NYX Haul!

When I saw that they were having a sale on NYX products on Cherryculture, I jumped at the chance to pick up a few things that I’d been wanting for a while.

The first thing I had to get was some of the Single Eye shadows. The colours (from left to right) are: Luxor, Purple, Golden, Hawaiian Coffee, Silver, Golden Dune and Greyish Brown.

With Flash

Without Flash

I’ve never used the single eye shadows before, so the first thing I did was swatch them – without a base of course!

Left to right: Luxor, Purple, Golden, Hawaiian Coffee
Silver, Golden Dune, Greyish Brown

Wow. The colour payoff is amazing on all of them except for the Purple. Purple, you’re really letting the team down!

I would have to say that Golden Dune and Hawaiian Coffee are my favourites so far. Golden Dune really reminds me of the MAC Pigment in Blonde’s Gold. Beautiful!

I am a sucker for eye shadow palettes, so next I chose The Runway Collection in Caviar & Bubbles:

Swatches: (again, without a base!)

With Flash

Without Flash

The lighter colours don’t show up so well in photos, but they are really nicely pigmented! Even though the Black is a little chalky – this is a really nice palette and would be absolutely perfect for travel! 

Lastly I decided to grab a couple of Butter Lip Glosses. The colours I got are Peaches And Cream and Vanilla Cream Pie

Swatches:

Left to right: Peaches And Cream, Vanilla Creampie

They smell so damn good, and that is coming from someone who hates anything that smells sweet – but for some reason, I love the smell of these! Shaaanxo said they remind her of the Bavarian crème donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts, and I totally agree. Delicious!

They actually have pretty decent colour payoff for a lip gloss, and don’t feel too sticky and gross either which is really nice!

Once again I am impressed by NYX products, they really are a brand worth checking out.

Thanks for viewing!

oxo

Review: Lush Love Lettuce

I was lucky enough to get invited to go in and meet with the lovely girlies at Lush Queen St. It turned out to be one of the best experiences I’ve had as a blogger so far! The staff were absolutely lovely and I have to say a special THANK YOU to the gorgeous Kendra, who gave me the full Lush experience and answered all of my never-ending questions!

One of the products I got to review was the Love Lettuce Fresh Face mask.

An effective, exfoliating face mask which gives normal to oily skin a softened, smoothed and radiant glow. Polishing almond shell is balanced by the softening qualities of almond oil and seaweed gel. With soothing lavender essential oil and the cleansing, tightening action of Fullers’ Earth, you’ll feel fresh in no time.

I have used quite a few different face masks in the past – most of which seem to make my skin break out like it’s nobody’s business. But this was completely different.   

It felt so beautiful and fresh, and surprisingly enough, it didn’t irritate my skin in the slightest. I actually felt a little disappointed when it was time to wash it off!
Afterwards though, I couldn’t stop touching my face. It felt so clean and smooth. I love it.

Kendra actually suggested that I apply the Full Of Grace serum before using this mask, because it helps your skin absorb everything a little bit better. I have to agree with her on this one, it makes the mask feel even more amazing (if possible!).

Overall I am a huge fan of this, and I’m kinda dying to try out the other ones in the range. I feel like I can’t go back to the other face masks I used to use, because none of them have ever made my skin feel this good.

I can’t speak highly enough of the Lush Queen St store, if you’re interested in any of their products you have to go there and check them out! The staff, like I said, are awesome.

Keep an eye out for more Lush reviews coming soon.

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Hahahaha! I look amazing!

Tag: 7 Deadly Beauty Sins

I've seen this tag around for a little while amongst both bloggers and youtubers, most recently I saw Nana Wintour's take on it and it looked so cool that I decided I had to give it a go!

Greed

What is your most expensive/inexpensive beauty product? 

My most expensive beauty product would technically be my GHD hair straightener… but I actually managed to score mine for free by exchanging some points for it! So the most expensive thing I have bought would have to be my Armani Code perfume. I buy the 50ml which is around $175NZD.
My most inexpensive product would have to be a lip balm. I alternate between Maybelline Baby Lips, Nivea and Chapstick ones. Still yet to find one that I absolutely love though.

Wrath

What product do you have a love/hate relationship with? 

False eyelashes. I absolutely love the look of them, and have no trouble applying them on myself (and others!) – but I don’t particularly like wearing them for long. No matter which ones I wear, I always end up wanting to rip them off after an hour or so.

Gluttony

What are your most delicious beauty products?

I absolutely love the smell of most Lush and The Body Shop products – in particular I love the Lush lip scrubs which always smell (and taste!) delicious and The Body Shop Satsuma shower gel.

Sloth

What products do you neglect due to laziness?

I hardly ever contour and highlight – but that’s due to me always being in a rush and running out of time! Face primer is another thing I tend to actually forget to use.

Pride

What product gives you the most confidence?

