Hello my Beauty-ful people!
Hope you are all having an amazing weekend!
So we're going to discuss (well let's be honest, only I'm going to discuss it haha) the NYX Intense Butter Gloss Lip Glosses. I have only recently got onto these but so far I am so hooked!.
In the past I haven't been the biggest lip gloss/lipstick lover especially standout colours (I think I had a small addiction to MAC Pure Zen as it's the perfect Nude :P) but I made a goal a little while ago to branch out a little and try a few different colours and types, so that's exactly what I've done. I personally look for in a lipstick a few categories-
- A lot of pigment, if you don't have a lot of pigment I think a lip balm or a lip gloss is more appropriate. Kind of defeats the purpose of a Lippie!
- Very moisturizing! I cannot stand the feeling of lipsticks or liquid lipsticks that are very drying because then the lipsticks look horrible and flaky on the lip and that is not cute.
- Does not cost an arm and a leg. As much as I love Makeup, here in Australia Makeup is not very cheap, even drugstore brands so I can't justify spending a fortune on a lipstick, especially if it's a brand/type you haven't tried before so you don't know if you'll like the formula or colour.
So I was really happy to find that these ticked all 3 of these boxes.
I originally purchased a little pack that had 3 of them (normal sizes) in for $19 as I thought it was an awesome deal (they're $9.95 individually here in Oz) and there was a 30% special on for NYX so I got it for an even better deal. The colours that were in the pack were - Black Cherry Tart, Berry Strudel, Spice Cake. After I tried them out and fell in love I went out and brought Toasted Marshmallow and Funnel Delight.
The breakdown to each colour as explained on the website is -
Berry Strudel - Violet with Blue Undertones.
Black Cherry Tart - Deep Vamp Purple
Spice Cake - Deep Plum
Toasted Marshmallow - Mauve Purple
Funnel Delight - Hot Pink
So as the title pretty much gives away they are a lip gloss, but I would class them as a Liquid Lipstick though as Lip Glosses are generally sheer or not very pigmented and usually go over a lipstick but these can be 100% worn alone and if you put a lipstick underneath it would be completely covered by them. The pigment is beautifully thick so you'll only need one coat of them but it doesn't feel thick on your lips which is what I like and doesn't clump or "glug" up on your lips either. They aren't advertised as a long wearing lipstick but of all the times I've worn them they have stayed really well and I have eaten, drank and talked a lot and it has worn down a bit but there's still colour so unless you're close up you can't tell much of a difference and it doesn't completely come off (I have attached a photo of what it looks like after a few hours of drinking/eating/talking) but obviously will look better if you touched up once or twice. Surprisingly they have a really nice smell to them. I can't explain what scent it is but it might be a bit of coconut or vanilla, but the smell is no where near over powering, it's very subtle and makes putting them on a little nicer. They are extremely glossy, that's not a deal breaker for me as I like glossy but they do settle a little bit and after wearing it for a while it doesn't look as glossy.
They have 24 different shades available online varying from nudes to pinks to deep purples. Like previously said, here in Australia they sell for $9.95 at Target - https://www.target.com.au/b/nyx
In America you can purchase them for $6.00 (you lucky people) from their website online - http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/intense-butter-gloss/NYX_175.html?cgid=lipgloss#start=4&cgid=lipgloss
Overall I would definitely recommend trying out this product because I am so in love with them and am going to be adding many more colours to my collection asap and I'll be branching out and trying some of the other lip Butters (they have Matte ones and non Intense ones) so once I give them a go if I do or don't like them I will definitely do another blog on them. They are such a good price for such a good quality product. They smell yummy so it just adds to the beauty of them. Considering they aren't advertised as a long lasting product, they last really nicely. They have a really beautiful colour range, so no matter what skin/eye/hair colour or whatever you prefer there's a few options for you.
I have added swatches of each colour with Flash and No Flash next to each other, and also some pictures of a few of the shades on me so you can see what they look like on the lip and against my skin tone.
The perfect way to just add a little bit of pop to your outfit and day.
If you have any questions or suggestions of the next blog, let me know :).
Have a beauty-ful Day and Night.
Belinda x
After all night of talking/eating/drinking
Hey Beauty-ful people!!
Tonight, I'm going to be talking about the product that has taken over the award for Favourite Mascara of All Time!
