Autumnal Lips and Tips

It's officially the end of summer here in New Zealand and I must say I'm always excited by autumn. Warm days but cooler nights, I can wear my much loved skinny Levis again and of course the makeup trends get darker along with the weather. I've got a few stunners I love for the cooler months because who doesn't adore dark berry shades?

My personal favourites if I want something a little on the dark side are a bold MAC lip. Vino lip liner stops the lipstick from bleeding (which you especially don't want with darker lip shades). As the name suggests it's a gorgeous wine shade with a burgundy kind of tone - somewhere between a red and a purple. It's absolutely stunning and looks different depending on your skin tone too. I find more olive tones make it look more red whereas when you're a little pasty face like myself the purple tones are more dominant.

I top that off with Darkside by MAC, it's an amplified formulation which is one of my favourite varieties. Super pigmented with a semi-matte finish it complements the Vino liner perfectly. It casts a little red in the photos (I spent an hour and a half on these photos and I still feel like I didn't *quite* capture everything just right) but like the liner it shows differently depending on your skin tone. It's a very deep berry/plum shade on me which is lovely.

To pair with I love Lincoln Park After Dark by OPI, it's been a constant on my nails for several winters now and I don't think it's going away any time soon. It's definitely a purple toned polish but in certain lights looks more black. It's very flattering on shorter nails with a squoval (square/oval) shape.

What are your winter must-have shades?

Claire x

First Impressions: Colourpop Cosmetics

Having read numerous reviews,  viewed swatch videos on YouTube and pouring over the Colourpop website I made myself a list to order for a birthday present to myself. I've been wearing these non stop since they arrived, I've swatched everything and will highlight a few of my favourite shades too. Everything from Colourpop is cruelty free, only $5 USD (except the blushes) and they are all amazingly pigmented. 

I haven't yet tried their blushes and highlighters but will definitely be making another order soon to stock up on my favourite limited edition Spring collection bits. 

Describing the consistency of these eyeshadows is a little difficult – they’re sort of a cross between a mousse like texture and a MAC paint pot. They’re not sticky to wear at all and feel very light on the skin. I’m not sure why but they don’t seem to really stick to/apply to your lid with brushes that well, though applying with your finger gives amazing colour pay off. They recommend tapping the colour directly onto the lid with your fingertips and I've definitely found this the best way to apply them myself.

I try to concentrate the colour strictly on the lid then blend out towards the crease with a dense brush. The effect is beautiful, they blend a dream and layer up really nicely too if you want to use more than one shade. To do a crease colour I just place colour on the outer corner and use windscreen wiper movements to blend across. To be honest the duo-chrome type colours like mooning mean you could use one colour alone for a smokey eye and look like you've used three. 

In terms of the colours themselves – if you've been following me for a while you’ll know I love colours that compliment blue eyes. Three of the shades are very coppery and gold tones while the other four are red/purple based. It’s hard to pick a favourite but I think Bandit and Desert are the ones I like most. They’re both very wearable day to day and have a beautiful almost pearl finish while still being quite matte and of course look stunning together too. 

The other more intense shades are stunning too – Mooning is indescribable, it’s sort of a black base but with a red and rose gold shimmer through it. I've also found Drift to be a great dupe for Cranberry by MAC and Game Face a dupe for Coppering. 

As for the lipsticks I think I’ve found a new favourite. Tootsi is a part of the Spring collection, I’m not sure if that means it’s limited edition but I’ll definitely be buying a few more very soon to bolster my collection. It’s the most gorgeous mauve/grey/beige nude. I was a bit worried it might wash me out a bit but the first day I wore it I got a lot of compliments at work. It’s a shade that makes you look like you’ve put the effort into your lips without being as ostentatious as one of the reds. The matte finish is very flattering, not drying at all and incredibly long wearing as well. I only needed to touch this one up after lunch and I’d been wearing it for six hours. Definitely recommend getting the matching lip pencil too for longer wear and more intense colour pay off.

Both red shades I bought are great colour pay off as well. Bossy is a very “true” red – neither very blue nor orange toned it sits in the middle of the road. I would use this as more of a day-time red than the Bichette but can definitely transition into night time wear too. I find to get the real colour of this one you do need the lip pencil on underneath otherwise it seemed to cast a bit pink on me.

