REVIEW & SWATCHES : MAC WATCH ME SHIMMER + FOTD

HAPPY SUNDAY!

It has been a pretty hectic end of the week (not that I am complaining) and weekend shenanigans but more on that later! :) Daylight savings officially ended for us peeps here in Sydney and yays to an extra hour of sleep!

So, if you are a ThroughBeautyEyes follower on twitter OR Instagram (@ThroughBeautyEyes), you would have probably already known that I have been pretty obsessed with this new bright coral lippie as of late. 

Looks familiar? ;)

Isn't this the MOST gorgeous coral shade EVER? Slightly more loud than your usual coral lippies, yet not overly bold. 

Huge thanks to my lover Miss Wendy and Co for grabbing it for me on her recent trip to Hong Kong. :)

MAC WATCH ME SHIMMER 

(Amplified)

From SHOP Collection. 

Natural Light

With Flash

Quick thoughts on this lippie: 

* GORGEOUS coral shade

* SUPER PIGMENTED - As this shade is of amplified formula, it is very pigmented. All you need is one sweep across your lips. 

*AMAZING LASTING POWER - It lasted me through morning coffee and breakfast with the water-sippings in between for at least 5 hours. Even then, the colour doesn't fade completely - just a tad lighter. 

This is the perfect lipstick for someone who wants to go for the statement lips look but wanna step away from the conventional bloody red lips.

A bold coral lips also emanates a young, vibrant and flirtatious vibe, me thinks. =P Perfect for a Friday night out after work, just a sweep and it instantly brightens up your entire look. 

HERE's a quick FOTD using MAC Watch Me Shimmer: 

FOTD using my favourite Stardust eyeshadow from the Sisley Mystic Harmony Collection (Reviewed & Swatched HERE)

With a darker shade on the outer corner of my eyes to give more dimension and complete the look with wing-ed eyeliner and generous coats of my favourite mascara. 

As I was using a bold lippie, I keep it simple with the blush, with my all time favourite Illamasqua Blush in Lover (BEST peach blush EVER!)

ON MY EYES

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Illusoire

Sisley Pyoto Ombre Eclat Eyeshadown in Stardust

INGLOT Single Eyeshadow

Kiss Me Heroine Volume Waterproof Mascara

Maybelline Hyper Sharp Liner

Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel

Have a good weekend lovelies!!!

Have you tried anything from the MAC Shop Collection?

What's your take on bright coral lips?

XOXO,

A

FOTD Challenge - Mermaid Inspired Step-by-Step Tutorial

Finally, a FOTD post after my last FOTD post, which was over a month ago. #FailBeautyBlogger right here. And to be honest, these FOTD shots have been sitting in my Picasa Export folder for quite a while, probably growing fungus. And when I saw Sara-May's FOTD Challenge 1 - Mermaid Inspired on her spanking new site - Make Up Utopia (Go check it out ladies if you haven't already! It's fantabulous! :D), I knew straightaway that I no longer have any excuse to procrastinate further, even though I am still on vacation. #Dedication

So, before proceeding to a series of pik-chas, what first comes to your mind when you think about mermaid? For me, its something within the pink and purple family (the mermaid's top) with a hint of aqua blue (which represents the ocean).

Here is my take on the Mermaid-Inspired look I had on Melbourne Cup last year - with a combination of coral-red, violety-purple and aqua using my trusty INGLOT palettes. 

My beloved INGLOT palettes purchased during IMATS/ABBW2011

#1 - Matte coral-red 

#2 - Matte taupe-ish shade with purple undertone

#3 - Matte violet-y purple

#4 - Shimmery Champagne Pearl

#5 - Matte Aqua 

My apologies for the # identification as I do not have these palettes with me at the moment. Just leave me a comment or tweet me (@ThruBeautyEyes) if you would like the exact code for any colours above (This is WHY I absolutely hate number coded beauty products!)

Of course, natural-looking falsies to give a more dramatic effect. I know its an obvious contradiction there - I want the luscious lash effect without looking like a drag queen ( I had to work before lunch and hence over-dramatic make up is a big no no!) You wouldn't want an extremely dramatic, doll lashes which will probably steal the thunder of your eye make up by covering majority of them, would you?

