BYS Review: Eyeshadows

Australia is known for it's high cost of cosmetics even supposedly cheap "drugstore" brands such as Maybelline or Revlon are still considerably more expensive in Oz than say the USA or UK.

BYS is an Australian cosmetics brand sold in stores such as Gloss Cosmetics, Ice Accessories, The Reject Shop, K-mart etc. The brand has a large array of different products at very reasonable prices, most being under $10 - which is quite unheard of in Oz! 

This post will be one of a few that I will be writing on BYS products. I have quite a large collection of their products and tried to write a post overviewing the brand but it just got wayyy to long so I have decided to split it up into categories. This post is about their eyeshadows :)

BYS eyeshadows can be purchased in pan form, which can be placed in empty palettes that they also sell or in small palettes that are already put together. The pans are $2 each and are the same size as MAC shadows. The empty palettes come in 4 pan ($4.95) or 8 pan ($7.95) form, however if you remove the inner cavity you can fit 10 eyeshadows in the 8 pan palette. The already established palettes come in a variety of different sizes and colour combinations. They range in price from $4.95 to $7.95. 

8 pan palette

8 pan palette with cavity removed

Eyeshadow palette in #3 Olive Daze

Eyeshadow palette in #5 Black Steel

Now we have all the admin out of the way let me tell you what I think about these shadows.

The Good:

• VERY pigmented
• Super soft and velvety texture (even more than MAC shadows)
• Blend beutifully
• The price!! $2 for one shadow is a lot better than $33 for one MAC shadow.

The Bad:

• Can be chalky
• Fallout can occur so you need to be careful or do eye-makeup first.
• The eyeshadows are numbered and not named (personally I prefer names as they are easier to recall which you own and which you don't when buying but its not that big a deal)

All in all I think these are great shadows, especially for the cheap cheap price!

Here are some swatches I have of my BYS eyeshadows;

L to R: 125, 124, 818, 300, 812, 803, #missing for this one, 405, 815, 817.

Swatches from Olive Daze palette (in order from top to bottom).

Swatches from Black Steel palette (in order from top to bottom).

BYS eyeshadows can be purchased in-store from Gloss Cosmetics, Ice Accessories, The Reject Shop and K-mart. Or online at Fashion Addict. 

A Product that Surprised Me: Mascara

Last year for Christmas I received one of the Models Prefer makeup kits from Priceline. It's sort of like a book that you open and it has 3 different eyeshadow looks with the products inside and it tells you how to create the looks etc. 

Anyway contained in that kit was a mascara. I assumed that the mascara wouldn't be all that great, just because Models Prefer is a cheaper brand and I usually find that with these type of kits the mascara is always pretty rubbish. 

However I gave it a go one day and boy did it SHOCK me! I LOVE this mascara. It is probably the most lengthening mascara I have ever tried and although it doesn't add a lot of volume I find I can build it up for a more dramatic look (without clumping) or keep it to one coat for a more natural feel. 

The wand is just the typical mascara wand, no fancy curves or twists. It is quite big, but not too big that it gets everywhere when you apply it. The bristles on this brush are great at separating and defining the lashes. The mascara is in the colour Jet Black and it is just that, very black - a must-have trait in any mascara I use. The formula isn't overly wet or dry, but somewhere in the middle, which I like as I find overly wet formulas tend to get a bit messy and formulas that are quite dry tend to clump more. 

Close up of the wand.

Here is a pic after one coat of the mascara, as you can see it can look quite natural if you want and it definitely lengthens and separates the lashes.

And here it is the after two coats, this shows you can really build it up for a more dramatic look. 

Excuse the orangeness of the pics, it was a really overcast day and I couldn't get any better shots. 

I am not sure if you can get this mascara separately or if its only available in the kits..sorry! I've seen the kits in Priceline though so if you want to give this mascara a try check there. Not sure of the cost of this mascara either as it was a part of a kit and that was a gift. However I don't think it would be all that expensive as it is from Models Prefer. Let me know if you find this mascara anywhere for sale separately as I know I will want to re-purchase when mine runs out.

