Sunday, July 31, 2011

NOTD: Ulta3 Twilight Fever

I hate to admit it but I am a fan of Twilight. While I think the books are a lot better than the films I still enjoy watching the movies...sad but true haha

But that's not what this post is about. What it is about is a gorgeous new nail colour I found while trawling through the Ulta3 nail polish bin at Wizard Warehouse Pharmacy. I love Ulta3 polishes. They are really opaque and apply really nicely. They also dry pretty fast and last a decent amount of time of the nails without chipping. Best of all they are only ~$2 a bottle!!

Here it is in all its taupey glory

Now onto the polish. This is one of those polishes which can look different depending on the lighting. The base colour is a taupey brown colour but it has a strong purple duo chrome.

Here you can see the purple duochrome
Looking brown on the nails

Like my lemon tree? haha

Here you can see the purple a lot better

I used two coats of polish to get it to this level of opaqueness and am not wearing a base or top coat. The polish has a natural shine (without the use of a top coat) as you can see in the pics above.

I definitely recommend the Ulta3 line of nail polishes. They are surprisingly good for such a cheap price and I own several colours (11 to be exact haha). You can get them at selected chemists, including Terry White, Wizard Warehouse, Blooms the Chemist and Good Price Pharmacy. For other stockists you can call their consumer hotline 1800 181 040.

Have you tried Ulta3 nail polishes? What's your fave shade??


Hannah xox

Saturday, July 30, 2011

A couple of regrets..

So recently you may have seen that I hauled a few Models Prefer products. I had high hopes for them but sadly they have fallen short and have become dreaded product regrets. 

Duo Concealer on top and Mineral Duo to the right. (The Australis blush I love - see here)

They are the Mineral Eyeshadow Duo in Rocker Chic and the Duo Concealer in shade 01.

I'll start with the eyeshadow. I've tried Models Prefer eyeshadows before and quite liked them so I thought that I would like this too. In the pan the colours look gorgeous, a beautiful golden shimmery colour on one side and a deep purpley-blue on the other.



That's where the positives stop unfortunately. I found these shadows extremely hard to apply to the lid. Using a brush was useless as it hardly picked up any product and what it did pick up you could barely notice on my lid. I tried using my fingers to apply them and this worked a touch better but was quite messy as you really need to dig at the product to get it to apply, which as you can imagine equals a tonne of fallout. 

I also tried to apply these wet and that didn't work either, it just created an even bigger mess. So while the swatches of this look great I would steer clear unless you really want to work at it to get it on your eye. 

Gold, purple and then mixed together

See how pretty the swatches look?? I wish it worked this well on lids :(

Now onto the concealer. The reason I purchased this was because it reminded me a lot of the Bobbi Brown colour correctors. It has a salmoney pink side to banish dark circles and a skin coloured one to use as your concealer. 

Skin colour and Salmoney colour (yes salmoney is now a word people!)

I think the colours are great and the salmon colour does disguise dark circles to an extent. The problem I have with this concealer is the consistency. When I apply it under my eyes or to my skin it just slides right off. It just won't stay put. Since I like to apply my concealer before my foundation (to cover redness and dark circles) it doesn't work well if it just swipes right off under my foundation brush. 

It had so much promise *sigh*

So I still haven't found a replacement to my beloved discontinued Maybelline dream mousse concealer :( These regrets haven't deterred me completely from the Models Prefer brand, I still love their mascara and the other eyeshadows I have tried that came in a big set. 

Have you tried these products? What are some of your recent product regrets??

Hannah xo

Sunday, July 24, 2011

My Current Love: Australis Creme Colour

So you may have seen in one of my recent posts that I purchased an Australis Creme Colour. The brand has completely revived their image I think lately. Going from a brand for teens to one that caters for a larger age bracket. 



I purchased the Creme Colour for lips and cheeks in Flirtatious Pink and it was love at first swipe!

The Good??

  • The colour is GORGEOUS! 
  • The formula is not too sticky and reminds me a lot of the Nars cream blush formula. 
  • Blends really easily on the skin and does not leave you with a spot from where it's first applied.
  • Cute packaging, the lid screws off and there is a clear plastic top so you can see what colour it is. The plastic doesn't feel cheap or like it would break easily.
  • The price! $9.95 for this little fella.
  • You can use it on cheeks and lips.
  • Gives your cheek a nice glow.

The Bad??

  • If you don't like scented products you won't like this. It has a strong lavender smell although once on the skin you can't smell it.
  • Not a big range of colours. I think there was only 3 or 4.
  • When used on the lips it is quite drying but used with a balm it's ok. 

The Swatch

Heavily Swatched (left) Blended Out (right)


Still not sold? Check it out on my cheeks;





















I'm also wearing a little bit on my lips in all these pics.

I'll definitely be picking up the other colours soon!! 

