Brunette Beauty

Packaging: Chunky plastic beige compact. The top of the lid is clear (to choose the right colour). The bottom third of the compact twists out to reveal a mirror and puff. Smell: None. Colour: Cream (light 4-5)- Sheer pigmentation with a matte finish. Available in 4 shades. Formula/ Texture: Chalky, thin, lightweight powder. It's defiantly not as smooth as MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Natural. It's easy to apply and blend both with the powder puff provided and a brush.  I got this for the  100% oil-free, won't clog pores or cause blemishes or irritate skin which it has stuck to.  The longevity is 8-9 hours before I started to notice some shine. Due to the stiff and chalky texture I am able to feel it on the skin as it doesn't move when the face does as a finer milled power would. This is a minor aspect but it doesn't feel as comfortable. Unlike other powders I have tried, this has a white cast. Hopefully I...

Packaging: Plastic flat and thin maroon metallic shiny squeeze tube with screw off lid. The opening is a little large for a squeeze tube and you have to be careful when dispensing product. Smell: Sunscreen. but disappears once on the skin. Colour: Nude - light beige for fair to light skintones. Sheer to medium coverage that is buildable with a satin finish. As you can see from the picture below it does oxidise a bit. Available in 12 shades. Formula/ Texture: Is a runny liquid that feels thick when applied. It has to be applied fast as it dries quickly but is easy to blend. It feels lightweight on the skin. It is oil free and contains SPF20. It's hard to say if its long wearing as such as the coverage is light but the vitamin C & E do help to prevent drying of the skin. Fine lines are soften, uneven skintone is gone and there is no irritation to the skin a bonus that it's non-comedogenic. I wear this when I am running errands or will...

These are the brushes in my opinion that aren't essential but for someone who loves their makeup and wears it everyday will benefit from these. I also think these would be used more by someone who has a larger variety of makeup. I suggest to always see the brush in person otherwise you will become disappointed. Feel it, play with it on your face. Test to see how it would work for what your after. Remember the denser a brush is the more it's going to pick up. The fine the tip the more precise application of colour. I think the quality and seamless of your makeup is a lot to do with the quality of your brushes. Cheap, average brushes won't provide you with the same application as mid range priced brushes. Basically you get what you pay for. A Chanel brush is the top end of the spectrum and may often then not be over priced and very similar to mid range priced brushes. I also want to mention that what specific brushes work for me may not for you. There are different len...

Since moving house, I have been into sorting things out and finding the most efficient and basic ways  to do and store things. So getting back to basics - what is really needed. This extended into my makeup and filtering what is the minimal amount of brushes needed for a usual face of makeup also the ones I have recommended. I am in no way a professional, I just wanted to share.  I suggest to always see the brush in person otherwise you will become disappointed. Feel it, play with it on your face. Test to see how it would work for what your after. Remember the denser a brush is the more it's going to pick up. The fine the tip the more precise application of colour. I think the quality and seamless of your makeup is a lot to do with the quality of your brushes. Cheap, average brushes won't provide you with the same application as mid range priced brushes. Basically you get what you pay for. A Chanel brush is the top end of the spectrum and may often then not be over ...

My top products to give you a taste of what Mac has to offer. Mineral Skin Finish Natural (MSF Natural) It's a low coverage powder but that extra tint of colour can be all you need to even out the skin. I love the natural semi-matte finish it gives. It's a baked powder with mineral pigments meaning it doesn't have any harmful ingredients. It's a soft and velvety powder that is awesome to set foundation and when worn on it's own. It does also last a long while. Lipstick Any formula of lipstick will be a good test. MAC does have a very wide variety of shades that smell like vanilla. I have four different formulas and they all have equal long staying power on my lips. Easy to apply too. My favourite shades are; Blankety, High Tea and Angel. Blush - Pink Swoon Ahhh MAC's blushes are soft, velvety, easy to apply and blend. Pink Swoon  however is a sheer blush with a matte finish, giving a natural bright pick flush to the cheeks. Now don't ...

This kit is a good taste of the standout or best products from the line specifically to create an oil free face base. I like these as it can give you an overall fee for the brand's quality using their best or highlighted products at sample sizes for great value for money. The kit is enclosed in a large clear plastic pouch with a face sponge, powder puff, secret camouflage brush, camouflage powder brush. The products are; - Foundation Primer Oil Free    review here - Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free    review here - Undercover Pot    review here The cost of this kit is $65 and is apart of the permeant line of the brand. It is available in two shades nude and sand from Myer and David Jones stores.

Packaging It comes in a gold, shiny box with the shade number on the top and the tube is circular  palm length shiny gold . This has a soft flexible brush tip and a click activator pen end. The lid secures tightly with a click. There is very minimal text on the tube itself but with the shine, it's unmistakable.  Smell: None. Colour: 1-light beige. Medium to full coverage with a satin finish. Formula/ Texture: This is a thin and smooth liquid/ cream consistency. It's easy to apply just by clicking the end, wait for the product to appear at the tip and brush this onto the areas on your face you want to highlight. The first use does require a lot of clips before product starts to come out. A little product does go a long way. It is easy removed with a basic makeup wipe. There is no reflection in flash photography. This is a highlighting type of concealer not a concealer. It has reflective pigments in it from what I can gather that bounce light off t...

