Ardell Brow Defining Kit - Changing The Way I Feel About My Brows!

Ok, I'll admit it. I've never really been much into defining my brows. It's always something I was too scared to do because of my inbuilt fear of having two big furry caterpillars on my face rather than nicely, defined brows. So, usually I just left my brows as they were with maybe a little bit of brushing into place or I used a tiny bit of pencil to fill them in a bit.

Also, I'm a chronic face toucher. No matter how much I try to stop I touch my face, rub my eyes and lean my chin on my hands all day long when I'm in deep thought. So, having brown smudges around my eyebrow area is a high risk for me.

But, after receiving this Ardell Brow Defining Kit in a previous Her Fashion Box, I've now become a bit of a brow defining convert.

Included in the kit is the Brow Defining Palette, a Wax Grooming Pencil and a Duo Brow Brush.

 The Brow Defining Palette consists of four shades and a small angled brush. The top right shade is for highlighting and the other three are for colouring and defining the brows. I don't think there is any way you couldn't match your perfect shade with this palette, as if one of the shades isn't right for you it's so easy to blend two or three of them together to make a custom shade. The small slanted brush is what I use to apply the highlighting powder.

(No flash)

(With Flash)

The Duo Brow Brush is great. The slanted brush end is what I use to apply the brow powders and then I tidy everything up with the spooly end.



The Wax Grooming Pencil  is supposed to be applied after defining the brows with the powder to groom and set the brows in place. It's not too sticky at all and comes with an inbuilt sharpener in the lid which is just awesome. 

Now, here are some before and after photos of the difference using this kit makes to my brows (please bear in mind that I don't go too heavy handed as I'm still getting over my previously mentioned furry caterpillar fear. Baby steps!)

(No makeup, lots of awful freckles and sparse brows!)

(Defined brows using a combination of the top right shade and the bottom left shade blended together)

So yes, I finally am starting to see what everyone is raving about when they say that a good set of brows balances and frames the whole face. I have received several compliments from family and friends since making the extra effort to use this kit and that's the best motivation ever to add the extra couple of minutes a day to my usual routine.

Has anyone else used this kit before? Are there any other awesome brow kits I absolutely need to try now??

Nails of the Week - Camouflage Colours Nail Lacquer in Blackened Brown

So it has been ages since I have done a nails of the week post. Almost a couple of months I think! I seemed to have been through a phase it was just always too much trouble to sit down and paint my nails and it's probably the longest I have ever gone in my life without having nail polish on.

I finally broke the drought by trying out this polish which I think I got in a past Bellabox a while ago. When I first looked at it I thought 'hmmm, who in their right mind would want their nails to look like dirt?' as the colour looks just awful in the bottle.

Unfortunately, it doesn't really change much once applied to the nails.

This shade is a very plain, dark brown with no shimmer or anything else at all to make it special. It's definitely not a shade that I would rave about which is a bit of a shame really.

I also needed three coats to completely cover my nails and then it chipped the next day!

Camouflage Colours are an Australian brand and you can find out more about their nail lacquers here. There are so many other gorgeous shades in the range too.

Has anyone else tried these before? 


Michelle xx

Australis Creme Colour for Cheeks & Lips in Dusky Rose

Now I know these have been around for quite a while already but I've only become a recent owner of this after a trip to Priceline a couple of weeks ago and have since fallen in love.

The Australis Creme Colours are supposed to be used on either the lips or the cheeks, but I really only use mine as a blush as I found it a little bit too drying on my lips.

I find this product has a lovely, easy to blend formula and you really only need to use the absolute teeniest amount, especially this shade, because it packs a huge punch and can look a bit clown-like if overapplied.

I have to admit that although I loved this shade when I picked it up off the shelf to bring home, I was totally horrified at how bright it actually ended up being when I first swatched it. I was thinking there was no way in hell I was ever going to be able to work with a shade so bright! But, luckily I soon found out that as long as you go light handed and blend, blend, blend, it gives such a pretty looking flush to the cheeks that does end up looking quite natural.

