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Saturday, April 30, 2011

New Hair :: Highlights

The last time I got highlights I was 12 and have hated the idea of them since. 7 years later, and I have been warming to the idea of them again. So today, I went to get some highlights at my usual hairdressers. My hair colour at the moment is an auburn/brown colour. I wanted to get caramel/honey highlights.

I'm not entirely happy with them. I wanted them to be much more obvious, in fact when she finished I couldn't even notice a difference. She said after a couple of washes it will be more obvious. I hope so.


My hair actually has a lot of red in it which isn't obvious in these pictures. I don't mind the hair, I hope it becomes more obvious in the upcoming days. In these photos it looks quite nice, but they aren't as noticeable in real life. In the end it was only $50 (half price compared to normal), so I can't complain too much. Next time I will just go a bit lighter!

On a side note, I cannot believe how straight hairdressers make your hair! They use GHD's like mine, but mine is never that straight. I assume it must be the products they use? Do you swear by any heat protector/straightening products? I use a GHD heat protector, but I don't think it helps at all. I also use a heat protector Dove Shampoo.



Of course I watched the Royal Wedding last night. My mum and I bought Sprite Zero, popcorn, pebbles and cheesecake to watch it. I think Kate looked amazing in her wedding dress, and I hear she did her makeup herself. I wasn't actually a fan of her eye makeup (mainly the eyeliner), but her skin looked flawless. I think they are a very well suited couple!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Beauty Review :: Lime Crime Great Pink Planet Lipstick

I'm going to be honest here, the first time I used Great Pink Planet...I didn't like it. But, since using it several more times, I actually quite like it.


It comes in a purple lipstick sized cardboard box, with a silver unicorn.


The lipstick itself looks more purple here, it is actually quite a bright colour, think bright pink cherry blossoms. Although it does seem to have the slightest hint of purple tones in it.

Pastel pink with a neon note - think Malibu Barbie! Strawberry milkshake in a tube. Full coverage on all complexions, from super-pale to extra-dark!

One of the reasons I didn't like the lipstick much at first was because of how it looked when it dried. However, I have learnt to work around that! Read on.



Swatch on my hand. Not the best, so the best way to show you the true colour, is on my lips.

Top Left: Freshly applied, flash. Top Right: Freshly applied, no flash.
Bottom Left: 2 hours after application, flash. Bottom Left: 2 hours after application, no flash.

As you can see it is quite glossy when first applied, and lasts quite well. But the cracking in my lips is quite obvious.

Freshly applied, with no flash.


Freshly applied, with flash.

In the weekend I bought a clear gloss to wear over top of 'Great Pink Planet' without having to apply the actual lipstick. It works great. Sure, after a while you can see the cracks, but it's not too obvious. This lipstick stains quite a lot (in fact it took me a while to get it off my hand after swatching it), but this is good if you want your lipstick to last quite a long time, and having a clear gloss to reapply over it, makes it as good as new!

Colour: Even people who like subtle makeup could get away with this. It is bright, but can easily be toned down. It is exactly the colour I was looking for.

Packaging: Cute packaging, quite artistic and fits well with the brands theme. Not great quality, a little cheap.

Quality/Value: This lipstick is $16 USD on the Lime Crime website, which equals to about $19 NZ. But, I had to pay $10 US shipping (for two items), so in the end the lipstick ended up costing me $27 NZD, which is not too bad really. The lipstick itself seems good quality, unlike my recent MAC lipstick purchase, which fell off the base the day I got it!

Staying Power/Wearbale: As mentioned above, the lipstick stains, meaning it lasts a good amount of time, but I definitely recommend 'prepping' your lips before applying, especially if you have dry lips. I just used a blistex ointment a few minutes before applying Great Pink Planet. It can be worn bright or toned down a little for just a hint of pink colour.

Overall: It's a great addition to your collection. I intend on buying 'Coquette' in the near future, along with more eyeshadows, to go with my Lime Criminal Magic Dust!

4/5

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Wednesday Wishlist :: MAC

In the last two days I have gotten 5 new followers...so welcome! And to anyone else that reads, but doesn't 'follow'. I'm glad you like my blog :)

Yesterday was my 100th post. Wow. I do try and post every day. I also received rather a lot of hits yesterday on my Lime Crime Review and Book Review.

In just over a week I will be ticking #22 of my list, and heading to Auckland with three of my best friends! We are all very excited.



While there I plan on doing a bit of shopping at the MAC store, which is just a couple of streets from where we are staying. (There used to be a MAC store in Christchurch, but since it is in the city centre it is currently closed). So here is a few things I am thinking of buying:


I tend to have quite oily skin (although it has gotten a lot better than it was!) and I have heard this is quite good for that. I'm not sure what shade I am, but it will be one of the pale ones! Do you like this product? I notice a lot of fellow beauty bloggers use it!




