My MAC x Hello Kitty Collection

The Mac x Hello Kitty Collaboration came out way back in 2008, and since i'm a fan of both i've been collecting pieces for a while now. Click pictures to see more detail.

Surprisingly they do still show up now and then on eBay and blog sales as people know the resell value is good and a lot of collectors have restrained themselves and not even used the products so they're brand new (I don't know how they do it, i at least have to swatch them!)

Clockwise L to R: Something About Pink Nail Lacquer - Fast Friends Lipglass - Too Dolly E/S Palette - Tahitian Sand Beauty Powder - Lucky Tom E/S Palette - Pink Fish Lip Conditioner

This year and month coincides with Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary, The Hello Kitty Convention #hellokittycon in Los Angeles (Wish i could go!), and revelations from Sanrio that she a little girl and not a cat!

I just love the design of the packaging and little details, like the pink glitter scattered ontop of Mac's usual shiny black compacts & Eye Shadow palettes. As well as the HK monogram in the powder. The round, rhineshine little keyring came on a dazzleglass from the collection (That i have finished) and fits on the lid of any lipglass/dazzleglass. I don't use it much because some of the tiny stones fell out, probably as it was rolling around my handbag.

The Beauty powder is just a light peach sparkle/shimmer that i use for highlighting or a setting powder all over to give a luminous look. The Eye shadows are mostly fairly pigmented, The Lipglass is sheer with a very subtle berry tint and has tiny duo chrome violet glitter in it, The Lip Conditioner has a yummy vanilla scent and is an opaque creamy light pink.

I didn't take pics of any swatches but might add them later, comment if you would like to see them :)

Illamasqua Atomic & Disciple Lipstick Swatches

I bought these lipsticks a few weeks ago while at Myer in Queen St mall, It's the closest Illamasqua counter to me and even though it can be a pain to trek in there, i'm relieved overall because if it was easier to get at, i would be spending a whole lot more!

The Illamasqua matte lipstick formula has been reformulated, so it is a lot smoother now, as before some of the shades were a bit chalky. So now you don't have to suffer for the price of long lasting colour, i'm building my collection a little at a time.

 Top: Disciple Bottom: Atomic

Atomic is a medium bright pink with a subtle violet iridescence, which doesn't show up in my pic. Disciple is a dark navy-purple blue and is best applied with a lip brush. Both are scented with a light vanilla. These would be great in a makeup kit.

Swatches: My MAC Lipstick Collection

Most of the time before i buy a cosmetic related item, I'll look up swatches on trusty old google.

There are so many fantastic & dedicated bloggers who have taken the time to swatch, review, photograph & upload pictures of pretty much any brand/line you can think of.

This morning i thought i'd post my Mac lipstick swatches, the finish on these guys varies but is mainly matte, satin or cream-sheen. 

The latter used to be my favourite because i liked the moisturising/glossy quality, but as you know the cons are that it doesn't stay on for long, hence the mattes & satins are more appealing to me.

Neutral Natural Shades 

Bold Bright Shades

I am incredibly jealous of the fact lucky people in America usually only pay $16 for a lipstick from Mac, where aussies pay $36, a whopping $20 more! 

I am sure i have seen some SMALL price drops on one or two other Mac products so thats a good start and hopefully just the beginning lol.

Back to swatching, here is a mini list of some websites chock full of makeup reviews and properly photographed swatches that i frequent:

http://www.temptalia.com/

http://karlasugar.net/

http://www.thebeautylookbook.com/

http://naturalnchicmakeup.blogspot.com.au/

I hope you have a fantastic weekend (:

MAC x Rihanna Viva Glam II

By now most people have seen the promotional images for Mac's 2nd Viva Glam collaboration with Rihanna, she's known for pushing boundaries and doesn't disappoint with this campaign.

The lipstick is described as a "warm mauve with silver frost" with the lipglass similarly described as a "cool mauve with red frost". The North American release date is September 11th, with international release dates tentatively announced September... hopefully we will have a definite date soon!

Swatches have been really hard to find, but via instagram i have found some, and also found a really great beauty blog that i've added to my favourites!

Credit for these pictures goes to www.nikkietutorials.com. 

Nikkie is a talented professional hair & makeup artist from the Netherlands, her website/blog is awesome & full of beauty reviews & tutorials.

Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipstick Light/Heavy

Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipglass Light/Heavy

Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipstick

Viva Glam Rihanna II Lipstick + Lipglass

Mac Viva Glam Lipsticks retail for $36 each in Australia. Every cent goes to help men, women & children living with HIV/AIDS.

