Paul & Joe Lipstick and Compact Mirror

When I passed the beautiful Paul & Joe counter display at Times Square in Hong Kong, I knew that I just had to get something from it. I've always admired their beautiful packaging and it makes me want to buy everything and take them home!

They were promoting their 2012 Autumn Collection of lipsticks where you can have your pick of 20 different shades in 3 different textures: sheer, natural or full. The best part is that you can choose your lipstick case that goes with it! Then you just buy the lipstick refills and replace them when you're done!

They had 5 limited edition lipstick cases that were made out of a thick card material which were very cute but I wanted something that was a little bit more durable.

I actually really wanted the limited edition gold and green case, but I thought it was a little bit expensive for an empty case so I compromised and I chose their pink and white retro-looking lipstick case.

Paul and Joe Pink and White Retro Lipstick Case

For the lipstick, I chose their Full Coverage "302 Retro" which is a beautiful pink-beige that is pretty close to my natural lip colour which makes it a great every-day lipstick. The formula is very creamy and moisturising to the lips. It doesn't have fantastic staying power on me but I don't mind, I end up having to reapply after I eat or drink anyway!

Paul and Joe Full Coverage 302 Retro

After I decided on my lipstick and lipstick case, this compact mirror caught my eye... and I made an impulse purchase. I love it though, it's so cute and fits perfectly into my little makeup bag that I carry around with me.

Paul and Joe Compact Mirror

Paul and Joe Compact Mirror

You can get these lipsticks and the pink and white lipstick case at beautybay.com with free worldwide delivery.

Have you used any of Paul & Joe's products? I'm curious to try some of the other makeup like their blushes. A brand that delivers on quality and packaging? I'm definitely on board!

Yve
<3

Couture Nails Inc Carnaby St

I am really excited about this post! I got a birthday present from my sister-in-law and I was completely bowled over! It was a nail polish from Nails Inc but it was extra special because it was personalised using the Couture service.

First - check out this gift box: so cute and so classy. I was excited just to open it!

And what did I find inside - this gorgeous, bright, happy nail polish with a jeweled cap! It was nothing like I'd seen before.
The colour is called Carnaby St which is super cute as that is one of my favourite streets in London.

I was examining the nail polish bottle -- and who wouldn't, it's simply adorable -- and I was surprised to find a personalised sticker on the bottom. It was then I realised that Couture Nails Inc must be a personalised nail polish service.

But before I get into that, let me just get into a swatch of this beautiful nail polish. I've always been wary of yellow nail polishes, I worry that it would make me look like I was jaundiced. I'm glad that I was given this then as I don't think I would have chosen it on my own. It looks like a perfect shade of yellow in the bottle (it's described as a brilliant canary yellow on the Nails Inc website). The colour translates perfectly onto the nail. The formula is creamy and easy to worth with - I achieved an opaque finish in 2 coats.

I think this would be great pop of colour when summer comes along :)

Now onwards about the personalised service. I just had to do some research on it because it is a great gift idea.

On the Couture tab of the website, it allows you to pick the colour of polish you want, add the cap of your choice, name the shade and personalise gift box with stickers. It costs £20 which might seem a bit much for a bottle of nail polish but it makes a great gift and it would surely delight the recipient (as it did me!)
Unfortunately they only deliver within Great Britain so that's disappointing for me as I won't be able to utilise the site but hopefully it will be a great gift idea for you all living on that side of the pond!

Have you used the Couture Nails Inc before? What do you think of yellow nail polishes?

Yve
<3

Review: Little Witch Mote Mascara

As I mentioned in my haul before, Little Witch Mote Mascara was a complete impulse buy. I was sucked in by the row of number 1 awards it had won and displayed on its packaging.

Little Witch Mote Mascara

I had never heard of Little Witch brand before and I was excited to try out the mascara.

It claims to lengthen your lashes by 180%, holds your curl and is easy to take off with hot water. It also claims it has special conditioning and strengthening ingredients to give you more luscious lashes.

