Recent empties: episode 2

Hi guys! Back with another edition of recent empties... I have a lot that I've used up since I did the last one of these. I'm focusing on using up what I have, rather than buying more stuff. Very novel right?


The Body Shop Satsuma body butter (jumbo size)
This has taken me FOREVER to use. I'm not a super moisturiser, and just use them when I remember (which is rare, but I'm getting better!). This is my favourite Body Shop scent and I like that it's thick and I feel moisturised for a long time after using the body butters. I also learnt that I definitely prefer smaller packaged things so I feel like I can get through them, rather than something so massive like this, especially when I don't use a product often enough (my staples, however, could benefit from being bath sized in packaging haha).
Would I re-purchase: Yes, but not this size.
Available: The Body Shop stores and online
RRP: $8.95 (mini/ 50ml), $24.95 (regular/ 200ml) and $39.95 (400ml/ jumbo)

Kate Somerville Cytocell eye cream (full size)
I love this and even though it's more directed at dark circles, I love it for keeping my fine lines at bay. It's moisturising but not too heavy. This is a must have in my skincare regime.
Would I re-purchase: Yes, I already have
Available: Mecca Cosmetica and mecca.com.au
RRP: $112

Mario Badescu Vitamin C serum (full size)
Ahhh the skin elixir that is Vitamin C. I swear this is "my secret" to youthful skin. It's just so good! Vitamin C is chock full of good things that do good things for your face. This serum absorbs quickly and makes my skin feel smooth and preped for other skincare and makeup. If I only could use one thing for my skincare routine, this is it. The thing to look for Ascorbic acid if you want a Vitamin C fix.
Would I re-purchase: Yes, I already have
Available: beautybay.com
RRP: $58

Mario Badescu Seaweed night cream (full size)
I love Seaweed (see my post below), and this is another staple in my skincare regime. It moisturises and plumps up my skin and makes it feel uber soft. The only thing that I've found is that I can't use it in conjunction with The Body Shops' Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask, it gives me these weird hives/ break out all over my face.
Would I re-purchase: Yes, I already have
Available: Mecca Cosmerica and mecca.com.au
RRP: $33

Neutrogena Hydro Boost gel (full size)
I loved the smell of this but I didn't feel uber hydrated. It was nice and felt good on my skin, but I've definitely used much better moisturisers. I felt like it absorbed too quickly and I thought it would really sit on the skin more given its gel nature.
Would I re-purchase: Only if I was out of and every where was sold out of my faves
Available: Priceline stores and online
RRP: $24.99

Sukin Purifying Facial Masque (full size)
I've had this for a while but I feel like it didn't do much for me. My partner liked it enough but he's not a regular mask user and likes other things better. I didn't end up finishing it and just tossing it as it's quite old.
Would I re-purchase: No
Available: Priceline stores and online
RRP: $15.99

Excuse the dried out clay. as you can see, it was well tested (!?)

Socialeyes lashes in Tease 2.0 and Polished
These are 2 of my fave lashes ever. They've got a thin, very flexible clear band and are super comfy to wear. I personally prefer half lashes for myself and the Tease 2.0 are perfect.
Would I re-purchase: Yes, I already have
Available: socialeyes.com.au
RRP: Tease 2.0 $4.95, Polished $5.95

MAC False Lashes mascara (sample)
This is my second sample. Same thoughts as last time. It's ok and I prefer it layered with something else.
Would I re-purchase: No
Available: MAC stores, counters and online
RRP: $42 (full size)

By Terry Baume De Rose (sample)
I found this sample and thought I'd give it a go. It's rose scented and normally I dislike anything rose scented and although the scent is initially really strong, it dissipated pretty quickly. The lip balm is thick but not uncomfortable. It did make my lips soft and they felt slightly plumper after using it. If it weren't for the rose scent, I would like this.
Would I re-purchase: No
Available: Mecca.com.au
RRP: $84

