Tuesday 31 March 2009

Lip Smacker Grape Fanta lip balm

When LaLa told me how great these balms taste I had to get them. I've been looking at them for a while, and had managed to resist, but LaLa's raves pushed me over the edge and I had no choice but to buy them. LaLa said that her favorites were strawberry and orange, so I was intending to get both of them, but as it was only $2 difference, I bought a three pack containing strawberry, orange and grape flavours. This was originally supposed to be a review of all three balms, however I started using the grape one and I love it that much that I haven't tried the other two flavours yet.

When I first tried grape I wasn't expecting to like it much, but I love it! It smells just like grape bubblegum, and tastes like bubblegum too. It's purple in the tube, but goes on clear with a soft shine. Surprisingly it's moisturising too. Grape Fanta lip balm is moisturising enough for me to wear every day. I haven't tried it when my lips are really dry, I imagine that it wouldn't be moisturising enough but for everyday use it's great.

When I was younger I assumed that I'd grow out of my love for lip products that taste good, but I haven't. I love flavoured lip products. I'd be happy if all my lip products were flavoured, and I'll often not buy products that aren't flavoured.

Would I buy this again? Yes, for those times when I want to feel like a kid again.

Ingredients: ricinus communis seed oil, cetyl acetate, beeswax, euphorbia cerifera wax, flavor, polybutene, sesamum indicum seed oil, propylene glycol, ozokerite, copernica cerifera wax, acetylated lanolin alcohol, mineral oil, hydrogenated soy glycerides, paraffin, triticum vulgare germ oil, stearic acid, propyl callate, citric acid, polyester-3 (strawberry flavour only), neotame, limonene (orange and strawberry only), cinnamyl alcohol (grape only), methyl 2-octynoate (strawberry only), benzyl benzoate (strawberry only), sodium saccharin.

Monday 30 March 2009

My Lip Stuff 100% Vegan Lip Balm


You all know how much I love My Lip Stuff Lip balms. They're my favorite balms, and have been for a while now, which is amazing as I'm usually really fickle with my products. However there's something about My Lip Stuff balms that has me addicted, and even when I stray from them, within a few days I'm using them again.

I've used their regular balms for ages, but this is the first time that I've tried the vegan balms, and I love them. They're a little thicker in texture than the regular balms, which I really like. Also, they are all flavoured and I love sweetened balms.

I got this in the flavour A Little S&M, which is mandarin orange sorbet flavour. It's sweetened with stevia, so not only does it smell great, it tastes great too. It contains natural vanilla extract and mandarin orange essential oil.

My Lip Stuff Vegan Lip Balms are 100% vegan with 100% natural ingredients.

There are seven different flavours available in the Vegan Lip Balm range, they are: A Little S&M, Clean Cut, Cool Under Pressure, Get Fresh, Hot & Spicy, Inner Beauty, Sweet As Sugar.

Will I buy them again? Yes, these are amazing balms, and I'm a My Lip Stuff Addict.

Ingredients: sunflower oil, candelilla wax, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, essential oils and stevia.

Friday 27 March 2009

Utowa Nude White Eye Crayon


I've finally found the perfect pencil for lining the inner rim of my eye to make my eyes look whiter. All the magazines etc say to line the inner rim with a white pencil, but I find white too harsh and unnatural looking. Because of this, I've been on the hunt for an off white eyeliner for a few years now, and haven't managed to find anything suitable. Imagine my delight when I spied the Nude White Eye Crayon in the Mecca catalogue.

As soon as I saw it I knew that it was exactly what I'd been looking for. So the next chance I got, I went marching into Mecca Cosmetica. I must have looked pretty determined when I walked in, cause the make-up artist grinned at me and said "you look like you know exactly where you're going." Clever me didn't remember the shade name of the pencil, but she knew exactly what I was talking about when I said I wanted the Utowa pencil for lining my rim. She said that it's really popular, so I was glad that they had some in stock.

I'm pleased to be able to say that this eye pencil has lived up to my expectations. It's the perfect colour for lining the rims of my eyes, and makes my eyes look bigger and whiter. It's the perfect texture, not too hard and not too soft, it applies easily, and lasts on my waterline all day.