These two are pretty similar, so I will only get one. I love nude lipsticks, much more than bright lipsticks. Which do you think is better?



I love the colours in this quad! Not sure that New Zealand actually stocks this product yet, but I will be looking for something similar.

Are there any must-have MAC products that I have missed? (Note: I'm not much a fan of nude/brown eyeshadows...but love bright!) I'm looking for a nice bright purple, in particular.


Sunday, April 24, 2011

Beauty Review :: Lime Crime - Lime Criminal Magic Dust

It's no secret that I bought a couple of Lime Crime products recently, and I couldn't wait to try out. I did some thorough testing on Lime Criminal Magic Dust over the past few days, and I am now ready to review!

 The packaging is very cute.

"Explore your imagination & add a touch of magic to your lids with these mysterious shimmering dusts straight from the Unicorn's Garden!"
The container itself is pretty plastic and 'cheap' but I had already heard about that, so wasn't expecting a lot. I love the purple.

"High-payoff, weightless formula is designed for creating a vivid statement or a subtle colour accent...depending on your whimsy."






It's quite difficult to get it out of the holes, which is good as you don't use too much product, but I'm wondering if that might be difficult when there's not much left.


It looks quite subtle in this swatch, and almost yellow. It was very hard to swatch! So an EOTD is coming up.


I am wearing Lime Criminal with Too Faced Moon Beam. The first day I wore it I decided to try it without primer, to see how well it would last. The results...not good. It was mostly gone within 3 hours, while 'Moon Beam' was still there.


The next day I tried the same products, but with Benefit primer. It lasted all 7 hours I had it on for, still vibrant.

Lime Criminal is a great colour and it doesn't look too bright, as it has a shimmer to it, but it's not glittery. I am looking forward to purchasing more Magic Dust's in the future!

Packaging: Cute packaging, quite artistic and fits well with the brands theme. Not great quality, a little cheap.

Quality/Value: This eyeshadow is $14 USD on the Lime Crime website, which equals to $17 NZ. But, I had to pay $10 US shipping (for two items), so in the end the eyeshadow ended up costing me $23 NZD, which is not a price I would normally pay. However, I like it, and do think it was worth it as a wee treat.

Staying Power/Wearbale: This product is useless unless you use primer. The eyeshadow mixes well with other colours, and is very pretty. Even people who prefer subtle colours on their eyes could still use Lime Criminal, as it can easily be applied lightly or brightly!


Overall: 4/5

Friday, April 22, 2011

Makeup Collection :: Inspiration

It's so lovely and sunny here today! I got up at 8am and went for a run, which went quite well, I didn't stop once.

I had pancakes for breakfast, and then cleaned some more stuff out of my room.

I'm going to make some chocolate fudge pudding tonight, mums going to try and find somewhere open where she can buy cream for it!

Today is just a short post with some very inspirational (and jealous making) photos of makeup collections.







I looove lights around mirrors! I'm going to get some fairy lights to put around my mirror above my dresser.

Hope you're all having a lovely Friday :)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Lime Crime Makeup :: Arrival!

Eeek, I'm so excited. I ordered some Lime Crime Makeup about a week ago, and mum emailed me this afternoon to say they have arrived!

When I ordered them they said to allow up to 5 weeks to receive my order, so I am so happy it's only taken a week...that's great service! I really want to go home now and look at the pretty packaging at least!



I'm kind of disappointed I only ordered 2 products now! I will test them out in the weekend and give indepth reviews next week.



Stay tuned! (Perfect Easter colours, right?)

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Breaking Out

On Sunday I was at my mum's work while she was working, so I decided to take advantage of the internet by watching some beauty related youtube videos.

I came across one that had a tutorial on how to clean your makeup brushes with ordinary shampoo (I have heard this in the past, so I don't blame this youtuber for what happened next). I got home and washed my brushes with some shampoo and rinsed with water. I let them dry overnight, and the next morning they were so soft and clean!

I got a pimple on my jawline the next day that was really sore, but didn't think much of it. Later that night I had quite a few above my eyebrow, not acne pimples like I used to get either...these were the bumpy ones that look rather angry.

I put some tea tree cream on (which usually helps) and went to bed. I woke up the next morning with even more of these pimples on my checks and more on chin and forehead. I never get pimples on my cheeks, and these pimples look like they are the cause of my skin having reacted to something.

The only thing I have changed is cleaning my brushes with that shampoo. I'm feeling rather depressed, I have never had good skin, and have only recently managed to get it under control.

I quickly ordered this online this morning, but it will be another week or more before it gets here. I use powder foundation and I have no other brushes. I'm trying not to touch my face, so that they don't spread.