Dior Show Iconic Overcurl Mascara
I am a bit picky when it comes to Mascaras and before I found this gem my favourite was MAC Haute and Naughty Mascara (I can do a review on this one too if needed- for some reason I haven't) and it worked really well and was happy using it but as soon as I started using the Dior Iconic - ohmygosh the MAC went out the window!. It's literally like brushing on eyelash extensions and it adds so much volume and length to lashes it's like a dream. The brush has a curved end so if you put the curve pointing up (the same shape as your lash) it really does go on so nicely and evenly and is like your lashes are on steroids. With just one layer it makes such a big difference and can build on top of very nicely.
Literally every time I put it on it goes on so nicely, generally sometimes even with the nicest mascaras every now and then you get bad mascara days, but without a doubt this stuff is always so good. It is in black so nothing different to any other black mascara colouring. Although, I don't generally cry I haven't had any problems with it streaking, clumping or even in heat it seems to be pretty waterproof but as I haven't really dunked my head in water, definitely try it out if you need a waterproof mascara for a wedding or an occasion where there might be crying involved. It comes in a variety of colours, of course Black, Blue and Brown.
Obviously, as it's Dior it is on the pricier end of the spectrum but I think mascara can either make or break an amazing Makeup look so I think the money is worth it (if you can afford it) if you're going to get good use out of it and can't find anything that's the same quality but cheaper (if you know of anything, please let me know I would love to try it out). As usual, everything is a lot more expensive here in Australia so here it's $52.00, you can buy it from Myer and David Jones - http://www.myer.com.au/shop/mystore/diorshow-iconic-overcurl-spectacular-volume-and-curl-professional-mascara-154523260 and for you beauties that are from the States or anywhere that has access to Sephora, that's where you can get it from for $28.50 ( you lucky ducks! haha) check it out here - http://www.sephora.com/diorshow-iconic-overcurl-mascara-P377821?skuId=1497940
Overall, I would definitely recommend this product - hands down. The only negative thing about the product is the price but other than that I am totally obsessed with it. I'll attach pictures as to what my lashes look like before and after but for some reason it really doesn't do it justice but it'll give you an idea with what I meant about it literally looking like brushing on lashes, so natural but not at the same time (if that makes sense haha) and in the pictures this is just one coat of it.
If you have any questions or any other suggestions, don't hesitate to comment below, always looking for new products to try out - especially if it's on par with this mascara but cheaper!.
Wishing you all a Beauty-ful Day/Night!
Belinda xx
Hello my Pretties,
A few months ago I wrote a review on the Bondi Sands Tanning Products that I use and love, and not so love. In this review I spoke about how I HATED the Bondi Sands Tanning mitt and that I had bought the JBronze one in the hopes it would be a lot better, and I can safely say it's so much better!. So lets talk about it!.
JBronze Luxe Application Mitt.
JBronze is created by Jennifer Hawkins, an Australian Model and Presenter and Judge of Australia's Next Top Model.
I mentioned why I hated the other ,mitt so much was because you literally just pop your hand in and while you're tanning it moves around and makes marks with the seams. I went out and bought the JBronze Mitt because it was the only one I saw that had a part for your thumb too which I thought would make it easier to not move around so much, and thankfully, I was right. After maybe 2 applications with the Bondi Sands Mitt my nail had split through the mitt so there was a big hole in it and just made the whole tanning process a lot more difficult. The JBronze Mitt is a lot thicker and you can tell is made with different, better quality fabrics that feel so nice on your skin and make for a nicer, more even application. I have used it about 6 times now, maybe even more and it's still in perfect condition and no sign of my nail making any holes in it.
You can definitely tell that the JBronze Mitt is made from different fabrics than the Bondi Sands one, as it felt very thin and a bit flimsy, which I guess is ok for tanning mitts as they aren't made to last a lifetime but because it is so much thinner that's why only after 2 applications it was pretty much ruined and in turn makes the tanning process a little bit more difficult. JBronze is made from a velvet type of fabric, that are on most mitts, but I found that this is just made out of better quality and they took the time to create a product that will last a while and in turn make every tanning application is as easy as it can be.
Always remember to look after your Tanning mitt to get the most use out of it so after you finish making yourself a Bronze Goddess, wash the mitt in Warm water - Do not use Soap or Detergent and leave to dry for the next time.
JBronze are proudly Australian Made & Owned, they do not test on Animals, It doesn't contain Parabens or Palm Oil, It is safe to use while you're Pregnant and also Vegan Friendly.