Nail Art: JLo "I Luh Ya Papi" Edition

Despite the silly title of the song, I, along with many others, have become a fan of Jennifer Lopez's song, I Luh Ya Papi. 
It grew on me quickly- You gotta admit, the lyrics are catchy & the beat is pleasing to the ears lol. Anyhow it's not her latest single anymore, ILYP was released in March. 
A few weeks ago JLo dropped the equally catchy "First Love", from her recently released album A.K.A. 
I loved how the ILYP video is kind of ghetto fabulous, it shows Jenny Lo & two girlfriends flipping the script on rappers/men who continually make blinged out videos with half naked women surrounding them, for.. no .. reason.. at.. all!

The result is RAD, with so much going on in the video (The shirtless guys weren't bad either lollll) you may have missed JLo's amazing manicure, so here it is.

The MAN-icurist responsible for this nail art is Tom Bachik. He works with Loreal, All the top fashion houses and celebrities, as well as being Jennifer's long time nail guy.

The nails are inspired by Versace's geometric high fashion prints, and seem to mix in an urban graffiti feel, also some bling, in the form of the gold glitter lettering. 
If you check out Tom Bachik's instagram he often posts pics/videos of what he's up to with celebrity clients, just like he did here :-) Thanks Tom, You are so amazingly talented.


Portfolio: cloutierremix.com/tombachik
Instagram: instagram.com/tombachik
YouTube: YouTube.com/TomBachik
Twitter: twitter.com/TomBachik

* Pictures from Tom Bachik's instagram

Mac - Something About Pink Nail Lacquer

This polish is from the Mac x Hello Kitty collaboration that came out in 2008. The name is "Something about Pink", It is one of 3 released from the collection (The others were a grey & a white).

Mac cosmetics wasn't on my radar back then, so i bought this little baby on eBay, about 2+ years ago. I haven't worn it much, and it's not a unique colour, but the packaging is so, so cute! 

The colour you see in the bottle, is what you get on your nails. It's a neutral to warm, medium pink with a cream finish. Two coats achieves opacity, which is what you see in the pics as well as one coat of Seche Vite top coat. The 3rd picture (below) is the most true to actual colour.

Mac Nail Lacquers contain 10ml, cost $22 aud, and come in a variety of shades and finishes. They have just revamped the formula & made the brush wider, which i think is a welcome change.

She's Got Style: Lana Del Rey

I was a bit late catching on to this lady- I had heard/seen people talk about her for awhile until i came across her video for 'National Anthem' which featured the very delicious A$ap Rocky. 
Since then i've become a big fan of Lana's Music & style, I like how she seemed to take the best of the 50's & 60's aesthetic, and make it modern.

Lana Del Rey has just released her new album titled 'Ultraviolence'.
I have noticed she has somewhat pared down, or simplified her look lately.

All promotional pictures except bottom right is cover of Fader Magazine

For example, at the premiere of her short film 'Tropico', (about 7 months ago) she wore a plum coloured crushed velvet long slip dress with a leather biker jacket & black Doc Martins. Her hair was wavy, silky & dark, and her makeup was luminous with a thin cat eye liner, topped off with a bright magenta lip.

 Lana at Tropico premiere

She has left behind the bouffant do, hair extensions, dramatic eyeliner & cute mod accessories. Instead going with a cool, almost grunge, rock chick vibe. For most of the 'Ultraviolence' promo pictures, her hair is a beautiful chestnut shade, parted in the middle, with makeup being heavy black liner & nude/brown lipstick.

I'm really loving the new album, as well as the videos for 'West Coast & 'Shades Of Cool'. You should check them out!

Top pic is a still  from West Coast video & others are promotional pics

FB:  facebook.com/lanadelrey

IG:  instagram.com/lanadelrey

Web:  lanadelrey.com * soundcloud.com/lana-del-rey *  youtube.com/LanaDelRey

BYS Lip Tar Swatches

BYS is an Australian brand designed & developed in Melbourne. Despite having a low price-point, they pride themselves in making on trend, fashion forward products. I have a few of their lipsticks, blushes & nail polishes.

Their lipstick in "Champagne Rain" is a good dupe for Mac's Hue lipstick... I think they have quite a few dupes for high end colours actually (Nothing wrong with that in my humble opinion!)

 My Camera is being fixed; hence crappy iphone pic- Apologies!

Anyway earlier this year they became the latest brand to release a lip tar formula, which is based on the famous original Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars.

The formula is a super pigmented liquid Lipstick best applied with a brush, it dries down after awhile to an almost matte finish & lasts for ages.

Top right, clockwise: High Tea, Louvre In Paris, Party In Ibiza, The Big Apple, Barbados Bikinis, Sunset In Spain

Just like OCC's Lip tars, These come in similar packaging with a mini lip brush included, and have a peppermint scent/taste. You only need the tiniest amount for a application.

