Saturday 28 September 2013

Airwick Multicolour Black Edition Candle

I'm going to have to stereotype us females and say that we probably all love things that are pretty and smell gorgeous, right? So of course its natural for us to love scented candles

I was asked to review the Airwick Multicolour Black Edition candle* (in crackling fire and cinammon spice) and I've really enjoyed using it so far. 



Before I even opened it up, I could already tell that it smelt delicious, a gorgeous fragrance of fruit - like apple mixed with cinammon. I really love these types of smells. It's not too overpowering either, its quite subtle. I'm not a fan of really strongly scented things, like incense, so I'm glad that its a subtle scent!

I had this burning one night while I was doing some uni work and it was so relaxing - the smell was so nice and I loved watching the colours change. It was possibly a little distracting but the colours were too pretty to ignore! 

I found that it had a short wick, but it still is meant to burn for up to 30 hours. I'm not too experienced in candles but that sounds very long lasting to me.

I've taken some pictures (during the day, I didn't get decent ones at night with flash) so you can see the different colours of the candle...





How cool is that! There are more colours too, the transition colours in between and also a yellow colour too :) 

Once I've used up the candle, I intend on taking out the left over wax and using the glass for something, maybe as a pencil holder for my desk or to hold some makeup brushes.

Do you like the look of this candle? I sure hope so, because next week I'll be giving away one of these beauties to a lucky reader, so watch this space for a giveaway post :)

*product was provided for consideration. It has been reviewed in accordance with my disclosure policy. 

Thursday 26 September 2013

The Foundation Series: Arbonne Perfecting Liquid Foundation

Last week I started my 'Foundation Series', so today I'm bringing you the second post in the series.

Arbonne's Perfecting Liquid Foundation in Neutral Beige*

Before I start I want to say that the name is TRUE - it really is perfect. I feel like this might just be my new HG foundation.



I like boxes. If makeup comes in a box, I'll keep it in a box and that way I think it feels 'new' for longer (is that weird?). Check out how cool the bottle looks, its a tube in a rectangle!




The lid comes off to reveal...A PUMP! YES! Do you know how much I appreciate pumps?

Ingredients listed on box


 Base of bottle

 One pump

One pump is just about enough to do my face. It's a light formula, but isn't runny which I like. It's easy to blend and basically just disappears into my skin. It's a really nice formula to work with, and this shade is perfect for my skin tone. 

Want to see how it looks?

Hello naked face

Like I said in my previous post, I consider myself to have pretty good skin (not bragging, just saying!) and I can get away with no foundation, but now I have so many that I love playing with them and seeing how they all work for me. In this photo, my skin is a little bit dull and uneven.

Back away from the camera, gurl

After applying the foundation, my skin tone looks even and so refreshed. I feel like I've been airbrushed in real life! The coverage is medium, so it would suit those with non-problematic skin, looking for a bit of coverage to hide redness and minor blemishes. The finish of the foundation is neither matte, nor dewey - its just like natural skin. Does that make sense? This foundation is really good at tricking me into thinking that my skin looks this good without any help, until I wash it off and go '...oh, never mind'. 

It feels absolutely weightless which is a huge plus because its SO hot now, so it'll be fine to wear throughout the epic summer we have coming up. 

I actually had a massive 14 hour day not too long away (leaving home at 6am, arriving home at 8pm) involving 6 hours of travelling and a long 8 hour training course, and I wore this foundation (no primer) - it lasted the whole time! I was pretty happy with that. 

It's easy to wash off, because I'm too lazy to bother with an intense cleansing routine.

Honestly, I don't think there is anything bad I can say about this. It's a little on the pricey side, but I think it is worth it! I rate it 5/5. 

Does this foundation seem like something you'd like to add to your collection? Hop over to http://tammy.myarbonne.com.au/ to check out the shade range and have to a chat to Tammy who'll be more than happy to help :)

*product was provided for consideration and has been reviewed in accordance with my disclosure policy.


Lust Have It! September box

I'm a little late to the party, I know, but subscription boxes seem so exciting. I remember when I was a kid and my mum would take me to a small jewellery shop (I was so sad when it shut down) where they had $5 and $10 lucky dips and I'd always manage to score something funky. 