This is what Mecca Cosmetic have to say about Utowa: Utowa is based on the belief that creativity and spirituality are about connecting the aesthetic of your soul with the experience of your surroundings.
Like father, like son. The brainchild of Hiroshi Uemura, son of Shu Uemura, Utowa's made in Japan range of breakthrough make-up formulas, handmade tools of the make-up trade is at the forefront of Japanese design and innovation.

Would I buy it again? Yes, it's the perfect nude eye pencil. I'll definitely be replacing this when I use mine up, it's going to be a staple in my collection from now on.

Ingredients: hydrogenated coco-glycerides, tristearin, caprylic/capric/myristic/stearic triglyceride, tripalmitin, microcrystalline wax, octyldodecyl lanolate, hydrogenated castor oil.

Thursday 26 March 2009

YSL Baume D'Ete

This is the last post for my YSL reviews, I hope you've all enjoyed them. If you read my post last week about YSL's Baume Nourrissant you'll know how much I love YSL lip balms. The tinted versions are just as good as the clear version is.


They have an SPF of 10 and come in six gorgeous colours. My favorite is Love Apple, which is a beautiful sheer red colour (the second one from the front in the picture above). Love Apple was my first foray into red lips, using it got me brave enough to try wearing a red lipstick.


I'm not going to give a full detailed review, as it'd be just the same as the review I did yesterday, so if you want more details, see yesterdays review, hehe.


And here's what YSL has to say: This creamy lip balm makes the lips sensual, fruity, and protects them against the sun’s damaging effects. The delicious shades hydrate and colour lips with a transparent, natural-looking gloss.


Would I buy this again? Yes, they're my favorite tinted balms.

Ingredients: (active) octinoxate, avobenzone, (other) hydrogenate polyisobutene, bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, polybutene, octyldodecanol, hydrogenated castor oil dimer dilanoleate, cera alba, hydrogenated vegetable oil, caprylic/capric/succinic triglyceride, phytosteryl macadamiate, polyglyceryl-10 pentahydroxystearate, ethylhexyl palmitate, stearyl stearate, disteardimonium hectorite, parfum, rose rubiginosa seed oil, tocopheryl acetate, triticum vulgare germ oil, aqua, propylene carbonate, captrylyl glycol, tanacetum vulgare extract, oryzanol, alpinia speciosa leaf extract, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, euphorbia cerifera wax, limonene, acacia senegal gum, xanthan gum, phenoxyethanol, hexylene glycol, sodium hyaluronate, linalool, glyceryl stearate, lecithin, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, rosemary extract, citric acid.


Wednesday 25 March 2009

YSL Golden Gloss



Golden Glosses are one of my favorite glosses. They have a lovely subtle apricot fragrance and flavour, and a beautiful super shiny finish. They're probably the shiniest glosses that I own. The lasting power is great, I only need to reapply a few times a day, and they are moisturising as well. They provide great colour, so can be worn alone, or layered over lipstick for a more intense colour.

There are two things that I don't like about Golden Glosses. One is the applicator. There's nothing wrong with it, it's a good quality brush, but I prefer sponge applicators instead of brushes. I find with brushes I have to be more careful, whereas with sponge applicators I can easily swipe the gloss. The second thing is that sometimes they feel a bit gritty, due to the gold flakes. It's not too bad, but sometimes it's a little annoying.

This is what YSL has to say about their Golden Gloss: Shimmering lip gloss. Dress your lips in a veil of shimmering gold with Golden Gloss. The gloss forms a mirror effect on the lips which sparkles with mother of pearl. A complex of nourishing oils (nigelle and cameline oils) protects the lips while providing total comfort. The magic and shimmer of gold (contains 0.2% of 24 carat gold) captured on the lips!

Would I buy these again? Yes, I love them!

