Collection: Lips Galore with Chanel & YSL

Good Morning ~ I hope everyone is having a pleasant weekend.  I spent my Saturday by voting, having lunch and shopping with my mother, a quick nap, then dinner at a friend's house.   Today... I think I'll just clean up around the house.  But before that, I thought I would share some new lip products that I've been really into lately - including my very first Chanel!

Pretty little boxes 

Gorgeous packaging.  I picked up two lipsticks from Chanel, and two more Glossy Stains from YSL.  I love the one that I had so much... I had to get more!  And Chanel.... well.  Speaks for itself doesn't it?  I decided to try two different formulas - the Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour and the Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Sheer Lipshine.

I like this feature on the Luminous Intense Lip Colours

Press and then the lipstick pops out.  I feel its a bit more secure?  

This is the colour in 145 Rayonnante.

And the Coco Shine in 69 Flirt

The Glossy Stains I picked were from the Rebel Nudes set - 104 Fuchsia Tomboy and 104 Corail Mutin.  I really love the Glossy Stains from YSL - Beautiful colours, lovely finish and they wear quite well.  

Swatches!  Left to Right

Rayonnante, Flirt, Fuchsia Tomboy, Corail Mutin

Let it be known, despite having many similar colours, my lipsticks are by no means the same, and will have different finishes.  Justifications of the crazy lipstick queen.  I think its my biggest vice - but I really love how a lipstick can just totally transform your look.  And how just wearing a nice lip colour can just brighten your face, without any other products.  I can do with basics for everything else, but don't take away my lipsticks!

Collection: Nudes with Clinique - Neutral Territory

Thank god March is over and done with.  What a HORRIBLE month.  Just so much stress at work... so much so that my nails started breaking and peeling and they're not growing ㅠ.ㅠ  But April is here now, and I have been shopping.  Mostly as stress relief.  Pretty things make me feel better.  I have a lot of things to show you, but I thought I might give everything a good run before sharing them here.  First is this pretty little eyeshadow palette from Clinique - Neutral Territory 2

Here is the packaging - very sleek, mirrored packaging.  Its very understated in the way it presents itself.

8 pretty little neutral shades - that are all very wearable!

And swatched - so pretty!  The lighter shades are pretty, but its the deeper half of the shadows that really get me.  

Neutral Territory is a great selection of neutrals from Clinique - and its the first eyeshadow that I've tried from them.  I'm honestly quite impressed, because I really did not expect much from the cosmetics side of the brand.  When I think Clinique, I think skin care more than anything.  The pigmentation and smoothness of the shadows really impressed me, and it makes me wonder why no one has really talked about Clinique up until now with the spring blushes.  Completely overlooked.

I'm not really sure if this is limited edition or not, but the store I went to only had one left!  The shades are not new though - I believe that you can get some of the shades as singles, and others feature in duos and quads.  So, if you're not able to find this palette, I would definitely recommend some of their other eyeshadows.  My personal favourite is Black Honey, which is that lovely brown second from the right.  They are shimmery - you can see in my swatches, but in some of the swatches I've seen online its not as obvious.  But, they're just shimmery enough without being overbearing.  

I know the last thing I probably need is another neutral palette, but this one from Clinique is a little gem in its own right.  Beautiful shades, and its cute compact size will make it great for travelling.  If you don't have access to brands like Urban Decay, Lorac or Smashbox - check this one out.  Neutrals are a basic essential I feel, and this one fits the bill quite well.

Favourites Time - Feb/March Love

I didn't do a favourites for February, so I thought I would just combine the two months together.  Fun for everyone!  Be warned - lots of lip products.  There's a reason I'm the lipstick queen.

First up is my beloved Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Cream.  I have been experimenting with foundations for most of summer, and its nice to come back to BB cream.  I really think this is one of the best BB creams on the market.  It matches my skin tone really well, I like the jelly consistency, and the coverage is just right.  I've been using my Hera sponge for this, and its just a nice change in my routine.  Sometimes foundation, sometimes BB cream.  Weekends when I go out in the day, CC cream.  I'm about half way through my bottle. I'll probably repurchase when I go on holiday.

Favourite eyeshadow palette. Hands down.  I also tried the new Smashbox and Too Faced palettes, and I really like them too, but the Naked 3 is just amazing.  No words need to be spoken... just love.

