Thursday 22 December 2011

Finally a break...

Today was my last day of work for 2 whole weeks.  In the next 2 weeks I plan to spend a bit of time getting this blog up to date and writing a few things, because I have more time now I will of course be wearing  more makeup, and probably not quite as work acceptable colours.... For the next few weeks I plan to really get into some of the samples I have, I've got a few pigment samples from a few "Indie" brands and I'm looking forward to trying them and sharing my journey on here. 
I love "Indie" makeup, its a whole other world of colour and creativity.  More often than not they offer samples that are super cheap, the postage is usually VERY reasonable and obviously they mail internationally, all of this means its a great way of trying out a brand/colour and if you love it you can buy a full size jar, some companies even offer you the discount of your sample when you do this.  Its excellent incentive to support the little guys, and remember, some of my most loved brands such as Lime Crime and Sugarpill were one 'the little guys' and now are pretty well known and giving bigger brands a run for their money, not only that, both these brands AND the others I plan to showcase put real emphasis on colour and originality, if you're looking for the perfect neutrals for a 'natural' look, these are not your kind of makeup brands.

Sunday 18 December 2011

Try me for FREE - my fave word!

A while ago, I bought some things from a blog sale, included in the package were some mineral pigments.  Last night I was sorting through them and decided to give them a try. WELL, there was one which i have decided is my now 'go to' colour, its basically brown but with this BEAUTIFUL green shimmer to it.  Then today, I decided to research the company name "Everyday Minerals" and see if I can buy a full size jar of this colour, turns out I can't as they no longer sell it BUT what I did discover is that you can pick a little selection of samples to try WITHOUT buying anything else, all you have to do is pay for postage, which is about $3.  You get to pick your items from a range of products- foundations, blush, eye shadows etc and from a few colours within those products.  Seems like a great idea to me so I'm going to give it a try.  If you think it might be worth the $3 to try new and cool stuff, you can find it here.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Everyone loves a sale...

We all know I love Medusa's Makeup.  Currently they have a 'sale' of sorts on.
Just use the code 'rocknroll' at the check out to get your 15% off.  Not sure how long this code will be vaild for so just give it a try.

This is a great opportunity to try some of their great products at a reduced price!!!

Bellapierre; most certainly bella.

Mineral makeup isn't new, it is just suddenly readily available.  During one of my spending sprees on OzsaleBuy Invite or Brands Exclusive (I forget which one but all 3 regularly carry the products) I purchased a Bellapierre 'Get Started Kit', because it looked cool, and it seemed like a good buy for 4 products and 3 brushes. 
When it arrived I was excited, but when I opened the box and saw a DVD, it put me off, I mean, what the hell kind of product comes with an instructional DVD? Terrifying.

This evening I decided to bite the bullet and watch the DVD, most of it was promotional blurb, which is annoying, I've already bought the product, stop trying to sell it to me.
However I did get a helpful tip, use the concealer brush to do under the eyes first, really I thought, a powder concealer? hmmm...

So I followed the basic instructions; powder on brush, tap, buff etc WOW, I was amazed, not convinced by my opinion I did what any self respecting makeup fanatic would do....I did half my face and asked my mum for her opinion...she's not backwards about disliking many of the makeup looks I create, she is at least nice enough to say things like 'well, it wouldn't be my taste, but I suppose you can get away with it' or 'mm hmm' which I firmly believe is her version of "if you have nothing nice to say...say nothing" NOT THIS TIME this time, I got 'I agree, it looks good, come closer, yeah, its fabulous, I'll let you do my makeup with that sometime' Well, you can't get better praise than that in this house.

I have got some other things by the same company, some glitter and a liquid liner you can dunk in them to create any colour liner, eventually I'll try those, but in the mean time, I'm pretty happy with this lot. 

A few things worth mentioning; is that this kit is unlikely to ever be a 'just throw it on in the morning' type makeup, its too messy to do quickly, although, it doesn't exactly take ages.  I also believe there is a pressed version available for quick mess free application.  All details can be found on the Bellapierre website.

