October Favourites + Highlights

I got sick in the second half of October which I put down to the changeable weather, one day it’s warm sunshine and the next it’s cold and windy. I have spent the past week or so taking it easy and recovering. My asthma flared up too and it’s important not to do too much too soon or else you’ll set yourself back. I was able to work towards catching up on my Goodreads target and watch a handful of episodes of Poirot which are great sick day remedies. I’ve been a tad quiet on the Instagram front as well. I went through the accounts I follow and cleared out the ones I don’t interact with or accounts that are inactive.

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. Colourpop Super Shock Shadow – Dare – This shade is the kind of purple I expected to be in It’s My Pleasure but after using the palette and realising I was missing a super sparkly cool toned purple I knew this would fill the gap. I have worn Dare in conjunction with a few shades from It’s My Pleasure and the palette really enhances the shade. Each time I have worn Dare I have gotten compliments and I see it becoming one of my most worn Super Shock Shadows!

2. Colourpop Strawberry Shake Palette – I won’t ramble too much about this palette as I only shared a review last week *CLICK HERE* but in short I love it! The colour story (I dislike that term and this is probably the only time I’ll use it) is girly and fun but also wearable. This palette is versatile and it will also work as a complimentary palette with others in my collection. The orange-peach tones will work with Sol and the vibrant pink shades will work with the pinks in It’s My Pleasure. If you don’t have a lot of pink eyeshadows or you are looking to add some to your collection that aren’t as bright as those from Ooh La La, check out Strawberry Shake.

3. Freedom at Topshop Aquarius Necklace – I purchased a couple of bits on The Iconic last month and this necklace was one of them. The pendant features stones in the shape of the Aquarius constellation set against a lightweight gold-toned stainless steel chain. The chain can be worn at three different lengths depending on how far down you like a necklace to sit. I love the simplicity and how the necklace also feels semi-personalised with my starsign. The necklace cost around $20 (NZD) and it is well made, it doesn’t feel cheap. A good basic necklace that goes with everything.

4.Postscript by Cecelia Ahern – Cecelia Ahern is one of my favourite authors and when I heard she was a releasing a sequel to PS I Love You I was very excited! PS I Love You is a book that has stayed with me since I read it years ago and the sequel is just as moving and will also stay with me. I read Postscript in two days it was that good. Cecelia Ahern has a writing style that feels warm and friendly and will play on your emotions which is what a good writer should be able to do. My favourite novel of 2019!

Blurb from Goodreads below:

It’s been seven years since Holly Kennedy’s husband died – six since she read his final letter, urging Holly to find the courage to forge a new life.

She’s proud of all the ways in which she has grown and evolved. But when a group inspired by Gerry’s letters, calling themselves the PS, I Love You Club, approaches Holly asking for help, she finds herself drawn back into a world that she worked so hard to leave behind.

Reluctantly, Holly begins a relationship with the club, even as their friendship threatens to destroy the peace she believes she has achieved. As each of these people calls upon Holly to help them leave something meaningful behind for their loved ones, Holly will embark on a remarkable journey – one that will challenge her to ask whether embracing the future means betraying the past, and what it means to love someone forever…

October Highlights

• Continuing to have fun experimenting with Colourpop products.
• Finished five books in total this month.
• Tried a new luxury/high end foundation, review to follow in the coming weeks.

October’s Spotify Playlist:

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How was your month? Share one of your highlights in the comments!

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Colourpop Strawberry Shake Palette – Review + 3 Looks

When the Strawberry Shake palette launched it flew under my radar and my initial thoughts were ‘it’s nice but I don’t need it.’ The more I saw the palette I realised I actually didn’t have shades like this already and the way all the shades work together is seamless. The versatility this little palette has is incredible, there’s mattes and shimmers, brights and neutrals, pinks, reds and even peachy tones. The strawberry theme appeals to me as strawberries are one of my favourite fruits and whilst I haven’t worn a lot of pink on my eyes in the past the pink tones Colourpop have used here are really lovely.

Colourpop also have the Ooh La La palette which is full of bright pinks and are the type of colours I love but a number of shades in that palette are similar to The Remix Palette by BH Cosmetics and Shaaanxo which I already own. I see myself reaching for Strawberry Shake a lot over summer and I know I will have fun creating both bold and wearable looks.

Strawberry Shake is comprised of three shimmers and six mattes. All of the nine shades are pigmented, blendable and long-wearing. The shadows aren’t powdery and I haven’t experienced any fallout or kickback. The shimmers are all super smooth (especially Delish) and none of the shades are patchy. This palette does come with an eye safe warning, three shades, My Milkshake, Take a Sip and Daiquiri, are pressed pigments and shouldn’t be used near the immediate eye area but I haven’t experienced any irritation or sensitivity.

