The Balm 'Hot Mama!' Shadow/Blush

I bought this Hot Mama! shadow/blush at an online sale a little while ago because I have a bit of a soft spot for The Balm products. I just love their cute packaging and the funny names they use for their products and this blush looked like it was a really nice versatile shade.

It comes in the usual cardboard packaging that The Balm are known for and it has a nice sized mirror underneath the lid for when you might want to apply it on the go. I do like the quirky packaging that The Balm use, but sometimes I get a little annoyed by how dirty and marked the cardboard can actually get after a lot of use. It can also get a bit dented and knocked around in your handbag or cosmetic bag too so I don't tend to take their products out with me for this reason.

Hot Mama! is marketed as an eye shadow or a blush but I really only mainly use it as a blush because I very rarely use single eye shadows anymore. When it is used as a shadow though it is a nice, warm peachy shade that wears really well and doesn't seem to crease too much, even after a few hours of wear.

(The Balm 'Hot Mama!' shadow/blush)

I definitely prefer to use Hot Mama! as a blush though and love the pretty, shimmery, peach shade it gives to my cheeks as it has an instant brightening effect. The powder blends out beautifully and there is usually no need to use a separate highlighter when I'm wearing this blush as it is quite shimmery on its own and I can feel a little too disco-ball if I also add highlighter on top.

I own quite a few The Balm products and am always impressed by their pigmentation and the way their powder products blend out and wear during the day.

I'd love to know what your favourite The Balm product is and why?

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

Michelle xx

July 2016 Favourites

So, I'm a few days late with getting my July favourites out but I had a few items this month that I really enjoyed using and just had to share (lets just forget that I haven't done a favourites post in around a year or so shall we!)

So this month I had a little mix of things that I kept going back to again and again. These were:

1) Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - It took me a really long time to get on the Micellar water bandwagon as I was convinced that it was a lot of hype over nothing. But, since I decided to take the plunge and buy some of this at Priceline a few weeks ago I can now see why it is so popular. This product takes off any makeup product it's put up against and does it with very minimal effort. It's non-irritating, even when used for stubborn eye makeup and has no annoying scent or oily residue. My skin feels refreshed and totally clean after use so I will definitely be repurchasing this when it runs out.

2) L'Oreal Infallible Makeup in Creamy Natural - This would have to be hands down my most favourite foundation of all time. I have had this bottle for what seems like forever and I put it aside now and then to use other newer foundations I buy, but then I always go back to it and wonder why I change. It goes on flawlessly using a brush or a beauty blender and stays put all day long. It doesn't sink into my fine lines and gives me great medium to full coverage without looking like I'm wearing a huge amount of makeup. I just love it!

3) Australis AC on Tour Contouring and Highlighting Kit - I was going to do a full review on this product but decided not to as I think it has been reviewed to death. This palette never leaves my makeup table and is my most reached for item at the moment. All of the highlighting powders are the perfect shade for my pale skin and the middle contouring shade is just great. These powders are so easy to blend out and seem to last for the whole work day. They also make good eyeshadows on those days when I'm in a rush and want a quick, neutral look. For the price this has to be one of the most economical palettes out there.

(Australis AC on Tour Contouring and Highlighting Kit)

4) Elizabeth Arden Lipstick in Rose Petal - I have been living in this lipstick this past month as it is the perfect everyday winter shade for me. It is a gorgeous medium, rose-pink shade that is so creamy to apply and it lasts for hours, even through eating and drinking. This formula doesn't sink into lip lines at all and it keeps my lips feeling moisturised and soft all day. I have always been a huge fan of Elizabeth Arden lipsticks and have a few of them in my collection. I don't think they get anywhere near enough attention in the beauty world.

(Elizabeth Arden lipstick in Rose Petal)

5) Sukin Purely Ageless Intensive Firming Serum - I received this is the last Priceline beauty bag and am going to be running back to my nearest store to get more as soon as it is finished. This serum feels just gorgeous on my skin and makes it seem so soft and supple when applied. I absolutely adore the smell as well which is kind of sweet but floral at the same time (I suck at describing scents!) It's not sticky at all and absorbs into my skin straight away so it doesn't feel too heavy when I apply my day or night cream afterwards. I will definitely be repurchasing this.