Packaging: Black plastic twist up tube with clear plastic lid. It does attract dirty finger marks. The size is portable and the lid does stay firmly on the tube. Smell: None. Colour: Light Pale 002 - more yellow undertoned colour. Medium coverage with a matte finish. There is a light shade and medium colours. R- concealer blended Formula/ Texture: The concealer is creamy and smooth in texture. It is a little thicker then a liquid concealer but is somewhat lightweight on the face. I've found to be very long wearing and works well applied with fingers or a brush. Also you're face needs to be well hydrated and moisturised otherwise it picks up dry skin. This concealer needs to be blended very well into the skin otherwise it looks as though it's just sitting on the face. It is easy to blend with fingers or a brush. It's easy to remove with a basic makeup wipe. I use this under my eyes and I don't have the darkest bags bu...

Packaging: Luze gold shiny mirror box. Frosted square glass foundation bottle with the same mirror shiny gold cap, engraved with the YSL logo. This foundation has a pump that works well, it's easy to use, no clogging, dispenses a small amount of product and doesn't squirt hard or in a stream like way. I find that I use 3-4 pumps as compared to the max 2 with other pump foundations. Smell: None. Colour: 04 Sand - light beige with warm/yellow undertones for light shades. Light-medium coverage with satin finish. Available in 8 shades. At the moment this shade is more of a summer colour for when I am tanner but it does work well mixed with my Revlon Colorstay foundation for the season transition periods. Formula/ Texture: This is a thin, smooth runny consistency. It is very easy to apply and blend to the face with no issues with it 'sitting' on top of the skin. I've tried with fingers, Sigma Flat Top Kabuki brush and a Beauty Blender a...

Packaging: This comes in the standard NARS packaging which is a little case of black corrugated cardboard and then in a NARS cardboard packaged black box.  The bottle is a square frosted glass shape with a black velvet matte screw off lid. The opening of the foundation is quite large so the amount of product that is dispensed varies depending on the force used to tip the bottle up. Therefore I do strongly recommend using caution. A pump nozzle would be so much better for this product and I know NARS sell this separately online but in terms of ease of use it would make the foundation packaging that much easier to work with. Smell: None Colour: Deauville (light 4) - light beige with neutral undertones. Light to medium coverage with a matte finish. Buildable. It looks very yellow when it's swatched but when blended into the skin it matches my skin tone perfectly!!...

I brought this kit off the American benefit website as I'm on a primer kit and the Porefessional was one of the primers I wanted to try and this kit also comes with stuff that I always wanted to try in a mini size!! So instead of paying full price for these I can try them for the same price as two of these items and not be stuck with a full sized item that may take me forever to get through. The actual beauty case itself is gorgeous! It is this smooth silky material where the top portion zips open to reveal the purple inside lining (with no pockets to my dismay). The pattern on the outside is this chic purple and silver and feminine floral pattern with images from the fairytale such as a dead tree, fairies etc. The front side has this silver metal plate which adds this element of chicness and the backside has the words 'rare beauty' in large font overing the whole side. The case has a cream top with a purple handle that can be pushed down. It comes with an inst...

Packaging: This concealer comes in a glass jar with a matte black screw top lid. The only thing that I can find against this packaging is that foundation messy hands transfers onto the lid making it look messy and not new and dirty. Just a little thing, I like my things to at least look clean. The bottom of the jar has the product name and shade number. The jar is a handy inside palm size that is a little heavier than the average concealer but thats the glass jar. Smell: None. Colour: NC20. Full coverage with a matte finish. NC is yellow based which neutralises red undertone in the skin, which is good for blemishes. I spent a lot of time debating between what colour to get to best my match skin tone and I finally decided on this one. Honestly I was scared that this colour was too yellow when I first laid eyes on it in the jar but it blends well into the skin. There is a range of ...

Packaging: This comes in a matte finish squeeze tube with a shiny black screw off lid. The dispenser is a tiny concentrated nozzle that helps control the amount of product coming out of the tube. The numbering/ shade name is done through numbers. This shade reference is at the bottom of the tube (see above right picture). This is a little confusing if you have multiple shades of this foundation and just want to grab one and go and not have to look carefully for the correct shade that matches you at that specific time. It also can get confusing to re-order the same shade, if you toss the black box it came in which has the shade # on the top. But I guess you have to be careful. Smell: None. Colour: #30 Porcelain - light peach shade with more yellow undertones. Medium to full coverage with a matte finish. I got shade #40 by accident as I though that would match me but it was too dark. It hasn't gone to waste as I am ...