The JBronze Mitt $12.95, the same price as most of the Tanning mitts on the market, maybe a dollar or two more, which to me is definitely worth extra few bucks. You can buy the mitt and other JBronze products from most Chemists/Pharmacies or of course, on their website.
See here - http://www.jbronze.com.au/jbronze-luxe-application-mitt
As this is a fairly new Australian product there is no stockists Internationally at this stage, so email them if you're interested in this product and they can organize shipping them to you!
Have a Beauty-Ful Day/Night!
Belinda xxx
Good Morning/Evening my Beauty-Ful people,
Today we're going to talk about a product I have literally fallen SO in love with!
NARS Luminous Powder Foundation.
I had heard a bunch of mixed reviews on this product but the good things I did hear were fantastic so thought i'd give it a shot and buy it. Boy, am I so thankful I did!. So it is a bit more on the expensive side of things, especially here in Australia but in my opinion it is TOTALLY worth it.
I bought it from Mecca Cosmetica and the consultant put it on me, color matched me and all that jazz and automatically I loved it but sometimes it's so hard to tell what you're going to think in natural light and on your phone (because of course selfies are so important haha) so I went outside and drove and all of those normal things and it still looked really good and lasted well, so I picked that baby up!. I really like that you can of course wear it over foundation or BB cream but you can also just wear it by itself and still gives you really nice coverage and looks very natural. I personally HATE putting on BB cream or whatever all of the time, especially day to day so I really love that I can put some on, run out the door to do a few things and not look like a zombie.
In the pictures I have attached I am wearing on the face - no foundation, just the powder, a bit of concealer under my eyes and a bit of bronzer through the cheekbones. It's only one layer too, the good thing about this product is you can really build it up too, for those days we feel a little bit crap and need a little bit more help. I just have a big fluffy brush that I put in the powder and powder it gently around the face so it's so easy. I personally think the powder gives me a very natural, healthy look - which is the exact thing I need. For the dry skin beauties, always remember if you're wearing lots of powder products make sure you keep your face well moisturized otherwise the powder products will just stick to the dry areas and look a little funny. I still find this powder doesn't stick so much as other products but the people who have a good skin care routine will have no problems with that at all. There is a liquid form of this product which I am hoping will be my next bigger makeup purchase ( it's $70 too) and I cannot wait to try it, I hope I love it as much as I do the powder. For those who have Oily skin, always go in store if you can to give it a go just in case, $70 is a lot of money to pay if it's not the best on your skin or not happy but as it is a powder product it should look beautiful and give you a nice, natural look that you can touch up. I wouldn't recommend the Foundation liquid form though as it might look way to shiny on your skin type.
They have a pretty good color variety so you should definitely be able to find your perfect color. Here in Australia you can buy them from Mecca Cosmetica for $70.00 - http://mecca.com.au/nars/luminous-powder/V-019759.html?cgpath=brands-nars-all#start=1
For those in the States - you lucky ducks - go ahead to Sephora for $48.00 - http://www.sephora.com/all-day-luminous-powder-foundation-spf-24-P389185?skuId=1657089
I personally think the price is worth it because of how much I love it and as I don't layer it up a lot I use less product. You don't have to use a whole lot of powder so it will last a while, I've had it for almost 5 months and still have a bit to go and use it most days. Especially the Americans it's more than $20 difference in price than us to it's a lot more reasonable in price.
I have also added a picture of what my face looked like at the very end of the night, so you can see how it held up (I'm wearing my PJ's in them haha). Photos are not retouched or edited at all, I just cut my nephew out of them for privacy reasons :).
Hope you all are having a fabulous week and the weekend comes quickly!
Belinda xxx
Hey Beauty-Ful People!
I know it's been a while, but i'm back with a vengeance! I have a huge list of blogs I want to do for you all. So today we're going to start with something a little different and that's the J Bronze, Shimmer Instant Illuminiser cream.
Years ago, I was absolutely obsessed with the ModelCo Spray Illuminiser, it was so so pretty but it's hard to find these days and it's not the kind of product you can wear at nice occasions, it's more for Halloween and parties where you want to sparkle from a mile away - god knows I love to sparkle from a mile away but in a good way haha. I bought this product a little while ago on sale and thought it would be good to just test out but I absolutely love it!. It's very natural but also could be worn for more out there occasions like Halloween or dress up parties, I think that's what I like about it so much, it's very versatile. The biggest pro for me is that if i'm too lazy to apply a spray tan/self tanner on the night of the event, I can put it on and it gives my skin a very natural glow.