6) Rimmel Magnif'eyes Eye Shadow Stick and Liner in Back to Blacks and Queens of the Bronzed Age ** - These shadow/liner sticks have been on my eyes almost every day for the past month. They make a subtle daytime smoky eye possible in literally under 2 minutes. My favourite way to apply these is to do a thick swipe of the black shadow along my upper lash line followed by another thick swipe of the bronze shadow on top of the first line. I then quickly grab my eyeshadow brush and then blend, blend, blend upwards until my whole eyelid is covered and I have an unbelievably fast and long-wearing smoky eye. I then like to use the golden liner end to line my lower lashes and highlight the inner corner of my eye. The trick to these is to blend them very quickly as they set fairly fast and then don't budge for the entire day, even on my badly hooded eyes. They are amazing!  

(Rimmel Magnif'eyes Eye Shadow/Liner sticks in Queens of the Bronzed Age and Back to Blacks)

So that's it for my favourites this past month!


Have a great week!

Michelle xx

** Product received for consideration but my thoughts are purely my own.

MAC Stroke of Midnight Eye Palette - Cool

Ok, so I admit that I almost decided not to come back to the dear old blog. My life has taken a very unexpected hectic turn with my personal business getting very, very busy over the last couple of months. Trying to manage that growth along with my regular job as well as attempting to be a half decent mother to my almost three year old and keeping up with all my wifey duties on top of it all has pulled me in way too many directions lately and unfortunately I had to take a step back from some things for a little while.

But, the pull of blogging turned out to be too strong and I'm taking a big breath and attempting to juggle it all. Seriously, I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I had spare time these days anyway!!

So, as I promised weeks ago when I did this post, I am finally sharing my thoughts on the MAC Stroke of Midnight Eye Palette in Cool that my wonderful hubby bought for me when he had to go overseas for a week in November for work.

This pretty has not left my makeup table since it was opened. I cannot say enough how much I love all of the shades in this palette and how versatile and easy to use they are.

This palette comes with five eyeshadow shades, three of which are a little bit shimmery and the other two are quite matte. It also comes with a dual ended brush that can be used to blend the shadow as well as line the eyes if you wish.

The shades are as follows:

* Fair Sex
* Deception
* Romance me
* Frisco; and
*Shadowy Lady

 (Natural Light)

 (With flash)

This palette can be used for an everyday subtle eye look as well as making a pretty good smoky eye. The shadows all blend beautifully with one another and last for a good few hours on me before creasing. I don't really notice too much fallout when using these shadows either which is a nice bonus.

My favourite look is using the pale cream shade all over the lid with some of the matte pink shade on the outer half of the lid with the dark purple shade blended into the crease or as a liner along the top lashes.

This is my first experience with using any MAC eyeshadows and I have to say it's definitely made me want to try some more.

Has anyone else tried this palette as well?

Have a great weekend!

Michelle xx

Arbonne Cosmetics Review

I can't tell you how excited I was when I was offered the opportunity to try some products from the Arbonne Cosmetics range a few weeks ago. I'd been seeing them around the internet a lot lately and absolutely loved the look of everything I saw.

If you haven't yet heard of this great brand, here is a little bit of background information for you:

Arbonne Cosmetics is a premium range of products with botanical ingredients in a host of colours and free from sodium lauryl sulphate, talc, gluten, parabens and phthalates. Additionally they are Vegan friendly and are not tested on animals. They also have an exclusive Optilight Technology which diffuses light to create a soft-focus effect and blurs imperfections so that skin looks flawless from virtually every angle.

I was lucky enough to be sent three products to try out. A Lipstick in the shade Scarlet, an Eyeshadow in the shade Divine Plum and a Blush in the shade Blossom.

