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AUS BEAUTY BLOGGER.

Hi all,

Recently I went to the Royal Show in my city and for those of you who are unaware, available to purchase are "showbags" which are essentially bags full of goodies sold at a significantly lower price than the price you would pay if you bought all those products separately.

This year, Australian brand Red Earth, released a showbag for $25, packed to the brim with a bunch of unique makeup items that I couldn't resist but to try.

Red Earth pride themselves on the high quality ingredients used in all of their products and promote natural, everyday beauty. I will hyperlink all of the products mentioned below so you can check them out in store (I believe they're sold in David Jones in Australia and on their website)!


First up is the Colour Flash Velvet Mineral Blush in the shade "09 Sunset Glow". This blush, as you can see from the swatch below, is a pinky/coral powder. This illuminates the skin wonderfully as it is not filled with chunky glitter pieces, but instead contained finely milled shimmers. It's extremely pigmented and long lasting, and the shade is so versatile that I'd recommend it to everyone.



Next is the Colour Rush Baked Eye Shadow Duo. I chose the duo called "Green Flash" which is a lovely shimmery olive/khaki green and champagne shade.


From swatching, the olive shade is reasonably pigmented (yet not as good as higher end eyeshadows), but the lighter champagne colour definitely needs to be layered and built up in order to give off more colour. I think this would be an impeccable colour combination for people with brown eyes in particular!

They had run out of black eyeliners, so instead my other option was to grab the Perfect Line Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in mahogany. I didn't object to this as I've never owned a liquid eyeliner other than black!

This product is so opaque and dark that the mahogany can almost pass as a black, but it looks less harsh and is suitable if you want a more "natural" looking eyeliner.


However the product isn't waterproof and came off reasonably easy when i rubbed it with water. It's only around $20 RP and there are plenty of other alternatives around this price range which do a better job if you're looking for something waterproof. Longevity wise - it doesn't last as long as my TheBalm Schwing Eyeliner which can easily handle 12+ hours. This lasted about 7 hours before it started to fade and crack.

This showbag was truly the gift that kept on giving... The next item was the Pure Colour Hydra Luxe Lipstick in "Daisy" which is described as a cream/dark nude. This lipstick is incredibly comfortable on the lips as it has more of a cream/sheen finish rather than matte. I am not one to really steer towards lipsticks with shinier finishes but this one is just the right shade to add a flush of colour to the lips and has a semi-glossy finish so it's definitely not too shiny if that's what you're worried about.


Lastly, the Lip Wonder High Shine Lip Plumping Pencil in "Candy Love" was another inclusion in this bag. I'm not really a fan of the shade so I think I'll most likely be giving it a sharpen and passing it along to my mother. Nevertheless, I have never seen a lip liner so glossy and shiny and as smooth as this. It's literally like a lip gloss in pencil form.


The bag also came with a scarf however I thought I'd focus on just the cosmetics this time!


Go ahead and check out Red Earth's website and instagram for more products because I am REALLY impressed so far and I absolutely love supporting Australian brands!

Check me out on instagram @australianbeautyblog too!

Lexy xx
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So the Spring Edit 2016 of The Parcel by Marie Claire arrived this morning so I thought I'd promptly upload the full unboxing as I'm very excited about all of these products!



The Maybelline New York - The Nudes Palette which retail's at $25.95 is the first inclusion in this bag. This palette's been in stores for quite a while but I have no complaints about this being in the parcel!

Nude By Nature Natural Mineral Cover (The full 15g size retails at $39.95) is a mineral loose powder foundation. I was given the colour medium which is too dark for me but I'll be passing it along!


Sunsense Sensitive Invisible SPF 50+ is the next item in the box, which is specifically formulated for sensitive skin. I wear sunscreen on a daily basis so I'l definitely be using this up eventually.

I am so excited about this next product. The C-LAB & Co Coffee & Coconut Scrub, sold at $9.95 targets cellulite, stretch marks and skin imperfections. SO keen to give this a go! Plus coffee AND coconut? Sounds like a scent made in heaven.

Sample of Narciso Rodriguez For Her Eau De Toilette. The full 50ml bottle is $125. Not as good as Radiant Rose Gold EDP by Michael Kors which was included as a sample in one of the parcels ages ago but of course opinions on perfumes radically differentiate from one person to another.