It's very easy to use, just put about a pea size in your hand or directly on your skin and rub in and apply more as needed. If your outfit is white, I would suggest that you put it on before you're dressed as putting it on a bit of light brown can be accidentally put on your clothes as you're rubbing it in. I have worn different colored outfits while using this product, including something that was predominantly white and there was no transfer but like with everything always test it out just in case.
After you rub it in, you HAVE to wash your hands! Your hands will look like a metallic mess but will wash off very easily. I'll attach photos of what it looks like on my arms and legs so you can see the effect it gives. It doesn't have much of a scent to it which I really like. The bottles only come in 100ml tubes, which doesn't seem like a lot, but as you only use a little at a time and it isn't a product you'll have to use daily so it would last quite a while.
I purchased it from Priceline (an Australian Pharmacy chain) but you can get it here in Australia from most chemists or their website - www.jbronze.com.au. Here is the link from Priceline - https://www.priceline.com.au/brand/jbronze/jbronze-shimmer-instant-illuminiser-100-ml
It is $24.99 which is a little pricey but I think it's worth it, especially since it'll last quite a while as a little goes a long way. It's currently on sale at Chemist Warehouse for $16.00 - http://www.chemistwarehouse.com.au/product.asp?id=69135&pname=J+Bronze+by+Jennifer+Hawkins+Shimmer+Instant+Illuminiser+100ml
I have some other JBronze products that I will be reviewing very soon, so keep an eye out because some of their products don't make the cut for me!.
Have a Beauty-Ful Day/Night!
Belinda xx
Good Evening/Morning my loves!
I had heard a few things on different YouTubers over the last few months about these new brushes called "Tangle Teezers". They are these new brushes that are created to get the tangles out of your hair without pulling so in turn it's less painful and better for your hair. I really didn't know if I believed in it as no matter what I have done my hair is so damn thick and was so long that it just pulled and tangled no matter what.
I was in a Hair store here in Brisbane and found these Tangle Teezers and another brand version that was a bit cheaper so I thought that I would buy the cheaper brand just to see how it worked before I forked out the bit more money for the genuine one that I thought would be better. So I purchased the HiLift Detangle Brush. It was only $15.95 compared to the original Tangle Teezers that are $29.95 - $34.95. I was told the HiLift one was exactly the same and the only difference was the Tangle Teezers were a bit fancier and the HiLift ones had a kind of handle to it - which I preferred. So I recently cut off a lot of my hair again - boy do I regret it so I literally got it the day before I cut my hair off but when I used it on my really long hair it just brushed through beautifully but the real test was going to come when I washed my hair as usually it's a mean feat trying to get all the tangles out. I was seriously AMAZED!. The brush seriously does not pull one little bit and just brushes through the tangles with complete ease. I really don't know how it works but it really does. I honestly thought it was another gimmick but my gosh I am seriously impressed by this little baby!.
They come in a variety of colours - I got a purple one, but the Tangle Teezers come in a bunch of funky designs if you want to spend the extra money but I much prefer the handle on the HiLift and I'm a bit of a cheap ass so seeing as it's a fair bit cheaper and is exactly the same product why spend that extra money?. Check them out here http://www.myhaircare.com.au/Detangle_Brush_2772.html or http://www.tangle-teezer.com.au/.
I would seriously recommend this brush to everyone. I am seriously still so amazed at how it does what it does but I am so in love with it and has definitely been nice not having to yank at my tangled hair for a while now.
Have a Beauty-ful Day/Night!
Belinda
xx
Good Morning/Evening my Beauties!
First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday period! I had a pretty laid back Christmas and New Years but it's exactly what I needed :).
So lets get back into the Beauty Blogging with this awesome new product I've fallen in love with - it's a product that we can use at anytime throughout the year but here in Australia it's Summer so everyone wants to be all tanned and gorgeous but for some of us we don't have time or can't go out and tan a lot to get some colour, and for those people this product is for you!.
