Favourite Winter lipsticks

I love dark vampy lipstick, and winter time is perfect for bringing out those sultry shades.

These are my faves and what I'm wearing this season!

MAC Russian Red (matte)
A Red can be a winter classic. Russian Red is blue based which fits in with those colder months (vs being yellow/ orange based). It's a great way to use a little colour against those blacks, greys and other darker shades.
Purchase: MAC stores, counters and online
RRP: $36

Shanghai Suzy Mrs French Winter Maroon (matte)
I love Shanghai Suzy, and this range of winter shades are amazing. This is a beautiful plum and very wearable. This sways more burgundy than MAC Rebel. It also smells like grape bubblegum
Purchase: Shanghaisuzy.com
RRP: $12.95

MAC Rebel (satin)
This is my ultimate go to shade for winter, but then again, I definitely wear this all year round. It's a beautiful plum, which sways purple vs burgundy. This is a staple in anybody's lipstick stash.
Purchase: MAC store, counters and online
RRP: $36

Colourpop Pitch (matte)
This is such a 90s shade. Deep chocolate brown. I like this version as its so cheap, so you can try it out without breaking the bank. Pitch has full coverage, and even though it's described as a matte, its a very nourishing matte and not that flat, traditional matte.
Purchase: Colourpop.com
RRP: $5USD

OCC Sebastian
Cheating a little bit, this is a pencil, but OCC do do this in a lip tar to match (Or you could also try MAC Stone when that comes out, which is a matte). This is very on trend right now, that kind of stone, dark beige lip. If you want to try out this colour but it washes you out a little, try using this as an ombre lip on the outside with a nice nude in the middle (I like MAC Patisserie for an ombre look).
Purchase: Lipstickrepublic.com.au
RRP: $20 (lip tar $24)

Swatches T-B: Russian Red, Mrs French, Rebel, Pitch and Sebastian. 

What shades are you loving for winter? 

Review: Clearasil Daily Clear Superfruits

I got sent these products and to be honest, I initally thought, "Clearasil, god I haven't used their products since I was a teenager and first getting acne, what can these do for me?" and was hesitant to try them out, but since I've been using them, my opinion has definitely changed.

What Clearasil has to say about the Superfruits range:

"Clearasil Daily Clear Superfruits is a brand new kind-to-skin range which contains effective skin-clearing ingredients, plus Vitamin B3 and Superfruits known for their antioxidant properties – with raspberry and cranberry extracts." 

We all know by now how much I love my antioxidants. This is my review for 2 of their "general" face products, the Superfruits Refreshing Scrub and Wash. By general, I mean, not specifically targeted towards acne prone skin. These are also the newest products from Clearasil's line. 
I started using the Superfruits Refreshing scrub and wash in my skincare regime on the 1st of June.

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First Impressions: 
The smell is incredible! The scent is raspberry and cranberry according to Clearasil, and I definitely agree with the raspberry. It is super fruity and the scent is just delicious. It is definitely the first thing you notice. Neither leave your skin feeling tight and feel nice to apply. 

After a month: (daily use)

Superfruits Refreshing Wash:

Every time I use this I am just so delighted with the smell. I'm always more inclined and want to use a product that smells delicious. It leaves my skin feeling cleansed and not overly so. I dislike cleansers that make your skin feel "too clean". By too clean, I mean tight and "squeaky clean". I only got one whitehead pimple the whole time I was using this, and oddly it was after my time of the month (which I get one cystic during) so that was interesting. Maybe a positive sign to the product working and removing the toxins from my skin, which is why you should always use a product for a good 21-28 days before trying something new and jumping ship. That way you get a true result if the product is working or doing nothing. Also a little goes a long way with this cleanser, after a month of both myself and my partner using it everyday (twice a day for myself), there's a little under half bottle left, so definitely good value for money. Overall I really liked it and enjoyed using it. 