Finally just to give a further example of how much I liked how this looked, I took a heap of pictures to show but they all sucked due to bad lighting, but, I was willing to show my face....

Oh, and powder concealer... yes, it works, under eyes, blemishes all manner of sins, who'd have thunk it....

Picture courtesy of Bellapierre because my photos refused to load but I had to rave about this product.

NB: I've just checked the website, it says this kit retails for $200.... I DID NOT PAY THAT. So, if you're interested, keep your eyes open for the deals.  Now I know how good it is I will too, I'll post on my twitter if I spot a sale.

Monday 14 November 2011

Number 10.

I'm not naming names here, I don't name and shame in public....but recently I bought a lipstick I thought would be my number 1.  I'm constantly looking for the perfect red and I thought this was it.  I tried the tester then had to go to 4 different shops because they were all out. 
Brilliant colour, great finish, good price, BAD TASTE in my mouth. 
I love a long lasting lippie as much as the next slightly-lazy-likely-to-be-drinking-wine-and-therefore-forget/fail-the reapplying-process BUT why? oh why? oh why? do they have to leave such an awful taste in your mouth and the back of your throat?  I wore mine all night, I did have a few alcoholic drinks which no doubt made the staying power falter, and that in turn perhaps meant I consumed more lippie than normal, but surely when they develop lippie they expect this?  Are you seriously expected to wear BRIGHT RED lip stick just to stay at home and look pretty, don't talk...don't move, don't touch that glass...I doubt it, especially if it is advertised by a model particularly known for her partying...(I could make a statement about not putting lipstick up your nose, but you know, its too easy) anyway, when I got home I brushed my teeth TWICE and rinsed with mouthwash, it was still there...creepily creeping.


OK so maybe the trek to 4 different shops built this product up in my mind, and maybe I should give it a 2nd chance when I'm not out, or at least not out having drinks... maybe it  IS worth a 2nd try, that's just HOW MUCH I love this colour.


OK, sorry, rant over.

Jozelle Alginate & Vitamin E Mask

I was lucky enough to get to review a product for Makeupnet recently, it was a Jozelle Alginate & Vitamin E Mask.
Here's what I said:
The mask itself was easy to make up once you got passed the technical terms used in the instructions,  I’m a scientist so I understood them fully but sadly I do not have access to a still at home to use distilled water, so given we are on tank water I opted for cooled boiled water as this was the purest I could manage.  Given the basis of the mask and the warnings about seafood allergies I expected a seaweedy smell at the very least but was pleasantly surprised to find it was just really clean smelling, light and fresh.
Application of the mask was easy and quite fun too, it was lovely and cooling when placed on the face, once it started to dry it began to tighten but it was a gentle tightening feeling rather than something harsh like a lot of peel off masks.  We waited a little while and then peeling off the mask time.  This bit was fun in a creepy way.  On the inside of the mask it was visible where it had been, every pore and line appeared.  On my skin it felt smooth and lovely but the real magic was when I took it off my mother’s 60+, somewhat sun damaged face and the difference was visible immediately.  The skin appeared lighter and certainly visibly smoother, any redness had gone and I certainly believe a few of the lines,  I was amazed.  Needless to say I jumped onto the computer to see how much this mask would set us back, I was pleasantly surprised to see it was not going to cost an arm and a leg.
Sadly the following morning most of the magic hard worn off but the smoothness and the lack of redness was still visible.  Given the time this mask took to make up, apply and use I was very pleased with the results and will certainly be buying it in the future.

Yes yes readers, a little more formal than my usual rants about stuff I like, but remember, I was a guest in someone else's blog....
Anyway, it was an amazing mask, anyone who knows me knows I'm not selling my fake opinion...

Trying to be organised...