Does anyone have any tips/tricks etc for what I can do in the meantime? What do you use to clean your brushes?

Much appreciated!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

How to :: Care For Your New Tattoo

I recently completed goal #21 on my list and got my first tattoo.



Besides the small amount of information from my tattoo artist and a little bit of research on the internet, I didn't really know a lot about the healing process of a new tattoo. So I've decided to write an article on what I experienced.

Day 1: I got my tattoo on the Tuesday night. It's the next day and it hurts far more than it did last night immediately after getting it. The redness has gone down alot. It hurts to touhc, a bit like sunburn. I bought some Nivea Moisturiser and apply that quite often. I have heard that Bepanthin ointment works well.



Day 2: Today my tattoo is less sore, just a slight stinging every now and again. I keep applying moisturiser often.

Day 3: My tattoo was extremely itchy today. I spoke to someone who has a lot of tattoos, and they said their's have never been itchy, but it does happen to a lot of people. I assume that since it is itchy it means it's healing.

Day 4: Today my tattoo isn't so itchy, instead of scratching it's best to gently tap the spot that is itchy. I notice little cracks in it, and it's a bit dry. I was a little worried, but I keet moisturising it and that seems to help.

Day 5: My tattoo is very dry today and starting to scab and fall off. It's not itchy much at all. The top layer of the tattoo is falling off, so the tattoo is still underneath (something I worried about at first!).



Day 6 & 7: A week later and the top layer is flaking off quite a lot now. I'm trying my best to resist picking at it and keeping it moisturised.

Day 8: Most of it has flaked off now, and parts are flat and smooth. It's looking good!



I would say it took about 9 days for my tattoo to look fully healed. I continue to moisturise it about 2-3 times a day, or when it looks dry (which it still does sometimes). They say it can take something like 6 weeks for it to be fully healed.

I'm still really happy with it (a good sign!) and I'm really glad I put a lot of effort into it and decided what I really wanted.

Beauty Review Fail :: Dove Summer Glow

I have always been pale (with lots of freckles). I embraced it, and preferred to be pale than tanned.

Recently I decided I might try to give the more tanned look a try. I used Sugar Baby Radiance Bronze Cream, but it's just too hard to apply everyday, and gets all over my clothes etc.

I decided to go with a gradual tanner. I love Dove products, and chose their 'Summer Glow' moisturising gradual tanner.


After 10 days of using it every day the verdict is this product does not work.

I'm really disappointed. I love Dove products, and I looked up a few reviews which said they noticed a huge change in colour within 2 days. Not me. There's not even the slightest hint of change.

Another problem is how hard it is to get it out of the bottle. I have to use both hands to squeeze out product, even when I first used it.

Value/Quality: This cost me $9 NZD at the supermarket. It's quite a big bottle, but I don't think it would last much more than a month using it everyday.
Packaging: Simple, clean, smooth packaging as Dove always is. Not amazing, but nice.
Results: I have no change in colour, it moisturises well though.

Overall:



Maybe gradual tans don't work on me. As I said, other people have found this gradual tanner effective, so you may too. If anyone has had a good experience with this product, or another gradual tanner please let me know.

Otherwise a light coverage fake tan that's easy to use/hassle free?

On another note, today at work I'm wearing false eyelashes for the first time. They're the NYX ones I bought in Hawaii with the sparkly strip. There are some nice looking ones at a pharmacy I want to try. Not sure of the brand, but they look very full and natural and are only $12 NZD! I may need to try these at some point.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Lime Crime Makeup :: So bright, it's illegal!

I think I may be in love. I have hear a lot about Lime Crime lately, but hadn't bothered looking into it. Today I did. They have a truly gorgeous range! And even better...they ship worldwide. So of course I had to buy something.


Doe Deere is the creator of Lime Crime makeup which she formed in 2008. It focuses on bright colours, hence the slogan 'So Bright, It's Illegal!' The line is PETA-friendly, and a lot of the products are vegan.

After a good half an hour trying to decide which shades I wanted and how many products I could afford I decided to be sensible and go with one lipstick and one eyeshadow.

I really wanted the lipstick shade 'Coquette' but it was sold out. So I went with 'Great Pink Planet'.

'Pastel pink with a neon note - think Malibu Barbie! Strawberry milkshake in a tube. Full coverage on all complexions, from super-pale to extra-dark!'


I have been looking for a green eyeshadow for ages, and since I was only allowed to buy one eyeshadow, I went with 'Lime Criminal Magic Dust'.

'Our signature shade, this bright lime green eyeshadow is sure to fill your heart with glee!'