I've really been enjoying these YSL lipsticks.  Such pretty colours, so so creamy.  I love them to bits.  Shame about the LE factor though... I don't want to lose them by taking them to work with me, so I've been layering them with similar colours in the Revlon Balm Stains.  I find that this way, I have colour that lasts to the end of the work day, which is really good.  (Side note - I recently found the new Matte and Lacquer Balms, and picked up 2 of each.  So far I like them, but still need to give them a good test run)  I really like the formula of the YSL lipsticks, and again, the luxury factor when applying... ah....

Been loving my Lip Glows from Dior - both Pink and Coral.  Its quite nice at that stage when your lipstick colour is slightly starting to fade.  

I've been liking these Elizabeth Arden lipsticks a lot too.  Its a brand that is definitely marketed for a more mature audience, but I quite like the formula!  I had originally bought one of the lipsticks for my mother, as she doesn't really wear makeup, but I want her to look pretty when she goes to Seoul.  Anyway, I ended up getting one for myself, the peachy nude colour on the right below.  I really liked it!  Pigmented, creamy and quite moisturising.  My mother quite likes the colour I bought for her as well.  I ended picking up another 2 lipsticks from them. I just feel its a shame that they're marketed towards a more mature audience.  They have some really pretty colours for everyone, although not as much of a bold variety like MAC.

Here are the swatches of the 3 colours I own - a coral, a pink and a nude.  Three of the four basic shades that you should have in a basic lipstick collection - the other being red.  Love them all.  Melon, Blush Glow and Cameo.  I recommend the Ceramide line - super creamy.  Blush Glow is from the Beautiful Color Moisturising line, and is a bit... stiffer? to apply.  It doesn't pull at the lips, but requires a bit more effort compared to the Ceramide formula.

Philosophy's hope in a jar has been good to me lately.  I've been using it in combination with my Missha Time Revolution White Cure Super Essential Toner (what a mouthful), and its been working out quite well for me.  My skin has been all over the place with the changes in weather, and this combination has really helped settle it down.

My final favourite is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, which I discovered a few weeks ago at the Pharmacy Warehouse.  They've recently opened a branch in the CBD.  Its not as good as the Face Shop cleansing water, but I like it slightly better than Bioderma, because the Bioderma tends to sting my eyes when I'm trying to remove my eye make up.  Its doesn't remove my gel liners as easily, but the non-stinging factor is a huge plus.

That's been it for the past two months!  I've recently been on an online spree - so far with Nature Republic and Skin Food.  I'm having them shipped to a relative's house so my mother can pick them up for me.  I am planning on getting things from Innisfree, Missha and Tony Moly.  I really like Missha's new Lotta colour line, and I'm very interested in trying Tony Moly's BCDation.  There will be oodles of Korean products for you to see.  

I also got some good news last week!  My annual leave has been approved and I will be heading to Seoul for SIX glorious weeks, from mid-December to nearly the end of January.  I might go to Japan for a week or so as well, but I'm very excited!  I was sighing an awful lot last week, and for some reason, had this terrible sense of homesickness.  I was telling my colleague in Melbourne, and she was telling me that I needed to get myself over there asap.  I do have to wait a fair while, but I'm sure it will be worth it!

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Collection: Naked Yet Again with Urban Decay

I finally got the Naked 3 palette early last month, and I have to say - I love it!  I've been using it all the time, and I think this might be one of my most favourite palettes ever.  I am late in the game, because I know all the youtube gurus were going on about it in there 2013 favourites, but I just could not find a place that had it in stock!  I finally ordered it from BeautyBay, and when it finally came... 

The packaging.  I must say, I am glad that they took the palettes in the direction of the Naked 2 and not the cardboard packaging of the original Naked palette.  The cardboard and dust attracting fabric of the original is definitely not missed in the later incarnations of the Naked line.  I'm not sure I like the textured thing that they've got going on, but it doesn't bother me either.  

The beautiful eyeshadows.  I really like the colours in this palette, and the thing I love most is that each and every colour in this palette is a colour that I would use.  In the other two, I never used the black shadows.  Yes, only one colour, but still.  I love all the shimmery shades, but the mattes are also very pretty too.  Particular favourites are the colours Dust and Buzz.  I will darken the corners of my eyes with either Darkside or Blackheart.  

I am really surprised at how much I adore this palette.  I usually stick to golds and browns, and of course my winter burgundy, but I always felt pinks were for people with cutesy faces... not so!  I love how smooth and pigmented the colours are too.  Urban Decay has done it again!

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I also picked up this mini liner set from Urban Decay, just so I could get an idea of the formula, because I've seen quite a few people swear by them. For the most part, I like them, but do prefer my Korean liners.  These are great to through in my bag for touch ups, and a nice size for travel too.