Little Witch Mote Mascara

 I was surprised to find that I really do like this mascara (considering impulse buys don't usually work in my favour).

It really does lengthen my lashes by a fair bit and I do like that it doesn't look clumpy, even with two coats on.

The wand looks pretty standard but feels really gentle against the lashes.

Little Witch Mote Mascara Wand

It doesn't seem to hold the curls the way I want it to though and my lashes go back to its straight position after a while. But my lashes tend to do that with most mascaras (damn my stick straight asian eyelashes!) so I still prefer my Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara as it seems to hold my curls a little bit better.

Little Witch Mote Mascara - No Mascara

Little Witch Mote Mascara - Used eyelash curler and one coat of mascara

Little Witch Mote Mascara - Two Coats

Two coats don't seem to give it any extra length though - I don't see much of a difference.

I love that it doesn't smudge and I've worn this from morning to night with absolutely no problems at all. One of the worst things for me is looking into the mirror at the end of the day and find that I look like a raccoon and I have no idea how long I've been looking like that.

I'm not sure if I've seen any big improvement on the lusciousness of my lashes though!

All in all I give a thumbs up to the Little Witch Mote Mascara and would be interested to try the other version of this mascara which is a volumiser rather than a lengthener.

You can get this mascara from Sasa.com.hk using this link for US 17. They provide worldwide shipping.

What's your favourite mascara?

Yve
<3

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils

I had heard a lot of great things about the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils in the beauty community so I knew I had to nab them when I went on my shopping spree in Sephora.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Lucky and Eldorado

I picked up two colours: Lucky and Eldorado. There were some awesome blues and greens that looked great too but I thought since I had not used them yet and wasn't sure of their quality, I had better stick to a couple of colours that were versatile and I could use a lot.

They are for sure, the best eye pencils I have used. The reason I steer towards liquid or gel eyeliners most of the time is that pencil eyeliners usually pull my eyelid as I draw them on which is both uncomfortable and unpleasant to use. Plus they smudge under my eye in a few hours making me look like a raccoon.

However, I wanted to give these a go anyway because if they lived up to their hype, I could use an eyeliner that is less harsh than a gel eyeliner and could give me a softer eye-look.

They did not disappoint. The eye pencil glides across the eyelid, making it easy to use. There is about a 20 second window where you could smudge it out along the eyeline for a softer look, but after that - it pretty much stays put. It doesn't smudge under my eye which is fantastic for me and I love the pigmentation and colours that I chose.

Swatch of Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencils. Top: Lucky. Bottom: Eldorado

There is some micro-glitter on both these pencils so if you don't like glitter in any form - this might not be for you.

I don't find that they work really well on my waterline though. I've tried putting the eyeliner along my waterline and gently pulling down my lower lid so it has time to set before it has contact with my eyes but it still fades after a few hours. Maybe my eyes are just more watery than others. Other than that, I love this eye pencil and definitely want to invest in some other fun colours.

They are definitely pricey at US 19 each but I do think that they're worth it (considering how many eye pencils I have floating around at the bottom of my makeup bag that I never touch cos they're just rubbish).

Do you like UD Eye pencils?

<3
Yve

Review: Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance Lipstick in Playful

Tarte Glamazon High Performance Lipstick in Playful. I... absolutely LOVE this lipstick.

I had a feeling that I might fall in love with this the moment I swatched it in Sephora - the formulation and pigmentation felt and looked beautiful.

First off, the packaging! I actually had no idea that the packaging of the lipstick was going to be so great. I had swatched the lipstick, grabbed it off the shelf, bought it and then flew back to Wellington without having a chance to take it out of its box to have a look. So I was really excited when I saw the beautiful packaging.

Tarte Glamazon High Performance Lipstick in Playful

The tube is made of a light bamboo material and I love how the pattern on the tube corresponds with the colour of the lipstick. The tube is longer than an average lipstick (like MAC) but that doesn't bother me.

Tarte Glamazon in Playful - cute bamboo packaging!

The formulation of this lipstick is absolutely wonderful. It glides onto my lips without pulling; it is a dream to apply and the pigmentation is fantastic. You really can get away with one coat of this.

