Holy Grail Beautyy . . .

•  Natural bristle brush 
• Cruelty Free NO
• Fragrance Free YES
• Large brush head
• Voluminous formula
• Inexpensive
• Variety of colours

 My lashes are dark brown, not thick or particularly very long but an average set of lashes.

I purchased this mascara with the pink version from Sephora.  You can read that review here.

Beauty Guru

When I purchased the two mascaras, the only colours available were the pink and green.  They are a voluminous formula as well as being coloured.




The brush is a natural bristle wand which is fairly thick.  The green is an emerald green.  The product applies quite pigmented and the formula is not too wet or too dry.  Once the mascara dries; the colour dims its initial intensity considerably; unfortunately.  If you are after an intense and obvious emerald green shade then this mascara is not for you.  It's voluminous properties are average.  Too many coats will clump of course but its not the worst mascara I've ever used.  However I purchased the pink and green for the express purpose of being a coloured formula.  At least they were on sale at $10 each so it was not too much of a disappointment.  The pink is much better so I got a good one out of two.  I still want to try the other colours when they become available.

If you are only wanting a hint of colour then you will like these as a opportunity to try a different mascara shade.

I give this a neutral recommendation as it really depends on what you are wanting out of this coloured and voluminous mascara formula.

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Images by me of me.
Sephora

• Squeeze tube
• Fragrance Free YES
• Cruelty Free YES
• Expensive

I was impressed by the Too Faced Shadow Insurance eyeshadow primer so I was eager to get this glitter product primer to see how that would turn out.
This is also my first time with using any glitter glue.

Beauty Guru

The product is contained in a squeeze tube with screw off cap and is a beige toned lotion.  I usually pat it on to the brush I am using to pick up the glitter product and apply to the eye.  There is not too much to say about this product other than it definitely works, it does start to transfer a bit like in the photo below.  The transfer may be because I have almond shaped eyes with hooded lids. 





My actual issue would be the price in Australia being $30 AUD but that is typical of American product prices.  It is easy to remove from brushes and skin. 

So other than that I definitely recommend it!

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Product image via Mecca.com.au
Eye image is mine of my eye.
Too Faced

I love makeup, you love makeup and we love to apply ze makeup! But what about the tools we use to apply it with? I bet you hover around the brushes section with your mouse when online unsure if you are going to use and love this angled contour and blush brush that doubles as a highlight and nose contour extravaganza for $150 because its multi-purpose guys!! or wish-list that super expensive artist tool-set for that day you feel confident it won't be a waste of money after all and be relegated to the fail pile of money wasted we all have.  

Brush sets abound in natural bristles and synthetic, from the Youtube influencer ubiquitous Morphe Cosmetics brushes to the workmanship of a beautifully crafted brush or 'fude' by Japanese cosmetic brush maker Hakuhodo   whose brushes look to be made from strands of gossamer fine hairs from a mythical beast and weighty burnished red cinnabar handles.

Should you buy a full brush set? Or build slowly; brush by brush, by need? Go cheap and cheerful with no serious fiscal commitment or go full $600 Artis oval brushes?

Well I am here to help you with the aid of the product review specialists at Reviews.com with their awesome, thorough, up to the minute life-saving cosmetic brush buyers guide The Best Makeup Brushes Guide for 2017 to help us all out when we are just bamboozled by the beauty company offerings that tempt us all.

Reviews.com very kindly have created this guide for all makeup lovers to use at will and help you narrow down what you really need to buy! Print it out and keep in your bag for when you go shopping or save it to your desktop or phone for easy access when online shopping.

The guide is a resource I will be keeping on hand to refer to the next time I see a brush sale on!

Thank-you Reviews.com!

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Image via Youtube Google images.
Reviews.com

I subscribe to a skincare website and saw this article that is AWESOME!

Even though I still have products that have been tested on animals, I aim to always purchase cruelty-free products where-ever possible and to find alternatives to the products as much as I can.  My aim in the long term is to have all cruelty free makeup. 

