Anastasia Beverly Hills - Liquid Lipstick Spring Collection; Stripped, Crush and Dolce!

ABH LIQUID LIPSTICKS 

Soooo, I haven't posted in like two months, BUT, that's because I've been busy buying and testing makeup!!! 😉

About 2-3 weeks ago I got 3 of the brand new Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipsticks from their spring collection. I got the shades Stripped, Crush and Dolce.

Stripped, Crush, Dolce

STRIPPED: Stripped is a pretty light beigy nude shade. I have very fair skin so it suits me. Alot of nude shades are too warm for my skin and look odd. 

CRUSH: So Crush is my favourite liquid lipstick out of these 3, maybe out of my whole collection of liquid lipsticks. It's this perfect light nude pink shade and it looks amazing on the lips. 

DOLCE: Dolce is so pretty. It's a coral pink shade but it's not in-your-face kind of bright. It's a bit muted, I also love this shade, just perfect for a pop of colour that's not crazy. 

FORMULA/WEAR/ETC: The formula on these is fairly thick, but also very creamy and easy to apply. Quite a bit comes out on the applicator and the applicator can make it apply streaky so you have to work quickly to get a smooth application, but it's not that hard. They dry down completely matte, no transfer etc, but they don't feel drying, they are incredibly comfortable on the lips. They wear just like every liquid lipstick. I have probably 60+ liquid lipsticks, and the all wear off when you eat and drink, it just happens. So it's hard to say how these compare. Without food and drink, they're fine and last hours. Depending on what you're eating or drinking, they can last quite well and only wear on the inside bit, and they're easy to touch up. 

The end verdict is these are definitely worth the money. The shipping was only $17.95 USD which is very good. And I think I'll definitely buy more in the future. I got these direct from the Anastasia Beverly Hills website! 

Thanks! Xo. 

BARGAIN!!! $3 MODE MATTE LIP CREAMS! REVIEW

Hiya!!! So I found something the other day which made me pretty excited. As I was shopping at Coles, blowing my money on unnecessary food, I came across a new display in the makeup section. They had added two brands, Australis and Mode. Most people know of Australis but I'd never seen Mode before. Turns out they are both owned by Heritage Brands. Anyways every item in the Mode range are priced at $3 each! Yes, $3 AUD. Normally when I see prices like that, I assume they probably won't be of decent quality, I'm sure I'm not the only Aussie girl who thinks this. And it's simply because makeup in Aus is never that cheap, unless it's from the cheap shop/dollar store. They have a range of things; foundation, powder, bronzer, blush, eyeliner, lipliner, lipstick and.......... Matte lip creams!!! 

Since I was a bit iffy about their quality, I just grabbed one, shade 'hottie'. I also bought an Australis primer and the newly formulated Maybelline Super Stay Foundation in 003. 

Anyways first impression was pretty darn good. Pigmented, yes. No weird smell? Check. Did it feel bad on my lips? Not at all. I would explain this shade as a red with a berry tone. You can thin the shade out to be more berry coloured. 

I was so impressed that I went back the next day and got the other 4 colours available: Sleeping Beauty, Jadore, Exotic Jewel, Russian Skies and Hottie on the end. 

The packaging is simple. A reasonably hard plastic tube with minimal detail printed on the outside. I like the packaging, especially for $3, plus you buy something for the product, not the packaging. 

All of these matte lip creams are very pigmented, apply smoothly and best of all, that sry completely matte. They won't transfer or smudge and they don't make your lips look dry and powdery. 

They have a doe foot applicator, which could be better by making it smaller and flexible, but its definitely not a deal breaker. The other downside is they take a long time to dry. I would have to walk around with my mouth open, BUT once they're dry, they're amazing. I have tried Colourpop, Kylie Cosmetics, The Balm, NYX, Chi Chi, Australis and Sleek liquid lipsticks/lip creams, and these are definitely one of the best so far. 

