December Favourites

I wanted to sneak in a quick December favourites post before you get my usual end of year favourites. December has been super busy, I have been working nearly every day and just generally trying to get things done that tend to be neglected during the semester. Most of these makeup items were acquired in November as I have been minimizing my spending pending my trip to Melbourne in January. I also wanted to take the time to mention that there is a Beauty Blogger Meetup happening in Melbourne on the 25th of January that I'll be attending, so I hope to meet a few of you there! Details are here.

Now, onto the favourites.

First up is the Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes. This palette is a true beauty and I'm so glad I got my hands on it. The softness of the shadows' formulation combined with the soft girly tones of the palette is a winning match. I think I am going to have to buy Vanilla Nuts in a single because I have been using it nearly every day as a browbone highlight...

I haven't mentioned the Laura Mercier Souffle Body Creme's since I bought them however I have very much been enjoying having them. The scents that these emit are so strong and really do linger on my skin four hours after application. Of the four scents my favourite is Almond Coconut Milk, but in all honesty, please don't make me choose!

Chanel's Soliel Tan de Chanel is a product that sometimes tends to hide in my drawer untouched but for some reason I have worn in every day this month. I have just been finding this warmer orange-leaning bronzer has been suiting my complexion lately. The application of this, being a cream product is absolutely flawless.

I don't know what more I can say about my love for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light, but if you want to try a really darn good setting powder, you should buy this. Buy it now.

The last couple of things are the Australis Tint my Brow in Blonde and the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Tokyo. I don't want to jump the gun, but I think the Tint my Brow my be my holy grail brow product. It is such a quick fix for amazing brows. Tokyo Soft Matte Lip Cream is just a great bright baby pink matte lip product! I just love the look it gives on my lips.

Hourglass Diffused Light, Chanel Soliel Tan de Chanel, Australis Pimp my Brow Blonde, NYX Tokyo

What have you been loving in December?

Once again, I really hope all you Melbourne folk will come to the Beauty Blogger Meetup, I'd love to meet y'all.

Mishelle

Christmas Presents and Boxing Day Sales Haul

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas this year. I went to the beach and ate roast (yum!) and also got some wonderful gifts! I thought I'd go ahead and share my beauty related gifts. Although I worked today (Boxing Day) I did finish at 2pm so I decided to go ahead and scour the shops for any bargains, and I found a couple!

Firstly my boyfriend picked out this Angel perfume set for me. He saw that I am just finishing up the bottle of Alien that he got me last year so he decided to surprise me with Angel this year.

The gift set came in a pretty hat box and included a 25ml refillable bottle of Angel, and a matching Body Lotion and Shower gel.

The other beauty related gift the boyfriend gifted me was a set of Face Masks from Origins. I actually picked this out and he bought it for me, I had been wanting to try these masks for ages and the pack was a really good value and allowed me to try all three!

My lovely brother also sent me a Myer Gift card for Christmas which I received last week. On Christmas Eve I found out about a voucher that was currently running at Myer where you could get $20 off any purchase over $30. So naturally I used it four times! I got a MAC Lipstick in Angel (down to $16), a Napoleon Lipstick in Hess (down to $15), Benefit Rockateur Blush (down to $31) and Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation (down to $30). The deal expired on Christmas Eve itself so I didn't have time to post about taking advantage of the deal, but if I had've known earlier I definitely would have bought more!

Napoleon Lipstick in Hess, MAC Lipstick in Angel and Benefit Rockateur Blush

I went into Lush today and they were sold out of a lot of things however they did have left this bottle of No Drought Dry Shampoo. At 50% off it cost me $6.75. As I said before, the Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation was bought Christmas Eve from Myer. I also decided to pop into Dusk and they had heaps of candles for 40-50% off. I picked out this one in Hot Chocolate, and it smells amazing.

