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

Becca 'Jaclyn Hill' Champagne Collection Face Palette

So, I have debated writing a review on this palette for months and originally wasn't going to do one because it has kind of been reviewed to death since being released. But, being that it has become a staple in my makeup wardrobe I finally decided that I might as well give my two cents on it as well.

First thing to get out of the way first is this: How friggin' pretty is this damn palette?? I literally hate touching it every time I use it because it is a fingerprint magnet and I just can't seem to stop myself stroking it just a little every time I open it. Yep, I know I have a big problem! But look at it! Just look at it!!! I think it definitely has to be the prettiest and decadent thing that sits on my makeup table at the moment.

(Left to Right - Top Row - Rose Spritz, Amaretto, Pamplemousse - Bottom Row - Champagne Pop, Prosecco Pop)

This palette is so unbelievably versatile and if I had to choose between one face palette to take with me to a deserted island, I think this would be my choice. It contains three totally different shades of blush plus two absolutely gorgeous highlighters and all of the shades are suitable for pretty much any makeup look you may be going for.

The three shades of blush are as follows:
Rose Spritz - This is such a beautiful rose gold shade that contains a hint of shimmer. This one is my most used shade as it goes with absolutely any makeup look and it great for days when I don't feel like doing the whole blush and highlighting thing because it has the pretty shimmer contained in it already.
Amaretto - This is a pretty caramel shade that I find great as a contour for my pale skin tone. I never really like to use shades like this as a blush as they kind of always make my face look dirty but as a contour it rocks.
Pamplemousse - Aside from the name of this shade which seriously makes me smile every time I think about it, this is the most amazing but also terrifying bright pink with a small hint of coral. I use this one very lighthanded as it can easily become a bit clown-like if over-applied.

(Left to Right - Rose Spritz, Amaretto, Pamplemousse)

(With flash)

 As for the highlighters:
Champagne Pop - A pretty gold shimmer with a hint of peachy-pink. This highlighter is super-duper-duper shimmery and can look a little 'disco-ball' if too much is applied. But, if you have a light hand and are strategic with your application of this one, it is truly to die for.
Prosecco Pop - A true gold shimmer that is one of my favourite highlight shades ever. It's not as scary as Champagne Pop so is a little bit more versatile and I love how it leaves a pretty, gold sheen to my face when applied.

(Left to Right - Champagne Pop, Prosecco Pop)

(With flash)

The palette itself is nice and sturdy and even though it is ridiculously reflective, it's easy enough to keep clean and I see it lasting for quite some time. It also contains a nice, decent sized mirror underneath the lid which I really like.

This palette was my first time trying any of the Becca face powders and I really am impressed with how well they perform. They blend like a dream and really do have great colour payoff.

So, that's my two cents worth on this very popular palette. I really do recommend buying it if you've been thinking about it but haven't acted because I promise that you won't be disappointed. I bought mine online from Sephora Australia and I'm pretty sure they are still available for around $89.

Has anyone else fallen in love with this palette as well??

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!

Michelle xx

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush - Fearless

So yep, I know I'm REALLY late to be getting on the bandwagon for the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes but you just can't rush these things sometimes, you know??

Anyhoo, obviously I have finally started using one of these beauties in the shade Fearless and now I can kind of see what the hype is all about. To be honest, I have had this blush floating around in my makeup drawer for quite a while and for some reason I just kept forgetting about it and pulling out others to use instead.

But, once I did finally pull this baby out, it has seriously been on my face practically 5 out of the 7 days in a week for a good couple of months now.

This blush in the shade Fearless is one of those versatile coral/pinks that just seem to go with every look under the sun. On those days when I cannot be buggered trying to think of a blush to go with whatever look I have decided on with the rest of my face, I just reach for this one and I am always happy with the result.

The shade of this blush seems to suit my pale skin tone beautifully and always gives me a lovely, natural pink flush when it is blended out. It can be a very vibrant pink though if you aren't careful so I always start with a small amount and make sure I build it up rather than trying to go backwards if I apply too much.

It's very highly pigmented so a little does go a long way. This blush never seems to go patchy and I like the way it hasn't hardened in the pan like some of my other powder blushes have done over time (you know when they get that kind of crusty coating that makes it really hard to use?) I also like that it doesn't create a dust cloud in my bathroom when I'm using it too as some of my very fine, powdery blushes have a tendency to do.

It also doesn't settle into any fine lines or imperfections on my face, nor does it highlight my large pores which makes me very happy indeed.

It lasts all day on me, but so do the majority of blushes I own so longevity in a blush has never really been a problem for me.

Am I the only person on earth who took this long to try one of these blushes? What other shades should I try next?

Have a great week!

Michelle xx

Disappointment of the Month - Revlon PhotoReady Sculpting Blush Palette in Pink Rose

Well it's been quite a while since I have been disappointed enough in a product to write a post about it but I felt like I really needed to give my thoughts on this one.

I purchased this palette in the last Priceline sale as I own a lot of Revlon products and have never really hit on anything bad from them before, until now!

This palette looked great in-store. It contains a contour shade, a blush and a highlighter as well as a mini application brush and a built-in mirror in the lid.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you will know how much I love my all-in-one palettes so it is very hard for me to resist buying ones that catch my eye. Unfortunately I just can't find much that is positive to say about this one no matter how much I try.