I got it in Playful and it is described as a purple-rose colour. It has no scent which I like and it is really creamy and hydrating.

Swatch of Tarte Glamazon High Performance Lipstick in Playful

The lipstick claims it lasts 12 hours which I don't find true for me. It stayed well through the night when I went out for someone's birthday drinks but I was only drinking out of a straw. A lot of it comes off if you're eating and wiping your mouth with a napkin.

Maybe it does last that long if you don't touch it for 12 hours which is virtually impossible because we all need to eat and drink!

I debated against putting pictures up of the lipstick actually on me because who really wants to see my lips up close? But I know when I do research for my products, I always like to see swatches so I can make an informed decision so here are the pictures below:

Bare lips - no lipstick

Lips with Tarte Glamazon in Playful

The lipstick is a little pricey at US 26, but I think it is absolutely worth it.

My only regret now is that I didn't get it in more colours and since Tarte does not ship internationally and is generally not found outside of Sephora (who also does not ship internationally), I will have to savour this one lipstick that I got. Hopefully they will keep this formulation around for a while so I can nab some more in the future!

Have you tried the Tarte Glamazon lipsticks? Which colours are your favourite?

<3

Yve

Review: Philosophy Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser

I used to be a good girl and cleansed, toned and moisterised religiously. However when I'm in a hurry, I always want to skip the toning because I don't seem to see the benefits of it instantly like I do with the other two steps.

And I have to admit that I naughtily stopped toning for a while when I ran out of it and while I sometimes felt guilty, my laziness runs deep.

So when I came across the Philosophy Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser which claims to cleanse, tone and melt away makeup in one step, all the while hydrating the skin - I knew I had to try it.

I've used a lot of it already when I took this picture! Sorry - but at least you know I really do use it!

I absolutely am in love with this product. I use it on its own in the morning and with my Clarisonic Mia (read my review of the Clarisonic here!) at night in the shower. I feel that it takes off my makeup really well (I use a separate eye makeup remover beforehand though) and my face always feels refreshed and clean after I use it.

I tend to have sensitive skin and I also wear contacts and it never has once irritated my skin or my eyes.

And of course the best thing is that I no longer have to feel guilty for being lazy - with the toning step included, I can walk away knowing that I have broken no cardinal skincare rules.

I'm keen to try some of the other Philosophy products, especially when all their product names are so cute like "Eye Hope" and "Full of Promise" - yes I'm a sucker for marketing. I guess I'm a prime target for them!

I bought my Philosophy Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser at Strawberry.net. It comes in a 5 sizes, ranging from 90mL to 946.4mL

Have you tried this cleanser or any of the other Philosophy products? Do you have anything to recommend me?

My new favourite highlighter! Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold Review

Phew - the title was a bit of a mouthful!

Sorry I've been absent for over 2 weeks. I flew to Hong Kong for my wedding banquet and then onto Maui to get married! There really wasn't much time to blog :) Hope you'll forgive me! Onto the review...

I have to admit, I'm a bit lazy when it comes to highlighters. Sometimes I forget to do it, sometimes I just plain can't be bothered. So I probably don't need a new one. That's not going to stop me though!

After watching numerous videos from Tanya Burr (pixi2woo) and always being in awe whenever she decides to use the Jemma Kidd All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold, I knew I had to have it.

First, I love the packaging. It reminds me of the rubbery texture that NARS packaging has. It makes it feel like a very luxurious item.

The highlighter in the pan looked so beautiful that I didn't want to touch it. (Does anyone have the same problem of never wanting to touch their new makeup products when they are new because you don't want to ruin the look of it?)

The texture is beautifully creamy. To compare this to my NARS Albatross highlighter, I have to say that I love the Jemma Kidd one much, much more.  Don't get me wrong, NARS Albatross is beautiful too and I use it brighten the inner corner of my eyes but the gold shimmer in it can make it look a bit too obvious when you put it on the top of your cheekbones.