So, HOW TO RECREATE THIS LOOK?

STEP 1: First and the most important step - PRIME YOUR EYE LIDS & LOWER LASHLINE. It ensures your eyeshadows stay on all day without creasing and increases the intensity of your colours, appearing more vibrant. [Urban Decay Primer Potion]

STEP 2: Apply a creme shadow base (of the similar colour you intend to apply all over your lid). This step is optional. However, I like to apply a layer of creme shadow of my lid colour to further increase the intensity of the colours. [MAC Paint Pot in Coral Crepe]

STEP 3: Apply Colour #1 over the 2/3 of your lid. (I gently pack on this colour rather than brushing it all over to avoid excessive fall outs as matte eyeshadows are generally chalkier than shimmery colours.)

STEP 4: Apply Colour #2 on the outer corner of your lid, creating a "V" shape and bringing it into the centre of my crease. 

STEP 5: Gently pack on Colour #3 at the "cross section" of Colour #1 and #2 to create a gradient, transitioning effect. 

STEP 6: Using a fluffy, blending brush, blend the three colours together to blend away all the harsh line. Feel free to go back and pack on the colours if the colours faded from the blending. Keep repeating until you reach the intensity you want. [Rae Morris #7" Deluxe Precision Shader]*

STEP 7: Once you're happy with Step 6, using a smaller blending brush, apply colour #4 on the inner corner of your crease and blend away. Don't forget to apply the same colour on the inner third of your lower lash line to brighten up the look. 

STEP 8: Line your lower lash line with a creamy aqua pencil liner and apply colour #5 to set the liner. [Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eyeliner]

STEP 9: Don't worry, you're almost there! Line your upper lash line with your favourite gel liner, apply your favourite mascara before applying a natural-looking falsies. [Maybelline Studio Drama Lasting Gel Liner in Black]

It should look something like that now =P

PRODUCTS USED/ MENTIONED: 

EYES

Urban Decay Primer Potion

MAC Paint Pot in Coral Crepe

INGLOT Freedom Palette (Colours used as mentioned above)

Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eyeliner

Maybelline Studio Drama Lasting Gel Liner in Black

Revlon Grow Luscious Pumping Mascara in Black*

Falsies

Shu Uemura Eyebrow Pencil in Hard

FACE

Maybelline FIT ME concealer in Light

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

Nude by Nature Mineral Powder in Medium*

Illamasqua Powder Blush in Lover*

Nude By Nature Mineral Bronzer*

MAC MSF in Candlelight

Nude By Nature Finishing Veil*

LIPS

Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Hokey Pokey*

FINAL LOOK :D

Feather-y fascinator I wore that day along with my "cheating-put-your-hair-up-in-a-bun" curls.

A close-up of my fascinator. :)

Hope you enjoy and like this look! Let me know if you decide to try something similar! :)

What's YOUR interpretation on mermaid?

Have you created any mermaid-inspired look lately?

Do share below and on Make Up Utopia FOTD Challenge 1 - Mermaid Inspired. 

PS: Don't forget to enter my Kiwiberry Giveaway for a chance to win circle lenses, falsies and a 50% voucher HERE. 

PPS: My vacation is coming to an end soon. :( Missing Sydney but definitely not missing work! 

Disclaimer: Products marked with asterisk(*) were sent to me for consideration purposes and/or received as a gift from an event or in goodie bags. 

XOXO,

A

THROUGH BEAUTY EYES LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING GUIDE

Crowded. Human Traffic. Late night trading hours. All the boxes have been ticked – Christmas is approaching. In fact, its gonna be here within a blink of an eye. WHO’S EXCITED HERE? I know I am. THREE MORE DAYS till 3 weeks off work and a short trip to Malaysia and Singapore. Damn straight I am.

I know many of you would have probably came across heaps of Christmas Gift Guides posts over the blogosphere over a month ago. And yes, yours truly is good at being last minute and there’s no exception to Christmas shopping this time. #awesomeatprocrastinating 

So, here you go. A Last Minute Christmas Shopping Guide.

Remember, you don’t have much time to “decide” whether a green dress is better than that pink blazer. Or having to choose between a fuchsia lipstick or an electric blue nail polish. A list is essential if you’re doing your shopping this time of the year – head to the respective store and BAM grab your stuff and head to the next store.

