PRODUCTS I LOVE #3

One of the few things that gets me really excited is discount.

Great discount.

Not your pathetic get $5 rebate for spending $200 (which is a mere 2.5% off btw) or 10% off some low price point items.

Who's with me?

Well, great news to you beauty lovers, my favourite drugstore in town, Priceline (kinda like Walmart in the States but not as cool) will be having 40% off all beauty products today(19 Nov 2013) and tomorrow (20 Nov 2013)!

This Products I Love segment will be a few of my recommendations of products that are “Hot Right Now”, some were provided for trial by the brands and some were purchased but they are all my current FAVs (and a few repurchased item!):

 

-          Face of Australia Budge Proof Eyeshadows in Violet Rays, Bling Bling & Bronze Sphinx* 

I have raved about these eyeshadows in my recent Products I Love: Spring Edition post a while ago and still loving them. They are part of my daily make up routine – colours depending on my mood and weather of the day. Violet Rays is perfect for smokey eyes, Bling Bling for summer-peachy look and Bronze Sphinx for your fail-proof neutral eyes. Click HERE for swatches.

-          Cover Girl & Olay Simply Ageless Concealer in Light 

This concealer contains Olay regerist serum and specially-blended pigments to combat dark circles. The creamy consistency, hydrating and lasting formula made this a star product! I bought this about a month ago and have already gone through half a tub of it. The hoarding nature in me is considering buying a backup because you know, I have 10 pair of eyes that need concealing daily. #hoarderproblems

-          Cover Girl Clean Glow Blusher in 100 Roses*

I was sent this blusher about 3 weeks ago and it has become my almost every-day blush since. 100 roses is a natural, warm berry colour which goes perfectly well with my darker skin in the hotter days. I like to pair this with my Nude by Nature Natural Bronzer for the sunkissed look.

-          Face of Australia Carnivale in Summer Lovin (Bright Pink), Mango Slurpee (Orange) and Masquerade (Purple with Glitter Chunks)*

TOP: Summer Lovin; BOTTOM: Mango Slurpee

Remember all those mornings when you wake up only to realise that your freshly painted nails are filled with sheet marks? Well, sheet marks is now a trend with the brand new sandy finish formula for both Summer Lovin and Mango Slurpee.

As for Masquerade, it’s the ideal choice of polish when you are looking for something girly and “loud” with ALL THE GLITTERS!

-          Cover Girl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in 215 (Baby Pink) and 235 (Coral)*

Hotter days = sweaty me = light-weighted products will take preference for day to day wear. I am still very much in love with my bold, pigmented  lipsticks but these Gloss Balms are a better alternative on a scorching, casual day out. Lasting power is amazing and pigmentation is pretty good for a “gloss balm” – not overly sheer as I am not a fan of sheer colour balm. Definitely a summer handbag essential, me thinks. 

-          Nude by Nature Mineral Foundation in Medium

My HG mineral foundation - had repurchased this twice, once HERE and another one made in the last Priceline 40% sales. As I have pretty sensitive skin and it goes cray cray on me from time to time, this is probably the only “foundation” that is able to provide decent coverage and doesn’t sting. My everyday face routine involves this + tinted moisturiser or BB cream depending on the coverage I am looking for.

-          Nude by Nature Natural Bronzer

My to – go Summer bronzer. First discovered this in my goodie bag from Miss Universe Australia 2011 Party and had also repurchased this in the last Priceline 40% sales. This colour is a little too dark for winter but perfect for summer. It works best with a huge blush brush that allows you to blend evenly. Don’t use anything to dense as you will probably end up looking like Snooki. :P

-          Face of Australia Eyebrow Kit*

As you can see, the gel part is almost hitting pan. I use this on most days (except lazy days) and its one of the best eyebrow kits in the market. Love that it doesn’t have a hefty price tag for a product of such high quality. WIN. On to my 40% shopping list you go, Mr Eyebrow Kit.