At the end of last year I was on the search for a self tanner I could do at home. I am naturally Olive Complexion and it really doesn't take much for me to tan but as I have some health issues I am unable to go in the sun a lot so getting a natural tan is a bit difficult and as many of you know, a gorgeous tan always makes you feel healthy and just makes you feel better about yourself, and I need a lot of that. I am actually a trained Spray Tanner so I can Spray Tan myself but it's just so much effort putting it all together and then twisting your body into weird and wonderful ways to get an even tan haha we all know I can be a bit lazy.
So I did hear a few good things about the Bondi Sands Tanning Range, so I decided to give them a shot. First off I purchased the Bondi Sands - Self Tanning Lotion in Light/Medium and I literally started to use it and I just felt like it didn't go on my skin very nice and didn't have a lot of colour in it so it was a bit difficult to see and make sure it's going on flawlessly so I immediately stopped using it and decided I would go and get the Foam the next day, which I did. So I purchased the Bondi Sands - Self Tanning Foam in Light/Medium, just so I could suss out how dark the tan was - I didn't want to go really dark my first time and look like an oompa loompa :P. So that night I exfoliated my skin nicely and then tried it out. I purchased the Bondi Sands Tanning Mitt (ALWAYS USE A TANNING MITT) and then pumped the Foam onto the Mitt and put it onto my skin in circular motions. I always start from my legs and work my way up. Now I really hated their Mitt!. It is one of those ones that you just put on top of your hand and has no thumb area so as you're manoeuvring the tan to make it even it moves around on your hand and the seam of it makes lines and it's just really annoying and after the first go my nail made a huge hole in it so it's not very long lasting. I just purchased the Jennifer Hawkins - JBronze Tanning Mitt as it's much thicker/softer and has a thumb area so I think it'll be so much easier to use but of course after I use it I will give a review :). So while you're putting the tan on, it's pretty hard to get it completely even and almost looks a bit streaky - which got me really freaked out but don't worry after it's washed off it looks beautiful and even. The Light/Medium Colour is a beautiful and very natural colour but personally it wasn't as Dark as I like so I ended up giving it to my Sister so I could try out the Self Tanning Foam in Medium/Dark colour. Which I absolutely love, it's still really natural but you can tell you have a tan.
When you're wanting to put a tan on, always remember to exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate!. It will come out extremely streaky and patchy if you don't exfoliate. So as previously said when you're putting it on just pump the foam onto the Mitt and then put it in circular motions. Once you've put it on it says you can wash it off after an hour but obviously the longer you leave it, the darker the tan will be. They also say that if the first coat isn't as dark as you like after half an hour you can put another coat on. It says usually to wash it off up to 6 hours later but I do it later in the night and sleep in it and wash it off in the morning which really works well and it develops to a beauty-ful colour. Now when you wash it off, remember do not exfoliate in the shower and don't rub yourself with your towel, just dab yourself dry. To get the most longevity out of the product, moisturise twice daily but even with only moisturising a few times I have gotten about 7 days of a really beauty-ful tan so with looking after the tan it'll probably last up 10-11 days.
Now the thing I really really really loved about this product is that it fades away SO nicely!. The thing I hate about tans generally are that when they fade away you start looking like an orange leper because it comes off in your cleavage, elbows, your underarms and annoying places like that and you literally have to scrub your skin raw to get the tan off - gah makes me angry thinking about it but this tan just fades beautifully then when you exfoliate it literally just comes off so easily so it makes things so much easier and I don't dread the process so much haha. The smell is lovely, it smells like most Spray Tanning products kind of coconutty but isn't crazy overpowering.
I got these products from Priceline, here in Australia. They sell them at most Chemists and they have a variety of other products like a gradual tanning moisturiser (my Sister has this, I will get her to give me a review so I can let you all know) and also have the same tanning products but in a Mist, which I have actually purchased as well as I think it'll be perfect for the face as it's softer and as you put products on and off your face every day it can tend to take the tan off quicker so in between you can do a quick spray and bam! Face is tan again! but of course a review will come on that too. They were all $19.99 but always keep an eye out as you might find them on special so you can save a bit of money. It's a 200ml bottle and you really don't use a lot so it will last a fair while. The mitt was just under $10 but as mentioned I really wasn't a fan of it but each to their own :). Check out all their products www.priceline.com.au or www.bondisands.com.au. It's obviously Australian Made which I absolutely love about it, as I am Australian born and bred and these days a lot of products are made anywhere but here.
Hope you all have a Beauty-ful Day/Night!
Belinda
xx