Swatches:

My Milkshake – Vibrant berry pink. A nice mix between the lighter pinks and the red pinks in the palette. This makes a great transition shade.

Whipped – Rosy pink with silver and pink sheen. This type of shimmer shade applies best with a finger.

Woke – Baby pink. A nice soft neutral.

Paper Straw – Soft coral pink. The perfect base shadow colour.

Take a Sip – Vivid hot pink with gold and pink sparkle. The sparkle doesn’t translate onto the eyes. I need to play with this shade more to be honest.

Delish – Icy pink. This shade works as an inner corner highlight or a nice pop of shimmer when worn with a couple of the darker shades applied through the crease.

Berry Fine – Bright peach with golden flip. This is kind of like NARS Orgasm in eyeshadow form.

Daiquiri – True red. This shade isn’t as intimidating as I thought and pairs surprisingly well with the others. This looks nice along the lower lash line.

Shake It Up – Mauvey berry. A great shade to use all over the lid or more concentrated in the crease.

I have been putting the palette to the test for about a month now. Each combination I come up with I love and I really feel like this palette doesn’t have any bad shades, they’re all beautiful! Each shade works with the other eight and deciding on three looks for this post wasn’t easy.

Look #1

Woke is applied all over the lids as a base eyeshadow. I then go in with Shake It Up to darken the crease before Delish is applied over the lids to finish off.

Look #2

Paper Straw is used as a base shadow before going in with a mixture of My Milkshake and Daiquiri in the crease. My Milkshake is applied all through the crease whilst Daiquiri is concentrated on the outer half. Daiquiri is also applied to the lower lash line. Berry Fine is patted over the eyelid to tie in with the peachy tones of Paper Straw.

Look #3

Woke is applied as a base shade all over the lids. My Milkshake is used to deepen the crease followed by Take a Sip. Whipped is applied on top of Woke. Delish is applied as an inner corner highlight to finish off the look.

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So, how does Strawberry Shake compare to the other nine pan palettes I have from Colourpop? This is definitely up there with Sol and I do prefer this over It’s My Pleasure. There is versatility with light and bright shades and two different finishes (shimmer and matte). The pigmented, blendable formula is a dream to work with. This palette is the guilt-free sweet treat you need!

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Last Colourpop Haul For 2019

It has only been a couple of weeks since I shared my most recent Colourpop haul and I’m back with another one! I have vowed to make this my fourth and final order for 2019 as I’m getting spoilt for choice when I apply makeup lately. I feel guilty when I buy makeup sometimes that I don’t need it but I do constantly evaluate what I have and if I no longer reach for a product I will try and pass it along or sell it, it won’t go to waste.

Let’s get started!

Fantasy Super Shock Pigment

You can see some mess where the shadow was damaged and I had to press it back together.

Fantasy is an electric neon red-violet topped with multi-dimensional glitter. Fantasy is a cross between Slave2Pink and Dare (I also own both of these) but this shade is more magenta than Slave2Pink and not as cool toned as Dare. I wanted to purchase Fantasy in my previous order but the product was sold out. Fantasy was part of a ‘Last Call’ sale and it has disappeared from Colourpop’s website so it looks like it has gone for good now – I’m glad I was able to get my hands on it! This shadow did arrive smashed but I was able to press it back together. Fantasy does stain the eyelids but that’s nothing Clinique’s Take the Day Off balm can’t fix.

Blending Sponge

I have declared in the past brushes are my favourite way to apply foundation but that doesn’t mean I detest sponges. I prefer brushes as they give more coverage and I haven’t been able to achieve a flawless, airbrushed finish with a sponge in the past. This sponge is part of the Pretty Fresh line which launched recently and I heard someone describe it as “the same shape as the Real Techniques sponge with the softness of a Beautyblender.”

Scorpio Moon Crème Lux Lipstick

Scorpio Moon is a plummy rose shade released as part of Kathleen Lights’ zodiac collection. I bought this as I thought it would be similar to my all time favourite MAC lipstick, Syrup, but Scorpio Moon is darker. It is still a lovely shade but it looks different in real life than how it appears online. When I swatched this shade the crème lux formula felt very smooth and moisturising due to the blend of acai, jojoba and pomegranate seed butters.

BYOP: 4 Eyeshadows & 2 Highlighters

Top row: Dreamscape and Made Me Do It
Bottom row: On a Whimsy, Beam Me Up, Quantum Sleep and Feathered

I had so much fun curating my own eyeshadow palette a few months ago but one shade it was missing is a deeper, darker brown. I was looking through other eyeshadow singles and I didn’t have enough shades to justify another 12 pan palette so I got two pressed powder highlighters to go along with the four eyeshadows.