Your list should consist of:

1)    WHO are the pressies for? Is it your bestie, a work colleague, your family/ siblings, partner or even Kris Kringle?

2)    WHICH “categories” do these people belong to? This is why Step #1 is important. Is your bestie an eyeshadow person? Your work colleague is obsessed with hair products? Your sister has a wide accessories collection or your KK has always wanted to try the new Sports Girl lippie? Simply categorise them under “hair, “make up”, “gadgets”, “nails”, “fragrances” and so forth – whatever you think is suitable.

3)    WHAT gift to choose? Once you have categorised the “receivers”, its gift planning time. Unless he/she is a super close friend of yours and you know specifically what he/she wants, most (if not all) brands offer Christmas gift packs for hard times like this. :P

I have a few quite a number of beauty-related gift packs ideas (sorry blokes!), which hopefully will be useful for you to complete your final, last minute shopping. :D

MAKE UP

Illamasqua Midnight Bite 

($55 available at Illamasqua counters)

Create your own Midnight Bite duo for your loved ones with your choice of any Illamasqua lipstick or lipgloss. Have I mentioned how much I love their lipstick? (and I love collecting their gloss). Check out my FOTD wearing Illamasqua Corrupt HERE and my Intense Gloss haul from IMATS HERE.

Benefit Limited Edition Ticket To Glossytown 

($49 available at all Benefit Counters)

This six glitzy shades that enables you to paint the town pink, berry, coral or any colour you fancy. Super adorable packaging, six gorgeous shades at the best thing is value for money (less than 10 bucks per gloss!), what more can you ask for? 

Benefit Limited Edition I'm Glam Therefore I am Kit

($69 available at all Benefit Counters)

Get the Christmas/ New Year party started with this essential kit! At $69, you get a 4 shade eyeshadow palette, glamming face powder with brush, Girl Meets Pearl Liquid Pearl, lip gloss in Life on the A List, a little bit BADgal lash mascara and a double-ended sponge applicator. This kit just screams bargain! 

Jane Iredale Chocoholicks Lipgloss Palette 

($50 available at Margifox - Jane Iredale)

Chocolate and Lipgloss? YES PLEASE. Craving for chocolate but that waistline is getting a tad out of control after all the festive food? What's better than Jane Iredale Chocolaholicks Lipgloss Palette? This palette contains lipglosses in Blood Orange, Espresso, Very Berry and Chilli Pepper, along with a retractable lip brush. 

HAIR

 

Remington’s Style Collection 

($53.95, available from all leading electrical retailers)

With a powerful hair dryer (with 6 heat/speed combinations), straightener (with ceramic plates to lock in moisture) and a tong (with a 19mm ceramic barrel), this styling pack is the ultimate gift for your (girl) friend/sister/mum if she enjoys styling her locks.  Who said you need to be a celeb to have ever-changing hair style? All you need is Remington’s Style Collection for Christmas. :D

KMS California REAL LIVES. REAL PEOPLE. YOUR STYLE Christmas Sets

($54.95 available in salons nationwide) 

With 13 varieties of gift sets to choose from to compliment your individualised style and hair care needs, combining MOISTEREPAIR, COLORVITALITY, SILKSHEEN, ADDVOLUME, CURLUP, FREESHAPE, HAIRPLAY and HAIRSTAY. 

Goldwell Color Christmas Sets

($39.95 - $44.95, available in salons nationwide) 

Designed with a difference and an element of "Christmas Chic", Goldwell Duo, Trio and Quad Sets come with a sleek and versatile clutch in either Gold or Classic Black. 

