Lust Have It Beauty Bag Review

Hello, good people! My fabulous friend gifted me a trial of the Australian Lust Have It beauty subscription service, which was such a neat idea. I made an 'unboxing' (unbagging??) video going through the contents of the October 2015 version. (I know, I know; but better late than never!)
Click on the video below to see what's inside and then check out my other videos on YouTube (youtube.com/c/philomanie) if you're keen!

Thanks for stopping by!

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.

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!

Cool Weather + Nails

 So, the weather is cooler now in the southern hemisphere, so I’m in the mood for some sassy nail colour. In the autumn and winter, I tend to choose from a couple of colour groups, so I’ve included examples below:

Blues

• Colour Theory Nail Polish - It’s a Boy: This is a cool light blue, appropriate for ice queen vibes.
• Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Polish – 290 Constant Caribbean: Peacock teal blue; an eye-catching metallic shade. So fun!

 

Deep Purples + Wine Reds

• Revlon Top Speed Nail Polish - 660 Grape: Dark metallic purple for the violet-inclined. It also does smell somewhat of grape!
• OPI Nail Lacquer – Lincoln Park After Dark: Such a classic; very deep purple, almost black. A nice, daring colour without being 100% noir.
• Max Factor Gloss Finity Nail Polish – 185 Ruby Fruit: A sumptuous dark wine red colour, and fool-proof chic for cool weather.

 

  

Nude Browns + Pinks a.k.a. RESPECTABLE NUDES

• Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Polish - 220 Toasted Almond: I have warm feelings for this milk chocolate colour! Not too dark, not too light, but just toasty.
• Rimmel 60-Second Nail Polish – 500 Caramel Cupcake: I have dubbed this my ‘respectable nude’ colour! It is a light blushing brown/pink colour and very flattering on fair-medium skin tones.
• Maybelline Forever Strong Super Stay 7-Day Gel Nail Polish – 130 Rose Poudré: This is similar to Rimmel’s Caramel Cupcake, though decidedly much more pink. Mauve, blush, dusty rose are all appropriate descriptors for this shade.

 

Party Pops

• Maybelline Forever Strong Super Stay 7-Day Gel Nail Polish – 180 Rose Fuschia: Watermelon love! This bright warm-toned hot pink is sassy! Prepare yourself for flattery.
• Sally Hansen Colour Frenzy - 320 Splattered: This sparkle polish is very cool and artiscis with particles of different colours and sizes. For an ombré effect, paint the first coat all over the nail, the second on the half of the nail furthest from the cuticle, and then third coat on the very tips. This also works well on top of a solid nail colour (black, gold, dark pink). Snazzy!
• OPI Nail Lacquer – Rising Star: This is an opulent warm gold shade, fit for your next glamorous event. Gorgeous goddess ambience.

Let me know your favourite colour or fall nail trend!

Garage Sale = Bargain Beauty

Savvy Classic Blush in Silky Pink

Wearing Revlon ColorStay Longwear in 320 Trade Winds

 

Hello! I recently attended a garage sale/yard sale, kind of by chance. I found out about it on Reddit in the sub-group for my city, which surprised me as it was the first time I learned of the sub-group. It's actually a pretty handy way to find out about things in your city. Who knew? Not me. Anyway, I made a vague mental note to check it out if I would be in the area that day. Long story short: I was, and I scored a couple of beauty bits and pieces.

So, I got three nail polishes and a blush - and paid almost nothing! All were practically new and I don't think there's a huge issue with using that kind of stuff secondhand (I wiped all the products down anyway). 

Two of the nail polishes were from the ColorStay Longwear range: 005 Base Coat, and 320 Trade Winds. I had been somewhat on the lookout for a bare bone/nude/sand shade and was keen once I spotted Trade Winds. The third polish was from the main Revlon range in 210 Electric Pink, and technically a re-purchase. This is a bright, hot pink: like a watermelon frenzy and nice in warmer weather. 

Lastly was the blush: Savvy Classic Blush in Silky Pink. Savvy is a drugstore brand here in Australia, and the blush was like new. It is a warm, medium pink with the subtlest sheen to it. It does feel silky as the shade name suggests, and only a light swirl with the blush brush is needed to get some nice colour.

I guess this post is mostly to demonstrate that how you never know what good-condition items you might find and pay next to nothing for. Go out and explore!

Let me know if you have had any interesting garage/yard sale finds!

Colour Theory

I recently came across the Colour Theory make-up line, with an inexpensive ($4 Australian), wide, colourful nail polish range. It is made in Australia and appears to be available at Australian drugstores for the most part. I tried two nail colours: Pink Pearlesque (pale salmon nude), and It's A Boy (pale duck egg blue).

Texture-wise, this does impressively for such an inexpensive product. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The finish is smooth and mostly matte with a light gloss. As with most nail polishes, it takes two coats to reach ideal opacity (i.e. at least 90%). The polish dries fairly quickly (couple of minutes) and well, so that you can proceed with your normal business and not worry too much about instant chipping.

Both colours are quite flattering, as they strike a balance between modest and fun. It's A Boy is only just on the warm side of blue (rather than cool blue), but does not appear green or veer towards being a mint colour. Pink Pearlesque is decidely warm nude/pink, and would work as a nice everyday colour.

Feel free to share your thoughts on this or another drugstore nail polish line!