Eyeshadows:

• Feathered (matte rich chocolate brown) – This is a classic transition shade perfect for the crease and adding depth to an eye look.
• On a Whimsy (vivid metallic silver) – Silver is one of my favourite eyeshadow colours to wear and it will be nice to have a pressed shadow to travel with instead of having to transport my MAC pigment which could get messy.
• Beam Me Up (icy blue-silver) – This has such a unique blue, lavender tone and it will pair well with On a Whimsy as well as looking good on it’s own.
• Quantum Sleep (metallic cobalt) – This shade is a bit risky but I want to pair it with Brunch Date from Zoella’s eyeshadow palette and I’ve been enjoying wearing bolder colours on the eyes lately.

Highlighters:

• Dreamscape (icy vanilla) – This is a shade that will go with any makeup look. I didn’t have a highlighter with this light beige tone that isn’t champagne or silver or white. It looks like a lovely shade for fair skin.
• Made Me Do It (champagne pink) – This highlighter looks like a cross between Royal Glow and Parisian Lights from Becca with it’s pinky peach tone. The champagne element stops the highlighter pulling too warm or cool.

Swatches:

Left to right: Scorpio Moon, Fantasy, On a Whimsy, Beam Me Up, Quantum Sleep, Feathered, Dreamscape and Made Me Do It.

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Have you tried any of these products? What was the last makeup item you purchased?

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Another Colourpop Haul!

I think I can officially say Colourpop has become my obsession for 2019! This is my third order since February and I genuinely have been impressed with the quality of products and the price point. The constant releases can be a little overwhelming but I’m nowhere near as intimidated by the brand as I used to be. Part of the reason I waited so long to try Colourpop is because they didn’t ship to New Zealand and I had no clue which products I wanted to try. I find myself meeting the $50 international free shipping mark easily but at the same time I’m getting a decent amount of product.

From the time I ordered until the items arrived at my door it was around two weeks. Everything arrived in perfect condition and nothing was damaged.

On with the haul!

Strawberry Shake Palette

Swatches:

Top to bottom: My Milkshake, Whipped, Woke, Paper Straw, Take a Sip, Delish, Berry Fine, Daiquiri and Shake It Up.

The Strawberry Shake palette is the main reason behind this order and the item I most wanted! When the palette launched I didn’t take much notice but I started to see more pictures of it, watched eye makeup tutorials and read reviews and it skyrocketed to the top of my wish list. The pink hues are not normally what I go for on my eyes but the majority of the mattes are neutral tones and great transition shades. The shimmers are really pretty and I couldn’t wait to dive in and start using this palette – I’m very much enjoying it so far. I think this will also pair nicely with Sol as that has orange-red warm tones too.

Ultra Glossy Lips x 2

Top: Easy Bake
Bottom: Berry Good

I am totally on the lip gloss/lip topper trend at the moment and am loving juicy, glossy looking lips. Originally I was only going to purchase Berry Good but once I’d used the coupon I was sent after receiving a damaged Super Shock Shadow in my last order I wasn’t over the $50 free shipping threshold so added Easy Bake to my basket to get me over the line. These glosses are so beautiful and smell divine! The brush applicator is growing on me and does help product spread evenly. Easy Bake is described as a sheer strawberry pink and contains small flecks of shimmer. If you have shades like this already I wouldn’t say you need this but I’m happy to have it. Berry Good is described as a pinky peach with gold pearl and has much more of a tint than Easy Bake. Both of these are comfortable to wear and will pair nicely with the palette. The strawberry packaging is super cute!

Super Shock Shadows x 3

I am very much a single eyeshadow lover, if I can get away with doing a look using one or two shadows, 80% of the time I will. Super Shock Shadows are definitely great to swipe on the lids if you’re short on time and want a pigmented wash of colour. At the time of this post I have seven Super Shock Shadows and I love how glittery they are, I’m not sure I’d like matte shades in this formula. I’m glad to say none were damaged this time around.

I picked up:

Dare (shockingly neon purple with hot pink and violet glitter) – This shade would fit perfectly in the It’s My Pleasure palette. I will say this shade isn’t as pigmented as other Super Shock Shadows but it’s not overly noticeable on the eyes. I also want to try wearing this alongside a few shades from It’s My Pleasure to really make a statement.

Weenie (ultra metallic true rose gold) – Weenie is like Bellini from the Zoella x Colourpop collab in powder form and is so pigmented when swatched. This shade was first released as part of the Where the Night Is quad in collaboration with Kathleen Lights.

I Heart This (taupe with silver ultra-glitter) – I have always adored silver eyeshadow and the taupe in this shade warms up the silver and makes it slightly more warm toned. This shade is also on the sheerer side but it will be great to layer on top of others and I can see this being a go to everyday colour.

