Brunette Beauty

Packaging: Palm sized, thick circular frosted plastic bottle with a black screw on lid and wide open mouth. The bottle features black text. The plastic material makes this perfect for travel as its quite durable. The full sized version differs in that it has a click pour spout. Smell/Taste: Citrus. Colour: Banana (irrelevant to product performance) Available in 3 sizes. Formula/ Texture: This is a thick, creamy lotion. It is gentle on the skin, with no irritation, stinging or drying the skin out. It applies and lathers easily. It effectively removes makeup residue and dirt without any greasy film left behind. The 3 in 1 formula is super gentle and suitable for the eye area and does work well as a cleanser. While it does leave my skin feeling clean, I can't feel or see enough difference to warrant this working any more efficient then my favourite, holy grail Neutrogena Oil-Free Cleanser Gel. Available: Only from Mecca Cosmetica, mecca.co...

Packaging: Tall palm length skinny squeeze tube with a screw off lid. The whole packaging is a beige bronze with the majority of the tube a cool representation of the shade chosen. This way the very ends of the tube are the same across the whole range. Within the middle is white and black text with the product name. The nib is quite wide with a 5mm opening. Smell/Taste: Zinc. Colour: #15 Ivory - light beige with pink undertones. Matte finish and medium coverage. Available in 12 shades (the whole line leans more pink toned) Formula/ Texture: This is a thick, smooth gel. It almost has a gel whipped consistency. I find thicker foundations, best buffed into the skin with dense kabuki brush for a more evan, flawless coverage. It applied and blended out well. It did have a cooling sensation when initially applied. It is easily removed with a basic makeup wipe. The coverage is buildable and left lightweight on the skin. I noticed it catching slightly on dry pat...

Packaging: Tall palm length skinny squeeze tube with a screw off lid. The whole packaging is a beige bronze with the majority of the tube a cool representation of the shade chosen. This way the very ends of the tube are the same across the whole range. Within the middle is white and black text with the product name. The nib is quite wide with a 5mm opening. Smell/Taste: Zinc. Colour: #15 Ivory - light beige with pink undertones. Matte finish and medium coverage. Available in 12 shades (the whole line leans more pink toned) Formula/ Texture: This is a thick, smooth gel. It almost has a gel whipped consistency. I find thicker foundations, best buffed into the skin with dense kabuki brush for a more evan, flawless coverage. It applied and blended out well. It did have a cooling sensation when initially applied. It is easily removed with a basic makeup wipe. The coverage is buildable and left lightweight on the skin. I noticed it catching slightly on dry pat...

Packaging: The powder comes in the standard NARS packaging which is in a NARS cardboard packaged black box, however unlike the blushes this is has it's own sleeve, sponge puff . Nice touch but not something I'll use. The compact has a soft velvet matte finish  with a snap closure and standard white  'NARS' text on the front. It is larger and the size of your hand. Some people find it hard to keep clean as with use, loose powder catches onto the outside. It also has a clear plastic divider with black 'NARS' text on top of the powder itself to capture loose powder and a full width mirror on the inside of the lid. Smell/Taste: None. Colour: Translucent - white in the pan. When swatched, hardly any colour comes off. It takes multiple swatches for pigmentation to build up and then still sheers out. I can see very fine micro glitter in the swatch but can't see this translated to the face. Formula/ Texture: This is a very ...

Packaging: Flat, wide & thin squeeze tube. Opaque white tube with an orange twist off cap that corresponds to elements on the tube, with fine text. The nib is 2mm and a perfect size to control product. The plastic tube makes it portable and travel friendly. Smell/Taste: Zinc. Colour: #30 Light to Medium - medium beige with very warm undertones that almost makes this orange. Matte finish with sheer coverage. Available in 5 shades. Formula/ Texture: This is very thin, smooth lotion. It feels lightweight on the skin. It's applied easily with fingers, brush or beauty sponge and takes no effort to blend into the skin. It is removed with a basic makeup wipe. This does contain Mircoclear technology with acne medication which is Salicylic Acid. The purpose is to fight acne whilst providing coverage to disguise them to not make the situation worse. It's non greasy, doesn't oxidise, fade in patches or cause any irritations or white cast in flash ph...

