I decided to try out a 90's grunge inspired look - brownish red lips, full brows and a grey-brown smokey eye. Totally matte face and no blush needed.
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Chocolate Velvet. I purchased this prior to finding out that Revlon was shipping to China. It's a really great colour, however I won't be repurchasing.
Hey guys! This year I decided to cosplay as Tsubaki Kasugano from Mirai Nikki for Armageddon. I filmed a short Get Ready With Me video. There are parts missing from when my camera ran out of battery >_> I hope you guys don't mind! If anyone went to Armageddon Auckland this year, please tell me how your experience was!
When we say cocoa powder, we usually think of chocolate cake and triple chocolate fudge cookies. Of course, cocoa powder makes for a really simple and affordable beauty product for many different uses, including as a mask!
I'm going to show you three really simple ways to use cocoa powder in your beauty/makeup routine. Don't forget to treat yourself to a bit of chocolate after.
1. Contour
Cocoa powder is the perfect brown colour for most skin tones to use as a contour. It's not too orange and just dark enough to create a shadow in areas you want to recede in your face. Cocoa powder is also very pigmented, so use a densely packed brush and a light hand. Add this to below your cheeks, on your temples, your jawline or even the sides of your nose for a bit of a bronzed touch and a chiseled face.
(Before)
(After. My camera doesn't do justice to how pigmented this stuff really is.)
2. Brow Powder
Since cocoa powder could irritate the lids of our sensitive skinned sisters, a safer way to use it on our eyes is on our brows. The chocolate colour is perfect for those of us who have darker hair. Tip: Use an eye primer on your brows before adding powder for stronger pigmentation and lasting power.
3. Dry Shampoo
Greasy locks? Normal dry shampoo giving your gorgeous dark hair a grey cast? Why not use cocoa powder? It smells great, soaks up the oils on the roots of your hair and doesn't live a white residue. You can use this with either a face brush to dab on the roots of your hair or rub a small amount into your scalp. For a full tutorial on how to make your own DIY Dry Shampoo (featuring cocoa powder), click here!
So there you go! Three easy ways to incorporate cocoa powder into your beauty routine. It's cheap and it's pretty effective. I've noticed that the cocoa powder as bronzer lasts on my combination skin for a good couple of hours (4 or 5). Because it's so pigmented, you won't really notice the fade until later on. Brow powders seem to always fade on me (I need a brow pencil!) but for those who have normal/dry skin, it will probably hold up pretty well.
Hope you all are having a wonderful day! I'll see you in my next post.
Have you tried cocoa powder in your beauty routine? Let me know below!
Hey guys! I've got another review for you - this time it's on a pair of circle lenses I purchased off Eyecandy's.
Quick Pros: ♥ Comfortable ♥ Gives dolly-eyed effect, despite being 14mm ♥ Quick shipping Quick Cons: ♥ Colour is only brightest in direct light
I'll be going to Armageddon at the end of the month and I'll be cosplaying, thus I bought a pair of violet lenses for my cosplay. I also needed another pair of circle lenses because my other black ones aren't that great - big, uncomfortable and have transparent speckles in them (I think they were meant to mimic 'eye sparkles' but it didn't show up that way). Let's talk about Eyecandy's first. I really liked their service and their wide range of circle lenses. The ordering and billing was quick and easy, plus they had options for credit card payment rather than just Paypal. The shipping was quite quick in my opinion. They came in less than a month. My lenses came with a free lens case and plastic tweezers(yay!), which is part of an offer they're doing right now. This means I don't have to purchase another lens case seperately. The lenses are awesome. They are soft and comfortable to wear because they have a small diameter (14mm). I really enjoy wearing these lenses for days when I'm going out too, because they're so light. They can go for quite a long time before they start to dry out, but that's usually when I'm supposed to take them out (about 6-8 hours). The colour is the most vibrant when light is coming from a direct source (e.g. a bright sunny day or from a desk lamp). In darker lit places the lenses just come off as almost black. My eyes are naturally dark, so they do come off darker than in the pictures Eyecandy's provides. They have a black rim around them which gives your eyes a doll-like or anime-like look. Overall, I really liked Eyecandy's customer service and I am enjoying my contact lenses very much. I will definitely purchase from them again. If you're looking for a pair of bold violet circle lenses, these are for you!
Have you shopped from Eyecandy's? Or other circle lenses from the Geo Bella Violet range? Please let me know!
