the face, but these are so easy to apply and blend out, there's no way that you can look clownish with these. I think my favourite thing about Chanel blushes is that, somehow, they just have a very flattering way of making your skin glow. As the weather is warming up, I'm finding that I'm starting to get a bit more shiny, not oily, but a little more than I would like, yet these blushes look wonderful with a slight dewy finish. From what I've heard, there are two formulations of this blush (one in the circle pan like I've got, and a square pan in Europe, though correct me if I'm wrong), with one being softer and the other, obviously harder. I'm not entirely sure which one I got, but these are smooth and lovely, they may kick up a bit of dust, but not too much, either way, they apply beautifully.

I can see myself getting good use out of these blushes, considering the use I'm getting out of them currently. They are just so easy to apply, and, oh, do they add that nice healthy glow to your face. I'm slowly delving into Chanel products, but I have not been disappointed so far, truly what a luxury brand should be, I think. 

I purchased these Chanel Joues Contraste powder blushes from Myer for AU$71 each. 

Back to Basics

Ah, I think I finally get the hype of Urban Decay products. Probably not the full extent, but I'm definitely beginning to form an affinity, the Naked Basics palette is fast becoming my favourite eyeshadow palette. Ever since my mum brought it back from her trips to the Americas, I've been using it every single day. I mean, I knew I liked using neutrals, but jeez, this brings it to a whole new level.

I love the packaging, always a fan of that rubberised casing that's reminiscent of NARS packaging and MAC, on occasion. The size of the palette is also really nifty for travelling, and the mirror is actually quite good; the hinge helps it to stay put too, so it's a palette with an actually useful mirror. The only thing that annoyed me was, for some silly reason, I had trouble opening this palette, as you can see, my nail punctured the lovely Venus shade. But I suppose that's an example of how soft and buttery these shadows are. Either way, I've managed to master the clasp, it is easier without thinking about ruining my fake nails.

left to right, without flash: venus, foxy, walk of shame, naked 2, faint, crave

With Flash

Sunlight

These shades seem pretty light, one might think that they're more for lighter skintones. But even for my medium/medium-light skin (NC25-30). Five matte shades and one shimmery highlight shade; I love ALL of these. My favourite combinations include walk of shame as an allover wash, and then naked 2 as more colour on the lid; or naked 2 as an allover, contouring with faint and then any of the lighter shadows as a brow highlight. Crave makes a fantastic liner too, it looks great on the lower lash line too, it's not too black, but more of a brown-black so it doesn't look too harsh. The two lighter matte shades foxy and walk of shame work well as neutralizing shades on the lid, with foxy being yellow toned and walk of shame more pink. The payoff for foxy is not as good as the other shades in the palette, though, and crave wouldn't work as well as a base shadow I don't think. But definitely naked 2 is my favourite shade out of the palette, looks fantastic on the eyes to add a bit of depth, it's a nice light taupe-y colour, perfect for the "nude" look.

Really, this was the best palette that I could have received, considering how much I've been using it now, I can easily see myself using this a lot more in the future, especially taking this with me when travelling time comes around. Feels very sleek and luxurious, so I'm quite lucky to have gotten my hands on this baby.

This was purchased for me (by my mother) from Sephora for US$27, available here.

Stila One-Step Correct Review

I previously picked up the Stila One-Step Correct Skin Tone Correcting, Brightening Serum (as hauled in this post) and have been trying it out for the past couple weeks, I think it's due for an update and a review. 

Now, this primer is, as the name implies, an all-in-one colour-correcting primer. It has green to counteract redness, pink to counteract blue tones and lavender to brighten the skin. It's also a silicone based serum, so it will help to minimize the look of pores, fine lines and wrinkles and also will help to control oil.

Why do my hands look so filthy old. One little dollop of the primer.

Spread out to a weird green colour. You can see that it's silicone based due to the texture.

Smoothed out, not quite covering but a bit of brightening.

I've been using this practically everyday since I got it, and while the effect is pretty okay, it feels very smooth on the skin, but the colour-correcting powers aren't quite there. I didn't really see it helping to make my makeup stay any longer (maybe a smidgen more), but it does help with application, and brightens the skin slightly beforehand. On the positive side too, it doesn't feel heavy at all on the skin, unlike some other silicone primers.

If you're looking for a colour-correcting primer, this probably wouldn't do the job. But, if you're looking for a primer to help ease application of makeup, i.e. to smooth your face and a small bit of evening out skin tone, this would be adequate. It also has a satin finish, not quite matte in my opinion, but it does look very natural and helps you to look pulled together. 