Here is a little bit about each of these pretties:

·         Arbonne Lipstick in Scarlet

Packed with Vitamins A, C and E as well as Pomegranate Extract, the formula intensely hydrates and conditions lips with a rich colour and beautiful scent that glides on smoothly for buildable coverage.
Scarlet is a gorgeous deep burgundy/red which I have been wearing almost exclusively over the past couple of weeks now the weather is cooling down. It is a shade that literally goes with everything and can be worn quite sheer or built up to a much deeper colour if that is what you wish. I've found this lipstick extremely hydrating and it amazingly lasts for around 4-5 hours on me before wearing off to a sheer stain.

·         Arbonne Eye Shadow in Divine Plum

Arbonne’s mineral-infused range of catwalk-inspired Eye Shadows leads the way in rich natural and botanical tones, working to highlight and define the eyes with colour whilst providing health benefits for the skin.
Each powder shadow is infused with Vitamins A, C and E as well as Polypeptides which help to maintain the skins moisture and support the skin’s natural structure.
Divine Plum is a really pretty purple shade that looks quite dark in the container but actually applies very sheer with a slight shimmer to it. It's easy to build the colour up though if you want a bit of a darker look and this shadow blends like an absolute dream without any fallout at all. I found this shadow lasted practically the entire work day on me without creasing which is a miracle on my hooded lids. 

·         Arbonne Blush in Blossom

Arbonne’s mineral-infused range of catwalk-inspired Eye Shadows leads the way in rich natural and botanical tones, working to highlight and define the eyes with colour whilst providing health benefits for the skin. Each powder shadow is infused with Vitamins A, C and E as well as Polypeptides which help to maintain the skins moisture and support the skin’s natural structure.
Blossom has become my holy grail of blush. I have been searching for a shade like this for a very long time that complements my porcelain (but covered in freckles!) skintone. This peachy shade of blush looks so natural and blends perfectly and has been my blush of choice when I want to look polished but not overdone. It lasts a good workday on me as well which is just great.

(Lipstick in Scarlet, Eyeshadow in Divine Plum, Blush in Blossom)

(Lipstick in Scarlet, Eyeshadow in Divine Plum, Blush in Blossom - with flash)

 

(Wearing the Lipstick in Scarlet sheered out over some lip balm)

The packaging of these products is a very elegant looking black plastic that seems to be quite sturdy and very handbag friendly.

Arbonne Cosmetics can be purchased from their website here and I definitely encourage you to take a look. I, on the other hand should have stayed away from their site because I am now eyeing off another couple of lipsticks and maybe another blush or two :-)

Has anyone else tried anything from this range yet?

Hope you all are having a lovely week so far :-)

Michelle xx

*** Products were provided for consideration but this has not influenced my opinion in any way. Honesty always!***

Almay Intense i-color - Bold Nudes Collection for Hazel Eyes

I was fortunate enough to receive some of the Almay Intense i-color collection from Beautyheaven as part of their trial team a few weeks ago.

The products above are listed as follows:

1) Volumizing Mascara in Midnight
2) Defining Liner in Teal
3) Liquid Shadow + Color Primer for Hazel Eyes
4) Powder Shadow Trio for Hazel Eyes

The Almay Intense i-color range has been designed so that the colours complement your natural eye colour and make eyes appear brighter and more defined. I can't say that I hold too much truth in this concept as I didn't really notice my eyes appearing to look much different when I used this range as opposed to when I use other different colours.

(Almay Intense i-color Volumizing Mascara in Midnight)

The Volumizing Mascara was the most disappointing product in the range to me. Although it worked well when I was actually able to apply it properly (which was rarely), the brush is seriously made for someone with eyes the size of a giraffe because it did not matter what angle I used I just could not apply it to my eyes without getting it on my eyelid or in my eyeball. Frankly, this mascara wand now terrifies me and could be marketed as a great self-torture product.

(Look at the size of that freaking brush!)

