Smashbox Master Class 2 | Review & Swatches

The first time I had ever walked into a Sephora was when I first eyed this beauty.. the Smashbox Master Class 2 palette. I wasn't sure about it but when I found out the value I knew I had to have it. Definitely something that would come in handy for traveling (next time!) & in a makeup kit.

 

The Smashbox Master Class Palette 2 offers a huge range of eyeshadows, cream eyeliners, blush & highlighters; a great set for a beginner who is not really sure how to put together colour combinations &so they also don't have to spend up on lots of different products. 

Packaging: Encased in a hard case that is very similar to a book with how it feels & how it opens up with eyeshadows on the left, cream eyeliner, blush & highlighters on the right. The magnet is strong enough to keep the palette from opening by itself in your makeup bag. The colours are named on the plastic sleeve that protects the products on each side from coming into contact when it is closed,
which can be tucked underneath out of the way when using the palette.

Pigmentation: Although the shimmery & darker eyeshadows are pigmented they do need a base as I find it doesn't take long for them to start fading & they need a bit of a kick to get started. The lighter matte shadows do take a few swipes to show up. Cream eyeliner applies a bit patchy but it just needs a couple of layers & should be set with similar coloured eyeshadow. The Blush & highlighters are extremely pigmented & show up on first swatch.

Texture: Matte eyeshadows can come off a bit chalky & but the shimmery ones apply really smoothly & everything is easy to blend. Cream eyeliners have a perfect consistency where they glide on really easily & make for great bases underneath shadows. Blush feels very similar to the eyeshadows & the highlighters have a very shimmery finish without chunky glitter.

 Swatches

 Column 1 'Head Shot': Linen, Golden Orchid, Chestnut

    2 'Heliograph': Nectar, Peacock, Mocha

           3 'Focal Point': Champagne, Flamingo, Java

       4 'Quick Take': Vanilla, Ambient, Serpent

 1 'Cover Shoot': Flirt, Dusk, Haze

2 'Hyperfocal': Mist, Rose, Obsidian

3 'Vignette': Parfait, Amethyst, Aubergine

4 'Aristotype': Opal, Anchor, Ultramarine

 Top (bottom of left side in palette): Bliss, Wheat, Sable, Blackout

Bottom (Top of right side): Bronze, Midnight Purple, Picasso,Caviar

 Top: Carnation, Flush, Geranium

Bottom: Rosy, Suntan, Warm Apricot

 Lens, Shimmer

Overall, my favourite thing in this palette would have to be the blush. It would be so much more easier to go traveling and not having to bring 4 different blushers with you! I also like how the eyeshadows are set out in groups of 3 for a lid, brow bone & crease colour & each group has their own name for the type of look they could present, and then they have the classic blending colours that can be added to any look.
Something I don't get is the peachy toned highlighter, it looks like you've applied your blush too high, but the skin toned one is perfect. Instead of that highlighter, the bronzer which is among the blushes would be perfect in that place because of all things probably needs to be a decent size.

I am pretty sure this palette is limited edition so I apologize for that but I'm sure if you do miss out, they will release another one in the future.
You can pick this up from Sephora (once again, sorry to those in the Southern Hemisphere) for $59 and it has a $275 value, which means you get 40 different products for $1.47 each! I've also seen it on eBay for $79 which is still decent but it will most likely go up, so it pays to shop around.

I'd recommend this palette if you feel the need for extra shades & for a convenient palette but honestly I think many are very dupable as well, or f you'd rather have everything in one palette then this would be perfect!

xx

Too Faced Pretty Rebel | Review & Swatches

One of my favourite buys would have to be the Too Faced Pretty Rebel palette. Just look at it and you'll know why! I was so excited when I saw Thatgirlshae on Youtube use it & then realize that I was able to access it! Woot! Unfortunately it is Limited Edition so I am unsure if it is still around but if you are able to get your hands on this palette then do so if you're into dramatic, glittery makeup. Let's get on with it!

