Urban Decay Electric Palette Review and Demo

Hello my beauty lovers!

I have some super exciting things to share with you in this blog. First of all, URBAN DECAY HAS BEEN RELEASED AT MECCA MAXIMA IN AUSTRALIA! This is sooooo exciting for us beauty obsessed freaks because before we could only get UD online..oh 1^st world problems. So I went in to Mecca Maxima in Joondalup and picked up the Urban Decay Electric palette ($70AUS) as well as the All Nighter Setting Spray ($44AUS). I’ve had my eyes on the Electric palette for months, so it was a happy day. Below is a quick review and swatch of the palette, and then 2 eye shadow looks along with pictures and a step-by-step description of how I accomplished them.

Review

First off, I am obsessed with the packaging. It’s bright and colourful, yet classy. It comes with 10 shades, which mostly haven’t been seen before. It also comes with a double-ended brush, which is good for packing on colours on the lid. The palette is extremely versatile, as I played around with colours on the eyes, lips and cheeks.

Shade breakdown

• Revolt- Shimmer/glitter silver, very pigmented and creamy, great colour payoff and blends easily. 
• Gonzo- Slight shimmery electric blue, not as pigmented as the other shades, okay colour payoff, blends easily, very slight stain on the skin.
• Slowburn- Slight shimmery bright orange, pigmentation is okay, colour payoff is great.
• Savage- Bright matte pink, not very pigmented, quite powdery on the skin, blends easily. 
• Fringe- My favourite colour in the palette! Beautiful shimmery/glittery dark green, insanely pigmented and creamy, amazing colour payoff and blends perfectly.
• Chaos- Matte dark blue, great pigmentation, creamy texture, good colour payoff and blends really well.
• Jilted- Beautiful satin fuchsia pink, amazingly pigmented, creamy and smooth to touch, beyond perfect colour payoff and blends beautifully.
• Urban- Stunning satin dark purple, amazingly pigmented, creamy and smooth just like Jilted, perfect colour payoff and blends ahhhh-mazingly!
• Freak- Glittery apple green colour, good pigmentation with great colour payoff and blends well.
• Thrash- Glittery greeny yellow shade with good pigmentation, the colour payoff could be better, blends away nicely.

Eye shadow looks

Prep and Prime: Prime lids with Mac Prolong wear concealer and do your brows as you wish.

Apply NYX jumbo eye pencil in milk all over the lid and blend slightly with your finger. This helps the colour go on as bright as possible. Lightly apply a transition shade through the crease, I used the naked shade from the naked 1 palette, but any colour a few shades darker than your skin tone will do. This helps to blend out the other colours easier.

Look One - Purple Haze 

Apply Revolt on the inner corner of the lid using a small tapered brush such as the Zoeva 230 Luxe Pencil brush. Using any dense flat brush such as the Sigma F70 concealer (its great for packing on shadows) apply Jilted all over the lid.

Apply Urban on the outer corner of the lid, spreading onto most of Jilted and blending out through the crease. Add a little bit of Savage on the centre of the lid for an extra pop of pink. 

With the same flat brush as before mix a little bit of Chaos and Gonzo and place on outer corner of the lid. With a fluffy tapered brush, blend the crease out with your transition shade making sure there are no harsh edges and the colours flow perfectly.

Apply your favourite black liner, I recommend gel liner, but liquid liner is fine too. I used Mac Black Track gel liner with my Zoeva 315 Fine Liner to create a medium sized wing. Curl your lashes and coat your lashes in your favourite mascara and apply some dramatic lashes. I used the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara and the Eylure Dramatic 202 lashes. Apply some black kohl liner in the tight line.

For the lower lash line, apply Urban on the outer corner, Jilted in the middle and Revolt on the inner corner. Blend the harsh edges with your transition shade using a small fluffy tapered brush. Apply the black liner ½ of the way in the waterline towards the inner corner, and apply some mascara to the lower lashes and you’re set!

Look Two - Green Envy
Apply Fringe to the outer corner of the eye, packing on lots of colour with a dense flat brush such as the Sigma F70 concealer brush.

Using the same brush, wipe the previous shade off and apply Freak on to the middle of the lid, and blending into fringe slightly. With a fluffy brush such as a Sigma E35 tapered blending brush, pick up a small amount of your transition shade and run that through the crease to help blend the bright shadows out. You don’t want a harsh line where the eye shadow starts!

