October Favourites

I have been slack with posting this month, and I can only blame that on my workload from university. I still want to do a favourites post, as there are some new products I've been trying out this month that I have loved.

MUA Eyeshadow Shade 30 Pearl
This eyeshadow is absolutely gorgeous. I did a haul post back in September (see post here) and I still have to do a review on all the eyeshadows. This one is absolutely gorgeous, it is super pigmented and lasts all day. It reminds me of Urban Decay's Half Baked, just a little more orange.

Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water 
I bought this about two months ago, and I love it. It's a great toner, and it doesn't feel too harsh on my skin. I'm almost out of this and I want to try out the other toners from Lush, but I recommend this one. They come in a bigger bottle as well, but the smaller sizes are good to test out. They are in a spray bottle which is super convenient.

Batiste Dry Shampoo Vibrant and Red 
I was in David Jones a few weeks ago and saw this. I have red hair, it isn't a super vibrant red but it is still red, and red fades quickly. This dry shampoo is wonderful to add some vibrancy back in your hair, and the red does stick around - when I've washed my hair after using this, some red washes out. I love this dry shampoo, and while it doesn't smell as good as the Blush scent, when my hair isn't recently dyed (like right now), I'd pick this over Blush just to add some colour back in my hair.

MAC Strobe Cream
This is a travel size I picked up from a Pro MAC store for $15, and I love it. I use a day moisturiser, and once that has sunk in I top it with the Strobe Cream for added hydration and luminosity. The full size of 50mL is $55 in Australia, and this 30mL tube cost $15, so I think next time I'm in store I will pick up a few of these travel sizes as they work out better value for money.

Bioderma
This is a small size I got from eBay to test this product out. I really like this for gently removing all the makeup and cleansing my skin after I have used a face wash, and I recommend it for sensitive and dry skin.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze (On and On Bronze)
I don't know if I've featured this in a favourite, but I picked up this colour tattoo in England and I absolutely love it. Yesterday I used it with Urban Decay Smog and it was absolutely beautiful. All the colour tattoos I own are wonderful bases, and if you are interested in trying just one, I recommend Bad to the Bronze.

And that's my favourite products for October. Thanks for reading, and if you haven't yet, follow me on Bloglovin'!

Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette - review and swatches

My lovely boyfriend gifted this palette to me a few weeks ago, and I am head over heels in love with it. I own the original Vice Palette from last year, and I will include some comparison photos, but I have seriously loved using this palette over the last couple of weeks and am ready to give a review.

The palette is absolutely beautiful to look at. Compared to the original Vice, this palette is not a matte case and isn't hard to clean, unlike the original which is matte and once fingerprints are on it, it is very hard to get off (as you can see in the photo below). The Vice 2 has the same jewelled logo as the original Vice Palette, and this jewelled logo was also on the Fifteenth Anniversary Palette.

The palettes are the same size, and both come with the same double ended eye brush. 

It's an okay brush,  but I prefer the brush that came with the Naked 2 Palette much more. However, if you were to take this palette while travelling, this brush is perfectly fine to use and can be used to create an entire eye look with.

The palette comes with twenty eyeshadows - only two are matte shades (although the Urban Decay website disagrees) and the rest are shimmer or glitter.

Onto swatches and review of all twenty shades!

Smokeout is a dark, shimmery shade. It almost has a reddish/purple look in the pan, but when swatched looks like a dark brown-black, with a slightly reddish tinge. Urban Decay describes this shade as a "dark taupey-black satin". 

Lovesick (as you can see in the photo of the eyeshadows in the palette above) has silver glitter in it, although in the photograph this didn't pick up. This shade does not swatch particularly well, though. Urban Decay describes this shadow as a "black matte with iridescent micro-glitter". It definitely does look pretty matte when swatched, and this may account for the way the shadow swatched. I have found that a lot of Urban Decay's matte shadows are not super pigmented, and sometimes chalky.  

Shellshock is a spectacular shade. I've never ventured much into silvers, I tend to like gold shadow more, but this is so highly pigmented and shimmery I'll definitely have to wear this out next time I go out at night. This shade is extremely creamy in texture. Urban Decay describes this shade as a "bright metallic silver".

