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

Hey guys! Today the The Parcel by Marie Claire: Summer Edit 2015 arrived at my doorstep so I've taken a couple snaps of what comes in the box for anyone interested!

You can purchase the parcel from the website, and if you want to purchase the box by itself as a one-time purchase it is $25! I however purchased the annual subscription a couple months ago when they were having a special discounted offer!

First off let me say that I love what's in this parcel. The spring edit was slightly disappointing as there wasn't really much I could personally use in the box, so I ended up giving it all to my mother hahaha!

There are 13 items in this edition of the parcel.

The Summer Edit of The Parcel

The box

The Parcel comes with two 60ml OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo and Conditioner. The 385ml full version of these are retailed at $17.99 each.

The Trilogy Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm in 10ml. The full 80ml retails at $36.90!

This is the Elizabeth Arden Superstart Skin Renewal Booster (5ml) used to revitalize and provide supple, smooth and radiant-looking skin.

Swisse Deep Sea Hydrating Mist Toner (15ml) - this is used to hydrate, rejuvenate and tone the skin to give your face a more youthful look.

The parcel also includes a sample of the Michael Kors Gold Collection perfume. I'm actually in love with this perfume! To me it has a florally yet quite sweet scent.

This is the Maybelline New York Color Elixir by Color Sensational. The photo above is of the shade "100 Petal Plush" which is a normal pink lip gloss despite it looking much more peachy in the photo.

The box also includes a full size of the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure which retails at $14.95! The colour you recieve is quite random but I was fortunate enough to recieve the shade "160 Shell we dance" which is a distinct "french-manicure" sort of colour! Definitely something I'm going to use all the time.

This is the Paula's Choice Vitamin C Spot Treatment which retails at $70 for 15ml. The 5ml sample states it is ideal for spot-treating wrinkles, and targeting brown spots and post-acne discolourations.

The parcel also includes the Maybelline The Colossal Pumped Up Volum'Express Mascara which is $19.95 in stores.

These are the Lonvitalite Face Masks which are sold in packs of 5 for $39 in the stores. In the parcel you receive two masks.

Last but definitely not least, you recieve a Zoeva eyeshadow brush! I ADORE these brushes. The brushes that you have the chance of getting are either the 227 Luxe Soft Definer (I have this one and I use it as a blending brush!), or the 228 Luxe Crease brush, or the 230 Luxe Pencil brush - a fine, tapered brush which is what I was lucky enough to receive! It was after all the one I really wanted out of the 3 possibilities!

I highly recommend grabbing this box before they run out (because they have in the past and it's not a fun time...).

Remember to check out my instagram for more beauty-related posts - instagram.com/australianbeautyblog.

Have a lovely day!

Lexy xxx

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

Hey everyone, so as I have written in a previous review, I was on the hunt for an everyday affordable yet reasonably good quality eye-liner. Well guess what, I found one.

The 'Australis Tiny Tip Eyeliner Pen (1.0g)' is a liquid eye-liner pen with a felt tip. It's $12.95 from Priceline which I thought was pretty good as I don't seek to spend over $15 or so for something that I will use up quickly as I will be wearing it almost every day.

The Australis Tiny Tip Eyeliner Pen

Ease of application: 
The felt tip isn't the smallest I've seen in an eyeliner, contrary to the name suggesting that it's "tiny", but it is honestly the easiest eye-liner I've used to date when it comes to application. You can form a perfect wing and if you make mistakes you can simply rub off whatever part you don't like and try again as it doesn't dry straight away.

The felt tip on the pen

Colour pay-off:
The pigmentation is also fantastic. It's a matte black which is something that I desire with eyeliner, so if you prefer a glossier finish then stray away from this product. You can see from the swatch below that it's pigmented, not the darkest shade of black, but still a relatively dark colour.

Swatch of the product

Lasting power:
I wear it to University so I'm usually there for around 5 hours, and although the line and the colour doesn't look as crisp and as dark like when I apply it by the end of the day, it doesn't crack or flake. I've noticed that after wearing it for a couple hours however it starts to look increasingly faded. The product decreases in quality immensely after this point, as after approx. 3-4 hours and onwards it will be extremely patchy and flaky, and nowhere near as dark in the photo. Ultimately, the lasting power isn't an issue for me because I don't need to wear it for an extremely long time. If you want something that's durable and lasts for a longer duration, then it's up to you whether you'd like to take the risk by buying this eye-liner because it's not particularly designed to be long lasting.

I have also noticed the product does smudge. I find black smudges where the product transfers onto my eyelid, and it's best to avoid rubbing your eye or anything of the sort as the product will come off. If you know you're going to be in a hot or humid environment then this is also definitely a no-go. Additionally, it's not waterproof.

Summary:

Pros:

• Easy to apply (with the small felt tip pen)
• Easy to fix mistakes
• Pigmented - considering the price (when first applied)
• Lasts well if you only need to wear it for a couple hours a day
• Small packaging, you can easily take it out with you anywhere if you want to re-apply during the day