MUA Dusk til Dawn palette

I finally received my MUA palette in the mail and I'm really excited about it! I have the MUA Undressed palette and absolutely love it, so I wanted to buy another MUA palette, but I wanted one that wasn't too colourful as I prefer to do neutral looks. I'm not bold enough to wear colourful make up!

This is what the palette looks like. Theres a mix of neutral colours like greys, black and lighter shades as well as a few bright shades such as the 7th shade (gold), the aqua colour and the purple (2nd last)

Swatched using the double ended applicator (dry) - the top photo with flash and the bottom with no flash. They are mostly pigmented and creamy. The only one I found chalky was the matte(ish?) grey next to the gold - the colour didn't come out too well either! The last 4 shades are amazingly pigmented. The black looks matte here but it is a glitter bomb!

Top - flash, bottom - no flash. This is a quick look I've done with the palette. I've used the aqua as the main lid colour, shade 5 in the crease (but I ended up blending it so much that its not noticeable), shade 2 for the outer V and then the black (last shade) on top to further define the outer V.

Do you have this palette? What are your thoughts?

Primer face-off: Urban Decay Primer Potion vs Too Faced Shadow Insurance

I used to think that there wasn't much point to primer, surely some concealer could do the same thing? When I caved and bought Too Faced Shadow Insurance (TFSI) I was amazed. My eyeshadows looked brighter and lasted ALL day. This led me to question whether the other highly regarded primer, Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP), was of the same quality. 

TFSI (left) and UDD (right). I have the mini sized UDPP that came with the Naked palette. The second picture is to show the difference in applicator - TFSI is a squeeze tube with a tip and UDPP is a sponge applicator. Personally, I prefer the applicator tip of TFSI.

I have labelled which eye has which primer. They are roughly the same amount, in the picture it looks like I have less TFSI on but its more of a large blob - UDPP spreads out more. I rubbed the primer in other my eyelid and up to my brow bone. 

Here is a quick look I've done using the Naked palette (if you're interested in the colours I used, just ask in the comment box below, thanks!). The reason I'm showing you this is to illustrate that the vibrancy of shadows is the same for both eyes. Also, this will be a comparison photo for the next lot of photos.

I'll give you a quick run down of what I did from the time of application until I took the next photos 8 hours later. Quickly went to the shops to grab a few groceries, made dinner and then went to a friends house for a small get together. 

This is how my eyeshadow looks at 11pm, about 8 hours later - still look pretty vibrant right? I've had to use a flash here because of the time.

Hmm...do you see what I see? It may not be that evident but there is definitely a crease on the UDPP lid when you compare it to the other lid! 

I can't say that one is better than the other as there are probably a multitude of confounding factors that could have caused the UDPP lid to crease. I prefer TFSI and from these photos, I think it works best for me.

Tell me about your favourite eyeshadow primer!

MAC 'Feeling' and E.l.f 'Berry Merry'

Just a quick post on my two favourite pink blushes! MAC's Beauty Powder Blush in Feeling and E.l.f Berry Merry. You could probably argue that these are more plum/berry toned but to keep things simple I'll just say they're pink and let you decide what colour they are. 

No they're not that similar but I'm not saying they are. I'm just showing two blushes that I really like. Straight away you can see the E.l.f one is more berry toned and you can see the glitter. The MAC one does not have any shimmer or glitter. 

Above are swatches for Feeling (left) and Berry Merry (right) in direct sunlight (top) and not. I've had to build up Feeling a bit more as it is quite light against my skin. The shimmer from Berry Merry doesn't appear too evident here.

This is how Feeling looks against my skin. I've used a fair bit of powder here to make it show up better. It would be really great against fairer skin tones. The brush I use picks up the powder easily and the colour can be built up. I wear this during the day for a natural pink glow and it lasts most of the day.

And this is Berry Merry. There is shimmer in this blush and it is a deeper colour that I would say is more suited to medium-dark skin tones. I wear this at night, but it doesn't take long to wear away. 

Which pink blushes do you use?

Sleek blushes: Sunrise and Honour

Since my Year 12 formal in 2009, I have been trying to find a blush similar to the one used by the MUA who did my make up for that night. Here is a (bad) photo -

The reason I didn't ask her on the day is you can probably see my fail eye make up! I asked for a smokey eye to go with my black dress and ended up with glittery eye lids, leading to glitter all over my face. And racoon-like eyeliner. I didn't have the time to fix my eyes properly as I was trying to get glitter off my face! Anyway, you can see that the blush is a brown-bronze colour.

I've tried a few that I thought would be close. MAC - Margin, which is a great blush but it was a bit too bronze. I also tried E.l.f - Berry Merry but it was too plum like.

This is what led me to buy two Sleek blushes, Sunrise and Honour (a limited edition blush from the 2012 Collection). From browsing through swatches, they appeared quite similar, so I thought why not buy both and see if either of them happened to be similar to that blush I've been trying to find.

Sunrise on the left and Honour on the right.

Sunrise on the left and Honour on the right. It's hard to explain the difference but Honour is a deeper and more brown. The lids are a bit difficult to open but the cases are sturdy - when trying to open Sunrise, I dropped it onto the floor (floorboards, mind you) and I was expecting the blush to break but it didn't! 