Bichette on my skin tone I feel is best kept for the evening, it’s a very intense blue-red. It's very eye-catching and almost a little bit vampy red (but then perhaps that's just because I'm so pale). Both Bichette and Bossy are very creamy and pigmented to apply like a dream. Again, both are matte shades and lasted a decent long while and neither bled (I put this down to lip pencil use again). I'm gradually getting myself more used to using bold colours like this, Colourpop is a great way to go as with a five dollar lipstick if you find you rarely wear it, you haven't lost a lot of money. However that said I've loved wearing both the eyeshadows and lipsticks and will certainly be trying more in the future. 

Claire x

The Nude Lip

Kylie Jenner inspired lips for paler girls - sometimes I find the browny colour a bit harsh on me - so I've found a combination that was mentioned in my recent monthly favourite that I thought I'd share properly. I always like to see the colour pay off of products too so I've included swatches (I'm just having such a swatch-y week good lord first the Hourglass palette then this?!) I'll stop posting my face next week I promise. This is my personal favourite combination.

Hourglass Femme Nude no.4 and MAC Lip Pencil in Subculture

The above swatches are in natural light - absolutely love them for defining the lip and it gives you a more put together look with minimum effort. 

Any must-have nudes I should add to my collection? (Already have my eye on the Femme Nude no.1...)

Claire x

Do the Dew - How to with Oily Skin

OK, so I feel I need to make an effort to ~put my face out there more~ and it certainly won't be a weekly thing but I feel if I can show you swatches/how it looks on it'll be a lot more beneficial for anyone reading. Basically the deal is I love dewy/glowy skin but anyone with an oilier face knows that sometimes dewy = shiny. I've found a few products that mean that no longer need be the case. A few I've mentioned before and a few are a little newer.

Nars Radiant Tinted Moisturiser + Radiant Creamy Concealer (in Vanilla). 

I've mentioned this dreamy combination more than enough times - the moisturiser is great coverage, offers SPF and gives a really luminous finish to the skin. Pair this with the concealer in a pinky shade for covering blue/purple circles under the eyes and I find my complexion already looks a lot better. More fresh and a lot less dull whilst still letting your skin peek through rather than being too much like a "mask."

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette + Nars Lagina Bronzer. 

I don't know where the Hourglass Ambient lighting palette has been all my life but we've found each other now and that's what matters. This is the piece de resistance for oily skin that loves the dew. I use the centre shade for setting my concealer, the bronzey honey shade to warm up my cheeks - a bit like a blush. Finally I set all over with the left hand colour pictured above and you're all set. I like to pop a bit of Nars under my cheek bones to contour a little bit with a tapered face brush - as seen below. 

MAC Mineralise Blush in Warm Soul and Benefit Watts Up.

These two are totally optional but if I'm going out or really want to amp the glow up a bit I add both. The blush is a bit more intense than the Hourglass powder and still adds a lovely warmth. The Benefit highlighter is again very similar to the lightest shade in the Hourglass palette. 

The best part about all these products is they suit my oily/combination skin and really last the distance. In terms of what I'd recommend the most highly the Hourglass palette is actually fantastic value for money. This alone you can use alone as mentioned for blush, highlighter and setting powder. It gives the most air-brushed and beautiful finish. My skin is far from perfect and usually a bit on the pink side despite having very yellow toned skin everywhere else, you can barely tell at all using this with my usual base. 

Selfie Game Needs Work

Can someone please tell me I'm not the only one incapable of taking a good selfie with a camera? I had to use my phone camera for these eek - hope the quality is OK. I think they're just good enough to do the products justice. 

I've paired this with minimal brows and mascara and a nude lip - obviously this look is lovely with any eye or lip combo you like - I'll be using this for the work Christmas party this week. I'll be sure to post my Christmas look shortly after. 

P.s. what do you all think of the new theme?!