I do try to be organised and these babies help A LOT!
This is a Z-Palette, its a fully customisable palette with a magnetic base, it means you can de-pot your shadows and blushes and put them all in this one place(or in my case, 4 places).  They have a clear top so you can see your colours and they will hold about 28 MAC sized shadows but you can obviously place any size of shape of shadow in these, which means you can buy refills which are so much cheaper.  If the pans are not magnetic you will need some magnetic tape of paper, you can get them from the website of try your local craft store.

All the information and to buy them go to the Z-Palette website and international shipping is available.  For an extra 10% off, find these guys on Facebook and 'like' them. 

If you have even just a few eye shadows but you're sick of opening and closing them when creating a look, these are well worth looking into.

More Beauty on a Budget

DB is a relatively new, low budget brand but I LOVE IT.  I recently partook in an international makeup swap (as soon as I get my goodies, expect pictures! see what Glamtrotter says here) I wanted a good mix of brands, so I sent some beloved Furless brushes, some Chi Chi and some Australis, because it practically has Australia in the name (it was all going to the US) and some DB just to make it up to the dollar amount we had agreed on.  The feed back on the highlighter was phenomenal, Amber compared it with Benefit High Beam, which retails in Australia for around $50+ price range, the DB one was free with purchase, but nothing in the DB range is over $20.

Recently, I've been trying their eye makeup.
This palette came with a free eye primer so I can comment on its performance too.
These eye shadows are really pigmented.  I'm so in love with the pink I even wore it to work.

They're great and really really affordable.  (If memory serves me right they were abourt $6)

The eye primer is good, between the primer and the quality if these shadows my eye makeup manged a full work day and then some, so over 12 hrs.  It feels a little slimy on your fingers and I will admit it feels sticky on the lids at first, but then I'm used to UD Primer Potion and Too Faced Shadow Insurance so I'm probably being overly critical.  I couldn't find the price on a shadow primer but as the rest of the line is pretty cheap I think its safe to assume this will be too.  I personally have decided that this primer is wonderful for every day and I can preserve my UD and Too Faced for the times when I REALLY need a hard working primer.

On the whole you can't go wrong with these shadows.  They are priced well enough that even if you only want a specific colour for 1 night they it won't break the bank.

Makeup Sources

I have always believed that the source of makeup does not determine its quality, I've had some super expensive eyeshadows which lack pigment, and I've had some cheap ones that rocked socks... 
I refuse to believe that 'Drug-store' brands such as those you will find in your local chemist, Target or K-mart are of any less value to a makeup lover than the likes of MAC, Urban Decay or Too Faced.  I think they all have a place,  To be honest, if I gave up on the 'drug-store' brands I'd have nowhere to buy makeup locally (well almost). 

If I read in a blog 'I don't believe in drug-store brands' I close it.  In Australia, the difference between a Revlon lip stick and a MAC one could be as little as $10.  The truth is that makeup is expensive here, and with that I present "Kink"

Kink is sold at Coles, which means its easy to get and so totally goes down as 'grocery items' in your budget right?

At about $6 each and more often than not, on a 3 for 2 special (ooo free) that makes them incredibly affordable.  Sadly the 3rd picture of my nice neutral coloured eyeshadow in its packet didn't load BUT i have this:

Its a really nice neutral beige light brown (i don't like the work beige) with a hint of sparkle about it.  I love if for under any colour and as an all over lid colour for work.  Its simple, clean but with just a little shimmer.

Cheap and functional, perfect for an every day eyeshadow.  Check out Kink at your local Coles There is no way to write that and it not sound seedy.  Silly name, good product, check it out.

Limecrime Haul and Review

Firstly, unless you have had your head in the sand, you have probably seen HEAPS about Limecrime, probably because they are brilliant.
They are available from a few online stores but i chose to get most of my things from the Limecrime website.  They have some amazing colours of eyeshadows but also some rather unique lip sticks. 
Firstly they arrive in a cool box.  I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but if the cover is cool its OK right?
Excuse the blurriness, my camera only seems to make things blurry when the detail is required....