BFF Volumising Mascara – Purple Prose

Coloured mascara is not something I have ventured into much before but I was intrigued by all the different colours of this mascara. From watching reviews and hearing people talk about the shades, Purple Prose stood out for a number of people. The purple isn’t a pastel and on the eyes it’s quite a natural looking shade, it doesn’t look out of place. I have tried this on but not with a full makeup look. The formula is good, not too dry or too wet and the wand is a nice hourglass shape and easy to work with. The tube however does feel a little weighty.

Fun fact: my mum only wears cobalt blue mascara so I picked up a tube of Blue Ya Mind for her (not pictured).

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Have you tried any of these products? Have you got your eye on anything from Colourpop at the moment?

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September Favourites + Highlights

September has been a month of two halves. For the first half of the month I was on leave from work and it was so good to have a break, sleep in and cruise through each day without feeling like I had to be on a time limit and have a schedule. The second half of the month I have jumped straight back into busy work life and in some ways it’s like I was never away. I’ve made a few purchases this month including my first ever high end foundation! I am yet to try the foundation as I’m close to finishing another and want to get that gone first but I am waiting with excitement. When I do finally get around to trying it, of course I will do a blog post!

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. Paco Rabanne – Olympéa – Not so long ago I purchased three new fragrances and Olympéa happens to be the one I have reached for most. This perfume is excellent when you want a scent that is going to last all day and I’ve found myself choosing this one recently when I’ve been out for dinner with some of the girls from work. This perfume is different and more mature than what I usually opt for but in a good way.

2. MAC Fix+ Setting Spray – I purchased this setting spray at the end of 2018 and it is my favourite out of all the setting sprays I have tried. I have the 30ml size but I don’t use this particular one every day. The spray nozzle disperses a good amount of product and the spray doesn’t feel too wet when it hits the face and doesn’t disrupt the makeup underneath. The scent is fresh and this also works nicely to spray on brushes before dipping into eyeshadow when you want a more intense eye look.

3. Colourpop Ultra Glossy Lip in Snow Day – I purchased this gloss in my second Colourpop haul and it really is beautiful! My favourite wear to wear this is as a lip topper as the little bits of shimmer bring out the lipstick colour underneath. The formula is not overly sticky and it has good lasting power throughout the day. I am getting used to the brush applicator now too.

4. MAC Mineralize Blush – Warm Soul – Warm Soul is a blush I lusted over for a while before purchasing it. In the pan the colour may not look the most exciting but it is a gorgeous natural, nude colour that is extremely versatile. I’m not sure how this colour would look on darker skin tones but if you’re fair like me I think you will like this. I will say the packaging isn’t the easiest to open but other people have said the same so I know it’s not just me. My MAC highlighter in Soft & Gentle has the same packaging but is easier to open, possibly because it’s bigger.

September Highlights

• My two weeks off from work was bliss – so nice to have a break!
• Nice to feel included and be invited out to dinner with work friends twice this month.
• I made my third Colourpop order. A haul post will be up soon.
• I’ve been listening to Tove Lo a fair bit this month and can appreciate how catchy her songs are.

September’s Spotify Playlist:

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How was your month? Share one of your highlights in the comments!

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Battle of the Bronzes

I’m a neutral eyeshadow fan and recently I noticed the amount of bronze shades in my collection. I have a couple of single bronze shadows and in almost each of my eyeshadow palettes there is a bronze shade. I can appreciate a good bronze but there are different tones and I thought it would be fun to compare my bronze shades side by side to see how similar they are. Spoiler alert: I was pleasantly surprised at all the little differences between the shades.

There are a total of 10 bronze shades in my collection across six palettes and three single shadows.

Shades will be discussed individually in the order they are swatched.

Left to right: Bronze (from Maybelline’s The Nudes palette), Pure Ganache, Cinnamon Sugar, Hotel and Beach Babe.

1. Maybelline – Bronze (‘The Nudes’)

This is the darkest bronze out of the 10 shades and leans towards being a cool toned brown-bronze. It’s not a shade I reach for all the time but it is one of my favourites from the Maybelline palette. It is a satin formula and has micro-shimmer. It’s nice and soft and blends easily.

2. Zoeva – Pure Ganache (Cocoa Blend Voyager Palette)

From one of the darkest shades to one of the lightest! Pure Ganache is without a doubt a metallic shadow, it has quite a bit of shimmer and is a light-gold bronze. This shadow is really nice for a natural eye look and applies best with a finger.

3. Zoella x Colourpop – Cinnamon Sugar (Brunch Date)

Cinnamon Sugar is such a cute name for this shade and it describes the colour perfectly. This shade is one of my personal favourite bronzes and it reminds me a lot of my hair colour which is why I like it. The formula is metallic and slightly more gritty than Pure Ganache but it also applies best with a finger.

4. Colourpop – Hotel (Sol)

My Brunch Date and Sol palettes were purchased at the same time and when they arrived I compared Cinnamon Sugar and Hotel straight away. Hotel is a warmer bronze and more orange which fits perfectly in the Sol palette. Both shades are comparable in terms of formula and pigmentation but out of the two my preference is Cinnamon Sugar.

