Rimmel London - Brixton Brown Eyeshadow Palette

I picked this little palette up a few months ago as part of an ASOS order. I have not yet seen these in store, and after hearing some great reviews from our UK beauty sisters, it was one that was begging to go into my shopping cart. 

A little lighter on the wallet, this Rimmel London 5 pan eyeshadow palette in the shade Brixton Brown was $13.84 AU. Always a little easier to justify purchases when they are reasonably priced!! ( tell me I'm not alone on this one! )

A predominantly neutral offering,with a pop of colour in the centre... and just quietly the highlight shade is just stunning!

The Beauty Vine Ramble

These are not the softest, creamiest shadows in the world, however they do have quite good pigmentation, and blend nicely. The lighter matte shade, second from the right in the photos above, feels quite dry and doesn't swatch particularly well. However, once on the lid it actually performs really nicely as an 'all over the lid' shade, and also gives the crease a nice subtle definition. 

The metallic highilight shade is beautiful pale cream with a gold reflect, very pigmented and looks beautiful patted on the centre of the lid or as an inner corner highlight. 

The copper/red toned shade in the centre was a little disappointing...it swatches nicely, but seemed to blend away to more of a subtle wash on your eyes. I will experiment a little more with this one and report back. A cream shadow base would likely amp up the colour payoff nicely. 

These warm red tones are also popular for warming up the crease, though I have yet to try that with this shade.

The two dark matte shades on the left are quite smooth to touch and blend well. They both function nicely to add depth and definition to your eye look. 

Overall, it's a very nice, inexpensive little palette. I feel that it offers a good variety of shades and finishes, allowing you to go as natural or as smokey as you desire. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Blessings, 

Lou xo

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On My Nails Today - Sally Hansen Triple Shine 'Great White'

Looking for a slightly more wearable white for your nails? It can be a little daunting trying to pull off the opaque white nail. As bright, clean and fresh as it looks, it can also sometimes look a little stark. 

If you are in the market for a softer, perhaps more 'grown up' white mani, then you might like Sally Hansen Triple Shine in the shade Great White. 

A beautiful sheer white with gorgeous micro shimmers which are not only visible once on the nail, but also serve to give the shade a lovely glow and dimension. Not frosty. Just flattering. 

I have done three coats of Great White in these photos, swatched in natural light. The nail line is still clearly visible after 3 coats, but I think it adds a nice little bit of softness.

What are your thoughts on the white mani? Do you rock the opaque look, or prefer something a little more subtle? I would love to hear from you, please feel free to leave a comment below!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings, 

Lou xo

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Dr LeWinn's 4 Fusion Cleansing Oil | Review

If you have ever thought about trying an oil cleanser, or are looking for an affordable alternative to some of the offerings from high end or luxury brands, then look no further than Dr LeWinn's 4 Fusion Cleansing Oil. 

I started experimenting with oil and balm cleansers around eight months ago, and haven't looked back. As I have mentioned in previous skincare posts, I have oily/combo, acne prone, dehydrated skin. I use my oil or balm cleansers as a part of my evening skincare routine. I am not currently using face wipes, cleansing waters or a separate eye makeup remover. My oil or balm cleanser and a soft, fluffy face washer is all I need. 

Whilst loving the transformative process of applying my makeup, there is something to be said for embracing and enjoying the evening ritual of cleansing. 

As the name suggests, Dr LeWinn's 4 Fusion Cleansing Oil contains four lovely "good for skin" oils, as well as some other well known oils and ingredients as the base for their formula. 

I decided to do a little more of my own research into some of the ingredients, and thought I would share it with you. I hope you might find it useful!

Glycine Soya or soybean oil is the first ingredient listed. It is high in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant which also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent for the skin. Glycine Soya is often used in skincare preparations to specifically prevent damage to collagen and elastin fibers, and it is ideal for emulsifying ( mixing with water ) to allow it to be easy washed/rinsed away. 

Rosehip Oil is very high in fatty acids which aid in skin cell regeneration and repair. This is why you often hear that Rosehip oil is recommended for assisting in healing and reducing scarring and hyper pigmentation. 

It is also high in antioxidants to protect the skin, and to promote the formation of collagen. 

Tamanu Oil is a healing and anti-inflammatory nut oil, which also assists in regenerating the skin, and promoting the formation of new tissue. It moisturisers, and nourishes the skin. 

Argan Oil protects, moisturises and reduces redness and irritation. Also high in vitamin E, omegas, and has antibacterial properties. 