BODY

Loccitane Delice des Fleurs (Rose & Violet) OR Loccitane De´lice des Fruits (Lemon & Clementine)

(Eau de Toilette 75mL - $49.95; Solid Perfume 10gr - $9.95; Shower Jelly 250mL - $24.95; Body Milk 250mL - $34.95; Hand Cream 30mL - $9.95; Rose Lip Gloss 5gr - $14.95; Violet Lip Gloss 5gr - $14.95; available at Loccitaine stores and http://au.loccitane.com/)

These two new collections introduced by Loccitane specially for this festive season offer a wide range of irresistible scent and delicious body products and even candles! *smells self* LOL

Soap & Glory Limited Edition You Cube 

($39.95 available at Kits Cosmetics or www.kitcosmetics.com )

This travel-sized favourites consist of Righteous Butter (150mL), Flake Away (150mL), Clean On Me (75mL) and Shower Puff. I purchased a full-sized Righteous Butter, Clean On Me and Flake Away a while ago (hauled HERE) after finding out how awesome Flake Away is after my Asia Haul last year. This is definitely THE gift for someone who is a sucker for anything that smells good. 

MoR Lip Macaron in French Kiss and MoR Luxuria

(Lip Macaron: $12.95 and Luxuria: $19.95 available at selected David Jones/ MYER or www.morcosmetics.com )

MoR carries a HUGE range of body, face and lip products, which by the name of it sounds absolutely delicious. You Had Me At Marshmallows, Lychee Luxe, French Kiss... you get the drift. Simply headover to  www.morcosmetics.com to find out more about the awesomeness of MoR. 

OTHERS

Illamasqua Bespoke FREAK Gift Set 

($200, available at all Illamasqua counters)- $200

Included in the gift set are the intoxicating first fragrance and your choice of any shimmering Pure Pigment, awards- winning Nail Varnish and Sheer/Intense Lip Gloss. You are getting the best of every world. :P This Limited Edition Gift Set would be the perfect gift for your girlfriend (IF and only IF you know her favourite scent well though).

  

YANKEE Candles 

($19.99 for a Housewarmer small jar or $37.99 for a Reed Diffuser. Available online at www.yankee.net.au )

Christmas At The Beach reminds you of summer heat with its delicate, aromas of exotic summer fruits with a twist of pina colada.

Happy Christmas encapsulates the scents of a European holiday with a blend of evergreen pine trees, sugared fruits and warm hearths.

Christmas Cookie is a recipe of spices, eggnog and buttery rich icing. (Sounds like something I would put into my mouth :P)

I hope this Last Minute Guide helps you lovelies who leave shopping till last minute. :D

Have you done all your Christmas shopping? 

What are your favourite picks this Christmas?

XOXO,

A

SWATCH,REVIEW & FOTD ft Sports Girl Pout About It Lipstick in Fuchsia Splash

Hey lovelies!

I think I am on a blogging streak at the moment (I shall not speak too soon, shall I?) But I have definitely became more diligent in terms of blogging "duties" - it's probably just me, wanting to procrastinate from studying for my Management Accounting exam, which is coming up in less than 2 weeks. Speaking about attention span of a five year old? =.=" 

ANYHOOS, I will be doing a quick review/ swatch/ FOTD post featuring one of the 2 SportsGirl lipsticks I got during my Summer Sunday - Haul, as requested by Lilit. :)

SportsGirl Pout About It in Fuchsia Splash ($9.99)

(I know I probably own 4832084023 similar shades but I am naturally drawn to bright shades, especially fuchsia. :D)

FOTD using Fuchsia Splash :)

I KNOW, my face looks like a geisha cake. I was trying Mirenesse´ Airbrush Line Filling Mattifier for the second time. The moment I set it with my pressed powder, I knew I made the wrong foundation choice but I didn't have enough time to remove my face make up and re-do my face make up again. I had to go to work with cakey geisha face and my skin was SO DRY throughout the day that I had to remove my face make up with tissue and water. But I think I shall leave this for another post. 

On my FACE

Mirenesse´Airbrush Line Filling Mattifier

Maybelline Illuminating Concealer in Nude

Nude by Nature Mineral Cover in Medium

Illamasqua Powder Blush in Huss

Nude by Nature Bronzing Powder

Nude by Nature Finishing Veil

WHAT I THINK ABOUT IT:

My first impression of Fuchsia Splash when swatched on my hand was it reminds me of Illamasqua Corrupt which I featured HERE. Not an exact dupe, but close enough. 

LEFT: Sports Girl Fuchsia Splash; RIGHT: Illamasqua Corrupt 

As you can see from the swatches above, Corrupt is definitely more pigmented and vibrant when compared to Fuchsia Splash but they are definitely in the same family. 

But when swatched on lips, its quite an obvious difference.

