Haul: Dusty Girls Make-up Products*

A few weeks ago I wrote about some skincare products that I was sent from Moogoo. 

Dusty Girls is the make-up products "farmed by Moogoo" - these products are all created with the same principles from their skincare line; products for people with sensitive skin, with honesty about what ingredients are used. 

I was sent the Natural Mineral Blush in "Pink Ladies" and the Natural Mineral Bronzer in "Sunshine". 

"Pink ladies" is a sweet pink colour that looks really natural on my complexion. The blush is not overly pigmented, which is good if you're looking for a flush of colour to brighten up your complexion. There are some shimmery, almost glittery particles in the pan. I found these don't really transfer to your skin to look like glitter, but it does provide a bit of shimmer. I think this blush is perfect for the warmer months.

The bronzer is warm-toned, and very pigmented. You only need the smallest amount on your brush to give you a sun-kissed glow. It can also be used for subtle contouring, just make sure you blend it out so you don't look streaky. "Sunshine" is the only colour this product comes in, and it's designed to suit all skintones. Again, there are the same shimmery, glittery particles in the pan that are in the blush, but it doesn't translate to glitter on the face. 

I really love the packaging of these products; the cardboard boxes they're housed in are made from 100% recycled materials. The actual plastic containers are really sturdy. I love the design with the logo, I think it's really cute. The products are 15g, and the pans are really large, making it perfect to swirl your brushes in. 

I have also been trying out the Natural Mineral Lip Shine in "Argyle Pink". 

The lip shine is packed with moisturising oils; almond oil, safflower seed oil, watermelon seed oil, apricot seed oil, grape seed oil, shea butter, vitamin e. Similarly to the Moogoo cowlick lip balm, all ingredients are edible as "lip products get eaten....slowly". 

The lip shine looks really dark in the tube, but is not that pigmented at all, and really sheer on the lips. It does add a little bit of sparkle, so I think it would work really well on top of a berry or pink lipstick, or on its own if you're after a bit more than your standard lip balm. 

Disclaimer: MooGoo very generously sent me these products to try out. They haven't influenced my opinion in any way, shape or form, and all opinions are my own. Links in the post are not affiliate links - I've just linked for your convenience! For further info check out my disclaimer. 


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NEW! Hourglass Ambient Blush Wardrobe Palette {& Swatches}

I just could not resist picking up the Hourglass Ambient Blush Wardrobe palette. I already own the Ambient Lighting Palette, and have used it every single day since I got it. So, when I saw this in my local Mecca, there was no question about whether it would join my collection. 

The three colours are (L-R): Luminous Flush, a champagne rose colour; Incandescent Electra, a cool peach blush; and Mood Exposure, a soft plum colour.

With flash. 

In natural light. 

I think Mood Exposure (right) will look beautiful in Winter, whilst Incandescent Electra (middle) has been getting a lot of wear from me over the last couple of days. On my skin, it's the perfect peachy neutral shade, and adds just a bit of life to my face. Luminous Flush (left) is a bit more pink, and I think is probably my favourite shade of the three. 

There's the same photo-luminescent technology in this palette as there is in the ambient lighting palette, so the blush refracts light and helps to create dimension to your make-up. You can see in the swatches 'with flash' that when exposed to light the colours just look brighter, without having to resort to glitter or shimmer. 

Incandescent Electra (middle shade) is exclusive to this limited edition palette, and with the individual shades retailing at $46 each, this palette is well worth the pennies saved. 

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Face of the Night: Drama Eyes

I went out the other week to see some pole dancing with one of my good friends from uni. I was excited to leave the house, and took it as an excuse to have some fun with make-up. Ever since getting the Lorac Pro palette, I've really wanted to try out some of the darker shades it has to offer. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. 

On my eyes I used the colours (in order from L-R) Deep Purple and Slate as the main eye colours, and blended them out with Espresso and Black. 

Slate didn't turn out as silver on my eyes as I wanted, so I patted some of this gorgeous colour across the top. This is Bloom's Pure Mineral eye shadow in Moonstone. I love this colour, it's so dramatic and really pigmented. 

I finished up with some Maybelline Eye Studio gel eyeliner, and these gorgeous false lashes by Blync (now Model Rock Lashes)

For my face I used Revlon's Colourstay foundation, but in a lighter shade to what I normally wear. I wanted to make my face as pale as possible to really contrast with my dark eye make-up. A little bit of NYX blush in Mocha to bring a bit of colour to my face, stopping me from looking dead. I've also really been loving Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind concealer under my eyes. A lack of sleep has made those dark circles darker than normal, but this product brightens the whole area up nicely! 