*My partner usually uses what I have around and I asked him what he thought about it and he prefers this wash vs the others that I've recently used (Glamourflage Olive cleanser and The Body Shop Seaweed cleanser). He says that the Superfruits wash really works for him and would definitely keep using it. He also really likes the scent too. 

Superfruits Refreshing Scrub:

The scrub also smells delicious and has those little plastic beads in it vs a grainy scrub. I found after about 2 weeks in, that the scrub is too harsh to be using everyday, as the label says, and as I was doing. I think if you do have acne prone skin and use it everyday, you could be making your situation worse and really increasing the oil produced by your skin, so I would go easy on how often you use it. I would suggest every 2-3 days. One thing that "bugged" me (but could easily be avoided), is that water gathers in the cap of the scrub which stays there and doesn't naturally drain (you have to turn the cap as if you were to remove it to get the water out. However, I use and keep mine in the shower which is why it happened, as I said, easily avoidable and easy to remedy but found a little eh. I would recommend this for those who already have clear skin who like a more gentle 2-3per week scrub. 

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Would I re-purchase?

Yes to the wash, no to the scrub. 

I prefer The Body Shop Vitamin C microdermabrasion scrub, but I don't dislike the Superfruits scrub. I just think the Microdermabrasion scrub works better for my skin and what I want out of a scrub. 

I absolutely LOVE the face wash, but I'm torn, as I really love The Body Shop Seaweed cleanser (my all time fave!) and the Glamourflage Olive cleanser too (the 2 I've been using of recent). I want to add it in, but I don't know where haha. #firstworldproblems. It has the full approval of my partner (see above) so I'll repurchase it for him for sure (and just steal it hahaha). #problemsolved

I can't get enough of the scent of both products, so if you love fruity scented goodness, these are definitely worth grabbing!! 

Day:

Clearasil Superfruits Refreshing wash

Mario Badescu Vitamin C serum

Olay SPF30 Moisturiser

Kate Somerville Cytocell eye cream

Night:

Clearasil Superfruits Refreshing wash

Clearasil Superfruits Refreshing Scrub (every second night)

Mario Badescu Seaweed night cream

Kate Somerville Cytocell eye cream

Glamourflage Luscious Lucy face cream for neck and décolletage

Available: Most supermarkets and Priceline

RRP: from $10.99

Please note: I stop using all previous cleansers and scrubs for the purpose of a full, proper review, and used both for a full month before posting. Products were sent to me for review and I chose these 2 from the Clearasil range as I thought these would suit me best. As always, thoughts are 100% my own and honest. Pictures taken from the Clearasil website. 

Winter Skin Saviours

We all know that winter is horrible to our skin. With heaters, air conditioners and the cold air, our skin gets dehydrated very quickly and what happens to our skin when it dries out? The "cracks" start to appear. By cracks, this could be anything from flaky skin, to those pesky fine lines showing up more and more frequently. So we must hydrate! Today I'm going to show you some of my fave products to get back that beautiful skin.

In winter, you may need a richer moisturiser to really penetrate the skin vs something a bit lighter in summer. HOWEVER, YOU ALSO STILL NEED A SUNSCREEN. Those rays are gonna get ya, trust me. Is it night 24/7 during winter? No, therefore the sun is still out, even if it's raining 24/7.
TOP TIP: Your hands and décolletage are the first places to start showing signs of ageing so slather on that sunscreen on those 2 places.
Sunscreen: Anything SPF30+ is best.
Try:
Eco Tan Natural Coconut Sunscreen
Available: Shelivescrueltyfree.com and most health food shops
RRP: $39.95 

The Cancer Council
Available: Priceline
RRP: from $6.99

Moisturiser:
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask
Available: The Body Shop
RRP: $44.95

Eye creams are a must in winter to help combat those fine lines.
Kate Somerville Cytocell: this is a beautiful eye cream that is not super thick but feels like it's doing its job. I've been using this lately and really enjoying it.
Available: Mecca Cosmetica, Maxima and mecca.com.au
RRP: $98