Batiste XXL dry shampoo (mini/ sample)
I love Batiste dry shampoos, but I didn't like this  like some of the other "flavours". It didn't make my hair massive and give it much volume, I would recommend a Volumising product for that. It did soak up the oils from my hair and revive it.
Would I re-purchase: Not this particular one, but a Batiste dry shampoo, yes
Available: Priceline and most supermarkets
RRP: $12.99 (200ml), $19.99 (400ml)

Tresemme Heat Tamer Protective spray (full size)
This has been a staple product in our house since I first discovered it. It works well and smells great. My partner dislikes all other protective sprays but loves this. I'll be honest, he's a little "protective" about his hair... I guess that's a Leo for you haha.
Would. I re-purchase: Yes, already have
Available: Priceline
RRP: $7.99

Moroccan Oil treatment (full size)
This is my holy grail hair product! If I could bath in this I would. My hair is in better condition thanks to this baby. And the smell? OOOHHH I DIE! If they could make this into a fragrance, or candle or something, I would be one very happy camper. Even though it's an oil, it doesn't make your hair greasy at all. I also find it makes my hair dry quicker too. 
Would I re-purchase: Yes, I already have 
Available: Most hairdressers, adorebeauty.com.au, catwalk.com.au 
RRP: $59.95 

Redken Refining Sea Polish (full size)
This is basically a "liquid pumice" that you use to exfoliate the hair. I loved the feeling of rubbing this through my hair and the results afterwards were amazing. My hair always looked so shiny and healthy. I'm so sad they discontinued it. Exfoliating shampoos, in my opinion, just aren't the same. 
Would I re-purchase: Yes, if it were not discontinued
Available: Discontinued 

What have you guys been loving this month? Beauty staples that you purchase again and again? I wanna know! :) 

Review: Madam Glam gel nail polish

I received these a while back, but had to buy all the equipment associated with doing gel nails at home, like an LED lamp etc. I'm also quite new to gel nails, and definitely a novice for an at home session so I gave these a few trials before I wanted to write this review up.

I received the shades:
* Quicksilver (soak off gel polish) ~ glittery white silver
* Plum Addict (soak off gel polish) ~ a rich plum
* Dancing in the Moonlight (colour chameleon gel polish) ~ glitter pink when warm, glitter purple when cold
* A La Mode (colour chameleon gel polish) ~ warm bubblegum pink when warm, dark purple when cold

Quicksilver

Quicksilver

Plum Addict

Plum Addict

Dancing In The Moonlight

A La Mode

First Impressions:
I am especially taken with the colour changing "chameleon" gels. I love anything "gimmicky", glittery and fun like that, so these are right up my alley! My fave shade out of all 4 I received is definitely Dancing in the Moonlight.
I applied a thin layer, cured for 2 minutes, another thin layer, another 2 minutes and repeat again. Both Quicksilver and Dancing in the Moodlight applied thicker, due to being a heavier, glitter base, but I was able to get thin layers quite easily.
All 4 brushes aren't too thin, and definitely not as wide as a lot of polish brushes are. They move easily and feel very controlled when applying the polish. I personally found there was a tendency to go "outside the lines", but I'm not especially careful when applying nail polish. I'll happily scrape/ clean up the residue with my other nails. However, if you do that too, I'd recommend cleaning up before curing, as it's much tougher to clean up. Or you could find a bottle of that latex product that people seem to be using more frequently. 
The nail application goes on smooth without too much fuss and cure evenly too. 

Again, with the 2 glittery shades, Quicksilver and Dancing in the Moonlight, being thicker, they were opaque by 2 coats, both Plum Addict and A La Mode were opaque with 3 coats, all of which you do want to be thin so curing is quicker and you get a more even, smooth finish. 

Being the novice that I am, especially when it comes to gels, these are easy to use and complete novices, and of course, pros, won't have an issue using them. 
On my second "real" go, it took me maybe 25 minutes to do both hands and feet. They're fantastic, as once cured, there's no drying time, so you're good to go without having to be cautious about wrecking your polish job. 

They smell plasticky, and do smell compared to other nail polishes. I'd advise doing them in a decent space with good air flow, which you should be doing anyway. 