When I was asked if I'd like to try out the LHI! box*, I was pretty excited. It's kind of like a little present to yourself!

I received the September box, and I was very impressed with it all - the quality of packaging, products and total box value. Let's have a peek...


I love the design on the box!


 Included flyers

 How it was packed upon opening

L-R
RPR Treatment 'Give Me Strength' leave in treatment (full size)
L'Oreal Base Magique Primer RRP $29.95
Bioderma Sebium AKN RRP $24.95

I'm really excited about these three items! 

RPR Treatment 'Give Me Strength' leave in treatment
The treatment is full size which is wonderful, I plan on washing my hair tonight so I'll try it out then. My hair is drying out with the hot weather so hopefully this an help revive it.

L'Oreal Base Magique Primer
This sounds great. I've recently started to realise how fantastic primers can be so I can't wait to try this out! 

Bioderma Sebium AKN
This Bioderma sample is also exciting, I've never tried this brand but beauty bloggers seem to rave about it.


 L-R
Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye makeup remover RRP $22
Bioderma Sebium Foaming Gel RRP $29.95

Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye makeup remover
I have never tried Mary Kay, but I am a little bit wary of eye makeup removers after a bad experience a while ago, so I think I might pass this onto my mum. I prefer to use coconut oil because its safe and doesn't sting. 

Bioderma Sebium Foaming Gel
And another Bioderma sample, yay!

Wotnot natural organic facial wipes RRP $7.95
TOM Organic cotton tampons RRP $7.99
L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream RRP $26.95
Lust Have It! Synthetic Precision Pencil Brush RRP $15

Wotnot natural organic facial wipes
Wotnot wipes seem to be raved about by a lot of people, so I will be looking forward to trying them out. I don't really use makeup wipes except when I'm away from home but I can make an exception here.

TOM Organic cotton tampons
Interesting inclusion. I normally just stick to readily available brands for tampons, mostly Carefree and Kotex but I'm happy to try these, especially reading that they're free from chemicals.

L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream (shade: medium)
I actually already have the full sized BB Cream (in the light shade, though) so I won't be using this, but I will pass this onto a friend. My mum also has this BB Cream in the medium shade so this product is quite loved in my household :)

LHI Pencil Brush
I haven't got a pencil brush in my collection, so I'm definitely welcoming this one. I've got no idea how to use a pencil brush, but luckily they will show us how in the September LUSTRE magazine (on the LHI website). 

Overall, I think this box is pretty damn amazing and the selection of products is perfect! As I have already commented above, most of these products I will be able to use so this box is a winner.

Have you got the September box? If you're interested in subscribing, jump on the LHI site and feel free to use the discount code 'Sarah' to get $5 off your first box :) 

*this product was provided for consideration and has been reviewed in accordance with my disclosure policy. 

Wednesday 25 September 2013

Face of Australia budgeproof eyeshadow

LIMITED EDITION? Well, in that case, I must have it! 

That's pretty much what I thought when I heard about the new FOA shadows. No doubt they're quite similar to the Maybelline Color Tattoo's, but I still wanted to try them out.
Photo taken at Big W

There is a nice range of colours and I was particularly drawn to the deep blue colour (3rd from the left), but I already have this colour in the Color Tattoo! The colours are quite similar and I think this range really would have benefited from something bright and unique. As for the amount, I can't seem to find anywhere on the tub how much product there is but I'd say its very similar. 

Tip Top Taupe

I finally settled on the taupe, because its a colour I don't have and generally wouldn't bother with. It's a lot sheerer than the Color Tattoo's I have, so it feels smoother and not as thick. Am I making sense?




This colour is pigmented and shimmery, and really easy to apply. Check out my FOTD post from a few days ago to see how it looks on the lids!

As for wear time, hmm...it didn't crease on me, without a primer, but I did notice it faded a bit, possibly because of the sheer formula. That aside, I think its a great cruelty-free option to the MNY Tattoos, not to mention a few dollars cheaper, so if the colours appeal to you, why not try them out? :)

Have you tried this before? What do you think?

Tuesday 24 September 2013

FOTN

Hello lovelies! I wasn't going to do a FOTD post for this but I really liked the way the eyeshadow looked, so here it is.