Please read this article and share on behalf of all the beautiful animals in our world. European Parliament Demands Global Ban on Animal Testing

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Special Chem

• Cruelty Free NO
• Fragrance Free YES
• Four colours available
• Very inexpensive
• Travel friendly 

My first encounter with RimmelLondon blush was in the Kate Moss trio palette with blusher in Coral Glow, bronzer and illuminater.  That blusher was Coral and it was wonderful.

Beauty Guru


I saw that this little blusher was on sale at the supermarket and thus it was around $4.69 so half price.
The colour is a soft pink rose it also has a sheer quality to it and applies like a dream.  You can build it up very easily.  I believe there is two other colours available, one called Pink Live a bright pink, Santa Rose which is similar to a dusty rose, Bronze which is self explanatory and Pink Rose which is a soft pink.  The page on Boots website in the UK shows all four colours but the colours are very vibrant and there is no way that Pink Rose is that loud.  So take those colours with a grain of salt.  Someone turned the Photoshop too high!



This is a legit beauty bargain you cannot go wrong with.  Definitely recommended.

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Image by me.
RimmelLondon Australia

• Cruelty free NO
• Plastic Bristles
• Fragrance NO
• Inexpensive in USA

I have never had much luck with Cover Girl products so here is their latest mascara offering; Total Tease in Very Black.

Beauty Guru

Total Tease is housed in black and pink topped tube and is quite a dry formula.  I tend to think wet formulas that dry out a little are the best, but when they are already dry it doesn't bode well.





The bristles are unusual on the wand, you have widely spaced bristles (which are plastic) the other side has more compact bristles, then there is a little section on the top that has some eye poking bristles that I imagine you are meant to use to 'tease out' the hairs.  Well, I have used this twice now and twice I have poked my eye even when being careful.




Being perfectly honest, as I always am, this mascara is bad, no bueno bad.  It did nothing for my lashes except clump them, provided no length, no volume, no thickness no nothing.  Total failure.  Luckily I got it on sale but it was still $10 AUD as drug store products are very expensive in Australia.  I hate the wand and don't know what they were thinking with this mascara.

This mascara is going straight into the bin, I am afraid.

I do not recommend.

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Images by me.
Covergirl

• Cruelty free NO
• It costs $20 AUD approx.
• You get 20 mls in a pearlescent opaque pump bottle, very slimline so travel friendly
• My skin type is oily/combination, I am currently 38 years old with fair freckled skin.

This was the first primer I ever used that had a radiant aspect to it.


Beauty Guru

You can use this primer to enliven an overly flat foundation.  It really gives a lovely finish with foundation it is nice and even with just the right amount of enlivening colour.  The primer is housed in a white opalescent pump with rose gold accents.  It has a mild fragrance and it is far less obvious then the Mecca Cosmetica radiant primer which had a peach tone to it.  That primer is a lot more peachy radiant whilst this is excellent at evening and brightening the complexion in a little more opaque way.

The formula contains some skin conditioning ingredients such as vitamin e, panthenol and glycerin which is excellent for helping your foundation adhere to your face longer as well as being a humectant which attracts and keeps moisture in your skin cells.




I feel it is a great purchase  if you wanted a radiant primer.  It would be better if there was a full ounce.

You need four or so pumps a bit for each part of your face and ensure you blend it into your skin well so you have a nice smooth canvas.  

So this product is definitely recommended if you aren't concerned about animal cruelty.  I won't be repurchasing this product.

G790522 - INGREDIENTS: Water, Isododecane, Cyclopentasil Oxane, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Methylmetacrylate
Crosspolymer, Butylene glycol, Dimethicone, Isoeicosane, Disteardimonium hectorite, Boron nitride, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl PEG/ PPG-10/ 1 Dimethicone,
Sodium chloride, Polyglyceryl - 4 isostearate, Hexyl laurate, Acrylates/Ammonium methacrylate copolymer, Isostearyl neopentanoate,
Capyryl glycol, Triethyl citrate, Methylparaben, C9-15 Fluoroalcohol phosphates / C9-15 fluoroalcohol, Phosphate, Tocopherol, Panthenol,
[+/- MAY CONTAIN: CI 77891 / Titanium dioxide, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499 / Iron oxides] (FIL B49725/1).