Ingredients: polybutene, tridecyl, trimellilate, diisostearyl malate, neopentyl glycol diheptanoate, propylene glycol dibonzoate, silica dimethyl silylate, camelina sativa seed oil, nigella sativa seed oil, tocopheryl acetate, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, aqua, oryzanol, propylparaben, lauryl methacrylate/glycol dimethacrylate crosspolymer, ammonium glycyrrhizate, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane, parfum, glycerin, dicaprylyl ether, titanium dioxide, gold, synthetic fluorphlogopite, aluminium hydroxide, cassia angustifolia seed polysaccaride, gellan gum, glyceryl stearate, lecithin, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, polyglyceryl-2 dipolyhydroxystearate, rosemary extract, citric acid.

Tuesday 24 March 2009

YSL Touche Eclat


Touche Eclat is one of those cult products that everyone seems to love, but I really don't understand why. It is a nice product, but I don't think it's worth the price, especially when other brands make very similar products at a much cheaper price. I've tried and tried this, but just can't see what the fuss is about. I've followed video's from the YSL site, you tube video's and tutorials, but still fail to see why people think this is amazing.

Firstly, I think it needs to be made clear that Touche Eclat is a highlighting pen. As a concealer I don't find it effective, but used as a highlighter it works well. I use mine on my dark circles, over the top of concealer. It also works well under concealer. For those of you who don't have really dark circles it'd probably work well as a concealer.

It's also great to use around the nose, along the brow bone, and in other areas where you want to get rid of shadows and add some light.

One thing that I really dislike about Touche Eclat is how quickly it goes off. I've had two of these, and both of them have gone off within six months. One went very smelly, and the other one went smelly and the brush got mouldy. I'm really careful with my products, I keep them in a cool, dry place and clean them regularly, so can't figure out why these went off so quickly.

Here's what YSL has to say about Touche Éclat: Radiant Touch, Instant highlighter. The best selling must - have take-anywhere pen-brush for adding a touch of light or banishing shadows and signs of fatigue from the eye area, the hollow of the chin, the contour of the lips and the sides of the nose.

The YSL website has a video showing how to use Touche Eclat, you can see that video here.

Would I buy this again? No, I've bought it twice, and the one that I currently have was given to me by a friend, but I just don't think it's worth the money. Especially when much cheaper versions are available from The Body Shop and Maybelline.

Ingredients: aqua, cyclomethicone, glycerin, talc, paraffinum liquidum, peg/ppg-18/18, dimethicone, magnesium sulfate, trideceth-3, methicone, methylparaben, squalane.

Monday 23 March 2009

YSL Nail Touch

These are such a clever idea, even though they are a bit expensive. It's a shame they aren't refillable, which would make them more economical. They're a pen type applicator with a brush on the end, you push the bottom to get the nail polish onto the brush. I love the convenience of Nail Touch, I carry mine in my hand bag and use it whenever I have a few minutes spare. 

I originally bought this is because I wanted to get a GWP, but I'm glad I got it now. It's the perfect size to carry around in my handbag for easy, no mess touch ups. I have Pink Touch, which is a very sheer, pale pink. The polish dries very quickly, within a few minutes, and lasts for around a week before it needs to be removed.   

YSL says: A clever pen brush, incredibly simple to use, to varnish the nails anywhere, anytime and very quickly! In a single click, the nails are adorned with a veil of pearly shine or glossy colour. 

Ingredients: butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, nitrocellulose, isopropyl alcohol, tosylamide/epoxyresin, acetyl triethyl citrate, acrylates copolymer, stearalkonium hectorite, benzophenone-3, acetyl tributyl citrate, alumina, polyethylene terephtalate, c9-15 fluoroalcohol phosphates, dimethicone, barium sulfate.

Sunday 22 March 2009

Ikigai Natural and Organic Skincare Webstore

I don't normally post on a Sunday, but thought I would to tell you all about this great new webstore called Ikigai. I discovered it a few days ago when I was browsing the net, and was amazed to get an email yesterday from the lovely Kate, offering me a lip balm to try. Being the lip balm addict that I am, how could I say no to that? So look out for my upcoming review.

Ikigai is Japanese, meaning a sense of purpose, wellbeing and joy in daily life. I have a feeling that this will become my new favorite online store. They're running a promotion at the moment, where 40 of the first 100 orders placed between 17 and 21st of March 2009 will receive a free natural or organic skin care product of their choice.