5. xoBeauty – Beach Babe (The Remix Palette)

Beach Babe definitely swatched the smoothest (the entire Remix Palette is excellent quality) and to me is the most pure metallic bronze. It doesn’t have orange or gold tones, it remains entirely neutral and goes with any makeup look.

Left to right: Two bronzes (from Makeup Revolution’s Iconic 1 palette), Copper Sparkle, Nillionaire and Feral Brown.

6. Makeup Revolution – Bronze #1 (Iconic 1)

This shade is quite similar to Pure Ganache as it is a light gold-bronze but this has more shine when swatched and looks more metallic. From memory this takes more building up on the lids than Pure Ganache to get colour pay off but this shade swatched better than I expected.

7. Makeup Revolution – Bronze #2 (Iconic 1)

In the Iconic 1 palette the two bronze shades are next to each other and this one didn’t swatch as well as the previous shade, you can see it’s not as pigmented. Colour wise this shade is a cross between the bronze from The Nudes palette and Beach Babe from The Remix Palette.

8. MAC – Copper Sparkle

Let me compare this shade and then I’ll talk about a few issues I have with it. Copper Sparkle has a very warm orange-bronze undertone, even more prominent than Hotel from the Sol palette. It is one of my least favourite bronzes out of the 10 because it fell short when I wore it. I have other MAC pigments and this one looks so gorgeous and glittery online but in real life it has large chunks and it’s not as finely milled as my other pigments. I had to build this swatch up the most and the sparkle of the product still didn’t come out much. When I wore this on my eyes it stayed put all day and was pigmented but it was very warm. I will try this with Fix+ to see if the glitter is more prominent but at this stage I’m leaning towards passing the shade on as I don’t find it as unique as I’d hoped. If I want warm bronze tones I can get them from Hotel or Cinnamon Sugar.

9. Colourpop – Nillionaire

Colourpop describe Nillionaire as a bronze with pink and gold ultra-glitter which is an accurate description. Nillionaire is a Super Shock Shadow so the formula is soft and bouncy. It does take a few swipes to build this up on the eye but it’s not hard work. The fact this can be applied sheer also makes it a great layering shadow. Nillionaire looks lovely over top of a warm brown matte eye look for a pop of shimmer.

10. Max Factor – Feral Brown

In terms of formula, Feral Brown is similar to the bronze from The Nudes palette – a satin with micro-shimmer. Feral Brown is a warm brown-bronze and I don’t find myself reaching for this often. I tend to wear other shades on top if I do but it will only be once in a blue moon. This is another of my least favourite bronzes and I have grown out of love with this shade. It is a unique colour but I don’t see it as essential to my collection.

Top to bottom: Feral Brown, Nillionaire, Copper Sparkle, bronzes from Makeup Revolution’s Iconic 1 palette, Beach Babe, Hotel, Cinnamon Sugar, Pure Ganache and bronze from Maybelline’s The Nudes palette.

My top three shades in no particular order are Cinnamon Sugar, Beach Babe and Nillionaire. These are all slightly different but a little bit of variety is good. They are all versatile and go with a number of looks, especially Beach Babe and Nillionaire as they have a neutral undertone. Cinnamon Sugar is warmer but still gorgeous.

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Do you own any of these shades? Which is your favourite?

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GRWM: Girls Dinner

On Monday I went out to dinner with some of the girls from work. If you saw my post on Instagram earlier in the week you may be aware I was worried about the dinner. Social situations make me nervous and not being a very adventurous eater magnifies the nerves. Evenings out aren’t something I do as I don’t usually have company and part of me feels like I don’t deserve it. I knew I wanted to go because I felt grateful to be included and it was a big deal for me. I made everything out to be worse in my head than it was but when you worry so much it’s a natural instinct. If a similar situation arises again I will be less nervous which is a positive.

Not only was I nervous about the food/dinner – I stepped out of my comfort zone with my outfit. The restaurant had a dress code so it meant I had to get a little glammed up. I wore a dress AND heels and wanted to do nice makeup. This look features some newer products in my collection and products I’ve been reaching for a lot recently.

(Products have been categorised and listed in order of application under each category).

Base

• MAC Strobe Cream – Pinklite – I applied this kind of like a primer and to give my skin more glow. I wanted this look to be soft and dewy.
• Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation in 100 Fair – One of my favourite foundations that I’ve tried to date; good coverage and a satin finish.
• Collection Lasting Perfect Concealer  – 1 Fair – The pigmentation and creamy consistency pairs so well with the Max Factor foundation. I had a bit of redness I wanted to cover up and also I wanted my skin to look glowy and this concealer isn’t as matte as my MAC one.
• The Body Shop Strawberry Smoothing Face Mist – This smells good, feels lovely on the skin and keeps makeup looking fresh. This was the last product applied before my lip colour.