I would recommend these to everyone. They're $3 each, you can't go wrong. Give them a try and let me know if you like them! P.S Heritage Brands has an online site where you can shop all their brands, however, the matte lip creams are not available online at the moment. 

Thanks! Kellyyyyy. 

Sleek Makeup - Matte Me Liquid Lipsticks!

Sleek Matte Me Ultra Smooth Matte Lip Cream - REVIEW

So today, I got my hair done (just the regrowth - being blonde is hard work, sort of) and as always I do a bit of shopping afterwards. I had seen Chi Chi's new Soft Matte Lip Cream Collection on their Instagram page for $25, knowing Target always had a sale on, I waited to purchase it. Anyways, while I was there I became soooo excited when I saw that Target now sells theBalm & Sleek Makeup!!!!! I probably looked a little crazy in the store because I was so excited. theBalm isn't sold in stores anywhere near me, and I have never seen Sleek Makeup in any Australian stores. 

Onto the Matte Me Liquid Lipsticks, I'd briefly heard about them but wasn't sure if they would be decent, so I swatched them on my hand while I was browsing. They dried so quickly and were super pigmented so I bought 5 of the 6 shades. I didn't get the purple shade, fandango purple, as I would never wear it although it was beautiful and super pigmented also. I got Brink Pink 432, Rioja Red 433, Party Pink 434, Petal 435 & Birthday Suit 436, as shown below in order from left to right. 

I personally really like this packaging. Trademark Sleek design, as with all their products, it has a black matte lid with Sleek Makeup in a sheen. The tube is a hard clear plastic, the product looks exactly the same as when it's applied. Doesn't feel cheap, very simple pretty packaging. They have a long thin doe foot applicator.

BRINK PINK 432

Brink Pink is a super bright hot pink colour. It is absolutely gorgeous. Not something I would wear normally, however it was so pretty and vibrant, I had to get it. It's probably something I'd use just for pictures or when I'm going out for the night. 

RIOJA RED 433

Rioja Red (not sure how to pronounce that) is probably the most stunning red lipstick I've ever owned/tested. Red's can often be a little low on pigments and require a few coats, however this one definitely does not need that. As state previously, all off these are very pigmented. This colour didn't make my teeth look yellow either. 

PARTY PINK 434

This colour is more a red to me than a pink. It's sort of like, a fluoro red, if that makes sense. Has a tinge of orange to it, but I would say it's easily noticeable. Part Pink is another colour that I wouldn't wear often - and more of an event/photo lipstick. 

PETAL 435

Petal is a light pink, but not like a milky light pink, it's name suits it quite well. It is a nice light pretty pink but not too bright. My lips are naturally dark but this covered it pretty well. This one may require two coats depending on your lip colour, although when I tested this, I did it in my car in a car park - not the best lighting. This colour actually really suited my super pale skin. 

BIRTHDAY SUIT 436

Birthday Suit is a nude beige kind of colour. Very popular colour at the moment and it's very pretty. I haven't tested this on my lips yet, but I think it will be a lipstick I could wear whenever as it's not too bright, or too light for my lips.

L-R; Brink Pink, Rioja Red, Party Pink, Petal & Birthday Suite.

FORMULA, PIGMENTATION, LONGEVITY, PROS + CONS

This is one of the only matte liquid lipsticks available in stores, I guess in the "drugstore" bracket, although we don't use that slang in Aus. Now that these are available in stores, makes them even better! So many people have probably never heard of Sleek Makeup, but they're an awesome brand. These retail for $14.95 at Target. They contain 6ml / 0.21floz.

They dry completely matte within about 30 - 60 seconds, depending on how many layers/how thick it is of course. And they will not move. These are quite a liquidy thin consistency, which I actually really like as opposed to the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Creams. The pigmentation in these is INSANE. as you can see from the swatches, just one quick swipe and they are completely opaque. These are also a little difficult to remove, an oil based makeup remover is advised, otherwise you may lose the skin off your lips hahaha not really. I don't think they're overly drying at all, they are matte so they do show the lines in your lips as expected.

The downside to these is that as soon as you start to eat & drink, as with most lip products, they wear off quickly, especially on my bottom lip. I found my top lip didn't wear off much. When they wear off, they do flake, I wouldn't say it's too bad though. However I think that's something they could improve. 

But all in all, for $14.95 each, these are definitely worth trying and purchasing! And I hope they bring out more colours, 6 is totally not enough. 

Thanks for reading!! 

Kelly, x. 

Makeup Revolution Iconic 1 & 3 Palettes - review!

This review will be on the UK brand, Makeup Revolution London, on palettes Iconic 1 and Iconic 3. I'm sure you already know or assume these are dupes for the UD Naked 1 & 3 palettes. Now I already own the UD Naked 2 palette, as well as a MUA dupe, so I thought it'd be silly to get another dupe. I also haven't been able to bring myself to spend so much money on more UD naked palettes. They're good quality yes, but I think the price is much too high for what you get. In Australia, it's usually $66-$85 to buy a UD Naked palette, excluding the shipping! Anyways on to the review,

These palettes were very affordable and I had seen pretty good reviews on them. I had a pretty big order, 5 eye palettes, 2 blush/contour palettes, eyebrow palette, bronzer and single blusher - these were a mixture of Makeup Revolution and their "sister brand "I <3 Makeup". They were $7.24 AUD each + $14.38 shipping for everything.

So these are basically exact dupes for the naked palettes, well appears to be. I think these are amazing quality for their cost. Well pigmented, soft, easy to blend and the case is pretty sturdy, although plastic. I have included swatches in the photos. The first photo Is the Iconic 1 and the second photo is the Iconic 3. Both pictures have been taken with flash.

So definitely check out makeup revolution, awesome products and they ship internationally. Definitely worth it!

FACE OF AUSTRALIA GLAMAZON BLUSH AND HIGHLIGHT KIT - MINX - REVIEW

This is a quick review on the cute little duo from FOA I bought a few weeks ago. I got this from Big W for less than $10 AUD. It's one if two Glamazon duos but the other one wasn't there. I believe it has a bronzer and highlight. The packaging is black hard plastic with a zebra print on the front. Open it up, it has the two shades and a mirror. The products themself feel quite smooth and nice. The pink blush is matte and the highlight has a fine shimmer. They are well pigmented and was definitely worth it. I use these regularly and they're great for pale skin. 

MUA EYESHADOWS - PALETTES + SINGLES

I think a lot of people have heard of the UK brand MUA (Makeup Academy). They have super cheap cosmetics. I bought them off their website, the prices are in pounds but you can change the currency. I bought a bunch of things super cheap. This review is on 3 palettes which were $7.20 AUD each!!!! And one single eyeshadow which was $1.80. How can you not try them. They ship to Aus - and the shipping is very good. I think I paid $13.50! Also, some cosmetics are sold through Crush Cosmetics but I think it was cheaper direct.

So firstly I'll start off with the single eyeshadow I bought. It's a pearly bright lime green. It's 2g of shadow. Black base packaging with a clear lid. Not all of their cosmetics have names, this eyeshadow is just shade 2. But it's Soooo smooth and pigmented, and even more so over the MUA primer. I was legitimately surprised! Swatch shown below.

Secondly, the MUA Undress Me Too Palette. This was $7.20, it has 12 shades which are incredibly similar to the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette - I found this out after I had purchased it. I already have that palette so I should have bought the Undress Me palette. But I think it's amazing anyway. Its 9.6g.
The other palettes I got was the Glamour Nights (12 eyeshadows - 9g) and Poptastic (12 eyeshadows - 9.6g).
These all apply so well over the MUA Eye Primer. The palettes aren't huge but c'mon look how cheap they are. They are super smooth and creamy. Almost like a cream shadow, and very pigmented. It comes with your usual double ended sponge brush. The shade names are on the back of the palette. Swatches below done using my finger over primer. I especially love the pinks! Most of the shades are shimmery/pearly/frost, and a couple mattes.

MUA UNDRESS ME TOO.

MUA GLAMOUR NIGHTS. This palette does not have shade names. 

MUA POPTASTIC.

For what these are worth, it's definitely worth buying to try. I also bought a bunch of other MUA cosmetics that I will review when I can. Please comment and share. Let me know if you'd like any reviews or info in particular. Ta. K. 

I.T. COSMETICS ANTI-AGING LUXE EYESHADOW PALETTE REVIEW!!!

I've only owned this palette for a bit over a week, but I love it already. The best part about that is it wasn't a palette I was looking for and had high hopes of. So I bought this from PM Studio (Australian company) despite having a dispute with them over another item, still have look on their website (they sell MUFE aswell). This palette was $49 AUD. The packaging was just a smooth black box and the palette itself is that fake kind of leather material. The palette is square but it's quite thick. 

The palette has 12 eyeshadows and a double ended brush, which is actually pretty good. There are 7 matte shades and 5 shimmery shades. All have wonderful pigment and you can also build the colour. They are soft and easy to blend and work with, but aren't too soft so there is barely any fallout. They claim to be waterproof and anti-aging. These can also be used wet (I haven't tried this yet). 

They don't have names, which doesn't bother me. I have swatches below of each row from left to right, all done without primer. 

I love how this palette has so many option, you can do a matte day look or a shimmery night look and a colourful look. I think it'd be great for travel because it's light, has a padded type of case and is a decent size. All in all, I love this palette. It's worth the money and I've already used it a few times. 

Comment + share, ta! K. 

NYX SUEDE EYESHADOW PALETTE REVIEW

I received this palette yesterday in my Nordstrom order. Wasn't that expensive so I added it to the order. So it has 1.7g x 8 shades. They're all shimmery/glittery. I suppose it's called the Suede palette because they're the typical colours for suede stuff - thats what I though anyways.

The packaging; the palette is around a similar thickness to Stila In The Garden. It's also a smooth cardboard packaging. The front window is just the thick plastic so it is a little flimsy but it works. The lid is just held down by a magnet.

These eyeshadows swatched really well but they definitely require a primer for the lid because they're come out fairly light otherwise and you'll have a hard time packing them on. I love golds, mossy greens etc so I think thats why I got this. Could do multiple looks with this palette alone, because it has a light cream tone as well as darker tones and in medium tones.

For the cost, it's worth giving it a try. I'm palette-crazy so thats why I bought it. Where can you buy this? I bought mine from Nordstrom (online). Australia has an online store called Crush Cosmetics, however, they do not stock all NYX products and didn't have this palette when I was looking for it. But for other NYX products, definitely get them through Crush Cosmetics. ta! K

LORAC PRO PALETTE 2 REVIEW

So excited to use this, got it today in my Nordstrom order. $42 aud.

The packaging and style is the same as the first palette. Total palette weight is 8.8g of eyeshadow, and there's 18 of them. All the eyeshadows are different to the first palette, especially that matte Navy colour. Very much the same texture and pigmentation as the first palette.

So the matte swatches on the left and the shimmery ones on the right. Some of the eyeshadows are the same as my skin tone basically so you can't really see them (buff & beige).

Gorgeous palette, definitely worth it. Also it comes with the mini Behind the Scenes Eye Primer - it's also amazing!

Nordstrom is definitely the cheapest place to get this palette if you're in Australia.

NORDSTROM ORDER - LORAC + NYX

Just got my Nordstrom order here in Aus. So exciteddddd. The prices were pretty decent considering everywhere I looked for the lorac pro 2 palette, it was so expensive! I will put individual reviews up as I test them!

   

ibeauty Eyeshadows - Amazing!!!!!!

Ibeauty is a small Australian online store that sells pressed eyeshadows, empty pallets etc. I found them on Google when I was just browsing through online makeup stores. They're normally $7.50 but were on sale for $3, and a 28 eyeshadow magnetic palette was on sale for $5. Brilliant right?

They don't have many reviews on the net so I wasn't too sure but they were $3 each so why not. They took about a week postage which is pretty normal. I bought 24 eyeshadows and an empty 28 palette. 

First Row L-R; London, beg borrow steel, sultry, too faced, tickled pink, mellow yellow & vintage.Second Row L-R; bella, pretty in pink, cosmopolitan, Dorothy, rubystone red, amber & siena. Third Row L-R; allegra, innocence, mischief, 80's glam, free spirit, hummingbird & in your dreams.Forth Row L-R; viper, gypsy & truth or dare. 

Popped them all into the palette, then decided to swatch them on my arm over NYX white primer. And OMG, these eyeshadows are amazing and Soooooo pigmented, basically no fall out. They're just gorgeous. Perfect formula, not gritty, not too soft, no complaints whatsoever. Whether they're matte, pearl, frost or shimmery - they're awesome! 

So if you're an Aussie, and you're after affordable good quality eyeshadows, check out ibeautycosmetics.com.au - p.s. they're better than MAC and UD. I hope the pictures do them justice. Oh and orders over $39 is free shipping aaaaand it came with 2 x duo small eyeshadows and a teeny tiny brush. Best buy ever!

Quick Review - Essence Mattifying Compact Powder

This is just a short and sweet review on the Essence Mattifying Compact Powder. I bought this online from priceline (if you're an Aussie like me, you'll know them, if not - well they're a large pharmacy which carries a massive range of 'drugstore' cosmetics. Great savings & rewards etc).
Anyways, I was buying a few things and needed something for a couple dollars to get free shipping. So I just chose this thinking yep if its good then that's a bargain. if not, then who cares.

This cost me less than $6 AUD for 12g (which is ridiculously cheap in Aus), and I thought nothing of it for weeks. I generally use Revlon Colorstay Pressed powder or MAC studio fix powder, although I found my MAC one doesn't last that long and tends to look cakey so I quickly put this essence powder over my face one morning and omg it's awesome.

It last hourssss (I have makeup on for approx. 10hrs a day). I have a very oily nose, and nothing lasts very long but this powder really did make it matte and it stayed matte. It's also a very fine powder and looks flawless. It also suited my super light skin, although it looks darker in the photo from the flash.

If you're on a budget, buy this powder for setting foundation or wearing it by itself. Even if you're not on a budget, give it a go, its so cheap and definitely worth it.

Let me know if you'd like youtuve video reviews! My camera will be set up soon. Ta, k!

URBAN DECAY NAKED SKIN FOUNDATION

So I LOVE this foundation. I've had this for a long time but remember being iffy on it because of reviews. How silly. 

Since I'm super fair skinned, I got this in shade 1.0 which is a perfect match. I'd say this foundation is medium coverage yet buildable. It's incredibly easy to blend whether you use a sponge or buffing brush. I primarily use this during winter because I get very oily on my nose so when there's any warmth in the weather, certain makeup doesn't last long at all. If you have normal to dry skin, I think this would probably work for you. 

Below I have 3 photos, first is about half a pump, as you can see, its very runny. I actually really like some runny foundations. Second photo is it just spread around and the 3rd is it blended in. It takes a little while to dry but once it has, it looks like your skin. It really does! 

This foundation is wonderful. As it says, its definitely weightless, looks like skin and photos well. The packaging is hard plastic, not too heavy but definitely doesn't feel cheap. (I think the packaging is beautiful)

The smell reminds me of some Mac foundations, a little bit different, it doesn't bother me though. 

So go ahead and try this foundation out. Go to findation.com to find out which foundations would match you best! 

If you like any videos, please feel free to ask and I'll put them up once I get my camera set up! Ta, k. 

MAC, Urban decay & Hard Candy - all cosmetics wholesale

So first of all, All Cosmetics Wholesale is an awesome company. I have another haul from a while back which I'll get around to review (I haven't tested everything out yet).
So they post internationally, and if you're like me and live in Australia, postage is expensive. But when you add up the savings, its definitely worth it. I'm also not a big fan of singular eyeshadows because I think they cost way too much and I'm just a palette kind of person. Haha.

I'll start with the MAC eyeshadows in containers. I was expecting these to be absolutely amazing because of what people say about them, but I wasn't all that impressed. They definitely need a primer, I swatched them using UD original primer. Some of these are absolutely great, some not so much, such as Sky Blue - it's my least favourite, unfortunately. Below I've included swatches with the back of the container which has the shade names; Sky Blue, Bitter, Lime, Purple Shadow & Post Haste. As well as a picture of all the swatches and the shadows in their packaging.

Next is the MAC refills, the 3 I got are just amazing. Super pigmented, not too soft, very bright, I can't wait to put them in a palette. Who knows why, but these are much better than the ones I got in containers. The shades are; Goldenrod, Orange & Fresh water. 

The 3 Urban Decay eyeshadows are gorgeous. I love the packaging and as usual, they all have great colour payoff and texture. Although I find these do have a bit of extra fallout. Flash is a beautiful medium purple and definitely my favourite.

Hard Candy Powder Kegs; I actually really like these, but like all loose shadows; they're messy. But they're so pigmented and very shimmery. So because they're messy as, I've been pressing these into an old palette which I emptied and that works much better for me. But for 10 of these, definitely worth the couple dollars. I don't have a swatch of these with names as I'm busy pressing them. 

If anyone would like videos on any products I have or mate have, just let me know and I'll do put some on YouTube when I get my camera set up. Definitely check out All Cosmetics Wholesale though, Ta!

Mac Conceal and Correct Palette Light - REVIEW

This is an awesome little palette. I think it was $75 (AU) from the Mac online store. I got it in the light shades. There are two warm toned and two pinkish toned concealers. As well as a yellow and a peach corrector. The consistency of these concealers is almost perfect, I find they are a tad drier than Mac studio fix concealer but not much difference. Although I think they feel lighter and crease less.

The peach concealer is perfect for dark under eyes. As well as the eyelid if it's purplish.

The packaging is pretty classy and nice, like all Mac products. It contains 6grams total.

I'd say this is medium coverage and best to dab it on with your finger. Although this is quite costly, it's a great concealer palette to have as it comes with multiple shades so you can use it on other people if you want.

:) any questions, just comment away !

Sleek Makeup I-Divine Showstoppers Palette - REVIEW

I got this palette for $19.95 (AU) from crush cosmetics.com.au - which was a surprise since they seem hard to get a hold of. I also got a number of other things I will also review.

The palette is quite thin and smooth it definitely does not feel cheap. I think the packaging looks nice and a bit classy :)
You open the palette to the shadows down the bottom and the mirror on the top.

A piece of plastic covers these with the shade names on it. Which I like to keep on.

The shades are; (from left to right)

Top Row; paraguaya, sunset, me myself & I, Bad Girl, noir, ultramattes v2.

Bottom Row; oh so special, bohemian, storm, sparkle, AU natural, graphite.

These shades are very pigmented. There are 5 mattes and the other 7 are glittery or shimmery. I find the shimmery frosty shadows easier to blend than the matte shades, personally. There is a gorgeous purple shade, AU natural, with silver glitter which unfortunately is quite hard and hard to get shadow from, not my favourite.

I definitely like Sunset, Bad Girl and Graphite.

Sunset - deep red/pinky toned maroon colour with a frosty shimmer.
Bad Girl - an army green with a frosty shimmer.
Graphite - deep brown with a frosty shimmer.

The frosty shimmer shades are also the smoothest but they do have fall out. Trick is to only put a bit on and build up.

These eyeshadows last about 4 hours (with Nyx Eye Primer) before slightly creasing. But nothing dramatic.

Normal sponge tip applicator comes in the palette, not useful.

I'm not sure how much product is in this palette but I definitely can't see me running out of these in a looooong time, and it was only like $20?

For the cost, this is an awesome palette with some beautiful colours in it. I will be purchasing other Sleek palettes in the future and will review. Xo.