What do you think of Australis these days? Have you tried these creme colours??

Robbie wanted to say hi! haha


Thursday, July 21, 2011

My HG products

Holy grail status is pretty serious here in the beauty world. So I thought I would share with you all some of my HG products. I find it so interesting to see what other people consider HG so I thought you might like to see mine. 

My HG foundation

A few months ago I would have said with no doubt that my HG foundation was Nars Sheer Glow. However in the past couple of months I have discovered a new foundation that I like even more and has replaced Sheer Glow as my HG. It is Covergirl's Trublend foundation in Ivory. 

This foundation matches my very pale skin perfectly (the only foundation I have found so far that achieves this). It gives me great coverage without feeling like I am wearing a full face of foundation. It also lasts a decent time on the skin, leaving me still looking presentable after a full days work. Even better its a drugstore product that doesn't come with an inflated price tag.



My HG Concealer

By far is Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer. If I could only wear one makeup product this would be it because it makes my skin look flawless with little effort. If only they hadn't discontinued it :( So now I am on the hunt for a new one. If anyone knows of a concealer that is similar please let me know.



My HG Bronzer

Ok so this one isn't so original. It's Nars Laguna. What can I say that hasn't been said already? Not much probably. It's a great bronzer and the colour is perfect for contouring (for me).


My HG Highlighter

Is actually a blush. It's BYS's blush in Peach Sundae. When applied to my cheeks it provides a gorgeous sheen. However I think this is soon going to change when I finally get my hands on Dior Amber Diamond! haha



My HG Eyeshadows

And it's not MAC! haha I actually prefer Urban Decay shadows. I love everything about them, the colours, the pigmentation, the texture, the blendability, the cute packaging they come in. They are just gorgeous.


My HG Eyeshadow Primer

Urban Decay Primer Potion. There is a reason this stuff has a cult following...it works and works to perfection. My fave shade is Sin.

My HG Eyeliner

I don't really have a HG fave eyeliner pencil as I find a lot to be mostly the same. But I do have a HG liquid eyeliner, which is the Face Of Australia HD liquid eyeliner pen. It's so easy to apply and very pigmented. I don't use gel eyeliners too often and have only tried 2 brands so no HG status yet.


My HG Mascara

This is a real toughie! I think it would have to be a 3 way tie between Revlon Fabulash, Maybelline Volume Express (Original) and Covergirl Lash Blast Volume. All give great full lashes.



My HG Hair Product

What else?? Moroccan Oil. I LOVE this product. It makes my hair feel the nicest it has ever felt and look really healthy. I know some people have a problem with the smell of this but I actually don't mind it haha


My HG Perfume

This is a tricky one as scents come and go all the time. But the one perfume that I have been wearing for such a long time and am still head over heels for is CK One. It's just a classic and makes me feel instantly fresher and sexier.


My HG Makeup Brushes

Would have to be Sigma. Majority of their brushes I love and they are affordable which makes them even better value.


My HG Lipstick

Again a tie between Revlon Siren (a bright orange) and Estee Lauder Sunlight Coral (a more subdued glossy peach). Can you tell I'm a fan of the orange trend? haha


My HG Lipgloss

Nars lipglosses would probably be my HG as they are pigmented but not sticky at all. Chihuahua is my HG shade. Its a slightly darker version of my lips. MAC Lipglass in Viva Glam V is also a HG.


My HG Nailpolish

4 way tie between OPI Birthday Babe, China Glaze Re-fresh Mint, Ulta3's Lollipop Lilac and Spring Fling. Gorgeous colours and a dream to apply.





What are some of your holy grail products?? If you have a blog I'd love to see you do a post like this or simply leave me a comment :)


Saturday, July 16, 2011

OOTD and FOTD

Hey guys,

Sorry it's taken me a week to post but I've had a busy week and wasn't getting home until about 7pm each night (bloody roadworks on the freeway during peak hour!) so I didn't really have time to take any decent pics.

So I thought I would share with you my outfit of the day which I wore today as well as the makeup I did today. It was a relaxed day just did a bit of shopping and some photo taking :)

OOTD:


Top: Honey & Beau
Jacket: Divided by H&M
Jeans: Jeanswest Super Skinny (Light wash)
Shoes: Novo (not sure what style but got them last year)
Belt: Dangerfield
Glasses: Ray-Ban RX5178 in colour 2144


I got these jeans for $50 from Jeanswest!

How cute is this belt?? I got it from Dangerfield in Myer for $16!

Shoes from Novo
And my FOTD for today;

With glasses.

On face;

Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in 0-1 Fair;
Covergirl Trublend Foundation in Ivory;
MAC MSF natural in Light-Medium;
Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer as a contour;
Nars Penny Lane cream blush;
BYS Baked High Shine Bronzer in Golden Shimmer as highlight.