I haven't purchased anything from Ikigai yet, but I'm already compiling a list of products that I want to try. They give you a minimum of 3 free samples with every order, they're Australian, and they have some lovely products. The website is worth looking at, it has some great articles on why natural products are better for you and a glossary of ingredients. To see the articles, click here,and to see the glossary, click here.

Browsing around the Ikigai website I notice that they carry a lot of hard to get brands like Pangea Organics, Pure and True Organic Beauty, Bod, John Masters Organics, Purestuf for Men (I'm hoping they'll get the women's range soon) and Endota Spa to name a few.

If you're looking for unique, natural products, this store is the place to go.

Friday 20 March 2009

YSL Touche Brilliance

These gloss pens are a brilliant idea. They're tough and don't take up much space, so they're great for travelling and a very handy product to have stashed in the bottom of a handbag. It's a pen type gloss with a brush applicator.

Touche Brilliance glosses are very similar to YSL Golden Glosses, but without the grittiness. They're super shiny, with a pearly shine. The texture is light and hydrating. When I use these I feel like I don't have anything on my lips. The lasting power isn't great, around an hour.

One thing that I both like and dislike about Touche Brilliance is the applicator. The brush is great as it makes the gloss really easy to apply, you just push the bottom to get the right amount of gloss onto the brush. The reason I don't like the brush is that it's very difficult to wash.

YSL says: Sparkling Touch for Lips Touche Eclat’s concept is now applied to lips, thanks to a new generation of mother-of-pearl that promotes unparalleled radiance in lip gloss: the lips are dressed up with an irresistible iridescent brilliance.

Would I buy these again? Yes, they're really pretty.

Ingredients:octyldodecanol, polybutene, hydrogenated polyisobutene, silica dimethylsilylate, dextrix palmitate, polyethylene, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, tocopheryl acetate, butylene glycol, triticum vulgare germ oil, propylparaben, synthetic fluorphyogopite, ammonium glycyrrhizate, parfum, sodium stearate, titanium dioxide, phenoxyethanol, acacia senegal, sodium chloride, hydrolyzed conchiolin protein, methylparaben, butyparaben, ethylparaben, solanum lycopersicum extract, isobutylparaben, glyceryl stearate, lecithin, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, rosemary extract, citric acid.

Thursday 19 March 2009

Kreativ Tag


I interrupt the YSL reviews to announce that I've been tagged by the lovely Winterblossom! I love reading all the tag posts, so it's always exciting when I get tagged.

Here's how it works: "List 7 things that you love, and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers that you love! Be sure to tag them and let them know that they have won. You can copy the picture of the award and paste it on your sideboard letting the whole world know...you are Kreativ" (I copied this bit from Lazula80 cos it explains it all wonderfully)
As you can see, I copied this from Winterblossom who copied it for Lazula80, hehe.

Obviously I can't tag Winterblossom again, even though I think she's great.

So here are my lists...

7 things that I love:
1. Friends and family (including TF, of course)
2. Music. I can't imagine a world without music.
3. Love hearts and stars
4. Lip balm. It's my obsession, and hunting for new lip balms to try keeps me amused.
5. Books. I read all the time, I'd hate not to have books to read, I wouldn't know what to do if I couldn't read.
6. Chocolate, the world would not be a nice place if I couldn't have chocolate.
7. Make-up and skincare, but you knew that already.

7 bloggers that I love:
LaLa
Music
Gem
The Mean Green Beauty Machine
Pastel19 (aka Laura)
T
Faith Abigail

Alice, I originally had you on this list, but I took you off because I tagged you a few weeks ago, but this list really isn't complete without you on it.

Wednesday 18 March 2009

YSL Baume Nourrissant

A few years ago (okay, many years ago), when I was on my constant hunt for lip balm, I was told by a few people that YSL's lip balm is the best balm they've ever used. At that time I'd never used any YSL products, mainly because the lady at my YSL counter was very scary. Anyhow, one day when there was another, not scary lady there, I braved the counter to check out their lip and nail balm. And, being the true addict that I am, I'm sure you'll all be very surprised to hear that I bought it. Since that day I've gone through several tubes of this, which says a lot as it's very rare for me to repurchase a lip balm.

