The NARS Domination Cheek Palette

Long time no post! If you follow me on Instagram then you may know that I'm currently in America and I did have a few posts ready to go but travels have just got in the way! Anyway read on for some blush-tastic fun.

I'm sure a lot of you out there will agree with me that when it comes to blush, NARS seriously knows their stuff. They're pigmented as all..everything, they apply beautifully and come in a range of shades both shimmer and matte. Each time NARS has launched a cheek palette in Australia they have sold out ridiculously quickly or just haven't even made their way to our counters so I've always missed out. Until now. One glorious day, @beautylocale welcomed a very exciting new Instagram follower- the beautiful people at @narsissist. There were squeals, an excited morning dance and a message offering a thank you gift for being such a devoted fan. Well I'm hardly going to say no am I?!

I was kindly sent the Domination Cheek palette which just made my day. The palette contains two blushes, a highlight and the forever cult- Laguna bronzer which was actually my first ever high end makeup purchase! Their two cult classics- Laguna and Orgasm blush are the larger of the four in the palette but they're the two I think I would get most use from anyway. I'd always steered away from shimmery blushes thinking they would just draw attention to any uneven texture on my skin but from a deluxe sample size of Orgasm in the Beautyloop box before last, all that has changed. I've found myself reaching for it very regularly and love the way it looks especially now the weather is warming up.

I haven't properly cracked this open for use but I did do a quick swatch for this post. No surprise the colours are gorgeous, quality is most definitely there and I have not one bad word to say about it.

Devotee, Orgasm, Mistinguette & Laguna

Source

Ps. Any Orange Is The New Black fans out there will 100% understand this picture but I just couldn't think of any better way to sum up my feelings towards this palette.

The 'Blogger Made Me Buy It' Tag

I first saw this idea on Sophie's (Born to Buy) blog; a dedication to those products that you've been influenced to purchase by beauty bloggers, vloggers and the like. I've been reading blogs and watching beauty gurus/obsessives for years now and can definitely say that my purchases are very much influenced by other peoples' reviews. From years of experience of buying products for the sake of it, for their pretty packaging or because they were on offer instore or online, I have gone through my fair share of disappointing products. Most of which have ended up elsewhere in good homes with my gal pals but a small portion have just been tossed in the bin. In more recent times I've made the conscious effort to review my products (for the most part) before actually making the purchase. Of course most products work differently for people so I've still ended up with some disappointing products and ones that have been more than disappointing but the failure margin is definitely much smaller.

So when I saw Sophie's tag I wanted to take part, even if I haven't officially been tagged I just loved the idea! On initial thought I was like errr but 99% of your purchases are blogger endorsed or influenced but there are definitely a fair few- favourites and less than, that have been purchased purely on so and so's recommendation. Here are my picks!

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

First and foremost, the palettes that can be found in almost every beauty obsessives' stash. I waited to buy one of the Naked palettes when I was overseas so I could see them in person and decide instore. I went for Naked 2 but now I think I'd prefer the original. I'm not sure if it's because my taste has changed or whatever the reason, I just always feel these colours look better on other people when I've done their eyes. Don't get me wrong the quality is there so I don't regret buying this palette I'm just not sure about all the shades for me. In saying that there are a couple that I often reach for.

Make Up Store Matt Foundation in Ivory

I'd seen Chloe Morello using this in quite a few tutorials and from what she'd said, I thought we had a similar combination skin type. I went to their Paddington store, got colour matched and the lovely lady (Maria if I'm not wrong) did say that this would be good for me as someone with combination/oily skin. I bought it mainly for my 21st party because I didn't feel like I had a good matching foundation at the time. I don't love the finish it left especially in photos but it's an ok foundation. Light-medium coverage, buildable, colour match is perfect but I don't particularly like how this wears on my skin. I did wear it quite regularly when I bought it and since then but it's not one of my go-to favourites.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 103 True Ivory

A combination of British bloggers are to blame for this one I think however as I mentioned before, I used to be extremely easily swayed by these beauty gurus. A foundation said to make your skin look fresh and 'awake' I was keen! In the uni days when sleep was scarce I thought this would be a good one for faking that I'd had a solid night's sleep. I did like the finish on my skin but one day I wore it and one of my friends remarked at how shimmery my face looked.. when someone tells you that you stop wearing it. My mind immediately went to disco ball shimmer and I was like nooooo thank you. This foundation does have a slight shimmer to it which is what brightens the complexion but the fact that it was that noticeable I wasn't a big fan of; much prefer the Wake Me Up concealer. 