Packaging: kfnsbhr Just omg as if the packaging is not enough to make you want this palette! I adore the gold glitter, the black ribbons, the writing, just everything. It is very sturdy & compact enough for traveling, and not as long but as wide as the Naked palettes to give you an idea of size. It comes with a decent sized mirror, too.

Texture: There are two matte & 8 shimmery shadows, & a couple with hints of glitter. They are similar to the Urban Decay Naked palette shadows, buttery smooth but not crumbly unlike how Stila shadows can be.

Pigmentation: The swatches down below do not have a base & are only two swipes so you can see just how pigmented everything is. The matte cream colour is a little bit chalky but once under a base it comes up nicely. You probably could survive without a base & have them last all day, too.

Colours: There is a great selection of more neutral, blending colours to duochrome & dramatic colours so you can create different looks, but the selection is best for those who prefer colour & drama.

The back of the box that it came in

Swatches

L-R 1st Row: Dainty, Charming, Girly, Totally Fetch, Miss Sparkles

             2nd: Ringleader, Gangsta, Instigator, Badass, Jailbird

Faves: Totally Fetch, Badass, Jailbird. Unfortunately Girly turns out more brown than green & when Miss Sparkles is patted on top of a sticky base the sparkles show up more.

Unfortunately to Australians Too Faced is harder to come by, but please share if you know of any websites. You can get this palette from Kit Cosmetics for $59.95 which isn't too bad of a price, I've found this palette on the American eBay for around $45 & it's still on the Sephora website for $46 if you are keen to use a USA address forwarding website. (I've considered it for something else but still unsure of them).
Edit: Thanks Mishelle for letting me know you can also get this off of Beautybay for $66.50 with free shipping.
What do you think of this palette? I'll definitely be doing lots of looks with this in the future!

xx

FOTD's Abroad | Complilation

So I didn't always go to the effort of doing my makeup, as when you're on holiday you usually like to keep it simple, like during the day time I would keep it to a minimum especially in the hotter climates where it would just sweat off.

Here are mainly some of the night time looks I would wear out, testing out my new products. I'm going to put down a brief product description so please let me know if you want to know anything specifically!

1
Eyes: Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad To The Bronze, MAC Woodwinked, Urban Decay Naked 2, Maybelline Master Precise
Face: Nars Laguna & NYX Peach
Lips: Maybelline Vivid's in Fuchsia Flash, Nyx Butter gloss in Peaches & Cream

2

Eyes: Smashbox Masterclass 2 palette {Turquoise, brown, highlight), Makeup Store eyeliner in Crazy Lazy, MAC Steamy
Face:  Blush & Highlighter from the same Smashbox palette
Lips: MAC Angel

3

Eyes: Maybelline CTT in Barely Branded, MAC Nylon, Naked Lunch, UD Tease, Busted, Maybelline Master Precise
Face: Nyx Peach blush
Lips: unsure, maybe lip balm?

4

*skin is looking photoshopped only on my blogger & not in my photo editor which is really weird because it's not*

I had my makeup done by a freelance makeup artist who was working for NARS for the day, so I don't know exactly everything she used. I do wish she tried the Smudge Proof eyeshadow base as you can tell the eyeshadow had creased on me as she layered quite a few cream & powder products & the radiant cream concealer. She used the Tinted moisturizer & the Boy's Don't Cry LE blush & also The Multiple in Copacabana.