Sports Girl Pout About It in Fuchsia Splash

Illamasqua Corrupt

Whilst they are both matte formula, Fuchsia Splash is clearly more moisturising. In terms of pigmentation, Corrupt is the winner. That being said, Illamasqua is a more "top notch departmental brand" compared to Sports Girl which belongs to the "drugstore" family. Fuchsia Splash is definitely pigmented for the price you are paying. It lasts at least 3 hours depending on the amount of food and drinks that go through my mouth during that period. :P

 EOTD is the good ol' Wet & Wild Color Icon Palette in LUST (Review & Swatches HERE) and REVLON Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara (mad love!).

Absolutely adore the combination of bright fuchsia lips with purple smokey eyes (minus the geisha cake face =.="), albeit it isn't really a summer-ish combo. Well, I need to constantly remind myself that I did not teleport myself to somewhere in the Northern hemisphere due to the ridiculously cold weather the past few days! Think mid autumn jacket, scarf, tights, and its meant to be S.U.M.M.E.R. =.="

Newly touched up hair a few weeks ago. :) More on that later.

Before loggin' off, just a photo to remind you guys how my usual face make up is like and yours truly, by no means advocate cakey foundation geisha face. :D

Featuring ModelsPrefer Inky Smoky Set & Australis Lipstick in Hockey Pocky

Have you tried the lippies from Sports Girl Pout About It range?

What are your thoughts and which one is your fav?

XOXO,

A

FOTD ft INGLOT & Illamasqua and Scunci Giveaway Winner!

 Hey lovelies!

It has been a while, AGAIN! These inconsistent update gotta stop before my backlogged posts and drafts get out of control! I blame it on my CA assignment which was due on Monday, Melbourne Cup on Tuesday and suffering from a midweek hangover on Wednesday. =/ At least, I have more time in my hands now, until finals, which is in mid Dec. Oh, fun! 

I hope you Aussie readers had a great Melbourne Cup day! This week has flown by pretty quickly and no, not complaining at all. :P Not looking forward to work again tomorrow though. :(

I am just gonna squeeze in a quick FOTD post (which I have not posted in a while) which I had during my birthday dinner with the girls and announcing my Scunci Giveaway, which ended a week ago! 

I was just playing around with my INGLOT palettes purchased from IMATS 2011 and I LOVE the final look! 

The GORGEOUS INGLOT palette, which I wish they had names for their eyeshadows instead of numbers because really, as much as I love numbers, numberings and naming make up don't go quite well together! 

On my EYES

Australis Eyeshadow Primer

MAC Coral Crepe Paint Pot

INGLOT #1 (All over my lid)

INGLOT #2 (Outer Corner)

INGLOT #3 (Gently tap on the inner corner of my lid, over the matte peach colour to give that lovely shimmer that brightens up the eyes!)

Mineresse´ Tight Liner

Milani Liquif'eye Eyeliner Pencil in Black

Maybelline Falsies Volume Express Mascara

ELF Eyebrow Kit in Medium

Random Falsies

Toric Circle Lenses in E-Natural 2 from MUKUCHU

  

On my FACE

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in #7

Maybelline FIT ME Concealer in Light

Nude by Nature Natural Mineral Powder in Medium

Illamasqua Blush in Lover

Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether

Nude by Nature Mineral Bronzer

Australis Finishing Powder in True Translucent

On my LIPS #1

Illamasqua Pencil in Bait

On my LIPS #2

Illamasqua Lipstick in Corrupt

I decided to go for the wavy look that night, using the good ol' MODIVA professional curling iron. 

(I have since then found an easier, cheating way to achieve similar curls - have my hair up in a tight bun when its 30% wet and go to bed. VOILA, curls!)

I LOVE the combination of Bait & Corrupt! Perfect fuchsia shade :)

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

Not to forget, we have a winner for my Scunci Giveaway which ended on 25th October 2011. My apologies for taking so long to pick the winner! 

CONGRATULATIONS CINDY! :)

Please email me your mailing address at throughbeautyeyes [at] gmail [dot] com. :)

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

Sipping CC Dry @ The Opera Bar. :)

What's your favourite fuchsia lipstick/ combination?

XOXO,

A