Also let me know what products have surprised you and if you have used this mascara :) 

My HG: Concealer

And its a cheapie! 

My holy grail concealer (well for the moment at least...) is Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in the shade "Light 0-1".

What I like about this concealer is it is just so creamy and covers literally like a "dream" (excuse the pun). The moussey texture of this product is what initially drew me to it as it sorta looks like a skin colour version of my mum's chocolate mousse!

I use this concealer to cover up any redness in my skin before I apply foundation and I also use it under my eyes as it is so creamy. I apply it with a Sigma blending brush E40 and it looks flawless. Once I have applied my foundation I go over any areas I need extra coverage with this and my blending brush (eg, on any spots and around my nose). 

I also quite like the packaging of this product, it comes in a little glass container with a plastic screw top lid. I dunno why I like it so much, I guess the glass just makes it seem a little more "expensive".

I'm surprised this concealer works so well for me as usually Maybelline foundations oxidise terribly on my skin and in an hour I am ORANGE! And I mean like really orange, which is a shame because I do like the mousse foundation they make.

This concealer retails for $15.95 but you can get it on special a lot at different places. Available everywhere they stock Maybelline.

Let me know what your holy grail concealer is and if you've tried this product!! 

*******ARGHH looked at MakeupAlley and it says they have discontinued this product! I am so disappointed :( Running out to stock up!!

Hit and Miss: A Product Review

So I will start with the hit product, one that surprised me :) It's the Face of Australia High Definition Liquid Eyeliner.

I bought this liquid eyeliner on a whim at a trip to Priceline one day (how most of my cheaper brand makeup items are bought) and I must say my expectations weren't the highest. I have a pencil eyeliner by FOA and it isn't that great, so I am not sure entirely why I bought this...I think it was because I was wanting to try an "art-liner" style liquid eyeliner and this was the first one I saw (typical!)

It comes in a pen form which makes for very easy application and I find that it releases just the right amount of product at a time, there is no worrying about pressing too hard and getting more product than you need which then proceeds to ruin your eye makeup! The tip is quite thin and pointed exactly like a pen, so you can be quite precise with this liner. Another great quality about this product is the colour, it is very black and is build-able for a more intense black colour.

It also has great staying power and dries very quickly, which you can tell when you test it on your hand and swipe a finger over it a few seconds later, there is no smudging and it doesn't budge! Apparently it is also waterproof so that is an added bonus. I haven't tested it on the waterline yet so I can't tell you how well it holds up there (for some reason I am not a fan of using liquid or gel liners on the waterline...I think its because in the past they have run into my eye and got stuck to my contacts haha)

Here are some pics of me rocking this eyeliner ;)

For those wondering, on my eyes I have Brule all over the lid and up to the brow bone as a base, Nars Albatross on the lid and brow bone, Patina in the crease and a tiny bit of Twinks in the outer corner and crease. Maybelline unstobabble pencil liner in onyx on waterline and upper waterline and FOA liquid eyeliner on top lash line. On lashes I have Maybelline One by One in black. 

I can't remember the exact price of this eyeliner but I think it was around the $10-13AUD dollar mark. You can get it from Priceline, Big W, K-Mart and some chemists. I don't think this product is available overseas, so sorry for those not in Oz. 

And now for the "miss" product......it's the Australis "Colour Corrector" in green.

I bought this as I can get quite red skin occasionally and I wanted a green colour corrector to put under my foundation to counteract the redness.

Where do I begin with this product. First off it seems to have shimmer in it and when applied to the skin it gives the skin a sheen...not something you want when you are trying to correct a problem area. You add shimmer to areas you want to accentuate not hide!!

It also is rubbish at colour correcting, the green colour seems to dissipate and disappear when it is blended into the skin and it does nothing to hide redness.

You can sorta see the shine factor when it's blended in here.

