Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Blog Changes

You may have noticed that I've decided to run my blog a little differently this year. Instead of just posting product reviews I'll also be posting about upcoming and new products, application tips and things that have helped me, plus details of stores that I've discovered.

You've probably already noticed that I've finally figured out how to take and crop photos so I'll be including more photos in my posts. I've had my camera for two years but it didn't come with an instruction book so it was only when I was reading a blog post about how to take good pictures that I realised my little camera was capable of taking close up pictures.

I'm also hoping to be able to run more giveaways this year, so stay tuned for them. There will be another Perricone giveaway coming up very soon.

When I find a template I like I'll be changing the appearance of my blog too. I love the template I have now but it's time for a change.

Is there anything else you'd like to see more or less of?
Posted by GlossQueen at 4:24 AM 2 comments
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Monday, February 8, 2010

Designer Brands Mineral Foundation


I'm not afraid to admit that I can be a bit of a make-up snob. Not that I have a problem with cheaper products but in the past I found the quality to be inferior. I'm starting to realise that things have changed and that you can get good quality cosmetics at a reasonable price.

Mineral Foundation is one of the products that I received in my package from Designer Brands. I really like this foundation, it's one that I'd purchase for myself. Its easy to apply and gives good, natural coverage. Unlike some mineral foundations it doesn't sink into my fine lines or make my pores look huge. It has a smoothing effect and makes my skin look smooth and flawless.


I received this in Medium which was a little too dark for me so after testing it twice I gave the foundation to a friend of mine to try out. Here's her feedback: On oily skin without primer it tends to slip a bit, but as a finishing powder over liquid foundation it's lovely. It makes my skin look really smooth and it's something I'd buy again. 


Designer Brands says: Talc Free, SPF 15. All the benefits of minerals in a powder that covers like a foundation. It's weightless, talc free and fragrance free formula contains gentle minerals, aloe vera, green tea extract and vitamins c and e to help skin look fresh and radiant all day. 

Designer Brands Mineral Foundation is a bargain at $14.99.

Ingredients: mica, petrolatum, ethyl palmitate, silica, squalane, cyclomethicone, dimethicone, propylparaben, methylparaben, vitamin e, aloe vera, vitamin c, green tea extract.
May contain: titanium dioxide, iron oxides 77941, 77492, 77499.
Posted by GlossQueen at 7:17 AM 3 comments
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Sunday, February 7, 2010

Giveaway Alert


The lovely Christel over at MakeUpper is holding her first ever giveaway. You could win all of the lovely products shown above. The giveaway is open internationally. 

If you haven't checked out Christel's blog head over there now.
Posted by GlossQueen at 7:24 AM 5 comments
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Saturday, February 6, 2010

06/02/10 Link Love


Rae falls in love with an amazingly pigmented violet eyeshadow -- for under $5! -- and tries it on as a blush.

Jeweled Thumb gives you the deets regarding a brand new line that may be popping up at your CVS by the ever famous Salma Hayek!

<Feast your eyes on this two-parter from Lipglossiping and see what happened when IMATS rolled into London Town last weekend.

In her constant search for a flawless complexion, Beautyjunkielondon reviews the latest foundation launch from Maybelline.
Check out "The EOTD Series: Color of the week" at xLovelyMakeupx.

Vex in the City shares her experience of the 2010 London IMATS.

Sophie from Melovemakeup talks about her collection of Sleek Palettes.

Maggie gets her rave on with these Rimmel blushes!

Krasey Beauty whips out Essie's matte topcoat and lets the nail polish fun begin.

Hell Candy Make Up attended the London IMATS show last weekend. Check out the various MUAs looks from the show.

A purple smoky eye with a pop tutorial from Lisa Kate at Sparkle is my Crack!

This week GlossQueen tells us how she loves her By Candlelight MSF.

Come discover 32 different nail colors in 32 days with Audrey.

This week at Get Lippie, Louise tries out a Kevyn Aucoin-influenced makeover.

Lisamarie at Beauty Crazed tests out eyerollers to see if they live up to the hype!
Posted by GlossQueen at 7:09 AM 0 comments
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Friday, February 5, 2010

Designer Brands Black Kohl

The people at Designer Brands recently sent me a very generous package of products to test, so watch out for the rest of the reviews coming up soon.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I can be a bit of a make-up snob. Its not very often that I buy low end products and I have low expectations of them. When I tried out DB's Black Kohl I wasn't expecting a lot. I certainly wasn't expecting it to be soft and creamy with great pigment.  

Designer Brands says: Designer Brands Kohl Pencils glide on gently, allowing great eye definition or easy blending for sexy, smoky looks.
Choose from: charcoal, black, black/brown, deep ocean navy blue, violet purple, malachite deep green, silver.
If you are in search of the holy grail of makeup pencils– makeup artist quality at an everyday woman’s price – Designer Brands is sure to appeal.

As you can see in the picture below, the pencil is really long, a lot longer than the average eye pencil. It has a sharpener in the cap which I think is a brilliant idea.



I gave my Black Kohl to a friend to test out and she loved it. She said that it's easy to apply, has great colour, lasts all day without fading or smudging and is easy to remove. 


DB Kohls are a bargain at only $4.99. Click here for stockists.

Will I buy it myself? Yes, I'll definitely be buying more of these pencils. They're huge, soft and easy to apply. Plus, the colour is very rich and intense.

Ingredients: beeswax, iron oxide, black ozocerite wax, mineral oil, isopropyl palmitate, wool wax, carnauba wax, cocoa butter, shea butter, methylparaben, vitamin e, bht.