A sample of the Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask is a new inclusion. I'm ecstatic that I'll be able to try this as I'm addicted to face masks but don't want to commit to purchasing it fully without trying first!


I've never heard of this next one before: Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi Purpose Dry Oil for Face, Body and Hair. The 50ml bottle sells at $26.99. It states that this oil will nourish, repair and soften your skin while working to minimise stretch marks. Woohoo!

Essano's Argan Oil of Morocco Duo-Pack is also included - perfect for travel, this sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner will help beat dry, damaged hair on the go.


Another MOR product in this Spring Parcel, but this time it's the Mon Amie Adele Luminous Body Milk. The full 80ml bottle retails at $16.95. This smells divine and makes the skin smooth and supple. Didn't really notice any glow or shine to the skin but I'll continue to use it nonetheless.

 Finally, the last item in this Spring Edit parcel is a sample of the St. Tropez Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse. The full sized 240ml bottle retails at $59.99. You also get the applicator worth $11.99 too!
I would HIGHLY recommend getting The Parcel By Marie Claire Spring Edit 2016 as I'm sure I'll be using all of these items up! Hopefully future parcels stay similar to this as the quality of some of these brands are superb.

Don't forget to check me out on instagram too! @australianbeautyblog

Lexy xxx

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The cult favourite highlighter "Mary-Lou Manizer" by theBalm was definitely not an impulsive purchase, but rather when I saw the restocked stand overflowing with a plenitude of these little boxed beauties, I snatched one up and all of my friends did too!



Formula
The best way I can describe Mary-Lou is by stating it has a "creamy" texture. In comparison to Mac's Soft & Gentle which is essentially quite a dry powder, Mary-Lou glides on the skin effortlessly, giving you a wondrous glow to the skin. I wouldn't say it looks completely natural on my pale skin as it does have a gold undertone to it (as you can see on the swatch below), but if you have a medium skin tone it would look absolutely phenomenal!

Also, the product's finish is more shiny and glowy than it is glittery and does not contain any chunks or specks of glitter at all in comparison to Soft & Gentle which has more of a glittery finish. This factor also helps Mary-Lou look a little more natural on the skin. 

Packaging
The packaging is flawless. It comes in a reasonably sized compact with a crisp mirror included as well. It's an impeccable size to just pop in your handbag if you want to top up your shine throughout the day.

Swatch of theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter
One swipe of your brush on the product (I use a Real Techniques Setting Brush) is enough to cover your entire cheekbone. However, I commonly enjoy going overboard with my highlighter which means I've being using it up rather quickly!

Lasting power
I have to say the lasting power on this product isn't too impressive. I have quite dry skin to begin with so it's not as if my face is oily and causing the product to break up, but it virtually completely disappears within a couple hours. Of course it's beyond simple to re-apply but for $30 you expect something with a little more longevity.

Overall I'd give this a 4 out of 5 stars - It's pigmented, has a lovely gold undertone and isn't glitter based so it looks like you're glowing from within and is perfect for everyday wear!

Don't forget to follow me on instagram @australianbeautyblog for more updates.

Lexy xx

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The Winter Edit 2016 of Marie Claire's 'The Parcel' arrived at my doorstep this morning, and if you're curious as to what this edition holds, then you've come to the right place!




A re-addition to the parcel is the MOR Rosa Noir Hand & Body milk in a small sample size. This smells heavenly so I'm not complaining about having a spare back up.

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate in a 7ml size is a new addition, and is said to be used to encourage the skin's natural renewal process for healthier skin that glows.

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.

A generous offering in this parcel is a full sized Nivea Sensitive Caring Micellar Water. I generally use the Garnier one but I adore the Nivea eye makeup remover so this ought to be fantastic!

Another great item is the John Frieda Frizz Ease Forever Smooth Anti-Frizz Primer! This is a leave-in treatment which realigns the structure of each hair strand and boosting its immunity to frizz!

A full sized Garnier Wake Up Cream is in this parcel, which helps in increasing the look of radiant skin.

A tinted lip balm by Burt's Bees is in this parcel, which is convenient as I lost mine a couple months ago.

And finally, a bonus item is a sample of the Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector. Luckily I received the light shade so I'll definitely be giving it a go.