Looking for some great eye brushes on a budget? Look no further!
Quick Pros: ♥ Budget friendly ^_^ ♥ Do not shed ♥ Dense ♥ Soft ♥ Cruelty free ♥ Made with sustainable materials
Quick Cons: ♥ Perhaps they won't last as long as MAC or Sigma brushes? Hm.... ♥ Otherwise, none! I am super impressed with these eyeshadow brushes from EcoTools. After a tedious search for cruelty-free, non animal-hair brushes, I found these. And I'm so glad I found them. EcoTools's eyeshadow brushes are top quality - made with full, dense bristles for packing on colour, while still being soft enough to blend things out. The Essential Eye Set comes with 5 brushes and a cloth baggy to keep your brushes in.
Large Eye Brush: A densely packed brush, great for packing your eyeshadow onto your lids. It is quite large, so those who have smaller lids might need to use a smaller brush.
Angled Crease Brush: Another thick and large brush. This one does what it says - it really works to get colour onto your outer-V and crease.
Highlighting Brush: A soft, fluffy brush great for blending out eyeshadows
Petite Eye Shading Brush: A great brush for smaller eyelids, or, adding a highlight to your inner corners.
Smudge Brush: The size is perfect for smudging eyeshadows under the eye.
I honestly have nothing bad to say about these brushes. They don't shed any hairs and they're made with sustainable resources. I love them!
Have you tried this product out? What did you think? Leave a comment below!
Hey there! I'm back with a review on a lovely little gem I discovered while searching for an Urban Decay Naked Palette dupe.
Quick Pros: ♥ Cheap for a palette of 9 colours (approx. $11 NZD) ♥ Cute packaging! ♥ Gorgeous neutral shades ♥ Shimmery without chunks of glitter in the formula ♥ Blends well ♥ Paraben free ♥ Cruelty free Quick Cons: ♥ Lighter shadows aren't very pigmented ♥ Not the same buttery, silky texture as TheBalm eyeshadows ♥ All shimmer - no matte shades
(Product swatched over white eyeliner. Hopefully you can see!)
The Urban Decay Naked Palette and it's sister Naked Palette 2 are some of the most sought after eyeshadow palettes in the beauty world. With their strong pigmentation and buttery texture, beauty addicts love this product.
However, I'm just a student with a budge to uphold. I can't really afford to splurge on things, especially when the Naked Palettes are sold at over $100 in New Zealand (cries).I've sought out for some good dupes for the Naked Palette itself, and I found this Physician's Formula palette.
What I love about this palette is the range of shades they offer. For nine shades, you get a selection of cool and warm shades, all which are really nice to blend and don't flake and have much fall out. The finish of these eyeshadows is really great - they aren't some tacky glittery eyeshadow nightmare that we've all seen. These give off a soft shimmery finish - if anything, metallic, without being over the top. I've found myself able to create a wide variety of looks with just this palette (anyone looking for a tutorial?).
This is a great neutral palette for anyone who wishes for some shimmery eyeshadows - seeing as there are no matte shades in this palette.
To top it off, it's paraben-free! Great for those out there who are wary of what goes into their cosmetics. Have you tried this product out? What did you think? Leave a comment below!
Hey there folks! Since I was needing a good matte bronzer for my make up collection, I picked this up a few months ago. Now that I've really tried out this product, I'm here with a review.
Quick Pros: ♥ Inexpensive ♥ Matte with a tiny hint of shimmer ♥ Cruelty Free ♥ Does not irritate the skin ♥ Does not break me out
Quick Cons ♥ Can be a little orange on fairer skin tones ♥ Needs a couple swirls for full pigmentation
I think this is a great bronzer for any girl on a budget. It's under $20 and it works great as a staple bronzer. I use this bronzer with a nice dense blush brush for the most colour pay off when I really want to contour. You'll need to swirl your brush around in the product a few times before you get a nice deep colour. However, for an everyday, light sun-kissed glow, one swirl and a soft dust all over the face should be fine. I really don't have anything bad to say about this bronzer. It's matte so it looks quite natural on the skin and the colour suits most skin types. If you have very fair skin, e.g. NC15 and below, this could look a bit orange. The product is in powder form and it does not flake or become dusty. The product is densely packed into a neat little compact. Overall, if you're looking for a good, cheap bronzer, this is the one for you! I'm keen to try out other products by Designer Brands. They seem to offer good quality product for their price. Have you tried this product out? What did you think? Leave a comment below!
