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 bought the palette because of the versatile and beautiful shades. The palette comes with both matte and shimmer shades, ranging from neutral shades perfect for the crease and lid, and glitter shades for more dramatic looks.

Top row shades (left to right): Artemis, Beaches & Cream, Luna Middle row (L->R): Cosmopolitan, Sora, Frappe

Bottom row (L_>R): Insomnia, Mars, Aphrodite

Swatches


As you can see from the swatches, all have impressive pigmentation. Beaches & Cream is a very neutral shade so it's no surprise it didn't show up too pigmented on my arm. Mars however was pretty difficult to build up when swatching, perhaps it's because I didn't use any base or primer on my arm. I should mention that Insomnia is a duochrome and has reflects of blue/green under different light!

Look I created using the palette

I did this look pretty rushed so I know it's not the best - I used a mixture of Mars (in the crease and as a base) and the duo-chrome shade Insomnia packed on top!

Overall I love this palette and will definitely be using it much more in the future! I can't wait to experiment more with the shades and create a multitude of everyday and night looks!

Follow me on instagram for more frequent updates on my latest beauty buys! @australianbeautyblog - instagram.com/australianbeautyblog

Lexy xxxx

Hi everyone! I thought I'd review and demo this mascara in a post because it's pretty incredible and great value for money.

The Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara in the shade which I have called 'Blackest Black' retails at $21.95 from Priceline, and can also be purchased from Chemist Warehouse for around the same price!

As you can see, it has been well loved!

Applicator
The applicator is a perfect size in my opinion, and bends slightly to accommodate the shape of a lashline. I find it easy to apply product to the root of the lashes right out to the end, and leaves your lashes with a lovely curl with minimal smudging! It's also extremely easy to put it on the lower lashes, doesn't clump them together and separates and lengthens them nicely!


Demo
As you can see from the photo, this mascara gives a LOT of length. It separates lashes wonderfully and doesn't clump regardless of how many coats you do which I LOVE!

It gives a very black payoff and definitely does intensify the colour of natural lashes as any mascara should but the downside to this mascara is that after the initial coat, it doesn't do much in terms of volume.

Before

After a couple applications on top lashline

Longevity
This mascara lasts ALL DAY, doesn't crack or flake in the slightest and leaves your eyelashes curled the whole day! It will smudge if you rub your eye area though.

Rating:
Pros:

• Affordable
• Very dark colour
• Great at lengthening lashes
• Doesn't clump - Great at separating lashes
• Amazing for bottom lashes
• Doesn't crack or flake
• Lashes stay curled all day

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

Hello world!

Long time no review! My apologies, University has comprised most of my time, and my lack of employment strictly limits the amount of make-up that I can splurge on, ugh! I would really love the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette for example (*heart eyes*), but I honestly can't bring myself to spend $70 on an eye-shadow palette, even though I would keep it for the rest of my life hahaha!

So anyway I've been using the "Chi Chi Glamorous Eye Shadow Collection" in the palette named "Elegant", a mixture of purple, brown, grey and glitter shades. I've used the palette for a good few months now so I feel like I'm properly equipped to do an honest review! I bought it from Myer for around $17 as it was on sale (? a New Years small discount off cosmetics, it's usually around $23 from Myer or Chi Chi directly, but it's $16 from Target) and selected this colour scheme as purple shades compliment green eyes.

Chi Chi Glamorous Eye Shadow Collection - Elegant

The shades (above) and the swatches of each shade (from left to right)

 I am a big fan of the dark purple/brown near the centre of the palette, as well as the brown shade on the far right, as they both successfully deepen the outer eye crease, giving a smoky purple/brown look. I tend to use the matte grey colours on the middle of my lid as I typically like my eye-shadow looks to be lighter in the inner corner and transition to dark in the outer crease.

Staying power:
The staying powder in these eye-shadows is quite good IF you apply an eye-shadow primer. I use the "Essence I Love Stage Eyeshadow base" which I purchased from Priceline (it's not on the website but I found it in store) which assists in maintaining the colour of my eye-shadows throughout the day/night. A high-end alternative is the "Mac Prep and Prime 24-Hour Extend Eye Base". When not wearing a primer, the eye-shadows will tend to fade and rub off easily if tampered with.

Creasing:
The products do unfortunately crease on me, even when I use an eye-shadow base. The only recommendation I would have for this product is to use a higher end eye-shadow primer/base.

Summary:
Pros:

• Diverse colour palette
• Pigmented dark crease shades
• Staying power is impressive when using an eye-shadow base

Rating:
★★☆☆☆
2/5 stars

I don't think this palette is worth the money, even if it is only $23 at most. The lack of pigmentation in some of the shades is what lets this palette down, alongside their tendency to crease. I personally would have enjoyed more shades of purple in the palette rather than the repetitive grey shades. However, I've heard brilliant things about Chi Chi's Nudes, Mattes, and Bases palettes, which I can understand as I really enjoy the transitional colours in this palette!

If you enjoyed this review, head over to my instagram - @australianbeautyblog, give me a follow if you like and I'll be sure to check out your account!

xxxx

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Waterproof Gel Eyeliner 2.8g Packaging

Information about the product and instructions on how to apply

The "High Precision Brush" that comes with the gel, and what the gel looks like

Review:
I'm highly impressed by this eyeliner. Below I will critique the information of the product mentioned on the back of the box.

Color Result: As the back of the box claims, the long lasting waterproof gel eyeliner does indeed have an intense colour result. It's black, probably not to the extent of Rimmel's "Exaggerate Liner" for example, but it's still a dark shade.

It also claims to last 24 hours. I can vouch by saying that I have worn it for around 12 hours and it's still looked amazing by the end of the day, so it's lasting power is pretty darn good.

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Waterproof Gel Eyeliner, applied using the high precision brush provided

High precision brush that is provided: 

As you will see below, it's virtually impossible to draw a sharp wing with this brush as it's too big and rounded. If you don't mind not having a crisp wing then the brush shouldn't bother you but I seem to often make mistakes or smudge the product when drawing the wing (you can notice this in the photos of my eyes below - woops). However, I've found it easy to apply the product to the rest of the eyelid using the brush. (Does anyone know any affordable gel eyeliner brushes to recommend me as well?)

Waterproof/Smudgeproof: When wearing the product I splashed my face with generous amounts of water and impressively, it didn't come off or smudge. Despite saying that, when I proceeded to rub my eyes with water, the product did smudge and became patchy, so I would say it is waterproof but not if you're going to be aggressively rubbing your eyes with water. But who really does that anyway?

The gel is also smudge-proof if you aren't rubbing it with water, so you never need to worry about looking like a raccoon if you scratch your eye a couple times.

Easy to remove with eye make up remover: I use a waterproof eye make-up remover by Nivea which seems to do the trick since it's reasonably difficult to take it off using my normal make-up remover.

In summary:

Pros:

• Pigmented
• Doesn't dry on your eyelid straight away so you have time to alter your mistakes etc.
• Comes with a brush
• Gel is easy to apply (glides onto your eyelid seamlessly)
• Nice packaging
• Waterproof 
• Smudge-proof
• Lasts all day

Cons:

• The brush provided is too big and rounded to draw accurate wings
• Gel will smudge slightly if violently rubbed using water (this probably won't affect you anyway)
• Bit overpriced
• Gel could be darker in colour