So in conclusion, if you are looking for a colour corrector do not buy this product...maybe if you want a highlighter with a very slight greenish tinge then be my guest :)

I can't even remember how much I paid for this product, I assume it was around the ten dollar mark.

My Baby :)

So this post was always coming haha I've had my baby now for 2 and a bit years and we have been through a lot together, including breakups, interstate moves, new relationships etc..I love him so so much and can't imagine my life without him. His name is Handsome Rob and I think he definitely lives up to that! (And yes we stole the name from the italian job haha) Mostly he just gets Robbie but he does have many nicknames; burto, roberto, lish, bishy to name a few - don't ask me to explain even I don't know how with half of them haha

We do have some problems...he doesn't get along with my boyfriend, Blake. As soon as Blake gets home Robbie is out the door and will stay out there until I get home and his excitement overrides his dislike for my boyfriend haha We are slowly working on this problem and he is getting better with time. 

Here are some pics for you from pup to 2 years :)

So there you have my fur baby :) 

My Mac Palette

I always lusted over Mac eye shadows and since becoming a part of the online beauty world it's gotten pretty bad....however I could never justify the high price tag. In Australia one MAC eyeshadow retails for $33.00AUD. 

So when my boyfriend recently took a trip to the US I made sure I put in my MAC order :) Especially considering the aussie dollar was 1 for 1 to the US dollar!! I weighed up what I wanted to get and finally (after a LOT of online research!) I decided on creating my own custom palette with 15 eyeshadows for $179USD. This works out to be ~$12USD a shadow and you get the palette to put them in, a lot more reasonable than $33AUD per shadow. 

The shadows I choose are as follows; Blanc Type, Brule, Patina, All that Glitters, Honey Lust, Woodwinked, Coquette, Satin Taupe, Twinks, Handwritten, Sumptuous Olive, Humid, Digit, Electra and Knight Divine.

I wanted a bunch of neutral shadows but also a little bit of colour which is why I threw in a purple in Digit and the 2 green shades (Sumptuous Olive and Humid). I also picked a silver (Electra) and a dark grey (Knight Divine) as I like to do a silver smokey eye when going out on the weekends. 

The colour Coquette was sort of a random decision - I had one spot left over and I wanted a matte brown so I took a punt and filled the spot with Coquette. This worked out to be a pretty good guess as this shade is PERFECT for filling in my brows :) 

So here's what you guys want to see.....SWATCHES!!! :) 

Going from top to bottom and left to right; Blanc Type, Brule, Patina, All That Glitters, Honey Lust, Woodwinked, Coquette, Satin Taupe, Twinks, Sumptuous Olive, Humid, Handwritten, Digit, Electra, Knight Divine.

L to R: Coquette, Blanc Type, Brule, Patina, All That Glitters, Honey Lust,
Woodwinked, Satin Taupe,  Twinks, Handwritten. 

L to R; Coquette, Blanc Type, Brule, Patina, All That Glitters.

L to R; Honey Lust, Woodwinked, Satin Taupe, Twinks, Handwritten. 

L to R; Sumptuous Olive, Humid, Electra, Knight Divine, Digit.

I love all the shades I picked but my favourite shadow would have to be Patina. Patina is such a gorgeous colour and one that is quite hard to describe. MAC describes it as "a muted taupe brown with golden shimmer" but to me that description doesn't quite do it justice. It is my perfect lid/crease colour and I often pair it with Brule or Blanc Type for a natural looking eye that still looks stunning. On days I want to darken it up I simply add a smidge of handwritten in the outer v and blend it out. 

When I want a green look I use Sumptuous Olive on the lid and Humid on the outer corner and blended into the crease. These two colours look gorgeous paired together! Another great pairing is Electra and Knight Divine and these are my go-to saturday night smokey eye look. I place Knight Divine all over the lid and blended out into the crease and under the eye, then I add Electra to the inner corner and blend upwards. Then simply add a highlight shade and you have a very sexy smokey look. 