Packaging: This is the standard lipstick packaging from MAC. It's in a small short round bullet with a round tip cap. The whole packaging is the holiday edition 'MAC Magic Of The Night' metallic, chrome purple. There is a black rimmed bottom on the cap with 'MAC' text. Inside reveals shiny black mechanisms. The lipstick bullet twists up with ease and I have never experienced any problems. Smell/Taste: None. Colour: Please Me - Muted rose pink. Full pigmentation with a matte finish. Available in the permanent range. Formula/ Texture: This is a thin, smooth and creamy consistency. It glides so effortlessly on the lips with no tugging or skipping at all, which is surprising for a matte finish from MAC. It feels lightweight and comfortable on the lips. It is easily removed with a basic makeup wipe. I didn't experience any bleeding or feathering but I did use a clear/transparent lip liner. A liner coloured closer to this shade wi...

Packaging: Acrylic frosted square pot with a round black screw on lid. It's a thin & flat tube which makes storage and portability great. The lid contains simple white text elements. It feels lightweight in your hands. There is no sifter with this, but I don't think this is a product that requires this. Smell/Taste: None. Colour: #3 Brunette - light to medium brown with cool undertones. Matte finish and medium to full coverage. Available in 5 shades. Formula/ Texture: This is a very thin, smooth, cream to matte wax. It is lightweight in the brows and is best applied in small strokes using an angled brush. It is smudge and water proof once it's set after 30secs. It does require a specialised makeup remover. This product is no joke, it lasts such a long time with the longest I've trailed it being 13 hours! Best part is you need such a small amount to cover a larger area. This doesn't ball up, flake, transfer, crumble, create a white ...

Packaging: Short rubberised feel, matte black tube with thin white NARS text wrapped around the cap. The tube feels a little wider and thus more substantial then a typical short, square tube. The cap does snap on securely with a thud. The matte black continues to the mechanics inside which holds a standard bullet with a slanted tip. Smell/Taste: None. Colour: Scarlett Empress - Deep purple berry with warm undertones. Full pigmentation with a semi matte finish. Available in 32 shades. Formula/ Texture: This is a thin, smooth and creamy consistency. It glides so effortlessly on the lips with no tugging or skipping at all. It feels lightweight and comfortable on the lips. It is easily removed with a basic makeup wipe. I didn't experience any bleeding or feathering but with a dark colours, I do always use a clear/transparent lip liner. A liner coloured closer to this shade will help this look perfect for longer. This did transfer a bit onto food an...

Packaging: This tube comes sandwiched between two hard jelly like sleeves which acts as a window and is stabilised with a surrounding black and silver cardboard frame. The film and short circular tube is what makes this special; a gunmetal brushed grey with black stars, Kat Von D's signature on the cap and the product name 'tattoo liner' in a larger font size. It has a spring loaded tension click on lid. This means it'll take a lot of effort for the lid to come off on it's own. The brush tip applicator is 1cm long ending to am extremely fine tip making it great for thin or thick lines. The tip is quite flexible meaning the brush hairs are rigid at the base and not likely to flare out. The pen itself has a little weight to it and when you move the pen you can hear the metal ball inside. Compared to the standard packaging this is a bit more substantial overall. It feels heavier and is a bit longer and wider. Just subtle differences to empathise this limite...

Packaging: Short and wide square black opaque matte plastic tube with Smashbox text on the bottom of the tube. It has a nice weighted feel with the cap securing on nicely and smooth mechanics. The bullet is the standard shape with the slanted tip. Smell/Taste: None. Colour: Magenta Matte - Bright pink with blue undertones. Medium to full pigmentation with a matte finish. Available in 20 shades. Formula/ Texture: This is a dry, thick and creamy consistency. It applies on with some tugging & skipping on the lips. It can be felt on the lips but is still comfortable to wear. It is easily removed with a basic makeup wipe. This took a few swipes over the lips to build coverage and even colour. I didn't experience any bleeding or feathering but I do always use a clear/ transparent lip liner. This did transfer onto food and drink. Overall it lasted 8-10 hours on my lips. Due to the thickness of this lipstick, it did cling to dry patches on lips, ...