Using a small pencil brush apply Thrash on the inner corner, and a very small amount of Revolt on top of Thrash. Apply a very small amount of Chaos on the outer corner of the lid, just on top of Fringe and blend slightly towards the centre of the lid.

Using an eyeliner brush (I love my Zoeva 315 Fine Liner) and some white gel liner such as the Napoleon Perdis China Doll Gel Eyeliner in Yang, draw a thin winged liner just above the lash line. Curl your lashes and apply your favourite mascara, along with some gorgeous dramatic lashes (I used the Eylure Dramatic 202’s). Then apply some black liner in the tight line (upper waterline).

For the lower lash line, you want to apply Fringe on the outer corner, Freak in the centre and a tiny bit of Thrash to join to the inner corner of the eye. Blend the edges of the eye shadows with your transition shade and apply some mascara to the lower lashes. Finally, apply some white liner in the waterline and you’re ready! 

So there you have it! My thoughts on the Urban Decay Electric palette and 2 examples of looks that can be done with the beautiful palette. If you're a fan of bright colours and playing with different shades, I definitely recommend this palette. 

Thank you for reading, you beautiful people x x x

New Nars Foundation Review

Hello my beauty lovers!

Over the past two weeks I have been trying out the new Nars 'all day luminous weightless foundation' (wow thats a mouth full), so I thought I'd do a review and let you know my thoughts.

First of all, I got this foundation from Mecca Maxima for $64 in the shade medium 1 Punjab. I noticed in store that the shades were all named the same as the Sheer Glow/Matte and generally the shades were the same in both foundations. However, the darker shades of the All Day foundation seemed to be slightly different than the Sheer Glow/Matte. So basically, if you're anything from a shade medium dark 1 Syracuse or darker, I would get re-colour matched in this foundation to be safe.

The packaging-
There is still 30ml of product, but it is taller than the Sheer Glow/Matte bottle. I love this container, it's frosted glass and looks super classy. Plus, the greatest thing about this packaging, is it comes with its own pump! Thats so exciting for all us Nars lovers because you use to have to buy the pump separately which was a pain.

The product-
The pump only releases a small amount of product in one pump which I consider a good thing because you don't want to pump out too much at once. When I'm after a lighter coverage, but still wanting to hide blemishes, I'll only use one pump and pat the product into my skin, then blend it out really well. If I'm after a more full coverage look, I'll use about three pumps, however you want to only pump out one pump at a time, then pat and blend it into the skin before moving onto the next pump. This just makes sure you're not causing cake face haha.

I prefer applying the foundation with my Sigma Kabuki brushes, just because the bristles are denser, meaning it will go on full coverage, which is what the foundation is for..full coverage. If you applied any foundation with a dense brush, it will apply a fuller coverage look, the more sparse the bristles, the more sheer the foundation will be applied. I found that this foundation blended really well into the skin and sat nicely. It needs to be noted that I do have normal skin, so I'm not too dry and I'm not oily. This foundation will definitely not be loved by anyone with dry skin, or extremely oily skin. If you are oily though, you can set it really well with powder.

I tried this foundation everyday for a week and found that my skin did not break out once. When I first tried the Sheer Glow foundation I broke out on my forehead and chin, so I was really impressed that I didn't with this foundation, especially because I wore it all day at work. While I was at work I found that it did last all day, probably not 16 hours like it says, but ew, who would want foundation sitting on their skin for 16 hours haha. But I do recommend setting this foundation with powder and touching it up with some powder after about 7 hours. If you're after a dewy foundation I wouldn't suggest this purely because it does need to be set quite well, causing a matte look.

Other products-
The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is perfect with this foundation and blends beautifully. I tried some cream products on top of this foundation and it did look a little cakey, so would definitely recommend powder bronzers, blushes and highlighters. My favourite powder to set this foundation is the Mac Prep+Prime transparent finishing powder, which is a loose powder.

Overall, I prefer this foundation over the Sheer Glow at the moment, purely because it lasts so long on my skin. I would probably go as far to say that it is my favourite full coverage foundation. I would suggest that you go out and ask for a small sample before buying it, just incase you're not a huge fan :)

Thanks for reading! x x x

February Favourites

Happy March my beauties!