Baobab Oil is extracted from the fruit seed of the baobab tree. Used by African societies for centuries, it is high in Omegas 3, 6 and 9, and is exceptionally moisturising, emollient and soothing, without clogging pores. 

Calendula Flower Extract has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, stimulates collagen and promotes healing. 

Lemon Myrtle Oil is antiseptic, antiviral, emotionally uplifting, refreshing and calming. 

Benzoyl Alcohol I assume is included in the ingredients to function as a preservative. I tend to avoid the types of alcohols that are known to be potentially drying or irritating to the skin, and this is one of them. However, in my humble opinion, any drying effect that may possibly occur would be balanced and corrected by the nourishing oils. Also of note, this is a cleanser, and is only on the skin for a couple of minutes at most, so in short, the inclusion of alcohol in this cleanser has not been an issue for me. 

How Does The Vine Use it? 

My preference with cleansing balms and oils is to apply to a dry face. I use 2 pumps and massage it in, all over my face for about a minute, and then remove with a clean washcloth soaked in nice warm water. I then rinse the washcloth, and go over my face again, making sure to remove all of the cleanser. I use a fresh clean face washer every day.  Some thicker balm cleansers can be a little more difficult to emulsify, however if that is your preference than this one will emulsify very easily and beautifully, allowing you to rinse away the oil grime and makeup of the day. 

The directions do specify to avoid direct contact with your eyes. However, I massage the oil over my eyes to remove my eye makeup. It does a brilliant job, and I have experienced no irritation or stinging at all. I do be careful to close my eyes, not sure I want it IN my eyeballs!!

In the evenings I double cleanse, and it will depend on my mood or how my skin is behaving as to which cleanser I choose. If I am feeling particularly dehydrated, I will double cleanse with the oil. If not, I will typically use Alpha-H Triple Action cleansing gel, a gentle non foaming cleanser which I adore. 

Dr LeWinn's 4 Fusion Cleansing oil smells lovely to me. You can definitely notice the fresh scent of the lemon myrtle, though I don't find it overpowering. I am also aware of the scent of the base oils, which have a natural, earthy smell in my opinion. 

Dr LeWinn's 4 Fusion Cleansing Oil is currently 20% off at Priceline Pharmacy nationally, so you can take home a lovely cleansing oil for just under $24.00. It's Rrp is $29.99. 

Have you tried any Dr LeWinn's products? 

Are you a fan of cleansing with oils?

Leave me a comment below, I would love to hear from you! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Blessings, 

Lou xo 

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On My Nails Today - New Revlon Parfumerie Nail Enamel

The new Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamel rolled out in Australian stores in early February, and though I tried hard to resist, these two shades were calling my name.

In fact, the entire display was calling my name, and I would have happily picked up the whole thing and taken it home, cute old fashioned sweet shop bunting and all.

Though intrigued by many of the different scents and shades, I tried to stick to shades that were unique to my collection. So here is Wintermint and Autumn Spice...

After many consecutive days of rain and decidedly gloomy weather, I had no choice but to use artificial light for these photographs. I much prefer to use natural light, so my apologies for the less than good quality images. 

All swatches are two coats and a top coat. I use a fast dry top coat every time I do my nails, simply because I don't have time to wait for them to dry, and often do my nails in the evenings.

The scent of Wintermint is as one would expect...minty...quelle suprise?? It is a pleasant, sweet, soft minty fragrance. The fragrance is marketed to be noticeable when the enamel is dry, however I can smell it as I am applying the polish. 

The shade itself is very pretty. Along with the blue glitter you can see, it also has a very fine gold shimmer throughout, which the lighting above picks up nicely. I don't have anything like this shade in my collection. Think of it as a mint green with a twist.

As I mentioned above, I always use a fast dry top coat. Personally, I find very little difference in the intensity of the scent with or without a topper.

It certainly isn't the type of fragrance that throws itself around the room, but one that you are subtly aware of any time your lovely polished fingertips near your face. I have found the scent fades gradually over 2-3 days.

Autumn Spice has a gorgeous depth of colour, with lovely gold, copper and rose gold shimmers throughout. I found that those lovely golden shimmers weren't as visible on the nail as they are in the bottle. I will try to add some more swatches in natural light once we get some more sunshine!

Autumn Spice is also a sweet fragrance. To my nose, a combination of a sweet honey cake and a milky chai tea. Although it is a very dark shade, it doesn't look black on the nail as some very deep shades can do. A perfect Autumn/Winter shade, and again unique to my collection.

As I mentioned, many of the shades caught my eye ( will try to be good ) and what a beautiful little vintage bottle/bottles to have on display!

