Monthly Favourites | February 2013

Today I have my monthly favourites for February! This month has seriously zoomed past, not to be cliched or anything, but it really has! Here are a few things that I've really been enjoying.

First up for the face:

The Skin79 Super+ Hot Pink BB cream (review here) has been my go-to base for the month. It is just so easy! I slap it on as the last step of my skincare. It provides moisture without making my face oily, has an SPF of 25, decent light coverage and a slew of other skincare benefits! Although this oxidizes quite close to my skin tone, I still find that I appear to have a slight grey cast or that my face looks quite pale and washed out. To perk up my face I use another product featured in this post!

Rimmel Stay Matte powder in the shade 001 Transparent has been my setting powder of choice. It doesn't add any more coverage to the face so it doesn't look cakey, nor does it look powdery. It sets everything nicely and controls oil for me to be matte for a good 4-6 hours depending on what I'm doing or what the weather is like. It's super good for touch ups too!

My new fave concealer is the Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer palette (review here). I love that I can mix the colours to achieve my perfect match and the neutralizer works really well for reducing redness. Not a huge fan of the powder, but I'm a lover of the rest of the palette!

Brows, Eyes and Cheeks:

Here's a bit of a sneak peek into my brow routine!

First up I fill them in with the Dolly Wink Eyebrow Powder in the shade Dark Chocolate (review here) with my Essence Angled Eyeliner brush. It is really thin and stiff so it applies the powder in really natural, hair-like strokes. I really reccommend it for less than $3! The colour of the powder matches really well with my hair colour and gives me nice full while naturally defined brows.

I top off my brows with coat of the Essence clear gel mascara which does the trick! It sets my brows, keeping them in place all day whilst helping the colour last longer. Very cheap and does the job. Wish I could say the same for the packaging though! The spoolie from mine has completely broken off of the lid, it's still usable so I'll try and finish the tube!

The MAC Eyeshadow in the shade All that glitters has been a lovely all over lid colour. It's not too metallic but it is just such a beautiful shade which I am in love with! 

Like I said earlier, to perk up my face and give it a bit more warmth I've been reaching for the Topshop Blush in the shade Head over heels (review here). It's just such a sweet peachy-pink shade with a subtle gold shimmer to give a lovely glow. It also has amazing staying power!

Lastly for the lips, Essence lipstick in All about Cupcake has been my go-to. Such a cute name and shade of pink that looks wonderfully natural. It's a definite my-lips-but-pinker colour. It is a bit sheer and glossy which is what I love about it. Decently moisturizing and very cheap!

That sums it up for the products I've been using this month! What have you guys been loving using in February?

NOTD | Pacific Blue

I have another NOTD today! It is Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear nail colour in the shade Pacific Blue. I have been searching for this colour for the longest time! It has been raved about so much by International youtubers and for whatever reason it wasn't available in Australia. At least that's what I thought! I randomly stumbled upon this product in Kmart recently, it was all alone next to the Sally Hansen Xtreme wear display. It was so odd! I'm not sure if it has been out and it was the last one, or they are starting to get them but don't have a place for them on the stand yet. But, I'm so glad I found it!

It is such a beautiful, bold and bright cobalt blue shade! Now I know why it is so popular! A lot of brands are now coming out with similar cobalt shades. It is now my favourite blue polish, it is so eye-catching!

Not only is the colour simply amazing, but so is the formula! It took two easy coats to opacity and it lasted really well on my nails. I had minor chipping and minimal tip wear by day four. I must say that is pretty good! I don't normally have issues with chipped polish and I generally change colours before it gets the chance to chip. I topped it with my Revlon Colorstay top coat.

If you have been hunting down this colour, don't give up! Check out wherever Sally Hansen is sold as I'm sure it was there for a reason, and there must be more where it came from!

I do believe in Fairies! I do! I do!

Today I have an Essence Stay All Day long lasting eyeshadow to share. I have it in the shade 09 For Fairies. The Stay All Day shadows are cream shadows with a metallic finish.

The packaging is super cute! It's a sturdy plastic jar with a screw top lid. The lid has a domed top and the colour of the shadow is splashed across the top so it's easy to tell what colour it is when stored!

For Fairies is a really pretty light pink metallic shade. I bought this one because it was the lightest shade in the range and it really works as a base for all coloured eyeshadows and for everyday wear. Light-metallicy pink shades are some of my favourite to wear on the eyelid!