I can't believe we are in the beginning of March already, this year is flying by. I know thats like an obligatory thing for beauty bloggers to say..but it's so true! Over February I've discovered some products that I absolutely love, and some products I've had for a while that I've noticed myself reaching a lot for. So let me show you what I've been loving during February :)

Makeup

     Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit - A beautiful kit from my favourite makeup brand. This kit contains 3 highlight shades (Vanilla, Banana, Sand) perfect for setting concealer and highlighting the face. There are also 3 contour shades (Java, Fawn, Havana) which are amazing for creating shadows on the face. My most used shades are Banana and Fawn. All shades are extremely pigmented and creamy. They don't feel powdery on the skin and blend out naturally, but can be built up to create a strong contour. 
*$80 from BeautyBay.com*

     Josie Maran Argan Creamy Concealer Crayon (medium 2)- On the topic of contouring, I actually use this concealer stick as a cream contour. I use it to start off my contouring on top of my foundation and blend out for a natural look, and if I'm after a stronger contour I'll go in with my ABH Contour Kit on top. This product is extremely creamy (as it implies), pigmented, blends amazingly, and lasts all day. It also doesn't cake or gather in places on the skin.
*$25 from Mecca Maxima*

     Nars Audacious Lipstick in Marlene - These lipsticks are beyond perfection and I want them all haha. They are creamy, pigmented with great colour payoff and last a long ass time. 
*$44 from Mecca Maxima*

     Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in Punjab - This foundation ahhhhhh is amazing. It is an oil-free, 16 hour wear, weightless foundation which does all it promises to deliver. I won't say too much about this foundation as I do have a blog review coming out this week about it, so keep an eye out for that. 
*$64 from Mecca Maxima*

     Mac Pigment Colour Powder in Tan - This pigment is beautiful, and I have not stopped using it since I got it a few weeks ago. It is a pinky-champaign shimmery loose pigment which goes with so many eye looks. 
*$39 from MAC in Myer*

     Mac Pro Long Wear Paint Pot in Painterly - All of Mac's Paint Pots are amazing. They are creamy and blend out seamlessly on the eyelid. They make eyeshadows glide on smoothly, not crease help eyeshadow last all day, all night and even all morning the morning after haha. They come in a range of shades for all different eye looks. 
*$35 from MAC in Myer*

     Nars ITA Kabuki Brush - This brush is a dream come true for all lovers of contouring (example: me). There are lots of dupes for this brush, but this will forever be my favourite. The handle is comfortable to hold and the bristles are made of goat hair so is super soft on the skin. It has a flat straight design to create strong defined cheek bones. 
*$74 from Mecca Maxima*

     Eyelure Katy Perry Lashes in Feline Fierce - These lashes have been my go-to pair when I create a smokey eye and even a smokey wing. They are beautiful, fluffy and don't look plastic-ey like some other lashes do. They wing out on the ends, very similar to the Ardell Natural 120s. 
*$14.99 from Priceline*

Miscellaneous

     Wella Professionals Luxeoil - I actually got this given to me by my hairdresser last month, and I have used it ever since. It is basically just an oil that you run through the ends of your hair. It is amazing and I highly recommend!
     Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb (50mL) - AHHHH I have been eyeing this perfume off since November and finally treated myself (holy yeezus it's expensive). It was sooooo worth every cent though. It smells beautiful. I got it in a set with a small shower gel and body lotion which are also lovely, however the set is only available around christmas time, but I got the last one hehe. Absolute favourite scent, and I also found out my beautiful Aunty wore it on her wedding day, which makes it special. 
*$163 for the set at Myer*
     Mario Badescu Skin Care Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater - Okay, anything with rosewater in it wins me over. This stuff has been a life saver this past couple of months as the weather has been so stinkin' hot here in Aus. I use this to freshen up my face while in out and about, as well as setting my makeup. I don't use it when I'm going out for a night out because Mac Fix+ does a better job at holding makeup, but this stuff is just so refreshing, I love it, and for the price..it's a bargain. 
*$9 ..yes $9 from Mecca Maxima*
     Philosophy Hope in a Jar - This moisturiser has worked wonders on my skin. It hydrates my skin without leaving an oily residue on the skin. It is perfect for when you get out the shower, and before you apply your makeup. You can also get a version for dry skin. 
*$45 from Mecca Maxima*
     Kate Somerville ExfoliKate (15mL) - First of all I only bought this because of the name haha. But I'm so so so glad I got it..as expensive as it is. I use it twice a week, and it leaves my skin soooo smooth and it only takes 2 minutes. It does help to draw out pimples from the skin, so I have had a few tiny breakouts, but nothing major. I just love this stuff! 
*$28 from Mecca Maxima*

So there you have it, my favourite makeup products and random products I've been using a lot of during February! 