The Jemma Kidd Iced Gold just gives you a beautiful dewy glow that catches the light and makes you look completely natural and vibrant without shouting "Hey! I've got highlighter on today!"
It has great lasting power and I didn't have any trouble with it staying on my face. It is winter here though so maybe I'll have to edit this post later when I try it out in summertime.

This isn't much of a swatch! It basically just comes across as a subtle glow - but you can imagine how natural this would look on your face!

This highlighter makes me want to put in the effort to use it even when I'm feeling uber lazy - and I know that's a winner when that happens!

Jemma Kidd is a bit harder to come by. As far as I know you can't get it in Wellington, New Zealand.

In Australia, they have a select few products of the Jemma Kidd range under the Kit Cosmetics make-up stands in participating Myer stores. I've visited a couple of the Kit Cosmetics stands including Chatswood and Sydney city and neither have anything that I really wanted to try.

The best bet is to buy it online. Beautybay.com sells it for US $25.30 and offer free worldwide delivery.

What's your favourite highlighter?

Review: Clarisonic Mia

The Clarisonic Mia is by far the most expensive beauty product that I have bought. But it is also the product that I consider my best buy to date.

As you can tell, this is a rave :)

Whenever I try to describe this to my friends, I always say that it's like an electronic toothbrush, but for your face. It's like a mini-exfoliation but gentle enough to do it everyday. On their website, they say it is safe to use up to twice daily but in my opinion, I think that's a bit too much so I stick to once a day.

They claim that it removes 2x the dirt and oil an 6x more than manually cleaning with your hands.

Obviously I can't test these statistics but I really believe that it does do more than manual cleaning. My skin feels more soft and cleansed after each use and I walk away confident that I have removed every speck of makeup off my face.

If you go to the Clarisonic website, you'll notice that they have different types of systems. I won't go into the difference of each one because they have a fantastic comparison chart on their website.

The Clarisonic Mia, which is the one I decided to go with comes in 13 different colours (something for everyone!) and it is also the smallest of all their systems.

Picture from the Clarisonic website: a colour for everyone!

It is a little overwhelming trying to decide which system you want to get (and to find one that you like within your budget) but I wanted the smallest one so I could travel with it as well.
It only has one speed setting but honestly, I have never used it thinking "I wish there was a different speed setting that I could use." The one speed does its job for me!

One of the best features of it is that it is completely waterproof so you can use it in the shower or tub. This is fantastic for me, I always take it in the shower and I use it when I'm leaving my conditioner in my hair for a minute or two so I get the job done without having to add any extra time to my routine.
You can choose to use it with whatever liquid face cleanser with the Clarisonic. I currently use the Philosophy One-Step-Cleanser (review here!) with it and I think it works wonderfully together.

The charger magnetically attaches to the Clarisonic - easy!

The other great feature is that a fully charged Clarisonic gives you 30 minutes of use. This may not sound like a lot but the Clarisonic is timed to one minute per use (it will automatically shut off after this) and since I only use it once a day, the charge lasts me up to a month.
Which means if you want to cut weight from your luggage when traveling, you can eliminate the charger if it's a short enough trip!

It is a universal voltage charger making it easy to travel with and it attaches to the Clarisonic magnetically so there is no fidgeting with wire heads, you slap it on and go!

There are also different brush heads (like normal, sensitive, deep pore etc) you can buy to suit your particular needs but the initial Kit does come with one sensitive or normal brush head to start you off.

There are different choices of brush heads for different types of skin and are meant to be changed regularly to get optimum results

Before the use of the Clarisonic, I had average skin. I had the occasional breakout and the pores on my cheeks and nose were noticeable which has always been a problem for me. Now, after about 9 months of using the Clarisonic, my skin is smoother, my pores have shrunk (not that they have completely disappeared but I have noticed a difference), I barely get breakouts anymore and I have constantly received compliments from family and friends that my skin is looking so clear, bright and smooth.

Bottom line: if you're fed up with your skin cleansing system at the moment and it's not giving you the results that you want - then give this a try. I can't guarantee that it will work wonders for you too but I absolutely love it and I can't live without it now!

