Friday 30 April 2010

April empties


Pantene Pro V Nourished Shine Shampoo
Pantene Pro V Nourished Shine Conditioner

Nivea Oxygen Power Reviving Cleansing Gel
Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser
Alpha-H Rejuvenating Cream
Elixia Nourishing Antioxidant Serum
Elixia Tinted Multi V Moisturiser
Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment
Lush Angels on Bare Skin


Dove Deodorant
Nivea Energy Fresh Deodorant
Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation 
Y-Yo Glow Perfume
Living Nature Vitalising Cleanser


Wednesday 28 April 2010

Project Ten Pan Update

I've finished another gloss! Actually it's a liquid lipstick, but it feels like a gloss. I'm quite sad to see this one finished as I love it but it's no longer available. The product I finished is Australis Liquid Shine in Morocco.


Counting my Australis gloss I've now finished eight products. Only two to go! I don't have anything else that's nearly finished now so this is probably going to take a while.

Monday 26 April 2010

Haf Mineral Makeup Natural Lipstick


Honni from Haf Mineral Makeup was kind enough to send me some products to review. Haf Mineral Makeup is an Australian company specialising in mineral cosmetics that help not hinder the skin. 
I received two lipsticks to try, Berry Natural and Pale Roses.



This is Berry Natural. It's the perfect matte winter lip colour. I've been using this a lot since I received it and I'm loving it. The texture is interesting, it's matte and long lasting without being drying or uncomfortable.

These lipsticks are long wearing and adaptable. One layer gives a light wash of colour very similar to a lip stain and several layers gives a matte, long lasting colour.
The top swatch is two layers and the bottom swatch is one layer.
The colour shown above is Pale Roses. This is a great colour to use over the top of dark colours that I want to lighten up, and to give flat lipsticks a shimmery finish. 

The swatch on the left is three layers and the right is one layer.
 Haf lipsticks are fragrance and flavour free. These are the first mineral lipsticks I've tried and I really like them. Unlike other matte lipsticks I've tried they don't dry my lips at all. They have great pigment and the colour lasts for ages before I need to reapply. I've found myself reaching for Berry Nice nearly every day since I received it as it's such a beautiful colour.


Would I buy these? Yes.


Ingredients: castor seed oil, cetyl stearyl alcohol, olive fruit oil, beeswax, hydrogenated castor oil, glycine soybean lipids, lauryl laurate, carnauba wax, candillia wax, olive oil, titanium dioxide, mica, annato, iron oxide.

Sunday 25 April 2010

Skyy Vodka and Sex and The City 2

Whilst I'm doing off topic posts I had to share this one with you.


SKYY VODKA RAISES A GLASS TO NEW LINE CINEMA’S MOVIE SEX AND THE CITY  
SKYY Named Official Vodka of Sex and the City 2
Unveils Exciting Consumer Promotions to
Support Highly Anticipated Film Opening on 2 June 2010
Get ready to “Carrie On!” The girls from Sex and the City are back in their next big screen adventure and SKYY® Vodka is here to help everyone celebrate. 

SKYY is pleased to announce it will serve as the official vodka for Sex and the City 2, debuting in Australian cinemas on 2 June 2010. From May through to July, SKYY will be unveiling vibrant Sex and the City 2 consumer promotions filled with glamour, fashion and sophisticated fun.

All of the SKYY Vodka Sex and the City 2 promotions will be focused on “Cocktail Couture”: the convergence of the iconic Sex and the City style and fabulous SKYY cocktails, the perfect accessory for social occasions. Key elements of the promotional program include: 

Limited-Edition Bottle: To commemorate the launch of the motion picture, famed Sex and the City Sex and the City 2 bottle, which will be available at licensed liquor retailers in June, just in time for the film’s release. This is the first themed design change to the iconic cobalt blue SKYY bottle in the brand’s history.“So many of Sex and the City’s most stylish moments have been when the ladies were out in Manhattan,dressed to the nines, bonding over fun cocktails,” says Field. “SKYY Vodka has always been a brand with style, so I was thrilled to partner with them to create something special that celebrates those special ‘cocktail couture’ moments that truly are the essence of SKYY and Sex and the City.”

