benefit "feelin' dandy" - review and swatches

this was a splurge while i was in singapore last year - a benefit palette? they retail for over $50 AUD. i can't bring myself to buy one of them here.

buuuuut overseas, they're much cheaper. i don't know exactly how much i paid for this, but i'm pretty sure it was about $28 AUD from sephora.

now onto the pictures (benefit palettes are so pretty!!!)

feelin' dandy comes with 4 "pink" items - a posietint lip and cheek stain (which is a bright pink colour), a highbeam highlighter (a pink-toned liquid highlighter), dandelion blush (a soft pink blush) and a dandelion lipgloss (soft pink-nude gloss).
i say pink items because benefit also has other kits with different colour themes, such as the sugarlicious set which is more mauve-themed.

these are all minisized products, and perfect for travel. i've actually depotted the blush and put it in a z-palette for travel, super handy.

top - bottom: posie tint, high beam, dandelion blush, dandelion lipgloss

(my swatches are improving.. hallelujah)

on to the products.. like i said in a previous review, i haven't had much luck with benefit cheek/lip stains. although posietint comes up bright pink on my swatch, once applied to the lips, i don't see any colour at all. when applied to my cheeks, the colour comes up, but it looks like i've just gone for a run and i'm all puffed and sweaty (ewww). it's a gorgeous colour but i cannot for the life of me make it work.

highbeam is a gorgeous highlighter, and a perfect shade for my cool-toned skin. hoooowever, i find that when i apply this, it has a slight grey tone, and makes my skin look dull instead of luminous - weird for a highlighter, right? i can't figure out why it's doing that. i'm gonna have to play around a bit more with this product.

dandelion blush is gorgeous. on my fair skin, it's a very natural flush. it's perfect for a little bit of a glow when i want to wear blush, but not have it be very noticeable. the size is also great because i can take it when i travel.

the dandelion lipgloss is quite average, in my opinion. it's a nice nude-pink colour, rather sheer, but great for topping off a lipstick. it's small so it's great for carrying around in my handbag, and it's an easy thing to just slap on your lips. it's not super glossy either. the texture is nice and smooth, not sticky at all (i really love sticky glosses, oops). i just don't think it's worthwhile to purchase this in a fullsize because i have so many other lipglosses that look the same and do the exact same thing.

all in all, it's a really nice little kit. this was my first benefit purchase, and gave me a good idea of what products i should try from them (THEIR BOX POWDERS). but i don't think i would pay full australian RRP for one of these palettes. happy i got it cheaper.

anyone else got this palette? what do you like about it? 

xx gabi

mac illustrated "rebecca moses - face kit" in brown - review

i thought i should review this new (well not so much anymore) limited edition mac palette. i saw it online and knew i had to snatch it up because it is THE PERFECT travel palette.

the mac rebecca moses face palette in brown contains 1 blush in melba, 4 shadows in orb, all that glitters, smoked sepia and showstopper, and 2 lipsticks in ravishing and myth.

it also contains a double ended brush with a lip brush and angled shadow brush.

this palette is just perfect for travelling. i love ravishing, and i have it full size. myth is also a beautiful peachy-nude. the eyeshadows are all highly pigmented, and i LOVE all that glitters. smoked sepia is also a gorgeous warm brown shade. 

all in all, i find this palette perfect for travelling, especially with a lip brush in it. it allows for several different looks, both dramatic and neutral. i think it's definitely worth the investment.

it is slightly pricey, at $115 AUD, but the amount i use it makes up for the price tag.

do any of you have this palette? what do you think?

xx gabi

the lipstick tag!

i stole this tag from my bestest friend in the world, shelley aka litfrom-within :)

this kinda makes me feel really guilty about my collection.. lol

1. How many lipsticks do you own?

this is embarrassing.. i have 73 lipsticks that i can find in my vanity.. but that's not including the ones around my room or in handbags lol. and also not including lip stains (e.g.; the revlon kissable balm stains, i have them all lol), or lip glosses.. counting those i have an excess of 200 lip products o_o yikes.