I got a friend of mine to buy it for me while she was in the States but to those in Australia and New Zealand, Ry.com.au sells these and offers free shipping in Australia for purchases over $150 and international deliveries as well. And as an added bonus, at the time of this post, they're offering 20% off the Clarisonic Systems! (I'm not affiliated with them, just happened to discover this when I was researching the links for this post).

I think I've raved on enough about this! Hope it was informative and let me know if you use it and love it, or will be giving it a go!

Yve
<3

Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

So before I get into the review of Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation, I'm going to go into a bit of a ramble about why I never try drug store makeup and the horrible experience I had with it once. If you want to read this then hit storytime!

Back when I was a teenager and working as a pharmacy assistant, I was sent to a makeup training course for Revlon so I could better sell the products at work. I didn't wear any makeup back then so of course I was the perfect candidate to demonstrate products on.
She put on SO much makeup on me (including dark eyeshadows and eyeliners) that when I was heading home on the train, I got constant stares from passer-bys. And when I got home, my mum took one look at me and asked "Did you get punched in the eye?"

The foundation felt heavy on my skin the moment she put it on me and it took me forever to remove all the makeup. Now, I don't remember what foundation she used on me but I can safely say that that experience put me off trying makeup for a while.

It may be part of the reason that I haven't tried any more drug store makeup. But watching Tanya Burr's makeup tutorials on YouTube convinced me to give it a go because her skin looked amazing after she used the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation.

But I digress:

Here is my review!

Took me forever, but this is a good representation of what the Soft Beige colour looks like

I really like the packaging, the shape of the glass bottle is cute and the bright orange lid is fun and ties in with the "wake me up" theme.
You get 30mL of product and it comes in a pump which is always great because I always like the control the amount of product I put on the back of my hand and it also is a lot more hygienic.

The formula felt heavier and thicker than the foundations that I am currently using (NARS Sheer Glow, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua) and I felt like I had to work it in fairly quickly into the skin. One full pump of the foundation was enough for my entire face.

The coverage is light to medium, I can definitely still see my skin through the foundation which I like. It did a great job at canceling some of the redness I had on my chin from some blemishes coming through.

I've been having trouble lately with my skin being really dry and my regular foundations would cling to my dry skin and I can happily say that this foundation didn't do that at all!!

You can see that there is shimmer in the foundation in the tube and in harsh direct sunlight, I can see faint sparkles across my skin (vampire skin?!) but it definitely doesn't look like you chucked glitter all over your face and in most lighting scenarios you cannot see it at all. In fact it probably helps it give the dewy glow finish.

Left: a small pump of Soft Beige shade Right: foundation blended out

I tried it first without setting powder: about 4 hours after I applied it, a small amount of shine started to come through on my cheeks but it didn't make my face look oily, just a healthy glow (this is with a primer underneath too). It definitely got more glow-y as the day went on but it lasted the 10 hours I had it on.

I also tried it with some setting powder and it lasted the entire day perfectly with practically no shine coming through.

It has SPF 15 in it which isn't the best protection you can get so you probably should still wear sunscreen underneath but it's great that it still provides some cover.

It comes in five (six in the UK) different shades which isn't the greatest colour range and a definite downside, the other would be its price tag at NZ $27.99 from Farmers.

It is widely available in Australia at Big W, Coles, Kmart, Target, Priceline, Woolworths.

Overall I quite like the foundation. The best part of it is that it works with my currently dry skin.


Have you tried this foundation? What did you think?


Yve
<3

Review: Impress Press-on Manicures

I've been trying to avoid nail polish the last two months (it's been torture! I look down at my nails and it makes me sad to see them so bare!) because they've been weak and peeling lately and I need them to be strong for next month when I get married (and I want to get a fab manicure!!)

So when I saw Fleur (FleurdeForce) and Louise (Sprinkle of Glitter) wearing the imPress Press-On Manicure on her YouTube videos, I thought this might be a great alternative for me.

