Video: Recent Beauty Favourites - July 2015

Hello! New video time!
I love the word 'favourite'; it makes me feel all fuzzy and warm. What's not to love about the things you love most? I have a published a video about beauty bits that I have enjoyed during these last few autumn winter months and are therefore deemed recent favourites. Warning: many eye shadows and lipsticks ahead. THE COLOURS, CHILDREN! LOOK AT THE COLOURS! Thanks for washing...I mean watching.

MAC + Nyx

Sometimes, it's about the three-letter brands. MAC. NYX. YES. I recently had occasion to acquire some such products and was pretty impressed. Myy precioussses. Although MAC cosmetics are available in Australia, I just find them too highly priced to justify. For example, a MAC lipstick in Australia costs $36AUD compared to in Canada $20CAD, where the exchange rate is pretty similar. I decided a while ago to avoid buying MAC cosmetics in Australia because they charge too much, in my opinion. Anyway, I found Allanaramaa's blog sale and that was the end of that. I ordered the two MAC lipsticks and two MAC eye shadows in this post and they are all so pretty! The Nyx items I purchased at Target in Australia.

L-R: Nyx Blush in Dusty Rose, MAC Lipstick in Fire Sign, MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo

Blush + Lipstick

• Nyx Powder Blush in PB02 Dusty Rose - My first Nyx blush and I like it a lot! The Dusty Rose colour is just that; flattering and more peach- than grey-based. The matte formula is nice and smooth; it is pigmented enough without transferring too much colour. It is a smart, safe and affordable blush, people! (I'm also keen to check out the Cinnamon shade - mentioned by non other than @KathleenLights1 - but I'm not sure if Target Australia carries it.)
• MAC Lipstick in Fire Sign (Lustre) - This and Ruby Woo below are my first MAC lipsticks ever! The (self-imposed) wait is finally over. Fire Sign is a goregous orange-red sheen. I cannot stop wearing this! It doesn't last too long, but that's fine with me because I like to re-apply it. If you're after a pretty, versatile lustre lipstick from MAC, please consider Fire Sign.
• MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo (Matte) - I know, I know. Everybody loves this. And now, I'm part of the club. It's such a beautiful, classic red lipstick. There are no more words.

 

Both photos L-R: Nyx Damage Control, MAC Star Violet, MAC Cranberry, Nyx Heat

Eye Shadow

• MAC Eye Shadow in Star Violet (Veluxe Pearl) - A very nice, warm, mulberry/mauve pink colour with a subtle gold sheen. So so beautiful. The Veluxe Pearl finish is quite pigmented and buttery, if you will.
• MAC Eye Shadow in Cranberry (Frost) - A very popular shade and for good reason: cool cranberry pink/red with a luscious frosted finish... Yes. This colour is absolutely beautiful, so check it out if you're on the hunt for a deep pink eye shadow. Class.
• Nyx Hot Singles Eye Shadow in HS70 Heat - A beautiful, warm, orange red with good pigmentation, reminiscent of cinnamon. Perhaps a more daring colour but I think it is so yummy. My first Nyx eye shadow, as well.
• Nyx Hot Singles Eye Shadow in HS14 Damage Control - Lastly, a warm medium grey with a subtle amount of shimmer. The pigmentation is less strong than Heat, but this is no problem for me as I'm happy to keep building it up. This also helps it stay looking chic by not being too obvious. The first grey eye shadow I have had in a long time, or possibly ever.

 

A Few Shout-Outs

• Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush - I have been searching for a fine eye liner brush for a while to use with my current favourite Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner. Real Techniques has a good reputation for a drugstore makeup brush brand, so I thought I would give their Silicone Liner Brush a go. I am glad I did! This brush has a silicone point (no bristles), so you can easily make a clean, single line with your liner. It's perhaps less fussy than other eye liner brushes with individual bristles (animal hair or human-made). It's also very easy to clean - bonus!
• ELLE Australia Magazine July 2015 - ELLE Australia has been my favourite fashion and lifestyle magazine since it launched in October 2013. If I could work for a magazine, ELLE Australia would be it. The team at @ELLEaus do a fantastic job and the magazine is edgy as heck. The July 2015 issue features the stunning Nicole Warne of @garypeppergirl as well as other coolios. If you don't get this month's issue, keep an eye out for next month's one!  

