Gemini by Night palette by ColourPop in collaboration with Sonya Esman

Shimmers

Shades (Left to Right): Golden Gate Bridge, The Hidden Hills, Manhattan Coffee Run and Moscow Sunrise

Ultra Satin Lip - Strip (Sample)

The Ultra Satin Lip in the shade 'Strip' was an extra free and happily unexpected surprise that awaited me in the shopping cart. I would describe it as a dark nude with pink undertones (with a hint of brown). Definitely on the warmer side of the spectrum, which I feel will work wonderfully with all skin-tones!

The product has a reasonably thick consistency (not runny at all) and appears quite opaque on the lips on the first application! The formula feels smooth and creamy, and leaves only a very slight tackiness on the lips.

Despite being a satin formula, the product looks completely matte but without the dry and uncomfortable feeling! I would describe the feeling to be similar to Mac's matte lipsticks which appear matte but are reasonably comfortable to wear.

Even though it feels comfortable, the product tends to emphasise the lines in my lips, even when first applying - have a look at the photo below. The creases become even more apparent the longer I am wearing it!

Ultra Satin Lip in Strip (one layer)

I also picked up the Lippie Stix in 'Hotline', described as a deepened peach. I would definitely say this resembles Mac's Kinda Sexy, with it's peachy/apricot undertones. I am obsessed with the colour which is a combination of a peachy nude and fluorescent orange. Any brighter, and it would look extremely drying on the lips! The formula glides on the lips so smoothly and effortlessly and is genuinely one of the most comfortable matte formula's I've tried - alongside Mac's matte lipsticks!

Lippie Stix - Hotline

It does tend to emphasise the lines and crevices in the inner portion of the lips, particularly when layered so I ensure I apply lip-balm beforehand and stick to one thin application all over the lips to reduce this!

Hotline in natural light

Hotline in normal light

I was surprised that this was included in the box - a Colgate Optic White High Impact White Toothpaste in a 21g size. I love this stuff as you can literally see results within days! But... is it really suitable for a beauty box?
A 25ml bottle (which is TINY) of Klorane Shampoo with Quinine and B Vitamins is also in this parcel, which claims to be designed especially for weakened hair as it strengthens the keratin, helps restore thickness and maintains healthy hair growth! Sounds perfect as I have extremely weak hair due to bleaching!
 A Rituals Cosmetics Fortune Oil in a 20ml bottle is another new addition. This is to be used in the shower as the oil transforms into a rich hydrating foam  to leave the skin delicately scented.

Hope this helps you in deciding whether you want to pick up The Winter Edit 2016 of The Parcel by Marie Claire! Personally I wish they would increase the amount of higher end brands in these kits (as I believe that they used to include items from Benefit and so forth) as although Garnier and Nivea are great and affordable, it's not really what I desire from a more luxuriously branded beauty box. I've already signed up for the whole year but if the boxes keep continuing in this pattern I won't be renewing again.

ALSO don't forget to check out my instagram @australianbeautyblog where I post frequently!!

Love Lexy xxx

I have gone over to the dark side (or good side? depending on how you see it) and purchased my first Makeup Geek eyeshadow in "Bitten"! I immediately knew I wanted this shadow when I first saw how beautiful it looked on the lid, and knew it would greatly compliment my green eyes!
The swatch below on my hand (I didn't prime my hand with any sort of eyeshadow primer) shows the colour after building it up. This is a matte red/plum/maroon shade that can be made darker the more colour is packed on. I found this was a little difficult to swatch on my hand because I didn't prime but I've found that this shade applies EFFORTLESSLY when using a eyeshadow primer on the eye. I also tried spraying my brush with Mac Fix + to see if it intensifies the colour but I didn't find it changed the pigmentation of the shadow all that much.
It also blends seamlessly! A darker shade like this can be daunting, especially for beginners who don't want to use a dark red/maroon eyeshadow from fear of looking like they've been punched in the eye! But using a chestnut brown shade in the crease as a transition shade works wonderfully with "Bitten" to create an easy yet beautiful red/plum smoky eye!

Overall if you're someone looking to get that one perfect shade you've been eyeing in an eyeshadow palette but can't commit to buying the whole thing, definitely opt for Makeup Geek shadows! I don't regret buying one loose shadow on it's own because I've been searching for something like "Bitten" for such a long time and I know I'll be using it all the time so it's completely worth it!

Please don't forget to check out my instagram @australianbeautyblog where I post all my latest beauty buys!

I truly hope you have a lovely day wherever you are in the world!

Lexy xxxxx

Hey guys so I'm ashamed to admit I've been splurging on eye liners recently (I'll have a review on another cult favourite in a couple weeks ;) hahah) since my Maybelline HyperSharp peculiarly ran out 3 weeks after buying it even though I hadn't even used it that much and I know for a fact it didn't dry out. Oh well.

So I went to Mecca (an Australian beauty/cosmetics store) and picked up the "Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner" which retails at $29 AUD because I wanted a daily eye-liner that was an intense black and would last all day. The fact that it was waterproof was just an added bonus for me!

Source: instagram.com/australianbeautyblog

The product
This eye liner does not have a brush tip, but instead has a felt tip. It's somewhat more difficult to apply in juxtaposition to the Maybelline Hyper Sharp for example which has a brush tip, but if you're reasonably experienced with liquid eyeliner this will be simple to apply.