(Almay Intense i-color Liquid Shadow + Color Primer for Hazel Eyes)

The Liquid Shadow + Color Primer was a product that really surprised me. I usually steer clear of liquid shadows as they never really work very well on my hooded eyelids and normally crease terribly after a couple of hours. This one however lasted the entire day on me and made a really pretty and simple subtle smokey eye when applied as a sweep all over the lid and then blended out at the edges. You have to work pretty quickly though before the shadow sets if you wish to blend it out as once it sets it does not budge at all! I even found that my regular eye makeup remover sometimes struggled to get this off becuase of how well its staying power is.

The Powder Shadows are nice enough to wear but are not very pigmented so need to be built up to the desired colour that you want. They are lovely and soft to apply and blend well to me without much fallout at all. The Hazel Eyes trio comes with a pale coral shade which is supposed to be applied all over the lid, a dark navy blue shade which is to be blended into the crease and a shimmery cream shade that is to highlight the brow bone.

I wasn't a big fan of all three colours used together but I did love using the coral and the cream and the blue and the cream together instead.

The standout product to me was the Defining Liner in Teal. This is an eye liner that I could live in. It's so buttery soft to apply, does not pull at the delicate skin around the eye even the slightest and lasts for hours without transferring to the top of my lid. It's also such a gorgeous shade that I just love to wear with a pale shadow as a base and nothing else.

(Left to Right: Powder Shadow Trio for Hazel Eyes, Liquid Shadow + Color Primer for Hazel Eyes, Defining Liner in Teal)

Here is a very simple eye look I created, and managed to remember to photgraph, one day while I was wearing the Cream highlighting shade all over my lid with the Navy shade blended into the crease and outer corner. I am also wearing the Volumizing Mascara in these photos:

 

Has anyone else tried this range before?

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Michelle xx



EOTD Featuring Savoir Faire Limited Edition Kit in 'Winter'



I couldn't help but start playing with my new Savoir Faire kit as soon as at arrived in my December Bellabox and this is one of the first looks I created and am really loving. It's a very subtle smokey eye using the burgundy and rust shades in the kit as the main look.

(Eyeshadow shades from left to right: Top row - Devout, Kinetic, Immortal & Bottom Row - Spicy, Liberating, Vivacious)

 

For this look I used the shade 'Kinetic' on the outer 'V', then applied some 'Spicy' to the inner half of the lid. I then used the shade 'Devout' to blend out the other two shades up over the crease and towards the brow bone.
Then just because I was being lazy and couldn't be bothered reaching for anything else, I applied the shade 'Immortal' along the top and lower lashes like an eyeliner.
I finished it all off with my Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara in Black.

This to me is a nice subtle way to dip your toe in a smokey eye without going too extreme. To make this a bit more night time appropriate I'd add more of the burgundy Kinetic shade to darken the outer 'V' a bit more and amp up the black liner a bit.

This is a lovely kit and the eyeshadows are very pigmented and so easy to blend. I can't wait to try some more looks and am especially keen to try 'Vivacious' next.

Has anyone else tried Savoir Faire eyeshadows before?

Michelle xx



October Addictions

I surprisingly had quite a few products that I reached for often during the month of October. Due to being so stressed and strapped for time I had a tendency to use pratically the same products every day which is unusual for me as I have a tendency to get bored when I do that.

Here is what I loved using during the month of October:

I was mainly sporting a more neutral 'no-fuss' face during October and the above items were all awesome products that didn't require much effort to use.

1) Eyeshadows - B Collection by Bloom in Sahara Desert and Almay Intense i-colour in Trio for Greens. The Bloom eyeshadow is a no brainer soft coppery brown that is excellent as an all over the lid colour on it's own but also looks great with a little green or purple added into the crease from the Almay palette on days when I could be bothered making a little more effort.

2) Mascara - Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes. I love the way this mascara make my lashes look a mile long but I don't love the black smudges that end up underneath my eyes at the end of the day after using it.

3) Eyeliner - Models Prefer Kohl Pencil in Matte Black. Such a simple eyeliner pencil but it works wonders. It goes on so smooth and easily with no pulling at all and doesn't budge all day or night. Another quality product from this great brand.