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Product image via Boots.com and hand picture is my hand taken by me.
L'Oreal

• 45 mls
• Contains sillicone
• Vegan NO
• Expensive at $38 AUD
• Fragrance Free NO
• Cruelty Free 
• Pump YES

This primer is part of the Face Series and their eponymous beauty line created by high end and luxury cosmetic and skincare boutique company Mecca Cosmetica in 2003.

Beauty Guru

The Mecca Cosmetica Face Series Lit From Within Illuminating primer is a 'radiant' or 'illuminating' primer so as the name suggests, it will brighten your complexion.  The product suggestion says you can wear it by itself or as a traditional primer.  It comes in a opaque pump bottle which has a lovely look of matte beige bottle and black matte cap and typeface.  The product itself is a radiant looking peach colour and is easily smoothed onto the skin for a lovely look indeed.  I used this primer under a new matte foundation I won as a prize by a new skincare company by the name of  a new Australian skincare and cosmetic mineral based products brand ASAP Skin Products.  It really lifts the appearance of the matte foundations texture giving the face that extra something.  In this case both products played well together.  Nothing worse when doing your makeup and then find that the new products you are using are incompatible and cause pilling or other issues.

One gripe I have with this product is the amount of fragrance that is in it.  It smells lovely, if it were a perfume, but it's not, it's a facial primer.  It's immediately apparent, especially if you tend to use a lot of non perfumed products on the face.  I don't see how fragrance is necessary when it does not benefit the consumer.

There is another version of this radiant type primer but it is in a little tub like a lip balm.  I remember trying it a long time ago in store and it was lovely. It has a different ingredient line up due to it's formulation.   This primer does contain antioxidants with the grape seed oil, green tea, vitamin e and pomegranate extracts, with skin moisture giving glycerin and sodium hylauronate for a lovely plump skin base.

I have worn my makeup all day and went to an hour long Pilates/yoga class and the primer didn't affect the longevity of my foundation adversely the foundation wore away first on my chin which is pretty normal for me.  This is an illuminating primer primarily so longevity would be a welcome aspect of the primer but it is not what the primer is for necessarily in this case.

 I am trying to find out if the brand is cruelty free and apparently it is vegan with some products but not this one because it contains Carmine which is from a red beetle species.  Will update this post when I know definitively.

I definitely recommend this product, if fragrance doesn't bother you. The ingredients  in bold are ones that have a higher risk of irritation/allergy and are the fragrance chemicals and the vitamin e or tocopherol.  If you click on the links you can read about the ingredients and do research.

Ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polyacrylamide, Dimethicone, Mica, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Phenoxyethanol, Laureth-7, Fragrance (Parfum), Potassium Sorbate, Benzyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Allantoin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract Sodium Hyaluronate, Punica Grantum Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Carmine (CI 75470), Iron Oxides (CI 77489, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499).

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Image by me.
Not Sponsored.  This was actually a rewards loyalty program by Mecca Cosmetica for my birthday as a set with the setting spray in the same product line.
Mecca Cosmetica

Innovative Beauty & Fragrance Products #3

It is hard to keep up with all the innovative, creative beauty and grooming products that are being dreamed up to make self-care more fluid, not only to give us a superior cosmetic result in not just only application, but to make life easier with faster iterations for the ever busier lives that so many of us lead.  There are travel friendly options for your favourite fragrances such as the Jo Malone's new fragrance label (as she sold her previous self titled label Jo Malone some time ago) Jo Loves Fragrance Paint Brush below, the oily hair savior dry shampoo in blotting paper form rather than the bulky, heavy aerosol can which even in the mini travel form can still be a pain to carry around, while blotting papers are easily slid into a pocket or handbag or even clutch.

 L'Occitane Magic Key

This key is a great idea as we know there is still
From the website - 'A very clever accessory to fix on all our metallic tube creams allowing you to squeeze the tube without losing any contents.'
It can be purchased here - Purchase

Nunzio Saviano Dry Shampoo Blotting Paper, $24, available at Amazon.
and Anti-frizz Sheets   



Nunzio Saviano is a top tier New York hair stylist with his own salon on Lexington on the Upper East Side since 2013 .  He has worked with some of the most notable salons in the business such as Oscar Blandi and Sally Hershberger, the real creme de la creme.  Nunzio has worked at NYFW and backstage at many catwalk shows and all the glossy magazines.  It then comes as no surprise that such a talented and lauded stylist has created some time-saving, problem-solving, self-care items for today's hyper busy lifestyle.  Getting ready on the go is a reality and these two products Anti Frizz sheets 1 box of 15 sheets for $18 USD and Dry Shampoo oil blotting papers $24 USD look like they fit the bill! Both can be purchased on Amazon.