I'm not sure why they suggest using this on nails, when I tried using it on my nails I ended up with very sticky hands, it wasn't good! But, as a lip balm, this is heaven. It has a lovely apricot flavour and is glossy, thick and hydrating. In the tube it looks like an apricot colour, but it applies clear. Due to the thick texture I only need to apply Baume Nourrissant twice a day.

Here's what YSL has to say: Moisturizing Lip and Nail Balm A delightful double-action clear balm that instantly hydrates the lips and intensely nourishes the nails. Use any time of the day to hydrate and give shine to the lips. When applied over lipstick, the balm enhances comfort and shine.

I love the way companies make funny claims about their products. I can't say that I've ever thought of how great Baume Nourrissant is at enhancing my comfort and shine, but it is nice to use over lipstick.

Would I buy this again? Yes, I'm already onto my third tube.

Ingredients: hydrogenated polyisobutene, bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, octyldodecanol, polybutene, prunus amygdalus dulcis oil, triticum vulgare germ oil, cera alba, hydrogenated vegetable oil, caprylic/capric/succinic triglyceride, silica dimethyl silylate, butyrospermum parkii extract, methyl methacrylate crosspolymer, stearyl stearate, simmondsia chinensis seed oil, disteardimonium hectorite, panthenol, tocopheryl acetate, hydrogenated coco glycerides, irvingia gabonensis kernel butter, propylene carbonate, behenic acid, euphorbia cerifera wax, propylparaben, ci77019, sodium stearate, paraffin, ammonium glycyrrhizate, acacia senegal, parfum, sodium chloride, ci77491, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, butylene glycol, phenoxyethanol, solanum lycopersicum extract, methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, ascorbyl palmitate, citric acide, glyceryl stearate, lecithin, rosemary extract, tocopherol.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

YSL Gloss Repulpant

I am totally in love with this gloss, it's just gorgeous. I love it that much that I have three of them (one's a sample though). They're beautiful glosses. Whilst I don't think that it actually does plump my lips, when I use it they do look full and plumped. The reason I don't think it really does plump my lips is that when I take it off, they look normal again. But I'm happy with the false plumping effect :)

This is what YSL has to say about Gloss Repulpant: Both coloured and ultra-shiny, this new gloss instantly plumps-up lips while gently pampering them. In the heart of the formula, the YSL exclusive Hyalufix complex gently re balance the lips’ volume to offer them a natural fuller appearance. Vegetal oils specially chosen for their anti-free radical and nourishing properties ensure day-long comfort and well-being.

I have to agree with that. When I use this my lips feel hydrated and soft. I'll often use this in place of lip balm as it's so hydrating. They are not at all sticky, and last for a few hours before I need to reapply. They provide a good punch of colour, and the darker colours wear off to leave a soft stain of colour on my lips.

They come in a squeeze tube with a brush applicator so are super easy to apply. Gloss Repulpant also has an SPF of 10.

There are five different colours available: Glossy Pink, Glossy Plum, Glossy Brown, Glossy Nude and Glossy Candy.

Would I buy them again? Yes, I'll always have one or two of these in my stash.

Ingredients: octyldodecanol, polybutene, hydrogenated polyisobutene, silica dimethyl silylate, dextrin palmitate, polyethylene, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, tocopheryl acetate, butylene glycol, triticum vulgare germ oil, propylparaben, synthetic fluorphlogopite, ammonium glycyrrhizate, parfum, sodium stearate, titanium dioxide, phenoxyethanol, acacia senegal, sodium chloride, hydrolyzed conchiolin protein, methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, solanum lycopersicum extract, isobutylparaben, glyceryl stearate, lecithin, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, rosemary extract, citric acid.

Monday 16 March 2009

New review method?


Isn't this picture gorgeous? It's Mapua in New Zealand.

