Loreal True Match Blendable Powder- Worth it?

Hitting pan is one thing, but finishing a makeup product right down to the very end is truly a moment of great victory and pride. Most girls would start thinking about either a repurchase of the same product or an alternative midway between the two.

I am one to always keep trying new products, so after I cleaned out my MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Powder, I broke out the Loreal True Match Super Blendable Powder.

Sorry for the murky bit, the tape left behind sticky residue and the powder just keeps getting on it.

For the review just read on.

A Review- Medora Nail Polish

I am NOT a nail polish person. Never was, never will be, it's just not my cup of tea. However, it just so happened, that a while back, I got myself a hot glue gun. I happened to come across a number of tutorials that demonstrated how to make awesome (cute and pretty) DIY decorative items, stuff like jewelry, containers, art work and coasters.

I decided I was going to take up 'hot-gunning', and make some 'stuff'- kind of make it a thing to do with my very creative young nieces. So I went ahead and made myself a coaster. It turned out well enough, but disappeared after a couple of days. I think the help probably looked at it long and hard, tossed it out shaking her head and thinking about what the object could possibly be. After all, I hadn't given it any colour.

Now in one of the tutorials, it was suggested that nail polish could be used to paint over things made from the glue. So when I saw this particular shade of nail polish, it was not with the intention of using it on my nails that I bought it.

Shade No. 359

Stila Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palette - Mind (All Mattes) Review

I had a resolution this year- that I'd hit pan on my Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. It was within my reach and I would have done so by now, had it not been for the culprit which is the subject of this review today. My sis-in-law sent this beauty a while back. I had seen this palette making the rounds but it did not prepare me about the actual feel of the packaging or the buttery consistency of the eyeshadows themselves.

Colour Pop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks

Ultra matte is an accurate description. Girls, I have to say, was not expecting these to be a wowing product for me, prior experience with liquid lipsticks has not been pleasant, and I'm talking higher end brands. Suffice it to say, these little suckers packed one hell of a bang for the buck.

Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Ginger Pop and Plum Pop Review

Clinique Cheek Pops are by far the most beautifully packaged blushes I have ever owned/seen. Just take a moment to admire the cuteness of these beauties. The moment I laid my eyes on them, I knew I had to get one and ended up with 2 out of the then released 4 shades.

Clinique Cheek Pop Blushes in Ginger Pop and Plum Pop

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua- My Holy Grail Foundation at Last

I realize that I have been absent from the blogging arena for a while now. Some things went down, but the dust has finally settled. Suffice it to say, the reviews, tips and makeup related posts will now a be a more frequent part of your feed.

Right, moving along... as you all know I am a self-professed makeup junkie, but among the makeup categories, foundation takes the prize. The wisdom of all top-makeup artists makes so much more sense; a flawless (or as flawless as can be) base, makes for the ideal canvas for the rest of the paraphernalia on your vanity. I should totally do a post on my humble vanity ( ahem ahem) sometime soon. But I digress.

This puppy has been in my stash all sealed for a while now. Come the dry winter months combined with my prior experience with the big sister of this foundation (find the review and dupe here), I gave it a go.

New MAC Lipstick and Dupe

I was all excited for the unveiling of my new MAC lipstick. This one was on my most wanted list for ages and ages. As I was happily swatching it, it dawned on me that I had put up a post of a lipstick that was very very similar to it just a while back; in fact it was my last post. Okay I'm telling you already... the name of my newest addition is none other than MAC's infamous Velvet Teddy.

Color Studio Professional Lipsticks

There's love at first sight, and there is falling in love steadily; which is what is happening between this brand and I. I brought a brush from this line on the advice of my sister (reviewed here) and just recently, my sister-in-law and I were standing at the display, pondering what to buy.

 As we stood their leisurely swatching things, ladies were coming up asking the sales woman to give them lipsticks with the particular lipstick name. My sister-in-law and I looked each other, a little surprised. Was this range the new MAC? It certainly looked like it from the way things were going. So we just took the plunge. We tried getting our hands on a matte shade, but it was sold out, so we picked out two from the creamy finish line. We got the two shades in 'Tornado' and 'Runway'.

Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencils

I thought that these pencils would a little bigger, but they are smaller than your average jumbo lip pencils. When I first caught a whiff of them online, I was intrigued since they looked very nice and were reasonably prized. They are not the retractable ones, they need to be sharpened. This is a plus for me since I like the tip to be sharpish to get a clean lip line.

It was a pleasant surprise to receive these from my sister-in-law (also co-author of this blog) though I believe she has left the heavy lifting to me...(I'm ducking).....nevertheless, I tried them out albeit just once. If you want to know my first impressions, read on.

Shades: 510 Red Essential and 210 Keep it Classy

The Colossal Kajal 12H Extra Black Pencil

I've got a tonne of eye pencils all tucked away in a nifty little box. There's something so pretty about them, all the pretty colors and packaging. But black is the one colour you can not have enough of. It's most used and anybody can use it and look good. It is also enough to do an entire eye look. In a hurry just swipe it across your lids and smudge, BAM! Instant smoky eye. Then go over closer to you lash line, tight line on the upper and lower lids. Gorgeous smoky eyes in under 2 minutes. Generally speaking, you'll be looking for a formula that is matte, stays put, yet is pliable enough to smudge out when you apply it and is very very black. So does this product fit the bill?