I've applied for all my leave this year.  I'm hoping to have a weekend in June in Melbourne, to catch up with some friends and soak up some good food and culture.  And then... 6 weeks in Seoul!  I know it seems a bit excessive, but I just want to spend some time surrounded by people that look like me.  I might go to Japan for a week and stay with some friends and relatives during that time... and go husband hunting.  Last time I made excuses when people hit on me in Korea... but I'm approaching that age where I shouldn't be so picky.  Sigh.... I even went to a fortune teller, who told me that I would meet the "one" once I crossed over water.  I just don't know which way.  He must be in Korea still because he's certainly not here.

Wishlists

After almost a year, I finally got my hair cut during my lunch break today.  I just haven't bothered since my trip.  But the ends were so dry from the hot weather we've had during the summer, and of course damaged from the perm, I couldn't stand it anymore.  I got about 20 cm cut off, and my hair still comes down past my shoulders.  But its a good length, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out.  I went to the Korean salon, and they're pretty good.  They know what cuts suit my head, and they're always checking to make sure I'm happy.

Whilst she was snipping away, I was checking out the latest issue of Ceci magazine.  Lots of new beauty products for spring!  So, I started compiling a wish list.  The hair dresser was also kind enough to loan me a few copies so I could check out reviews and add items to my online shopping cart.  I thought I might share some items that really caught my eye.  

First, the new line of Gelpresso Gel Eyeliners from Clio.  They have come out with 6 new pastel shades for spring.  Aren't they cute?  The colour 6 핑크스터드 Pink Stud caught my eye the most.  It looks really pretty on Sandara, and Clio has come up with some fun and pretty eye looks to compliment the liners.

Here is the Femme Chic Collection from Espoir - unfortunately this is limited edition, and its sold out on the website.  I really liked the red colour, I'm Charmed.  So pretty.  Hopefully it will be re-released next Christmas?  Please?

Skinfood has released an adorable collection of lipsticks, where you can mix and match your cases.  Its similar to the Paul & Joe line, but more affordable.  This would be good for limited edition packaging - use all the product and keep the cute!  

Do you keep track of your wishlists?  

Collection: Korean Haul with W2Beauty

Greetings!  I'm back again!  I said I was going to put more time into posting, and I'm going to stick to it!  I came home after dinner last night and there was a package waiting for me!  Yay!  I had ordered some Korean cosmetics from W2Beauty, run by Alice님.  You can go here  to check the site out.  They also carry some of the higher end cosmetics on this site, including Laneige and Banila Co, Hera and IOPE, to name but a few, as well as carrying the more well known road shop brands.  Its my first time purchasing with W2Beauty, and I did purchase all the items with my own monies - work hard, spend hard.  Well, spend moderately, but do spoil yourself time to time.  Without further ado, let's get started.

So, as you can see, almost everything was bubble wrapped,  except the 3 sheet masks which were included as samples.

Here is everything out of the box and unwrapped.  To be quite honest with you, I was expecting a box half the size of what I had received.  They were so generous with the samples, and some of them were full size gifts!  It was almost like shopping back in Korea!

Before we get into things, I would like to advise the main reason for this haulage was because I wanted some of the stuff that had been released over Christmas.  There were some really cute sets from brands which I hadn't really used the items that I'd ordered -  i.e. Innisfree lipsticks and liners, and Laneige lipsticks and shadows.  They were minis, so a great way to try them out, see if I like the colours and formulas, to buy full sizes later.  I don't know if its still available being March and all, but if you're interested, definitely have a look.

Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Gel Liners - I got 3, from the 'Bloody' line, Bloody Sweet, Bloody Angel and Bloody Devil. Bloody Sweet is my favourite to line my inner lower half of my eye, and in winter, I use all three in combination for a burgundy look.  Love my burgundy in the cooler months!  These are all repurchases, because I'm running low in the ones I bought from Korea.  Great formula and pigmentation.  Pricier than my favourite Holika Holika, but it really depends on your budget and preferences.  I do enjoy the Clio line quite a bit as well - they have some really pretty new pastel colours for spring now too.

Next up is this adorable makeup collection from Laneige - the Winterland Magic Makeup Collection.  The Christmas bauble design is so pretty!  

The set includes three mini lipsticks, a quad of eye shadows and a tiny dual ended applicator - sponge tip on one side, brush on the other.  

