Megan Naik x Colour Pop

Colour Pop is a fairly new brand to me, I discovered it through watching Youtube and reading bloggers recommendations. When I saw the Megan Naik collection I was instantly in love with the colours and thus my first ever Colour Pop purchase happened. 

Honestly I think the packaging is adorable considering how cheap these products are. I love the holographic Colour Pop logo and the simple white packaging. Each item feels sturdy and very great quality despite the $5 price tag. The 4-quad collection is $20 which in my opinion is incredibly cheap. A lot of 'drugstore' products in Australia aren't very cheap at all and you can pay up to $20 for a single eyeliner from Loreal. I purchased this quad alongside two shades of Lippie Stix, which I will review soon. 

The formula of these shadows is incredible! They feel so smooth and creamy to the touch but have a powder finish. I have never owned or experience anything quite like it and I love them. They blend so easily, last a long time and have amazing pigmentation. These shadows don't crease on me either, even without an eyelid primer which is rare. The only misgiving I've had is with the shade Farah, it does have great staying power but I noticed after removing swatches from my arm that the colour stained a little. 

Left to Right: Onai, Lectra, Farah, Amira

I'm honestly so blown away by these amazing shadows and I've already made an order for more colours! What do you think of Colour Pop products?

Australis Velour Lips Matte Lip Cream

Australis is a brand I have never really tried many products from or heard much about from other Australian beauty bloggers but I saw these matte lip creams in a drugstore recently and was intrigued.

These lip creams are strangely scented and I'm not the biggest fan of it, but they apply rather smoothly and look flawless on the lips. I purchased mine in the shade Pa Ree which I thought could be a possible dupe to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Pure Hollywood since it is next to impossible to get them in Australia. 

Pa Ree swatched

The colour is a nice nude, good for people with pale skin. It's not a colour I would wear everyday and I would like to mix it with something that has a bit more colour to it. The colour did turn out much lighter once on my lips so that is something to keep in mind when considering this product.

Pa Ree swatched on lips

Have you tried the Australia Velourlips range or Anastasia Liquid Lipsticks? If so, let me know what you think of them below.

Essie: Not Just A Pretty Face

I honestly hate this nail polish. Not only is the colour awful and blends in with my skin/gives my nails a yellow looking tint, but it also lasted a total of 15 minutes. I painted my nails, had a shower, and by the time I got out it had peeled off completely on all but one nail. If you're in the market for a new polish, do not pick this one up. 

Have you tried Essie's 'Not Just A Pretty Face'?

Nars Audacious Lipstick in Bette

After hearing quite a lot of rave reviews on the Nars Audacious Lipstick range I took the plunge and purchased the shade Bette ($44). It is a great dark vampy red, definitely a bold choice and not one I will reach for too often but I don't own anything like it in my collection. The packaging is stunning and I love the magnetic closure, Nars embossing on the bullet, and matte black finish.

Nars Audacious in Bette

I do prefer the Audacious packaging to the regular Nars lipstick packaging as it does seem more worthy of the money spent. As I mentioned before, I heard a lot of good reviews on this range and so naturally I had high hopes. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations.

Bette swatched

Bette wasn't as creamy and smooth as I had expected it to be, and therefore it applied rather patchy. As some of you may know I suffer chronically from chapped lips and Bette did not help the situation. It clung to all of my dry patches, so I would recommend exfoliating and moisturising them before applying the rest of your makeup. I also found the formula to be quite uncomfortable and drying on the lips. 

Bette swatched on the lips

It's so unfortunate because I really do love the colour and I was looking forward to trying more neutral shades in the range, which got me thinking, perhaps this is just a fault with the darker shades or maybe I just got a dud. Despite all the negativity I've had surrounding the application of this product, I will still use it and I will look into other colours in order to compare formulas. I'm hoping to get my hands on Raquel soon.

This is definitely a disappointing product for me, which shades have you tried and loved/hated?