 Jo Loves Fragrance Paintbrush in Pomelo, $55, available at Sephora.

This iteration by Jo Loves is so cool I want one for myself! Its a gel formulation available in 4 choices to pick from Pomelo, White Rose and Lemon Leaves, Green Orange and Coriander and Red Truffle 21. Currently they are all sold out on the Jo Loves actual website except for the Pomelo choice.  The gel dries in seconds and you can pop it in your bag or pocket and off you go!

Smashbox Photo Filter Gel Cushion

Bouncing off the uber success of the Beauty Blender makeup sponge and its multiple spin offs, the Gel Cushion is Smashbox's creative offering.  It mimics the spools and whorls of a human finger tip pad to apply your liquid face base products.  It is far more economical then a sponge applicator purely because the gel cushion cannot absorb your liquid products like sponges do.  It is also easily cleaned so very hygienic.  So far it has four stars out of five on the Smashbox website.  It retails for US Dollars $20.





MAC Rollerwheel Eyeliner


The very first of it's kind, MAC has created a rolling liquid eyeliner "brush" to be your P Plates driving! Available in four shades you can choose your fave colour and start rolling out your winged liner to new, perfect heights.  The wheel has always been the universal symbol of human ingenuity, will the Rollerwheel liquid eyeliner brush achieve iconic status too? Shades are Rollin' Black Shine Shiny Black, On a Roll Matte Black, Roller Royale Royal Blue and Rollerwheel Brown Warm Brown. 

Chupa Chup Korea Lipsticks

Chupa Chups Korea has used it's iconic sweet lolly with its multitude of flavours into lipsticks! Sold as a set of three called the Lip Locker, the trio feature Strawberry, Strawberry and Cream and Orange shades which are the epitome of the yummy juicy sweets.  There was a previous release in the past featuring soda flavours.  Perhaps those flavours will return again in lippie form.  These colours scream summer! Making the most of the sweet's iconic shape the lipsticks are incorporated into the classic sweet form.  Check them out below.

There is other cosmetic products in the line such as eyebrow pencil, lip crayons and more.

Essence Cosmetics has collaborated with Chupa Chup Korea called "I Want Candy" with eyeshadow's, nail polish and nail scrub and more.  Chupa Chup Korea

Strawberry
Strawberry and Cream




Orange

I love making these posts of fun new creations from the beauty and grooming world and can't wait to start compiling #4!

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Images sourced noted on images.

Fenty Beauty is HERE! Some awesome news is that her foundation range contains 40 shades! Above is what the product container looks like.





The above is called Match Stix, with highlight, concealer and contour.  The highlighter is sold individually but the concealer and contour come together as a duo.  However, you can get a trio in one set of skin tone suitable colours.




This is a lip gloss that Rhianna chose herself as a universal shade. 

I just love the aesthetic of Fenty Beauty product components and look forward to hearing first reviews of these products.

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Images via Cosmopolitan.com.au

Just when you thought you had a hard time leaving the ASOS website, now there is yet another reason to get entranced and hand over your ATM card because the shopping mecca is now releasing their own range of beauty products and the kicker is that everything is under $25 AUD!


There is 16 pieces in the range right now and coming soon January 2018 will be a body product drop which is perfect for us Aussies as it is Summer time, you can bet there will be some gleaming and glowing products for the skin I just know it!

The range is available September 20 online. 

How cute is the packaging too btw?

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Image via MarieClaire.com.au

News is out that Rhianna's long awaited beauty line is going to be released this September online at Sephora Australia! 8th Septemeber 2017!

Limited news has found it's way out of Fenty Beauty one being a less then amazing holographic lipstick. So hopes will be high for fans of this style icon in the coming days. 

Sephora Australia