SWATCHES : BOURJOIS BLUSHES AND BRONZING POWDER

This random Priceline haul was one of the many backlogged posts waiting to be caught up. However, when I saw Jade's twitter update about Priceline having 50% off  Bourjois (pronounced as bur-jur) products, I thought I'd share with you guys my purchase from Priceline a couple of weeks ago and some swatches. Hopefully, it will help you lovelies to make some decisions when deciding which items to splurge on. :)

Bourjois Bronzing Powder , Bourjois blushes and Formula 10.0.6 Down to the Pore strips

Priceline were having 20% off when I purchased this products and I thought it was a pretty good deal. Should have waited a little longer and I will be able to grab more blushes! LOL #beautyhoarder

Bourjois Bronzing Powder in 52 (the darker of the 2 shades available)

I have been wanting to try this product for quite some time after all the good reviews I read about. Quick thoughts on this product - it was less pigmented than I'd like it to be but its not too bad as a winter contouring colour as I am as pasty as Snow White now. However, this is definitely not a summer bronzer. 

L-R: Bourjois Eyeshadow in 08 (used as highlighter), Rose Coup De Foudre 16, Rose Ambre 74 and Lilas D'or 33

As you can tell, these blushes aren't the most pigmented blushes you have but they are definitely buildable! :)

Eyeshadow 08 - I have been looking for a replacement for my MAC MSF in Candlelight as I can spot the obvious usage of Candlelight and the last thing I want is to hit pan with my limited edition product. I was meant to pick up the highlighter from the blush range but the Priceline in Westfield Sydney ran out of stock and the one on Market Street seems pretty old. So, I decided to go with this champagne coloured eyeshadow instead, which surprisingly works pretty well as a highlighter. Always look for options, girls. :)

Rose Coup De Foudre 16 - This reminds me of NARS Orgasm when I first swatted it albeit I am not a lucky owner of NARS Orgasm. 

Rose Ambre 74 - A matte berry pink colour, which is probably the most pigmented of all three blushes. I  find myself reaching for this colour when I have heavier eye make up. Kids, make up tip 101, you don't want to look like with a party shimmer ball with epic make up and shinny cheeks. 

Lilas D'or 33 - This reminds me of NARS Orgasm when I first swatted it albeit I am not a lucky owner of NARS Orgasm. To those of you who own NARS Orgasm, do you reckon this is a great dupe? Definitely my favourite out of the loot. :)

All blushes come with a mini brush, which I obviously chucked a side cos well, I prefer to use a blush brush. 

I am wearing here Lilas D'or 33 :)

Loving this Combo atm :)

On my EYES - Wet and Wild Colour Icon Palette in Vanity

On my LIPS - Barry M Lipstick in 146

(After going through a phase of darker lip colour such as berry pink/plum, I am now into Bubblegum pink colour. Barry M Lipstick in 146 and BYS Longwear Lipstick in Baby Doll)

With natural light.

I hope these swatches help those of you who are having a hard time deciding which colours to choose from the range of gorgeous colours. :)

To all my Australian readers, don't forget that Priceline is having 50% off Bourjois products from 8th - 20th June. :)

Have you tried any of Bourjois blushes or bronzing powder?

Which is your favourite colour? Any recommendations?

XOXO,

A

FOTD - Neutral Pop ft Milani Liquif'eye in Aqua

As mentioned in this post, Pixie Epoxy didn't work that well with the Fyrinnae Loose Shadows for me. I have yet to do my research on youtube but one of my readers left a comment saying I shouldn't leave it on for more than 5 seconds. I am yet to try out as I am into bold lips at the moment, hence toning down on my eyes make up. 

This time, I decided to try Fyrinnae Loose Shadows with NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil as a base. I am using Cottage Cheese here along with Nijiro. I decided to gently pat the product on one eye and brush the product on another and here is the outcome: 

By BRUSHING

As you can tell from the photo, the NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil didn't catch much of the products and its kinda lumpy.

By gently PATTING onto my eye lids

On the contrary, the loose eyeshadow was captured better through the patting motion. Way better in fact and there's no lumpy effect. There are more fallouts than brushing though. Albeit the colour is much more pigmented here, you can't really see the shimmer sparkle bits here.