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

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Hi guys! So I bought these a while ago because I LOVE matte lipsticks and, not gonna lie, everyone was madly raving about these and I'm a very curious individual.
Candy K - Liquid lipstick and liner that comes in the box
I ordered Candy K on the second restock (which was AGES ago now) and I ordered Koko K and 22 a couple restocks after that. They came to about $60 each AUD including shipping but considering you get a lipliner and lipstick, that's cheaper than buying it from MAC.
The letter from Kylie that comes with every order
Koko K and 22
Formula
Liquid lipstick
The formula is quite thin but is still incredibly pigmented and glides on the lips very smoothly. After applying, it takes about 30 seconds to completely dry, and when it has it feels like you are wearing nothing on your lips at all! It's only drying in the slightest amount. I highly recommend only applying one layer though because it starts to clump and crack if you apply more than one.

The smell is quite strong and very sweet, it smells like vanilla icing in my opinion but you cannot smell the scent when it's applied on your lips.

Lipliner
I would honestly buy the lip liner by itself if it was sold separately. It's the CREAMIEST, most pigmented and easy to use lip liner I've ever used. The lasting power is pretty impressive as well, but I'm not sure if applying it under the liquid lipstick extends how long the liquid lipstick lasts.

It's easy to overline your lips too and I find that the high quality of the liner means that it's not too obvious when you overdraw. I've already used SO much of my Candy K lipliner because I love the shade and quality.


Lipliner - Top to bottom - Candy K (My absolute favourite), Koko K, and 22
The shades
Liquid lipstick - Left to right - 22, Koko K, Candy K
Candy K
I bought Candy K before any of the others because everyone was raging on about how it was the "perfect nude" and I can't help myself when it comes to matte nude lipsticks!
HOWEVER, when trying it on, I notice the colour was MUCH darker than your every day nude. Perhaps it's because I'm pretty pale but Candy K (the far right shade in the swatch above and the demo below) comes off as a dark mauve. Honestly, I'm not a fan. It's a very mature colour and as I have reasonably small lips, it makes them look shrivelled and my face look washed out. I also have noticed it gets progressively darker the longer it's on your lips. Yikes.. I rarely apply this one by itself because of how much I dislike the colour.

Nevertheless, the lipliner is the ideal pinky "your lips but better" nude shade and is what I thought the liquid lipstick was GOING to look like. I pair the lipliner with all of my nude lipsticks and it's wonderful.

Candy K lipliner and liquid lipstick - As you can see it comes off as a mauve rather than a nude on my paler skin tone
Koko K
I bought this on my second order as it's the lightest in the bunch and since I loved the formula of Candy K, I knew I still wanted to give a lighter lip colour a go.

This looks much better on my pale skin tone in comparison to Candy K BUT when using the Koko K liner and liquid lipstick, it's a bit too light for my skin tone as it's a vibrant baby pink and I'm not about that pale lip life. So these days I use the Candy K lipliner with Koko K liquid lipstick on top to create the perfect shade (because I paid all that money and feel like I need to use it up).
Koko K lipliner with the liquid lipstick on the top
22
What's to say about this gorgeous orange/red shade? The formula is just as pigmented as the other ones, and the shade doesn't look patchy when applying. Nevertheless, it does feel a bit dryer when applying as it doesn't apply as seamlessly as the others. This one is way more longer lasting than Koko and Candy though and is much more difficult to remove as well funnily enough!

22
Lasting power
Considering how much I paid, I expected these to last longer. When I kiss the back of my hand after the lipstick dries, there is no transfer which I love.

BUT essentially after eating the lipstick is practically gone. I do lick my lips when I eat though so I'm certain that's why they come off easier. 22 is easily the shade that lasts the longest out of all of these.

Overall, I don't really like these lipsticks when considering the price. I love the lipliner as I've stated before, and the liquid lipstick is very comfortable but I feel like these kits aren't worth the money and the shades (except 22) aren't really too impressive. Candy K is way too dark and Koko K is a tad too light. It's a shame and I try to use these as much as I can but I sadly find myself reaching for my Mac lipsticks much more.

I hope this helped some of you in deciding whether you want to give these a go!

Remember to follow me on @australianbeautyblog on instagram for more beauty related posts!

Lexy xxxxx


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Hi there! This is my blog dedicated to reviewing the latest and greatest beauty products!

DISCLAIMER: All photography on this blog belongs to me.
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