Easy to remove? On my fingers, a few nails peeled off (with assistance), and I just picked the rest off (naughty naughty!). On my toes, I just used a non acetone nailpolish remover, it did take a fair effort and time, so I would advise buying an actual soak off remover to make the process easier and quicker. 


After a month:
I don't know what it is, but I cannot keep these on my fingernails, but my toe nails? These last forever!
Fingers: I believe that it was completely my non prep as to why these polishes didn't work on my finger nails: (a list for total transparency)
* My finger nails were too smooth (I buffed and shined my nails before use).
* I didn't use a base coat, so the polish didn't stick as it should.
* I'm pretty hard on my nails (yes, I use my nails for everything like opening cans etc, which you "shouldn't" do... They are tools to me lol).
* I used just a normal OPI top coat afterwards.
So maybe this review is flawed as I didn't do everything, or really, anything, to get the best performance out of these polishes. On my fingernails, they lasted just under 2 weeks.

Toe nails:  All of the shades lasted well over a month, until I took them off to put another shade on. I didn't buff my toe nails and I don't do anything crazy, or strenuous with my toes haha. So I'm going to say it was these 2 main reasons that my fingers didn't last as long. Each colour remained opaque and chip free from application. You could see my nail grow out before application was altered in any way.


The colour change polishes didn't faulter in any way, from application to removal, they kept changing colour from warm/ hot to cold, and under water.


Would I purchase?:
After my personal shittiness with my fingers, I would still say yes. These work very well on my toes and last longer and don't chip like normal polish. There are a TON of amazing colours from neutrals, through to neons and glitters and my personal faves, colour change chameleons. You can also buy everything you need like base/ top coats, starter kits etc on the website. I bought my LED lamp on Ebay for like $5.


Available: madamglam.com
RRP: from $19.95USD

Madam Glam ships worldwide


All Madam Glam items sent to me for consideration, as always, thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Josie Maran Coconut Watercolour eyeshadow

I have seen this product raved about so much, that naturally, I wanted to try it out. I got the shade Rainforest Green, which is a beautiful emerald green shade, which is metallic looking and ever so slightly shimmery.

The package is quite unique, in a glass bottle that looks like a dropper. It's got a doe foot applicator and thinking about it now, it's very similar like those YSL and Giorgio Armani cream to powder eyeshadow that have been coming out recently, except this is with Coconut water.

First Impression/ use: 
I don't know what it is, but *spoiler alert* it is a hot mess of a product. Is it me? Is it the product? I really have no idea. Let's talk about it a little to see what the deal is.

I followed the instructions, so I know it's not that. I shook it to disperse the product around, as instructed, yet the bulk of the product stayed at the bottom of the bottle. I shook it harder, Nothing. I then took the applicator and tried to jimmy/ swish the product from the bottom to get it moving around. Nothing. So I'm basically left with this watery, slightly coloured, liquid. It applied like crap (because it's just "water" is a guess....).

Second point: It didn't dry. Whatever colour payoff I did get, was then also let down by the fact that it took forever to dry and I couldn't even open my eyes fully as the colour transferred to my upper lid/ crease area. So this is definitely not a product for those with hooded eyes.

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Second use: (swatched)
I wrote the start of this blog a while back and just hated this, however, just to make sure my opinion was the same, I just shook it up and swatched it on my hand and it's now "working". It swatched perfectly and mostly dried down, but it did take a good couple of minutes to do so. It wasn't wet to touch, but it was easily smeared when touched, so it never 100% fully dried.

L-R: Swatched with about 5 layers; blended out
(photo in natural sunny light)

Second use: (eyes)
As I went to use this properly, I shook it but when I gently scraped the applicator on the sides to remove excess product, it broke off! Really not having a good time with this product. I still wanted to continue testing this out, but it was uber tricky after the applicator broke on me, however, I persevered and just used a concealer brush on my eye. First layer on both eyes (one primed with a paintpot and nude eyeshadow; one completely bare) and it creased and was ultra sheer. Second layer I blended out with my finger, and it is very easy to blend. I think it applied pretty much the same on both eyes (primed and not primed).