This was just for a casual dinner the other night with an old friend...


Savvy by DB lipstick in Sugar Rose
Benefit Girl Meets Pearl highlighter 
Sleek blush in Honour
Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliner
Maybelline Master Precise liquid liner
Max Factor Masterpiece Mascara
Face of Australia Budge Proof Eyeshadow in Tip Top Taupe
Rimmel Match Perfection concealer
Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation



Yikes, looking a bit too shiny...

If you read my post on the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation, you'll know that I mentioned it has a dewey finish. I took these photos with flash, because it was nighttime (obviously) and you can see that I look a bit oily...well, in my opinion anyway. So maybe this foundation isn't the best for flash photography. Also, I'm actually not wearing the lipstick because I took these pics after I get home, whoopsies. 

I've included the second photo so you can see what the FOA eyeshadow looks like - it was the first time I used it and I absolutely love it! It's a gorgeous colour with a lot of shimmer and looked really classy. 

Have you tried any of the products I've included in my post? Let me know what you think :)

Friday 20 September 2013

The Foundation series: Revlon Nearly Naked

Hello lovelies! I thought I'd try doing a series post, so why not do my foundations? I've got a few at the moment, most of them I am really liking so I want to share them with you.

First up, Revlon Nearly Naked*...


 Revlon Nearly Naked in 200 Warm Beige

Is it just me, or does square look so much more modern than round bottles? Anyway, I think the bottle looks quite nice.


Lid screws off to reveal...NO PUMP. This annoys me a lot, how hard is it to put on a pump? Also, if you shake it up, some product gets lost in the lid, never to be retrieved. 


The formula is very lightweight, quite liquid but not excessively runny. This would make a pump really handy. It also doesn't dry up super quick so you have time to blend it.

 Sans makeup

All I've got on here is a little bit of eyeliner and mascara. You can see that my skin is fairly blemish free, but does have some dark areas around my mouth and looks a bit dull, in general.

Application of Revlon Nearly Naked

Skin tone looks much more even, right?

In different lighting - to try and capture the dewey glow of the foundation (+ wearing blush)

What do I think?
I *love* this foundation. I wore it every single day through winter. It's a light formula so it gives light coverage, but still covers redness and partially covers dark spots/blemishes. It has a slight sunscreen smell but its not overpowering and doesn't bother me. Its very easy to blend as it is rather liquid-y, and doesn't dry up as fast as say...Revlon Colorstay! 

This is excellent for everyday wear. It doesn't look cakey at all, and as the name suggests - very natural and like you're not wearing anything. It also doesn't feel like you have foundation on which is perfect, and I think it'll be great throughout the hotter months when you certainly don't want to be slapping on the heavy foundation.

I think this is perfect if you're like me and have relatively good skin, but want a bit of light coverage to even out your skin tone. As I find that my face can look a bit dull, the dewey finish of this is perfect to give me more of a radiant glow. For this reason, I wouldn't recommend it if you have oily skin. It's not great if you want to achieve full coverage either. 

As for wear time, without a primer, I find that it still lasts all day so its certainly a trooper!

Final verdict: a natural, long lasting foundation that evens out skin tone and gives a fresh-faced radiant glow. I rate it 4/5, taking one point off for the lack of pump!

Have you tried this foundation? Which foundations are you loving at the moment? Let me know by tweeting me or commenting below! 

*product was provided for trial purposes by beautyheaven.com.au. It has been reviewed in accordance with my disclosure policy. 

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Current makeup favourites

Theres a difference between most used and favourites, right? Sometimes they can overlap, but I find that some of my FAVOURITES are products that I don't get the chance to use too often!

Here are some things I've been loving lately...

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl
Arbonne lipstick in Satin 
Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation
Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder
Savvy by DB blush in Rose
Rimmel Kate Moss Matte lipstick in 107
Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer

Swatches of a few things...
L-R
Rimmel Kate Moss Matte lipstick in 107
Arbonne lipstick in Satin
Savvy by DB blush in Rose
Benefit Girl Meets Pearl


Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107
I've only used this once but omg the colour is divine, it's like a deep red wine colour. The formulation is amazing too, super pigmented, smells strongly of berries and lasts pretty well too.