Cheeks/Eyes

• Rimmel Professional Brow Pencil in 002 Hazel – Used this to fill in my brows.
• Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder – Light – I hadn’t used this for a few weeks and I missed it. Often in the morning when I’m getting ready for work I skip contouring as I’m short on time but I do really enjoy how this product looks.
• Urban Decay Primer Potion – This little 5ml sample has lasted me over a year and is still going strong.
• The Body Shop Honey Bronzer  – 01 Light Matte – This was dusted over the tops of my cheekbones, down my nose and across my chin. I also applied this in my crease as my transition shade.
  
• BECCA – Royal Glow – I used my ring finger to apply this highlighter all over my eyelids as a base shadow and used it to highlight my cheeks as well.
• Zoella x Colourpop Supernova Shadow in Bellini – Bellini is a high-impact, ultra glittery shadow with a metallic rose gold base. This shadow is so easy to use, I swipe product onto my finger from the applicator and transfer it to my eyelid. Product dries quickly and lasts all day, this shade looks a foiled shadow when set.
• L’Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara – This is starting to dry out and I feel like I haven’t had it open very long. It definitely doesn’t seem as long lasting as the tube of Lash Paradise I had. I’m not ready to let go of this mascara just yet as the dark, thick fluttery lashes it gives are so pretty.
• MAC – Warm Soul – I wanted a hint of colour on the cheeks and I knew the highlighter and strobe cream would give the glow factor so I went for this light pink-beige blush. It gives a lovely natural flush.

LIPS

• L’Oreal – 302 Bois De Rose – I mentioned in my August Favourites I wanted to do a makeup look for the blog with this lipstick and here it is! It’s a great shade for everyday wear and I knew I’d be eating so wanted something that would fade gradually. This shade gives me MAC Syrup vibes, this is a satin finish and more pink but super pretty!

The Final Look:

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Let me know what you think of this makeup look! What type of look do you go for if you’re going out?

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August Favourites + Highlights

Looking back over my mood tracker for the year, August has been a real mixture of feelings. The day this post goes up will be my last day at work for two weeks and I am looking forward to having a well deserved break. I have worked at the library for over two years now (105 weeks to be exact) and minus the two weeks off I have coming up I have had a total of three weeks off work in that time. I’m looking forward to relaxing and sleeping and just taking some time out. I’ve spent most of August counting down and getting everything ready for my last day to be honest. I’ve still been reading and made some online orders too!

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Lipstick – 302 Bois De Rose – This lipstick was gifted to me by a work colleague and boy did she choose well! I love how wherever I’ve worked I’m known as the lipstick girl and people gift shades to me they haven’t used or buy shades with me in mind. I don’t own any L’Oreal lipsticks but the satin formula of this shade is stunning! Bois De Rose reminds me a lot of MAC Syrup which is in no way a bad thing. The scent of this lipstick is lovely and the pigmentation and lasting power are excellent. I’d love to do a makeup look for the blog wearing this shade soon.

2. Zoella x Colourpop Group Hug Supernova Shadow Bundle – Products like this remind me why I love makeup. Both of these shades are impressive, have really good pigmentation, last all day and go with any makeup look. These are easy to apply and the shimmer stays on the eyelids and doesn’t get all over the face. I love a bit of sparkle and these deliver in spades! Literally a bit of bronzer all over the lid and through the crease, either OG or Bellini applied over top, two coats of mascara, lipstick and you’re good to go! Simple, no fuss products are my favourite!

3.Silver ring – I purchased this ring over two years ago but I’m really bad at wearing jewellery. I go through phases of wanting to wear it and then won’t wear any at all for ages (minus my rose gold Petite Melrose watch from Daniel Wellington). This ring is stirling silver and features a cubic zirconia stone in the centre with five smaller stones either side. The style of the ring is simple and elegant and I have enjoyed wearing it again this month.

4. NESCAFÉ Gold Crème Brulee Latté – I rarely drink coffee but when I do I tend to go for something milky and not overly strong. I enjoy the Vanilla Latte flavour from Nescafe and when I saw the limited edition Creme Brulee flavour I wanted to give them a go. I haven’t had coffee in a long time and I’m not someone that needs it daily to function. These lattes are lovely and smooth, the coffee taste isn’t overpowering and the sweetness of the creme brulee adds to the pleasant taste. A nice little treat when I need something to warm me up!

August Highlights

• My second Colourpop order arrived! If you haven’t seen what I got yet, CLICK HERE.
• Treated myself to lunch a couple of times this month, it was pie and chips weather.
• Got a haircut and a third layer put back in.
• Ordered three new perfumes online: Viva la Juicy La Fleur, Viva la Juicy Glacé, and Olympéa by Paco Rabanne. All smell lovely.
  