I purchased this from BeautyBay (no longer on the site) for £23.44 (30mL). Also available at Mecca for AU$58.00.

L'oreal EverSleek Precious Oil Treatment Review

After running out of all of my numerous hair serums and oils, I asked the hubby to pop out to the local Priceline and pick me one up, with my only instruction being "I like oils more than serums... Maybe something by L'oreal?". He came back with a new L'oreal hair oil, the EverSleek Precious Oil Treatment with Argan Oil from Morocco. Well, if anyone hasn't already heard the benefits of argan oil for the hair, it is a very good hydrator and repairer for dry, damaged hair, all the while making it sleek, shiny and smooth.

Already being impressed with a number of the new products that L'oreal has been releasing as of late, this one had high hopes for me. The packaging itself is more of their high-street range, being that it's a plastic-y bottle with a plastic-y pump. It would fair well for travelling though, as it won't shatter, but I've always had trouble with products leeking and am scared that might be the case with this. I'm not too sure of the cost, as the boyfriend wouldn't let me pay him back for it, but it's a nice 115mL bottle, so it should last me a couple of months. Unless I love it, then maybe a bit less, as what happened with my previous L'oreal Elvive Extraordinary Hair Oils. Yes, more than one.

The oil itself is very yellow, not too much of a scent to it, and maybe slightly thicker than regular oils, but really no where as thick as a serum. And the verdict after using this for about two or three weeks now? I love it. It's actually one of the best oils I've ever tried to be honest, and that beats out my high-end Bumble and Bumble Hair dresser oil. You only need about two pumps to cover your hair (as opposed to the regular 4-6 pumps I use for other oils) and it absorbs it so well. Though it should be noted that it doesn't absorb quite as well on dry hair, as it is meant for damp/wet hair. Considering that I don't use conditioner anymore, just after shower care, this really holds up very well and makes my hair so soft too. 

Really quite pleased with this product, even a little shocked when I first tried it at how well it worked, even on my damaged, heavily dyed hair. My hair feels the healthiest it's been for a long while now. 

Get glossy get stained

Ah the allure of a gloss, in combination with the lasting power of a stain. Aptly named, the YSL glossy stains are slowly becoming my new favourite thing. They recently recent some new shades (with apparently a slightly different formula) and so, as I don't have a super wearable nude/neutral shade at my disposal, well this seemed like a good opportunity to have my first real dip into the YSL cosmetics world. I picked up one from their original set of colours in Mauve Pigmente (4), and one of the Rebel Nudes in Beige Anarchiste (106). 

Goddamn that packaging

mauve pigmente, beige anarchiste

mauve pigmente

beige anarchiste

Really, who can go past YSL packaging? They really do have a reputation to uphold now and they keep up with it well. For such a colour like gold, it can be, in some circumstances, a bit tacky even though it's gold, but for YSL, it's just luxury. The glossy stains themselves are of a good weight, and a nice size too, not too small, yet just hefty enough to make it handy for application. The rectangular/cuboid prism shape makes it really handy to store too. I'm quite fond of the pointed doe foot applicator, it helps well with accuracy. The product itself applies a bit sticky on the lips, but it's quite comfortable to wear, and while there is definite gloss, it's not too reflective and you won't get that hair stuck on your lips effect. The stain is almost immediately apparent, but of course, eating and drinking will help to wear it away, but it is a nice natural looking stain.

left to right, without flash: mauve pigmente heavy, mauve pigmente blended, beige anarchiste heavy, beige anarchiste blended

With Flash

Natural Sunlight

Glossy Stain in Mauve Pigmente (4)
It looks a bit more wine coloured in the heavy swatch, but it really does make a mauve colored stain on your lips. While this is quite wearable, it would probably be more appropriate for Winter, or the rest of your face being relatively bare. It does apply a bit darker on my lips, but I think it's cause of the natural pigmentation I have, but it really is a nice mauve colour, that leans a tad bit red, and I'm generally not a fan of mauves on me. 

Glossy Stain Rebel Nude in Beige Anarchiste (106)
This one has a tad bit of gold shimmer, but it doesn't really translate on the lips. I can't stop wearing this one since I got it. It is a bit sheerer than the regular glossy stains, not just because of the shade I picked, but also comparing them when I swatched both types in store. The newer ones tend to have a bit of shimmer in them too, whereas the old ones are just the colour. This is the most natural stain on my lips, it just evens them out, maybe add a touch of a nude-y feel to it. The stain is still apparent, and lasts about the same, despite these ones being sheerer. I think I prefer the Rebel Nude range, which is strange because I usually love high pigmented lip products.