Thank you all for reading x x x

My Nightly Routine.

Hello my beauty lovers, 

First of all, I'm sorry I've been M.I.A the past month. I've had a LOT going on, but am glad to be back getting lots of new reviews and posts up. So lets get into it! :)

My nightly routine is my favourite part of my day. Taking off all that makeup from the day and cleansing my face..ahhhh, you know what I mean gals. And once your makeup is all off, you can snuggle up with your partner..or cats. Even on those nights out, coming home late in the night/early in the morning, I always take off my makeup. I hate the feeling of waking up with a face full of makeup..although we have all been there.

So my first step is to remove all my makeup with a makeup wipe. I use the Swisspers cucumber refreshing facial cleansing wipes, they are amazing! I like to then make sure all my makeup is removed using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water..which you need to run to the shops now to get. It is the greatest makeup remover on the market, and everyone including Lauren Curtis is going crazy over it. 

Next I like to wash my face with warm water and pat dry my skin. Then I get a few drops of my Nutrimetics Skin Fresh toning lotion and pat it all over my face. This feels so nice and refreshing..mmmmm :) After giving that a few minutes to sink into the skin, I like to moisturise my face with the Philosophy Hope in a Jar moisturiser (I only have a the sample size and I already love it). Then I apply some eye cream..ahh I love eye creams for some weird reason. Probably because I know I laugh a lot and I'm going to get a lot of laugh lines around my eyes. Anyway haha, I love the Lush Enchanted Eye Cream, it's fantastic and reduces dark circles dramatically. Although, i've also been loving the Clinique All About Eyes cream, which is so soft and hydrating. So I like to swap between my two favourite eye creams, depending on my mood hehe. And my last step is ma lips, gotta keep them soft and silky for my lipsticks. I have used Lucas' Papaw Ointment for years, and am never changing pawpaw creams!

Once i've done my nightly routine, I lay on the couch and relax after a long days work..and generally have a foot spa..mmmmm :)

Thanks for reading beauties, 

Blog'ya soon xxx

It's a crime not to PRIME!

It sure is a crime not to prime, as Napoleon Perdis says. It preps the skin for makeup, helps to even out skin complexion, ensures makeup stays on longer and ensures a smooth makeup application! There are a heap of primers on the market, and they can range from high end (Hourglass, Napoleon Perdis, MAC and more), to drugstore (NYX, Chi Chi, L'Oreal and more). 

As I don't own every single primer on the planet, here are my favourite three...

1: Stila One Step Correct. 

This beautiful primer corrects skin tone and brightens. The three colours swirl together to diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles, minimises pores, hydrates and balances, all while controlling oil. The green minimises redness, the lavender counteracts yellow undertones, and the peach brightens, illuminates and helps diminish the appearance of sunspots. 

You get 30ml, and you can get it for $37.40 from beautybay.com. 

2: L'Oreal Lumi Magique. 

This is such a gorgeous primer. It's extremely glowy and illuminating. Putting it all over the face, followed by your foundation, makes it look like you're glowing from within. It keeps your foundation on really well too, which is also the point of it. 

You can get this 20ml primer from Priceline Pharmacy for approximately $25. 

3: NYX Angel Veil. 

This skin perfecting primer is velvety and oil free. It makes the skin feel light and smooth. It is quite a matte finish, so when the foundation goes on top, it does not leave a dewy finish. This is great for people with oil skin. This primer is a dupe for Hourglass Mineral Veil, but just a fraction of the price. You can get it from nyxcosmetics.com for approximately $16..bargain!

Top: Stila, left: L'Oreal, Bottom/right: NYX

Never forget to prime, my beauties xxx

Wash those brushes!