5

Eyes: Too Faced Pretty Rebel palette { Jailbird, Badass, Charming, Miss Sparkles }

Face: Nars Sex Appeal blush, My foundation was way too dark because I got matched wrongly with the MAC Face & Body foundation so ignore that, MAC Prolongwear concealer

Lips: MAC Please Me

6 

Eyes: MAC Nylon, UD Half Baked, Tease, NARS Laguna, Maybelline Master Precise

Face: NARS Torrid

Lips: MAC Girl About Town

7

 Eyes: Smashbox Masterclass 2 for everything {Matte cream on lid, light brown for transition, dark brown in crease, Matte purple in outer corner}

Face: Blush from Smashbox Masterclass 2

Lips: MAC Girl About Town

8

 Eyes: MAC Nylon, Woodwinked, UD Tease & Busted, Kat Von D Trooper liner

Face: NARS Torrid

Lips: MAC Creme D' Nude

9

Eyes: MAC Naked Lunch, Embark, Benefit Hoola

Face: The Balm Mary Lou-manizer, Blush from Smashbox Masterclass

Lips: MAC Cherry lip liner, MAC Ruby Woo

10

Eyes: MAC: Nylon, All That Glitters, UD Naked 2: Busted, Tease

Face: NARS Sex Appeal, The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer

Lips: Could be MAC Snob with a lipgloss (?) over the top.

Thanks for looking through my recent-ish FOTD's that were done using mainly the newer products I had bought along the way!

What look is your favourite? xx

Last haul for a while! Holiday buys

I like to think that I'm all shopped out for a while.... now that I have basically anything I've ever wanted to add to my collection there is no need to buy anything for a loong time. Everyone was right about shopping in the US, everything is so cheap! Except there's one little thing that is not mentioned to often and that is service tax, a % charged on top of your purchase, for those who didn't know. But in the end that doesn't really matter too much because everything is much cheaper than home & it's just like if the GST wasn't included in our products.

So anyway, in almost each place we visited I went to Sephora more than once. My Fiancee didn't mind once he found out they had free Wifi so that was good to keep him happy while I shopped, and in some places where wifi was harder to find, he actually asked if we could find Sephora which is something I never thought he would say! So we both won. I also enjoyed visiting MAC on a few different occasions and loved what most of the drugstores had to offer. So let's stop blabbing & get into it!

**Disclaimer: Sorry for the huge post with lots of photos. Everything bought was paid for with my own money & over a period of 5 weeks. I'd hate to come off bragging which I'm not because I'm just so happy with my new goodies!

 Palettes: Wet n Wild Going into the Wild, Too Faced Pretty Rebel, Smashbox Masterclass Palette #2. I was kinda hoping that Urban Decay would have released a new palette that caught my eye, unfortunately not but when I saw the Too Faced & Smashbox palette I knew I had to have both. The Smashbox one wasn't a hard decision as it was I think $59 when it's worth around $269. Perfect for traveling & in a makeup kit.

 

Single eyeshadows & bases: MAC Swissh, Aquadisiac, Steamy, Parafit Armor, All that Glitters, Nylon, Naked Lunch, Woodwinked, Embark. MUFE #92, Urban Decay Last Call, Revlon Diamond Lust in Plum Galaxy, Stila Smudgepot in Kitten, Maybelline Colour Tattoo's in Inked in Pink, Electric Blush, Barely Branded, Bad to the Bronze.

I didn't plan to buy that many single eyeshadows, but they slowly crept up on me, especially as most times I visited MAC I bought one or two haha. I'm soo glad I bought MUFE #92 which I didn't buy until last minute, and I decided to get more of the colour tattoo's instead of paintpots because they are very comparable.

 Eyeliner & mascara: Jordana Best lash extreme, Maybelline big eyes mascara, Maybelline Mega Plush Lash, Benefit They're real, L'oreal voluminous smoldering eyeliner, Forever 21 Love & Beauty Shadow Stick, Tarte Amazonian clay waterproof gel eyeliner & brush, Maybelline Colour Tattoo Pure pigment in Never Fade Jade (forgot to include it with others) Kat Von D Taboo liner set, Sephora Deco daze glitter eyeliner

