Autumn Sunset Eye Look

So, I have been trying to get out of my comfort zone a little bit lately and get back into being more experimental with my makeup. I figure in a week or so when bub number two is finally here my care factor in doing my makeup is going to take a very big nose dive and I'll be lucky to get out of the house with some concealer and mascara on so I should be trying to make the most of it now while I still can.

The other day I was going through some of my old palettes and I came across one that I haven't given any love to in a very long time and that was my Savoir Faire Cosmetics 'Winter' kit.

I seriously loved this kit when I first got it but as what always happens when I get shiny new things some of the older stuff gets forgotten about.

So, here is the look that I created using the shadows in this kit the other day which I have dubbed my 'Autumn Sunset' eye look (yes, I am fully aware it is not Autumn in Australia right now but I just liked the name :-))

I used my three favourite shades from the kit to achieve this look which were 'Devout' (the pale beige shade on the top right) applied all over the lid as a base up to the brow bone, then I blended 'Spicy' (the coppery shade on the bottom left) into my crease before applying a light dusting of 'Kinetic' (the purple shade in the middle of the top row) onto the centre of the lid and blending out to the edges.

Here is a breakdown of the rest of the products I used for this look.

Face:
* Avon Ideal Shade Souffle Foundation in Ivory (I love, love, love this foundation at the moment for my dry and irritated hormonal skin!)
* Napoleon Perdis The One Concealer
* Physicians Formula Translucent Powder
* The Balm blush in Hot Mama
* Prestige Mineral Bronzing Powder in Sunbaked as a highlight

Eyes:
* Mirenesse Sexy Secret Eye Primer (this stuff seriously makes my eyeshadow stay crease free for an entire day which is a miracle with my super hooded eyes)
* Mirenesse Touch Up Brow Sculpter
* Mirenesss Inside Out 27Hr Eye Kohl in Amun
* Rimmel Wake Me Up Wonder Full Mascara in Black

Lips:
* Colour by TBN Lipstick in A Kiss is Still a Kiss
* Savoir Faire Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Fierce

Overall I really loved this look and didn't find it too much for wearing to work either even though it is a lot brighter than what I usually go for in the daytime.

Do you sometimes like the experiment and break out of your comfort zone during the day, or do you prefer to play around with different looks on the weekend or at night when it's a bit more safe?

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Michelle xx

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Self Tan Mousse in Medium

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Self Tan Mousse to trial from Beautyheaven and even though it was the middle of winter I must admit that I really enjoyed using it.

The Sun Shimmer Self Tan Mousse claims to be a lightweight, velvety mousse that dries within 2 minutes, gives up to 24hrs of moisture and develops into a natural looking, streak free tan within 1 hour that lasts for up to 7 days. 

The mousse is definitely easy to apply from the pump applicator onto a tanning mitt and did distribute nice and evenly over the skin.

The shade I received was Medium and as you can see in the below photo the mousse has a slight tint to it and in over an hour or so it developed into a really lovely, natural looking tan. The tint in the mousse made it really easy to know where I had applied it which helped to ensure an even application and it also gave my skin a nice glow straight away until it fully developed.

One thing I really love about this self tan is the scent. I didn't seem to get any of the usual tell-tale tan smell after application and instead it had a lovely, fresh, floral scent to it that wasn't too overpowering and was actually quite pleasant in my opinion.

When applied the mousse felt weightless on my skin and didn't leave any dryness or greasiness behind. It dried really fast and definitely left my skin feeling moisturised.  

The only issue I have is that I was sent the medium shade to review when I am very pale and normally only use a light shade of self tan. I found the medium just a tad too dark for my skin and it did streak a little bit if I wasn't very careful because there was such a large contrast against my normal skin tone once it developed.

Left - bare leg prior to tanning, Right - an hour after application

I'm certainly going to get some good use out of this self tan once the weather starts to warm up again though and will be keen to try the light shade next time which might not be so scary and need such precise application on my pale skin.

Has anyone else tried this self tan as yet? What does everyone prefer, a mousse, cream or spray for their self tan?

Have a great week!

Michelle xx

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Quince - The Ultimate 'Pick Me Up' Shade

As most of you would know I haven't really been feeling myself lately due to my skin and body working against me in the final stages of pregnancy.

Due to this, for quite a while now I have been wearing very heavy foundation but minimal everything else to try and minimise any attention being drawn to my face and skin. My makeup routine has pretty much consisted of a neutral eye, natural pink cheeks and a muted lip in either a nude or pale pink shade.

But you know what? Sometimes a girl just needs a little pick me up and this Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Quince has been my little 'feel good' shade on those days when I've been in need of breaking out of my muted makeup look.

The Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencils are a thick lip crayon with a lovely soft and buttery texture. They give off a fairly matte lip look and come in wind up packaging which I love because there's nothing worse than having to sharpen lip crayons in my opinion.

These lip pencils are SUPER pigmented just as the name suggests. When I first purchased this a while ago from Sephora and tried it on I scared myself with how full-on it applied on my lips. I subsequently put it away in my makeup drawer and it didn't see the light of day again until I worked up enough courage a couple of weeks ago to try it out again.

Quince is described as a 'Rose Berry' and it is such a stunning shade, especially during these dull winter months. 

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Quince

It applies very evenly as the crayon itself is quite soft and the colour lasts for practically an entire day as it wears off leaving a nice stain on the lips that can be brought back to life just by applying a top coat of either a pale pink or clear gloss.