Origins Plantscription anti-anging eye treatment: I really enjoy this eye cream too, and I also enjoy the smell. To me it smells natural but not everyone will like it.
Available: Mecca Maxima and mecca.com.au
RRP: $58

Flaky skin, and lips are also prevalent in winter, so a lip scrub and balm is a must!
Lush lip scrub: I'm still working on my Santa lips from xmas, but the bubblegum is also delicious!
Available: Lush stores and online
RRP: $9.95

Sara Happ lip scrub: try the vanilla bean or creme brûlée, YUM!
Available: beautybay.com
RRP: $31 (free shipping)

The Body Shop lip balm: this comes in an assortment of flavours, my faves being Honey, Watermelon and Shea.
Available: The Body Shop and bodyshop.com.au
RRP: $6.95

Sukin Nourishing lip balm
Available: Priceline
RRP: $7.99

Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia and Caramel Creme
Available: Priceline
RRP: $5.70

The body also needs attention, so a moisturising body scrub is always a good choice:
Frank Body scrub: because this is loaded with sweet almond and orange oils (it smells like jaffas!), this is the perfect choice for hot showers, and leaves your skin feeling super smooth and super hydrated, because really, who wants to rub moisturiser all over themselves after a hot shower, in the cold.
Available: frankbody.com
RRP: $14.95 (free shipping within Australia, from $6.45 Rest of the World).

Something to soothe the winter blues:
Tea: I'm a massive fan of flavoured teas. It's a delicious, warm way to warm up. My faves would be Governors Estate Peach tea, Qi Green tea, Matcha Maiden Matcha, T2 Toasty Nougat, Toasty Warm, Turkish Apple, and Apple Crumble.
GE Peach: Coles supermarkets
Qi Green: Woolworths supermarkets
Matcha Maiden: matchamaiden.com
T2: online and T2 stores

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

A random collection of comparison swatches

I'm someone who really seems to struggle with finding comparison swatches, or even swatches in general. I can never find 2 swatches of products in the one swatch when I want, so I thought I'd post a collection here of all the swatches that I've personally struggled to find. I'm sure I'm not the only one!

I hope you find this useful, and I'll keep adding to this as we go along.
All swatched on MAC NW20 skin with lightbox lighting. Click on pics for better resolution.


MAC Toldeo Chlorofill pearl glide vs MAC Sourpuss technakohl vs By Terry Green Fizz Aqua Print eyeshadow:

MAC Lady Danger lipstick vs MAC Neon Orange lipstick vs MAC Morange lipstick vs MAC Good to Go prolongwear lipstick:

Too Faced Melted Sugar vs Too Faced Melted Nude lipstick:

Review: Glamourflage skincare

I had never heard of the skincare brand Glamourflage until recently when I got the opportunity to review a few products from their line. Funnily enough, once I received the products, I went shopping and discovered it's readily available at David Jones.

Glamourflage has an expansive range of skincare, body care, makeup and accessories which is very reasonably priced. I think someone from every age would find something they love, and would make great gifts (or even stocking fillers for xmas time, if you're planning well ahead haha). 

Each Glamourflage product is encased with really cute 1940/50's pin-up "housewives" (the characters are anything but, think Mad Men styles) packaging which comes with it's own character, personality and narrative. Each of which is sassy and well thought out. I immediately thought that if a company thinks about each product with this much detail, then they clearly are very invested into each product they're creating and customer focused. 

This is my review on 3 of their skincare products:

~ Ravishing Ruby Facial Cleanser (olive) 70ml

~ Tiara Tracey Facial Toner (cucumber) 120ml

~ Lucious Lucy Face Cream (freesia) 120ml

I used all 3 products I received (a cleanser, toner and face cream) as a "new" skincare regime and added my daily serum faves, as below, each for day and night so I didn't miss out on my essential anti-aging care. I started the regime on 23/04/15.

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First impressions:

The Ravishing Ruby foaming cleanser made my skin feel uber soft and was non tightening.