I bought 5 'Magic Dusts':
Troubadour; which is a lovely light teal sort of colour. 
Empress; which I can best describe as a sparkly lush 'Cadbury' dark purple.
Medusa; which is a sort of black shot with blue and silver shimmers.
Mirror Mirror; which is a true sparkly silver.
Twilight; which is a lovely sparkly lavender colour.


Again, sorry about the blurry but the colours should be clear enough.

I love these products, my only wish is that they had been around when I was younger and had more time to use them, I don't think my work would be too impressed if I showed up in Troubadour and Empress...although I might do it one Friday just for fun.

Another note about these products is they are all vegan and completely cruelty free.

If you like your colours, and experimenting with them, these are well worth a try, if you are looking for conservative makeup that won't offend your boss, please see my next post.

Not a Lip Gloss Lady.

I can't wear white, I always get it dirty, I can't get out of a car with my knees together, I said the "F word" ALOT so it probably comes as no surprise I'm not the girliest girl.  With my inability to act like a lady I have also grown to dislike lip gloss....I'm getting there, but I just can't take the sticky feeling, I CAN NOT un-stick my hair from it without looking stupid....I'm not a fan.... BUT THEN Furless came to my rescue.  We all know I can't rave more about their products, I send them to strangers in other lands (here's the proof) I share their posts on Facebook to advertise them to my international friends, I LOVE their products. 
Included in one of my orders was a lip gloss, a Pout Glamour lip gloss to be precise, I tried it- its free, can't hurt.  OMG its lovely, sort of minty and NOT STICKY!!!! It doesn't have a colour written on it but its lush.  Well worth a go...

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Benetint...not as embarrassed as I thought I'd look...

It's been a while, I do appologise.  By way of an official appology i'm going to review a new (to me) find (OK it was a while ago now, but I was so smitten I didn't want to share yet).
Benefit Benetint
I'd seen this product on the benefit website, it's a lip and cheek stain, I have steered away from it because of the stain factor.  I always expect this to go wrongly and end up looking like I was highly embarrassed by something.
I had my mind changed for me when I was at the Benefit counter in Myer and the lovely lass there offered me a free mini makeover.  One of the products she used was this.  I WAS IN LOVE. So so so easy to use and left not only a lovely hint of colour (reapply to make it deeper) but a sort fo sheen over the top of my cheek bones.  I literally kept checking it out in the mirror in the car (thankfully I was not driving) and turning to my mum and saying 'I really do love this cheek stuff' even my mother, who wears makeup perhaps, twice a year and every time its applied by me, agreed.
As well as using it for your cheeks you can use it to tint your lips, it give it a very lovely 'just into a warm room after the snow' look, mainly due to its transparancy. 
I now use it every day.  You simply put a few spots on the apples of you cheeks and rub it in. So easy, so fast, so lovely.
You can get this product from the Benefit counter at most Myer stores or you can get it straight from the Benefit website, remember; free international shipping on goods over $125 purchased from Benefit, straight to your door.
Interesting fact about this product, it was developed for an exotic dancer who wanted a nipple stain.  It is now one of Benefit's top sellers. True Story.

Thursday 29 September 2011

So You Say You Want A Revolution...

Woo... a product review.
This week's product review comes in the shape of an Urban Decay "Revolution" eyelash curler.  On the whole, I don't bother with eyelash curlers because mascara being what it is these days, the need isn't the same as it used to be, having said that, I have yet to find a waterproof mascara that curls like the others. 

I have a fear of lash curlers, I pretty much cannot use them without catching my eye lid, usually this isn't in the curler itself but rather the sides of it.  When researching Urban Decay products I stumbled across the "Revolution" I watched the promo video (you can see it here) and I was well an truly sucked in.
It is hard to see in that picture but this curler has no sides to the actual curling part.  It does look like a torture instrument BUT it does what is claimed although it is still more than possible to catch your eyelids but its MUCH less likely.  The other clever thing about this curler having no sides to it is that if you have small eye or even big eyes you can easily use it in sections rather than, like the website says a 'one size fits all' curler.
This is a better view of the curling part and the missing sides.  It works by using springs and is really a clever little design. 