Liquid eyeliner! I get compliments on my liquid liner almost everyday, so wearing it always makes me feel confident. My favourite ones at the moment are the Eye of Horus Liquid Define and the Maybelline Master Precise.

Lust

What attributes do you find attractive in the opposite sex?

Physically, I’m a sucker for big eyes and nice hands. I feel like a creep saying that though. Hahahaha. I find intelligence and a fantastic sense of humour to be far more appealing than looks to be quite honest with you! 

Envy

What products would you like to receive as a gift?

I love getting anything unique – especially handmade stuff! I love to be a little bit different.

I tag everyone who's reading this!
Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Bene-blogger Bash: Grand Opening and A Competition!

I am sure you are all well aware now that the beauty giant, Benefit Cosmetics, has finally come to little old New Zealand.
Words can't even begin to describe how ridiculously excited I am. I have been dreaming of trying this brand since about 2008 - but have never had the chance to get my hands on it. Until now!

Goodies for us all to have a play with

Being invited to this awesome event was definitely the highlight of the month. It was held at the gorgeous Nostalgia Restaurant on Ponsonby Road, in Auckland. That was definitely a genius move on their part, because the gorgeous decor matched the beautiful Benefit packaging perfectly! I definitely felt glamourous just being a part of it all.

The night got off to a great start, I had barely stepped foot through the door and I already had a glass of wine in my hand. Now that's service with a smile! My non-alcoholic-beverage-drinking sister was treated to a glass of sparkling water, how cute is that?

Yay for nibbles!

I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of other Beauty bloggers and a lovely girl from BigLittleCity, but one of the highlights was definitely talking to all the Bene-girls and learning all their little tips and tricks. The down side however, is that I'm gonna be completely broke now - because I'm dying to have one of everything!

All set up for demonstrations - let the learning begin!

Hannah demonstrating the Benefit brow mapping technique!

At the end of the night we were all treated to an adorable little goodie bag! Yay! Presents!!!
We each got the POREfessional (sooo excited to start using this) and They're Real! Mascara. I'm dying to try the mascara, but I have another one that I'm reviewing at the moment - so I will have to try and refrain from using it just yet! Damn!

Goodiebags! Exciting!!

Inside the goodiebag! Can't wait to start using these!

Overall it was a fantastic event, and I can't thank the wonderful Gemma enough for inviting me. I am so happy to have been a part of it - and I can't wait to get into Smith & Caugheys to check out everything!

Speaking of which, Smith & Caugheys are holding a Benefit competition, where you have the chance to win not one, but THREE essential Benefit products!

You'd be crazy not to be a part of this, so make sure you do enter!
Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Camille and I with the Bene-poodle!

Review: Pantene Aqua Light Shampoo & Conditioner

I was lucky enough to receive the Pantene Aqua Light Shampoo and Conditioner in my box of goodies from ImpactPR!
These have actually been a favourite of mine for a year or so now, and after using a range of other hair products, it was really nice to get back into using them again.

Most of you probably already know that my hair is a nightmare! It is naturally curly (2b-2c I think, for those of you familiar with curly hair!) and because it's so out of control all the time, I tend to damage the heck out of it with my hair dryer and straightener. Lately though, I've been wanting to embrace my natural curls a little more, which meant embarking on the huge mission of finding products that make my hair a little more manageable.

The silicone-free formula in the new Pantene Aqua Light shampoo contains groundbreaking water-soluble beads that rinse the hair from root to tip in seconds, leaving it feeling as light as a feather and beautifully nourished.

Those of you with curly hair, will know that silicones in shampoos are a big no no, which makes the Pantene Aqua Light shampoo perfect for us.
I love this shampoo because it makes my hair feel clean, moisturised and doesn't weigh it down! It also smells so good, I dunno what it is, but I love the smell of Pantene products.

Pantene has perfected the science of hair conditioning, with new Aqua Light. Unlike conventional, creamy conditioners, the new formula delivers just the right amount of hair nourishment without weighing it down and leaving it looking heavy. Aqua Light conditioner’s breakthrough Clean Rinse technology is highly water soluble and rinses off fast, leaving hair with no residue and no weight.

Unlike the shampoo, the Pantene Aqua Light Conditioner does actually contain a small amount of silicone. This doesn't really worry me too much, and still seems to work great on my hair. Again, I've noticed that it doesn't weigh my hair down, and leaves it feeling soft and nourished.

Overall, I would definitely recommend these to anyone with curly or unmanageable hair. Even my sister has jumped on the bandwagon with this one and swears that it is amazing for her straight, oily hair.

Thanks for viewing!
oxo

Health 2000 Baby Photo Competition!!

Health 2000  are on the hunt for the cutest or funniest baby photo! 

The person  whose baby has the cutest photo will win a prize valued at  over a $1000, including $500 worth of Weleda products. There are runner up prizes of 2nd and 3rd too. For more information and to  enter simply click here:

http://www.health2000.co.nz/Baby-photo-competition_446

Thanks for viewing!
oxo