Here are the lipsticks 

Left to right, Beige Chiffon, Pink Garden and Blonde Coral

These are from the Silk Intense Lipstick line

Swatched - the colours are all in the general pinky peachy coral area.  It would have been nice if they maybe included a red in there, but the colours are quite flattering, and they're colours I'd probably pick up anyway.  I like the formula so far - super creamy!

Here are the swatches of the eye shadows - Pearl Light Pink, Pearl Pink, Pearl Coral and Pearl Khaki

All extremely shimmery but surprisingly pigmented, as you can see.  They're very smooth, and I've already created a couple of eye looks that I really like - the khaki colour works quite well with the other three shades.  Very nice for nights out on the town

Here is lipstick trio from Innisfree - the Mini Tint Lipstick Best Collection.  With festive Santa packaging.  Innisfree has really caught my interest lately - its all because of their mineral powder!  So, of course I wanted to try other things too!

Here they are - the colours are quite bright compared with the ones from Laneige.  The names are pretty interesting too!

From left to right Flower Bud Pink, Sweet Cocktail Pink, and Breezy Coral

(Please note some of the names are in Korean words, so I'm trying to translate it as best as I can)

Swatched.  Definitely a bit more variety in the colours - all very pretty though.  I'm pretty surprised they chose these colours for a Christmas set... they're more S/S colours.  But then.... what would I know?  Sweet Cocktail Pink is not a colour I would usually go for, but I quite like it!  You can sheer out the colour with a finger to make it a little more wearable, which is probably what I'll be doing.

My other great beauty love is of course eye liner - so here is the Mini Gel Liner Best Collection - a trio of liners from Innisfree.  

Adorable packaging right?  The three colours that come with this set are No2 Pink Champagne, No7 Brown Holiday Bag and No8 Sunset Burgundy.  I thought I had some swatches... but apparently not.  The formula is very smooth and creamy, and smudge proof.  Its a great little kit to try out the line, and I'll definitely be trying a few more of the colours. 

I have been searching for an online store that carries Banila Co for the longest time - and I've finally found a reasonably priced one.  Here's the first of two palettes that I ordered - Flash Eye Palette Shadow in Jessica Season 2.  Isn't the packaging just sooooooooooooooo cute?  Adorable right?  Jessica from 소녀시대 Girls Generation is the model for Banila Co, which is why its named after her.

Full of neutrals - you know I love my browns!  6 lovely shades, super smooth and good pigmentation.

Swatches - the shades don't have names unfortunately.  You can probably find shades like this in any neutral palette, but this one is really small and compact, so it would be great for travelling, or on the go.  It comes with a sponge tip applicator, so you can touch up any time.  

Meet Banila Co's The Great Love Eye Palette.  Inspired by the movie, The Great Gatsby.  Yes I know its a novel, but I'm pretty sure the shadows are from the movie.

Again, 6 shadows - Green khaki to deep purple tones.  Very pretty and you'd be able to create some glamorous looks with this palette.

I'm quite impressed with the purple - I find it hard to find a good pigmented purple that applies smoothly.  The shadow formula has impressed me quite a bit.  I think I'll look into more of them!

So those were my main purchases from the site.  In addition to my order, I received an amazing array of samples and gifts - here are just some of the extras I received.

A mini skin set from A'pieu - relatively a new brand in the grand scheme of things.  

A full size eyeshadow from A'pieu - Mineral Mono Shadow in BR02

Its a lovely shimmery brown!  I also received a nail polish from A'pieu, a nice coral/pink colour.

I'm most excited about trying this sample - its a cleansing balm from Banila Co.  I have tried cleansing oils and water, but no cleansing balms, and I've been intrigued ever since I saw it on Get it Beauty.  

A grape candy - Korea has the best grape flavours in the world.  Yes, I will be so bold to state this.  Completely yum.  This being said, I haven't had a real Korean grape in over 20 years... never in season.  So the candy will suffice for now.

An adorable pen from Banila Co - It will match my purple butterfly one from Holika Holika.

For all the K-pop fans, Super Junior M was on the Tony Moly sheet mask, so I'm guessing they're the latest male models for Tony Moly and its no longer JYJ.  Siwon is missing because he's the face of Mamonde, so he can't be on there.  

So, that brings us to the end of the this haul.  Overall, I'm very happy with my purchases, and very impressed with the service!  The items were packaged well, and the samples!  Oh my goodness, its been a while since I've received this many!  I would definitely recommend visiting W2Beauty - and there's free delivery!  Lots of different brands, and a great variety of products.  <3