Australis Creme Colour in Dusky Rose

It's fairly long lasting too and seems to get through a normal work day for me without fading too much at all. Also, because you do only have to use the tiniest amount, this little pot should last forever.

Overall, I'm definitely in love with this as a blush and have nothing like it in my makeup kit already which is always nice.

Has anyone else used one of these before? Do you also find it a bit drying on the lips but a great blush?

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Michelle xx

Bloom Lip Stain in Wine

I acquired this Lip Stain a little while ago in one of the monthly sample boxes that are around. At first I didn't think it was going to be something I could wear being that the 'Wine' shade looks extremely dark in the packaging, but I was luckily enough to be pleasantly surprised when I got up the courage to try using it.

These lip stains are like a marker pen which makes application so dead easy. It goes on quite sheer to start with but can be layered as much as you like to build it up to the intensity that you want. It dries really quickly and does not budge once it has dried.

In the below pictures I have drawn a line using one stroke of the pen on the left, and then have built up the colour to a more darker shade with around three layers on the right.

(Bloom Lip Stain in Wine - With flash)

(Bloom Lip Stain in Wine - Without Flash)

I love the way this stain doesn't creep out of the lip lines like others I have used. It seems to last a good 3-4 hours on me before fading away with normal eating and drinking throughout the day.

One thing I have to mention though is that it can be quite drying on the lips if you don't apply a lip balm first.

 (Bloom Lip Stain in Wine - One Coat)

You can find out more about these lip stains and the other shades in the range from the Bloom website.

Has anyone else used these stains before?

Have a great week!

Michelle xx

Her Fashion Box - September 2013

 

 

I have been getting a Her Fashion Box delivery ever since it started but for some reason I keep forgetting to post about it before I pull it all apart.

Not this month though!

For the September box (I get the classic version) we got the following items:

1) Black clutch - I love this clutch and will get a huge amount of use out of it. The gold studs look really cool and it will go with pretty much any outfit.

2) Gold Plated ID Bracelet - This is quite a chunky bracelet that makes me feel a little bit masculine but I'll still have a go at wearing it anyway.

3) Gold Plated Ring - This ring is really pretty but way too big for any of my fingers (even my thumb!). I need to try and get the hubby to pinch it in a little bit before I can have any hope of wearing it.

4) Maybeline Colour Show Nail Polish in Iced Queen (light lilac colour) and Onyx Rush (deep black) - I'm quite excited that there were two nail polishes and both of these colours are one's that I will get heaps of wear out of.

5) Designer Brands Chubby Lip Crayon in Enchanted Rose - This seems to be a nice smooth crayon in a pretty dusty pink shade. I'll be interested to see how these compare to the Clinique Chubby Sticks and my favourite Models Prefer Lip Crayons.

6) Designer Brands Kohl Pencil in Black - Black eyeliner is probably the shade I use the least as being so pale I prefer to use either brown or a pop of colour but it will always come in handy I guess.

7) LonVitalite Collagen Firming & Moisturising Facial Mask - I tried the LonVitalite 24K Gold mask a while ago and loved it so am excited to try out this one too.

8) PureTan Pure Moisture Coconut Body Creme - I'm probably the only person on earth who isn't a fan of coconut scented products. I love real coconut but the artificial scent used in a lot of products really bothers me. I'll still give this a go and see what it's like and being only a 15ml sample I won't have to be bothered by it for too long anyway.

As always there was also the Her Fashion Magazine included with tips and details about all of the products received in the box and there was also a bonus Designer Beauty magazine this month too full of makeup tips and looks to try out.

Out of all the monthly subscription boxes I have to say that Her Fashion Box is definitely my favourite. It is a bit more expensive at $39.95 a month but I have never been very good at accessorising and it's amazing how much getting this box each month with a new piece of jewerly, scarf or belt has taken me out of my comfort zone and forced me to try and wear new things other than my usual staples.

What does everyone else think of Her Fashion Box?

I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.

Michelle xx