The broken applicator :(

After 6 hours wear, it still looks the same as when first applied, so the product hasn't moved, but the lid looks extremely sheer and creased as noted when first applied. So it didn't get any worse, except for the lids. 

This is not ideal for those who like good coverage, have oily lids or are time limited. I would not recommend this to anyone who is a novice at makeup either. I feel like I have a very good handle on makeup, and just couldn't make it work. 

The 1 pro I can see out of this product. It washes off so easy. Like, just add water easy. Also could be a con though, if your eyes water or you cry easily or at photos of kittens and puppies, you're going to look like a hot mess.

It's seriously such a shame that this failed so hard for me, when opaque (swatched), it is the most prettiest emerald shade that sparkles perfectly. The only way I can see this working is if you have a lot of time up your sleeve and you love the grungy look. 


                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Would I repurchase?: 
I'm so tempted to get the rose gold shade, Rio De Rose Gold, but, no. I will not be buying any more of these after the experience I had. 

Available: Mecca Maxima, Kit Cosmetics and mecca.com.au

RRP: $25

PS. if you know how you're actually supposed to use this product, please let me know. 

My Favourite nail polishes

I'm lazy when it comes to my nails. I love them looking pretty, but I don't always have time to go get acrylics put on and I hate how nail polish chips so easily. Regardless, I still love having colour on my nails. When I do use nail polish, these are my faves!!
PS. I ALWAYS have my toe nails painted, is it just me or does it look wrong with naked toe nails??


Chi Chi Just Chillaxin'
All aboard the greige train! Ummm this colour is amazing. This is a perfect all year 'round shade as its not too warm or too cool. I have been wearing this shade the most over the past 6 odd months that I've had it. LOVE!! Can I also say that the price for this is amazing. Like $5 for a bottle. Yes it's a little smaller than most, but it's great value for money and you're more likely to finish a bottle up. 





OPI Black Onyx
I love black nails, what can I say, I'm a goth at heart. Black always looks good, and in my opinion, the only colour you can "get away" with it being chipped, for that "grungy look" (if you're feeling lazy!). This shade is permanent and a staple in any collection.

OPI Baby It's Coal Outside
A gunmetal shade with silver micro glitter. I think the whole world knows about my current love affair with all things gunmetal. This shade was a limited edition from quite a few xmas's ago (2008 "Holiday in Toyland". Had to look it up, can't believe its 7 years old!!). 




China Glaze Nova
I absolutely love this glitter. I've used it so much theres basically nothing left and it's gone a little gunky, but I just can't bare to part with it. I need to find a suitable replacement. This type of polish is my fave for an accent nail. 





OPI Gaining Mole-mentum
I recently purchased this and it is the BEST gold flake glitter I've come across. It's more of a coppery gold vs a yellow gold, which most gold glitters are, (and I'm not so keen on. I'm picky when it comes to golds). This is another perfect accent nail glitter. You do need to layer it 3 times to get a good covering as it is gold flakes suspended in a clear base.



Essie Mint Candy Apple
Finally! A bit of colour haha. This one is an oldie but a goodie. I'm sure there's very few people/ ladies who haven't heard of this shade. It's such a pretty mint green. 



OPI What's With The Cattitude?
This shade was released with the "Shrek" collection in 2010. The perfect pastel blue. It's a creme that screams spring to me. 





OPI Flit a Bit
Another limited edition (which I guess most shades are these days)(it's from "Summer Flutter" 2010). My fave shade to wear in the summer and looks awesome with a tan. In my Back Pocket is very similar (which I also have haha. Love my oranges!!), although this has a slight shimmer to it vs IMBP being a creme. 



OPI Don't Toy With Me
Another xmas one, This one is also from the Holiday in Toyland collection alongside Baby, It's Coal Outside. It's a blue based red with fine micro silver glitter/ shimmer. My absolutely fave red!! This is a fave shade for my toes. 





As you can clearly see, I do love my OPI's. They have such an extensive range and soooooo many colours. I have a lot of nailpolishes (over 50 shades and finishes).