Sex and the City 2 Cocktails and Long Drinks: Sex and the City 2 promotions in bars and restaurants willfeature signature SKYY Vodka long drinks inspired by the film. The delicious drinks are modeled after each of the fabulous four characters in the film, as well as the big leading man. The long drinks include the “Glamorous Girl,” “Fabulous Flirt,” “Busy Beauty,” “Pretty Princess” and “Mr. New York.” Recipes for the Cocktails will also feature on recipe cards at off premise outlets for consumers to indulge in. 

Sweepstakes/Giveaways: Want to experience Sex and the City 2 up close and personal? SKYY Vodka will be giving consumers a chance to win a ‘$25,000 Glamorous Shopping Experience’ for them and three friends. There will also be 100 double passes to Sex and the City 2 to be won every week over ten weeks. 

The promotion will run from 8 May to 17 July 2010.

Great Sales Event

Now I know I normally talk about make-up and skin care, but I really liked the sound of this sale so thought I'd pass the details on.


Melbournians secretly like to pride themselves on being a tad exclusive, with the best sales more often than not being of a completely underground nature. Now however, thanks to Melbourne Street Fashion.com, being ‘in the know’ has been transformed into a total no-brainer.
As of this April 2010, their readers will be invited to completely exclusive sales held by Melbourne’s edgiest labels and brands. All you need to do is subscribe to the mailing list on the homepage of Melbourne Street Fashion.com and you will be sent private invites to up to two week-long sale events per month.
And the catch? Well… there isn’t one. Access to the mailing list is completely and utterly free! The simple once-off sign up process is so quick that you’ll forget you even did it. That is, until you receive your first secret sale hook-up… then you’ll be addicted.
The first week-long sale begins this April 23 with cult jewellery designer Estelle Dévé. We’ve been harping on about this beautiful label for quite some time now (you should know by now that we sometimes know a good thing before others!), but in recent months Estelle’s designs have really begun to explode in the mainstream press.
The latest collection, entitled Lunar Mare, is a heartfelt and beautiful ode to the Star Trek nerd in all of us (and you thought nobody knew about your Captain Spock fantasy!). The result however – one “inspired by sci fi movies with a bit of a Tribal theme”, Estelle tells us – is anything but geeky. Let’s just call it utterly sensational.
Subscribers will be sent the exclusive promo code giving them 20% off all items at Estelle Dévé's online store on April 22 – so sign up fast! Then all is needed is to sit back, relax, and wait for a soft ‘ping’ in your inbox.  Armed with your little promo code head over to the online store, choose your items and use the code in the final screen of the checkout to save.  But be quick, the sale runs a week only and ends Friday 30 April. That's one sweet little email giving you what you want.
 

Saturday 24 April 2010

Link Love

Curious about the new Balanciaga Paris fragrance? So was Rae, over at theNotice -- but she's since quenched that curiosity. (And fallen in love while doing so!)

Beautyjunkielondon finds a perfect coral nail shade for spring, by Rimmel.

Sarah has found a new anti-aging moisturizer and eye cream and shockingly... they actually work!

It's a plane, no, it's a monster (well actually, yes), no -- it's just Jeweled Thumb's enormous coiffure! Be scared, be very scared.

Red lips are always high on The Lip Print's agenda - check out her latest obsession, Lipstick Queen Medieval.

Louise takes a look at the Guerlain Summer Limited Editions this week, and is surprised at what she sees.

Phyrra's Indie Spotlight for April is Glamour Doll Eyes. Find out all about Vee, the owner of GDE!

As Lime Crime's ultra bright lipsticks finally hit the UK high street, Lipglossiping puts them under the spotlight!

Krasey Beauty tours the exclusive Tokidoki collection for Sephora, and has the swatches to prove it!

Madame B Fatale shows you how to create an up-do suitable for day and night

Might as well face it -- Cindy from Prime Beauty is addicted to Dior .

Amy Antoinette tries epilating for the first time.

PinkSith talks taupe with MAC Greasepaint Stick in Dirty.

In the hunt for a wasabi green nail polish? Hell Candy Make Up discovered a new shade by Barry M. Like it or loathe it?

Yinnie reviews the unsuspecting formula that is the Estee Lauder Total Make-up Remover.
***

Win a full set of ELLIS FAAS makeup, no strings attached, on beautywoome this month.

Want to win Audrey Dao's April Reader of the Month Giveaway? Just leave a comment and you're entered!

Friday 23 April 2010

Post and Shame Challenge


Another month, another lip balm finished. Have I mentioned before that this challenge is tortuous? Well it is! I'm slowly working towards finishing my Clinique Egyptian eye liner. It'll probably take me another month to finish it and that will make two finished eye liners. Then I'll be half way there.