Let me know if you have any opinions or suggestions for related products. Thanks for stopping by!

Video: Silver Grey Eye + Pink Lip

 

Hello! I thought I would try my hand at demonstrating a makeup look. It's more show-and-tell than tutorial per se, but I had fun doing it! I'm enjoying exploring different colours to use at the moment, especially during winter; I feel bolder when it comes to trying striking or less conventional colours. Grey eye shadow, cranberry red eye shadow, dark plum lips... Makeup is an exercise in creativity. Let me know if you have nice things to say!

Blush + Gold

...And now for some few items on the blush to gold spectrum! Gold, copper, bronze, pink: love! I pretty much bought these items on a whim because each cost $2-$4. For that price, I thought it could be fun to try out some different colours and ranges. *rationalises* BOE Beauty and Face of Australia are carried at Big W (among other stores), and I found the Maybelline Color Tattoo and Rimmel lipsticks at Chemmart, which is a discount drugstore in Australia. I ended up with:

• Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 220 Pink Chic & 375 Piccadilly Pink
• BOE Beauty Blush in Pink Goddess
• BOE Beauty Bronzer in Glow
• BOE Beauty Highlight Shimmer Powder
• Face of Australia Iconic Nail Polish in Beauty Queen & That's My Crown
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk

Clockwise from far left: Rimmel lipstick in Piccadilly Pink, Face of Australia nail polish in Beauty Queen, BOE shimmer, Face of Australia nail polish in That's My Crown, Rimmel lipstick
in Pink Chic, BOE blush, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk, BOE bronzer

Let's face it: The bronzer, blush and shimmer from BOE Beauty are quite pigmented and in pretty colours: classic warm bronze colour (think NARS Laguna), and warm peach pink (think NARS Orgasm). The bronzer and blush show up nicely on my fair skin and are pretty blendable, which is good because they could go on pretty strongly if you're not careful. They also each have a very subtle amount of shimmer, but nothing to be concerned about.

That said, the shimmer powder is in a different category because it is extremely bright and light-reflective. It is a cool, white gold colour, which may make it tempting to go all out. However, please be cautious and start out with the tiniest bit! It is very pigmented and the particles are the biggest that you'd want to use for a face highlight. I would also use this as an eyeshadow to be honest, and even then, it's pretty noticeable.

Swatches clockwise from top left: BOE bronzer, BOE blush, BOE shimmer

Pink about it:
The two Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks are - you guessed it - full of moisture! The formula is quite creamy but still classy and not gooping everywhere. I really like both the shades: Pink Chic is almost bubblegum pink but very wearable. To me, it is more of a cool pink, so I like to wear it with a cool eye shadow (blue, gray, even lilac). Pink Piccadilly, on the other hand, is a warm, deep blush pink; kind of a 'my lips but better' shade. Nice.

I must say, I was very pleased to find the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk because I think it's no longer in the current range stocked in Priceline, etc. The colour was from a previous line of colours in the range and it's a shame that it's not sold in more stores because it is GORGEOUS. As you might know from my previous post on the Maybelline Color Tattoos, they are great cream eye shadows. The formula is smooth and long-lasting, the colours are luscious, and it is so easy to apply! Naturally, when I saw the sassy Pomegranate Punk shade, it had to be mine. The colour is a dark pink/brown/cranberry; not really blush-gold spectrum but deserves an honorable mention. Swoon.

Swatches L-R: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk, Rimmel lipstick in Piccadilly Pink, Rimmel lipstick in Pink Chic

The nail polishes by Face of Australia are also very nice. Beauty Queen is a #respectablenude shade: wearable, sophisticated and simple. That's My Crown is full of different-sized glitter: smaller ballet pink shimmer, gold sheen, and bigger sugar pink particles. So fun for a party...or even everyday life.

Thank you for stopping by! Don't forget to check out my YouTube channel: youtube.com/c/philomanie. See you next time!