MAC's Satin Taupe, Is It Worth the Hype?

I just love using palettes that have a good variety of eyeshadows. It's very convenient. It also enables you to get creative. A few lovely ones that spring to mind are Urban Decay's Vice 3 (review here), both the Lorac Pro Palettes and the Naked Palettes. With all of these, I don't really have to use primer, just a light hand with concealer works (but just set with powder) and they last all day. They just need a dab in the pan for good colour payoff.

To be honest, I am just not a fan of singles. Although the Satin Taupe from Mac is housed in a quad, I'll still say its a single. But is it worth it? MAC eyeshadows are pretty expensive and it could set you back quite a bit to make a quad. I remember thoroughly researching MAC eyeshadows when I wanted to build mine.

Satin Taupe was probably the most hyped best seller. I liked the swatches too (though I thought they looked different in each picture-but more on that later). And so it was that I became the proud of owner of this eyeshadow.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Intense Balm

Having worn more or less matte lips consistently for a couple of weeks now, this morning I felt like a different finish was in order. Also, I was sleepy so I was looking a little lack luster as it were. The culprit I suspect, was that midnight dessert that chased away my beauty sleep only for it to come right back at me in the wee hours of the morning.

So I just went through my usual routine in a very routine way, but jazzed it up a little with the Rimmel Lip Balm Jumbo stick in 200 Keep Mauving. Although I had used it on a number of occasions before, I only just noticed its awesomeness this morning.

These are available in a variety of colours, all of them very pretty, but since I shy away from reds and pasty colours that totally wash me out, I picked up the browny pinky shade in Keep Mauving. I don't really see the mauve in it, but okay. 

Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Instant Smoothing Serum

Well time just keeps on ticking away, and although I have rather good skin for a woman in her late 30's, I can't be kidding myself that the effects of aging won't catch up sooner or later. The objective of course, is the latter. I usually have skin care samples lying around that I use every now and then, but when those ran out I actually panicked, ever so slightly, but panic I did. And so as my brother, his wife and 2 children and my mom were on their way out to the department store, I invited myself to tag along. "Oh, don't worry about the kids, I'll keep an eye on them, you all just concentrate on your shopping," I said. Little did they know about my diabolical plan of giving them the slip at the beauty department. At any rate, I managed to tell my mom to hang on the kids while I step away for a moment. A moment, that's a laugh. The choices were endless. I ended up picking up the product mentioned above. I hadn't read any reviews and had no idea what I was signing up for.

Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette

As always, the Vice palettes that Urban Decay release every year comes with a great deal of hustle and bustle in the makeup world. These are limited edition items, and makeup junkies need to get their fix... since I did not own the previous 2 versions, I decided to cave in to my dark side.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box o' Blushes

How can any makeup junkie pass this up? Reason? 6 of Benefit's famous boxed blushes, each of them around 2/3 of the original sized boxes for just a fraction of the total price. Let's face it, who actually goes through a whole blush? This palette gives us blush addicts the perfect opportunity to try out cult products without breaking the bank.

The cardboard box, the palette and a little pamphlet with tips and ingredients 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light

It's no secret this product has been on my wishlist for a while now. I really had to make the tough decision of choosing between the 3 in 1 palette where I could have the tinier versions of three of these powders, or just one. The singles come in 6 shades of various shades and finishes. I decided to go with the one called 'Diffused Light'. I already have plenty of bronzer shades, and highlighters, so I thought to get this one which has a pale yellow hue with an almost matte finish, to be used as a setting powder at the end to help keep the makeup on longer, and to diminish the look of redness and give 'clarity'. It cost a pretty penny. How do I feel about it?

 

Rave: The Beauty Blender Sponge

On a whim, well slightly more than a whim (endless positive reviews) I finally tried out this seriously over priced tear shaped sponge. It's really not much to look at, one would even think for a minute how to use it. Well it just goes to prove that looks can be highly deceiving. Even though I think it is ridiculously over priced for a sponge, after seeing the end result I can safely say I feel it is worth the investment. I am talking about the original beauty blender and not the countless dupes.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

This product has a cult following in the beauty world. When you say highlighter, this one will definitely pop into mind if you have even remotely heard of it, and since becoming the proud owner of this gorgeous makeup product, I must say I agree with all the hype. It is also marketed as an eyeshadow and a blush, but it can't work as a blush I think, not even on a very fair skin tone. But it can make for a beautiful eyeshadow.

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick

I was so excited to get this product for two reasons, first off it is my first Too Faced product..yay! Next because whereas jumbo lip pencils (balm, stain, tint, long wear or otherwise) were all the rage, the new 'thing' are the liquid lipsticks that claim to be super long wearing and opaque. This line has six regular colors, but since they are a bit pricey, I decided to go for a color that I would get the most use out of. So on with the review:

Shade: Melted Nude

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in 04 Peach Club

These are old news now, but I couldn't pass off not not owning at least one of these babies especially when they were on sale. When these first came out there were rave reviews, nobody had anything bad to say about them, and the packaging was also to die for. The color selection is somewhat limited, but even within the 8 colors they have, there is something for everyone from pinks to reds to peach, and they are all matte.

The one that I ended up bringing home was the bright corally peach one. This color is somewhat out of my comfort zone, but life is short right?