Meanwhile I've finished eight lip balms.

This month I finished my Badger Vanilla Madagascar lip balm. I'd forgotten how much I love Badger balms until I dug this one out. I've only got huge Badger balms now so I don't think I'll be finishing another one in a hurry.

Also, I have to report that I was bad this month. I purchased an eyeliner (you all thought I was going to say lip balm didn't you?)
I bought a teal Rimmel eyeliner because I've been wanting to use teal eyeliner lately and I didn't have one. I thought I had every liner colour but I didn't. And it's so pretty!

Wednesday 21 April 2010

Dove Original Anti-Perspirant Deodorant


This is the deodorant that I always go back to. If it wasn't for the really bad white marks that it leaves all over my clothes it'd be the perfect deodorant. I highly recommend this for anyone who has sensitive armpits and struggles to find an effective deodorant.

The version I always go back to is the cream stick. It's super gentle on my very sensitive armpits and never causes sensitivity or irritation. In addition to that, it's very effective and works even on 42 degree summer days. 

Dove says: It's the deodorant with the beauty ingredient proven to improve the look and feel of underarm skin: 1/4 moisturising cream. Effective protection, beautiful result. 

As I mentioned earlier, the only thing I don't like about Dove Original deodorant is the marks that it leaves on my clothes. Because it's a cream formula it leaves white deposits on the inside armpit (is that what they're called) of my clothes. This means that I have to spot treat this area every time I do the washing. But, I'm willing to do that because this deodorant is so amazing. 


Would I buy this again? Yes.

Ingredients: cyclomethicone, aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly, stearyl alcohol, c12-c15 alkyl benzoate, ppg-14 butyl ether, hydrogenated castor oil, perfume, dimethicone, polyethylene, helianthus annus, steareth-100, bht.

Monday 19 April 2010

Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm


I recently received some lovely Nivea products to test and review. It's been quite a long time since I used Nivea lip balms and I must say I've been pleasantly surprised at how great they are.

Essential Care has been really well named. It's one of those balms that is great to have around for basic lip maintenance. I can see this becoming my maintenance balm. There's nothing fancy about Essential Care, it's just a great everyday basic balm. I find it to be very hydrating even in cooler weather when my lips tend to get dry and cracked.

Nivea says: The moisturising formula of Nivea Essential Care is enriched with jojoba oil and natural shea butter to effectively care for your lips and prevent them from moisture loss, leaving your lips soft and smooth.

Essential Care is fragrance and flavour free. It applies easily and makes my lips feel soft and smooth texture. I find this lasts a few hours before I need to reapply. I usually apply lip balm every half hour but since I've been using Essential Care my lips are staying hydrated and I only need to apply balm three or four times a day. As you can see in the picture above it leaves a very subtle shine to my lips. 

Would I buy it? Yes, it's a great, effective balm.  

Ingredients: cera microcristallina, octyldodecanol, hydrogenated polydecene, cetyl palmitate, ricinus communis seed oil, myristyl myristate, cp/hexadecene copolymer, cetearyl alcohol, polyglyceryl-3 diisostearate, butyrospermum parkii butter, cocoglycerides, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, vp/eicosene copolymer, c20-40 alkyl stearate, cera carnaube, simmondsia chinensis oil, panthenol, vitis vinifera seed oil, glycerin, cera alba, aqua, limonene, linalool, benzyl benzoate, citral, parfum.  

Saturday 17 April 2010

My Reorganised Bathroom Cabinet

I've been meaning to organise my bathroom cabinet for ages and finally did it today. I didn't take a before picture but trust me when I say it was a huge mess. 

And here's what it looks like now.

Thursday 15 April 2010

Jurlique Jasmine Hand Cream

I've loved Jurlique hand creams for years now. My favourite was always Rose followed closely by Lavender, but now that I've tried Jasmine (thanks Primped!) it's my new favourite. 

Jurlique says: A rich, sensuous hand cream. A luxurious, protective hand cream rich in the living energy of jasmine, marshmallow and chamomile. To deeply moisturise and restore smoothness, leaving hands feeling soft and supple. 
Apply a small amount to hands and massage into hands until fully absorbed. Re-apply as required throughout the day. 

Why do I love Jurlique hand creams? They're very hydrating and keep my hands soft and moisturised even through winter. They sink in quickly and don't leave my hands feeling greasy. I can put my hand cream on, rub it in and then get back to work straight away without leave oily spots of moisturiser all over my keyboard. And lastly, they smell amazing! 