What's your favourite shade?

Adelaide Hair and Makeup Trade Show haul

Today was the first day of the 2 day Adelaide Hair and Makeup trade show. It runs until 6pm tomorrow, Sunday 27th September. It's the first trade show for the beauty industry that Adelaide has had.

It is designed, not just for the professionals, but also those who just love makeup, so anyone was welcome. 

My experience:

I was underwhelmed by the whole thing. I arrived at 7:30am (doors opened at 8am), as I expected a line up. No one else rocked up until 5 minutes to 8am. The convention centre was pretty dead until roughly 10:30-11am. There were a handful of stalls, the only ones seeming impressive being Crown Brushes and Inglot, as they were the largest and had loads of product (also being the main sponsors). 

Bosa Beauty were late (due to flights etc), and when they did unpack (which was uber slow), they had very little product (within less than 10 minutes the 5 Too Faced Melted lipsticks they had were sold out. They stocked no TheBalm or Nars products but had a massive suitcase of those Full Lips thingys). My friend and I were told to buy online if we wanted anything. 

It took maybe 2 hours going back and forth to really look at everything. My friend and I ended up leaving, going to Mecca Cosmetica instead, spent our cash there and then went back for the Brittney Lee Saunders Q and A at 2:30pm. Straight after that we went home. 

Maybe my expectations were higher as I thought people would flock to this thing. It's the first time Adelaide has had anything like this, so anyone who wasn't able to get to IMATS and the like would go for this, hence why I thought it would be busy, packed and the reason I turned up so early. I definitely won't be attending tomorrow. 

What I bought: 

5 Crown Brushes (2 blending brushes, a powder brush, an eyebrow spoolie and a concealer buffing brush)

An Inlgot AMC lipgloss

An Inglot Sculpting powder for contouring in shade 504

Mecca haul:

Bumble and Bumble Seaweed shampoo and conditioner

Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in Luminous Light

(Btw the girls at Mecca are so lovely!)

Overall, it was very underwhelming, although I did see Chloe Morello walk past, totally fangirled and couldn't even say hello. Who even does that? Haha. I fully had sweaty and shaky hands, heart pumping out of my chest and literally speechless. Ahhhh! 

Fashion Edit: Gunmetal

Gunmetal! I LOVE it! It's smokey, it's rock, it's perfection!

Why do I love gunmetal? It's the perfect "inbetween" shade. It's not as harsh as black but it's not a "typical" metal like silver or gold. It's this winters "it" metal and it's easy to see why. It's the perfect accompaniment to burgundy, blue, grey and black. It stands out in an edgy way without being over the top, and one of the biggest reasons I love it, it's different. You never really see this shade around too often. 

Without further ado, here are my gunmetal must haves for this winter... 

Beauty:

* Makeup Store glitter eyeliner in "Showstopper"

$26
Makeup Store and beautybay.com

* Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in "Uzi" 
$30 (mecca), $33 (beautybay) 
Mecca Maxima, mecca.com.au and beautybay.com

* Stila Smudgestick eyeliner in "Triggerfish"
$26
Mecca Cosmetica, mecca.com.au and beautybay.com

* Australis Metallix cream eyeshadow in "Lana Del Grey"
$8.95
Priceline

* Makeup Geek eyeshadow in "Graphite" and "Stealth"
$5.99USD each
makeupgeek.com

Graphite

Stealth

* MAC Extra Dimension eyeshadow in "Legendary Lure" (due for release June/July)

MAC counters, stores and maccosmetics.com.au

* OPI nail polish in "Lucerne-tainly Look Marvellous" (Swiss collection)
$19.99

David Jones, Myer, Price Attack, selected pharmacies and nail salons

* Makeup Store Strass in "Silver Rain"
$28
Makeup Store

What do you think of gunmetal? How do you wear it?

