Review: Illamasqua Skinbase

Today I’m reviewing Illamasqua’s Skinbase, a foundation/BB cream I purchased recently from Myer for $41. My shade is 8.5. Hope you guys like the new format of my posts – I think it looks a lot better and more structured than my previous reviews.

Here are some pics and my initial thoughts…

This is a really travel friendly foundation because it’s easy and light to pack in your bag, but also because the formula is similar to a BB cream which combines skincare, primer and foundation into one. It doesn’t contain SPF, though. My first thought when I tried it on in-store was that it gave me an incredibly flawless finish with so little product. It does live up to the hype in that my skin looks amazing after I’ve applied it, yet natural and feels comfortable on the skin. It’s not too pricey too for the amount of product you’re getting.

Stylish travel makeup bags

Lately I’ve been obsessed with makeup pouches and bags, particularly those for travel. Why settle for a boring PVC case when you jazz it up with cute patterns and stylish designs? Here are my picks.

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April favourites

Now that April is done and dusted, I thought I’d share some of my favourite products this past month. It was all about bright colours, fruity scents and classic products.

Hautelook ships to Australia

I can’t believe I’ve only just realised that Hautelook is available to Australian shoppers, but better late than never! For those of you unfamiliar, Hautelook is a member-only shopping website providing time-sensitive sales on clothing, beauty products, homewares and so on. It’s like OzSale but better, and currently only ships to the USA, Canada and Australia.

Today’s sales are pretty good: Decleor (Paris skincare brand), Vincent Longo (US makeup brand beloved by YouTube makeup artists) and True Religion jeans. I believe they also had Tarte Cosmetics last week. BUT (and there always is a but) I’ve just realised that select cosmetics don’t ship to Australia, which pretty much means I can’t buy any Decleor or Vincent Longo products :(

Hautelook, please start shipping these products (and cosmetics/skincare in general) to Australia.

Nevertheless, here are my picks for those based in the US or Canada:

  

Above: Vincent Longo Eye Shadow Trio in Symphony, Trastevere and Biscotti ($13 each) ; Day Play Duo Blush in Temple Beach ($15).

I love the finishes of the eyeshadows, they look so incredibly pigmented and smooth. I also love the names! I also really like duo blushes and bronzers, they’re great for travel.

Above: Decleor Normal Skin Starter Kit ($25), 3 in 1 bonus size cleanser ($25) and Essential Tonifying Lotion ($16).

The prices are really good for Decleor, I believe the range retails for above $60 in Australia (at Mecca Cosmetica).

If anyone knows where I can purchase both Vincent Longo and Decleor online please let me know! 

 

Get to know me: the beauty blogger tag

I came across this tag from Beauty Broadcast and thought it sounded quite interesting (although a bit long) and thought I’d do it too! I’ll try to keep my responses short…

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

My hair is naturally straight with a little bit of a wave.

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I haven’t dyed my hair in nearly 5 years! I prefer my natural hair colour, which is blackish brown (when I did dye it, I tried highlights, lighter brown hair etc which looking back on wasn’t a good decision). Also, I only go to a salon once my hair grows too thick/long, which is usually 2x or 3x a year to get layers. Otherwise, I trim my side swept fringe myself every 2 months. I don’t really fuss with my hair too much, it’s pretty low-maintenance!

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

I wish I could be bothered to change up my style, but unfortunately I’ve worn it down every day for years… I don’t use ANY hair products on my hair and let it air dry after a shower. Sometimes (rarely) I use my GHD straightener to add a flick to the end of my hair and my fringe. When I’m house cleaning, around the house or running errands I do put it in a ponytail though.

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I have been to a nail salon but again, it’s rare – probably once or twice a year! While it does feel good to have someone clean, prep and paint your nails, it can get expensive on a regular basis. On my own, I give myself a mani every 2 weeks, and a pedi every 3 weeks (I don’t notice chipping as much on my toes).

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

For my fingers – I change my polish every 2 weeks along with doing a mani, and sometimes weekly if it’s starting to chip. I veer from reds/brights to neutrals, soft pinks and pastels – anything except super dark colours on my nails. Same for toes, except I go a little brighter/bolder.

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

I polish them in the winter and summer, although more so in summer because I wear open-toed shoes.

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

Typically during the week, I take 15-20 minutes to get “work-ready”. This involves really simple, neutral eyes and lips. I spend most of this time getting flawless skin. On weekends, I take about 10 minutes as I don’t use foundation/tinted moisturiser. Hmm, that actually sounds pretty low-maintenance for me! :)

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Face first! I always feel like I’d mess up the eyes if I applied base after eye makeup, as I tend to go closely under the eyes with concealer and foundation. On weekends when I don’t wear foundation, I still do the face first (skincare, blush, bronzer).

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

Yes, I’m a collector of makeup! :) I never felt comfortable just having one of each makeup item if you know what I mean, e.g. one eyeliner, one mascara, one blush and one foundation and that’s it. Because I always change my mind, I need to have multiples of each item in different colours, finishes and brands. However, that’s not to say when a new collection comes out, I buy every piece. More like, I choose 1 or 2 I like from it and purchase those instead.

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Not at all. I guess that’s where I differ from most beauty bloggers/makeup artists. I know how to put them on clients, but for myself I don’t like the way false lashes feel on my eyes (too heavy and I can’t see properly!) even if they’re lightweight. Mascara works for me :)

11. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

During the week, yes, but on the weekend I try to keep it minimal. Anyway, what I consider a full face may not be so to everyone. To me, it’s a light coverage foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer, eyeshadow, brows, mascara, lipstick and face powder. On an everyday basis I don’t do the whole contour/highlight thing.