I hope you enjoyed checking out my mac palette :) Let me know some of your fave MAC eyeshadows and how you use them. 

About Me :)

So I totally forgot to introduce myself before my first post....so here is a little bit about me.

My name's Hannah, I'm 22 and I'm addicted to makeup! Haha

I live in Perth, Australia and I love it here. The beaches are the best in the world and the lifestyle is just so relaxed. The only downside to living in Australia is the price of cosmetics! It's ridiculous how much more we pay here but that's for another post on another day :)

I studied Accounting at uni, but I mean who really wants to be an Accountant?? .....Exactly no-one! So I am still trying to think of/find my perfect job meaning I am stuck in a crappy retail job for now, trying to save money to travel the world and have some sneaky makeup purchases too ;)

I live in a great part of Perth on the beach with my amazing boyfriend and Handsome Rob, my blue Shar Pei - who you might get to see occasionally (he's very cute!)

That's about all you need to know about me for now but I'll be sure to keep you updated :)

Hope you're having a great weekend! xox

My Nars Blush Collection

Nars to me epitomises high quality makeup and their blushes I believe are their stand-out product. To date I only own 4 Nars blushes, two powder and two cream. But I plan to buy more when my budget can afford it. Nars blushes retail for around $27 in the US, however here in Australia they retail for $62, hence my reason for purchasing them online! 

I began to fall in love with Nars after watching various youtube gurus rave about their blushes, so obviously my first choice of colour was Orgasm. 

For those of you who aren't familiar with Nars, Orgasm is probably their most popular shade. It is a universal shade that looks good on pretty much anyone and is many people's first choice of Nars blushes. Orgasm is a peachy-pink blush with gold flecks in it, it is on the shimmery side and therefore may not be for everyone. When I first bought Orgasm I had naturally high expectations, as it was my first "high-end" blush and I had heard a lot of hype over this product. I have to admit though at first I wasn't all that impressed with it - a shock I know! but I think that was only because my expectations were so unreasonably high, not much could have lived up to them. However, with time this blush has become a regular shade on my cheeks and I love it. 

The other Nars powder blush I own is Desire, which is a hot hot pink matte shade. 

This blush is extremely pigmented and needs to be approached with caution! However, when used correctly it is absolutely beautiful and I believe can look good on a wide range of skin tones, even pale girls (like myself) will like this one. You definitely need to be light-handed when using this shade, which is probably why I don't reach for it as much as my other blushes as I can have problems with being too heavy-handed and don't want to end up looking too clownish. Layering this blush under lighter blush colours is a good way I get use out of this blush and tends to tone it down to more a wearable everyday blush. Girls with darker skin may like this blush a lot more as they wouldn't have to be so careful using it, but I still think it looks beautiful on paler skin tones as well.

My third Nars blush is a cream blush and it is in the shade Cactus Flower. 

I bought this blush because one of my fave youtube girls (Carly Cristman) raves about it in a few of her videos. This blush again is very pigmented and could be a bit clownish if you don't blend it out properly or apply too much. But the colour of this blush is beautiful, its a bright reddish pink colour with little gold sparkles throughout it. Again this blush looks great when it's layered with lighter colours to tone it down a little or if you wanted a more dramatic blush look just on it's own. It's a great colour for the warmer months and being a cream formulation it will last a lot longer throughout those warmer days and nights.

The last blush I am going to talk about has to be my favourite Nars blush that I own to date and it is the cream blush Penny Lane.

It is a gorgeous light dusty pink flesh toned blush. I wouldn't say this blush is particularly shimmery but its not totally matte either, it does have a slight sheen on the cheek which makes it look even more appealing in my opinion. It might not be a good option for darker skinned girls as I don't know how much it would show up but on pale girls like me it looks amazing! In the photo it doesn't look very impressive but when applied to the cheeks it is just stunning.

Here are all the blushes swatched over Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot primer.

From left to right; Orgasm, Desire, Cactus Flower and Penny Lane