I've been dying to get my hands on this product ever since I saw gossmakeupartist's video which highlights on using powder foundation to cover large areas of imperfections. This product is a dead on dupe for MAC's Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation. While MAC's costs around $60 in New Zealand, you can get Australis's for $20.50 instead.
Quick Pros: ♥ Inexpensive ♥ A matte face powder ♥ Controls oil ♥ Medium coverage ♥ Cruelty free
Quick Cons: ♥ Not full coverage ♥ Only available in 3 shades ♥ Not suitable for dry skin ♥ No SPF
You know you've enjoyed a product when you buy it once, use it up and buy it again. Well, that's what happened with me and this product. I personally think powder foundation is great since it's easy to apply and take with you for touch ups. This powder provides a solid medium coverage when used alone - covering minor blemishes and evening out skin tone. Combined with another foundation it can provide you with full coverage.
My shade is in Deep Natural - one of three shades. The shade selection isn't very wide, unfortunately, catering to those with fair to tanned skin tones.
The powder itself was created to control oil and it does just that. I usually get oily on my forehead on my T-Zone and I've had about 4 hours of wear before needing to touch up. However, when your face does start to get oily, it gives your skin a nice glow rather than totally matte.
It's almost winter here and when I apply this powder to my cheeks they start to feel a bit dry, therefore I wouldn't recommend this for those with dry skin. For those with oily to combination skin, this product is perfect for controlling unnecessary grease on the face! In winter I'll probably have to use a really good moisturiser with SPF so my face doesn't end up feeling tight.
All in all, this is definitely worth trying out. Especially if you live in NZ and you're strapped on cash. Don't underestimate this little gem by Australis.
Have you tried this product out? What did you think? Leave a comment below!
My name day was on a 21st, I'm finally 16! As a gift for myself, I purchased this popular palette by TheBalm. It's got 9 gorgeous matte shades that are both wearable and fashionable.
Packaging:
The palette comes in a sturdy board case that fits in the palm. I found the palette a bit smaller than expected...but don't all good things come in small sizes?
Shades:
9 shades! What I love about this palette is that every shade is different from each other, from a warm beige to a bright teal. They're all matte, which makes them very wearable.
Product:
The shadows are silky and smooth to the touch and go on smoothly on the eyelid. However, some shades don't have as good pigmentation as the others. Matt Horowitz (a navy blue) and Matt Schilling (a teal) both come off fairly light on the skin if used without a good primer/base. However, the rest of the shades seem to have fine color pay-off.
Overall: 4/5
The palette wasn't as awesome as I expected to be, however, I think its a wonderful item for those looking for an all matte palette. You get one palette with 9 shades, all which vary from different colours, giving you a wide range of options to choose from.
Hey guys! Today I've got a tutorial for you - this one is on how to do a simple winged eyeliner for those of us who have Asian eyes or hooded eyes. Eye makeup has always been my vice because of my eye shape. It's hooded in the inner corners, but not on the outer corners. This makes knowing where to place my eyeshadows and eyeliners extremely difficult. However, upon seeing this picture of Karlie Kloss...
...I decided to recreate this dramatic look into something wearable for hooded eyes! It's somewhere between a simple winged eyeliner and a bold cat-eye. I used liquid liner for this look as it was what I had on hand, however gel eyeliner with a fine tip brush would probably be the best products for creating this look as it's long lasting and dark. Alternatively, you can use a creamy kohl pencil and then layer a matte black eyeshadow on top for staying power.
Keep reading if you want to know how to recreate this look for yourself!
I've already applied a base and a translucent powder to my face. Use your primer on your lids if you have one!
Start by drawing the 'wings' of the eyeliner. Do this by drawing a small line that follows up from the outside corner of your bottom lash line.
Draw a line from where your crease ends to the line you drew before to create a true wing.
Keep your eyes open and draw along your crease. You can choose to draw this all the way into the inner corner or stop 3/4 of the way in.
Fill in your lid with your liquid liner/gel liner/kohl pencil.
I cleaned up the look and sharpened the edges with a q-tip dipped in make-up remover. Apply a matte black eyeshadow over the top of the eyeliner to make it dark and give staying power.
That's it! I added a highlight into my inner corners, filled in my brows, added blush, mascara and some lipstick to complete the look.
Simple, no? Please give this tutorial a try if you've got hooded lids too! Good luck!