It doesn't feel drying on the lips at all but does have a tendency to bleed a little into the lip lines unless a lip liner is used or a bit of concealer is applied around the lip area to seal the colour in. I like to use an invisible lip liner so that the end shade isn't affected and an invisible liner also doesn't make the lips look as 'done' in my opinion either.

In the above picture I had been wearing the High Pigment Pencil in Quince for around two hours already during a morning meeting consisting of a lot of talking and coffee drinking and it was still as punchy and flawless as when it was first applied. I haven't put up a picture of my face in months so please excuse the mars-like surface of my poor skin in this one. This was actually taken on what I consider a 'good skin' day where I was actually able to conceal it to a decent level :-) 

This is the first Bite Beauty product I have tried and it's certainly made me keen to try some other items from their range now. 

On another note, I only have two more weeks to go until bub comes so to say I'm excited is an understatement!

Has anyone else tried one of these High Pigment Pencils before? I'm keen to know what other shades are really good and worth trying.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Michelle xx

Napoleon Perdis Nude U Eyes, Cheeks and Brows Palette - I've Never Loved Going Nude So Much!

So a little while ago I decided to treat myself to a little gift. As I have mentioned previously I have been feeling a bit crappy lately due to having quite a few unexpected problems with my second pregnancy which has included having skin that has turned into the surface of the planet Mars.

Due to this I've toned down my use of bright makeup a lot and have been focusing more on covering my horrible skin as best as I can and keeping the rest of my look as polished and un-attention seeking as possible.

Hence my recent love for this wonderful palette!

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for Napoleon Perdis products and have never really been disappointed by any that I have tried. After seeing rave after rave of the Nude U Eyes, Cheeks and Brows Palette everywhere, I seriously could not resist getting my hands on one when I was browsing through my local David Jones one day.

Isn't it pretty??

This is seriously one versatile palette and using it has reduced my getting ready time substantially in the mornings.

I have become a bit obsessed with using a combination of the second shade on the top row as a base all over my eyelids, then using the shade on far right on the bottom row blended in the outer corner along with the darkest brown in my crease. I also love using the purple shade as a quick eyeliner to brighten the look ever so slightly.

I also love using the shade on the far right of the bottom row to fill in my brows as it matches them perfectly. The first shade on the top row makes such a lovely inner corner and cheekbone highlighter too and any of the browner shades would be great for contouring if you really wanted to make the most out of this great little palette!

Now, for some swatches:

Napoleon Perdis Nude U Palette - Top Row

Napoleon Perdis Nude U Palette - Bottom Row

One other thing I love about this palette is how soft and blendable the powders are. The shades are all buildable in their intensity and they blend like there's no tomorrow. I find that they last most of the work day without creasing too which is something that I have problems with quite often because of my stupid hooded eyes.

Have you tried this little gem of a palette yet? Is it just me or has Napoleon Perdis really stepped things up a level with their products lately?

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Michelle xx

Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Just Pinched Pink

Hello there! Remember me? Yep, I've been on a little blogging break again due to having a very hard time with this second pregnancy and losing interest in pretty much everything that required a little bit of effort other than my work (unfortunately I still need to earn money to pay bills no matter how much of a hard time I'm having :-()

Without going into too much of a long-winded complaint session, my entire face became covered in a hybrid acne-cross-eczema blend about three months ago (aren't hormones wonderful things??) and due to that I'll honestly admit that I have been a bit depressed because I am unable to leave my house without spending half an hour applying the thickest foundation on earth just so I don't feel that everyone is staring at me wherever I go. It's extremely painful too and nothing seems to be helping.

I've also had an issue where my pelvis separated around 4 months into being pregnant which means that every week since then the simple acts of walking, sleeping and just moving about in general have been getting harder and harder and more painful than I can possibly describe to the point where I am about as active as a 90 year old. This happened to me last time with my first son but not until the last month so it's been a big shock to the system to have happened so early this time around.

Anyhoo, enough of the whinge session and onto the point of this post which is to have a bit of a rave about my latest blush love, the Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Just Pinched Pink.

I bought this blush a little while ago at the supermarket (technically it's a staple purchase if you can get it with your groceries, right?) because I was desperately after a blush to try that wouldn't make my poor skin look drier and flakier than it already did and that was only a very subtle shade so I didn't look like death warmed up or a clown with my already cakey enough foundation.

This blush has definitely ticked all the boxes as far as what I was after in a new cheek product at this sensitive point in time.

It comes in a wind up stick formulation and Just Pinched Pink is a really pretty pastel pink shade that suits my pale skin quite well. I love to sweep this on straight from the stick and then blend it out with my Becca 'One Perfecting Brush' or my fingers depending on what mood I am in. It dries to a lovely satin-like powder finish but doesn't accentuate any of the lumps and bumps that are currently on my face which is just wonderful in my opinion.

Any powder blushes I try to use on my skin in the state that it has been in just seem to settle into the dry, itchy patches which makes my skin look ancient and I also have to be very careful with what shades I use as so many clash with the extra redness currently in my skin as well. This has made me so grateful that I can use this blush without any issues.

It also lasts practically an entire day without fading which is also great as I am way too lazy to do touch-ups throughout my days at the moment.

Here are some swatches of this wonderful product:

Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Just Pinched Pink - In natural light

Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Just Pinched Pink - With flash

Considering this blush can be picked up for around $15 I don't think you could go wrong in picking one up. I keep eyeing off the other shades in the range now but am just waiting until I can have this baby in another 4 weeks when hopefully my skin will start to recover and go back to normal!

Have you ever had a simple product that kind of 'rescued' you like this one did for me?

I hope everyone has a great week!

Michelle xx