August’s Spotify Playlist:

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How was your month? Share one of your highlights in the comments!

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July Colourpop Haul!

One Saturday in July I spent hours browsing the Colourpop website and added a bunch of eye products (and one lipgloss) to my cart. I have been impressed with the quality of products since my first Colourpop haul and knew it would only be a matter of time before I did another order. A few items I’d seen and heard about before but others I bought simply because I liked the look of them!

The items took around two weeks to arrive which is pretty standard for mail from overseas. I wasn’t charged customs when the package arrived in New Zealand but there was damage to one of the Super Shock Shadows. I contacted Colourpop about the damage and was given credit but I am a little bummed because the broken shade is the one I was most looking forward to receiving. The shade has been discontinued so I can’t use the credit to repurchase another one in my next order. The product is still usable but I’ll have to be careful how I store it and I won’t be able to travel with it.

Let’s get on with the haul!

Super Shock Shadows x 3

Colourpop are known for their Super Shock Shadows and after picking one up in my previous haul and enjoying the formula I wanted to try more. I picked up the shades Bouncy (cool toned bronze with gold and violet duo chrome), Nillionaire (bronze with pink and gold ultra-glitter) and So Quiche (soft olive with violet and gold sparkles). Seeing the shades written like that makes me realise how similar they sound and whilst they do look similar in real life there are subtle differences.

Bouncy – This is the shade I was most excited for and the one that arrived damaged. On the eyes the colour comes through as equal parts bronze and pink and the duochrome is prominent.

Nillionaire – I heard Emily Noel mention this shade in her Colourpop Top 5, Bottom 5 video and Googled it instantly. It’s such a pretty everyday shade. Nillionaire has the sheerest colour payoff and is the most golden of the three I purchased.

So Quiche – The olive tones in this shade make it the coolest toned out of the three but also it’s the only shade I picked up that leans slightly towards green-violet on the colour spectrum. This reminds me of a more shimmery version of Smokey Rose by Teeez Cosmetics (both products will make a great pairing).

Left to right: Bouncy, Nillionaire and So Quiche.

Group Hug Supernova Shadow Bundle

Top: OG
Bottom: Bellini

I saw this bundle when Zoella’s collaboration with Colourpop was revealed at the end of February and I was always curious about it. After trying some mini Magnificent Metals from Stila and not loving them I half expected not to love these but, spoiler alert: I do! The formula is more like an eyeshadow once product has dried down and the glitter/shine is a lot more pigmented and long-lasting. The texture is smooth and unlike the Stila product these don’t flake off my eyelids and wear away throughout the day.

Looking at the two shades online, OG and Bellini look similar to each other but they are different. OG is a golden champagne with silver glitter and Bellini is a metallic rose gold. OG is more glittery (still with good pigmentation) and Bellini is comparable to a foiled eyeshadow. This kind of product is great for a quick and easy eye look and the milk carton packaging is the cutest! I knew this product wouldn’t be around forever so I wanted to grab it while I had the chance!

Snow Day Ultra Glossy Lip

I purchased this lip gloss because I thought it would make a beautiful lip topper and it does! Snow Day is described as a prismatic champagne but it’s more like a very light pink with flecks of gold glitter. The gloss does look pretty on it’s own and will be nice for simple makeup days but I wore this over MAC’s Kinda Sexy lipstick and it was super pretty! The formula isn’t overly sticky and goopy and is comfortable to wear. The one thing I don’t like is the applicator, it’s a small brush with individual hairs and isn’t the best at spreading product. The brush works well when using the gloss as a lip topper as you only need a small amount of product but if I want to wear the gloss on it’s own I have to dip the brush back in to the tube a few times to get even coverage.

It’s My Pleasure palette

Purple is a hard eyeshadow colour to get right but people I follow online have been singing this palette’s praises. Purple is a colour that suits my skintone and complexion and that’s what excites me about this palette. I get to play up my love for bold colours with the shimmers but there’s also lighter shades to compliment the shimmers and create more wearable everyday looks. Smaller palettes like this are good as I find it overwhelming when there’s lots of shades to choose from in a palette. I prefer limited combinations that work and mean I don’t have to try hard to come up with looks. It’s My Pleasure contains four mattes and five shimmers and is a nice combination of purples and pinks that lean towards purple.

Swatches:

Left to right: Kittenfish, Do Or Dough, Pretty Cruel, Bare Minimum, Earthshine, Chick Lit, Mr Sandman, Fan Fiction and Sleeper.

