Review :: Teeez Trend Cosmetics (GoodieBox)

Hi guys - it's been a while since I blogged - but I have been actively vlogging over on my youtube channel. Check out my videos here (channel name is RiverofbeautyNZ).

I have also re-joined twitter - you can follow me here.

I recently did an unboxing vlog of GoodieBox. It's a monthly subscription beauty box, and this was my first one. I was really happy with it, and I'm looking forward to my Xmas edition one later this month.

3 of the products in the November box are by a brand called Teeez Trend Cosmetics. I had never heard of them before, and I can definitely say I am impressed.

When you sign up to GoodieBox you fill out a quick questionnaire - questions like what your makeup style is etc. I think I picked adventurous for mine - so I was really happy with the eyeshadow colour I got!

The 3 products were:

Spectrum of Stars Eyeshadow - Indigo Dare
Full retail price - $32.00 NZD
Full Size 2g
High gloss, semi-metallic finish

I love this! It is so, so pigmented. The picture to the left is with no primer underneath too - completely amazing.

It's a gorgeous colour and such a pretty finish too. On my lids in the picture to the left is only Indigo Dare and a tiny bit of a dark blue Claire's eyeshadow in the outer v. 

I'm really happy with this product, and although it is expensive, it is really good quality.

I may need to check out their other colours...

Desert Lush Sheer Lipstick - Bloodstone Burgundy
Full retail price - $36.00 NZD
Full Size 3.5ml
Hydrating, SPF 10

This lipstick is interesting. It is quite sheer, but very buildable. I am actually wearing it on the photo to the right, but it is also swatched in the above. This actually makes it a great lipstick - because you can wear it as light or vibrant as you want.

It feels so moisturising on your lips too. Again, great quality. With the exception of MAC I don't know if I could spend $36 on the lipstick - but it is great quality. 

The colour is alright - I probably would have preferred a nude/pink. I'm not sure what other colours were in other peoples GoodieBox's.

Lastly:

Perfect Eyes Pencil Brush
Full retail price - $28.00
Soft, tapered brush

Nothing too special about this brush. It is really soft, and feels like good quality. Because I don't have another brush in this style/type I will get a bit of use out of it.

Overall I love this products, and glad I got to try them out. A GoodieBox is $29.00 + shipping, so just one of the products alone got me my monies worth.

I will be getting a lot of use out of the eyeshadow...and I may need to check out more colours.

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 

Beauty Review :: Lime Crime - Babette Lipstick

As mentioned in my recent post of Favourite Things Friday, I bought Babette a while ago, but it's a much used edition to my makeup collection.

I now have three Lime Crime lipsticks - Coquette, Great Pink Planet, and Babette.

Lime crime makeup is all about cruelty free makeup that lets you be creative with colour - right up my alley!

Babette is a newer edition to Lime Crime's line, and it is described as a "Pinky-Nude". To be honest, it wasn't quite the colour I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a bit pinker/cooler than the warm tones it actually has.

But, the thing that makes this lipstick one of my favourites is that it kind of changes colour depending the lighting/what you match it with.

Sometimes it can look quite warm, almost an orange tinge. Whereas at other times it looks a lot more pink. It is a subtle colour, and is perfect for day or night time wear.

Packaging: As always, Lime Crime's packaging is great, comes in a cute box and is a sleek lipstick tube with the shimmering unicorn.


Value: This was a while ago, but I think they are around $29 NAZ plus shipping. Ends up being quite expensive, but worth it.

Quality: I notice this seems slightly better than the other two lipsticks I have from Lime crime. With the others, I have noticed they make my lips a little dry. Babette seems a little better, but I still notice it slightly. It can also look a little orange-y once it's come off and drying.

Overall: 4/5 

I love this lipstick. I wish it wasn't quite as warm-toned as it is, but it's great, and I use it probably the most out of all of my lipsticks

I think my next Lime Crime purchase will be Airborne Unicorn or Chinchilla...

Beauty Review: LeTan Gradual Tan Moisturising Body Lotion

On my most recent trip to Sydney, I went into Priceline and picked up a LeTan Gradual Tanner.

My past experience with one of these has not been great.

This 250ml tan has a SPF 15 and is suitable for all skin tones.

This tan promises that within 5 days you will notice a difference in skin colour. It's suitable for face application, and can be used with an instant tanner to prolong the colour.

 Packaging: A good size to use at home, and take with you when you are travelling. Easy to squeeze tube. 

Quality/Value: This cost me about $7 AUD. So about $9 NZD. Definitely worth the price considering how quickly it works (see below).

Effectiveness: I was actually not really expecting this to work. The one I tried before didn't, and I have very fair skin. Well, within only 3 days I was noticing a difference. I can definitely see the colour difference on my legs, and I think I will try it out all over my body, not just my legs.

Application: It goes on really easily, and isn't streaky. You only have to leave it to dry for a few minutes. Once the colour starts to show it looks fairly even, and I've only noticed a couple of lines/dark areas which weren't too noticeable.

It's a bit hard to tell in the picture, because I am naturally so fair skinned, but my legs were the colour of my arm, so there is a bit of a comparison there! And that is in less than a week of using it once a day.

One thing to beware of is I wore jeans after applying on my last day in Sydney, since we had a flight that night, and it wasn't meant to be very warm. Well, it was a lovely hot Sydney day and when I took my jeans off I had dark blue lines all over my legs! It came off pretty easily, but it something to be cautious of.

Overall: 5/5 Well with the purchase, and at a really reasonable price! Strongly recommend.