They are $6.95 AUD & you can buy BYS from Kmart, Fashion Addict, Bardot, Gloss, Glassons & The Reject Shop.

I bought "Party In Ibiza" which is a pretty fuchsia pink thats warm enough for me to wear. I experimented using a lip liner & a matte lipstick underneath (Mac Pleasure Bomb) & it lasted 12 hours through drinks & meals. Although very oily/greasy food is a no-no as it acts like a makeup remover.It was not drying on my lips at all, and was moderately hydrating.

BYS Cosmetics are not tested on animals.

Hair products i L0VE + My Lush Story

Like my skin, my hair needs change season to season (I think that happens to everyone, right? ;) 

I've noticed coming into Autumn & the cooler weather my scalp had become dry & a bit flakey, As opposed to normal-oily in the warmer humid months. So apart from drinking more water- which i swear i'm gonna do! I've switched up my hair regime. 

Please excuse crappy iphone pic

Why I Converted to LUSH

You'll see that i use a lot of Lush products- This brand is my H.G Holy Grail brand for so many reasons. 

About a year ago i had a terrible itchy scalp that was getting worse with time. In the end i was forced to wash every single day and was still really itchy in between washes, my head was sensitive & red from the irritation, i was using a coal/tar based shampoo from the chemist that kind of helped a little with the flakes but not the itch.

Then Lush opened a popup shop in my local shopping mall & i was so impressed with everything about the brand. 

They strictly use no nasties in their products, Take SLS (Sodium laureth sulphate) which is a detergent used in shampoo as well as most other bathroom products. SLS allows your shampoo to be all lathery, saving you a lot of elbow grease. It is also known to cause irritation, dermatitis etc.

  

Lush sourced their form of SLS from coconuts, so it is naturally derived and causes no irritation! Thats just one example. 

They also have a thing where you bring back 6 empties (the black tubs or tubes) and choose a free face mask. 

They use little to no packaging for their products, but the biggest thing of all that i love about Lush is that it WORKS! 

After one wash with their Soak & Float solid shampoo bar my scalp problem was infinitely better. 

However it wasn't until i swapped my expensive Redken/Matrix conditioners for Lush conditioner that the problem was completely solved. My hair & scalp respond so well to these natural, gentle ingredients

 Please excuse fuzzy iphone pic

What i'm currently using

• Lush I Love Juicy Shampoo is a fruit enzymes & seaweed mixture packed full of vitamins & minerals that makes my hair feel really soft & clean. It's more gentle than the Seanik bar.
• Lush Seanik Solid Shampoo Bar is made with 2 types of seaweed, sea salt & lemon to get rid of my oiliness (i mostly use this in warmer months) and makes my hair shiny.
• Organic Instinct Natural Conditioner is affordable, organic and made entirely from plant derived ingredients. It is a lovely gentle, moisturising conditioner. They've recently been sold to a new company & changed the packaging.
• Lush H'suan Wen Hua Hair Treatment is made with avocados & other protein enriched stuff, balsamic vinegar for shine & my hair eats it up like crazy. I use this once a week & it's amazing plus this tub is lasting a forever.
• Lush R&B Hair Moisturiser is made with creamy tropical butters, wax, calming oat milk and orange blossom that has my hair smelling beautiful for days. I use about a teaspoon and rub through my balayage damaged hair, from the midsection to the ends. 
• Lee Stafford Argan Oil is a good light weight oil which i alternate the R&B moisturiser with so my hair doesn't get used to one product too much. (I'm a big believer in that lol)

A few weeks ago i ran out of Lush Retread Conditioner and as soon as i finish my current conditioner (white bottle in the pic) I'm getting it again because It.Is.Awesome. 

If you have damaged, coloured, or just hair crying out for moisture, You need to try this conditioner! They give out samples at Lush so you can try before you buy. 

It's called their triple strength conditioner and it's chock full of seaweed, yoghurt, cantaloupe melon and jojoba oil, amongst other things like violet & musk that will make people want to smell your hair alot.

Blog Lovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

She's Got STYLE: Solange

Click to enlarge & admire

I have been a fan of Solange since she dropped her first album 10-15 years ago (Solo Star), even then her sense of style was unique, it was around the time all the celebrities were looking like Beyonce or Jlo clones- Long lightened hair extensions, tight, bright brand-emblazoned outfits with tan midriff showing & bling accessories. 

Solange came out with dark auburn braids, bohemian-earthy tones in a cool, urban but feminine cut. The style could be called hippy-chick, but in a young modern way. The look really made her stand out and i fell in love with her style as well as her music from then on.