Claire x

Top 5: MAC Must Haves

One: Eyeshadows. The range of shades alone at MAC is pretty mind boggling. While it can be a little overwhelming I think there's definitely going to be a few shades that suit every skin tone and taste in colour. In terms of the quality I've not found anything better - they apply beautifully, last all day and are highly pigmented. In the palette above I have (from top left, clockwise to bottom left) Patina, Wedge, Embark and Woodwinked. Although they look similar they have a very different effect - two matte shades and two shimmery ones are perfect for a variety of everyday looks. I have a list as long as my arm for other shades I'd love to try.

Two: Lipsticks. Can't go past lipstick really can you? From the packaging to the variety of finishes (satin, matte, frost, amplified, cremesheen etc...) and of course the colour range there is something for everyone. They're long lasting, have rich pigmentation, a beautiful finish and even smell beautiful. My favourite finishes are satin and amplified - similar consistency but the amplified, as the name suggests, are super bright.

Three: Fluidline. This is my soul-mate eyeliner. Yes, it's gel and yes, that makes it a little harder to use. However, it's very dark, dries quickly and won't easily rub off. So if you're a contact wearer like me or tend to rub your eyes then scream internally because you forgot you were wearing eye-makeup this might be good for you too. I like to use it with an Eco-Tools angled brush.

Four: Mineralise Blushes. I'm a big fan of dewy skin, even though mine can look a little oily. These blushes are a great way to get that glow without weighing down oily skin with cream products. They're not sparkly (which is good because I hate "sparkles" as such) but more pearly. I have several more of these lovelies on my to-buy list for this year. The finish is very natural and I think it's harder to over apply these than conventional blush too.

Five: Pro-Longwear Paint Pots. These are the holy grail of oily eye-lids. I find some of the darker matte shades of MAC eye-shadows were inclined to crease on me, not so with these babies. The three shades I have are Painterly (a pink toned matte finish), Groundwork which is very similar to Wedge eye-shadow but a little darker, and again a matte finish. Finally I have Constructivist which is a brown with a reddy purple undertone to it. I've created a smokey eye with this one alone. The idea behind these is they can be used on their own as a cream eye-shadow or as a primer for other powder based products over the top. I love these as they last all day at work and have never irritated my angry and irritable skin.

I've also done a NARS must haves post which you can find here.

Claire x

Naked 3: Swatch and Review

When it came to picking an eyeshadow palette I thought long and hard about it - so many brands and some you can't bloody get in New Zealand. Beauty Bay had all three Naked palettes, I already have a few bronzes and browns so the Naked 3 with it's pink and taupe tones seemed the logical and slightly different option. I've been using it for about a month now so I thought it was about time I did an in depth review and swatches for anyone else considering the palette themselves. 

Colours l - r: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick

Colours l - r: Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside, Blackheart

I think the colour range in this palette is actually really good, they look pink-toned but they're not pink as such - it's definitely got a lot of wearable tones with the second six being more cool toned browns and taupes. Aside from that there's a really good mix of satin, mattes and shimmers in there too. In terms of which colours are the best I love all of them really, in particular burnout, limit, buzz, nooner and liar. The final four are really more taupe toned darker shades, the darker shades all have the best payoff but the only ones that let the palette down a but are that dust is just exactly that - it's a little dusty and the most prone to fall out.

In terms of how long lasting they are I definitely think a primer is a good idea - I find they stick to the lid better and don't crease. Without a primer the colours aren't quite as vibrant but then they are meant to be neutral kind of shades regardless. There's definitely a lot of potential for some really dramatic looks with these or you can easily do really simple day looks too. I like Nooner through my crease and Limit on my lid for a matte look and for a more evening appropriate look something like Nooner through the crease with a combination of Liar, Factory and Mugshot is beautiful and still fairly neutral.

The brush inside is also pretty good quality and as it's double sided is perfect for getting shadow precisely into the crease and pressing colour directly onto the lid.

All in all I'd say, given the palette cost me $75NZD and there are 12 colours in here it's worth every cent - especially when a MAC eyeshadow alone is $30. I think out of the three palettes the pink tones in this one are the most unique, definitely love with this. If you want something with a little more colour but aren't ready for full blown bright shades this is a fantastic option.

Which Naked palette was your favourite?