12. Do you wear makeup when you’re home alone or with family?

If I’m by myself at home, no – in fact I wouldn’t recommend popping by on a lazy Sunday because you’d probably be shocked at my appearance :) When I’m out at a family dinner/gathering, yes, but if I’m just going over to my mum’s, no.

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Yes, I will, but it’s not often. At the very least I do my brows and put on concealer, but usually I end up doing slightly more than that (+ blush and eyeliner).

14. How many high-end products do you have?

Hmm… I haven’t counted, but I would say 65% of my makeup and skincare products are high-end. I consider high-end to be luxury brands such as Chanel, Hourglass, Dior, Bobbi Brown (brands you can find on a department store cosmetics floor). I prefer to use higher end skincare products in particular. I also have a lot of mid-tier brands, for example MAC, the Sephora in-house brand, Bare Minerals, Tarte and Stila (about 20% of my stash). The last 15% are drugstore brands, although I wouldn’t call them cheap in Australia. A Revlon lippie is still like $17 at Priceline so that’s probably why I prefer to pay a little more for mid-tier brands. That being said, most of my drugstore buys are Revlon, Maybelline, NYX, NYC and Face of Australia.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you’re getting dressed?

For work, I almost always set out my outfit the night before. You wouldn’t believe how much time it saves in the morning!

16. How often do you change your handbag?

I change my handbag once a week (this also prevents buildup of random products in my bag like old receipts, tissues and makeup products).

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

I get up at 6.30 am and go to sleep around 11 pm or 12 midnight. On weekends, I go to sleep around the same time but wake up at 10 am. what can I say, I need my beauty rest :)

18. How often or when do you workout?

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but probably once a week at the gym. I walk everywhere though, but  I do realise I need to workout more often.

19. Left handed or right handed?

Right.

20. How tall are you?

I’m not sure, but the last time I checked I was 158 cm (I’m quite short).

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

Yes – Chinese. I used to speak conversational French, but that’s slipped away now :(

22. How many pets do you have?

I don’t have any pets, because I live in a small apartment. I would like a cat or dog though someday.

23. How often are you on WordPress?

I blog when I can, about 2 or 3 times a week in a good week. Because of full time work it’s difficult to post everyday, but I read tons of fashion/beauty blogs on a daily basis.

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

Rarely for other people’s blogs but for mine, yes. I also try and respond to all of them.

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

Yes, I scribble them down on a piece of paper which inadvertently gets lost…

26. How did you come up with your blog name?

It pretty much sums up ‘me’ – my regular life plus my passion for makeup products and artistry, equals Life + Makeup.

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

I use a Canon S95, it’s excellent for a point and shoot camera.

28. How often do you clean your house?

Weekly.

29. What’s your favorite color?

Pale peach or pale pink (like a blush or champagne colour). Mint is another favourite too.

30. Do you swear?

No.

31. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Today’s a public holiday (ANZAC Day) so I’ll probably be enjoying a lazy day: Brunch, some cleaning up around my apartment, hopefully writing a few makeup reviews and finishing a guest post for Beauty & Sugar.com.

Review: Clarins Lip Perfector in Rose Shimmer

Clarin’s Instant Light Lip Perfector, best described as a shiny and sheer lip gloss that blurs lip imperfections, is one of the brand’s top sellers. I purchased the shade in 01 Rose Shimmer (pink) although I have the 02 shade in Apricot Shimmer as well. They are $26 at David Jones or Myer for 12ml. I got mine from Myer.

Below is an image (also along with some other Essence products and a Butter London nail polish in Henley Regatta, which I reviewed here). The Essence review will probably come soon in the next few days.

Review: Revlon Baby Stick in 3 shades

Revlon sent me the cutest little gift in the mail today – a trio of Baby Sticks in the shades Pink Passion, Sunset and Tahitian. These stick blushes are not available for sale in Australia and New Zealand but I know they have just been released in the UK and USA. They retail for $10.79 each in the US, which to me seems pretty expensive for such a diminutively-sized product.

Read on for my first impressions!

Trend: Eyeshadow sticks

I’ve been seeing a lot of brands come up with eyeshadow sticks or eyeshadow pencils these days, and while it’s not a new concept, this trend has certainly come back into vogue. I’m glad to say that while the packaging looks identical to the eyeshadow sticks that were so popular in the early to mid 2000′s, they are now MUCH longer wearing :)

I think the appeal lies in its convenience and portability. These eyeshadows are perfect for the girl on the go – just twist up and swipe in the morning and blend quickly with a finger. Eyeshadow sticks are also much more travel-friendly than bulkier eye palettes or individual pan eyeshadows. They’re called a variety of names depending on how creative the brand wants to get – sticks, crayons, jumbo pencils… the list goes on.

Today, I’ll show you some of my favourites and some I haven’t tried but want to try:

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick (A$44)

These were some of the first eyeshadow sticks I tried this year, and I absolutely adore them. They come in a small but well-edited range of colours. What I like most about the shade range is that they’re all wearable, even the purples, greens and blues – because they’re not too bright.  That’s not to say they’re not pigmented though, as they definitely have a great colour payoff. They’re just more subdued shades.

As for the texture, some are metallic finishes and some are matte, which really surprised me as I’ve not seen any matte eyeshadow sticks so far on the market.

Think of this product as their long-wear cream eyeshadows in a stick version – equally as long-wearing and dries to a powder texture, except the sticks are slightly more emollient than the pot version. I think you have around 20 seconds longer to ‘play’ around with the eyeshadow before it sets.

My favourite shades are: Golden Pink (shimmering pink-peach) and Shadow (smokey blue-gray)