The shades are all so very chalky and sheer and barely show up at all on my fair skin tone. They also contain a huge amount of shimmer so rather than seeing any colour on your skin you just see three different amounts of shimmer wherever it has been applied.

Also, one thing I really dislike is the fact that the powders seem to all get a bit of a hard seal on the top that makes it even harder to get any colour payoff unless you drag your brush over the top of them multiple times. 

I tried so hard to get a good photo of this product and it just wasn't happening. I had to swatch each shade no less than around 10 times just to get enough colour to show up in the below photos.

(Left to right - Contour shade, Blush shade, Highlighter shade - no flash)

(Left to right - Contour shade, Blush shade, Highlighter shade - with flash)

As I don't own any other products from this range, I'm guessing that Revlon's definition of PhotoReady means having no colour on your face whatsoever but lots and lots of shimmer!

Such a shame.....

Have you had any products disappoint you this month? I'd love to hear of any!

Have a great day.

Michelle xx

Bourjois Blush in Rose Pompon

Last time I was at Priceline and felt like treating myself I spent a lot of time at the Bourjois stand as it is always so colourful and eye catching. All of those cute little pots of goodness really scream out to me.

So, it was no surprise when I couldn't pass up getting myself one of their cute little blush pots on this occasion in the shade No. 37: Rose Pompon.

This is such a lovely little blush and it blends so nicely on my skin. This shade is a peachy/pink kind of shade that is so versatile and wearable with almost anything. I've been veering towards more versatile shades lately as time has not been on my side for the past month and I've been loving any makeup items I can almost use without thinking.

These blushes contain a very small amount of shimmer that gives the cheeks a lovely little glow. It also means you can skip a cheek highlighter too which is another great time saving bonus. It's quite pigmented too so you only need one small swirl of the pot with your blush brush to get a nice amount onto the cheeks.

(Bourjois Blush in Rose Pompon)

This is the first time I have tried one of their blushes surprisingly. I've used many other products from this brand before that I've been happy with and this blush is no exception.

Has anyone tried one of these in another shade?

I hope everyone has a great week!

Michelle xx

MAC Stroke of Midnight Lip & Cheek Bag in Pink - The Perfect Gift From a Guilty Husband

So my husband had to go to Macau for a week on a work trip a couple of weeks ago and unfortunately it just topped off a bit of a crappy time where he'd been away an awful lot for work. For any new readers that don't know about me, I work as an Accountant two days a week, run my own Bookkeeping business on the side from home the rest of the week all while juggling the care of our very active toddler. I pretty much work 7 days a week sometimes. 

Now, I admit that I do love being busy as I get too restless when I don't have much on, but sometimes this means that when hubby has to go away a lot for work I tend to get very frazzled and exhausted trying to keep up with everything that needs to be done on my own. As a way to say sorry and reduce my frazzledness this time my lovely man decided to buy me some MAC as a surprise in the form of the Stroke of Midnight Lip & Cheek Bag in Pink, as well as the Stroke of Midnight Eye Palette in Cool (due to not wanting this post to be too photo heavy I'll be showing this one separately in the next couple of days).

I do think he's a keeper!

Firstly, the bag you get with this set is so fancy looking that it could almost be used as a small clutch for a night out if one was so inclined. I'll definitely be swapping my normal overnight makeup bag for this one next time we go anywhere.

 

Inside the bag is an assortment of goodies as follows:

* Cremesheen Lipstick in How Darling!

* Lipglass in Soft Spoken

* Beauty Powder Blush in Formal

* 129SE Blush Brush; and

* Mirror

First up, I have to admit one dirty little secret........ This is the first time I have ever used any MAC products! Yep, for some reason I have just never bought anything from them before. Mainly because they're not easily accessible from where I live and I never really worried about going out of my way for it.

So, being that these products are my first ever experience with the brand, I have to say that I definitely am impressed.

The Cremesheen lipstick in How Darling! is a lovely shade of pink that is so versatile and wearable for everyday use.

I've been wearing this quite a lot over the past couple of weeks as it's not too drying on my lips and seems to last a good three to four hours before fading away. It doesn't bleed into my lip lines and has a yummy vanilla scent and taste.

The Lipglass in Soft Spoken is a very subtle pink shimmer in a clear gloss base. It doesn't really give the lips any colour but imparts a lovely shine instead and looks really nice when worn over How Darling! It also has a yummy vanilla scent and taste to it.

The Beauty Powder Blush in Formal is a gorgeous rosy pink that looks really natural on my pale skin. It's quite pigmented though so I only need to apply a very small amount but others might be able to get away with a bit more than me if their skintone isn't so pale. It's really easy to blend and lasts an entire workday without really fading too much.

The Blush Brush and Mirror are both very useful, although I wish to mirror had a frame around it as it gets very smudged with fingerprints the way it is. The brush is so super soft and really good for blending.

Last but not least are the swatches....

From Left to Right: Lipglass in Soft Spoken, Cremesheen Lipstick in How Darling! and Beauty Powder Blush in Formal (With Flash)

From Left to Right: Lipglass in Soft Spoken, Cremesheen Lipstick in How Darling! and Beauty Powder Blush in Formal (Without Flash)

So I am proud to say that my MAC virginity has finally been broken and I'm definitely more interested in trying out a lot more from this brand now. I just can't believe it took me so long to finally get on the bandwagon!

Has anyone else bought this set or any of the others from the Stroke of Midnight range yet?

I hope everyone has a great week!

Michelle xx