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in Warm Beige
This is a relatively new release in Australia and I wore this almost everyday throughout winter. It gives a dewey glow which was perfect in winter. Full review to come!

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer
According to Fleur De Force, this is similar to YSL's Touche Eclat concealer. I've got no idea if this is true, but I really do like this concealer. It's very lightweight and creamy, great for dark under eye circles. It doesn't look cakey either. I hate the packaging though, it has a brush applicator at the top which is so wasteful and unhygienic. 

Savvy by DB blush in Rose
Again, something I wore all throughout winter everyday. It's not a unique colour at all, but its a nice colour that everyone should have in their collection - a basic, natural pink! 

Arbonne lipstick in Satin
This is perfect for when I want something nice to wear on my lips without going overboard with colour. Its a soft brown with plenty of shimmer, so it can feel a bit grainy but it looks gorgeous at night. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
I got this a few weeks ago (check out my FOTD post from when I used it) but its amazing! I'm so glad I fell for the hype. Has anyone NOT tried this?

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl Highlighter
These days, I rarely use a highlighter, but when I do, it's usually this one that I reach for. Its a gorgeous pink/gold shimmer which blends beautifully. Definitely my favourite out of my collection

Well, I guess those are my favourites for now. What are you loving at the moment? Comment below or tweet me at twitter.com/allherpretty :)

Friday 13 September 2013

Sleek Limited Edition: Candy Blush Palette

Hello lovelies, so sorry for the lack of posts this week - I've been quite busy, trimester 3 of uni has just begun and I've also started a new job! Yay!

Anyways, onto one of the newest additions to my collection...

Does anyone else freak out when they see the words 'limited edition'? I probably would not have bought this if it were part of the permanent collection! That aside, I do think this palette is gorgeous.


Sleek blush by 3 Candy collection - cardboard box, so cute!

 The case - sorry, its already looking dusty!

A peek inside the palette - huge mirror and three gorgeous shades!!
A closer look
L-R
Candy Floss (cream blush)
Dolly Mix
Cupcake

L-R
Candy Floss
Dolly Mix
Cupcake

I don't think I need to tell you that this palette has some AMAZING colours! As per all Sleek blushes, they have brilliant pigmentation. The cream blush (Candy Floss) is probably my favourite. It feels so silky smooth to touch and blends easily on the skin. It is very pigmented so only use a little to minimise the risk of looking like a clown. The middle shade is a matte, pale pink/purple colour. I was worried it would look to ashy on my skin but suprisingly it does okay - I just need to put more on then I would for the other colours. And the last one, Cupcake, looks like the shade of a pink highlighter, so again, go easy but its also a gorgeous colour!

Verdict: Excellent colours and great value, perfect for those who love pink blushes! I only paid something around $12.50ish for it which is very affordable. While I probably won't use this palette as much as I use my Sleek Rose Gold blush, I'm glad I have it. I'm interested in trying out the other blush by 3 palettes that Sleek have to offer...

What do you think of this palette? Have you tried any Sleek blushes?

Friday 6 September 2013

Summer skin preparation

I don't know about you, but I seem to end up with scaly, dry legs in winter because I am just too lazy to bother! My legs and arms are always hidden with clothes during the cold months, so why bother?

Now that its warming up, I need to fix this issue. Just this week I've started using a few things that have helped IMMENSELY and I'm seeing a huge difference already! :D

L-R
Palmer's Cocoa Body Scrub
Palmer's Hydrating Gel Lotion with Aloe & Cucumber extract
Veet EasyGrip Wax strips
Remington epilator

Palmer's Cocoa Body Scrub
So I've had this for a while but not used it since last summer...I used it a few days ago and was totally shocked and amazed at how much of a difference it made to my legs. They felt sooo much smoother and nicer, the best they have felt in months. It smells deliciously cocoa like and is creamy while being abrasive at the same time.

Palmer's Hydrating Gel Lotion
I was actually looking for the cocoa butter tub but I couldn't find it (I prefer the tub because you can get the most amount of product out when compared to the squeeze bottle), so I opted for this. It smells like traditional Palmer's (however it doesn't have that strong chocolate smell) and its really lightweight, absorbs quickly and is great at moisturising! I really like this but I still want the tub.