However, it does seems pretty shimmery and bright with the completed eye look, whaddaya think?

Neutral "POP" eyes :) 

Decided to add a little "flavour" to the typical earthy neutral smokey eyes by lining my lower lash line with an Aqua Blue liner. 

On my EYES

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Cottage Cheese (as a base for loose eye shadows)

Fyrinnae Loose Shadow in Nijiro (all over the lid colour)

EyeRockz Mineral Eyeshadow in Seductive ( outer V and crease)

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk (highlight)

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black

Milani Liquif'eye Metalic Eyeliner Pencil in Aqua

L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes in Brown

ELF Eyebrow Kit in Medium

On my FACE

Dermablend Cover Creams in Natural Beige (as concealer and foundation)

Physician Formula 100% Natural Origin Matte Finishing Veil in Translucent Veil

Canmake Powder Cheeks in PW25 ( A GORGEOUS coral colour blush with shimmer bits - one of my favourites at the moment! =P )

With natural light

On my LIPS

Barry M Lip Paint in 129 (aka Palest Lavender if I am not mistaken) 

Had fun camwhoring cos I was having good hair day =P If only eveyday is a good hair day. 

I don't usually wink for a reason - cos this is the best I can go. =.=" *FAIL much?*

How can I miss the good ol' Asian-peace-sign post? LOL

Have a great week beauties! :) 

xoxo,

A

BARRY M Haul - Swatches & Review

So, the long awaited Barry M Haulage post is finally here after one too many "will be up the next post". It took me a while to finally take photos of the swatches and watermark them (which is a bitch as my laptop usually crash everytime I open Picasa. Apparently, Picasa is not made for Windows? Is that true?).

- The shape of my 129 lip paint is kinda weird cos I accidentally put on the cap without winding down completely. Story of my life *FAIL* -

Anyways, these are the stuff I bought from Glover Chemist, which is located in Gallery Victory, on Pitt St (right opposite Pitt St Maccas and 2 shops away from Gloria Jeans) - for my dear Sydneysiders who might want to check it out themselves :)- Of course, I did not buy all of them at once, bought them at 2 different occasions. 

Coincidently, I was taking a friend there today but I had to control my addiction and not make anymore purchases. I am kinda on my shopping ban at the moment although I did buy a knuckle ring from Sports Girls. *My justification: THEY WERE ON DISCOUNT & I have been searching high and low for it for quite some time* HEY, at least I did not include "New Vibe" to my Mac In The Groove collection albeit it was love as first sight and I REALLY WANT IT NOW! :'( (Yes, I did not swatch it the previous 2 times when I was shopping in MAC.=.=")

Digression, digression.

Let's get back to Barry M here, shall we?

LIP PRODUCTS

On SKIN:

L: Barry M Lip Paint in 129

R:Barry M Lip Paint in 129130

Barry M Lip Gloss in 5

On LIPS:

BARRY M Lip Paint in 130

- Without Flash-

- With Flash-

This is a pinkish coloured lipstick with frosty finish. It looks nice when swatched on the skin but I don't really like how it looks on my lips. As much as I am one who appreciate frosty finish, the formula is a tad too dry and it just simply doesn't look good on my lips. Also, another downside of it is it has the typical lipstick smell . For those who has been reading my blog will know by now how anal I get when it comes to smell. Unfortunately, this lipstick cannot avoid the fate of becoming one of my abandoned children in my make up family wtf.

BARRY M Lip Paint in 129

- Without Flash-

- With Flash- 

As you can see, this is not exactly the best swatch I have. I think I had some Lucas Papaw Ointment on prior to applying this colour.That probably explains why some spots seem pretty "naked". (You might want to get a better picture of how it looks like here.) Lilac has always been one of my favourite colours, hence I knew I have to get this lipstick the moment I laid my eyes on it. This is more of a matte formula and is definitely on the dry side. Nevertheless, it is still one of my July's favourites and I was practically wearing this everyday during the first half of the month. It has the similar lipstick smell as 130 but I LOVE this colour, so I guess it compensates for the foul smell. (Ok fine, it is not intolerable but not pleasant either. Being a lil too dramatic here. =.=")

BARRY M Lip Gloss in 5

- Without Flash-

- With flash- 

I think picture speaks a thousand words. You don't need any detailed description on  how pretty this colour is!! The perfect bubblegum pink AND it actually tastes like bubblegum too! Extra brownie points! LOVE lipsticks/ lipglosses that taste nice :) As you can see the colour is pretty pigmented, you can either use it on its own or over your favourite pink lip stick. 