Would I buy this? Yes, it smells amazing and is very effective.



Ingredients: aqua, cetearyl alcohol, carthamus tinctorius seed oil, glycerin, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, honey, sodium cetearyl alcohol, althaea officinalis root extract, chamomilla recutita flower extract, calendula officianlis flower extract, bellis perennis flower extract, rosa gallica flower extract, viola odorata flower extract, viola tricolor extract, echinacea purpurea root extract, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, daucus carota sativa root extract, citrus grandis seed extract, glycine soja oil, tocopherol, lecithhin, fragrance, sd alcohol 40-a, totarol, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexyl-glycerin, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, eugenol, linalool.

Wednesday 14 April 2010

Designer Brands Olive Lip Butter



If you are a fan of The Body Shop lip butters then you are going to love these. They're better than The Body Shop version and they're a fraction of the price! Designer Brands Lip Butters only cost $4.99 (AUD).

At the moment I have the Olive flavour. It sounds like a strange flavour but it smells and tastes like fresh green apples. I find my Olive Lip Butter to be a lot more moisturising than The Body Shop Version. It gives my lips a lovely shine and lasts for a few hours before I need to reapply. It also does a great job of keeping my lips hydrated, soft and smooth. 

There are four flavours available, coconut, mango, pomegranate and olive.


Would I buy this? Yes, I'll be repurchasing this when I run out.

Ingredients: glycine soja oil, cocos nucifera oil, ricinus communis seed oil, cera alba, peg-8, eeswax, aroma, silica, hydrogenated castor oil, butyrospermum parkii butter, mangifera indica extract, theobroma cacao butter, sucralose, tocopheryl acetate, ci 77891, aqua, pentaerylthrityl tetra-di-t-butyl, hydroxyhydrocinnamate.

Monday 12 April 2010

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Giveaway Time!

I'm so excited to be having another giveaway! The product you could win today is Tarte Lights Camera Lashes mascara.


Tarte call this a push-up bra for your lashes™ a 4-in-1 (lengthening, curling, volumising and conditioning) dermatologist tested mascara that gives dramatic, thick, sexy lashes and is clinically proven to increase lash volume by 424%.

Sounds amazing doesn't it?  And look how well it works!

If you would like to win all you have to do is be a follower of my blog and reply to this post telling me why you want or need Lights, Camera Lashes mascara. For extra entries post about this giveaway on your blog, twitter or facebook and send me the link.

The giveaway ends on Friday 23rd of April.

If you're interested in Tarte Makeup Review follow the link which will take you to their blog.


This giveaway is for US residents only, however I'll have another giveaway soon for everyone else, so stay tuned.

Friday 9 April 2010

Blistex Soothe and Smooth SPF30


Textured applicators seem to be in fashion at the moment and for the life of me I can't figure out why. Face of Australia make a gloss with a textured applicator that they say massages the lips. Blistex claim their applicator smooths the lips. I really don't see how this would be the case. The applicator is quite soft so it doesn't exfoliate or smooth my lips. I suppose if I had really dry, flaky lips it might dislodge some of the dry skin, but as I don't, I get no benefit from the textured applicator.

Blistex says: A moisturising gel formula with a unique smoothing applicator, it revitalises the appearance of lips and leaves them feeling refreshed.
Protects from sun, wind and cold. Helps relieve and prevent chapped lips. 
Apply frequently (at least every half hour and after swimming) for protection and relief. 
I've been using this for about a month now. I find it to be quite moisturising and long lasting. I only need to reapply every few hours. 
 
I notice a slight cooling sensation when I first put it on. I'm not sure what causes that, but I don't find it unpleasant. The scent is lovely and fruity, with a slightly sweet flavour. One of the great things about this balm is the SPF of 30.

This isn't a balm that I'd use every day but it's great for those days when I'm out in the sun and I want an effective balm with a high SPF. 
Would I buy it again? Yes, it's an effective balm with a great SPF.

Ingredients: octyl methoxycinnamate 7.5%, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane 3%, octocrylene 2.7%, oxybenzone 2.5%, phenoxyethanol, saccharin, butyl hydroxybenzoate.