Everyday Makeup Items

The products I use for everyday makeup don't chop and change too often. Once I incorporate something into my bare essentials routine it usually stays there for quite a long time, mostly due to the fact that I'm so pale I've never found a foundation or concealer that doesn't look orange so I stick to what I know. And what I know is Asian BB creams.

My love affair with Asian beauty started after seeing images on Tumblr. I ordered a few products online and things just went from there. I haven't found a foundation yet but since July last year I've been using Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream as my daily base. I have the shade 13 which is the palest and it's absolutely perfect for my skin tone. Because it is a BB cream it doesn't have great lasting power or great coverage so I do use a fair amount of concealer and powder to set it in place. It's quite pricey for a BB cream but I'm willing to fork out the extra cash for all the skincare benefits, SPF of 42 PA+++ and the perfect colour match. 

From left to right: BB cream, swatch, blended

For concealer I managed to find one that's as close as possible to my skin tone and it's the Maybelline Super Stay 24hr Concealer in Ivory. Honestly, when it says 'super stay' it really means it. This concealer lasts a long time and gives great coverage but I hate it. The product creases on me, it sets before I have time to blend it in completely and it oxidises throughout the day to a slightly orange tone. Definitely will not repurchase.
I tend to use any old powder, as long as it's translucent. I was using my Revlon Colorstay Aqua Mineral Finishing Powder but then I discovered the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders and it's been a little neglected. This isn't the best product to use on oily skin like mine but it has a nice cooling effect when applied and sets everything in place.

Lastly I have my mascara, blush and lip products. These three things are less permanent and are always being switched around, but the ones I always tend to go back to are the Maybelline One By One Volume Express mascara, my Revlon blush in the shade Softspoken Pink and the NYX Butter Gloss in the shade Tiramisu.
What're your daily must-haves?

Review: MAC lipsticks

As seen in my Mini Beauty Haul, I purchased two MAC lipsticks and they are the first MAC products I've ever owned. Obviously, I had high expectations from such a well known high-end brand and I was not disappointed. First off, the pigmentation is phenomenal and one quick swipe was enough to coat my natural lip colour in pinky goodness.

L to R: Angel, Pink Plaid

The formula of these lipsticks is incredibly creamy and smooth, and they glide on like a dream. They have a nostalgic scent to them, I'm not sure what it is but it reminds me of when I used to play with my mum's makeup. Honestly I am just so happy with these two colours as 'starters' to my collection, they're perfect in every way for me personally.

MAC Angel

I can't wait to add more stunning colours to my now growing collection of MAC lipsticks, and hopefully I'll try out different products as well. What are your favourite MAC lip colours?

Review: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder

I feel like 2014 was a big year for Hourglass, and I personally like the looks of a lot of their products. Their Ambient Lighting Powders are designed to mimic different types of flattering lighting for your skin and they come in a multitude of shades. They are quickly gaining cult status and a loyal following. I have the shade Ethereal Light which is supposed to give your skin a 'moonlit glow'.

I swatched all of the shades in Mecca and found that this was the one which was most flattering for my pale skin tone. These powders are beautiful, they don't contain noticeable amounts of shimmer but they do give a pretty 'glowing' appearance. When swatched heavily they can look a bit daunting but once they're blended out over foundation they make your skin glow (not shine). I have oily skin and find that I can use this as a setting powder instead of my regular powder and it doesn't leave me looking shiny. 

In terms of longevity, it may need touch ups throughout the day, especially if you tend to get oily like I do. The formula of the powder is so soft and buttery that it simply glides on, and they aren't highly pigmented so you won't end up looking like a disco ball. The packaging is stunning and sturdy, as it should be for the price, the only downside is that it seems to be a magnet for fingerprints and can get dirty quite easily. 

Overall I rate this product highly and it's quickly becoming one of my favourite things to reach for while doing my makeup. I received mine as a Christmas gift but they can be purchased online or in store at Mecca priced from $59.