2. What was your first ever lipstick? 

that is a really great question.. i'm pretty sure that it was something my mum gave me. if i remember correctly, it was an old shiseido one (which i still have somewhere) in a soft dusty rose colour.

 3. What is your most worn lipstick?

oh god, this changes a lot. it depends on my outfit and mood! generally it's one of my revlon lip butters, because i love those. but lately, it's been the shade "wild watermelon", a gorgeous pinky-red colour.

4. What is your favourite brand for lipstick?

i'd have to say Mac. their cremesheens are to die for. <3

5. What is your favourite finish?

probably a cream. they're moisturising but still look nice on the lips.

6. What was the last lip product you bought?

2 chichi viva la diva lipsticks in "viva la diva" and "love game", and a revlon lipstick in "orange twist"

7. How many lip products do you currently have in your handbag? (Including balms and glosses)

only 3 (which is a surprise cause i usually hoard lip products in my handbag!) - a nivea glamorous gloss in pink sugar, a nivea repair and protection lip balm, and a revlon lip butter in "juicy papaya".

8. What lipstick do you use to rock a red lip?

definitely my Mac "riri woo" lipstick. absolutely gorgeous. 

9. How do you store your lipsticks?

i have 4 lipstick containers where i store my most used (as well as most expensive) lip products- e.g.; all my Mac and Estee Lauder lipsticks in one, all my revlon lip butters in another, all my maybelline vivids/other maybelline lipsticks in the 3rd, and the 4th is where i rotate out colours by season. 

the rest of my lipsticks are stored (with lip glosses and stains) in 4 tupperware containers in my vanity - i store them by colour. i have 1 tub of red, 1 pink, 1 coral and 1 nude.

10. What lip products are you currently lusting after?

i would love to try a YSL sheer volupte lipstick, but they are SO expensive. over $50 AUD. i can't justify paying that for a lipstick. i would also love to try the new urban decay revolution lipsticks as i have heard much about them, and the colours look gorgeous!

buy and try #1

hey guys! so i thought i'd start a new "series" type thing! basically it's where i go and buy a heap of products to test out and i'll write a review on them after trying and testing!

palmers cocoa butter formula lip balm (with sunscreen)

i was quite shocked when i first used this product. it's a "dry" lipbalm, meaning when you first apply it you don't get that moisturising feeling sitting on your lips like you would with other lipbalms. it's also matte on the lips, not shiny. this one actually sinks into the lips, really moisturising them well. i've enjoyed this lipbalm a lot, and i am about halfway through the tube. i find this works best after i've exfoliated my lips, to revive them, and to use before a lipstick. 

covergirl outlast stay brilliant nailpolish in grapevine

this is such a gorgeous nailpolish. i don't have many purples in my collection, and this caught my eye right away. i think i paid $6 for this one.

unfortunately, this chipped really fast. even using my seche vite top coat, it didn't last more than 3 or so days. and the chipping wasn't minor either- it was like, half the nail's worth of polish came off. wasn't impressed by that. i might have to give this another shot and see if my views change.

la roche-posay effaclar duo acne treatment

after all the hype about this, i decided to take the plunge and buy it from priceline, as i had a $5 coupon and a voucher for $10 off my purchase (making this something like $12). this is honestly a godsend. i have extremely dry skin, but suffer from acne and comadones on my forehead. i have literally tried every pimple product to try and clear my face but nothing has worked. but even after 2 days of using this morning and night, my skin is softer and my forehead is starting to clear. i'll have to give it a bit more time to test, but i am IN LOVE so far!

st ives apricot scrub (mini size)

i have quite sensitive skin, so i was pleased to find a scrub that doesn't irritate it much. this is really nice, smooth scrub, with fine granules which exfoliate without scraping the skin. the smell is interesting (don't know how it's apricot, but oh well) and i have been using this every couple of days. it doesn't seem to be clearing acne or anything but it is making my skin a lot smoother.

