ELF Prism Eyeshadow Palette in Naked - review and swatches

Kathleenlights raves about this eyeshadow product every now and again on her YouTube channel. ELF is not as readily available in Australia compared to how it is in the US. We can purchase some products in Kmart, but the variety is very limited. Lucky, iHerb exists. With the current exchange rate, this palette can be purchased for $13.71 through iHerb. I find the shipping really reasonable with iHerb, and your order usually comes within a week.

The shadows in this palette swatch beautifully. I particularly enjoy mixing the two lighter shades together as a highlighter on my cheekbones and other areas of my face that I like to emphasise. The shadows are soft to touch and blend beautifully, and put on top of cream shadows, the sparkle and sheen of the shadow really comes through. The pigmentation of these shadows is amazing. For such a cheap palette, you are getting some quality shadows. 

If neutral shadows appeal to you, I would recommend picking this one up. For the price, it really is a steal.

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ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip - quick review and swatches - Midi, Kapow, More Better, Succulent

A couple of months ago, I did a review on four ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip colours I purchased. In this review, I go more into detail in the formulation and staying power of the product. For this post, I want to provide an update with the new colours I have purchased, also including one of the five new shades - More Better.

(L to R: Midi, Kapow, Succulent, More Better)

The first three shades have been available for a bit, with Kapow just coming back in stock when I went to place my order. More Better was one of five new shades in the Ultra Matte selection. It reminds me of a wine colour that leans more purple. 

Midi is described as a soft neutral beige. Kapow is described as a muted grey taupe. Succulent is described as an electric neon orange red, and More Better is described as a deep violet wine. 

As I've said previously, I find these lip products great liquid matte lipsticks for their price. ColourPop has such a variety of shades, and for only $6US, they are definitely affordable. The shipping can be an issue, but I tend to order quite a few things when I order from them. If you haven't checked out the brand yet, I'd definitely recommend checking them out on their website or social media. 

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Lipstick Queen Velvet Rope in Brat Pack - review and swatches

Lipstick Queen Velvet Rope in Brat Pack was a present from my boyfriend for my 23rd birthday. I'd not really heard of this brand, but after one day of wearing this lipstick, I was hooked. This is probably the most expensive lipstick I own, and I'm pretty sure it was a bit cheaper when my boyfriend purchased it, but currently it retails for $69 from Mecca and can be purchased here. Lipstick Queen has quite a few collections of lipsticks, but I believe the Velvet Rope are the most luxurious that they offer (when you see the packaging, you will agree). There are five shades in this type of lipstick, and they are described as "pure glamour and luxury for your lips! A pigment-rich yet feather-light lipstick that delivers the drama and intensity of a matte without compromising on comfort". The shade I have, Brat Pack, is described as a true red.

Just look at that beautiful lipstick! Poppy King, Lipstick Queen Founder, describes as following: 

"I was inspired by the golden years of Hollywood when glamour was in every detail. This is the lipstick of the red carpet, the people, the places and the personalities that glide past the Velvet Rope and into the night"

The beautiful gold packaging features a magnetic closure, which is a great feature. The description of this product is no word of a lie either - this lipstick is feather light. It is super smooth and soft to apply to the lips, and does dry down to a matte. However, this is the most comfortable matte lipstick I have ever worn. I have worn this all day without any feathering and without the end result being dry lips.

This isn't a cheap product whatsover, and I'm not encouraging anyone to spend ridiculous amounts on lipstick, but this lipstick is very luxurious and I love having it in my collection. The only other one from this collection I would consider purchasing is Star System, which is the nude from the collection, but I want to swatch it in store before purchasing and unfortunately have not had any luck finding it on the shelf as yet. 

If all matte formulas were like this one, many more people would like matte lipsticks. This is one of my favourite reds, and it is quite similar to MAC Ruby Woo, just without the excessive dryness. 

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Mecca Beauty Loop Box Level 3 - 2015

This is the third Beauty Loop Box I have received this year from Mecca. I have finally reached Level 3, which is the highest level from Mecca and therefore there is more value in this box than the other two Levels. See my post from the Level 1 box, earlier this year here, and Level 2, from July/August here.

This box features some nice deluxe sample size products. I am particular excited about the inclusion of the new NARS Audacious Mascara. This is a 3mL deluxe sample and the full size retails for $39. I can't seem to find the Darphin product on the Mecca website, but included is a 4mL bottle of the 8-Flower Nectar Essential Oil Elixir (more detail can be viewed here). On the US website, the 15mL bottle retails for $150US, which means this little bottle is worth $40US! The oil has a nice floral scent, and I'm definitely excited to see what this expensive oil can do for my skin. There is also a deluxe sample of the Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation, which retails on the Mecca website for $80 for a 30mL bottle. In this sample, there is 7.5mL of product, which means it is $20 worth of value. Going off the Mecca website, there only appears to be two shades in this No Foundation Foundation, but I look forward to trying out. The only annoying thing is the packaging does not distinguish if it is No. 1 or No. 2, but from swatching it, my guess is it is No.2. It is a very light formula and I probably could get away with the shade in the summer without fake tanning. 

The Beauty Loop box also includes a deluxe sample of the bareMinerals Make Your Move Marvellous Moxie Lipstick. It is a lovely mid-toned nude, and a great every day colour! I can definitely see myself using this up quite quickly. The full size retails for $26, which isn't too bad for a lipstick, and this shade is currently sold out on the Mecca website which must mean it is a quite popular shade in the line.

I really enjoyed this Beauty Loop Box, and there is some good value in this box.  Of course, I do need to spend over $1200 in a year to be eligible for this Level, but it's nice that Mecca provides these types of boxes 4 times a year. Great to try out some new products this way that you wouldn't necessarily consider picking up. So if you haven't yet, head into your nearest Mecca store and pick up your Beauty Loop Box!

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X

Chi Chi Brow Pomade in Taupe - review and swatches

Chi Chi recently released brow pomades in six shades. Currently, these are not on the Chi Chi website but I was lucky enough to find one at Myer. I purchased this about two weeks ago and they only had one left in Taupe and a few in Blonde. The shades available are Blonde, Taupe, Soft Brown, Medium Brown, Dark Brown and Black Brown. The brow pomade sells for $14.95 and comes with 2 grams of product. Chi Chi describes this product as a "waterproof, smudge free, creamy formula that is an all in one brow product. Smoothly glides on to skin and hair to sculpt, colour in and shape natural defined brows".

Taupe is a medium, cool-toned shade. I have had blonde hair for a while, and have struggled to match my brows, as although my eyebrows are sparse, they are black. This shade of the brow pomade is great to lighten my brows and define them. I have enjoyed setting this (it does dry, so you don't necessarily need to set it in place, but I do it out of habit) with MAC Omega eyeshadow. 

I haven't tried the Anastasia Brow Pomade so I cannot comment on the similarities, but this is a great brow product. I find it lasts all day and you don't need much product at all. I tend to dip my brush in the pomade and wipe it on the side of the packaging before placing on my brows. 

When I find this product in stock in different shades, I am going to purchase them and keep them in my kit. This is a great product to see from more affordable brands, and this was $14.95 well-spent. I definitely recommend this product if you can find it in store, and hopefully it will be available online soon. 

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