Models Prefer Cream Highlight and Contour Stick - review and swatches

I noticed these beauties in Priceline a couple of weeks ago. I've not tried much from Models Prefer, I have purchased a few of their brushes (they did release one with this collection that looks much like the NARS Ita brush), but besides that, I think this is the first makeup product I have tried. From what I know, I believe this is a Priceline exclusive brand. Each stick costs $9.99 and comes with 8 grams of product. These are cream products

(L to R: Models Prefer Contour Collection Highlighting Stick, Models Prefer Contour Collection Contouring Stick)

The highlight shade is a more of a pinky based than yellow based highlight stick. The contour is a slightly warm mid-toned brown. Because the contour stick is quite dark, I find I can only use it to contour my cheeks, no where else on my face. For reference, I am a NC15, sometimes NC20 in MAC. If I didn't wear glasses, I'm sure the contour stick would be fine to use on my nose with a small brush. I like to use the highlight stick underneath the contour on my cheeks, once blended out, to emphasise the contour.

I believe the highlight stick is great for fair and light skinned girls, and the contour stick would work anywhere up to a medium skin tone. Unfortunately there isn't much variety as these are the only two shades. There is no shimmer in either product, so they are great as contouring products. I find the formula to be way too heavy underneath the eyes, otherwise this would be a great product to highlight in the area.

I would recommend going into Priceline and testing these out. If the shades work for you, give it a try. For nights out, these are great base products for contouring. I always like to top with powder.

Thanks for reading, 

X

Too Faced Cocoa Contour Palette - review and swatches

Too Faced has become one of my favourite brands over the last year. I saw this contour palette featured in YouTube videos a couple of months ago, and was desperately awaiting it's release in Australia. This palette retails for $52 from Mecca, and is available from Mecca Maxima and Kit Cosmetic stores.

Too Faced describes this product as the following:

"Lift cheekbones, look instantly slimmer or sculpt like a celebrity with Cocoa Contour. Includes the two essential sculpting shades, the perfect matte highlighter and a luminous pop of light for a contoured look that never looks flat. Infused with our antioxidant-rich Exclusive Cocoa Complex for a seamless finish and decadent chocolate scent. Features our Contour Buki Brush for the most professional sculpting effect".

The palette features for highlight and contour shades, and an adorable kabuki brush:
Light Cocoa - a light matte pink-based shade to highlight
Medium Cocoa - a medium, slightly cool tone matte for contour
Dark Cocoa - a deeper, more warm tone matte for contour
Pop of Light - a shimmer pink toned highlight

The included Contour Buki Brush is great for applying the contour powders.

(L to R: Light Cocoa, Medium Cocoa, Dark Cocoa, Pop of Light)

Light Cocoa has been my go-to under eye highlight shade since I picked up this palette. Medium Cocoa has been my go-to contour. In the warmer months, I will be using Dark Cocoa to bronze up my face - as you can see, it is definitely more warmer in tone than Medium Cocoa. Unfortunately the only downside of this palette is the shade Pop of Light - it is meant to be a highlight shade, but unfortunately it is just chunks of glitter once blended out. The colour payoff is of every other shade is great, and I find at the end of the work day you can still see my contour.

For the price, I believe this is a great palette. There are three usable shades in my opinion, and the inclusion of the brush makes it unique. I also have the Anastasia Contour Kit (which I will have a review up of soon), which before this was my go-to palette, and the Australis, but this is my favourite. The palette also smells like chocolate, so how can you go wrong?

If you are looking into purchasing a contour kit, I would say put this on your list to take a look at! It is limited edition, so get in quick!

Thanks for reading,
X

ColourPop Where The Light Is - review and swatches

I purchased this quad a couple of months ago, along with the Shaaanxo quad (see review here). Since then, I have placed another order for two Lippie Stix and a highlighter, and shipping took about the same (a week and a half). I probably won't be ordering from ColourPop again any time soon until the exchange rate in Australia gets better. Other than the current exchange rate, the price of the products are very reasonable, and the shipping is not too bad from what I have experienced.