As I was sitting here wondering what on earth I'd write about for my next post, I came up with what I think is a brilliant idea. Instead of randomly picking products to review, I thought I'd go with themes. Now as all of you regular readers will know, I started out with a theme, which was lip balms, but once I reviewed most of my balms, I just started reviewing products as I used them up or as they caught my eye. This method (which is typical of a scattered Gemini) often left me sitting here wondering what on earth I'd review for tomorrow's post.

Then I was struck with a brilliant idea. I decided to review every product that I had by a certain brand. The first brand I'm reviewing is YSL. So for the next week and a half, I'll be writing about all the YSL products that I own. After that, I'll either review another brand, or I'll go back to my random posts, or maybe I'll do a mix of both, who knows, I certainly don't. And I'm also considering being more chatty. At the moment I just write about the product that I'm reviewing, without any chatty bit, so I'm thinking about putting them in to make things more interesting.

Anyhow, what do you think? Do you like the idea of me reviewing everything I own of a certain brand, or do you like random posts, or do you have a different idea?

And, on a totally different note, my beautiful soul friend LaLa has just started a blog. I'm so excited! She's really funny and I'm sure her blog is going to be very entertaining. If you want to read about what she's been up to, you can find her at Look at LaLa's Life.

In case you're wondering what I mean when I say soul friend, you know when you meet someone who touches your very core, who connects with you on such a deep level that they will always be a part of you? That's what I call a soul friend.

Friday 13 March 2009

CoverGirl TruShine Lipstick


TruShine lipsticks are one of my top ten favorite lipsticks. They're the perfect mix of a lipstick and a gloss. CoverGirl has them divided into colours to suit different skin tones which makes it easy to choose the right colour. For each skin tone they have a nude, a pink, a coral and a red, which makes the hunt for the perfect lipstick very easy. 

I find TruShines to be very moisturising, I don't need to use any balm underneath them, and often use them instead of lip balm. They provide a sheer wash of colour with a lovely glossy finish. Like most sheer lipsticks, they don't last very long, but that's not a problem for me. I find these very similar to Becca's Sheer Tint lip colours. The only differences are that they don't have a fragrance, and they are a quarter of the price!

One problem I have with TruShines is that some of them go off very quickly. The first one I bought only lasted two months before it started to smell bad, but all of the other ones that I've got have lasted for over a year, so maybe that first one was just a bad batch.

Would I buy this again? Yes, they're a great product and super cheap.

Thursday 12 March 2009

Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel

For those people like me who have unruly brows, Ardell Brow Scuplting Gel is a must have. It's cheap (around $6) and keeps my brows in place all day. It doesn't make them look clumpy, you can't even tell that I'm wearing a brow gel, they just look neat and tidy.  

Ardell says: Brow Sculpting Gel is a lightweight gel that contours and defines brows while provided all day hold and conditioning. The precision wand shapes brows beautifully for a full and natural looking brow.

This is a pretty short review, I really don't have much else to say about this, other than that it works.

Ingredients: water, panthenol, glycerin, pvp, triethyl citrate, acrylates copolymer, triethanolamine, disodium edta, peg-40, hydrogenated castor oil, fragrance, dmdm hydantoin, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate.

Wednesday 11 March 2009

Estee Lauder Pure Pops Lip Gloss


I've always wanted a blue lip gloss because they are supposed to make your teeth look whiter. I was a bit sceptical about this, and it seems that was with good reason, because my teeth look the same colour as usual. 

Pure Pops lip gloss is a lovely, moisturising gloss. I often use it instead of lip balm. It has a shiny, non sticky texture. Unlike a lot of other non sticky glosses, it lasts well and I don't need to reapply for a few hours. 

I got this in 1006 Peppermint, which is a lovely, sparkly blue colour in the tube, but goes on clear.  Due to the peppermint it has a slight tingle, and a subtle peppermint taste. 

Would I buy it again? If I didn't have so many other glosses sitting around waiting to be used, yes. 