Claire x

First Impressions: Lime Crime Velvetines

Left: Red Velvet. Right: Suedeberry

I'd been anxious to get my hands on these shades for a while - I did what any rational person suffering from indecision does - I bought both. The colours are Suedeberry and Red Velvet - retailing at $30 in New Zealand (not including postage...)

Both are very matte in finish, with incredibly vivid and opaque colour pay off. The Red Velvet was the first I got my hands on and I think it's my favourite of the two. It's a beautiful deep slightly blue-toned red though I expect it would look slightly different on different people. Best part about Red Velvet aside from being a total statement lip colour is it makes your teeth look brilliantly white. 

The Suedeberry is more a strawberry tone with an orange undertone and I think a little more wearable day to day. I tone it down with a nude lipstick if I don't want it to look too obvious when I'm at work. 

Both are very long lasting - the Suedeberry lasts around 5 hours with eating and drinking at work. The Red Velvet even more so because once you put it on the only way you'll get it off is with oil/an oil based cleanser (like my much loved Ultrabland from Lush). Due to this the Red Velvet is a little more drying and will show up cracks in your lips more than the Suedebery but if you put a little balm over the top this can be counteracted (though the lipstick will slip/transfer a little more easily if you do this). 

Overall, two absolutely stunning colours with great wear, a big impact and a solid matte finish. I can't wait for an excuse to wear them out more. 

Claire x

All About That Bas(e) pt. 2 - Tools

So this is part two in my "All About That Base" little series. I may make a third about skincare/how to get your skin looking and feeling good for BEFORE makeup as well. These are the tools I like to use to help me get as good a base as possible whilst also looking natural and nicely blended out.

L-R Small Tapered Face Brush, Angled Top Blush Brush. T-B Blush Brush, Flat Top Face Brush, Eyeshadow Brush

xoBeauty Flat Top Face Brush + Foundation

I love this brush for buffing in foundation, it doesn't leave you looking streaky and the bristles are beautifully soft. I find liquid foundation (for me anyway) seems to apply best when I do a bit of blending with my fingers to spread the product then buff in for a perfect finish with one of these. You don't use as much product and get a better final look. 

Real Techniques Eyeshadow Brush + Concealer

I've bought a few Real Techniques brushes in the last year but this has been the only one to really stand out to me. It has very densely packed bristles that really work the product into your under-eye area without leaving marks or dragging the skin. 

xoBeauty Small Tapered Face Brush/Angled Top Blush Brush + Bronzer/Contour

As you can probably tell by now, I kind of use brushes for whatever the hell I think they'll be best for and these two work splendidly for contouring. I use the angled top to get a general bit of dimension going so I don't look so flat, this brush really disperses product nicely rather than packing it on too heavily to one area of the face. The tapered face brush is great for then doing some more specific work under the cheekbones with my taupe coloured blush. 

ecoTools Blush Brush

I actually use this one for what it was designed for. It's nice and fluffy, doesn't put too much product on and is about the right size - I find some brushes are a bit too small and specific but with blush I like a general wash of colour up/across my cheekbones. 

You can find the ecoTools and Real Techniques Brushes on FeelUnique and the xoBeauty brushes (which might I add, are my favourite brand) from xoBeauty Shop

Claire x

All About That Bas(e) pt. 1 - Makeup

Do you see what I did there with that title? Hilarious. That incredibly irritating song inspired a blog post, amazing. Anyway, what this post is going to be about is my perfect "base" which essentially means how to get your skin looking as immaculate as possible. I personally don't like very full coverage as I think I look a bit more "normal" with some of my natural skin showing through - so all the products I use will give you a fairly natural looking medium coverage finish. Of course you don't need all of these products specifically but these are my personal favourite for this look. I think having a good base sets you up for any sort of eye/lip colour and will make it stand out more and look more polished. Apologies for the slightly abused looking products - I like to think it just means you can tell they're well loved. 

Step one: Foundation. 

As you all know, I love Nars and Sheer Glow is like my soul mate foundation. I use the shade Gobi in winter/spring. The coverage is very natural, slightly glowy and lasts a while. I have oily skin but this doesn't make me too dewy/shiny. It glides on with a smoothness akin to moisturiser and feels like skin once it has settled. This gives a nice base, evens out skin tone and is a good canvas for your other base products. 