I purchased mine from Priceline during a recent 2 for $20 sale. At $15.95 each they are on the pricey side. The bottles contain 11.7ml of product.

Do you have a favourite shade/scent in this line? Do let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings, 

Lou xo

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Benefit Lollitint: Photos,Review and Swatches

One day last week I was having a mooch around Instagram and came upon a post from Sweaty Betty PR, offering a free Benefit Lollitint to those who placed an order for Roxy Jacenko's new novel,"The Rumour Mill".

The offer was current for one hour only, and before I knew it ( well...not really ) there was an order confirmation email in my inbox...I couldn't pass up the offer of a great read, and a full size Benefit product that retails in Australia for $52!!

Benefit describes Lollitint as;

"The flirtiest flush you can get from a bottle! Our candy-orchid tint treats your lips and cheeks to a "pop" of dreamy sweetness"

Yes...I would have to agree with that!

Benefit's Lollitint is due for release in Australian stores February 15th.

Left -  Heavy swatch straight from brush applicator
Right - blended out with fingertips

Left - The stain left from my swatch!
Right - blended out with fingertips

All Lolli'd up on the lips and cheeks!

Application

I used the applicator brush to dot the tint onto my cheeks, and then used the elf Small Stipple Brush to blend it out. The pigment sinks into the skin very quickly, I found it best to just dot one cheek at a time and blend quickly! I used two layers of the tint on both my lips and cheeks for the photo above,just to see how the colour built up. Lollitint definitely packs a bigger, brighter punch than its warmer toned sister, Posietint.

Pair it with...

..the Essence Stay With Me Lipgloss in the shade "Deep Rose" is a pretty neutral/cool toned pink gloss with a hint of very fine shimmer, and looks really pretty over the tint. I find these tints a little too drying on the lips to wear alone, and will continue to experiment with some other shades and combinations.

Is a flirty flush your cup of tea? ...Like a pretty pop on your kisser?...Then Lollitint will be for you!

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Blessings,

Lou xo

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ELF Baked Eyeshadows: Photos,Swatches and Review

Last week us Aussies had some exciting news...elf ( eyes-lips-face ) cosmetics are now being sold in Kmart! Hooray! Whilst I have come across the odd little stand here and there, it is really nice to finally be able to look at, touch and feel products first hand, and to be able to take them home the same day!

 I haven't had a chance to check out my local store, so I am not sure exactly which products they are stocking, however I thought I would share some thoughts and swatches of three of the baked eyeshadow shades that I own. I purchased these from the Australian website, here for $8.00 AU each.

One of the features of baked products is that you can use them wet or dry, depending on the depth of colour, or finish that you are after.

Elf Baked Eyeshadow - "Burnt Plum"

This is a beautiful plummy-brown shimmer, perfect for adding depth to the outer corner/crease. Excellent pigmentation and colour pay off.

Elf Baked Eyeshadow - "Pixie"

A very pretty warm peachy-pink with gold shimmer, and could double as a blush/highlight. Nicely pigmented, though not as smooth on application as Burnt Plum.

Elf Baked Eyeshadow - "Toasted"

A stunning golden bronze that boarders on a metallic finish, the softest and smoothest of the shades I own, highly pigmented...gorgeous! It works perfectly as an "all over the lid" shade, blend up into the crease, and you're done.

L-R  Burnt Plum,  Pixie,  Toasted

Swatched in natural light

L-R   Burnt Plum,  Pixie,  Toasted

Top row-wet
Bottom row-dry

As you can see from the photo above, using these shadows wet really enhances both the depth of colour, and the finish. I am particularly taken with Burnt Plum and Toasted...

There are six shades in the baked eyeshadow range available on elf's Australian website. The other shades available are  "Enchanted" "Bark" and "Dusk".

I have a few other single eyeshadows and a couple of blushes from elf''s Studio line, do let me know if you would like to see some swatches.

Do let me know your favourite elf products in the comments section, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Lou xo

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TARTE: CC MATTE be MATTEnificent Palette, Photos, Swatches and Review

As soon as a I saw a picture of this palette, I just knew in my 'makeup heart' that I would love to own one of my own. The lovely Zoe from Zoeblogsbeauty posted a picture of this palette on Instagram, and whilst we were chatting ( and drooling) she let me know about Tarazz, an online site that purchases and ships Tarte (and many other brands), to Australia on your behalf from Sephora. 

And so my journey began...

This is my first experience with Tarte products, after hearing so much about them on You Tube and reading many blogs. It was always one of those unattainable brands, being very difficult to source in Australia. Such difficulties typically result in one wanting something even more!! Am I right?