Lip Products: MAC lip pencil's in Cherry & Lasting Sensation, Top row: MAC Angel, Snob, Impassioned, Ruby Woo, Maybelline Vivids Vivid Rose; Bottom row: Creme d' Nude, Please Me, Candy Yum Yum, Girl About Town, Maybelline Vivid Fuchsia Flash. MAC Snob lipglass, Nyx Butter gloss Peaches & Cream, Rimmel Show Off Lip Laquer in Apocalyptic, Nyx Glam Gloss Aqua Luxe in The Last Party, Buxom Full on lip polish in Katie, YSL Glossy lip stain #19, EOS Lip balms, Sugarfresh lipbalms. Also forgot to include the Too Faced la creme in Juicy Melons

Brushes: Sonia Kashuk brow brush, Real Techniques Stippling & Expert face brush, Lash & Brow comb, Eye Shader brush. MAC 168, 239, 217, 268, Eco Tools Bronzing brush

 Blush: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 hr wear in Frisky, MAC Melba, MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Dainty, Stila Convertible colour in Petunia, Illamasqua Hussy, Benefit tints in Cha Cha, Sunbeam & Posie, NARS Torrid & Sex Appeal

Bronzer & Highlighters: Sonia Kashuk Undetectable in Rich Bronze, Benefit Hoola, Stila ALl over shimmer duo Kitten, The Balm Mary Lou-manizer, NARS The Multiple in Cocobana

 Foundations, concealer & powders: MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in light, Revlon Colorstay Whipped, L'oreal True Match, MAC Face & Body, YSl Touche Eclat, NARS Sheer Glow, L'oreal True Match powder, Benefit Erase Paste, Revlon Colorstay concealer, Benefit Fake Up, MAC Pro-longwear concealer, Clinique Airbursh concealer.
I think it's safe to say I wont be needing any more foundations or concealers in a long time! I thought I may as well stock up since a) most are not readily available & b) they are double the price.

 Setting Spray & Powder: MAC Fix +, Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, MAC Prep & Prime, Benefit Porefessional + mini & That gal, Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer

 Nail Polishes: Julie Nail Colour Cabana Boy, Wet n Wild Fergie Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night, Sally Hansen Instadry, Essie Pop Art Pink, Tart Deco, Bikini So Teeny, O.P.I Koala Beary. So I didn't go too crazy with nail polishes, as it was quite hard for me to decide on colours so it was a bit overwhelming. I do wish I bought a bit more O.P.I, I got this one as a backup because it's one of my faves!

 

 Perfume: Ni Amore XOXO, Brittney Spears Believe, Vera Wang Princess, Chloe.
I will be doing a more detailed post on my perfume collection which is now never going to run out haha as well as separate reviews on these ones.

Brush Cleaner- So I wish I had a look at the one from MAC but by the time I remembered I was after a brush cleaner it was a bit late but I found the Sephora brand brush cleaner & bought a few because they were quite small & cheap haha.

 So from the first time we visited Sephora I signed up for their club card... which was such a good idea because over 5 weeks I ended up earning over 600 points lol. I was also able to get a 'birthday gift' which was the Sugar fresh lip balms up with the other lip products, and at the end I used up most of the rest of my points with the MUFE sample pack. One happy customer =)

So umm I said there would be a lot & I think I delivered on that statement- and in case you're wondering I packed light but had to buy a smaller bag anyway, & kept all the powders in my carry on so I knew I would be handling them safe- especially as a (cheap & old thank god) blush broke in my beauty bag!!

Oh and to let you know, I think I stuck to my wishlist pretty well- considering that I didn't list everything I wanted, but I think I bought 7/10 items as I found some to be overwhelming or found other things instead. I also wish I went to Inglot!! But, no regrets! (I've also ordered a couple of limited edition palettes but that will be it!!

Finally- pat yourself on the back even if you scanned through everything I had written, & please let me know what you're most interested in hearing about first, but I will eventually get around to reviewing everything!

Take care loves
xx

I'm back! Happy holiday snaps.

Hey guys, so I've been back settling into home & reality for a week, catching up with family & friends and remembering how to work again, although I wasn't gone for that long I suppose it's true that once you catch the traveling bug, you don't want to stop. I had left my blog in the hands of my scheduled posts, although for some reason that never worked so I had to physically post them myself! Has that happened to anybody else?