Ever since I found out that my Simple facial cleanser was in fact owned by Unilever (WHY, SIMPLE?!), I went out to find a nice, cheap and cruelty free cleanser.
As I was browsing the internet I remembered a small brand called Sukin that Farmers stocked in their beauty department. I immediately rushed down to my nearest mall to check out the brands. They certainly had me in mind - cruelty free and organic skincare that was also affordable and effective. I decided to pick up the Cream cleanser instead of the foaming one, since cleansers that don't lather are less likely to irritate my skin.
Price: $12 (ish, I can't remember properly)
Packaging: 4/5
The cleanser comes in a small, cute little bottle with a pump for dispensing. The bottle itself is environmentally friendly and recyclable. The only trait that knocks a point of is the actual 'unscrewing' the pump - it took me a long time and help from someone else to open up the pump.
Product: 4/5
The cleanser has a strong herbal smell to it, but it's not a smell that will cause migraines. I like the smell - it makes the product feel very natural.
The product has of course, a whit cream-like consistency that's very smooth. It's got a lot of skin-friendly oils on it, but I discovered that one pump makes your face basically waterproof. Half a pump should be enough to cover the entire face and be able to rinse it cleanly.
What I really liked about this product is that it does not leave your skin feeling tight or oily. Skin becomes smooth to the touch and almost like it's been moisturised. I really the feeling it gives.
However, this product can only remove light traces of makeup - say, tinted moisturiser + pencil eyeliner. If you're wearing anything more, you're going to need makeup remover or wipes.
I would recommend this for:
Despite having oily combination skin, I still like this cleanser a lot. It's very gentle and I need moisture in my face because of my constant usage of a acne treatments. I would definitely say that this product will be wonderful for dry skin and normal skin in the winter. Those with combination skin might also like this product, depending on how oily your skin gets. Anyone with sensitive skin or easily irritated skin should probably stay away from this product - it has lavender oil in it, which is a common skin irritant. However, Sukin has their own Sensitive Skin range, so there's something for everybody!
All in all...
I really like this product! It's not too expensive and definitely worth trying out. It hasn't broken me out or irritated my skin which I'm thankful for. It's a wonderful little gem. Have you tried this product? What did you think? Leave a comment below!
New York Fashion Week has passed on by and made a lasting impression on fashionistas worldwide. I was catching up on some videos of those who were lucky enough to attend the event. Moschino and Moschino Cheap & Chic's collections completely stood out to me.
Moschino F/W 2013 Collection
I can happily admit I liked everything from this collection and would wear every item from the collection. The show begins with an array of tartan in rich reds and deep greens. The style can be described as prep-school with it's statement blazers, beautiful blouses and pleated skirts. Equestrian hats were seen on every other model. The hair was simple - swept back into soft chignons and ponytails. Giant gold earrings seemed to be part of the theme too.
After the plaid they go back to basics - with the ever-classic black and white, keeping with the same prepster theme.
The show rounds off with gorgeous reds. I must say I love, love, love the matching red suit and dress.
Moschino Cheap & Chic F/W 2013 Collection
UGH Moschino why so gorgeous? This collection is about statement brilliance! From a leopard print suit to fur to pops of pink, if you want to be seen this Fall/Winter, Moschino Cheap & Chic fits all your needs.
I tend to gravitate towards black, and if you're anything like me, you'll probably fawn over these couple of pieces.
Animal print also seemed to be a trend in this collection. The cut and wear of the leopard print suit almost makes it wearable. But I'd wear it nonetheless - and during the daytime too.
Pink is one of those colours that adds a fresh feel to an outfit. It's youthful and it's vibrant. Moschino makes femininity edgy. I adore shift /60's vibe as they give such a modern shape to the body.
In case you haven't noticed, Moschino also happened to create a creeper with a strap and a heel...embellished with little belts down the calf. It's fantastic. Rosella Jardini, you are amazing.
As for beauty, I love the dark lip most of the models rock. Others had a fierce black cat eye with nude lips. It was all about clean skin and statement one or the other. You can make it wearable for the cooler seasons with a deep plum lipstick, sheer foundation + pink blush for a 'just out of the cold' look, or go for the classic winged eyeliner and nude lips.
That concludes my outlook on both Moschino Fashion Shows! I hope you got some inspiration from these photos because I totally want to rock pink with leopard and black blazers now.
What fashion shows did you like in NYFW? Leave a comment below!