EYE PRODUCTS

BARRY M DAZZLE DUST in 88

BARRY M DAZZLE DUST in 39

SWATCHES: 

- Dry- 

- Using a wet brush- 

Like most pigments/ mineral shadows, the Dazzle Dust definitely look better when applied using a wet brush. The colours are much more vibrant and pigmented as you can see from the swatches above. One thing I don't like about applying it with wet brush is, it kinda clogged the dazzle dust together and I have a hard time trying to blend it out. =.=" 

Is it just me or does any of you have such problem too?

I like using 39 for to brightened up my everyday neutral smokey look and 88 for a more dramatic smokey look such as Plum Wine & Cotton Candy. I would of bought more colours if it wasn't for the last bit of self control I have in me.
*Self Control Adeline!!!!* 

All the products above are priced at A$11, which I know its double of what the people in the UK pay. *angry stare*wtf  However, A$11 is considered cheap/inexpensive by Australian Standard. I don't think I have to go through a whole talk about how we Australian beauty consumers are being ripped off when it comes to cosmetics. But yeh, these products definitely worth every penny. Well, apart from Barry M Lip Paint in 130 cos it just doesn't look good on me. =.="

Hope this swatches/ review is helpful to those of you who have been wanting to try out Barry M products but is unsure about the colours/ quality. :)

Have you tried any of the above products? What is your favourite Barry M product?

xoxo,

A

FOTD - Cotton Candy

Hey lovelies! So, I am meant to blog about my Barry M mini haul with swatches but I am so tired from work and don't think that writing reviews would be ideal with the limited vocab in my half-stoned brain. Hence, I think a picture posts with minimum words would be better and I shall keep that for the next post. =)

I named this look Cotton Candy because the pink in the inner corner reminds of cotton candy for some reasons!! Random, I know. Lol.

I reckon this look is VERY similar to my PLUM WINE FOTD -  with this FOTD emphasizing more on the pink & black.

On my EYES

ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Slate

ELF Single Eyeshadow in Amethyst (All over lid colour, on top of Slate & Outer half of lower lashline)

Barry M Dazzle Dust in 88 (On top of Amethyst)

Rimmel Matte Mono Eyeshadow in Jet Black (Outer Crease) 

Light Pink from TheFaceShop Pink Jewel Eyeshadow Duo (Inner corner of upper & lower lashline)

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Eyeliner in Black (Upper Lash Line)

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Zero (Lower Lash Line)

False Eyelashes from Model21Eyelashes *click*

Cover Girl Lash Blast Waterproof Mascara in Black

ELF Eyebrow Kit in Medium

On my FACE

NYX Concealer in a Jar in Light

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation in Natural Beige

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Ivory Light

MAC Mineral Blush in Hang Loose (from the In The Groove collection)

Benefit High Beam

On my LIPS

Revlon Matte Lipstick in Nude Attitude

If it was a month ago, I would probably classify Nude Attitude as one of the things I regret buying as it looks extremely gross with my dry and cracked lips but it actually looks really good here after using Lucas Papaw Ointment(one of my July's Favourites) religiously for a month =) 

Also, my ASOS package arrived today!!! Totally made my day after a crappy day at work. I was impressed by their shipping rate as I only placed my order last Thursday! Kudos to the efficiency ASOS. =P

Stay tune to find out what's inside? =P

Hope you lovelies are having a lovely week so far :)

xoxo,

A

JULY's FAVOURITE

Time flies ( I believe I use this phrase a lil too often but does anyone agree with me that the year of 2010 raced by so quickly or is it just me?) and its the start of August already!! That means winter is coming to an end and it's time to get ready for the grand arrival of spring! =P

Start of the month also means its time for monthly favourites :)

• Priceline Cucumber Facial Wipe: I first tried these cucumber facial wipe when I got a Swisspers Cucumber Cleansing Wipes in my Priceline Goodie Bag a while ago. I brought it along with me when I crashed my friend's place after a long night out and I was sold immediately and made a mental note to restock the full size one the next time I visit Priceline.( I ended up buying the Priceline brand as they are 2 bucks cheaper and the ingredients they use are pretty much the same!) It works really well as a make up remover and a cleanser. I absolutely adore the Cucumber smell as it leaves my face feeling really refreshing after using them. These are perfect for nights where you're just too tired to go through your usual routine of removing make up and cleansing your face. Remember: NEVER EVER go to bed without removing your make up!