-          Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel

This has been my HG Eyebrow pencil before I discovered the Face of Australia Eyebrow Kit. I still use this on a lazy day when I ceebs drawing my brows with a brush and I always have one of these in my makeup bag – just in case any touch up is required.

40% off – definitely stocking up. #GottaStopBeingAHoader

-          Face of Australia Tinted Moisturiser*

I am a huge fan of tinted moisturiser for day-to-day use and selected BB creams (which doesn’t result in me looking like a geisha). For full coverage, I am definitely loyal to my HG foundation  - Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation (as seen HERE and HERE).  Mild coverage, light weight and matching skin tone makes this my daily pick – to be applied before applying the Nude by Nature Mineral Foundation in medium.

-          Australis Curve Eyeliner (not pictured)

With the curve design making flicking achievable, even for amateurs, this is my second favourite eyeliner after my HG Dolly Wink Liquid Liner (which is irreplaceable at the moment). I bought this when I ran out of my Dolly Wink Liquid Liner and was pretty impressed with it. Easy to control, dark and pigmented ( don’t you just hate those liquid liner which aren’t and appears like a grey line when applied?) and the ultra thin brush means that you could control the thickness of your line when applying. Bingo.

To repurchase or not, considering that I still have a backup of my Dolly Wink Liquid Liner?

  Hope you're taking advantage of this 40% off on Priceline! However, make sure you don't overspend and be a massive hoarder like me. 

A little tip: MAKE a list before entering the store before unnecessary damage. :P

Have you tried any of these products?

What's on your shopping list?

Disclaimer: Products marked with asterisk(*) were provided for consideration. I am not compensated for this post or any sales made from these products. For more information, please refer to ThroughBeautyEyes' disclosure policies.  

XOXO,

A

Quickie: Priceline Haul & Review

Given that I am pretty time poor as of late and probably will be in the next two months or so, I thought to include a “Quickie” segment into le blog which pretty much encompasses a quick of anything such as quick haul, quick review, quick introduction to new products, quick launch coverage – just anything short and sweet really. This is just to ensure that this little space of mine doesn’t go unattended for too long. *blows dust off my page*

Just thought I’d put it out there, I am very proud of my self control as my Priceline haul can actually make it under the “quickie” department – I mean, how often do you walk into Priceline and come out with almost nothing? Walk into Priceline to get the essential items, stumble upon newly released items on the way to the check out and these items somehow ended in your shopping bag because you “require” them for the blog, under the name of “research”. Sounds familiar? I rest my case. :P

Two of the three products I bought were repurchased items and one was for “research purposes”. ;)

·         Nude By Nature Natural Mineral Cover in Medium (RRP$39.95): This was a repurchased item. I was first introduced to Nude By Nature products when I was given a few samples from the Miss Australia Universe Event last year . It was love at first sight touch. This product is perfect for days where I am going for the au naturale look or during summer days where the heat is too overwhelming that liquid products will melt the instance I leave the house. In fact, I have been using this for almost every day ever since my skin decides to go PMS on me with the random outbreak of hives and rashes on my forehead and left cheek. It is light on the skin yet it provides pretty decent coverage on my “problem” areas to prevent me from looking like a lobster. It only seems right to buy a full size product when my sample size ran out.

·         Loreal Gentle Make Up Remover for Eyes and Lips (RRP $12.95): Another repurchased item in the shopping bag. This is my favourite make up remover of all times and I have gone through countless bottles ever since I started wearing make up. It removes waterproof make up with a swipe (or two for some of the better mascaras). Easy peasy! Best part is, it doesn’t strip the moisture off your face in the process.

·         Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Audacious Asphalt (RRP $11.95) : This little gem here has shot to fame the moment it was released and it is a favourite in the beauty bloggers community. I mean, being a beauty blogger and all, I have to do my research and find out what the hype is all about, right? For a fraction of the price of the MAC paint pots, I would say they are very well worth every penny as they are super pigmented and extremely long-lasting. My make up held up well after a whole day at work (approximately 10 hours) PLUS two extra hours of intensive gym session (which includes excessive sweat excretion). Nuff said. I am definitely keen to try out the other colours from this range but unfortunately, they are quite limited in the land down under.