Lastly, I popped into Mecca thinking that there wouldn't be any deals and I happened upon the best deal of the day! I have been wanting to try the Stila Smudge Sticks for a while but I kind of resent paying a lot for eyeliner when there are so many good ones put out by low end brands. I was floored when I found this set of 5 full sized Smudge Sticks on sale for just $25. So of course I picked it up!

The colours included are Angelfish, Moray, Oscar Fish and Stargazer.

I also went to try and find the Balm Voyage Palette in the sale at DJ's however it was completely sold out. So were the sets of YSL Manifesto Perfume. But I am still so happy with the bargains I found and the sweet gifts I received!

Did you brave the boxing day sales? What beauty items did you get for Christmas?

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and that you have a happy and healthy 2014!

Mishelle

Australis Tint My Brow

I think I had been wearing makeup for approximately 6 years before I ever realised that you can use makeup to enhance your brows! I'm sure I'm not the only one though, as a blonde I think the concept of "drawing on your eye brows" sounds scary and unflattering. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to enhance and tame your brows, you simply must get your hands on the Australis Tint my Brow.

Is it just me, or are there a very limited number of tinted brow products available in lower end brands? Scanning the shelves of Priceline, Australia Tint my Brow was the only one I could find. I was actually about to fork out for the Benefit when I heard that this product was being released. Anyway, this tinted brow gel comes in a squeezy tube with a mascara type wand used to apply the product. I find I do have to scrape a little excess product off before taking this brush straight to my brows but overall the application process is easy. The product has a creamy texture but sets down quickly to a matte, slightly tacky finish. Once it's in my brows, it last absolutely all day, and there isn't any fading or flaking that I have noticed. Ironically, one of the first days I wore this product, one of my friends asked if I had tinted my eye brows.

Australis Tint my Brow in Blonde

Natural Brows

With Brow Tint

Before and After

Tint my Brow comes in three shades, Blonde, Light Brown and Dark Brown. Retailing for $9.95, this product is a bargain and an absolute gem. I love it.

What products do you use on your brows?

Mishelle

My MAC Lipstick Collection

MAC are one of those makeup brands who are just coveted online for their Lipstick offerings. Their extensive range of permanent lipsticks plus their constant stream of limited edition collections tends overwhelm me to be honest, however over the past couple of years I've managed to accumulate 8 of these lipsticks, and I thought I'd swatch and share them with you!

Hue, Cremecup, Hug Me, Lustering, Craving, Impassioned, Party Parrot and Lady Danger

Hue, Creme Cup, Hug Me, Lustering, Craving, Impassioned, Party Parrot and Lady Danger

For anyone who has never tried MAC Lipsticks before, they are available in a heap of different finishes, including Cremesheen (cream finish), Matte (matte finish), Lustre (sheer finish) and many more. They come in plain black tubes, with a vanilla scent. I find that the printing on the inside of some of my tubes is starting to wear off (as seen with Impassioned) but overall the packaging is very sleek.

Hue - Glaze Finish

Hue is a semi sheer, pink leaning nude. I tend to reach for Hue whenever I want to blank out my lips in favour of a more dramatic eye look. It's not one of those nudes that makes your lips look super full however it's still one I reach for fairly often.

Creme Cup - Cremesheen Finish

Creme Cup is a cream finish, light warm pink lipstick. This is quickly becoming one of my favourite lipsticks. It's just warm enough to be more flattering on my skin-tone than cooler, blue toned pinks.

Hug Me - Lustre Finish

Hug Me is a sheer, brown toned nude. Sadly, Hug Me isn't as flattering as on me as I thought it was when I first bought it. The more I have worn it, the more I think it would suit someone with a darker skintone better. I will probably go ahead and sell this one.

Lustering - Lustre Finish

Lustering is a sheer medium pink. I don't use Lustering as much as I should because it is a beautiful colour and super flattering on the lips. I can imagine this lipstick would be flattering on any skintone as it can be sheered out or layered to it's full colour capacity.

Craving - Amplified Finish

Craving is an opaque plum berry. I don't like how craving looks with my skintone and hair colour. I think it looked a lot better on me when I had brown hair for some reason. It's a pretty shade but just not my thing. I want to sell this one too.