• Barry M Lip Paint in 129: I LOVE Lilac coloured lipstick and I have been wearing it almost everyday for the first 2 weeks of the month, before I decided to switch my love to pink lipsticks lol.

• REVLON ColorBurst Lipstick in Carnation: I got this along with Mauve and Soft Nude when Priceline was having their 3 for 2 offer a couple of weeks back. I love all 3 of them (will write up more about it later) but I find myself reaching out for this most often out of the 3 lipsticks. You see, I have different phases with my lippies (eg: nude phase, baby pink phase, rosy lips phase......) - it moved from lilac (hence the Barry M Lip Paint) to pink lips (hence Carnation)

• Rimmel Hide The Blemishes Concealer Stick in Ivory: I bought this as an "emergency" (Read full story here) without much expectations but I have gotta say this concealer stick is one of the most value for money make up products I have ever bought. It costs less than 10 bucks, does the job of concealing my under eyes dark circles (which is the only spot I conceal), very blendable and the best thing is I don't need a brush ! Being the lazy girl I am, I try not to use brushes that requires washing after every use (anything liquid/cream form) cos I couldn't be bothered washing them everyday. Hence, this is definitely a plus point for me! =)

• DUO Lash Glue: I have been wearing falsies more often these days thanks to Janice from ChaiGyaru.  Seeing all her pretty photos with falsies "motivates" me to reach out for my stash of falsies more often.=) And this glue is by far, the best I have used so far! Lasting power is amazing.

• Barry M Dazzle Dust in 39: Perfect for brightening up my everyday neutral smokey eyes look. 

• Lucas Papaw Ointment: My lips has been cracking due to the cold and dry weather here in Sydney. Cracked lips is not exactly sexy, especially when you apply lipsticks with matte formula. Many of my friends have sworn by this products and although I am not a fan of the smell (which most of my friends claimed "there isn't any smell"), it really moisturizes my lips! It does make a huge difference! I was hating Revlon Matte Lipstick in Nude Attitude at the start of this month cos it just looks SO gross on my cracked lips but when I wore it over the weekend (FOTD coming up =P), I fell in love with it all over again. (Read full review here)

• Prestige Baked Mineral Blush in Pink: You could probably tell this is definitely my favourite blush of the month if you have been going through the products I used for my FOTDs. =) This is a gorgeous baby pink that gives me a really nice glow.Apparently, it's a dupe for MAC's Well Dressed but I can't really comment on it since I don't own Well Dressed. (Got this from my emergency haul too)

That pretty much sum up my July's Favourites. 

What products do YOU love in July? Any of the ones mentioned above? 

XOXO,

A

FOTD - Everyday Neutral Smokey Eyes

Hey lovelies,

How's your weekend so far? Time flies when you're having a great time. Thank god I have tomorrow off work but I have a few errands to run, an interview to go to (wish me luck!) AND its the launch of MAC In The Groove Collection here in Australia (bit late I know, its Australia we're talking about =.=") I foresee a productive day tomorrow and my wallet is probably ain't gonna be too happy at the end of the day too.

This is my FAVOURITE on the go look when I am on the rush or during the days where I am lack of creativity juice.