And that's it! I love how this whole look turned out.
Do you wear dramatic make-up when you go out, or do you tend to keep it more natural? 



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Review and Swatches: Revlon Colourburst Matte Balms (and GIVEAWAY!)

Earlier on in the week, I wrote about the new Revlon Lacquer balms. I've also already written up a preliminary review on these, if you want to check that out here.
It's well documented on this blog how much I love matte lips, so matte lip crayons?? These were practically made for me!

I don't have anything more to say on the packaging, than what I've already said. I love lip crayons. I love the sleekness of these. I love the matte-ness. I have nothing to fault.

(L-R: 230 Complex; 205 Elusive; 220 Showy; 240 Striking; 250 Standout; 215 Shameless)

(Top: natural lips (no product); Bottom: 230 Complex)

Complex is a peachy nude. I thought it was a bit more pink when I swatched it on my arm in the store...

I honestly am unsure about this colour. I have tried and tried, and I think it just doesn't work with my colouring. I was really hoping this would be a good matte nude, but I think it's a bit too peachy for me. 

(Top: 205 Elusive; Bottom 220 Showy)

Elusive is a cool toned light pink. I love this colour so much more than I thought I would! This is really office appropriate; it's not quite nude, but it's not a really bright colour either. This one is definitely in the running as one of my favourites. 

Showy is a bright, blue-based pink. This colour is lots of fun, and I've loved wearing this with the sunny days we've been having lately. 

(Top: 240 Striking; Middle: 250 Standout; Bottom: 215 Shameless)

These are both beautiful reds! I think striking is a cool-red, as it almost shows up with an orange hue on my lips. 

Standout is a gorgeous, deep berry red. This one is also in the running as one of my favourites. I did find however, that I needed to re-apply this colour quite frequently to keep the intensity up, which is kind of annoying.

I featured Shameless in a face of the day not too long ago. This colour is the most intense of all the matte balms, being a deep purple. I bought this one on a whim, not knowing if I could pull it off, but it's definitely one of my favourites for something different. I love the slightly vampish look this gives, and I'm always a fan of a dark lip. This does not last at all when eating or drinking though, and comes off pretty easily. 

Overall, I really love these. They aren't that long-lasting though. I was kind of let down by that; I found I was reapplying every 2 hours to stop them from going sheer. Some of the colours came off completely when eating or drinking which is a bit of a shame. They are really hydrating though, and feel like a balm on the lips (not that the name gave that away or anything). There is a slight peppermint smell, but I think it's a lot more subtle than some of Revlon's other lip products. There's also a wide variety of shades so I really think there's something for everyone! 

AND! Now for a sneaky giveaway! I love these so much that I wanted to give some to one of you guys! 

I have 220 Showy, and 135 Provocateur (from the lacquer range...check out this post if you missed it for more details). To enter, all you need to do is fill out the rafflecopter below!

 (I know, I know. But it makes it super easy for me to keep track of all your answers, and I swear there's not a billion entries. All you need to do is leave me a comment and follow on either bloglovin or GFC! (Or both...you get an extra point for both) Too easy!)

Giveaway Terms and Conditions:
This giveaway is international, and winners will be drawn on the 23rd June, 2014.
You must be over the age of 18 to enter, or have your parent's or legal guardian's permission. All entries will be checked and verified. The winners will be decided on 23rd June, 2014, based on creativity of response, at the judge's discretion. The winners will have 24 hours to respond, and if no response is given, a new winner will be drawn. The prize will be mailed out using regular Australian Post within a week of responding. If the winners would like registered post or tracking, they agree to pay the costs of this. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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January Favourites

1 month down, 11 more to go! 

I've kept my product use fairly basic the past month. Either it's been too hot for me to bother, or I've just been lazy. 

Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream has been amazing for those lazy mornings. I really like this for smoothing out my skin-tone without the hassle of blending and effort that foundation requires. I use my fingers to apply this, meaning I also don't have to worry about making sure I have a clean brush! 

Bioderma's Crealine H20 micellar water has been another favourite. I've discussed this product before, and have been loving it for a quick way to wipe off my make-up when I first get home in the afternoon. That way I can focus on properly cleaning my face later when I'm in the shower, but I'm not wearing make up just for the sake of it. I picked up two bottles of this in Priceline's recent 40% off skincare sale. 

