Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo

If you read beauty blogs you will know that almost everyone who features the Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo adores it, and of course I am no exception.

Amongst the drug store brands there really isn't a very high variety of cream eyeshadows. I have very oily lids so finding one that will stay on is a bit of a mission. And I believe it has ended.

This eyeshadow is the most long lasting shadow of tried in cream form. It comes on very opaque and I just use my fingers to apply it and it dries within about a minute. I had it on from 7 in the morning till around 11 in the evening and it still looked the same as when I put it on. YAY.

I got the shade 'Bad to the Bronze', it kind of looks smoked out when you apply it alone and that appeals to my laziness when I have an early start. 

Mood: impressed 

Sugar Crush

I don't know about you guys, but when it comes to body care products, smell is everything. These were the first two things I bought from Soap & Glory and my decision was finalised based on their hunger inducing scent. 

The Sugar Crush Body Scrub has in it smashed brown sugar, sweet lime, almond oil and macadamia grains and the texture is really thick and grainy which I like in body scrubs. You can really feel it exfoliating your skin and after it washes off I promise you feel smoother than a baby's butt.

Same thing goes with the Sugar Crush Body Buttercream. Also with a VERY yummy lime scent and so moisturising and not sticky at all. I don't know about other users but if I use it in the morning I sorta get the urge to lick myself throughout the day. A little creepy? Maybe, but this is seriously good shit.

Bourjois 'Rose Cupcake'

Bourjois is soon becoming a favourite drug store brand of mine. Their 1 Seconde Nail Polsih comes in a cute little variety of colours and the brush is quite thick, so you get most of the nail in one careful sweep. 

I got the shade 'Rose Cupcake', it's much brighter on than it looks in the bottle, and they go on ridiculously smooth. 

They're on sale at Priceline at the moment for $9 and I'm not sure how long that lasts for so don't be crazy and get one.

MAC Palette Construction

If MAC is a brand that you have no interest in (are you sick?!) there's one thing they offer that has got to tickle your fancy, their Pro Palettes. 

They're just empty eyeshadow palettes that you can get in different sizes and you just pick shades you love that you can get in the refill pan or de-pot the ones you have and pop them in. They also do this with their blushes and it's such a cool idea because I find with most palettes I buy I tend to stick with some colours more than others. Problem averted.

I got the empty quad and to fill it 'Naked Lunch' and 'Sable'. They're really good everyday shades and go well together. However they're looking pretty lonely next to the empty spaces, and I've got my eye on a few (15, actually) shadows that I think will work well with the brown theme I've got going on. I can feel another trip to MAC in the near future.

I also bought a paint pot in 'Painterly' as a base, and a travel sized Fix+, which I have no idea how to use so if you have any idea please let me know.

The Review #1

Since I've started wearing makeup the only brushes I've ever used were either Sigma or MAC. I bought the Sigma 'Make me Crazy' set first, and then I bought the F80 kabuki brush for my foundation, a highlighting brush and blush brush to complete my set. I also have a a few eyeshadow brushes from MAC which were a little treat to myself. 

I've seen the Real Techniques brushes for a while but never thought to pick them up or try them because I was content with my own little set and also because they are ridiculously overpriced in Australia.

I got two to start with, the powder brush and the blush brush. I have to say I'm so impressed with the quality of these brushes they are seriously giving my Sigma faithfuls a run for their money. They are so soft and each brush is synthetic and washes so well (my Sigma brushes take so long to dry). 

I've found a site called iHerb.com which has all the individual brushes and sets for the American price and they only charge $8 shipping to Australia (bargain). They're so cheap and amazing. I have 100% been converted.

The Makeup #1

Who else gets excited when you find makeup that you've forgotten about? 

Uh, everyone!

This MAC eyeshadow in 'Banshee' was limited edition (found on eBay) and is a dirty pink/brown shade. It is a lustre finish so that means lots of shimmer. 
I packed that all over my lids and blended with my beloved 'Teddy' eyeliner on the top lash line and outer corners of my bottom water line. 

Next I applied a lot of Mega Plush mascara and to finish the look, I applied Nars satin lip pencil in 'Rikugien' which is one of the easiest shades to wear and enhances your natural lip colour. 

Bourjois Lip Crayons

I've never bought anything from Bourjois before or had any interest in it but the cuteness of these lipsticks drew me in and I had to try them. 

I love a good crayon-like lip product because they're easy to apply and you can just chuck them in your bag and touch up on the go. These Color Boost Lip Crayons are so smooth, feel amazing on the lips and have a really nice glossy finish. They come in four shades, Peach on the Beach, Orange Punch, Fuchsia Libre and Red Sunrise (which was sold out so I'll have to go searching for it), and are SPF 15. The colour pay off on these are way too impressive especially for a crayon, and last for ages.

Fuchsia Libre is definitely my favourite and I think they'll be really good in summer when your'e taking your makeup from a day to night look.

Bioderma + Hydraluron

Most of the time I'm a little late to jump on the bandwagon with skin products. My skins very temperamental. I had bad acne throughout high school and now it's quite oily and I have a bit of scarring (like the acne wasn't bad enough right?!). Before I use something that's getting heaps of praise I do my research, check the ingredients and of course check that it's been beauty blogger approved.

Almost everyone in the beauty world has a bottle of Bioderma Crealine H20 Solution in their makeup kits. I was using makeup wipes to remove my makeup at night and I was always left with panda eyes in the morning. Bioderma gets rid of every trace of stubborn mascara which I LOVE and all the makeup on your face. I just dampen a cotton wool pad with it a wipe all over my face before cleansing.
Hopefully I'll be able to find a bigger bottle of the stuff.

The Hydraluron from Indeed Labs is the best skincare product I've ever used, hands down, ever! It's a serum which maximises your skins ability to retain moisture. It does EXACTLY what it says on the bottle and it works instantly. I've only been using this for the past four days and I'm hooked! My makeup lasts so much longer throughout the day and I hardly get shiny in my t-zone like I did before. 
Everyone of every age should be using this product. Everyday, until you die. 

Essie Chinchilly

During the week I head to Priceline  to look for new products to feature on my blog. It's conveniently close to where I work which I'm starting to realise is a bit dangerous for me. 

The other day as I was searching through the aisles on my beauty mission, I almost peed my pants with excitement when I noticed a stand full of brand new Essie nail polishes. 

Finally! After I calmed myself down I was looking through and they ALL looked cute but I opted for 'Chinchilly'. It's sort of like a deep grey/mauve/purpley colour thats looks a bit different in certain lights. It's very sophisticated and a nice change from my usual pink-red-black rotation. 

They're not available to buy online yet so if you've got some spare time, I'd recommend going into a store and having a look.

Now the question remains: exactly how many of these will I accumulate before the years end?

Dr Bronner's Magic Soap

Every week or so I like to give my brushes a really deep clean. Up until last week I was using just a normal facial cleanser when I took them to the bathroom sink spa. 

It did an okay job but I wasn't really 100% happy with it so after hearing about the Dr Bronner's Magic Soap I decided to try it. There are a few different ones, I picked up 'baby mild'.

What I do is wet my hand with warm water, put a small 5 cent piece amount in my palm, and swish my brush in it until all the makeup is gone. Then I rinse my brush under the tap with the handle facing down. This is really important because if your brush faces upward it allows the water to go inside, and will cause the hairs to loosen and shed. I always squeeze the excess water out, and lay them flat over a bench to dry overnight. I also reshape them while they're damp. 

The magic soap makes brush cleaning so easy, and is also good for people who have allergies or sensitive skin (and of course babies) as it's unscented and organic.