Simple - checked

Smokey - checked

Easy - checked

Awesome - CHECKED

On My EYES

MAC Bare Study Paint Pot

NYX Single Eyeshadow in Champagne as lid colour

ELF Single Eyeshadow in Raspberry Truffles as crease & outer V colour

Barry M Dazzle Dust in 39 (applied on the middle of the lid to create a better dimension and brighten up the entire look)

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Cottage Cheese ( Browbone)

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Eyeliner in Black (Upper Lashline)

Loreal Contour Kohl Eyeliner in Iced Chestnut (Lower Lashline)

Random Asian Falsies

Rimmel Glam Eyes Lash Flirt Mascara in Black

ELF Eyebrow Kit in Medium

On my FACE

Rimmel Hide The Blemishes Concealer Stick in Ivory

Etude House Magic BB Cream

Maybelline Dream Mate Powder in Ivory Light

Chi Chi Mosaic Bronzer in Dark

Prestige Baked Mineral Blush in Pink 

On my LIPS

Mac Lipstick in Bubblegum

This is definitely my favourite everyday neutral look - neutral smokey eyes with pinkie lips  :) 

On days where I want to keep my eye make up to the minimum, I would leave Barry M Dazzle Dust and the falsies out of the equation and voila, good to go babyyy! :)

Is this the perfect everyday neutral look for you? 

If not, what's your favourite everyday neutral look?

xoxo,

A

FOTD - Plum Wine

I know I am not exactly the best blogger in the past couple of weeks with the inconsistent updates. I blame it on my laptop for chucking a psycho at me everytime I try to edit my photos on Picassa. By chucking a psycho, I mean shutting down completely and shutting down again moments after I log into my lappie. I know I should be harassing the customer service representatives rather than whinging here on my blog but I am so attached to my laptop and rely on it so much that I am still not ready to send it to the hospital. =.="

 Anyways,

how's your week been so far? It's Thursday already, that means another day till the weekend again! Gonna have a quiet and healthy weekend this week for the sake of my liver. =P Should start my detox plan soon and start getting ready for summer, which is in another 4months! Can't wait!! It has been getting ridiculously cold in Sydney lately. =/=

This was my EOTD over the weekend - wore this look on both Friday & Saturday =P

I was wearing black on both days so I thought it did be nice to add some colours on my eyes, just so I don't become Lady in Black who looks like she's attending a funeral.

* Please ignored my extremely disgusting & gross eyebrows. I didn't have the time to trim them before Aunty Rose's visit. Just a friendly reminder here (for those who don't already know), your skin is extra sensitive right before your period so unless you have to, try not to wax/ tweeze before your Aunty Rose's visit.*

On my EYES

ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer 

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Slate

Barry M Dazzle Dust in 88

Urban Decay Alice in the Wonderland BoS Palette

-Queen (all over lid as a base prior to applying the pigments)

- Mad Hater (Outer Crease)

- Curiouser (Inner Crease)

- Javverwocky (Outer V)

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Eyeliner in Black (Upper Lash Line)

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye pencil in Zero (Lower Lash Line)

Model 21 falsies

Cover Girl Lash Blast Waterproof Mascara

ELF Eyebrow Kit in Medium

On my FACE

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation in Natural Beige

NYX Concealer in a Jar in Light

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Ivory Light

Prestige Baked Mineral Blush in Pink

Chi Chi Mosaic Bronzer in Dark

Benefit High Beam

- With Flash-

- Without Flash- 

On my LIPS

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude

Because I love my eye make up that night and I was in a camwhoric mode, hence the following shameless luvo pic LOL

I pained my nails with alternate colours, using both of my current favourites - China Glaze For Audrey and Refresh Mint 

:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:

Also, I did mention on my twitter that I am now semi red-headed after getting some highlights done a week ago. My lovely hairdresser friend offered to highlight for me for only A$20 *win*

After experiencing a traumatic experience of having the WORST allergic attack (think deformed face - my entire face was swollen; my eye lids became 3 times thicker; my eyes could barely open and I had shitloads of blisters on my scalp . yes, it was that bad) after getting my hair dyed last year.

Had anyone of you have an allergic attack before due to hair dye?

Although I did *kinda* swear never to colour my hair ever again, I was really tempted after seeing all my in growns and realised how much I love my mahogany red colour I had. I wasn't sure if I should risk fucking around with my face again, so highlights in the best option and I LOVE how it turned out to be. =P

- Without Flash-

- With flash-

It looks like I have dyed my hair instead of highlights. :D :D :D

Outfit of the day (Friday)

Tunic Top: Cotton On

Bandage Dress (worn underneath) : Cotton On

Guitar Necklace: Diva

What's your favourite Saturday Night Out Look?

ps: I have also emailed the lucky follower for my micromini surprise here. Don't forget to check your inbox =P

xoxo,

A