Have you hauled recently or have you been good with your plastic card? ;)

Have you tried any of the above products? Yay or nay?

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

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

SMASHBOX GILS ON FILM SOFTBOX PALETTE 3 in 1 - Swatches, Quick Thoughts, FOTD

Don't you love the triumph feeling or the satisfaction you have when you manage to get hold of something exclusive or limited edition, something along those lines? 

Well, I know I do. 

(Yes, I am one of those consumers who get sucked into limited edition stuff pretty easily, a tad too easy for my own good.)

If you are a fan of Smashbox and happens to live in this continent that starts with an A and ends with an A, Christmas might have came earlier for you! :)

SMASHBOX brings you the brand NEW and limited edition Girls on Film Colour Collection, exclusive to KIT! This film-worthy collection is inspired by the magic that happens when you capture the perfect shot!

 

Girls on Film Photo Op Eye Palettes (Softbox / Smokebox) - $64.95

Girls on Film Cream Eyeliner Travel Brush Set (Blacklight / Sepia) - $39.95

Girls on Film Blush Rush (Pose / Silhouette) - $34.95

Girls on Film Lip Enhancing Gloss (Overexposed / Underexposed) - $26.95

The Limited Edition Smashbox Girls On Film Collection will be available exclusively at Kit Cosmetics & Mecca Maxima stores nationally from 24 October 2011.

I was lucky enough to be the proud owner of the Girls On Film Softbox Eyeshadow Palette courtesy of EGPR. on the launch day itself, which was Monday, the 24th of October. :)

TOP - L to R: Fizz, Pebble, Minx
BOTTOM - L to R: Vanilla, Ignite, Sienna

 All the perfect neutral shades in ONE palette! What more could you ask for? :)

SWATCHES:

Fizz, Pebble, Minx

Vanilla, Ignite, Sienna 

QUICK THOUGHTS:

Quick thoughts because I have only used this palette twice this week, hence, unable to provide a detailed review as yet. As you can tell from the swatches above, the colours are pretty pigmented but not the most pigmented eyeshadows I own. Pebble is a purpleish-grey colour, the only matte colour in the palette, which pigmentation is probably the lowest compared to other shimmery/pearly colours. My make up lasted all day and survived an intensive pump class with an eyeshadow primer underneath albeit there was some creasing on my middle lid area. I reckon that's more of my watery eyes issues than the eyeshadows' formula.

FOTD: 

Quick FOTD using my brand new Softbox Eyeshadow Palette. 

On my EYES

ELF Eyeshadow Primer

MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque

Ignite - all over the lid colour

Minx - Outer V

Vanilla - Brow bone highlight

Maybelline Falsies Volume Express Mascara in Black

Mineresse Tight Liner in Black*

Milani Liquif'eye Eyeliner in Black

ELF eyebrow Kit in medium

On my FACE

Australis Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 15*

Nude by Nature Natural Mineral Cover in Medium*

ModelCo Desk to Date Blush*

Flomar Terra Cotta Blush in 43 (Bronzer)

MAC MSF in Candlelight

Maybelline FIT ME Concealer in Light

Australis Ready-Set-Go Translucent Powder*

On my LIPS

Rimmel Lasting Finish by KATE Lipstick in #12*

(New favourite for summer!)

PS: Excuse the quality of the photos. All photos were taken my new iPhone 4S. (Isn't the best quality I have taken but its actually pretty good for non-camera-pikchas.)

Are you a fan of exclusive and limited merchandise too? 

What are your lemmings from the Smashbox Girls on Film collection?

Disclaimer: The Smashbox Palette and items marked with asterisk (*)  were either gifted at events or sent to me for consideration purposes. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions stated are 100% honest. For more information, please refer to Through Beauty Eyes disclosure policies. 

XOXO,

A