revlon lip butter in wild watermelon

firstly, i freaking LOVE revlon lip butters. i'm planning on writing a post about them at some point. but when i saw the limited edition colours, i knew i had to grab this one. it's a gorgeous red/pink, but is still bright. it's exactly between a red and a pink, and is just perfect on the lips. it's quite sheer as well, meaning you can build it up for a more opaque look. i wear this to work and constantly get complimented on it.

what products are you guys planning on trying out? 

xx gabi

pastel nail colours for spring!

it's springtime here in australia, and i thought i'd share some of my favourite spring nailpolishes!

face of australia - after dinner mint

a beautiful mint green colour. it looks darker on camera, for some reason.

face of australia - would you like some orange sherbet?

another gorgeous pastel, a light orange. again, looks darker on camera.

opi - i pink i love you

a beautiful soft pink shade, with a blue reflect.

essie - bikini so teeny

a cult favourite, ha. a stunning lavender-blue colour. i don't know how to describe this colour, it's just perfect.

essie - a crewed interest

a soft salmon-peach colour. better for those with warmer toned skin, as it looks kinda odd on my cooltone skin. but i still love it.

rimmel - lovely lilac

a beautiful soft lilac purple, with a great formula.

what are your favourite spring polishes? 

xx gabi

my mac lipstick collection! - review and swatches

 i absolutely love mac lipsticks. their formula and pigmentation is incomparable. but unfortunately, they're rather expensive to buy here in Australia, retailing at $36 AUD each. despite this, my collection has grown over time. i have 8 mac lipsticks, although i don't think i bought all of these (i got 2, i think, from back2mac). i feel that my collection has all the colours i'd need, and i'm not rushing out to buy anymore lipsticks now!

top row,  l-r: vivid imagination, speed dial, riri woo, rebel

second row, l-r: creme d'nude, shy girl, angel, ravishing

vivid imagination (limited edition) - this is a beautiful blue-toned pink. it's a limited edition, from the 2012 mac illustrated collection (i have a separate review on this here). it's very opaque, but still very creamy on the lips. it's a cremesheen formula, my FAVOURITE mac formula. i really love this colour, but i feel there are quite a few dupes for this shade in my collection.

speed dial - this is a beautiful bright pink shade, but not too bright. i find it's super wearable. also a cremesheen formula, meaning that it can be layered to make it more opaque. this is very bluetoned, making your teeth look whiter.

riri woo (limited edition) - this is very similar to ruby woo, but slightly more dark and blue toned. this is from rihanna's "riri hearts mac" collection, but it is not from the fall collection, hence the regular packaging. this is a retro matte formula, meaning it's not soft like cremesheens. it tugs slightly on the lips, and i find the easiest way to use this is to use a lipbrush. this does feather slightly, so i use a lipliner for this too. it's a gorgeous shade though, and i usually top this with a little bit of gloss so you can't see it settling in the lines in my lips.

rebel - i think this is my favourite mac lipstick, ever. it looks very scary in the tube, coming up as a bright purple, but it is the most gorgeous raspberry-purple shade ever. you can either wear it super opaquely or blot it to make it more of a stain. i'm planning on posting a separate review on this. this is a satin finish, so it's very smooth on the lips.

l-r: vivid imagination, speed dial, riri woo, rebel

creme d'nude - i believe this was my first mac lipstick purchase. it's a very nude lipstick, but is still darker than my skintone so it doesn't make me look like a corpse. cremesheen formula, meaning it keeps my lips very moisturised. i usually top this with a slightly tinted gloss so my lips don't just look invisible.

shy girl - a beautiful peach-toned nude. i really love this colour, but because it's slightly warmer toned it can make the teeth look a bit yellow. i find this is a great way to wear a nude without it washing you out completely.

angel - this is a frost formula, which is also quite moisturising on the lips. this is a soft pink, which is a great everyday colour. i use this as a pink-nude, and whenever i am stuck with lipcolours, i grab this. it's slightly cool-toned, also.