As far as eye lash curlers go its pretty pricey but I love Urban Decay so I bought it and i can safely say that although sucked in by the video I have never been so happy with an eyelash curler.  So far I haven't nipped my eye lids once.  So they're pretty happy too.  Strangely though, since I bough them I seem to have got free eye lash curlers with everything, so if anyone wants a pair, sing out. :)

Wednesday 28 September 2011

In Love

I'm completely in love with Medusa's makeup.  Their range of colours is amazing as the ability to use the pigments on the lip or as an eye liner (with the aid of some potions) is awesome.  I can't stress how much i love these products.  Also, competely vegan and cruelty free.

Love it!
This week I decided to do a little comparison of 3 readily available, reasonably priced foundations.  I chose 3 different  Maybelline foundations "Dream Liquid Mousse", "Dream Smooth Mousse, and the recently released "Fit Me" foundation.
First off the ranks was "Fit Me", it went on well,  had  nice coverage without looking cakey and a little went a long way, making it great value for money, however by the time I finished work and looked in my rear view mirror there was we little trace of it.  I work a standard 8.5 hr day and so I expect my makeup to manage that at the least, I’m not a gym instructor, where possible I try not to break a sweat at work.  So it’s lasting power was lacking but the colour match was super and I would certainly use it for an evening makeup.  The best thing about this foundation was the feel, not feeling caked on and the worst thing was the open neck bottle so getting a little on to the back of my hand was tricky and messy.

The Next day I tried “Maybelline’s Dream Liquid Mousse”.  Again, went on easily, felt a little heavier and certainly didn't live up to its claim of an air brushed finish (that I never really believed any way).  This one managed a bit better on the full work day. I touch up my powder at lunch with a translucent powder and it seemed ok then but by the time I got to my car my chin was shiney and foundationless.  It did however seem to stay on the rest of my face better than the “Fit Me”. I loved the awesome little pump top so you could get just enough out easily and relatively mess free. The worst was the heavier feel but then if you don’t mind that this is a good product.
Finally I used the Maybelline ‘Dream Smooth Mousse”, I deliberately left this one to last because when I took it out to look at it, it was almost slimy.  I tried to apply it with my foundation brush, having converted to the brush, I'm reluctant to go back by using a sponge.  This stuff just wouldn't work. I had to use the sponge and in doing so ended up with a thicker application. (a bit like trowelling out concrete) It felt a bit masky for my liking but then, for every day, I tend to use a tinted moisturizer set with a powder so it’s nice and light. 
The other problem with the mousse is that there were no testers in the shop(whether this is common or not I am not sure, but it was the case in the store I was in) so I bought the same shade as I had in the other 2 types, it seemed fine in my bathroom but then in the harsh light of the mirror at work it was a little orange, nobody openly called me an orange panda so I’m not sure at all.  The best thing is that it offers a great coverage (whether you like it or not) the worst thing, well either that it needs a sponge to apply it or that it’s in a jar, and the top is screw off so you have 2 pieces, not handy for anything.
So, in conclusion, over the 3 days I tried 3 different foundations, if it wasn't for the fact I desperately wanted to get back to my every day moisturizer I would have tried them out for longer.  I'm always worried when I buy a foundation  than it will end up looking orange, even if I do try the 3 stripe (good shade, 1 lighter, 1 darker to be sure) thing.  I found that not getting to test the mousse in store was infuriating as I think the colour I selected  made me look a little orange.  Having said that, if you don't mind feeling like you're wearing makeup it did give a lovely coverage.  Not quite air brushed but certainly smooth.  If however you wanted something to even up skin tone and little more, you cannot go past the “Fit Me” as an option.
My personal favorite? Although it didn't do the whole 8 hr of work the Fit Me was my pick of the 3.  I think if I took it with me to potentially re-apply or for an evening makeup, it would be great.