Washing your brushes is suuuuch an important thing. It stops the spread of bacteria and makes them last a shite load longer. Below is a photo of the steps taken to thoroughly wash your makeup brushes. It really is not hard, and it's kind of relaxing..in a weird way haha. So put on some music and get washing!

1st (top left): Take the brushes that need to be washed, as well as some brush cleanser. Mine is from MAC cosmetics, but there are some cheaper ones out there. I just love this stuff, it works wonders! You also want to get some baby shampoo to actually clean the brushes with. Baby shampoo is best as it is cheap, and it does not damage the bristles on the brushes. You can also get brush soap from brands such as Bobbi Brown, but honestly, don't waste your money when baby shampoo does the job just as good.
2nd (top right): Wet the bristles of the brush BUT DO NOT get the handle wet as it will start to break down the glue holding the bristles in place. So make sure you hold the brush at an angle so the water falls down the bristles. Put a blob of shampoo on your finger tips and massage into the bristles. Do not be too rough, but make sure most of the makeup is removed. 
3rd (bottom left): To make sure the brush is clean and all the bacteria is removed, put a small amount of brush cleanser on a cloth and rub the brush on the area. 
4th (bottom right): Finally, roll the end of a tea-towel up and rest the brush on it at a slight angle to ensure the water does not seep into the handle. 
DONE! Super easy :)

It is best to thoroughly wash your brushes often, depending on how much you use them. I like to was them once every three weeks. You can also spot clean them just by following steps 3 and 4. Spot cleaning should be done once a week.

So thats how you should clean your brushes!

Happy cleaning! xxx

The Power of Brows

Strong brows are the new black, and no-one cares if your outfits not on point, they're judgin' your brows girl. We have all seen that scary meme floating through social media, the one where the celebrities don't have eyebrows..and oh my gosh, it gives me nightmares. So we don't wanna be lookin' scary like that meme, which is why this post is so important. 

The history of brows:

Makeup started becoming popular in the 1920’s, due to silent movies. Eyebrows in this time were generally over-tweezed, straight, dark and shiny (weird right?). The 1930's was the era when the arch in the brow was introduced..thank you women of the 1930's! Along with cherry lips came the heavier, thicker brow in the 1940's with more of an arch. Lauren Bacall was the leading lady in bringing thicker, more natural brows to the forefront. Then we come to the era where it was good to fill in your brows! With Audrey Hepburn (the most beautiful lady in history, in my opinion) and Elizabeth Taylor introducing the world to a brow pencil, more prominent strong brows were 'founded'. The 1960's had it all, from shaving brows and penciling them all back in everyday to brows dramatically darker than the hair colour. The 70's was a mixture of all past eyebrow creations, from strong arches, to straight brows, to natural to over-tweezed. The caterpillar brow came out to play in the 80's with strong thick brows and a very minimum arch. I think we all know the brow look of the 90's..severely over-tweezed. It was not a good era for brows. So here we are today, with a little inspiration from every era past. We can all say that Cara Delevingne has led the way in brows this decade so far, and lets hope the trend doesn't go back to the days of over-tweezing..

We need to remember that eyebrows shape our face. They don’t need to be extreme. They need to compliment the shape of the face. ‘Sperm brows’ as I like to call them, or semi circle brows (we all know the ones I mean), they just don't look flattering. So the key to filling in the perfect brow can be seen in the picture below.

If you grab anything straight, like a pencil or in this picture I am using my Sigma angled brow (E75) brush, hold it from the centre of your nostril up towards your hairline. This is where you want your brow to start. Then hold the brush on the tip of your nose, diagonally through the pupil of the eye and up to the brow. This is where the arch should sit. And finally, hold the brush diagonally from the corner of the nose, through the lower lash line and to the brow. This is where the brow’s tail should end. Hopefully these photos help!

Products you can use to fill in the perfect brow:

By far, my favourite brow product is by Anastasia Beverly Hills. This brand is known for its Dip Brow Pomade and Brow Wiz. These products create a beautiful brow and can be used lots of different ways. So check them out! If you’re in Australia you can buy them from beautybay.com (its free shipping!). Also, I love the Benefit Gimme Brow. It is perfect for a natural brow as it simply adds fibres, creating a more full brow. You can buy Benefit at Myer or online. MAC cosmetics also have some awesome brow products to check out! Or you can opt for a less expensive brand like NYX.

Happy brow-ing! xx