It says to wait for about 4 weeks before your package arrives, so I'm going to have to play a bit of a waiting game...but I really can't wait to receive my package! It ended up costing about $55 NZD including shipping...so a little on the pricey side (for me). Hopefully they're worth it though (I've heard good things!), and I will be able to write reviews in the (near) future!

I definitely urge you to check out the site, and buy something yourself!

Lipgloss Storage + EOTD

Last night I cleaned out my Sephora Train Make-up case, and made quite a bit more room for new products!

I found an old box from Japan that I will use to store my lipglosses/lipsticks in for now, but ultimately I want something a bit nicer.


2 of my most used products are in my sephora case. (MAC Creme d'nude and Nivea Care Gloss).

This morning I decided to go with blue eyeshadow.



I quite like the way it turned out. But I think I need a few more shades in there.

Wearing:

A blue roll on eyeshadow that I've had since I was about 13. I have no idea what the brand is.
#8 Loose Dust - Napoleon Perdis
Black Claire's Eyeshadow
Black Mascara - Tina Tarantino (seriously love this mascara, I know I go on about it all the time, but I don't know what I'm going to do when it runs out! It's not available here)
Blackest Black Eyeliner - Australis

I went for my first run in over a month yesterday. And it went so well! I ran the whole way (14 minutes) without stopping or even feeling like stopping. My legs are sore today...I can't imagine what it's like for marathon runners!
I've just found out I'm going to Melbourne in June! My friend who lives there booked tickets to a concert there in June, and I can't wait. I've only been to Melbourne once before, and that was just for 1 night. I'm going for 3 or 4 nights this time! It's going to be awesome :)

Monday, April 11, 2011

Nail Art

Yet another Monday at work. It was so foggy this morning, you couldn't see very far down the road in front of you at all! But now it's beautifully sunny outside. I like Autumn a lot more than I remember.

I had been wearing a sparkly grey nail polish all week from BYS, but last night I decided it was time for a change. I don't have a huge nail polish collection yet, but I'm getting there. My mum likes anything pink and shiny, so I decided to use one of her pink nail polishes. It's very subtle and shimmery. I needed to apply about 3 coats though.


It looks a bit more pink in real life.

On my thumbs and ring fingers (my favourite fingers...haha is it weird to have a favourite finger?) I put some nail art stickers on that I got in Brisbane last year when I went to Soundwave. I have bought other nail stickers since then, but they have nothing on these ones. They look very natural and professional.



Sorry about the lighting, I'm trying to find the right place in my house for taking photos!



I've just had my morning coffee in this cup I found while going through the boxes in the garage of all our old stuff. It's a cup my dad gave me from when he went to Greece. It's very nice to drink out of and is now my new work cup! You should all also be very proud of me for throwing out sooo much stuff that was in the boxes. Like soft toys (I had to hug each one goodbye of course, and kept my favourite ones (which is like 10)).

Look out for my sugar cleanse post tonight! Including my weight loss results :)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Beauty Review :: Too Faced - Moon Beam Eyeshadow

Too Faced - Galaxy Glam Eyeshadow - Moon Beam

This product was on my wishlist a while ago and with a 10% sale, I just had to buy it. It's a baked eyeshadow, and I hadn't acutally used an eyeshadow with different shades in it before. The range comes in lots of different colours. I chose the green and black one. I was really excited to get this product, unfortunately I am a little disappointed.



The packaging is average, and was very plastic and 'cheap' feeling. The actual eyeshadow jar is nice, but the plastic on the top is cheap. It was a reasonably good price, so I can't complain too much about that really.

With flash to the left and without to the right.

I swatched the eyeshadow from the greenest part of the eyeshadow, and as you can see from the photos it is very difficult to notice the green unless you look close up. In the product photo it had a lot more green on it than the one I received. This could be because I bought online, and in a store you could choose one with more green in it. But Too Faced aren't available in stores here.



On the top is Moon Beam, and the green underneath and in the corner is from a BYS palette. To me, it mostly just looks grey. You can barely notice the green in it at all. I would have liked a lot more green to be noticable. The eyeshadow it self stays on well, and is quite thick so you don't need a lot when reapplying.

I wouldn't purcahse this product again, and I won't be trying the other colours like I wanted to. It won't stop me buying products from the Too Faced brand, as I think they are great value, but I will stay away from this collection.

Summary

Packaging: 6/10 I like the look of the eyeshadow pot, but the box it came in wasn't great, and the material used doesn't seem very environment friendly.
Value/Quality: 8/10 Great price, I think it only cost me about $17 NZD online. As I said, you only have to use a small amount as it goes on quite dark, and doesn't take much to build up.
Wearbale: 8/10 Can easily be blended with other shades.

It's a shame this product didn't work for me, I feel like it was a bit of false advertising really. I wish the green showed through more.

Overall: