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Thursday 4 June 2015

Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes Review

I kept seeing youtube videos, reviews and images of Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow products and how insane people were about it. It wasn't until recently that I saw Anastasia Beverly Hills products being sold in New Zealand on Makeup.co.nz* that I decided to fork out $72.00 NZD (fast AND free shipping on orders over $50 NZD, amazing customer service and awesome range!) and grab the Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes in Brunette (I have brunette hair, so.. yeah).


In this kit you will get the following items:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Angled Brush in #15
5 Brow Stencils, yes - Stencils. (Medium, Petite, Full, Slim High and High Arch)
Brow Wax
Brow Powder Duo (Taupe & Dark Brown)
Eyeshadow Duo



I am not new to brows. I love brows! When I use to work as a make-up artist my all time love was brows. Brows can make your make-up go from average to oh, hot damn! They will polish any make-up look and will frame your beautiful eyes and face.

Yes, I know it is scary. Yes, I know I've said brows a millions times already. Yes, it is totally different than not doing them. Yes, you will love it.

Anyway..
Back to the actual product

Let me start off by telling you how beautiful this kit is.
The outside of this kit is in a snake-skin textured black with the logo and description in a rose gold colour (soo pretty!). Magnetic to keep all your goods in place, mirrored inside with instructions on how to use the product including the Golden Ratio (Which is the placement of the beginning, arch and end of your brow measured to your nostril)

You apply the wax first, it isn't sticky, but almost velvety and not so glunky that you would get too much on your brush and glue your hairs together
All powders in this kit sticks surprisingly well to the wax and holds it in place. The colours match well and aren't too grey or warm. It's also easy to create an in between with the 2 shades.


The eye shadow, which can be used as a highlight, has amazing pigment (just look at the photo!) and wears well (one a nude matte, the other a cream shimmer)
Stencils are straight forward, though daunting at first and practice is all you need to perfect the application.
The brush is easy to use to create clean lines and would probably be a great eyeliner brush too!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes is my new go to when it comes to my brows! I also love that this is cruelty free
*I am not affiliated with makeup.co.nz, I just really enjoy shopping with them :)




Tuesday 2 June 2015

Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder Review

I have used Smashbox's Halo Hydrating Perfecting Power (what a mouth full!) on and off for the last 7 years and I always go back to it. I use to sell Smashbox and this was one of the top 5 products that was always repurchased. This pressed mineral powder comes in a large black-matte compact (and mirror) with a built in shaver that you twist to shave off the top layer of the powder. Simply swish your brush around and apply.

Smashbox's Halo is oil-free, paraben-free and talc-fee, there are 48 minerals and 11 amino acids in Halo which helps with anti-aging benefits. In fact Smashbox claim that after 10 minutes there is a 33% decrease in wrinkles around the eyes and after 6 weeks there is a 67% decrease on fine lines and wrinkles overall! Pretty big claim, but unfortunately I cannot test that theory myself because... I have no wrinkles (I thank my asian background)



The Halo powder itself is very, very fine and applied to the skin feels like velvet and gives a glowing warmth to the skin. The coverage is light and will even out skin tone while giving a warm, luminous glow. If you would like better coverage you can use this on top of your liquid or creme foundation to set it. 
There is only one thing I don't like about this product.. the clasp that keeps the compact close regularly fails in a couple months with each Halo I have ever bought.

Smashbox also doesn't test on animals! Yay! :) They also don't sell their products in countries that requires cosmetic products/ingredients to be tested on animals to demonstrate safety

Swatch of Halo in Light



OPI Heart Throb Review

Today is a review on another OPI polish, but this time in Heart Throb.
OPI's Hear Throb is super sheer, which is not my cup of tea.. The first coat looks to me like a first time make-up users lip stain/gloss and to get a more opaque look I obviously had to add more layers.

This was four super thin layers (it is always better to do a thin layer, let it dry then apply again) in total to get the look in the photo. I would rather not have to add so many layers, but the more I added the better I felt about the colour. This would be a good polish to layer on warmer nudes to obtain a different shade in your polish kit and may even be alright for a french manicure.

The end result is more of a pop/cotton candy pink and just reminds me of sugary goodness!



Have a great day ya'll!


Friday 24 April 2015

Lush Pot O' Gold & Bunch of Carrots Review

Why am I reviewing Lush's Bunch of Carrots and Pot O' Gold in the same review? Simple. Both are limited edition Easter goodness and both have very similar, delicious scents.

Bunch of Carrots is a bubble bar shaped in, you guessed it, a bunch of carrots!
I have said in a prior bath bomb or bubble bar review that I don't use them for any moisturizing element, just for a calming bath, but Bunch of Carrots will make your skin feel so, so soft (and the bath slippery, watch out!) I don't even know how to explain how amazed I was with this product! No oily bath residue and no staining. I am in love.
The smell seems similar to Pot O' Gold, but lighter, less intense and still fruity
Bubbles up really well under running water and leaves the bath with a good amount of bubbles and a orange bath, pretty much exactly the same colour as the Lush Brightside Bubble Bar I reviewed earlier.
One thing that lets the Bunch of Carrots Bubble Bar down is that the oils seemed to seep out of the carrot after a couple of weeks, which caused me to use them all sooner than I wanted
Pot O' Gold is super scented with what seems to be orange, kind of caramel and deep vanilla. Oh, so good, but totally a love or hate it kind of smell.... WITH SPARKLES!!!
You can pull it out of its home and run under water, creating a soft lather, but in doing this I was worried that putting it back into the container semi-wet would slowly dissolve it over time, so I cut it up into 1 time use chunks and lather it up between some exfoliate gloves. I have not noticed any sparkles lingering around after my shower, but the scent hangs around for a couple hours.
Both of these product were really cool in design and totally awesome. If you can get your hands on either of these then I suggest you do it before they both run out until next Easter!

Wednesday 15 April 2015

Lush Sakura Bath Bomb Review

The Lush Sakura bath bomb looks so beautiful, I don't think photos can show the amazing colours attached to it.
A light pink makes the Sakura bomb look like spring time in Japan, with freckles of blue sea salt  to give a soft, beautiful day look. Such an aesthetically pleasing bomb, I would almost rather put it on display.
The scent of jasmine and orange blossom is light, uplifting and refreshing. Although the bathwater doesn't excite me with this bomb, the smell is just so calming and pleasant that it almost doesn't matter. There is something about the Sakura Bath Bomb that will always drive me right back into its comforting and underrated arms

Likes:
Delicate smell which lingered long after my bath

Dislikes:
Almost no colour to the bath water, such a light pink my camera could barely pick up.

Tuesday 31 March 2015

Lush Brightside Bubble Bar Review

Oh, my GOD. This. Wow.
This bubble bar smells OH-SO-GOOD!
The Lush Brightside bubble bar is so citrusy, so alive and powerful. Use this in the morning or after a long day and it will wake you up and give a spring in your step. The colours of orange and yellow match perfectly with the scent of mandarin, bergamot & tangerine and I LOVE IT!
It is recommended to crumble your bubble bar under running water, but I find this wasteful to the product as you get bits falling to the bottom of your bath. My suggestion is get a stocking, place your bubble bar into it and tie it to the faucet with the water running over it, you should get great bubble time without the waste.


Like:
The smell!
Makes my skin soft
The size, this is good enough for at least 4 baths
Good amount of bubbles
Makes bathwater raro-orange
Easy to cut into quarters if desired

Dislikes:
Nothing!

Wednesday 25 March 2015

MAC Relentlessly Red Review

We all have that staple red lipstick we feel must be in our make up bag, but this colour - I highly doubt would be that one. It feels like it has a brighter, almost neon look, but doesn't at the same time. It isn't a true red, but a hybrid of a coral and pinky-red and highlights the warmth in your skin tone. MAC's Relentlessly Red goes on smooth, not feeling too thick and will also lasts most of the day even through drinking and eating. Touch up is easy and will not cause beading.
I would recommend exfoliating and moisturizing your lips before applying as this lipstick will highlight any dryness
Likes:
Bright colour
Different from most red lipsticks
Long lasting
Less bleeding

Dislikes:
Highlights dry lips