I was skeptical when I found out that they were fake nails, I've never used any before and was worried that they would come across tacky. But I was game to try anyway and I got these from my lovely friend Julia as part of my birthday present. I have them both in Lovestruck and Holla.

The package comes with 24 nails with 12 different sizes and there is a little number on the back of each nail so you can easily match the same size for each hand.

After you decide which size nail to use, it's pretty simple from there. You clean your nails with the little alcohol wipe the kit comes with, peel the sticker from the back of the nail and press straight onto your own nail.

One tip though: if you want shorter nails - cut them down to size before you stick them on! The picture above shows me having them on and then I realised that they were way too long for my liking and I had to cut them down to size while they were stuck on my nails - not the easiest!
You can also file them down to a shape you want using the little file that comes with the kit.

Since I've never worn fake nails before, they did feel weird on my fingers and didn't look too natural to me - they bulged out a little - but that's when I'm examining them closely. When I inspect them a bit further away, they look cute.

I was always aware of their presence though and I realised how important the placing of them were. A couple of nails I stuck too close to the cuticle so when I used those fingers to do things, it would push the nail into my skin and make it uncomfortable. But if you place them too far away from the nail bed, it may leave a small gap where strands of hair get stuck (if you're running your fingers through your hair during the day or washing your hair).

Infact, after one day of using them -- one got caught in my hair while in the shower and came clean off. I couldn't even find it, I kept thinking it was stuck in my hair so I brushed my hair out very carefully to try to get it out - but nothing did! So I guess it fell down the shower drain (either that, or I have a bright pink and orange floral coloured nail stuck to the back of my head right now... hmm fashionable).

By the third day, another nail fell off :(  And I gave up and took them all off. For the record, it is easy to take them off, I didn't even need to soak them in nail polish remover or anything.

The packaging does say it lasts up to a week (with a disclaimer saying "when applied properly") - so maybe it's just my incompetence :)

So while I think they're very cute, I don't think they are for me. Probably useful for a quick on-the-go manicure or a special event (as they're not particularly cheap!)
I suppose you could lower the cost per wear if you buy some nail glue and reuse them.

They're not easy to come by but there is an eBay seller that sells two sets of them for US$17 (not including shipping).

Have you used the imPress Manicures? Did they work for you?

Yve
<3

Review: F.A.B Ultra Repair Cream

In all my life, I've never had dry facial skin. But when I moved to New Zealand about a year and a half ago, the constant windy cold weather brought a problem to me that I never had to deal with before.

I was at a total loss at what to do -- suddenly my foundations wouldn't blend in properly and annoyingly clung to all the dry patches on my face.

So I had to switch up my facial moisterisers to try to find one that would help me. I heard that F.A.B (First Aid Beauty) had come to New Zealand and after seeing Fleur's review, I was very interested in trying it.

F.A.B was launched by Lilli Gordon in 2009 when she realised that all the products in the market "worked but felt like medicine, felt great but were not effective, or smelled wonderful but made her sensitive skin red and irritated". So she created a range that would give all the therapeutic benefits to people with tough skin conditions without having to compromise on luxury.

I gave the F.A.B Ultra Repair Cream a try. And I have to say I really like it.

It feels like a thick formula however it blends fast into the skin without leaving any greasy residue or shine.

It's fragrance-free so it just smells like normal sorbolene cream that you can get at a pharmacy. I feel like my foundations have been blending better into my skin and I haven't broken out while using it. I only use it on my face but it can be used on the body as well.

Basically it does everything it claims and that's the way it should be!

I got it in the 170.1g because it is more economical but it does come in a tube with 56.7g if you wanted to get a smaller one to test out, travel with or to throw in your handbag for convenience.

In New Zealand you can get it at Farmers for $34 (or $19 for the tube) and you can also get it exclusively at David Jones in Australia.

It is also available at Feel Unique which offers free delivery worldwide (whose eyes light up when they see free delivery? *raises hand and waves*)

I'm interested in testing some of the other products in the brand but not sure where to start. Have any tried any? What would you recommend?

Yve
<3