Where The Light Is comes with four shades - two mattes, a pearlised finish, and a metallic finish. It is a collaboration with YouTuber kathleenlights. 

(L to R: Glow, Kathleenlights, Cornelius and Blaze)

Glow is a matte, yellow cream. Kathleenlights is a golden copper with pearlised finish. Cornelius is a matte mid-tone warm brown. Blaze is warm bronze with a metallic finish, and with noticeable glitter. 

The matte shades in this quad are more every day wearable than that in the Shaaanxo quad. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I find myself reaching for this quad more. Kathleenlights is a gorgeous warm, golden copper, and I can see it getting a lot of use in the summer months. The shade reminds me a lot of MAC Amber Lights, which I believe is the inspiration for the shade. To me, the star of the quad is not Kathleenlights but Blaze. The camera does not pick it up well, but this is a truly magnificent shade. It has fine glitters in it and on the lid it looks multi-dimensional. It adds something remarkable to a bronze look.

I find the pearlised and metallic finish shades are great toppers on powder eyeshadows, and are great tools to have in your kit should you want to take a look from day time to night time. If the colours in this quad don't appeal to you all too much, I would definitely suggest checking out something else in the ColourPop range of eyeshadows. For US$5, these do not disappoint. Next time I order, I will be purchasing more pearlised and metallic finish shades.

This quad costs US$20, and can be purchased from www.colourpop.com.

Thanks for reading,

X

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette - review and swatches

The Ambient Lighting Powders were (and probably still are) an extremely hyped up product on YouTube. For Christmas, a lovely friend of mine gifted this to me and I was super excited to try them out! (Yes, this post has been a long time coming).

The palette comes with three shades:

Dim Light - A neutral peach beige powder that blurs imperfections and highlights a radiant complexion with the perfect balance of warm and cool tone

Incandescent Light (this shade is exclusive to the palette, and of course is my favourite) - An opalescent pearl powder that brightens the complexion with a celestial glow

Radiant Light - A sun-kissed golden beige that enhances the overall complexion with believable, subtle warmth, and also extends a summer glow 

(L to R: Dim Light, Incandescent Light, Radiant Light)

I love to use Incandescent Light (middle) as a subtle highlight on my cheek, nose, cupid's bow, forehead. Dim Light (left) is great for under the eyes, and Radiant Light is a great topper on a bronzer in those summer months (unfortunately it is too dark for me to use allover). 

Strobing has become the next big makeup trend, and can definitely be achieved with a product like this. I would recommend picking up one of these palettes as opposed to a single shade (in Australia, a single shade costs $59). The palette comes with 3.3 grams of product per each shade, which is 1/3 the size of the full size product. But with this palette, you do get to try a few shades out, play with it, and then can commit to the full size product if the product works for you. In Australia, this palette retails for $76, and can be purchased from Mecca Cosmetica and Mecca Maxima. 

I think I will eventually purchase Etheral Light, another lighter of the shades from the Ambient Lighting collection. There are six shades in total available for purchase (two are included in this palette). 

Thanks for reading, and thank you Amanda for this wonderful present!

X 

Sigma 3DHD Kabuki Brush - review

For today's review, we have an interesting brush from Sigma. Sigma describes this brush as "a multifunctional brush engineered to perfection. It was uniquely designed for all areas of the face to apply liquid, cream and powder products uniformly in every curve, crease and angle".

Kabuki brushes are my favourite to apply liquid and cream foundation. I was quite intrigued by this brush due to the shape. I find this brush, although with the interesting shape, performs just like any other kabuki brush I would use to apply foundation. The shape is good for applying foundation around the nose and then buff out. This brush retails for $24 US. If you are interested in picking up this brush, I would recommend picking it up to try out (although if you're in Australia, maybe wait for the exchange rate to get a bit better). If you like Sigma kabuki brushes, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for reading,
X