I've been leaving the Urban Rituelle Lip Balm in Passionfruit on my desk, and I find that by doing that I'm a lot more likely to use it. I received this last month in the Her Fashion Box. Although I wasn't using this for the whole month, I've used it every day since I got it! I love how creamy the texture of it is, and the smell is amazing! 

When I was younger, I wore red nailpolish almost exlcusively. I then stopped wearing it for a few years, but recently I've gotten back into it. I've been wearing a lot of Revlon's Fire Fox, part of their matte suede collection. I love the colour of this polish, and I love that it dries to a matte finish. However, this does mean you can't put a top coat over the top, which means it doesn't last as long. So that's kind of annoying. 

I am so, so happy that us Aussie girls now have an easy way to get our hands on NYX, since Target started stocking them. I picked up this blush in Mocha, and think it's really pretty. It's pretty pigmented, so I blend it out with a some setting powder after applying it. 

Sunglasses are a pretty staple Summer item. This is my first pair of 'real' sunglasses...ones that haven't cost me $20 from either the markets or those little shopping centre stalls. I love aviators, and I love the quality of this pair from Ray-Ban. The frame is really sturdy, the glass is a high quality and I'm so in love with them! 

Swatch of the NYX blush, and the Maybelline BB Cream.

What has been your favourite products this past month?



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Tried and Tested: Australis Lipstick Mattifying Base

Late last year I picked up the Australis Matte Me Lipstick  Mattifying Base on impulse, in Priceline's 40% off sale. I was really intrigued by what this 'mattifying base' promised, and honestly...a little bit skeptical. 

So I tested it on a couple of my favourite lipsticks, to see if their shiny-ness could be taken down a notch. And, I'm glad to say my cynicism was wrong about this one! 

The "matte me" base creates an almost-waxy feeling. It's quite thick, but lipstick slides straight over. The colour is dulled slightly as the sheen disappears and you're left with a beautiful matte version! 

Introducing, the contestants: 

First up: another one of Australis' lip products; their Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Flamenco. 

Next up; MUA lipstick in shade 13:

Then we have the not-so great performer....the Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie;

And lastly, L'oreal Infallible Lipstick in Eternal Rose:

I really love the finish the matte base gives off. 

It really didn't work much at all on the Revlon Lip Butter and I feel that's probably due to how high the moisture content in that product is. In some of the swatches the colour comes off a bit patchy, but that's easily overcome by applying with a bit more effort and care than I did. 

At first the sensation of it on your lips needs a bit of getting used to, it's a bit thick but very creamy. It's not drying in the slightest and lasts for hours. I think it tends to increase the longevity of the lip colour. I actually have no idea how it works? Magic?

Overall, this is a really interesting product and I'm really glad it did work. I feel like I have so many more options now when it comes to my lip colours!

Have you tried this? Which contestant do you think was the winner?



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Inglot Neutrals Palette

Every year since I started law school I have bought myself a little something something at the end of the exam period. In the past, this may have been a new piercing or piece of jewellery, but this year I decided to make myself a 10 pan Inglot eyeshadow palette. I freaking love the Inglot eyeshadows I already own, and wanted some more neutrals to give my poor Naked 1 palette a rest.

So a couple of weeks ago I headed down to the little Inglot stand at Bondi Junction during my lunch break, and enlisted the help of one of the sales assistants / make up artists. She gave me a little magnetic plate and a bunch of tissues and baby wipes and I spent about 45 minutes choosing the colours.

The end result was this pretty little thing:

Review, Swatches and Eye Look: Chi Chi Bronzes Palette

 

Chi Chi are a cruelty-free Aussie brand, and although I've seen them around Myer and Target and bought their products as gifts, I'd never really delved into their line myself. I've had this 'Bronzes' palette for a while from their 'glamorous eye' collection, and think it's the perfect mix of neutral and night time colours.

Rimmel Apocalips Swatches #2!

 

I couldn't help myself. I went out and bought the other four Rimmel Apocalips lip lacquers...

C'mon, we all knew it would happen. If you want to check out my original post, to find out more about what I think of the actual lip gloss, then click here.

(side note: I completely understand why priceline puts sticky-tape around the products, but far out is it difficult to remove completely!)

Funnily enough, the colours I was missing from the collection were mostly nudes: Celestial, Solstice, Nude Eclipse and Phenomenon. 

Celestial - is quite a rosy colour; a deep pink but not quite a red.