Being my first cream eyeshadow, I don't have a lot to compare this to. The Maybelline Color Tattoos are on my wishlist (Bad to the Bronze is always sold out!) and from swatching the various shades in store, the Essence version doesn't quite compare. This shadow doesn't apply smoothly (with a finger). The product almost 'balls' up into little clumps which you really have to work at to achieve a smooth even finish. Even then, the shadow isn't totally opaque and with one layer you only get a sheer shimmer and no real amount of colour.

The photo above is a couple of layers and you can see that the texture isn't totally smooth. Applying a lot of pressure to my eye area is not exactly what I would like to do so trying to get good colour payoff whilst having a smooth texture is a very hard task indeed! This product does however have a few good qualities, it really does live up to its name and lasts for quite a good long while. It sets rather quickly so if you are planning on placing a shadow over the top, work quickly! After is has set, it does not budge! As I have a couple of powder shadows this colour, I do plan on using it as a base to intensify their colour.

Although I do like the colour, I probably wouldn't recommend this cream shadow. I have heard mixed reviews about these shadows, so maybe it is just this shade but I don't think I will be investigating the other colours in the range. The Stay All Day shadows are AUD$5.50 for 5.5g of product. I would say spend the few extra bucks and pick up a Maybelline Color Tattoo!

More Orange?

Today I have a review of a MAC lipstick which my sister gave me as she works in the Beauty/Hair Industry. It is in the shade Morange which has an Amplified Cream finish.

The packaging is the classic MAC bullet shaped black tube which is lightweight whilst still very sleek. The only downfall of the packaging is that the top of the lipstick is rounded, so you can't store them upside down with the name showing. 

The colour itself is a super bold red-orange shade. It is definitely a more wearable shade of orange because of the good amount of red tones in it. As the colour of the year for 2012 was Tangerine Tango, orange definitely became a popular shade and I think it will be still quite trendy for this year. Although Summer is almost over I thought I would sneak this post in. I've been brave enough to wear it a couple of times and I love the bold lip it gives! You can wear it to it's full potential with opaque colour payoff or it can be tapped onto the lips and blended out for a more subtle coral lip.

The Amplified Cream formula is super creamy and packs a real punch in terms of colour payoff! It applies rather smoothly to the lips straight from the bullet but a lip brush will provide extra precision. It has a semi-matte finish to it and no shimmer at all. The colour lasts  a really long time on the lips and leaves a slight stain after wear. The colour doesn't bleed outside of the lips, even without a lip liner! The one thing I don't love about the formula is that it makes dry lips very noticable so make sure they are exfoliated and moisturised properly beforehand! Also the lipstick doesn't dry out the lips nor does it moisturise them.

Overall I really like Morange for the bold pop of colour it provides! For a more wearable shade I really enjoy wearing it sheered out topped with a lip balm or gloss. 

Hidden Agenda

Today I'll be reviewing the Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette. This was one of the products I was most excited about receiving from America.

The packaging is a sleek plastic case with magnetic closure. I really like that you can see the product through the packaging.

The palette contains two concealer shades (one lighter and one darker), a green-toned neutralizer for redness and a translucent powder. The idea is to mix the two concealers to achieve your ideal shade. The neutralizer works well to eliminate redness. I use it underneath foundation and/or concealer. I find the powder to be a bit too powdery. When I dip my brush into the pan, it kicks up a lot of excess powder. I also notice that it is not completely translucent and leaves a slight white cast to the skin.

lighter concealer shade, darker concealer shade, neutralizer, powder

The texture of the concealers is very nice and creamy. I find it easier to apply using my fingers as their warmth makes the concealers more malleable. Despite their creamy consistency, when put over dry or flaky skin, it makes it more obvious. They work well under the eyes and don't crease or cake and are not drying. Their staying power is quite good especially when topped with a powder, whether it be the one provided in the palette or another. I think though that the palette would be better off without the powder, and instead have a peachy toned neutralizer for darkness. That would have made this the ultimate concealer palette!

Overall I really like this palette and I can get my perfect shade from mixing the concealers together. Also I use the lighter shade under my eyes to provide a brightened and highlighted effect. I think the quality of the concealers is good and that it is a very multi-purpose product!