Coax is a darker, more shimmery pink than the next shade X-Rated. They both look lovely swatched, but I'm not a big pink wearer. This shade was extremely pigmented and creamy. Urban Decay describes this shade as a "medium metallic pink with golden iridescent micro-sparkle. 

 X-Rated in the pan looks matte, but when swatched has a nice sheen to it. Pink is my least favourite colour, so I probably won't get much use out of these on myself, but X-Rated is a lovely colour. It has less shimmer than Coax, but swatched very nicely. It is very pigmented. This shadow is described as a "baby pink satin".

Prank was a disappointing colour when swatched. It looks absolutely gorgeous in the pan, so maybe on top of a blue base this colour will pop. It has some noticeable glitter, but just wasn't a well performing shadow on its own. Urban Decay describes this shade as a "deep navy matte with turquoise floating pearl". Basically, this shade has shimmer in it. I wouldn't really call this a matte shade, as in the pan and when swatched, you can see it has shimmer.

 Madness is a lovely dark teal shade. It swatched much better than Prank. It is quite pigmented, and I think I'll get a lot of use out of this colour in the summer - possibly on the bottom lash line. I think on top of a blue base, this colour would really pop! This is described as a "bright metallic blue shimmer with blue-glitter".

Strike is a nice gold shade, although not as pigmented as I'd prefer, but this could be a good thing for some. Some may not be a big fan of in your face gold shadows - Half-Baked from the Naked and Naked 2 Palettes, for example. This shade is a nice, subtle gold. This does have some glitter in the pan, but when I've used it on my lids (and in the photo above) it doesn't really transfer. It is described as a "antique gold shimmer with silver micro-glitter".

Stash is a shimmery olive green. There is noticeable gold in this colour, and it really is an interesting colour. The shimmer makes it more of a wearable colour, but it is definitely more of an autumn or winter shade. It is nicely pigmented and creamy, and is described as a "deep olive green shimmer with iridescent micro-sparkle". 

Poison isn't an overly spectacular shade in my opinion. It is a charcoal black, not a dark black (does that even work?) by any means. Urban Decay describes it as a "charcoal satin with iridescent micro-sparkle". It swatched okay, but isn't a shade I'm particularly drawn to. 

When I first opened the palette, Radar was the shade that caught my eye. It looks quite chunky in the pan, and it does have some glitter in it. But is absolutely gorgeous! I love pairing this on top of the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. I absolutely adore this bronze shade! This is described as a "metallic brown shimmer with iridescent micro-glitter".

Damaged is just wow. It is a forest green colour, metallic, and just beautiful. I think I'll be getting a lot of use out of this around Christmas, and in autumn next year (sadly it's spring in Australia right no, so some of these colours are a little too dark). Urban Decay describes this as a "bright metallic emerald shimmer".

Voodoo is a lovely shade. It is a dark purple, with small bits of glitter. Another shade that would be awesome for autumn. This shadow is described as a "metallic purple shimmer with iridescent purple micro-glitter".

When I looked at Betrayal, I felt as though I already had a shade similar to this from Urban Decay. I grabbed my Fifteen Anniversary Palette and swatched Betrayal and Omen from the Fifteenth Anniversary Palette together, and they look almost identical. I believe Omen is now available as a single shadow, so if that's why you were interested in this palette (Omen is one of my favourite purple shades ever), you always have that option. This shadow is described as a "bright purple satin with blue shift" - meaning it is a duochrome shadow. 

(Betrayal on the left, Omen on the right)

Derailed is a taupe brown metallic shade, is quite pigmented, and swatches beautifully. I love that both neutral and and colourful shades are included in this palette, and you can create many eye looks with just this palette. Urban Decay describes this shadow as a "medium metallic taupey-brown shimmer". This row of shades were the ones that swatched the best.

The last row of the palette contains the only two true matte shades.

Dope is a nice allover lid colour. It has a nice shimmer to it, and although it is pink toned, it isn't over the top pink, so I will get some use out of this shadow. Urban Decay describes this shadow as a "warm champagne satin".
Toxic looks like a nice rose gold shade in the pan. I'm not a big pink fan as I have already stated, but this shade appears more peachy than straight up pink. It is a lovely colour to look at, and I think it will work well for spring! This is described as a "metallic copper-pink shimmer with tonal micro-glitter".
As you can see, Habit is a matte shade, and swatching it was horrible! It would work well as a day time transition colour, but from my experience matte shades from Urban Decay are not as pigmented and the payoff is not as good as their shimmery or glittery shadows.  This is described by Urban Decay as a "light nude matte".