Posted by GlossQueen at 7:21 AM 12 comments
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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

MAC By Candlelight Mineralize Skinfinish






It's not very often that I get excited about a MAC collection, but I've been waiting to see Warm and Cozy for a while now because of all the great reviews I heard and saw for By Candlelight MSF.

MAC describe this as a golden pink which is fairly accurate, although I'd probably call it a nude pink glow (just to be difficult). It's a beautiful colour that looks soft and natural, like I have naturally glowing skin. I've been wearing it a lot since I bought it, especially on the weekends when I don't want to look done up. It's a great highlighter, I've been using it as a blush, an eyeshadow and also as a highlighter on my cheeks and under my brow bone.   



I had a lot of trouble getting a good picture of how By Candlelight looks on my skin. In this picture I'm wearing it as an eyeshadow and blush. As you can see, it gives me a very subtle glow that's natural and gorgeous. 

Would I buy it again? Yes, it's a heavenly colour.

Ingredients: talc, nylon-12, dimethicone, isopropyl palmitate, polysorbate 20, magnesium aluminium silicate, tocopheryl acetate, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, yeast extract, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, sodium dehydroacetate, phenoxyethanol.
May contain: mica, titanium dioxide, iron oxides, bismuth oxychloride, blue 1 lake, carmine, chromium hydroxide green, chromium oxide greens, ferric ferrocyanide, manganese violet, red 6, red 7 lake, ultramarines, yellow 5 lake, yellow 6 lake.
Posted by GlossQueen at 6:10 AM 5 comments
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Monday, February 1, 2010

Meg's Make-Up



A few months ago I stumbled across an amazing site that I just have to share with you all. It's called Meg's Make-Up. What I love about this site is that they feature little known brands and have an amazing rewards point system where they send out products internationally. Getting points is very easy, you get them for participating on the site and they add up very quickly.


It's because of Meg's Make-Up that I managed to get Urban Decay Primer Potion! This is a cult product that I've been wanting to try for years but haven't been able to get in Australia. Obviously Meg had read my complaints about that because in my first reward package she sent me UDPP. I can't begin to tell you how delighted I was when I received my package. 



The other thing I received in my package was Pure Argan Oil. All that for just visiting a make-up site! Pretty amazing in my opinion. 

The only problem I have with Meg's Make-Up is that it makes me want to buy lots of new things.

Meg's Makeup
Posted by GlossQueen at 7:52 AM 7 comments
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Friday, January 29, 2010

January Empties


Benefit Maybe Baby
Laura Mercier Creme Brulee sugar scrub
Biotherm Biosource dermo-soothing cleanser
Natio Spa Organics pep up body bleanser
Kore Intact repairing eye cream
Lancome Genifique
Dior Diorshow Iconic
Fekkai wash and wear instant shampoo spray


Clarins Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover Lotion
Ardell Clear Brow Gel
Ultraceuticals Ultra Milk Cleanser
Neutrogena Deep Clean Cleansing Oil



Yes to Carrots C is Smooth Body Moisturising Lotion
Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser
Posted by GlossQueen at 7:00 AM 7 comments
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Laura Mercier Creme Brulee Sugar Scrub


I received a travel sized tube of Creme Brulee Sugar Scrub as part of a gwp. I was so excited to get this as I love the scent of Laura Mercier's body products but have never bought a full sized one because of the price.


The best thing about this scrub is the scent, it smells amazing. Apart from the scent there's nothing much that I like about it.

If this was sold as a body wash it'd be pretty good as it's quite moisturising and creamy, however as a body scrub it's totally ineffective. You can see in the picture below there are hardly any sugar scrub particles in it. Due to the lack of particles no matter how much I rub this in it doesn't exfoliate at all. 



Laura Mercier says: Creamy texture removes dead skin cells from the skin's surface. Promotes a radiant, polished glow. Can be used every other day but mild enough for everyday usage

I agree that this is gentle enough to use every day. It'd make a nice shower gel as the fragrance is lovely. The fragrance is quite long lasting too, I can smell it for a few hours after I've had a shower. 

Would I buy it? No, as a body scrub it's totally ineffective.
 
Ingredients: propylene glycol, glycerin, sucrose, peg-12, dimethicone, isopropyl myristate, fragrance, polyacrylamide, tocopheryl acetate, retinyl palmitate, pyrus malus (apple) fruit extract, camellia oleifera leaf extract, cinnamomum zeylanicum bark extract, beta vulgaris (beet) extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, rosa canina fruit extract, jasminum officinale (jasmine) extract, panax ginseng root extract, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, bertholletia excelsa seed oil, honey, c13-14 isoparaffin, laureth-7, glycolic acid, phenoxyethanol, propylparaben, titanium dioxide.
Posted by GlossQueen at 7:36 AM 3 comments
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Monday, January 25, 2010

Adore Tanning


I've recently discovered a company with amazing customer service so though I'd share the details with you all. It's called Adore Tanning. I hadn't heard of them until I was lucky enough to win a $100 voucher to Adore Tanning on the Bella Sugar website. On a side note, did you know that Bella Sugar has an Australian site now?


I placed my order Wednesday morning. Ten minutes after I'd placed my order they called to confirm my address and the next afternoon when I got home from work the package was waiting on my doorstep. How amazing is that?

Adore Tanning has a great range of Tanning products (who would have guessed). I'll be doing reviews of the products that I got soon. 
Posted by GlossQueen at 5:50 AM 5 comments
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