4) Primer - Dr Lewinn's Skin Perfect Anti-ageing Primer. I will be posting my review of this soon but needless to say I love it and use it every day. Thank you Beauty Heaven for allowing me to trial such an awesome product!

5) Foundation - Maybelline Fit Me Foundation. The main reason I love this foundation is because it suits my skin tone perfectly which means I can be a bit quicker with my application of it and don't have to be pedantic about blending it in within an inch of its life. It gives me good coverage as well without being too thick and stays in place all day.

6) Face - Napoleon Ultimate Contour Palette. I've reviewed this palette here and it hasn't left my bathroom vanity for over a month now. Totally in love with this product and how quick and easy it makes contouring and highlighting my face.

7) Concealer - Mirenesse Icon Sealer. I have grown to love using this as my undereye concealer as it covers my dark circles excellently and doesn't end up sinking into my fine lines as the day progresses. It's the perfect shade for my skin tone as well so takes minimal effort to blend in. Anything that saves me time in the mornings is a big plus for me!

8) Lips - MOR Lip Nectar in Lychee Flower and ELF Lip Shine in Candlelight. I have been a definite gloss girl during October as it's easier to maintain with minimal effort. The MOR lip nectar is one of the best lip glosses I have ever used and I am in love with the subtle pink flush it gives my lips and the way it seems to stay on for hours. The ELF gloss was a very happy surprise that I got in one of the monthly beauty packs and is such a great nude that goes with anything. It also stays on for a surprisingly long time too.

So that's my list of favourites for the past month. Nothing too exciting but they were products that definitely made the month a lot easier for me.

If you've done a favourites post I'd love to know about it!

Michelle xx

EOTD - Starring Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Palette

Well, this is my first ever eye of the day post and to tell you the truth I am super duper nervous about posting this!!

Anyway, I received this Clinique Colour Surge palette as part of a Clinique gift box that my lovely hubby gave me for Christmas and have only just started experimenting with the colours.

The colours I used today were the three on the left plus the eye liner. The eyeshadows used were Colour Surge Super Shimmer in Daybreak, Colour Surge Super Shimmer in Strike it Rich and Colour Surge Soft Shimmer in Dark Brown.

The eye liner is the Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes in Chocolate Lustre. I have swatched each one below:

(Left to Right with flash: Daybreak, Strike it Rich and Dark Brown plus the Cream Shaper for Eyes in Chocolate Lustre)

(Without flash)

As you can see they are all very sheer colours which I found a little disappointing as the packaging claimed they were the perfect combination to create a dramatic smokey eye effect. Well, no matter how much I seem to pack on I cannot get them to appear any darker than in this photo.

The Strike it Rich shade has pretty golden sparkles in it but just not enough actual gold colour itself. The dark brown looks as if it should be a good dark contouring shade but just doesn't show up enough when layered on top of the other colours.

The cream shaper for eye is the winning element here I think. It's such a beautiful soft and creamy liner which goes on like a dream and stays put forever. I have hooded eyes which means most liners usually end up transferring to the top of my lid by the end of the day but this one does not budge the slightest. It's also got a little gold shimmer contained in it which I like.

So, here is my look. I have used Daybreak all over the lid up to the brows, Strike it Rich on the lid up to the crease and also under the eye, and Dark Brown on the outside corner to contour. I have then lined both top and bottom with the Cream Shaper and applied two coats of Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black:

To me this could not be called a dramatic smokey eye effect. I was a little disappointed with my efforts because I packed on so much of each colour and could barely get them to show up in these photos at all.

I still like the combination of these shadows though as an nice everyday look for work or when I'm not really going anywhere special.

I'm still yet to use the purples in this palette and will post the look I create with these as soon as I have a play with them.

I must admit that I actually had fun making this post and can see why so many do it. It actually feels quite liberating to just put yourself out there to see what others think.

So, what does everyone think of my first eye of the day post? (Please be kind, I'm still new to this :-))

Calvin Klein Haul

Recently Oz Sale had a sale on Calvin Klein cosmetics and I just couldn't help myself from getting a few things. Frankly, I must be terribly ignorant because I didn't even realise that Calvin Klein made cosmetics and that is what mainly intrigued me to try some of the products.