Ambush is another lovely colour to look at in the pan. It's a nice bronzey shade, a little similar to Radar  but not as glittery.  Urban Decay describes this shadow as a "metallic brown satin". It swatched quite beautifully, and is extremely pigmented and creamy.

Rewind is another matte shade. It is a darker brown, a good crease colour, and isn't as chalky as Habit is. This shadow is described as a "medium brown matte".

These shadows perform wonderfully. I have quite oily eyelids (but a face that is so dry) and hooded eyelids, so I need a primer. Over the last couple of months, I have loved the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly as a base, but I also use a primer for extra prime (Urban Decay Primer Potion)! With the brown, bronzier shades that I have worn on my lids (Radar, Derailed and Ambush) I put them on top of the Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze and that really helps pick up the bronze in the shadows - and makes my lighter brown eyes look awesome!

I also wanted to do a quick comparison post for those who may already have the original Vice Palette, or want to know the difference between the two, if you need both etc. I feel this post has gotten too long as it is, so let me know if that's something you want to see.

Overall, I love this palette, and I am so lucky to have received it as a gift from my boyfriend. If you are someone who loves venturing out into colour eyeshadows, I'd recommend this - but if you want neutral shadows, you're probably better off skipping this.

Thanks for reading my review, and don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'! 

Benefit Cabana Glama - review and swatches

I received this kit from a friend for my birthday in July. I love how my friends know me! I did a review on the Bronze of Champions kit I bought when I was coming back from England (see post here), and I think these kinds of kits are perfect as you get to try out different products from Benefit - especially in Australia where the prices are expensive. I already know I will be repurchasing Watts Up and They're Real when I run out of the mini sizes (from the Bronze of Champions kit), because they are awesome products! Both are making it to holy grail status. I also would repurchase Hoola, but I've got another Hoola bronzer in this kit so I don't think I'll be running out anytime soon! 

This kit, like the Bronze of Champions, is aimed at a nice summer tan. This kit features the Some Kind of Gorgeous Foundation, Hoola bronzer, three Benefit eyeshadows - which is awesome! (there was only one in the Bronze of Champions), two brushes and Posie Tint. 

The Some Kind of Gorgeous foundation is in the second shade (Medium), which I feared was too dark for me. However, when it is buffed into the skin it works well (which you'll hopefully be able to see in the photos below). The only problem I have is the smell of the foundation... it's not a pleasant smell at all. This is a light coverage foundation. It is a little dark for me, but because it is so lightweight and blendable, it blends okay into my skin. 

When heavily swatched, the foundation looks way too dark and orange for me. When blended out, it matches much better, although is just a tad too dark at the moment. It is a light coverage foundation, so perfect for days you don't want to wear much foundation, or in the summer. I probably would wear this in the summer when I'm a little darker, but the smell of the product is what turns me off. 

I applied the foundation all over my arm, and it hardly had an effect on blurring out my tattoo. This is a very light coverage foundation. 

The Hoola bronzer is an awesome contour shade. The Hoola bronzer in this kit looks bigger than the one in the Bronze of Champions kit, which makes me very happy! The brush it comes with also isn't too bad, and is really good at blending out the product. 

I have a light complexion, and a heavy swatch of Hoola on my arm appears very muddy. However, when blended out (which I've done next to it using the brush included in the Cabana Glama kit) it is quite blendable and matches my skin tone much better. 

The three eyeshadows are all shimmery, flattering summer shades. They are fairly pigmented, although the two brown shades (Bronze Buzz and Cocoa Pizzazz) are quite similar when swatched, as can be seen below. I'm not the biggest fan of pink, but Peach Fuzz has a nice combination of pink and gold and on my lids (as shown in the pictures at the end of the post) Peach Fuzz came off more golden than pink, especially when combined with Bronze Buzz. 

(The three eyeshadows in the kit in placement order - Peach Fuzz, Bronze Buzz and Cocoa Pizzazz)

Posie Tint is an interesting product. This is a legit stain, it would not come off with a makeup remover wipe once I swatched it and took photos of it on my arm - which didn't take more than two minutes! It works extremely well as a stain, but I'm not the biggest fan of pinks. It looks nice on the lips, but is a little drying. Definitely need to scrub and moisturise your lips before using this product. 