Tuesday 10 March 2009

Inglot Eyeshadows



I've been pleasantly surprised by these shadows. Having never tried Inglot before I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I saw that they had their shadows on sale for $10 each, I figured that I had nothing to loose. They've been $10 for ages now, and when I went past last week they were still $10, so it's worth having a look. Apparently they are on sale because a new formula eyeshadow is coming, not sure when that will be though. 

There are 192 different colours available, so there's sure to be something to suit everyone. The different finishes are matte, pearl or matrix. Matrix shadows have a very pretty glittery shimmer. 

Inglot says that their shadows contain gourd oil which assists in maintain the skins natural moisture. I've never heard of gourd oil before, so am not sure what it actually does. I can't say that I find these eye shadows to be particularly moisturising, but I wouldn't expect a powder eye shadow to be moisturising, that's what eye cream is for!

I have eye shadows in all different formulas and I really like them. They have great pigment and can be layered on for an intense punch of colour, or lightly for a sheer wash of colour. They last all day and don't crease.

Would I buy these again? Yes, they're a great price, and they have every colour I could imagine. 


Monday 9 March 2009

The Face Shop Pearl Mask Sheet


A few years ago when I was in Hong Kong I discovered a shop called The Face Shop. They were full of all sorts of interesting skin care and cosmetics. Since then I haven't been able to access their products as there were no stores in Western Australia, so I was delighted when I discovered that a store had opened up at the new Joondalup shopping centre. 

I'm really happy with this mask. I bought it because my skin is really confused at the moment, I have pimples, blackheads, rough skin, enlarged pores and dry patches. I was hoping that this would be a mask that could help all of those different things, and it did a pretty good job. If you hadn't already guessed, it's a sheet mask. It hydrates without being greasy or oily, and left my skin feeling a lot smoother and looking clearer. I used the mask twice a week for two weeks and definitely noticed a difference in my skin condition. I'm a bit annoyed that I only bought a few of these, because now I'm going to have to go up to Joondalup to buy more. Hopefully we'll get some more Face Shop stores around Perth soon. 

The Face Shop has this to say about their Pearl Mask Sheet: What is pearl? A rare, precious stone rich in calcium which helps illuminate, clarify and hydrate lackluster skin. The concentrations of pearl in this gentle mask sheet are effectively absorbed to clarify and refine skin. 

Would I buy it again? Yes, I'll definitely be picking up some more of these.

Ingredients: water, polyglutamic acid/methyl propanediol/water, sodium hyaluronate, phaseolus radiatus extract/betula platyphylla japonica bark extract/rumex crispus root extract/water/butylene glycol, pearl powder/butylene glycol/water, morus alba bark extract/butylene glycol, algae extract, betaine, peg-32, glycerin, peg/ppg-17/6 copolymer, dipropylene glycol, sd alcohol 40, peg-40 hydrogenated castor oil/ppg-21-buteth-26, fragrance, hydrogenated lecithin, citrus paradisi (grapefruit) extract. 

Friday 6 March 2009

Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel

I'm in love with this cleanser. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say it's my current Holy Grail cleanser, I like it that much.

Pure Melt Cleansing Gel is the most unique cleanser I've ever used. It comes out of the tube feeling like a gel, when I rub it onto my face it feels like an oil and when I wash it off it feels like a milk. Unlike other oil cleansers this one doesn't leave my skin feeling at all oily or greasy.

It's applied onto dry skin, and then rubbed in for a while. I usually rub it in for a few minutes to make sure my skin is really clean. It removes all my make-up, including eye make-up, and I don't need to cleanse twice as it gets everything off the first time.  It doesn't irritate or sting my eyes, and won't leave them feeling all oily like some oil cleansers do. 

After I've cleansed with my Pure Melt cleanser my skin feels comfortable, not dry and not oily. When my skin is in the oily phase I can get away with not using any moisturiser after cleansing, when it's in the dry phase I need to.  

This is a cleanser that I'll definitely be buying again. In fact, I'm thinking of buying a back up, because there is currently a GWP at Terry White Chemists. To get the GWP you have to buy two products, one of them being skincare. 

