New in | NARS Audacious Lipsticks

You know you have beautiful friends in your life when an after work Mecca swatch session becomes a mental note for future birthday gifts. This was the case for me when one of my work pals turned up with that familiar eggplant shade of shopping bag and handed me makeup heaven from MeccaCosmetica. Inside contained the new Nars Audacious lipsticks. Two of them in fact. You can imagine the internal silent squeals at my desk. They happened. Anyway she knows how grateful I am and all the feels so let's crack on with the beauty.. crack..?

Barbara & Fanny

Nars' most recent launch of their Audacious lipsticks and liners created quite a kerfuffle in the beautysphere I must say. I'm not sure if it was because they got a total revamp in packaging, stamping the lot or if a new Nars launch is just that exciting. I think it may be a little of column A and a little of column B. The range was launched with 30 shades each named with a womans' name so added excitement points if one of them is yours! There's nudes, oranges, reds, pinks, vampy, they've launched them all so there's something for everyone.

On an Instagram trawl I'd spotted the shade Fanny but we all know that sometimes in photos colours can look a little off, especially for lipsticks and blushes. Not in this case; I flipped over almost every lipstick I thought was close in colour until I found her- Fanny; a beautiful deep raspberry shade I would say but not too wintery, it's definitely wearable in all months.

Barbara

The second shade she chose was Barbara-a beautiful brown toned nude, right up my alley! Apparently she wanted to get my Anita which we'd both admired in store but was told that Anita was a popular gal and sold out. Doesn't bother me, Barbara is a beautiful lady! I was worried it was going to be too nude on my pale skin but no issues whatsoever, it's perfect.

L- Fanny, R- Barbara

These lipsticks glide on, feel super comfortable on the lips and are easy to reapply. They retail for $44 each from MeccaCosmetica.

Product Reviews | The Best of the Minis

When it comes to things that are miniature in size, I'm a complete sucker. Whether it's deluxe samples or products that come in a small size, I can't resist, they're just too cute! (An advertiser's dream right here..) I've been collecting some of the miniatures that I have either acquired or purchased with a future blogpost in mind to share my thoughts and maybe endorse a few purchases..

Let's start with Benefit's Porefessional ($53AUD) There's no denying this is a serious 'cult' product that receives glowing reviews and I was lucky enough to get this deluxe sample size as a freebie with a magazine I bought when I was in the UK. Surprisingly this size lasted me a good while seeing as you only need a small amount and a year later I purchased the full size, again whilst overseas. This product is great for filling in pores and giving you an all around smoother appearance. Not sure how much this does in terms of mattifying your t-zone though but I do enjoy using it as more of a targeted area primer.

Origin's Super Spot Remover ($19AUD) Not a sample size, just adorably small. This may seem pricey for a spot gel but man oh man is it worth spending a bit extra. This stuff is definitely my go-to when my skin is acting out, I just pop it on before I go to bed and in the morning my spots are definitely reduced in redness and size. This dries it out without making the skin around the area too dry and flakey. I think this may be my second or third bottle..

Kiehl's Ultra Face Cream (from $34AUD) and Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense (from $38USD) Both of these deluxe samples were gift with purchase of the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Serum as a little rejuvenating pack I think. For an oily skin gal like me, I think the Ultra Face Cream would be too heavy generally for everyday use but at one point my skin was looking quite dehydrated and flakey and this fixed it right up! Hasn't sold me enough to purchase the full size but a good product nonetheless and I scraped the mini jar dry. Daily UV Defense is still going strong and I put this on underneath my makeup when I know I'll be outdoors rather than inside at work all day. With an SPF of 50+++ it definitely has the tick of approval for Australia's hot, Summer days and I feel well and truly protected when wearing it.

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer (from $25AUD) Hourglass, can you do no wrong?! Honestly, every product of theirs that I've tried, I've loved. It is quickly becoming one of my favourite high-end brands and this was no exception. This sample size came with my purchase of the Ambient Lighting Powder Palette and when I bought it the lovely assistant at Mecca Cosmetica slyly pointed out the free gift and told me I'd love it. Yep, she wasn't wrong. This primer is silky, radiant and beautiful and definitely gives my makeup lasting power for a long day at work and keeps my oiliness at bay as well as smoothing out my pores and general textural issues. And yes, I may have treated myself to the full size of this last week but in my defence I did have a voucher from Christmas to ease the blow to the bank account.