ravishing - i got this shade when i went to back2mac some old eyeshadow pots. i was stuck between this one, and vegas volt, which is a more bright/fluoro version of this shade. i ended up going for this because i found it more wearable. another cremesheen, and really nice on the lips. this is very very yellow based, being an orange, so i need to make sure my teeth are rather white when i wear this.

l-r: creme d'nude, shy girl, angel, ravishing

 i think for anyone who is really passionate about makeup, mac lipsticks are a must. even if its 1, or 8, or even 50, you need to try these at least once in your life. they have a delicious vanilla scent, which make them pleasant to use. the variety of colours, formulas and finishes are great, catering to everyone's needs. they are quite an investment, but if you want quality over quantity, definitely go for these.

what are your favourite lipsticks? favourite mac shades?

xx gabi

mac "julie verhoeven" pink bag - review and swatches

another great buy from my singapore trip! i couldn't resist going into the mac store there. mac here in australia is so damn expensive, and i knew that while i was overseas i had to build up my collection. and when i saw this kit, i couldn't resist. i'm not sure on pricing for this one, because i know it was more expensive than the US price of $40.. i think i payed around $60 AUD, but not completely certain.

this is the "pink" kit - there were 4 to choose from (pink, red, peach and nude), and this one spoke to me the most. heh.

it contains a cremesheen lipstick in vivid imagination (a goooorgeous bluetoned pink), a lipliner in pink treat (a dark dusty pink) and a dazzleglass creme lipgloss in julia (a translucent pink with gold reflects).

this was not my first mac lipstick, and the cremesheen formulas are my favourite type. they don't dry my lips, and offer some sort of moisture as well. this colour is beautiful, and makes the teeth look slightly whiter. i find that it's very similar to angel (also by mac), but slightly more pink and slightly more opaque. 

the lipliner is gorgeous, and i find that when i use this i tend to just fill in my entire lips and wear a gloss over. the colour is just beautiful, and i love to use this under lipsticks to make them slightly darker.

the lipgloss is an average colour, and is quite sheer when you use it on the lips. i have plenty of shades that look like this. the reason i love it so much is because of the formula. i'm one who likes sticky glosses, and i don't like completely smooth ones. and this gloss is just... incredible. it's almost creamy on the lips, smooth but has a small amount of stickyness (so you know it's still there!). it's so comfortable on the lips and lasts quite long.

from top: vivid imagination lipstick, pink treat lipliner, julia lipgloss

i really like mac lip products, and find that they all have a very pleasant vanilla smell. the pigmentation and colours from this kit are gorgeous, and all the items work very well with one another.

 i also really like the little bag that this kit comes in. the print is rather.. unique (ha!), but the size and strap are super convenient, and this little bag is a frequent accompaniment in my handbag. i keep all my touchup makeup in it, and it does the job. it's also canvas, so stains wash out really easily.

this set is utterly gorgeous, and i love it to pieces. pink treat is a repromote, however (which is GREAT because i'm definitely going to be repurchasing it), but the others are limited edition (although i'm sure there are plenty of dupes, especially for the lipgloss)

what are your favourite mac lip products? 

xx gabi

too faced "pretty rebel" palette (review and swatches)

i could not resist picking up this palette the second i saw it being released in australia. i'd heard such amazing reviews about it and lost all self control.

i present to you, what appears to be my new favourite palette in the entire universe, the too faced "pretty rebel" palette.

for $59.95 AUD, this is quite a steal (considering a single mac eyeshadow costs $32). and i was pleased to see it was only about $10 cheaper in america. four for you, australia! somewhat reasonable pricing! i got this from kit cosmetics, the sister store of mecca cosmetica. 

this is my first experience with too faced eyeshadows, and i am incredibly impressed. they are all super soft, some more than others, and have a quite buttery texture. the pigmentation is crazy, and the only one i am slightly disappointed with is "badass", the blue, because it is quite sheer (note: i have found using fix+ and packing it on, you get a much better result).