Monday 12 September 2011

Box 'o stuff

My  new find this week was Beauty Box, basically you pay $14.95 a month and they send you a selection of 5 or 6 deluxe sample sized beauty products.  I signed up because at the very least, it means I can write a blog on each and they didn't cost a lot.  I got my first beauty box today.  It looked amazing.


Inside is a little card telling you what your items are and reminding you to review them for a chance to win more stuff.
Then under some lovely tissue paper is all your goodies, this isn't a great picture and I won't list every item that's boring but there is a pretty cool selection of high end and VERY high end branded products.
All in all I think for my $14.95, which includes shipping I'm pretty happy, i just used the tester of the perfume (not due for release until the end of the month) and its GORGEOUS.... just as well i have 3.
:)

Friday 2 September 2011

Where to get the good stuff.

The following is a list of places to get makeup online.  Most of them I have purchased from and will give my opinion of, some of them I have not and I will state, if any, what reasons I have for not doing so.  Basically its to help out anyone who's watched a tutorial and wanted the items used but has no clue where to find them.  They are listed in no particular order. 
  • Makeup Geek Not only is this a perfect definition of myself but its also a brilliant blog.  Has some AMAZING tutorials which include lists of the items used and where to get them.  The other wonderful thing is that it often includes the cheaper alternative, so if a MAC colour was used then they list the closest Nyx colour etc. I buy a few things from the makeup geek store because they do thinks like sell cheap MAC pro pigment samples which are ace but you never need much of, noteworthy products including the Zpalette for $18 rather than the $20 on their own website. SHIPPING: based on what you're buying,   Prices are in US$
  • Lime Crime  Lime Crime is full of brilliant colours and most of their products are vegan and ALL are certified cruelty free.  I have ordered some things from these guys and I will do reviews as they come in.  SHIPPING again is based on your order although if your spend over $100 there is free international shipping and prices are again in US$ The site itself is pretty cool so I've included a picture of the home screen for good measure.
  • Benefit Cosmetics Makers of all sorts of wonderful things.  I have ordered from them and again I'm eagerly awaiting my parcel.  I do own all kinds of Benefit goodies courtesy of eBay. They include 2 free samples with every order and often have other lovely offers.  SHIPPING is based per order unless you spend over $125 in which case its free.  Prices are in US$
  • Too Faced I'm only including these guys because they are brilliant, sadly don't ship to Australia yet.  US, Canada and the UK so I'm hoping Aus isn't too far behind.  Famous for their shadow insurance which again I only own courtesy of eBay but love unconditionally.
  • Medusa's Makeup again similar to Lime Crime, lots of brilliant pigments at reasonable prices.  They also do very well priced large sets aimed at makeup artists, as well as lip gloss and tools, and again similar to Lime Crime most of their products are vegan. SHIPPING is based on items ordered and prices are in US$
  • Furless Brushes Despite the name, these guys sell lots of other items, makeup, very lush lip gloss, -I personally recommend it, lip gloss and I, do not get on, I can't stand spending the whole day removing my hair from the sticky yuck that is most lip glosses.  Not these though, they're brilliant.-  They have a range of mineral makeups as well as various accessories.  As the name would suggest they deal mostly in brushes, I purchased the Purple Power set a few weeks ago (read my review) and I have used almost no others since, its almost the perfect set.  On top of that the delivery was quick, I did have a problem with one item I bought but thanks to the awesome customer service that was resolved in no time.  The only problem really, is that these brushes are so FAB I have already been back for more and probably will again soon as I've just convinced a friend to give tinted moisturiser a go and I think she's using her hands to apply it... (I have the same product and a foundation brush does it wonders) The truth is, if you're onto a good product, stick with it. SHIPPING is based on your order and prices are in AU$ mainly because THIS IS AN AUSTRALIAN COMPANY- SUPPORT IT.
  • Barry M I have owned Barry M Dazzle dust for the last 10 years, no, wait, longer,  they were pretty original back then and I still love them.  There are so many colours, the biggest problem will be deciding which to buy. There are lots of other products too but really these are my faves. SHIPPING is flat rate GBP 8 and they remove the VAT for orders out with the EU.  Prices are in GBP