Without glasses

And my EOTD;

EOTD
Using the Urban Decay Naked Palette;

Sin on the lid;
Toasted in the outer corner and crease;
Virgin on the brow bone;
Face of Australia HD liquid liner pen on upper lash line;
White BYS liner in waterline;
Revlon Fabulash mascara.


And here's the loot I bought today :)



I originally went to buy Dior Amber Diamond but when I asked the Dior lady how much it was I re-thought my purchase. $78 in store! You can get it online for $47...ridiculous!

So instead I had a look in the Miss Shop at Myer where they were having buy 1 get one free on their "must-have" pieces so I got this really cute coral top with gathered shoulders for $25 and a gold exposed zipper down the back and a blue floral singlet as my freebie. 

Then I went to Priceline and picked up a couple of Models Own products; The Duo Concealer in 01 and a Mineral eyeshadow duo in Rocker Chic. I also got an Australis creme colour in Flirtatious Pink and Lee Stafford Dry Shampoo (I've never tried a dry shampoo before can you believe it??) 

Next stop Cotton On where I got a blue cardigan for $29.95 and this knock off Alexander McQueen scarf with skulls on it for $12.95. I also picked up a cute charity bracelet for a dollar. 

What do you guys like to wear on the weekend?? Do you dress up to go shopping or don't really care? 

Saturday, July 9, 2011

It's haul time :) ACW haul

So a little while ago I placed an order for some makeup items on All Cosmetics Wholesale. I love this site! It has lots of great high-end makeup items for cheap and stocks a lot of discontinued items too.

A lot of the more popular products that appear on ACW can go out of stock really quickly so if you have your eye on something that you know is a popular product and you see it's in stock I would get it sooner rather than later or it could be snapped up.

ACW Haul...How gorgeous is the UD palette's packaging?? *in love*

So the first item I saw on there that I already own and wanted a back up of is Sin eyeshadow by Urban Decay. Sin is hands down my favourite eyeshadow, it instantly brightens up your eye and just makes your eyes look gorgeous with no effort. I already own it in my Naked palette and Ammo palette but both have huge dents in them so thought I'd pick up a back up. ACW Price: $9.99USD Urban Decay Price: $17USD

UD Vegan Palette, Sin eyeshadow, Sin primer potion.

I then saw the Urban Decay Vegan Palette and fell in love with the packaging! For $32.99USD it wasn't the best deal (UD price $34USD) but I really wanted to try the 24/7 liner and Sin primer potion that came with it. Urban Decay shadows are also my fave shadows so I thought a few more wouldn't hurt.

L-R: Minx, Urb, Gunmetal, Twice Baked, Smog & Half Baked.
L-R: UD Sin eyeshadow, 24/7 liner in Zero & Sin primer potion.

I then moved onto the MAC section and found 2 cult items that they actually had it stock so I snapped them up fast. The first is the 217 blending brush. I have heard so many great things about this brush and I don't own any MAC brushes so thought this would be a great start to my collection. ACW price: $21.99USD, MAC price: $22.50USD or $37AUD.

MAC lipstick Girl About Town,  MAC 217 Blending Brush, EL Sunlight Coral

The second item is a lipstick in Girl About Town. I've seen multiple bloggers using this lipstick namely Lilit from Makeup and Macaroons. I'm still not sure about how this looks on my lips, I think the colour might age me a bit but I'm still experimenting with it. This was also my first MAC lipstick and I have to say the texture (it's an amplified creme) is amazing and staying power is good too, will definitely be picking up some more soon! This was $13.99USD which is a bargain compared with the aussie price of $36AUD.

Sticking with lipsticks I also bought an Estee Lauder pure colour gloss stick in Sunlight Coral. I am in love with this colour and the formula of this lipstick, it is more like a very pigmented gloss that has great staying power. It doesn't feel like a lipstick at all but you still get the pigmentation of one. This was a bargain at only $10.99USD. Aussie price: $42AUD.

L-R: L'Oreal eyeliner, Girl About Town & Sunlight Coral.

Lastly I picked up two L'oreal products. First is the Voluminous mascara in black which was only $3.99USD and an eyeliner pencil in carbon black which was also $3.99USD. I've never tried Voluminous before and have heard good things so for 4 bucks I couldn't say no. The liner I bought as I was in need of a new black pencil liner (I totally forgot that I had already got the 24/7 liner lol)

L'Oreal Voluminous mascara, L'Oreal Pencil Perfect in Carbon Black

So altogether I ended up spending $97.93USD. Shipping was $22USD. I chose USPS Priority Mail and it took 16 days to arrive, which isn't too bad I suppose. I thought it was reasonable considering how much I was saving on the products themselves. It was packaged really well it a padded bag and then a box and each item was wrapped in bubble wrap. 



Have you ordered from this site before?? If so what'd you get? Also if you know of any other great sites you can get great deals on for high end makeup let me know please :)