The Tiara Tracey toner smelt amazing and really took off what was left on my skin, again another product that didn't make my skin feel tight and my skin still felt uber soft after application and drying.

The Luscious Lucy face cream: least favourite smelling out of the 3 (freesia). Didn't feel super thick, more like a medium thickness, left a slight "sticky" residue.

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After a month: (daily use)

Ravishing Ruby foaming cleanser: 

I am still really enjoying using this and because it's a foaming product I expected it to run out before now, so I've been pleasantly suprised about how much product I'm getting (I use 1 and a half pumps per wash). I've used about half of the bottle at this point so the bottle would last for a good 2 months before needing to replenish. I also really like the application (it's the small things for me) and I find myself wanting to wash my face. It doesn't strip your skin of natural oils or moisture, and it makes my skin feel really, really soft. The scent is inoffensive and not really "olivey" (I was expecting a much more "foody olivey" smell haha). I only had 1 pimple the whole time while I was reviewing this, and it went away without forming a white head on it, so I think it does prevent acne and really cleanse the skin. I also had no hormonal acne at all, which I always get at least 1 on my chin. Without a doubt, this is my definitely my favourite product out of the 3.

Tiara Tracey toner:

I am in LOVE with this scent! It's so refreshing and just so ahhhh! I also really like the fact that it didn't dry out my skin and after it's been absorbed, my skin still felt smooth and soft. I don't have acne, but I think this would be perfect for those who do as one of its main ingredients is witch hazel (which I love for pimples). It was about time that I introduced a toner into my skin care regime and I'm glad I received this one as it is now a staple. 

Luscious Lucy face cream:

I'm not keen on the smell. The scent definitely fits the packaging and the brand, but it's just not me. I much prefer "fresh" scents in my skincare, like the olive and cucumber. I found after using the cream that it never really sunk into my skin and it made my face feel "oily." Even hours after having it on and ample time to sink in, so it's a rather rich cream, even though it's not heavy in texture. I actually stopped using this as a face cream after 2 weeks and started using it for my neck and décolletage as they're areas which do need something a little heavier and admittedly, more attention from me. Me being me, I do like if I can find a use for it, even if it isn't its intended purpose. Less wasted products that way. I definitely think it's better suited to someone with very dry or mature skin, or even as a night time, winter moisturiser. This was my least favourite product of the 3.

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Would I repurchase?:

Yes, most definitely with Ravishingly Ruby and Tiara Tracey (which has become a staple in my skincare routine now). I still love The Body Shop Seaweed cleanser so I think I'll end up rotating between the 2 depending on what mood I'm in. 

Luscious Lucy, I honestly don't think I'll get through the whole tub this year (it's huge!), and I'm glad I could find a new purpose for it. In regards to using it for its actual purpose as a FACE cream, then no.

After using these particular Glamourflage products, I'm definitely keen to check out and purchase some of the other products in the range. Their cherry lip balm is at the top of my list! (We all know how much I love cherry scented products!). 

Day:

Glamourflage Ravishing Ruby Foaming Cleanser

Glamourflage Tiara Tracey Toner

Mario Badesco Vitamin C serum

Olay spf30 moisuriser

Kate Somerville Cytocell eye cream

Night:

Glamourflage Ravishing Ruby Foaming Cleanser

Glamourflage Tiara Tracey Toner

Mario Badesco Seaweed night cream

Kate Somerville Cytocell eye cream

Glamourflage Luscious Lucy face cream for neck and décolletage 

Available: Glamourflage.com.au, David Jones, Luxola, selected boutiques nation and worldwide  (please check Glamourflage.com.au for your state or country).

RRP: from $7.95AUD to $36AUD for products, from $4.95AUD for accessories. 

Glamourflage do not test on animals. 

All 3 Glamourflage products used for 1 full month before publishing this post. Products were sent to me for consideration of review. As always, thoughts are 100% my own. Pictures courtesy of  Glamourflage.