Beauty Review :: Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara

I've always been a Maybelline Mascara user. I've tried quite a few different ones, and have never been amazed by them, but always use them as they are pretty good and a reasonable price (well, they are in the USA - not so much here). They are generally about $20-$25 here, about $6 in the USA. So unfair!

My mascara was running out, and after a failed attempt to try a Rimmel mascara, Max Factor was having a special for all mascaras for $20 (usually 32).

I bought the shade "Black" and I usually don't buy waterproof mascara, because I prefer that only for special makeup/events. For everyday I like it to come off easily at the end of the day with my makeup wipes rather than having to bother with waterproof makeup remover.

Packaging: It's pretty standard packaging, nothing special. Nice and sleek, with black and gold.

Application: I really like this applicator wand. It;s very sturdy, and the brush bits are quite small and fine, but there are lots of them to provide good coverage and help you get close up to your eye. Also handy for doing the bottom lashes.

Look: These make your eyelashes look really natural, and that's basically all I want in a mascara. Best of all, it doesn't clump together at all.

Overall:

5/5

I will definitely be purchasing this product again. It's a bit of a shame it is $32, so hopefully I will get it on special again once I run out.

So glad I branched out from Maybelline and tried this!

Review :: Australis - Velour Lips - To-ki-o

On the weekend I picked up a few new products to try. I have had my eye on both Lime Crime's purple lipsticks for a while, but never bothered to order one.

So when I saw this at Farmers, I decided to give purple a go with a cheaper product first.

This is a matte lip cream from Australis. One of my favourite mid-range/affordable makeup brands. I have pretty much always used Australis for my go-to/everyday eyeliners.

This cost me $17.50 NZD.

So, let's get on with the review!

Packaging: Just your standard lipgloss tube, black lid, simple packaging. Nothing special here.

Value: As above, this cost me $17.50 and is 10ml. Pretty average. not really cheap, but not over-priced either.

Quality/texture: This product applies like a lipgloss, but dries matte. It does fade a bit, and stays slightly darker around the outside of the lips. It is quite sticky once it dries, but didn't make my lips too dry by the end of the day.

Longevity: This lasted really well with no primer for around 3-4 hours, including eating breakfast and drinking a coffee. After that it did fade as above.

Overall: This is an awesomely unique colour. It's great for a few hours, as it would last well if you had an event to go to, rather than an all day look.

I've never tried a matte before, and I wasn't a huge fan of that - but that could be because I'm used to a more glossy looking lip.

I definitely love this colour on me, and would be keen to try out some other colours from this line.

4/5

Checkout Australis website: http://www.australiscosmetics.com.au/

Beauty Review :: Urban Decay - Eyeshadow - S&M

I'd always heard good things about the brand, Urban Decay. So during my trip to the USA last year I picked up an eyeshadow - I was in need of a new silver eyeshadow.

Urban Decay did not disappoint.

I went with the colour S&M. It's a darker, shimmery grey.

Packaging: I like the eyeshadow packaging, it feels good quality, and isn't flimsy. 

Colour/Wearability - As above, this is a dark grey colour with a shimmer. It's a bit darker than the silver I normally use. So It's not something I wear everyday - for a subtle smokey eye etc. It's great for a more dramatic look, good for night time wear. 

What I love the most about this product is the pigmentation and durability. It is so pigmented, and that is important to me. There's nothing that puts me off a product more than it being almost unnoticeable. So this is exactly what I'm after. 

And what's even better than that? You don't really need to use a primer (of course, that will help the longevity of the shadow, but perfectly fine without one). It lasts really well on your eyes.










Overall: Love, love, love. I've ordered another one, to see if this isn't just a one of good buy. My next shade is Oil Slick, and I'm looking forward to receiving that. 


If that one is a highlight for me, then I will definitely be having a collection of them at some point!

 5/5 

Sunday / Swatchday :: Purple

Yesterday I went to the races at Riccarton Racecourse, and matched my eye makeup to my dress:

Face: 
Natio Liquid Foundation
Bare Minerals powder foundation
Victoria Secret Bronzer (from the On-The-Go Face Kit) as a contour
NARS Orgasm Blush
Claire's white eyeshadow as a highlight
Bare Minerals Mineral Veil
Lips:
MAC Creme D'Nude

Eyes:
Lime Crime Candy Eyed Eyeshadow Helper
The Body Shop 510 Something Blue/Turquoise Sirene
Claire's Dark Blue eyeshadow (these came in a set, and have no names)
Sephora Engagement Ring
MaxFactor False Lash Effect Mascara
Australis Black Eyeliner 

Dress:
H&M (and only cost me $4.95 AUD!)


I couldn't believe how well my makeup stayed on for the whole day. I guess the mineral veil helped!

Anyway, onto this weeks swatches! It's no secret that I love purple eyeshadows. So here are a few swatches from some of my purple eyeshadows.

L to R: 1. Stila - Tie Dye, 2. Bare Minerals - Angel, 3. ME ME ME - 25 Eccentric, 4. Heavenly Naturals - Daddy's Girl

1. I definitely don't use this enough. Tie Dye is a mixed shadow with purple, blue and pink. It looks a lot more blue, but I don't have any other shadow like it.

2. This is a great base colour, is a bit more mauve when applied than it does in the pottle. The pigmentation is pretty good, but not quite as much as I would like.

3. I got given this in a makeup swap. It's nice for a subtle look, and has low pigmentation.

4. This one is beautiful, and again I don't use it enough. It has the perfect shimmer texture, and is reflective. 

L to R: 5. Claire's Dark Purple (no name), 6. MUA - 9 Pearl, 7. MAC - Odd Couple Mineralize, 8. Sephora - 34 Midnight Kiss

5. I got these as a set when I went to Hawaii a few years ago, and I use most of them on a regular basis. It doesn't look that purple in the swatch. It is quite dark, and not my favourite one in this set, but is good when doing a purple look to add in the crease or outer eye.

6. I absolutely love this one. The only reason I don't use it very often is the texture. It's almost like a cross between a powder and a cream, and it just doesn't glide on that well. But I love the colours in it, purple and blue. Perfect for me.

7. I got this from an airport MAC duty free place, and got a discounted price as it was cracked. To be honest, I dont' use this much. I have swatched the purple side of it, the other part is gold. I'm not a huge fan of it, and it's just a bit boring. Not much pigmentation.

8. I bought a set of mini eyeshadows from Sephora also while in Hawaii. I rarely use this one, it goes on okay with a primer underneath. But on it's own it isn't a very interesting eyeshadow. Once again, not a great pigmentation.

Australis - Velour Lips To-ki-o

This one isn't an eyeshadow, but a purple lipstick. On Friday I picked up a few things, and this was one of them. I've had my eye on Airborne Unicorn by Lime Crime, but decided to pick this up first to try out. It's a lipgloss application that dries matte. I will have a review up on this at some stage over the next week.

Do you have any of these products? What are your favourite purple makeup products?