Above is after I wiped the swatches with a makeup remover wipe

This is the look I came up with using the three eyeshadows in the kit - Peach Fuzz and Bronze Buzz mixed together on the lid, and Cocoa Pizzazz in the crease. I used the Some Kind of Gorgeous Foundation, Hoola as a contour shade/bronzer, and Posie Tint on my lips and cheeks. 

Thanks for reading my review! I highly recommend Benefit kits like this, as it is a good way to try out different kinds of products all in one go.

Empties/Products I'm Chucking Out #4

I have a ton of empties this time! I even had to break the photos up into categories. Let's start with hair.

VO5 Hot Oil Give Me Moisture Treatments

I purchased these awhile ago, and I forgot about them. There was only four in the pack, but I honestly don't think they did too much for my hair. Probably won't repurchase these, but I'm open to trying other hot oil treatments. 

Edward Beale Argon Oil Leave-In Treatment

I like this leave in treatment, and I have mentioned it in a previous Favourites post, long ago. I definitely do need to repurchase this. 

Schwarzkopf Normal Balance Leave-In Treatment

I've had this treatment for a while, it took forever to use up. I finally used it up, yay! This was okay, but I don't think it did anything magical for my hair. I would not repurchase. 

Clear Total Nourishing Care Nourishing Shampoo 50mL

I bought this small size when I went to Canberra in April (eek!) I also had the conditioner, but I'm not too sure where it went. 

Batiste Original Dry Shampoo (x2) 

My favourite dry shampoo, just not favourite scent. These were only $4, so I bought quite a few of these. Would repurchase the Blush scent (and I have!) 

Peace, Love and Juicy Couture Shower Gel
This was a shower gel I got with the matching perfume, and it smelt nice, but I have dry skin and it wasn't the best for my easily irritated skin.

Daiso Detergent for Puff and Sponge 
This stuff is awesome at cleaning beauty sponges, but it goes super quickly. I have repurchased two of these recently, but I will only designate it to cleaning sponges. It's only $2.80 as well, which is awesome!

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion
I love this moisturiser. I'm considering purchasing once I've used up all the other moisturisers I own.

Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Mud Mask
I love this mask. I bought the sample size to try, but I've already bought the full size. I love the smell of this mask.

QV Face Moisturising Day Cream
This was an okay day cream, but it's not a favourite. Probably won't repurchase this.

Woolworths Select Acetone-Free Nail Polish Remover 
When you have acrylics, acetone-free is your friend. This nail polish remover did the job.

Vaseline Total Moisture Dry Skin Moisturising Lotion
This is my favourite body moisturiser. Since finishing this up, I have purchased another, and it is nearly finished up. Will be repurchasing again.

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Bomblicious Perfumed Shower Gel 
This came with a gift set of one bottle of Flowerbomb I had. It was a nice shower gel to use because it smelt like Flowerbomb.

Rimmel Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover 
I love this eye make-up remover. I have a Maybelline one at the moment, which I don't like very much, so when that finishes I will be repurchasing this.

Rexona Sexy Deodorant 

Favourite deodorant. Always repurchase. 

Rexona Cotton Fresh Deoderant 

This was okay. Favourite brand of deodorant, just not my favourite scent. 

Clinique Turnaround Overnight Radiance Moisturiser (x2)

I got these sample sizes this year I think, and I took one to England to use as a night moisturiser. It worked well, but I have other night moisturisers I prefer. 

Alpha Keri Ointment 

I use this to calm my eczema and irritated skin. I've repurchased it, and I would repurchase it again. It's thick, so I ideally use it at nighttime. 

Neutrogena Sugar Scrub Body Exfoliator

This smelt like citrus, and I enjoyed it. I still have a bit of a Soap & Glory one to use up, and I just purchased a Lush one, but I would consider repurchasing this after I use those two up. 

Skin Wisdom Instant Benefit Peel Off Face Mask

This was a face mask I brought back from England. I liked it, but I don't think I'll be able to purchase it anytime soon.

Lush Ultrabalm

This stuff is awesome for eczema, dry and itchy skin. I have repurchased, but I don't know where my second tub has gone so I may have to go out and get another one. 