L'Oreal True Match Foundation in N2 Vanilla

First bought this on holiday in the UK when I realised I'd gone over without a good base product, anticipating that I'd buy one fairly soon after arriving apparently. So I popped to the nearest Boots chemist and went for something I'd heard good things about; so of course I opted for True Match. Matched myself as best I could which was actually a shade or two darker than Vanilla but perfect for summer holiday skin. I wore this all through my holiday and when I was home. I only stopped when my tan wore off so it no longer matched me but a repurchase in the shade Vanilla fixed that dilemma! I don't tend to wear this on super hot days because I don't find it lasts amazingly well on my combination skin but otherwise I really like the finish.

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara

Lauren Curtis. Do I have to say anymore? The girl has lashes to envy so I bought this mascara that she swears by. I ordered it online and may have even ordered a backup hoping I would love it plus at under $5 you haven't got too much to lose. The wand is simple and straight, doesn't curve, doesn't flare out at the end which I prefer because I use my right hand to do both eyes so sometimes things can look a little uneven. I've heard mixed reviews on this mascara and the only thing I can say is have patience and let it dry out after a few days use; it will become a lot more user friendly and not such a wet formula as horrible as that sounds. I recently just opened another tube and remembered why people would struggle with it but trust me once it's a bit drier it works a treat!

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick Number 3 

If these lipsticks are anything to go by, I'm definitely not the only sucker for beautiful makeup packaging. The casing of these lipsticks is enough to charge what they do for them (almost) but the lipsticks themselves definitely match in standard. I can't pin point one blogger or vlogger who influenced me to join the Volupte fam but more like the cohort as a whole. So many people have and adore at least one of these lipsticks and I'm no different. A beautiful shade range and texture, if you haven't at least swatched one of these then I recommend you do!

NARS Eyeshadow Primer
This among maaaaaaaany other products is the result of Anna's (ViviannaDoesMakeup) raving review. She'd said she much preferred it to the Urban Decay Primer Potion which funnily enough I had just finished but I did like it. I had no reason not to repurchase it other than I wanted to try something new plus NARS is slightly more accessible for us Aussies. Not much to say about this one but it well and truly does it's job; my eyeshadow is still looking crease-free and fairly in tact by the time I'm ready to go to bed and fully remove my makeup.

MAC Lipstick in Brave
Or really just MAC lipsticks in general however Brave was much raved about by Sammi from thebeautycrush who is the complete opposite to me in terms of colouring but I thought it's not too nude so I can't go wrong.. right? RIGHT! Brave quickly became my absolute favourite for day or night, it's just a perfect your lips but better shade, super flattering, goes with all kinds of makeup looks and I just love it. On it's own or with a gloss over the top I can see myself repurchasing this lipstick many a time.

NARS Ita Brush
The brush that sculpts out your cheekbones as if you were born with a perfect bone structure. The shape of this brush really does it all, it may almost look like a paint brush but with this you can carve out the hollows of your cheeks seriously easily as well as defining the rest of your face- jawline, nose etc. whatever takes your fancy! I think this purchase was mostly influenced by makeup queen Jaclyn Hill who's makeup is always looking flawless. She's certainly not the only one to use it though, this brush can be seen firmly attached to many a bloggers' hand.

There we have some of my most influenced purchases! What are the products, favourite or not, that you were influenced to purchase? I wasn't tagged to do this so I unofficially tag anyone and everyone to do this, feel free to leave me a link if you do!

Click here to read Sophie's post!

Haircare Do Care

I used to be pretty lax with my hair. I'd wash it, maybe pop a drop or two of MorrocanOil in and then just let it air dry. Those were the days.. the school/uni days; however those are no more. Now I get up with enough time to wash my hair and tame it a bit to make it look like I put in enough effort to turn up to my retail job and look presentable. The lazy days (for the most part) are sadly a thing of the past. So there are three products that I've been reaching for to make my hair dry more quickly, look extra healthy and prevent damage from heat and styling.

In order of application, we first of all have John Frieda's Brilliant Brunette Liquid Shine which was bought on Amelia Liana's recommendation. If you know of her, you'll know she has luscious, long locks that would be the envy of many a woman. She posted before & after photos when using this and even though I'm sure camera flash had a bit to do with it, you could tell a difference in shine. Running this through very slightly towel dried hair, it adds a gloss and shine that makes the lengths of my hair appear much healthier especially when it catches the light. I think applying this before properly blow drying your hair would be even more effective but I generally just do a shabby high force, medium heat gust of air all over my head.