Custom 12 Pan Eyeshadow Palette

This palette is what I was most excited for because I curated it and selected the shades myself. I was also nervous because I only had myself to blame if any of the shades ended up being similar and if I didn’t like it. My inspiration for this palette was gold. It’s hard to find nice gold shades so I ended up purchasing four for this palette and they’re all unique. From there I came up with a mix of warm toned mattes and shimmers with a hint of pink and mauve thrown in. When the shadows arrived I organised them in a specific way, the top row is classic base and transition shades, the middle row is pinks and mauves and the bottom row is golden goodness.

Top row: Hear Me Out (matte white peach), Wake Up Call (matte warm sand), Side Tracked (matte terracotta with gold flecks) and Bel Air (matte cool taupe).

Middle row: Liar Liar (metallic pale pink), Ringer (metallic champagne), Chic Happens (matte cool mauve) and Goody Two Shoes (metallic gunmetal).

Bottom row: The Game (antique gold), Baby Lights (metallic green gold), Karat Cake (metallic chartreuse) and Night Show (metallic yellow bronze).

Swatches:

Left to right: Hear Me Out, Wake Up Call, Side Tracked, Bel Air, Liar Liar, Ringer, Chic Happens, Goody Two Shoes, The Game, Baby Lights, Karat Cake and Night Show.

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Have you tried any of these products before? Is there anything from Colourpop currently catching your eye?

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July Favourites + Highlights

In the second half of the month I really picked up my reading game and the total number of books I finished in July is four, an average of one a week. I’ve been having lazy weekends and I’ve been enjoying curling up on the couch watching movies and TV shows or with a book. Work has been super busy recently so it’s nice to wind down at the weekend and recharge for the week ahead. I’m very much looking forward to having a couple of weeks off at the beginning of September. Towards the end of the month I did some online shopping and as I type this post I am waiting for three orders to arrive… oops! 😛

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. Zoella x Colourpop Brunch Date Palette – This eyeshadow palette has been a real grower and every time I use it I like it more. I know some people were disappointed with the shades but the colours are really nice and there’s an even mix of mattes and shimmers. I still haven’t been brave enough to use the blue but I do plan on applying it to the lower lash line with a pencil brush when I next feel like experimenting. Having never tried makeup from Colourpop until I purchased this palette I am impressed, the formula of these shadows is lovely and the shades are pigmented and last well throughout the day. Initially a few of the matte shades seemed more difficult to blend but the more I use them I don’t think that’s the case. I find sometimes with makeup it has to be worn in a little and the shades do in fact blend nicely.

2. Zoeva 102 Silk Finish Brush – I recently mentioned this brush as one of My Favourite Makeup Brushes. It is comparable to the Expert Face Brush by Real Techniques. The brush blends foundation easily and the head of the brush isn’t too big for my small face. Product does apply nicely with this brush and it doesn’t cake up or take a long time to blend into the skin. The brush is made with Taklon bristles so it’s super soft and washes up well.

3. Palmers Moisture Rich Night Cream – This is a repurchase and picking it up again has made me realise why I liked it so much the first time. I like this better than other evening moisturisers I’ve tried. The texture of the cream is light and product sinks into the skin easily keeping it soft and well moisturised. The cream doesn’t feel greasy or drying and the slight cocoa butter and shea scent is pleasant. When I use this product alongside Trilogy’s Very Gentle Restoring Facial Oil it’s a dream combination!

4. Agatha Christie mysteries – I’m a sucker for an Agatha Christie mystery! Her stories are simply written but they’re so compelling and gripping. It doesn’t take me long to read a Poirot or a Marple because they’re written in a way that makes me want to keep reading. The last story of Agatha Christie’s I read – ‘Nemesis’ – took me less than two days. I understand for some readers her stories may not be super thrilling and action packed but the plot is always good.

5. Cricket World Cup Final – Something not many people know about me as I’m quite partial to watching one day cricket when New Zealand is playing and matches are on free to air television – which isn’t very often. I’d been following New Zealand’s progress throughout the tournament and we did well initially but there was a moment it looked like we might not make the semi-finals. A lot of people thought India would beat us in the semi-final but I felt so proud when I heard we made the final for the second consecutive time. I was even more excited to watch the final which started late on Sunday July 14th as I didn’t have to get up and go to work the next day. I did well to stay up all night and only fell asleep briefly during England’s innings. For the last hour of the game I was nervous and couldn’t sit still, I was literally pacing on the spot because of how close the game was going to be. New Zealand lost by the smallest margin but I personally believe we won the game, we just didn’t get to lift the trophy. The pride the rest of New Zealand felt after that game is amazing. Whilst it was sad not to win, I am extremely proud to be a Kiwi!

July Highlights

• Someone left a KitKat in my pigeon hole at work.
• Went out for wedges on one of my lunch breaks.
• Placed my second Colourpop order.
• Did some online shopping in the last weekend of July; purchased a MAC blush I’ve wanted for ages, a necklace and a couple of clothing items.

July’s Spotify Playlist:

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How was your month? Share one of your highlights in the comments!

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