So I wanted to compose some pictures to post.... but considering I have over 2K it was so hard to choose! If you are a follower on my instagram you may have seen some already. It's going to be a pretty brief & to the point post but I hope you enjoy it!

L.A: 1. Hollywood Sign waay in the background. 2. Santa Monica Pier. 3. Walk of Fame 4. Rodeo Drive

Vegas: 1. Grand Canyon! 2. Taking a tourist picture infront of the famous sign 3. There's so much happening in vegas, this is only just a little part of the strip of the Planet Hollywood casino & hotel. 4. Bellagio fountains at night

New York: 1. Central Park. Went for a row and saw some cute squirrels! 2. Top of the rock Observatory, with the Empire State Building in the background. 2. Walking the Brooklyn Bridge. 4. Memorial pools at the 9/11 site.

Disneyworld. We spent one day at Magic Kingdom and the other at Animal Kingdom. 1. Disneyworld sign yay! It feels like you get close to Disneyworld with every sign but it's so spread out so it takes awhile to get to each park! 2. The famous Disney castle 3. Posing in front of the castle. It was so ht & humid in the mornings but in the afternoons it rained & thundered. 4.Mickey & Minnie!

 Miami: 1.Chillin on the beach 2. Downtown Miami, the park right next to where we stayed 3. Enjoying the sunshine while walking around South Beach 4.South beach again

Miami 2: 1.Seaquarium 2.Everglades Airboat tour 3. Our first baseball game Miami Marlins vs L.A Dogers 4. Cute Alligators at the everglades park.

Thanks for looking everyone! Stay tuned for my big haul post coming up soon.xx

Where do you dream to go on holiday?

Make Me Blush | Collection Part 2: High End

So I've already done the first part to my blush collection over here but here is my current High End blush collection, although I will be updating soon to accommodate the new ones I have recently purchased. I am super happy with my blush collection now although you can never have too many blushes!

MAC
Sometimes the quality is really noticeable with higher end brands, as I've found with MAC their blushes have great pigmentation & amazing lasting power. I'm hoping to expand with a couple more of their mineralize skin finishes. I also have a couple of Cream Colour Bases but I consider them to be highlighters although can be a base for blush. Out of the powder blushes I prefer the normal formulation as the sheertones obviously don't turn out as pigmented as they look in the pan & in a finger swatch.

L-R: MAC Mineralize blush Warm Soul {Satin w/ hint of shimmer}, Pink Swoon {Sheertone matte}, Peachykeen {Sheertone Shimmer} Dollymix {Sheertone shimmer, Her Blooming Cheek {Powder, matte}
 My favourite/ most used colours out of these would have to Warm Soul for a bronzed summery look & Peachykeen/ Dollymix, although I said I'd prefer them to be more pigmented when on the cheeks but it is still pretty for a wash of colour.

Assorted Blushes
Now these are the blushes that I only have one from each of the brands I have. I can't wait to try more of a variety! I'm particularly looking forward to more NARS, & try Tarte & Benefit.

L-R:NARS Orgasm {Shimmer w/ glitter particles}, The Balm Cabana Boy {Shimmer}, Becca Beach Tint in Watermelon {Liquid-stain}, Inglot #51 {Matte}, Topshop Head Over Heels {Cream}

I've been lucky to have been able to try different brands from getting the Becca Beach Tint in a magazine (years ago!) although it's not something I use often, the Topshop cream blush from a giveaway & my first NARS product in a blogsale a few years ago (I have never used it heavily because it was 'precious' to me hehe)

My most used/ favourites would be Cabana Boy even though I've had it the least I've found it to be so versatile & I love the Inglot one for a brighter coral colour.

So that's it for my blushes, sometimes I go through periods when I feel like I need soo many blushes when I probably have way too many similar ones already! Anybody else?

What are your favourite High End brands for blushes?

xx

**I will be updating shortly with newly purchased blushes but as I have made this post a while ago I couldn't include them here.