While I apply my makeup, I put my hair up into my turby towel which is one of those quick drying towels (side note: honest lifesaver) and this makes a world of difference. For a lady with longish, thick hair, having one of these towels cuts my drying time in at least half, if not thirds. Makeup, lunch prep, outfit decisions etc. usually takes 20-30..40 minutes so my hair is up in my towel for that time; then we spritz through the most recent addition to the Bathroom cabinet which is the Bumble & Bumble Invisible Oil Protective Primer. I bought my Mum the Invisible Oil at the beginning of the year (which may or may not have been one of those gifts that we can "share") but we both really like it. It's more lightweight than other oils I've tried; hence the name 'Invisible' I would presume but it doesn't leave my hair feeling weighed down. Sorry got sidetracked there! The Primer is a newer launch for B&B which was released with an accompanying shampoo and conditioner. I was a fan of the oil, saw this launch in the UK, I think I maybe read one review and just bought it. I consulted the MeccaCosmetica assistant, she hadn't tried it, thought yolo and it was mine.  I like to spritz this through the lengths of my hair post towel-dry, as well as the fronts which get a lot of heat. Like the oil, the smell is very nice and because it's a spray, again it isn't heavy or feels like it's building up in my hair. When I use this I do skip a separate heat protectant because this can do it all!

Last but not least, if things are looking a little unloved and dry, I like to apply the Goldwell Elixir* to the ends of my hair which also works well for smoothing and taming after I've blow dried. This again is very lightweight and thinner than other hair oils I've tried. A very pleasant scent and you only need 1-2 pumps to do your entire head; keeping in mind I have longer hair. I do avoid applying oils to the roots of my hair just so it doesn't go greasy super quickly but from the mid-lengths down, this works a treat!

(*kindly sent to me for consideration)

Summer Scrubbin'

Even though Sydney wants to trick us into thinking it's already here, Summer is not here just yet but the shorter hemlines, bare legs and arms are already making their way out! The sun has been seriously shining these past couple of weeks and I can't say I was 100% prepared (my arms and legs are still rocking a ghostly shade of white) however I did have one product on hand to ease myself into this warm weather thing.

If you read my post a couple of weeks ago from the Body Shop summer preview then you would have seen I purchased the Argan Oil Rough Scrub scrub from their new Argan range. The scrub is one of the more jelly type exfoliators that they have, others are a little more creamy which is more similar to what I'd used before so I was very intrigued by this one. The scent had me at first sniff, I love the smell of argan products and this is no different- slightly sweet, fresh and just a pleasant scent. As the name suggests, it is quite a rough scrub and the size of the particles is perfect for a great exfoliation! I like to use this 2-3 times a week to ensure there's no scaly limbs looming in the cold weather's shadows. Especially followed by Lush's Ro's Argan Body Conditioner in the shower or one of my Aesop Body Balms once I'm out of the shower.

This scrub will have your limbs summer ready in no time! What are your favourite products to get your skin summer ready?

The Wild Argan Oil Rough Scrub is available from Body Shop stores and online for $23.95.

The It Cosmetics 'Naturally Pretty' Palette

Ohh matte shadows, how I love thee so. Sometimes I just don't feel like shimmer and crave a matte eye; I don't know what it is but I'm really drawn to matte products and the look of them. I've got quite a few single matte eyeshadows from various brands but I've never found a complete palette with the right shades, right formula and just all round the bomb.com until now. It Cosmetics isn't really a brand that's readily available in Australia but of course I've seen it mentioned on YouTube, blogs and the like. I trawl through Instagram all day, errday (@beautylocale if you were wondering) and when I saw this beauty pop up on Shameless Fripperie's feed I was all over it. Scrolled through the comments and saw she bought it from PM Studio in Waterloo, Sydney and it was mine. I didn't physically go to the store, I decided to just buy it online and pay a small shipping fee but they also stock some other hard to find brands as well like Make Up For Ever, Cover FX, Viseart and lots more. 

Within a few days it arrived and that was it. I was hooked. Karima (Shamless Fripperies) posted a video on her first impressions of this which I didn't even watch before I purchased however I did read a couple of reviews, had a look at more close up photos and asked no more questions. I can't find it on their site at the moment but from memory this came in under $50 which for 14 shadows and a pearl transformer is incredibly well priced. I used the palette non-stop for at least a week which is unlike me; with new products I often use them once or twice, alternate and come back to it every few days but this was glued to my morning face routine. Even after months of using this palette I reach for it almost everyday if not for a complete look then for matte shades to run through the crease.