Ardency Inn

Ardency Inn. I heard about this French cosmetics brand a long time ago. After seeing swatches on Temptalia's site I really wanted to try this brand out. Alas, here in Australia we miss out on the majority of really cool stuff but Mecca, (the gods that they are) are now stocking it! It's an online exclusive at mecca.com.au and Mecca have it exclusively in Australia. How exciting!!!

Ardency Inn's brand "theme" is about the Modster and Punk look. They boast a full range from foundation to lipsticks but it's apparent that eyeliners are definitely their "thing", which obviously works in with the punk theme they've got going on.

 It's very reasonable priced and along the prices of other popular brands like MAC and Urban Decay ($30 an eyeshadow, $28 for eyeliners etc). The only thing that I've seen that I think is WAYYY overpriced is the cute little Punker crystal studs at $57. I really wanted to grab them but definitely not at that price. 

Here's what I bought from Mecca: 
Modster Manuka Honey enriched pigment eyeshadow in Punch ($30):

Modster Smooth Ride Supercharged eyeliner in Lemon ($28):
Modster Smooth Ride Supercharged eyeliner in Turquoise ($28):

Modster Long Play Lip Vinyl in Original Mix ($34):

Swatches: Original Mix, Punch, Lemon and Turquoise

Available: online exclusively at Mecca.com.au
RRP: from $28 to $57

(Not so) Basic Essentials: Brushes (part 2)

This is the follow up post for all the ladies who LOVE makeup and are beyond the needs of someone who requires a basic brush set. This is for the ladies who glam it up with the WORKS. Think ALL OF THE contour, highlight, ALL OF THE COLOURS!!!


Face brushes:
* A powder brush:
This is a necessity for those who either do a lot of powdering or bronzing. You want something quite large so blending (especially for bronzing) is seamless. You don't want harsh lines, just the jealousy of those who think you've just gone on holiday!

* A fan brush:
For those who highlight, everyone needs one. It is perfect for all places. Cheekbones, down the nose, the cupids bow, above the eyebrow. You especially need this brush if you own The Balm's Mary Lou-Manizer. Any other brush is too much for Mary-Lou, that baby is INTENSE!! 

* A contour brush:
This is really for those who are really into their contouring (obviously). There are many choices and preferences out there so I think this is a trial for yourself thing. I've heard mixed reviews on the NARS Ita brush. Some like a fluffy, large angled brush. I have the MAC 109, however, I'm not much of a contourer unless I've got the time or a special occasion.
TOP TIP: Highlight first as this will naturally shadow you so you know the right place to apply your contour.

* A concealer brush:
This is just perfect for those who LOVE their bold lips. This is the perfect tool for cleaning up those lip mistakes that sometimes happen, or to clean up the edges on your brows. I personally don't actually use a concealer brush for under eyes as I find they don't blend out under eye concealer nicely. 

Eye brushes:
* A larger shader brush: 
I like to have a back up shader brush that is larger for any additional work I might wanna do involving packing on colour. 

* A small, synthetic shader brush:
This is perfect for creamy products like paint pots, or any stickier bases for priming the eyelids, and still keeping it all compact on the lid. My fave is the MAC 242. 

* A smudger brush:
This is a great brush for detail work and highlighting the inner corner and brow bone. 

BONUS JUST FOR FUN BRUSH:
* A mascara fan brush:
Save money on coloured mascaras by investing in one of these. You can use these with gel eyeliners to create a fun mascara (which are notorious for drying up quickly). 

Brush lines I Recommend:
MAC
Available: MAC stores, counters and online
RRP: from $37AUD

Zoeva
Available: beautybay.com
RRP: from $11.30AUD
Zoeva also do really affordable sets of brushes too, if you're looking to get a few at once.

Bdellium Tools
Available: bdelliumtools.com
RRP: from $9USD
Bdellium also do affordable sets of brushes. They also come in cool colours like pink, purple, yellow and green. 


Disclaimer: To be clear, all of these are "nice to haves", of course no one actually NEEDS anything more than the basics. Take from this what you will, but they are still very handy brushes to have, and brushes I reach for daily/ semi-daily. 

Red powder/ makeup brush photo created and taken by Love Lanner - lovelanner.com