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Perfume 

This is my favourite perfume. For my birthday, I received another bottle. This will forever be a repurchase. If you haven't smelled this perfume, you need to. 

Swisspers Make Up Remover Pads 
These did the job.

BeautyCareCo Makeup Remover Pads 
These are okay makeup remover pads, I really don't have much of a preference.

Priceline Cosmetics Set 
This set came with same pads, cotton tips, it was a really nice combination of things. Next time I'm in Priceline I might pick up another one.

Swisspers Naturals Original Facial Cleansing Wipes and Swisspers Naturals Green Tea Cleansing Wipes 
I like both the Original and Green Tea wipes, both feel nice on my skin. After I use up the ones I currently have, I'm going to go back to purchasing these.

Johnson's Daily Essentials Refreshing Facial Cleansing Wipes 
You can get a bulk pack of these from Costco, and I recently picked some up. I'm realising now that maybe these are too harsh on my skin, so after I use up the packets I have I'm going to go back to buying the Swisspers Natural face wipes.

Avene Hydrance Rich Creme
I got this sample from Priceline a while ago, and this was a good moisturiser. I may have to go purchase this, as my skin is super dry at the moment.

Australis Ready Set Go Finishing Powder in True Translucent 
This was an okay setting powder, but I much prefer the Face of Australia powder.

Elf Lengthening and Defining Mascara 
Used this somewhat as a brow gel, although it stayed in my drawer for the longest time. Wouldn't repurchase, love the Essence brow gel.

Australis Eyeshadow Primer 
This was the first eyeshadow primer I ever bought. If you don't have oily eyelids, I recommend it. It did a good enough job, but I have since found other eye primers that work better for me.

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara
Favourite mascara. When I get through the million mascaras I have, I will repurchase.

1000 Hour Metallic Nailz 
These are those mirrored nails. When I was attempting to clean out my nail polish stash (which failed), I found these. The nails that fit my nails are all used up, so into the bin it goes.

I've even used up some nail polish. I've now found my holy grail top coat, so I am trying to get rid of all the others I have in my collection. 

Essence Nail Art Express Dry Drops

I thought this would be like the OPI equivalent, but it's not. Would not repurchase, too oily and doesn't really dry your polish quickly. 

Rimmel 60 Seconds Top Coat

This is my second favourite top coat. I repurchased another one before trying Seche Vite, but after I use that up I probably won't repurchase it. 

OPI Start to Finish Base and Top Coat (x2)

This was an okay base coat, but not my favourite top coat. Both have dried up really badly, so I need to throw them out. 

OPI Natural Base Coat 

I love this base coat, definitely a favourite. I will repurchase this is the near future. 

OPI RapiDry Top Coat (mini)

I don't like RapiDry. This lasted only a few uses because it is a small bottle and it dried up a little. Would not repurchase. 

Eylure Katy Perry Lashes in Sweetie Pie 

These, from memory, were quite natural lashes. 

NYC Glamour Eyelashes

I got these lashes when I was in England. I actually don't remember much of what these looked like, so I don't think they were all too special. 

And those are all the empties I have! I'm quite happy with what I've gone through the last two months. Thanks for reading, and if you haven't, please follow me on Bloglovin'! 

Shop My Stash #3

I apologise for my absence the past week, as I have been extremely busy with uni and assessments. Here is my Shop My Stash #3.

I've mentioned this bronzer on my blog quite a few times, and the NARS Laguna Bronzer is one I have a love/hate relationship with. I put this on the shimmer in the product, but I absolutely love the shade and it blends like a dream. See review here.

The Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette is a cult classic in the beauty world. I love this palette, but it is lacking in matte shades and that is why I don't reach for it all that often. Definitely will try my hardest over the next two weeks!

Benefit Watt's Up is a beautiful highlighter, but I have neglected it over the last month. It's added to the list.

The Essence Match2Cover Cream concealer is a favourite of mine, and it's getting close to an empty. I have neglected it recently, so I want to try use it up over the next few weeks.

Last is the MAC Honeylove lipstick. It's a nude, and I got it when I was coming back from England. It's an easy everyday colour, so I need to get into using it more often. Below is a swatch. 

(L to R: Benefit Watt's Up and MAC Honeylove)