A negative point I have about this product is that it's quite difficult to get a thin precise wing. I find myself always wearing thick wings when using this liner as the tip of the product is reasonably big so keep that in mind if you like thin sharp wings.



Pigmentation/Colour payoff
The pigmentation is amazing on this product as you can see from the photos below! The finish is definitely NOT matte and has a vaguely shiny finish (as you can see in the photo with flash below), nothing too extreme but it ultimately does reflect the light, so if you want something incredibly matte, then steer away from this product.

Swatches (without flash)

Swatches (with flash)

Staying Power
This product in fact DOES stay all day as implied in the name! I've worn this product for hours on end and it does NOT budge, smudge, flake, crack, or anything of the sort! I have noticed that it fades the SLIGHTEST amount after many hours (e.g. around 5 or so) so if you want to maintain a really black colour you'd probably want to reapply another coat.

Waterproof?
The product is also waterproof. I've inserted a photo below of the swatches AFTER I've rubbed them a couple times with water, and as you can see they do not smudge at all which is SO impressive.

Swatches (after rubbing with water)

As you can see, it's difficult to get a precise thin line

Summary:
Pros:

• Lasts all day
• Doesn't crack, smudge or flake
• Reasonably easy to apply
• Easy to remove with makeup remover (waterproof or non-waterproof)
• Waterproof

Cons:

• Fades the slightest amount after many hours
• Very difficult to draw a thin, sharp and precise wing because the felt tip is quite big

Hey everyone! And Happy New Year! Recently I was fortunate enough to win this palette in a competition (conveniently when I was searching for a palette with a range of red - brown shades as they've been a recent obsession of mine), so I thought I'd swatch and review it.

The Morphe 35O Palette retails at US $22.99 from the official Morphe website, but can also be purchased from MakeupNet when they have it in stock. It comes with 35 shades, as suggested in its name, which are widely diverse, ranging from dark brown mattes, to light glittery champagne shades.

Morphe 35O Palette (With camera flash)

Majority of the shades are matte, but some of the glitter shades in the palette are noteworthy! As you can see below, a couple of them are insanely pigmented and creamy and look absolutely STUNNING when packed on the eyelid!

Swatches of the most pigmented and creamy glittery shades

The palette includes a wide variety of transition shades that blend so beautifully and effortlessly into the crease, and can be built up as much as you want to get the intensity of the colour you desire!

However, the pigmentation of the remaining shades vary. As you'll be able to see in the swatches further down below, the lighter shades are the weaknesses in this palette, but nevertheless I continue to use the plain white shade for setting my eye-shadow primer.

Swatches:

First (top) row of shadows (left to right)

Second row of shadows (left to right)

Third row of shadows (left to right)

Fourth row of shadows (left to right)

Fifth (bottom) row (left to right)

I've already used the palette to create a peach eye look, dark brown smoky eye and a dark red/orange smoky eye. The shadows last all day (when using an eye primer) and seem to only crease a little bit.

Overall I LOVE this palette and can see myself using it for a long, long time. I would highly recommend checking out the Morphe website and ordering yourself one of their palettes, whether it'd be the 35O or otherwise.

I hope this has helped you decide whether you want to pick up one of these beauties! Feel free to leave me a comment of your thoughts or hit me up on instagram!

Lexy xxx

This liner is definitely the easiest I've ever used. This is because of how the brush is shaped. (Though it looks like it, it is NOT a felt tip - it's a versatile brush that bends quite easily, but not too much so that you have a lack of control). Depending on which way you turn it, the brush can have a 'thinner', smaller and more precise shape which makes it easy for mapping out the wing...

The 'thinner' side

A swatch of the liner when using the thinner side

The 'thicker' angle

The width of the liner when applying with the 'thicker' side Pigmentation From looking at the photos, the pigmentation when first using the product is obviously impressive. However, after owning this product for about a month, the pigmentation has decreased IMMENSELY. I'm absolutely positive I haven't ran out of product either because I haven't been using it to a great extent. Now when applying I find myself going over the colour about 5 times because at best when applying one coat - it appears like a faint dark grey shade.  Longevity The great thing about this liner is that when it's new it doesn't fade TOO much over time. I could easily wear it for about 4 or 5 hours and it will still look pretty good. It can smudge if you rub your eye which isn't too disappointing because the product doesn't claim to be waterproof or have any intense staying power - which makes removing it at the end of the day a breeze. The product also does not flake at all. Pros: Incredibly easy application Versatile - can use the thicker side/thinner side to get the exact shape you want Great pigmentation when product is new Doesn't flake Cons: The pigmentation of the actual liquid coming out of the brush is disappointing - looks like a dark grey not a black after not even using it for a month Smudges  Overall it's up to you if you want to take the risk and purchase it even though the actual pigmentation decreased so rapidly since when I purchased it. It's definitely not considered my holy grail - though I may purchase it again if I see it on sale and give it another go... perhaps mine was just a dodgy one hahah and I really loved this liner when I first bought it! For more beauty related posts - visit my instagram @australianbeautyblog <3instagram.com/australianbeautyblog Lexy xxx