Impassioned - Amplified Finish

Impassioned is an opaque, warm toned hot pink. There was a point about a year ago when I was wearing Impassioned nearly every day I was so in love with the colour. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an out there lipstick to try!

Party Parrot - Matte Finish (Limited Edition)

Party Parrot is a matte, warm toned hot pink. Party Parrot is essentially the matte version of Impassioned. I find I prefer the matte finish of Party Parrot rather than Impassioned but, I do doubt my sanity in purchasing the same shade of lipstick twice.

Lady Danger - Matte Finish

Lady Danger is a matte, orange toned leaning red. I like Lady Danger as a red, but I don't wear it as often as the more blue based Nars Dragon Girl. It isn't as super matte as I like in my matte lipsticks either, it feels as though it still has a little sheen, and so does Party Parrot.

Overall, I am happy with the quality of the MAC Lipsticks I own and I think the colours are great. However I would like to sell Craving and Hug Me, if you'd like to buy them ($10 each) please email me (mishellesleepytime[at]gmail[dot]com)

If you have any shades you would recommend, please let me know in the comments!

Mishelle

PS: Thank you to the lady who came up to me at work and said she reads my blog. You made my day and I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to chat with you, we are kind of hectic this time of year. Tweet me @shellocalypse if you'd like to chat!

Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes

I have been looking at Laura Mercier eye shadows for about a year now, but the steep prices and fear of the unknown allowed to avoid committing, until I happened upon the Artist's Palette. This is technically the second Laura Mercier Artist's Palette For Eyes, with one being released last year as well. Sadly this palette is completely sold out now but considering that eye shadows it contains are permanent I thought that it still warranted a review.

The packaging on this palette is a soft plastic fabric, with a pebbled finish that can easily be wiped down. It shuts with a magnetic closure and has Laura Mercier printed onto the mirror. Overall the packaging feels and looks super luxurious and I really appreciate the fact that it doesn't waste space giving me applicators/brushes that I will throw away 2.7 seconds after opening.

Oh yeah, can I just say that the selection of shades in this palette is spectacular. And there is such a nice combination of shimmers and mattes. After using this palette for a few weeks, I never again want to buy an eye shadows palette that does not include a matte highlight shade, just saying.

The texture of the shadows is very smooth, soft and pigmented. I would liken the texture to that of the Balm. The shimmers overall are very refined but there are no super frosty, metallic finishes in this palette. The most extreme colour is African Violet, due to the beautiful gold shimmer it reflects in the sun. The texture of the matte shadows is what really blew me away in the colour selection. Talk about some smooth, fully pigmented mattes. Despite the awful name, Vanilla Nuts is a shade you'll probably see me hit pan on very quickly, as the texture is so wonderful that I find myself reaching for this palette just to use that shade as a matte brow bone highlight. Maybe I should invest in the single shadow of that one too.

One other thing that intially disappointed me was in the pan the shades Guava, Primrose and Fresco look super same same. But when swatched Guava is certainly more pink where as Primrose and Fresco are more beige/brown, meaning I reach for them more often.

Sparkling Dew (Shimmering Ivory), Guava (Shimmering Lt. Pink), African Violet (Violet with Gold Shimmer), Plum Smoke (Matte Mauve), Kir Royal (Satin Aubergine), Violet Ink (Dark Matte Violet)

Vanilla Nuts (Matte Ivory) , Primrose (Shimmering Beige), Fresco (Light Shimmering Brown), Bamboo (Shimmering Golden Brown), Truffle (Matte Chocolate), Espresso Bean (Matte Black Brown)

Wearing Fresco on the Lid, Kir Royal and Violet Ink in the Crease, Lined with Espresso

The purple wasn't super obvious in this picture.

(Also, another example of how much the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder airbrushes your face!)