 

left - right: dainty, charming, girly, totally fetch, miss sparkles, ringleader, gangsta, instigator, badass, jailbird.

my apologies for the horrific swatches. my camera decided to go on strike and refused to focus on them no matter what. this was the best photo i could get (>_<)

overall, i adore this palette. it has an amazing balance of neutrals and crazy colours, all extremely wearable and practical (except maybe "totally fetch", the hot pink!). i've worn this nearly every day since purchasing, and i think that if you have the ability to get this, go grab it. my favourite colour is, hands down, "girly", the duochrome green/brown shade. i tend to wear lots of neutrals, and this shade is a great way to incorporate a soft splash of colour into your normal neutral eye. plus, it is soooo soft! look at that swatch!

only downsides? i find "dainty", the matte white, slightly chalky. also, since quite a few of the colours have glitter, especially "miss sparkles", you need to foil the shadows when you use them or else you get insaaaane fallout. a vast majority of the shadows are metallic, with only a couple mattes and a couple glittery shades, so if metallic shadows aren't your thing you might want to give this a pass.

me on the other hand? i flipping love it. definitely going to be my new travel palette.

any of you thinking of buying this? already got it? thoughts? 

xx gabi

benefit benetint - review

digging out some oldies from my collection to review for y'all today! i grabbed my mini benetint by benefit, and wondered why my bottle was almost full!

benetint, approx $55 AUD for a full size bottle, is a rose coloured lip and cheek stain. the origins of this product are quite.. interesting [let's just say they were used to tint nipples o_o]

i got this in a benefit kit, which i shall hopefully review at some point, and was so excited to try it after hearing all the rave reviews.

benetint comes with a small brush applicator, and you're supposed to use 3 dots of this on your lips [as a lip stain] or on your cheeks as a natural looking blush. i am quite fair skinned, and thought this would be the perfect product to add a "flush" to my almost-white skin.

well i was wroooooong.

i remembered instantly why i never touch this. it doesn't work for me, AT ALL.

the product, when swatching on my hand, holds a stain, and looks highly pigmented. but it is literally INVISIBLE on my lips, and when i put it on my cheeks, it fades within half an hour.

i don't know if mine is defective, or if it just doesn't work for me, but i know for sure i am NOT going to be rushing out to buy a full size bottle for 55 bucks!

so far my experiences with benefit's bottle products haven't been that great... i'll post reviews on the other products i have at some point.

if this works for you- you're a lucky one. anyone have tips on how i could make this work? cause i don't like having it just sitting around with no use [and PLEASE no one suggest using it as a nipple tint, that's just weird].

xx gabi

stila - "in the light" palette (review and swatches)

today i decided to review a much loved palette of mine - stila's "in the light".

i bought this when i was in singapore last year, because i went to sephora for the first time and i just couldn't help myself. the main reason i was attracted to this stila palette over the others is that it had the shade "kitten", and anyone who knows makeup KNOWS that you have to try that shadow at some point in your life. i was actually intending to buy that as a single, but it was $25 AUD for that, or $36 AUD for this palette, which also comes with a full size eyeliner. now enough rambling, on to the photos!

1st row: bare, kitten, bliss

2nd row: sunset, sandstone, champagne 

3rd row: gilded gold, luster, night sky, 

4th row: ebony, eyeliner in damsel.

i was truly impressed by the quality of these shades. they're creamy, and soft, but not too soft. the texture for most of them is really nice, with only one (bare) feeling chalky. kitten is a phenomenal shade, but i also really love gilded gold. i also apologise for the horrible swatches, the lighting decided to poop itself.

all in all i'm very happy with this palette. i have since depotted it into a z-palette though, to save space in my collection. it's a really great investment, especially if (like me) you wanted to try out stila shadows without breaking the bank.

have any of you tried this palette? what were your thoughts! let me know!

xx gabi