Swatched on my hand (ignore the veins) - Sunrise on the left, Honour on the right.

Same as above, swatches in sunlight. I think this is where you can really see the difference. Honour looks more bronzey-gold-browny. Hey, wasn't that the type of blush I was searching for...

Both of the pictures above are Sunrise. It comes out like a nice flushed colour. This blush is REALLY pigmented so go easy! The first time I tried, it looked like I had been punched in the face. 

Moving on, this is Honour. In the sun, it certainly manages to show off. I should mention that Honour is 7.2g whereas Sunrise is 8g.

Both the pictures above are Honour. This one is more brown that Sunrise and I think it looks quite similar to the blush I was wearing for my Year 12 formal. What do you think?

Either way, I'm really glad I purchased both!

What are your thoughts on Sleek blushes?

Experiments with lipsticks of the wrong shade (for me)

If you're anything like me, a large percentage of your beauty buys are either online or inspired by something you've seen online. I have fallen victim to buying quite a few things online and they turn out to be awful for me. Lipsticks seem to be a particular issue for me, so I have a bunch of them sitting around doing nothing but collecting dust! 

Today I thought I would try to mix them with other lipsticks to see if I could make these shades more wearable.

First up is NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose. I bought this one online after having a look at a few swatches. It's a shame the colour doesn't work for me because I really like the creamy consistency. I expected it to be a bit more peachy pink but it is more pink than anything else.

Yikes. You can probably see why I can't/don't wear this! Bubblegum pink doesn't suit my skin tone. That, and I don't have the confidence to pull off crazy shades anyway.

So I have tried to mix this with a darker colour to make it a darker berry pink, something I am more comfortable with. I have added Rimmel Lasting Finish in Temptation. I don't use this Rimmel one much either, it's a nice red but probably too blue toned for me. Mixing them together produces a deeper pink.

Sorry about the blurry photo! But the main thing here is just that this pink is a bit more in my comfort zone. This colour is something I'm much more likely to wear.

Alright, moving on. This one is Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Coral Desire. The lipstick itself is a gorgeous pale coral but when swatched - what?! Where did the colour go?! 

Yes I smeared my lips in vanilla frosting here. No, not really, but that is how Coral Desire turns out. I don't fancy wearing white frost on my lips, to be honest.

Again, I have mixed it with another lipstick that I don't use too much. I have added Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Sienna, a chocolate brown. This translates to a bronzey shimmer.

I actually really like this combination. It is something I can definitely wear and not be paranoid that I have alien lips.

What are your thoughts on mixing lipstick shades? Do you do it too?

Product Rave: Kleancolor Baked Eyeshadow

Kleancolor American Eyedol Baked Eyeshadow is described as 'pigment-rich' and has the 'intensity of colors that can satisfy any color junkies’ ultimate craving'.

Is this true? Yes! 

Kleancolor is a drugstore brand from the United States with a huge range of great products at affordable prices. The eyeshadows that I will show you in this post I bought for $1.75 (AUD) each from Beauty Joint.

Baked Eyeshadow

Above: These are the two I own, 'Taupe' and 'Glitter Sapphire'. I'll start off by saying that these are huge! 4.5g of shadow - it doesn't sound like much but when you consider that MAC eyeshadows are 1.5g each (I think?), it is a fair bit. Standard packaging, plastic case and the clasp can be a little stiff to open. But look, they're so pretty!

Above: open lid to reveal the product inside. Please note that I have been using these a bit so they look a bit messy. The shadow comes up to form a mini mountain and you can probably see that I've been using Taupe more (I'm not one for bright eyeshadow really!). 

Now on to the exciting part. Swatches...

Above: they are described as wet and dry shadow so I have done swatches for both. On the left, we have taupe swatched dry, next to it swatched wet. I don't even need to comment on how amazingly pigmented it is. I have done the same for Glitter Sapphire, dry (left) then wet (right). One swipe each. Aren't they gorgeous?

Above: Same swatches again, but this picture has been taken in sunlight to show you how vibrant they are. I haven't used any primer for these either.

Have you tried this eyeshadow? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading :)

No such thing as too many pink polishes!

I'm a bit of a nail polish fan, my collection stands at about 40 at the moment. I noticed that I seem to have a few pink shades that are quite similar. Similar, not the same!

Google Images

Yes, the above photo fits perfectly with the theme of this post. This is how I feel in regards to pink nail polishes.

This is my collection of pink/fuschia nail polishes! Not huge I guess, but you can see a lot of them are quite similar (not the same!). 

Starting at the top and going clockwise - 

Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish - 'Hot Shot'

Essie - Big Spender

Orly (Mini - from the Viva collection) - Fiesta

Jordana - Hot Pink

Essie (Mini - from the Bikini So Teeny collection) - Off the Shoulder 

Ulta3 - Bouquet 

OPI - Strawberry Margarita 

OPI - I Lily Love You

Don't ask me to pick one favourite! My top 3 would probably include: Orly - Fiesta, Jordana - Hot Pink and Ulta 3 - Bouquet.