The CC Matte 'be MATTEnificent' palette from Tarte is also my first all matte eyeshadow palette.

Yes...she is lovely.

I am by no means an eyeshadow officianado, however I have some photos, swatches and thoughts to share with you, and also a little bit about my shopping experience with Tarazz.

An extensive and detailed review of this palette can be found on Temptalia's website, which you can find here

Oh My....stunning packaging

In collaboration with Hollyannaeree, there are two "look" ideas included to follow.
A double ended brush comes with the palette. The shorter flatter shader brush packs colour on nicely, while the small precise blending end is quite stiff, and picks up the perfect amount of colour to slowly build up and blend the crease and defining shades.

Swatched in natural light no primer.

Far Left  'elevated'  blush
Top Row L-R 'sand out from the crow'  'peach for the stars'  'two plums up'
Bottom Row L-R  'pink outside the box'  'rose to the occasion'  'view from the taupe'

Left - 'dream in chocolate' 

Right - 'don't stand black' 

I have been using 'dream in chocolate'  as my go to liner...it is stunning. I push it into my upper lash line with a small, stiff angled brush. It beautifully lines your lashes for more subtle definition. I have put away my liquid liner. Both these shades are soft and creamy, and very nicely pigmented.

The Beauty Vine's Ramble

I can safely say that I have used this palette every day since she arrived. Now this may be partially due to the fact that it is my first all matte palette, and that it is new. Having said that, I find it perfect for an every day natural eye look, which is primarily what I do on the daily.

Packaging

The packaging, apart from being sooooo pretty, is strong, sturdy and luxurious.
 It has a lovely full size mirror, and a nice quality double ended brush included which I have used and enjoy.


Texture

All of the eyeshadows are definitely matte, however in my humble opinion I believe when you apply the blush to the cheeks a tiny little sheen appears.

All shades are beautifully soft, and feel like silk to touch. If you are heavy handed with your brush you will kick up a lot of product. I just gently press my brush into the pan.

With the exception of the two liner shades and 'view from the taupe', they are quite powdery, however the pigment glides over the skin so beautifully. Definitely not one to fluff your brush about in like you're mixing up a batch of pikelets. Just be gentle.


On The Lids

I have tested the shadows both with and without a primer.

Without Primer : I found the colour payoff to be very good on my light/medium skin tone and the shadows lasted about 8 hours without fading or creasing on my oily eyelids.

With Primer :  I am currently using Bare Minerals Prime Time eyeshadow primer, and put these shadows to the test for a ten hour night shift delivering babies. And the end of my shift, close to 12 hours after application I had a tiny bit of creasing in the inner half of my lid...otherwise it still looked beautiful. The addition of primer improved the depth and colour payoff considerably, and would likely be a necessary step for you if you have a deeper skin tone.

I have only used the blush in elevated a couple of times. Tarte blushes have such a lot of hype around them, I was just so excited about owning one! Elevated is a new shade in the range of amazonian clay blushes.
In the swatch above I really had to work to build up the colour. It is a beautiful universal shade, though I was a little over excited building up the colour one day, and found it to look a little muddy on my cheeks. Now this is likely to be user error, but I need to do a little more playing with this one. If you have a medium to deeper skin tone I am not confident that it would be enough for you?


My Current Fav Combo

'sand out from the crowd'  all over the lid up to the brow bone
'rose to the ocassion'  in the crease and blend just above the crease
'dream in chocolate' to line the upper lash line
'pink outside the box' inner corner and brow highlight


Shopping with Tarazz

My shopping experience with Tarazz was very positive. I have nothing negative to say.

Have a browse here

Tarazz markets itself as an online shopping mall, and that is a great way of describing it.

You can shop for women and mens apparel, homewares, luggage, children's toys and of course beauty.
You are purchasing from the actual stores, with Tarazz as your middle man.


From pressing the 'confirm payment' button ( *heart rate rises*) to the palette arriving on my doorstep from the US was 9 days in total. Nice.

I received three emails during that time informing me of each stage of my order. I knew where my order was, and its next destination.

It was well wrapped in bubble wrap and packaged securely, and arrived in perfect condition.

I paid $48.13 AU for the palette, and $15.00 for shipping.
$63.13 in total, which I believe is great value for 8 good sized eyeshadows, and a great sized blush, all wrapped up in a beautiful palette.

This is Limited Edition!!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please feel free to leave a question below in the comments section, or just tell me all of your favourite Tarte products!

Blessings,

Lou xo

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