Here is what I got:

* Creme Lipstick in First Kiss - This is a nice nude lipstick bordering on being slightly pinkish. It applies nice and smooth and even has a pleasant taste (something that is actually quite important to me in a lipstick).

* Intense Eyeshadows in Merlot and Gold Lame - These are lovely pigmented eyeshadows. Merlot is a dark purple which will be great as a crease shade and Gold Lame is a really pretty golden colour that will nice as a highlighter.

* Delicious Pout Flavoured Lip Gloss in Breathless - This is a really pretty pale pink gloss with a slight glittery shimmer to it. It tastes really yummy too, kind of like those jelly lollies you can get.

Anyway, that's my little toe-dip into the work of Calvin Klein cosmetics. Overall I'm really happy with the actual colours as it's always so hard buying from the internet when you can't see a product in real life.

Has anyone else ever tried Calvin Klein makeup before??

Michelle

My Favourite "Oh My God I'm So Late" Saviours

I'll admit it. I'm always late. BUT, I have a 'Get out of being late free' card as far as I'm concerned after having a new baby in March this year. No matter how organised I think I am, bub always has other ideas and yep, because of this, I'm always running late.

Because of this fact I have gotten into a bit of a makeup habit lately and have realised that there are a few basic products that I have been using practically every day because I know they are easy to apply, are good colours and get me out the door without making me even later than I usually already am.

These beauties are:

* A.S.A.P. Sheer Tint Moisturiser SPF15 - I have just realised that I left this out of the photo but if you want to see what it looks like I have reviewed it here. I am in love with this tinted moisturiser. It is so easy and quick to apply and it's just the best tinted colour I have come across as yet and gives a really nice even coverage.

* Australis Pressed Powder in Natural - Probably the best pressed powder I have ever tried and considering how cheap it was the best value too. It goes on so smooth and doesn't seem to crease in the fine lines of my face even after being on all day. I usually put this powder on top of the A.S.A.P. tinted moisturiser and that is usually enough to make my face look good to go.

* Clinique In-A-Rush Blush - I'm not sure if you can even still buy these but if you can I recommend getting one quick smart! This is the quickest and easiest and most convenient blush I have ever used. The blush is held in one end of the stick and the blush powder is pressed into the other end. You simply twist the end with the brush onto the powder to apply as little or as much colour as you want and then apply. So, so quick and easy.

* Bourjois Pump Up The Volume Mascara in Black - This is one of the best mascaras I have had in a while. It never goes clumpy or hard and makes my lashes look super duper long and thick. It's got a tilted brush so you can get right into the corners with ease. If I'm really in a rush a swipe of this on my top lashes is all I'll do to open up my eyes. Otherwise, two coats on the top and one on the bottom lashes will make my eyes really stand out.

* Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Super Shimmer in Lucky Penny - This is a great colour that looks pretty just on it's own because of the slight shimmer and it borders on being kind of a pinky brown. I usually just apply some of this all over the lid and am good to go. Being a neutral colour you don't have to be so cautious when applying it so when time is of the essence this is the eye shadow I always reach for.

* Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm - I love this lip balm and always apply it first before applying any other gloss or lipstick. It's got a nice cooling effect and when applied it makes my lips feel hydrated and smooth for hours.

* Maybeline Colour Sensational Creme Gloss in Sugared Honey - This is an awesome lip gloss and has become one of my staples. It's a really pretty shimmery pinky plum colour that just about matches everything. It also stays on really well and never makes my lips feel dry or sticky.

Well, that's it for my favourite quick and easy "Oh My God I'm So Late" fail safe products. With the help of these beauties I can usually have a pretty decent face on in under 5 minutes. With a small baby who's sometimes screaming the whole time I'm trying to get ready just for the sake of it, I've really become to appreciate items like this that can save me time and even my sanity!

Does anyone else have any other products that are their favourite time savers?