Solstice - Now, the swatch above makes this colour look like quite a deep red, but because I have quite red lips naturally, this colour is my "own lips but better!" I adore this one on me! (and I think this point indicates how important it is to get lip colour swatches actually on lips!)

Nude Eclipse - a beautiful nude colour. This colour makes my lips pale, which is fantastic for when I have dark eye makeup on. 

Phenomenon - Probably my least favourite colour of the eight, phenomenon is a peachy pink. I think this would look fantastic on someone with darker skin!

 

Have you tried the Rimmel Apocalips lip lacquers? Which colour is your favourite?

 

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Review and Swatches: Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers

I can not even tell you how long I have spent trying to source these from England. No, I can. About 6 months. 6 long months, I have been waiting and waiting for these to become available. FINALLY they are in Australia! I picked these four up recently in Priceline, from memory they were about half price. I believe there's 8 in total, but my local priceline only had half of them stocked. Bummer!
I love the name of these lip lacquers...I'm a sucker for a good pun, and Rimmel have continued the theme through the naming of the shades, which I totally respect.

HOW INSANE is the pigmentation in these? That is literally one swipe of product, onto the back of my hand. 

Before we get into the nitty gritty, I will comment on the packaging, like I always do. Quite frankly...I love it They lip lacquers are sturdy, they look cool; the lids are prism-y and kind of crystal looking. Again, dedication to a theme; I totally approve of and respect this. I also love how the bottoms are clear, so you can see the colours without having to search for the names of each shade. I also love that the colours displayed on the packaging are pretty true to the colour of the product. It makes it so much easier for me to decide in the mornings on a colour to wear. 

I love most of the colours I picked out; 

Apocaliptic is a beautiful deep berry, which I'm absolutely loving for winter. 

Stargazer is a gold coloured nude with a heap of glitter in it. Don't love this one on my lips to be honest...it takes a while to blend out into something wear-able. 

Stellar is a cooler-toned red; if you're into corals you'll love this one. It almost seems to have a pinkish base to it too, which is nice. 

Nova is a really pretty pink and I actually like this one a lot more than I thought I would. 

All of the colours dry easily on the lips and the staying power is a couple of hours, less if eating and/or drinking. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed with how long they last. Considering the amount of colour you get in a swipe of product, I expected it to really cling onto my lips and hang out there for a while. I did have to re-apply several times throughout a 9 hour day, with the colour fading off the inner part of my lips first, leaving that ugly ring of lipstick. 

The formula of these is really creamy, albeit quite thick. I personally have found this makes it a little tricky to apply, but I'll get to my tips for that later. 

The scent of these probably won't be to everyone's taste. If you're one of those people who can't handle weirdly scented lipsticks, you'll probably want to avoid these, and in particular Stargazer. I noticed that one had the funkiest smell of all of them. I can't even really describe the scent...it's like cheap, synthetic plastic.

The lip lacquers come with a doe-foot applicator. Honestly, I think the formula is way too thick and wet to apply with one of these and ends up quite messy-looking; especially the darker shades. 

I've found the best way to apply these is by swiping some product on the back of my hand and then applying with a lip brush. This allows for a far more prescise application than you could possibly get with the built-in applicator. If you're in a situation where you don't have a lip brush, just make sure you scrape off any excess product onto the rim of the lipstick and start off with a small application and build up. This is one of those lip products you NEED to blot with, otherwise they will never dry on your lips, and will slip and slide like nobody's business. 

Also; make sure your lips are nicely hydrated and have been exfoliated before you pop some of this on... I didn't do that when I swatched these onto my lips, and as you'll see in the below photos, this is one of those products that clings to the dry patches. 

Top-Bottom: Stargazer, Stellar, Nova, Apocaliptic

The above photos were all taken with the exact same lighting conditions, and applied with the doe-foot applicator. You can see in the first and second swatches where the pigment has grabbed onto my dry patches. You may also notice that the application of stellar and apocaliptic is slightly messy. Like I  mentioned earlier, this can easily be avoided by using a lip brush, but as long as you have a tissue and some make up remover on hand, you'll be fine either way. From normal standing distance, I doubt anyone would really notice the application is less than perfect. 

Overall, I love the colours of these. I think they are fantastic for a liquid lipstick, and I may go purchase the other four shades if I can track them down. This is quite a high maintenance lippy though, so if you're not into that I'd give it a miss. If you love beautiful coloured lips regardless of what it takes, then this is the product for you! 

Have you tried these out yet? Is liquid lipstick something you're into?

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