These make hair removal SO quick and easy. As for the pain factor, yes it hurts, beauty is pain. 

Remington epilator
Whoever told you that epilating would give you smooth silky leg is a liar. It gives you a lot of ingrowns and bumps at first, but once you work out a routine that minimises this, all is well. I prefer epilating to shaving because it lasts longer. I like using this in conjunction with the wax strips for spots that I've missed. This is also great for my underarms, nothing makes them as smooth as an epilator. 

What sorts of things are you doing to get yourself ready for the warmer months?

PS - If you want to follow me on other social media, come and chat with me on Twitter or Instagram :)

* product was provided for consideration

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Natural FOTD

Hello lovelies, I feel like sharing my very first FOTD post with you because the weather is so nice now that I actually feel motivated to put some effort into my appearance!

As some of you know, I am on holidays this week from uni...its a little annoying because most of my friends are at uni as their classes run on a semester schedule (it must be week 6 now?) and I've just finished exams for trimester 2 so I've got a week off before trimester 3 kicks off...so I feel like everyone is busy and I've got no one to hang out with!

Anyways...


 Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie
Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Silky Beige
Rimmel BB Cream Medium
Sleek blush in Rose Gold
Rimmel XXL Volume mascara
Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliner

If you read my MLBB post from a few months ago, you would know that I LOVE the Revlon lip butter, its such a gorgeous pink! The Sleek blush is also one of my all time favourites, particularly in warmer weather. 

As for the Rimmel BB Cream - the colour is kind of weird...looks a tad ashy (?) when I squeeze it out and a little too pink/red toned when I apply it, but the coverage is very sheer so you can't tell. Then I apply the Rimmel Stay Matte powder on top, I only purchased this last week but I have been hunting FOREVER, its always sold out everywhere! The rave reviews are certainly true, it has fantastic mattifying properties and doesn't look overly powdery. 

I am clearly having a bad fringe day. Freshly washed fringe + attempting to straighten = not successful

I actually quite like this combo for a fresh, natural look and it gives me a break from foundation. My skin is pretty good, I don't break out very often but my main issue is that my face is a lot paler than my neck, especially in winter...so I get asked a lot 'are you okay? are you ill?' so wearing foundation seems to prevent that! This BB cream is okay-ish, I'm kind of just using it to try and use it up. I wouldn't wear it without powder.

What products do you wear for a minimalistic, natural look?

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram!
http://instagram.com/chocolate_squeeze
https://twitter.com/allherpretty

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Dettol Revitalise Antibacterial Hand Wash

Hand sanitiser is something I find to be super important during the winter cold and flu season, so when I was offered to try out the Dettol Revitalise Antibacterial Hand Wash in raspberry & pomegranate*, I thought it sounded really cool because of the awesome sounding scent. 

At home, my parents just buy the cheapest hand wash available, so I've always associated hand soap with rough, dry hands. I know I should use hand cream after if my hands feel too dry, but I actually hate using hand cream during the day when I'm using my hands because the grease transfers to EVERYTHING - my phone, the keyboard, steering wheel etc...so I only use hand cream at night before bed. Is that weird?



Back of the bottle - ingredients and directions

First impressions of this - wow well its a gorgeous colour for starters! The first time I used it, I was impressed by how easy it was to use - I sometimes struggle to open up pumps for the first time on soap bottles. This lathers really easily and feels smooth on the skin (I think because glycerin is one of the first ingredients, yay), but most importantly its killing the vast majority of germs. Winter makes me crazy paranoid about germs because everyone is sick! I open door handles with my sleeve pulled over my hand! So I'm really pleased I got to try this out, because hand hygiene is important, especially now when the seasons are changing. 

One pump dispensed in my palm (side note: I'm sporting tic tac inspired nails)

I also really liked that my hands did not dry out after use. They felt quite soft and smelt pretty amazing too! I wouldn't mind a shower gel version of this!! 

In summary, this is a great addition to your bathroom, that will rid your hands of evil germs, without drying them out and has a lovely fruity scent.


Have you tried this product? Do you find yourself as fussy about hands as me?


PS - I've recently set up a Twitter account, feel free to follow me!
https://twitter.com/allherpretty

*product was sent for consideration. It has been reviewed in accordance with my disclosure policy. 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...