Step two: Concealer. 

Again, another Nars product but this is the best concealer I've ever used and I've used a fair few. I apply this under my eyes with the doe-foot applicator then blend out with a brush. This concealer doesn't crease and lasts all day without a worry, even through a gym workout. Sorely tempted to get this in a pink toned shade specifically for my under-eyes...

Step three: Contour. 

I use two products for this, the Nars Laguna bronzer and MAC blush in Honesty. I start by bronzing my face in the "3" configuration, temple, under the cheek bone and under the jawline. Then I go in with a more precise brush to contour with Honesty just under my cheek bones. This gives some dimension to your face as foundation alone can make you look a bit "flat" as such. This blush in particular I find good for this as it's very cool/taupe toned so doesn't have an orange cast to it so it looks like a natural shadow. 

Step four: Blush. 

I love a bit of blush, I used to use almost exclusively coral shades but with my skin colouring I'm now finding that more orangey and peachy shades look far better and a lot more natural on me. My latest blush to join the family is MAC Mineralise Warm Soul. It's a gorgeous peachy kind of shade and it's not "glittery" (which I can't stand...) but a pearly kind of finish that makes you look dewy and very healthy. It's also a very subtle option if you're just getting into cheek colour. 

Step five: Highlight. 

I love highlight. Pearly brightness on the tops of cheekbones makes anyone look healthy and more awake. My favourite highlight is Watts Up! by Benefit. It's a glow more than a sparkle and is great to apply straight from the stick. It's a cream to powder kind of finish and lasts all day. I use my fingers to blend this out as I think it looks more natural and doesn't wipe the product off like the sponge can. 

Step six: Eye primer. 

I think this step is actually quite important, it primes your eye for any eyeshadow you might be using and covers up the redness/veins you can see on your eyelids. I like MAC Paintpot in Painterly. I apply with my middle finger and apply directly under the brow and blend down. Not only does this highlight the brow bone and tidy it up but it makes you appear more awake - which when you have to work for 8+ hours is always a good thing! Aside from that it means your eyeshadows will last all day and won't crease. 

The next post in this series will be the brushes I use to accompany my base application and how I use them. All these products are on my daily makeup regimen - I love having a tidy looking base as you can get away with very little else e.g. just brows and mascara on top. 

Claire x

First Impressions: Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip-brow

Again, super late to the party but purely because of the whole New-Zealand-gets-everything-after-everyone-else. This still isn't actually stocked in any stores here so I bought it on Beautybay.

I'd been super keen to try this as with summer creeping up I'm all for anything that says it's water/sweat proof as where I work/my office can get pretty damn hot. That, and when I go to the gym I like to know by brow isn't going to slide off my face. 

First impressions of this one is immediate love - I'd heard a lot of people saying you only need the tiniest bit and you really do. This little glass jar will last me a lifetime at this rate. I apply it with an angle top brow brush from Eco-Tools. 

The colour pay off is amazing, it's quite a waxy texture and is very easy to apply and blend but once it's set, it really stays there. I've worn it through 9 hours at the office, the gym and then got home for it to still be in perfect condition. I got it in the shade Blonde, I sort of wish there was an even lighter shade but generally speaking I do like dark brows. If you're a very warm toned blonde you may want to go for the auburn instead - this colour is fairly cool toned, I have a white/gold cast to my hair but again still fairly "cool". 

As for swatches here I have it in natural light then a more shaded area. 

Natural light - Dip-brow in Blonde

Natural/Artificial Light - Blonde

Finally I have a few images to show you what it looks like after about 10 hours wear. Again in both natural and artificial light - the natural light one is a little dark because we're just coming out of winter. 

 Artificial light - 10 hrs wear. Dip-brow - Blonde

Natural light - 10 hrs wear. Dip-brow - Blonde

Personally I always like to read plenty of reviews on a product before I purchase it, so even though this has been around a while hopefully it'll be of some help. All in all, the verdict is I 100% recommend this product. For $22 New Zealand and free shipping for a product that will have a lot of use it it's definitely worth a try. The descriptions for each colour on the website and on Beautybay I believe are very accurate as well - you'll almost certainly see this in my September monthly favourites. 