  • Inglot LOVE these eye shadows. Once my Z palette arrives I will be ordering some of these.  They are beautiful.  SHIPPING is around $10 and because this is the Australian site and so the prices are in AU$
  • Stargazer "Makeup With Attitude" they also sell hair dyes, and lots of lovely bright makeup.  I've ordered some eye shadows and I'll review on them when they get here. SHIPPING is based on each order but is really reasonable.  Prices are in GBP
  • Crush Cosmetics sell lots of different brands and some 88 colour palettes that I think are a brilliant dupe of the Coastal Scents 88 colour palette.  SHIPPING is buy order although all orders over $60 qualify for free shipping.  Again because this is an Aussie site the prices are in AUD
  • Makeupnet I haven't purchased anything from this site yet. Sells a vaied selection of brands such as Nyx, Lime Crime etc, based in Australia so far faster than ordering from the individual websites.  Having said all that this is an Aussie site. SHIPPING is $6 and of course being an Australian site the prices are in AU$.
  • Smart Poppy lots of different products at good prices, I've never bought anything from them but its for no particular reason.  SHIPPING is $7 for standard postage and Australian site = prices in AU$
  • Strawberry.net This site has lots of remnant type products, so if you're looking for something that's discontinued its a good place to start.  Brand names cheap, basically SHIPPING is free world wide and prices are in AU$
  • Amazon Amazon, more than just books, sadly many of the products can't be shipped to Australia but some can, its worth checking out.  SHIPPING is determined by order and prices are in US$
  • eBay eBay, what can I say, its great, its evil.  There are some wonderful products on here for wonderful prices, if something is hard to get then eBay is worth a try, BUT there is a lot of crap, fake this and questionable that, basically if it seems to good to be true, then, it probably is.  Having said that, a (most likely fake) MAC brush set for $30 inc P&P is still a well priced brush set for the 32 or 4million or whatever pieces you get.  Just don't expect it to last.  Great place to start building a collection, great for hard to find and random things but also great place for fake crap.  SHIPPING determined by seller and currency is determined by seller.  ALSO I would recommend only paying with Pay pal because it gives you more security if your seller turns out to be dodgy.
  • Coastal Scents Home of the much talked about 88 colour palette as well as other makeup goodies.  SHIPPING is based on order but 2 palettes is about $20, prices are in US$
  • Sigma Makeup brushes and accessories, very much aimed more at professionals. Home of the patent pending Dry'n Shape, designed to shape your brushes whiles minimising drying time.  Shipping is based on order and prices are in US$
  • Clinique My skin care fave.  Usually have free offers with purchases over $60 SHIPPING is based on order, although orders over $100 have free shipping,  prices are the same as over the counter and unless you know the colour you need/want I see no advantage to online shopping.  Especially if your local Clinique counter has such helpful and wonderful staff as mine.
  • MAC Online store for MAC, has everything you could need but again unless you know the colours you're after it might not be so great.  SHIPPING is $10 for regular and $15 for express.  Prices are in AU$
There you have it, a rather long and somewhat detailed list of where I find a lot of my makeup.  As well as these, never underestimate the content of your local stores.  I have a lot of fun shopping for cosmetics so I don't do all my shopping online but I do however live in a rural town so getting to the MAC counter is a 3.5 hr journey one way of 7 the other.  As well as the above sites I also think its worth mentioning Buyinvite, Brands Exclusive and Ozsale you have to subscribe to these and they have a lot of random crap on there but in the past month or so. I have seen and/or purchased from sales including Nyx, Bellapierre, Revlon, Almay, Maybelline, China Glaze, OPI, Butter London, Benefit, Sugarbaby and no doubt a few more.  The prices are usually very good but they take their sweet time to be delivered so don't expect them to be around for a birthday a month from order date.  They might be, but its unlikely.
I'm sorry if i missed anything and I'm also sorry my descriptions got more brief as the blog went on but I massively underestimated how long this would take and I'm seriously exhausted.