I don't have the ingredients list as I got a travel sized tube as part of a GWP, so when I get the full sized product I'll update this with the ingredients list. According to the Clarins website the active ingredients are: oil in water emulsion, mineral oil which is an emollient, marula oil which comforts, soothes and helps balance skin’s hydrolipidic film.

Thursday 5 March 2009

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser


I was surprised when I realised that I hadn't already review Cetaphil, because it's a product that I've been using for years. It's one of those all round products that's great to use as a face wash and also as a body wash, and something that I'd recommend to everyone. 

I first started using this on the advice of my dermatologist, as it was gentle enough to use when I had eczema. It's fragrance free and doesn't irritate at all. I use it as a face cleanser and a body wash. It does an okay job of removing make-up, but needs two washes to get it all off. It's gentle enough to use on my eyes, and I can use it no matter how irritated my skin is.  

This is what Cetaphil has to say: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is a soap substitute that softens the skin as it gently cleanses. It preserves your skin’s natural protective oils. It was originally developed by dermatologists for patients with skin especially sensitive skin. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser has been shown in independent clinical tests using undiluted product (i.e. without water) to be the gentlest non-soap cleanser for people of all ages including babies. Its special formulation will not sting eyes and effectively removes light make-up without clogging pores. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser liquid can be used with or without water, is pH balanced and is lanolin and fragrance free for a pure, fresh cleansing experience. 

Wednesday 4 March 2009

Spazz Stick


Being a lip balm addict, I have lip balms for different times of the day (I know, I have a problem). Spazz Stick started out as my morning lip balm, especially for those Monday mornings when I don't want to get up and go to work.  Lately, it's become my all day balm, because I love it so much.

Why do I love this balm so much? When I first apply it I get a lovely tingly feeling that lasts for about a minute. It's a great textured balm, not too waxy and not too light, it lasts a few hours on my lips and keeps them really soft and hydrated. 

I'm not sure if it's the placebo effect or the fact that I haven't had coffee for over two years now, but I really get a kick out of this balm. However, it does contain real coffee, it's the world's only caffeinated lip balm, so maybe the kick is genuine and not just imagined.

There are four flavours, vanilla toffee, mint, chocolate cake and orange cream. I have all of them other than orange cream. All of the ones that I have taste amazing, exactly like what you'd expect from the name. My favorite at the moment is vanilla toffee. 

Spazz Stick was created by an Alaskan police officer who need a lip balm that would keep his lips protected from the freezing weather, and something that would help him stay awake during his night shifts. 

The Spazz Stick website is really funny, well worth looking at. If you want to have a good laugh, click here.

I purchased mine from Think Geek.

Ingredients: hexyldecyl laurate, hexyldecanol, ozokerite wax, cetearyl isononanoate, dipropylene glycol dicaprylate-captrate, water, isopropyl alcohol, caffeine, yummy flavours.

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Everyday Minerals Brushes

It's so difficult to find good quality brushes at a reasonable price here that I often buy my brushes from overseas. I've found that mineral make-up companies often have great quality brushes at great prices. Two of my favorite brushes are the flat top brush and eye kabuki from Everyday Minerals.


I use my flat top brush every day. It's great for applying mineral foundation, powder and blush.
The bristles are very thick, and it's really soft. In the past I've found that some brushes irritate my sensitive skin, but haven't had any problems with this brush.











I bought the eye kabuki because it is so cute, but I've found that it's a great brush, and another one that I use every day. It's great when I want to apply a really dense wash of all over colour. It's also perfect for applying powder to set my under eye concealer, and for applying powder around my nose.



All of Everyday Minerals brushes have renewable bamboo handles and are made from synthetic hair.

Would I buy these again? Yes, I'll definitely buy more Everyday Minerals brushes.

Monday 2 March 2009

I've been tagged!


By my beautiful friend Music. What I have to do is post the third photo in the third folder on my computer, and write about it, so here goes.

This is a picture that I took in Hong Kong. We were on the train on our way to visit Hong Kong Disneyland, and this is what the windows looked like.

The train was great, there were Mickey Mouse and Disney characters everywhere, it was like being in a fantasy land. They even played Disney songs on the train.



I tag: Alice Jane, Harri, and Aprill.