I've added a few photos I've taken in the past of my nails wearing some of the above shades.

Above: watermelon nails! The pink I have used here is Orly - Fiesta, a gorgeous bold pink. The green I have used is Essie Mojito Madness, if you were curious, and the gold was from a nail art kit. 

Above: Ulta3 - Bouquet, a bright fuschia that matched the sari I was wearing (to a formal function). Like my clutch?

Above: Cupcake nails! Done with OPI Strawberry Margarita and a nameless cheap white polish.

Above: Marble nails - using Jordana - Hot Pink (because of the pearl in the polish, it came out a lot lighter with marbling) and a red polish by Jordana.

Above: Essie - Big Spender - a bold fuschia with no shimmer.

What are your thoughts? Do I perhaps have too many pink based polishes? What colour nail polish are you obsessed with?

Liebster Award

Thanks to Kate for tagging me :)

The Rules

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer.

3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.

4. Go to their page and tell them.

5. Remember, no tag backs!

11 Things About Me

1. I'm 20, but I probably look about 15!

2. My interest in beauty started when I got my first job at 18.

3. My heritage is Bengali, but I was born in NZ and have lived here since 1999.

4. I don't know why, but I am absolutely TERRIFIED of cockroaches. Spiders, I can handle, but cockroaches nope.

5. My first ever concert was Simple Plan back in 2005 when I was 13.

6. I pretended to like the Twilight series and read all the books when there was a huge hype for it, when I actually really disliked it. That's conformity for you!

7. I am a study freak. During exam periods, I can't stand studying less than 12 hours a day.

8. I have a small scar next to my left eye from when I was younger and got the corner of my eye caught in a zipper - ouch!

9. I hate being late. I'm usually early to everything.

10. I'd rather spend Saturday night on the couch with a cup of tea and a good book, rather than out partying like most of my friends.

11. My favourite author is Jeffery Deaver, a crime writer.

Kate's Questions

1. If you could only use products from one beauty brand forever, which would you choose?

Oh gosh! I would probably pick Rimmel for their affordability and great range.

2. Which film have you re-watched the most?

Tie between Suddenly 30 and 10 Things I Hate About You!

3. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Probably more of an introvert.

4. Mac or PC?

PC. I actually can't stand Mac's!

5. What's your most thumbed through book?

*glances at book shelf* Harry Potter?

6. Leggings as pants. Yay or nay?

Depends. If your butt is covered, it's fine. But I don't like the whole camel toe thing :S trashy!

7. How many blogs do you follow/read?

I follow about 10? I only recently started up this account. But I'm constantly browsing through tons!

8. What was the first piece of make-up you ever bought?

That's going back a while! Probably lipgloss.

9. If you could live anywhere, where would you choose?

New Zealand :)

10. What's the best meal you've ever had?

My mums spaghetti.

11. What was your best and worst subject at school?

I don't know about best, but my favourite was science. My best subject was probably geography. Worst - PE, without a doubt! 

My Questions

1. What's the worst makeup disaster you've experienced?

2. If you could time travel, which year/period would you travel to and why?

3. Do you prefer tea or coffee?

4. What was your first pet?

5. What is the most amount of money you've ever spent in one day on non essentials? (i.e not bills or groceries)

6. Do you know who chose your name?

7. What is your best memory from school?

8. What is the longest period of time you have gone without sleep?

9. Your favourite brand of nail polish?

10. What made you want to start up a blog?

11. If you could meet one celebrity, who would it be?

I tag...

1. catssaymeow

2. Sarah

3. Beauty in a Bottle

4. Linny

5. Sarah from Glamourpussgirl

6. Lisa

7. Putting the world back on its axis

8. Tara-Lee

9. Bootyiful Bella

10. Shell

11. Kristy

Revlon Colorburst 'Rosy Nude' dupe

I know that Revlon isn't one of the typical high end brands that you would want a dupe for, but I noticed a striking similarity between one of their Colorburst lipsticks and a lower end one by Ulta3, an Australian brand (you may have come across their nail polish at various chemists).

Revlon Colorburst lipsticks RRP - $23.95 (or you can cheat like me and buy them online)
Ulta3 Moisturising Lipstick RRP - $2.95

...I think you can see why I thought this was worth posting about!

Comparison of packaging of Revlon Colorburst and Ulta3. I won't lie, the case for Ulta3 does it no favours. It is quite flimsy and very light weight, doesn't feel or look as nice as the Revlon one. But for less than the cost of a coffee, we can let that slide.

Swatches - which is which?! First have a guess. On the left is Ulta3 - Tawny Pink and on the right Revlon Colorburst in Rosy Nude. One swipe each, both pretty pigmented and they look quite similar! Rosy Nude is probably a bit more pink I would say.

From the picture above, you can see they are quite similar. I'll just add that the consistency of the lipsticks are different, Ulta3 is more like lipbalm/lipstick as it is quite creamy. It also has the wear of a lip balm. Revlon Colorburst is a bit thicker like the traditional lipstick and is longer wearing. You can probably see above that Ulta3 is more shiny too (as it is a 'moisturising' lipstick).