She has always gotten attention, especially in the last few years, from editors, stylists, fashion websites etc. A total risk taker, she seems to effortlessly mix and match patterns and textures to give her 'fits that wow factor.
A few years ago she made a big decision to embrace her natural curly african hair texture- If you don't already know, this is a huge deal for any woman during these times. 
Anyway it suits her down to the ground and only added to her appeal in my humble opinion.

This creative lady has a lot of impressive titles to her name, including: Singer, Actress, Song-Writer, Dancer, Musician, Designer, Painter, CEO of her own record label, and Mother. Just to name a few :-)

Instagram: instagram.com/saintrecords
Facebook: facebook.com/solange
Websites: solangemusic.com * mydamnblog.com * saintheron.com

Haul + Stila - Lipstick Queen swatches

Last month i snuck off to indulge in some Friday late night shopping. Where did i go? My beloved Queen Street mall :-) The place has pretty much all my coveted beauty brands all in a 1km radius. HEAVENN. 
First i made a beeline for Myer, as i had gotten a phone call from the Illamasqua counter letting me know my shade in Skin Base Foundation was back in stock. Luckily for me they had a promo on - Buy any foundation and receive a corresponding Skin Base mixer, as a free gift.
I was given the shade Amber and from what i understand, SB mixer is to be mixed with your foundation and blended in places like, under your cheekbone, sides of your face, jawbone (Although the Mua kept saying it wasn't a contour product) Also it can be used in summer to warm up/tint your foundation when you inevitably tan a few shades darker, this is what i'll probably use it for.

I grabbed 3 cute speckled Illamasqua nail polishes that were on sale, They are: Scarce, Fragile & Freckle. I already have the mint & purple ones so now i have the whole set.. andd... that achieves nothing LOL

Whilst in Myer i stopped at Kit Cosmetics & bought Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, i was given a sample by a lovely sales assistant a few weeks back & thought it cleared my pores really well. I also bought Lipstick Queen Rose Sinner Opaque Lipstick, My first product from Poppy King! The finish is matte & feels luxurious- as does the packaging, it can feel thick when you first apply but after a few minutes i forget i'm wearing it. 

LEFT- Lipstick Queen Rose Sinner  RIGHT- Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick Bellissima

My last stop was Mecca Cosmetica in Wintergarden where i gave in & treated myself to a Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in shade Bellissima, i love the beautiful pink-peach-nude colour & the formula is nice- comparable to Australis Velourlips or Lime Crime Velvetines. 

The Salesgirls at Mecca are always so awesome, i was given Philosophy the microdelivery peel sample to try out, it's a 2 step thing which i managed to get 2 uses out of.
I noticed a big improvement in my skin tone so i would definitely love to purchase. Next time gadget....next time... heheheh. <--------------------------------If you're too young to get the Inspector Gadget thing then, i apologise!

Marie Claire AU May 2014 + Benefit They're Real

For Marie Claire Australia's May cover, the beautiful and heavily pregnant, Megan Gale did a 'Demi Moore' & posed naked. I think it's gorgeous and very tastefully done! 
You would think posing naked when you are at your most vulnerable and hormonal(?!) would be the last thing on a womans to do list, she even flashes a breast in the editorial. Although again, it is tastefully done, in a side-on black & white, hazy kind of photograph. 
The accompanying interview is a good read, although i can't help agreeing a little bit with Kyle Sandilands, who has said in the past that he doesn't get a huge sense of what she's all about and who she really is. 

"You're not meant to look perfect when you're making a baby.                                                       Baby making is the perfection" - Megan Gale

However perhaps we're all just too used to celebrities telling us everything about themselves, giving us TMI, too much information. I found her editorial and Q&A really refreshing.

UPDATE: Megan & her partner Shaun Hampson welcomed a baby boy on May 13th. He weighed 8.5 pound and is named River Alan Thomas Hampson. You can read about it here.


Oh i almost forgot, there was a deluxe sample size Benefit They're Real mascara included with the mag. I must be the only person not to have tried this yet! I don't know if this is normal but i find mascaras don't get 'good' until a few weeks after they're opened, i use it once or twice then wait - and voila! It's 100% better. I am not a scientist but i assume when the air hits it, it becomes less liquid-y and that must make it better LOL

Anyway after all the rave reviews this mascara got, i suppose i am somewhat impressed. Even though the rubber bristles on the wand look small and useless at first, they do a great job of lengthening my lashes without clumps. 

I like the few longer bristles at the tip of the wand so you can separate/elongate lashes if you so desire. The actual formula seems lovely and gentle too, there is no strong scent to it (you really have to put it right under your sniffer and sniff reaaallly hard to smell anything) so it's great for sensitive eyes like mine. 

Would i purchase? Yes. First i must continue to go through the 35 mascaras i have at home, before i buy any more. Yikes.