Overall, I'm very impressed with these. I love the natural stain it gives and the glossiness is not too glossy, but just enough to look fresh, youthful and professional. There appears to be quite a few shades in the Rebel Nude selection that intrigues me, so if you like a sheerer, more natural looking lip product, then this would be the way to go. 

Nail Polish for Ants

I've never been consistently into nail polish. Sure, I had phases where I wanted to decorate my nails in cute prints and rhinestones, even had pretty long fake acrylic nails (at-home kit) that I did myself. But it always happens for a short moment, and then I start losing the interest to paint my nails and keep them looking prim and professional. But I had wanted the NYC Ballet mini collection by OPI for so dang long and I only recently gave in and acquired it.

My Pointe Exactly
A sheer grey with a tad bit of purple/blue tone to it. While I do love this shade, and have many a time painted a similar hue on my nails, it's a tad too deep to suit with my skintone. An in-between colour, not quite white enough and not quite earl grey enough either, but a single coat would be nice.

Care to Danse?
A pale, lilac pink. Again, it is sheer. Love this shade, it just brightens your nails a bit and adds that "healthy pink" to it too.

Don't Touch My Tutu
A sheer, clean white with maybe a hint of beige. My favourite shade of the lot, I've tried many a time to pull off white nail polish, why didn't I ever try going sheer? Possibly the hardest to apply, along with Care to Danse?, just because it's hard to get it even for someone that is not so super great at painting their nails.

Pirouette My Whistle
Fine silver glitter pieces in a clear base, with larger silver glitter pieces. Adds a really nice sparkle to your nails, I enjoy putting this on top of Don't Touch My Tutu, for that cute looking manicure, but I can imagine this being nice with My Pointe Exactly too.

Two Coats

Three Coats

Well, I think I may have found my everyday nail polishes to reach for. I love that they're all sheer, they add a tiniest bit of gloss to your nails and just look nice and well-made-up.These polishes are really easy to apply too, and I just love the size of the bottles - good for when you're travelling; and, because they are sheer, I think that's what helps them to apply so easily and dry relatively quick too. I know that the pictures look a bit splotchy, but somehow once it dries fully, it evens out a bit and settles, so that makes it great for amateurs like me too. 

I don't own a whole heap of OPI nail polishes, so I'm not sure if this is true for their entire range, but these dried on the nails pretty quickly, and lasted for at least two days without chipping, which is like a record for me! And, god, if I didn't love the ballet inspired names too, being a dancer myself and all. These shades all seem to be performance appropriate to (maybe not quite so much the grey), but really, it just really suits my style perfectly. Very much a professional, simple look.

Supreme Coral

Anyone else intrigued by MAC's So Supreme collection? I so wanted to collect every single item, but I just asked my parents to maybe pick me up a couple pretty ones (considering they are in the States and all, so much cheaper there). But as I was in David Jones the other day, picking up a couple items as a present for my sister-in-law's upcoming 21st, I couldn't get the Sheen Supreme lipstick in Gotta Dash out of my mind. And so I was a bit cheeky, and picked it up as a pick me up.

Look at that gorgeous packaging. The sheen supremes come in a sturdy metallic tube that's perfectly cylindrical. The cap is certain to not slip off, it really locks in and feels so luxurious and weighty. You'll notice, too, that the shape of the bullet itself is flat rather than their usual slanted edge bullet. Although I do like the shape aesthetically, it is a bitch in usefulness. Because the formula is so dang creamy, you need some (read, a lot of) accuracy to apply this neatly. Another issue is that, although it is buildable, it really does settle into the lines of your lips and highlight any flakiness, so you will need to exfoliate and prep properly beforehand.

left to right, without flash: heavily swatched (basically once), blended swatch

With Flash

Natural Sunlight

MAC describes Gotta Dash as pale clean coral and that's pretty much how I see it. In some lighting it appears a bit more peachy, but it is pale and it is clean and, if applied with care, it looks really nice, not quite neutral but not too bright either. It has a slight glossy sheen to it (ah, that's why they call it that), but, as I said before, it's buildable and can be fully opaque. 

I'm actually glad I limited myself to only one of the Sheen Supreme lipsticks (I asked my parents for a couple of the glosses instead). This lipstick really is difficult for me to apply, what with the extra exfoliating and care before hand, and the care to apply the lipstick where it should be. Funny that this is called Gotta Dash, but it won't be easy to apply in a rush. The colour is absolutely lovely though, perfect for everyday work or class, and it suits really nicely with Spring and Summer coming up. Just only if it wasn't so creamy.