Wednesday 7 April 2010

A great mascara tip

A lovely man at YSL taught me a great mascara trick recently. The best thing is that it's really easy to do. In the pictures I've used the trick on the left side and I've done the right side the way I'd normally do my mascara. In the photo's the difference isn't as obvious but in real life it makes a huge difference.

This is how it works. Apply the mascara as normal, holding the wand horizontally. Once you've done that, turn the wand so it's vertical and go over all your lashes again, paying particular attention to the ones on the very inside and very outside of your eyes.

That's it. How easy it that. When I apply my mascara like this it make my eye lashes look a lot fuller and somehow more curled. Amazing.

Monday 5 April 2010

Foundation Application?

I've noticed a lot of people recently saying that they mix their foundation with either a tinted sunscreen or a tinted moisturiser and I've been wondering about this. How many of you customise your foundation?

I never have. I just put on the foundation straight from the bottle. I'm starting to wonder if I'm missing something though. Do you get a better application if you mix your foundation, or does it save time in the mornings? If I mix my foundation with a tinted moisturiser then do I still apply a moisturiser before hand or do I just rely on the tinted moisturiser to give me enough hydration? And if I want to use a primer when does that go on?

And as if that's not complicated enough, I've also read about people using an illuminating tinted moisturiser. So theoretically could that save me three steps? Could I avoid moisturiser, sunscreen and illuminator and just put on my customised foundation mix?

I'm going to do some experimenting over the next few weeks. Do any of you customise your foundation?

Sunday 4 April 2010

Link Love

Rae just finished a four-week "photo diary" review series with the new L'Oreal Lash Boosting Serum. Check out her results and enter to win a tube for yourself!
Find out everything you want to know about Spring 2010 beauty trends at Makeup4all Online Beauty Magazine!
Vex in the City shares what On Location Tours have in store for SATC fans on the release date of SATC 2. Makeup by Kim Porter teaches you the importance of cleaning your makeup brushes. Betty's got a sweet tooth for Sugarpill Cosmetics and has a candy inspired look with pink, silver and bright blue!
If you're battling limp hair, Arianne of Glitter Geek has found the hair product that's made for you.
GlossQueen tries the Olay Professional Pro-X Anti-Ageing Starter Kit and tells us all about it. Hot Beauty Health shares 8 homemade hair conditioner recipes that truly work! Madame B Fatale talks about her new hair saviour. Sophie from melovemakeup talks about her experiences with Trilogy's Everything Balm. Check out Tsahi’s interpretation of Nicole Ritchie's look at this year’s Academy Awards. Krasey Beauty has exclusive images and swatches, plus a Sneak Peek of Make Up For Ever's Holiday Metallic Collection.
Louise pops along to London Fashion Week and finds out what Alex really thinks of beauty bloggers. Ever wondered how to press those pesky loose minerals? Wonder no more... Lipglossiping has the answer!
Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed enlists some Chanel to fight her dehydrated skin!
***
Retrodiva is giving away a Cle de Peau Beaute skincare sampler set! Phyrra has an exciting Beauty of the Earth Sponsored Giveaway.
Have a wonderful Easter weekend, lovelies! BBLL will return in three weeks' time (instead of two.) See you then!

Friday 2 April 2010

VS Sassoon Goddess Ionic Conditioning Steam Straightener

I'm pretty lazy with my hair, I usually let it air dry and rarely straighten it. Since I won the Goddess straightener (on Primped), things have changed. I've been using this straightener nearly every day since I received it and I'm in love.

VS Sassoon says: More shine, faster straightening, longer lasting results, pure conditioning ionic steam, up to 230 degrees Celsius for a super straight finish, ceramicTEC heating.

There are a few things that I really love about this straightener. Firstly, it's very gentle. It hasn't dried out my hair at all even when I used it five days in a row.
Secondly, it has prongs on the plate that act like a comb, so my hair doesn't get tangled up when I'm trying to straighten it.
Thirdly, the outside of the case opens out to a heat proof mat to leave the straightener on until it's cooled off. 
Fourthly, you can set the temperature anywhere from 170 to 230 degrees.
Fifthly, the steam can be turned on or off.
Sixthly, the plates are really smooth so my hair runs through really easily and doesn't get caught.
Seventhly, it's a gorgeous colour.
Eighthly, it straightens with one swipe so I don't have to keep on going over the same bit of hair again and again. 

When I use this I've noticed that my hair looks and feels really soft, smooth and silky.
It also has a 3 year warranty which I think is pretty amazing. 

Would I buy this? Yes, it's a great straightener.