The luxury that is Chanel Mat Lumiere Foundation ($72AUD) This little tester is in the shade B30 which I was trialling along with B20. I have overcome my anxieties about approaching makeup counters for samples especially when I could be spending my pretty pennies on products that I end up not liking, which has happened all too often in the past! The lovely assistant at the David Jones Chanel counter helped to match me and suggested I try both B20 and B30 in natural light and see how they sat and oxidised on my skin throughout the day and wear. I thought I'd include this cute tester tube in this post purely for how adorable (and as it turned out, quite impractical) it is. Together with the Hourglass Primer, this is a winning duo and I decided to purchase the full size in shade B20 and then I can just use bronzer to warm it up when I need to.

Last but not least, Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara ($28AUD) This may seem like a gimmick and a completely unnecessary product but when you've got it, you can definitely see its necessity. I was lucky enough to pick this up at the Estee Lauder and Companies corporate store for a steal so I could justify the purchase. The minuscule wand is the perfect size for separating your bottom lashes without looking unnatural or clumpy. The formula is also non-smudging and long-wearing which is a must in order to avoid the sleepy panda look.

That's my wrap up of some recent minis that I've loved and as you've seen have influenced future purchases. These companies know how to rope you in!

Millie x

Christmas Beauty Wishlist 2013

With Christmas fast approaching, I thought I would put together a few of the beauty bits that I wouldn't mind receiving this Christmas. Beauty products are great for those girls (and boys) who like me, are beauty obsessed and love to try new things especially with so many companies bringing out amazing gift sets for the holiday seasons. Sadly, as I'm in Australia we don't get access to a lot of these like the glory of all glory sets that places like Sephora and UK stores stock however that doesn't mean we are left out completely.

My new job has meant that I'm now working in the city and sometimes a girl can't resist a cheeky window shop or swatch. One place that I seem to be gravitating to more and more is Mecca Cosmetica which is located in Myer as well as a freestanding store in the Galeries Victoria. Mecca Cosmetica if you are unfamiliar stocks beloved brands such as Nars, Hourglass, Stila and many many more. Their sister store Kit Cosmetics which is conveniently located very nearby stocks Smashbox, Too Faced, Korres, Soap & Glory and many many more. Mecca and Kit in particular are stocking some amazing sets at the moment suiting low and higher end budgets which would be amazing last minute gifts in the lead up to Christmas or for the people that you just don't know what to buy them!

Family and friends have been asking me what I would like for Christmas and as this year was my 21st and I was fortunate to receive some amazing gifts, I've found it a bit difficult to think of one thing that I would really love. In saying that there is always something beauty that I have my eye on. Here is a quick run down of my best picks!

NARS Velvet Lip Matte Pencil $39 - not in any particular shade, the pinks and reds both look stunning and I would get use out of any of their shades. I sadly missed out on the recent Guy Bourdin lip pencil set which apparently sold like hot cakes so if you were lucky enough to get your hands on one, I am quite jealous.

Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder $66 - this is a serious luxury product in terms of price point and I haven't been able to bring myself to spend the money on it yet (*keyword yet) but I have a feeling that once my current MAC matte bronzer hits pan, this beauty will be my next choice. Following the rave reviews of every youtuber and blogger, I've definitely been sucked in by the hype.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation $90- again this product is on the list due to the incredible amount of hype it received online this year. I haven't been colour matched nor tested it because every time I went to a counter they had run out of the little pots to put the tester in so this is not a definite match for my skin type but it is a certainty on the 'To Try' list.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation $68- this I picked up a sample in the shade Sand  when I purchased a corrector and lipgloss recently. I've used Bobbi Brown foundations when I was younger and seemed to get on with them quite well and in terms of this particular formula I took recommendation from Anna of Vivianna Does Make Up. The shade matched me really well, was a good coverage and from memory I think I only had to touch up and re-powder once throughout the day which is pretty successful for my oily/combination skin.

Lush Sea Spray $12.50- being Summer here the tousled beach look is still very much in and it seems like almost every company is bringing out their version of a sea spray or some kind of texturising spray. I've tried the Kevin Murphy Hair Resort Spray which I did enjoy so I would like to compare the two especially as they are very different in price. Also I always love Lush products for their natural ingredients.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation $68- even though as I mentioned I have oilier skin, I've read many reviews on this foundation from girls who claim to have a similar type and they still rave about it. So I'm keen to head to the lovely girls at Mecca and get their opinion as well as colour matched.

Bobbi Brown Blush Brush $82- this amount of money for a makeup brush for just an everyday gal like me, I even question. However it is claimed to be amazing and award-winning which I believe due to its great tapered shape and production. Also, Estee from Essie Button raves about this brush and she is another lady who always sucks me in with her recommendations.

Sorry for the rambling, Christmas and new beauty bits is all very exciting for me and there are definitely more products on my mental wishlist but I will not bore you any longer. I am definitely wanting to head to a Dior counter in the next few days and check out their new products for the season, the packaging looks enough to entice me!

Millie x