Shop on and expect some great product reviews very soon to go with this list.

Wednesday 31 August 2011

Free Samples

I love free samples, they're great 1. Because they're free. Duh.  but 2. Because it means I get a chance to try out new products before potentially spending a large amount of money. 
My fave is Clinique, they have a huge and wonderful range of products BUT they're not cheap.  However if you know it will be worth the splurge its different.  My best example of this is my moisturiser.  I couldn't find one that didn't cause a reaction until one day my mum gave me the sample bottle of Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion.  It was bliss, so for my Christmas she got me a full size bottle.  Like I say, its not cheap BUT it lasts about a year and it didn't give me any problems and to this day, still hasn't.  Go ahead ask as the beauty counters.  Tell them the problem/s you have i.e. sensitive skin, super dry, really oily and let them find the right product and hopefully a sample.

This is just an example of the gift with purchase offers clinique have, you usually have to spend over $60 but look at the number and range of products you get FREE!!



Check it out here

Monday 29 August 2011

The Purple Power Makeup Brush set from Furless.com

So for my first product review I have decided on the brush set that arrived in the mail this morning.  I haven't had a chance to use them yet but i was just so excited by what I recieved that I couldn't wait.
Firstly, when they arrived they were wrapped like this
 Pretty special I thought, so I carefully unwrapped the paper to discover a beautiful purple pouch
 On the inside was a rather lovely selection of 7 brushes.  I had my doubts when I ordered them, they were only $29.95 and I do have the old school view that natural bristles are better, softer, last longer etc etc etc...
However... These are vegan brushes and I have a fair number of brushes of various types and I think I'm safe in saying these are possibly the softest I currently own.  If I hadn't been at work I may have sat brushing them up and down my face for most of the day.  I can't speak for their functionality...yet... but if they are half as easy to use as they are soft I'll be laughing.  Also, less than $30....and in a cool purple colour and a nice case that isn't a brush roll (I hate those, they annoy me, the flap that serves to protect the brushes inevitably gets in my way and i can guarantee that at least one of my brushes will have been smooshed into a strange shape by the rolling)
The set consists of:
  • Large Powder Brush
  • Angled Contour Brush
  • Foundation Brush
  • Angled Fluffy Eyeshadow Blending Brush
  • Fluffy Eyeshadow Brush
  • Angled Liner Brush
  • Small Eyeshadow/Concealer Brush
  • Lip Brush
The lip brush comes with a really awesome cover too.  I found (on the Furless website) this YouTube review, its long an waffly but if what if i haven't said enough, this chick sure will. Purple Power Brushes review
Also Worth mentioning is that if you spend more than $80 on the Furless site at the moment, you will get these brushes free.

Get your brushes here

Sunday 28 August 2011

The birth of Makeup and Smell the Coffee

I LOVE MAKEUP.  There I said it.  I have a ridiculous amount of makeup.  I had a big sister, she never taught me how to use it, so most of my experience involved trial and error.  Then the internet came along and suddenly there are people all over the world teaching me how to do smokey eyes in 7 different colour variations.  Others offering reviews on a massively expensive eye shadow pallette that you can't get in Australia anyway... most of it made me sad.  So I decided to start this blog.  I will review ordinary products you might find in any chemist as well as the more high end luxury items.  I will of course be reviewing items that are easily accessible in Australia, even if  by post.  I will also keep you all updated on my amazing makeup finds, either because they are wonderful or well priced or hopefully both.  If I get time I also fully intend on having some step by step tutorials or the picture by picture kind.  I find these easier to follow than a video but also I think they give a better idea of where you're headed for the final look.  With that I hope everyone who reads my blog either learns something or gains something or simply enjoys the read.