Top Row

Bottom Row

The colour selection is so versatile and great for day and night. The shadows themselves are phenomenal and beautifully pigmented; super easy to work with and blend like a dream. I never thought of reaching for orangey and more red toned shadows (rather than a cranberry) but I surprise myself at how often my little MAC 217 gravitates to Sunrise and Sunset. With the 14 shadows, comes a larger 'Pearl Transformer' which is meant to transform any of the matte shadows to a shimmer. I'm not 100% sold on the transformer, I've found it changes the colour as well as adding shimmer so it's not what I always want but I do like it for a brow and inner corner highlight. 

You can see from the photos how well loved the palette is considering a lot of the IT stampings have disappeared but I just can't rave enough about how good this palette is and the shadows themselves. The only thing I'm not such a big fan of is the felted packaging because it's already got grimy fingerprints on it and I haven't really travelled with it that much at all. Because it's a material cover, it does pick up anything that's on your fingertips but I can work past that. 

Blurred Lines

Pores. The bane of most womens' existence unless you've been blessed by the angels with perfect skin that is. However, to aid those of us who need a little blurring assistance, beauty companies have launched an abundance of 'blurring' primers to fill pores, blur imperfections and prep your skin for a flawless base. This is a big task for one little product and some have been able to fill the task for my skin and others have given it a good go but have just underperformed.

I've tried a mix of affordable and high end primers that claim to blur imperfections and any fine lines. Here are my brief thoughts on those that I have tried, keeping in mind I do have combination skin and I am quite conscious of the pores next to and on my nose. Ain't nobody got time for foundation sinking into those crevasses on your face and looking like a hot mess!

Ps. Yes I also cringed at the title of this post but I just had to do it. #sorrynotsorry 

The Good:

Hourglass. I swear if I paid myself every time I wrote about this little gem I'd be a squilionaire. However, to avoid boring anyone that's read any of my previous posts I won't repeat myself. It's fabby fab fab. Go to Mecca or your equivalent (Sephora, Space NK etc) and get a tester or just try it on your hand and introduce yourself. Get acquainted quickly because the love affair will be intense. FYI this is bottle number two if you were thinking this looks a little too fresh.

Benefit Porefessional- Again a product I feel needs little introduction but I like to use this in conjunction with my Hourglass Veil as that does more for general smoothing then Porefessional swoops in and fills in any pores and creates the base I wish I had. Does great things for maintaining oil as well but I prefer to just use this on my nose and the areas beside it.

Body Shop Instablur- I bought this one on a bit of a whim; I was perusing the site for new body products and Instablur was being advertised on the home page at the time- obviously as it was newly released. I hadn't heard much about it at all so I did a quick google and read maybe one or two reviews and thought I'd try it out, why not?! At the time I bought it, it was $28.95 which is still half the price of Porefessional but now they've lowered their prices, it's only $21.95- a steal! This product does wonders for mattifying, pore filling and general smoothing of my base. I also find it works perfectly with Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet whereas that + Hourglass Veil is not such a good time. Once again I recommend heading into a Body Shop store and trying this out on your hand, it will look instantly better! Plus they advertise this as an Instagram filter for your face. You don't have to tell me twice! Now that the product has been out a few more months and they've done PR for it, I've seen a lot more positive reviews from beauty bloggers worldwide if you want to know more.

The not as Good:

L'Oreal Magic Blur-  I actually squealed a little when I saw this finally hit the shelves in Priceline. Bloggers in the US had been raving about this product for months and months before we even saw a glimpse of the range. However, it must be different. For starters our packaging is very different and from what I can tell from videos and photos, so is the consistency and texture. I found this was ok in terms of smoothing pores but did absolutely nothing for controlling oil, maybe even made this look a little worse..

Innoxa Skin Perfecting Pore Vanishing Cream- Why you got such a long name for?? I made this purchase on hearing it was a great drugstore alternative to Porefessional which I already owned so more wanted to do a comparison. From memory this is like a third of the price of Porefessional so would be a great more affordable option. It is slightly thinner than Porefessional, still skin toned and does an ok job of filling in pores but like the L'Oreal, I feel it did more bad than good for controlling oil in my T-Zone.

I'm not saying either of those products are horrendous, they're just not as good and therefore don't get reached for as much. Which are your favourite 'blurring primers'? Have you tried any of these?

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.