Claire x

First Impressions: Nars Pro-Prime Primer

If you know me at all, you know I am seriously in love with Nars. I've bought a lot of products from them in the past few months and this is the latest to join the family/my makeup bag. I thought I'd do a little "first impressions" now that I've been using it a week.

As always with Nars, this primer has a very nice but delicate fresh smell - sort of citrussy. It's very liquidy but a little really does go a long way, I thought a 30ml bottle wouldn't go very far but the amount you need to use is so small I think this little tube will go a long way.

I apply mainly to my t-zone as this is where my pores are most obvious and where my makeup tends to wear off most easily. I apply a blob about...eeek can I say 1/2 a pea size? If that, and it covers the whole area. I let it really dry properly and make sure I'm not too heavy handed, otherwise it'll have the opposite effect and make your makeup slide around.

I noticed a huge improvement on the longevity of my makeup around my nose especially - it looked smoother and lasted much longer too. Really impressed with that. I've found my forehead is still often a bit shiny/loses it's coverage by the end of the day even with this primer. However I expect when I've got my beloved Nars Sheer Glow foundation back (hurry up Gobi!) that may well change as the tinted moisturiser I use is just that, a moisturiser.

Unfortunately for me the price dropped on this product literally less than a week after I purchased but even so it's 100% worth it so far. I've not had any adverse reaction and my skin is fairly sensitive and it cleans off easily at night too.

As usual, Nars lives up to its reputation again, though this isn't my all time favourite Nars product it's definitely worth the investment. We'll put it to the true test come summer...!

Claire x

NARS must haves

It's only been this year that I have fallen in love with the all amazing NARS (mostly because this is the first year I've had the income for it...) so I thought I'd make a master list of all the products I feel are absolute makeup wonders.

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation
This is the first foundation I've honestly been truly satisfied with, now I can't imagine using anything else. The consistency is smooth, and goes on like a moisturiser more than anything else. I blend it on with my fingers then buff in with a flat top foundation brush like the xobeauty flat top for a super flawless finish. It dries in no time to a semi-matte finish, I'd say it's not terribly "glowy" but looks and feels like skin, which is more than can be said for a lot of foundations that often leave me feeling a bit sticky and cake-faced. It's a medium coverage which I like - in my mind if I'm wearing a foundation I like it to be medium - full, if I wanted light I'd use a tinted moisturiser. Which brings me to my next NARS love.

Nars Radiant Tinted Moisturiser
This is the first tinted moisturiser/SPF I've ever actually liked, well, loved. It's got the finish you'd expect from the sheer glow foundation. It's not quite light coverage, but not heavy enough to me as full as the foundation counterpart. For everyday wear, it's just right. It feels light, lasts all day and doesn't feel greasy or thick which a lot of SPF creams tend to feel.
Disclaimer: although it's SPF 30 in Europe/the US it's not rated high enough for Aus/NZ ladies. However, for me, it's better than the SPF I was wearing before - which was nothing eeek.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
This baby is the perfect partner to the tinted moisturiser for those days you need just that little extra coverage. It's amazingly long lasting, covers blemishes and dark circles beautifully and most importantly, it doesn't crease. The only wear I see from my makeup is after it's been on for 9+ hours and been through a tough session at the gym. I use colour medium1 in custard.

Nars - The Multiple
This little wonder will be my best friend when I'm travelling next year. I have it in the shade Anguilla which is a lovely shade for both cheeks and lips. It's a matte finish and blends like a dream. Getting two products/uses from one = enough said.

Nars Lip Pencils
I found my dream pink lip colour in Nars satin lip pencils. Her name is Stourhead and she's a beautiful lilac/pale pink colour. She's also limited edition (wahh, considering stocking up...). I love the satin finish as sometimes matte can be a little drying. This is creamy, long wearing (especially for a creamy consistency) and has great colour payoff.

I'm sure more will be added to my Nars collection in the coming months - I have my eye on the illuminator and primer already...