If you're going to take a look into the Laura Mercier Eye Shadows, I think you'd be very happy with any of the shades in this palette, they are all of stellar quality. If you're looking to splurge on a single my top three colours would have to be Vanilla Nuts, Fresco and Espresso Bean. The quality of the matte eye shadows in particular may just be the best I have tried so far.

Also, if you by some chance did have the opportunity to get your hands on this palette, I'd highly recommend it. If not, hopefully Laura Mercier will release a third Artist Palette next year.

Have you tried Laura Mercier's products? What is your favourite?

Mishelle

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders are getting a lot hype online lately. I offer simply the following testimony: The first day I ever wore it my work friend came up to me and asked what on earth I had done differently to my skin? Keep in mind this was during exam week, so this was a particularly strange compliment. Moments later, through groggy sleep deprived thoughts I remembered that I had indeed applied the Ambient Lighting Powder that morning! 

When I walked into Mecca Comsetica I had the lovely assistant apply Dim Light on one side of my face and Diffused Light on the other. Within seconds I noticed that the Dim Light made me look like my foundation didn't match my skin. If you are a pale ass bitch like myself you will know that feeling of applying a too orange powder over a perfectly matched foundation, commonly known as pure despair. However Diffused Light was an entirely different story. It had a very light amount of pigmentation, and has soft yellow undertones. These undertones offset the redness in my skin and gave me a beautiful, radiant glow.

This powder is one of the least powdery powders that I've ever powdered with. The texture is however, very powdery and soft.  I like to apply it by patting and pressing it into the skin to set my foundation. The powder itself has teeny tiny micro shimmers in it. And when I say micro, I mean barely visible to the human eye. What this powder results in is a beautiful glowing face that is set and stays all day.

One other thing to note is that I have actually tried applying this over a powder foundation to the the results and they are also impressive. The Ambient Lighting Powder takes down the powderyness of the powder foundation underneath and transforms the matte finish to a more natural one.

Diffused Light

The last thing to mention about this powder is how beautifully it photographs. This is THE powder to wear to your wedding/prom night. This compact will last ages too as you don't need a lot of to achieve a luminous finish.

My final thoughts? Yes, it's a $62 powder but it behaves like a $62 powder. Also, I strongly suggest you have someone at Mecca Cosmetica colour match you as if I had've bought Dim Light I feel I would have an entirely different review.

TL;DR 

• Setting powder with a luminous finish
• It's really expensive
• But it's really good.

Have you tried these? Would you fork out $62 for a face powder? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Mishelle

Benefit Creaseless Cream Eye Shadows in R.S.V.P. and Birthday Suit

Over the past two years, I have gone from owning zero to ten different cream eye shadows. There is something simply effortless about creme shadows, the way you can sweep them all over the lid and instantly feel made up. Recently I felt the need to add two more cream eye shadows to my collection, enter the Benefit Creaseless Creams in R.S.V.P. and Birthday Suit.

Birthday Suit and R.S.V.P.

The Benefit Creaseless Creams are a cult favourite, they were recently repackaged into these cute glass pots however the formula has not changed. The formulation of these is very smooth and creamy, and the texture is a lot thinner than the Maybelline Color Tattoos. However they apply with full opacity and set within a minute's contact with the skin.

Birthday Suit and R.S.V.P.

The longevity of these is better than other cream shadows I've tried, and on par with that of the MAC Paint Pot I own. The thing I really enjoyed about these is that they truly do not crease. With an eye shadow primer on their own or set with a powder these are still crease less on my eyes 8 hours later. On their own with no shadow or primer, they do fade a little after about 5 hours, but they still refuse to crease. Keep in mind that everything without a primer usually creases on me.

My only gripe with these is that I wish they were more shimmery. Even though they have shimmer in them I feel the overall look isn't as poppin' as I'd hoped. But then again I am a shimmer junkie.

R.S.V.P.

Birthday Suit

Overall these are a very solid product and I think that the lasting power they provide is very impressive. If you're having a lazy makeup day, these make you look polished in a flash.

What is your favourite formulation of cream eye shadow?

Mishelle