Life update!

Hey guys,

I just wanted to explain why I haven't really been posting. I had my last set of uni exams in November and I was super busy. I really wanted to concentrate on my exams as the results would essentially determine what I was going to be doing next year. This was my third and last year of uni and I was lucky enough to be accepted into a graduate program next year so I had to make sure that I would pass this semester in order to graduate on time. Luckily, I passed all my exams so I have a little bit more news to share.

I currently live in Sydney and I'll be moving to Canberra next year for my new job. I currently work as a computer technician at a retail store with the name resembling a fruit (I'm sure you can guess where I work) and I absolutely love my job but I needed to get on with life and put my degree to use. I'll be working in the Australian public service (government) and will be there for hopefully a very very long time :)

What this means is that I'm currently super busy in looking for a place to live and in preparing for my move. This means that I don't have extra time to blog as I'm spending every spare minute sifting through real estate ads. I have lots of ideas for posts and lots of posts that I've promised people so I hope you can hang around for me :) You may see the odd post here and there though as I know I won't be able to stay away.

I hope you all do stick around with me during this hiatus. I am still active on Twitter and Instagram so you can follow me there for updates :)

Thanks guys!

Jen

L'Oreal Elvive Arginine Resist x3 range

Once upon a time, I used to have really long and thick hair that would weigh me down and I was convinced that it made my face look fat. I couldn't understand why people would deliberately use products to try to volumize their hair. I used to beg my hairdressers to thin my hair out and I wasn't grateful for what I had when other people were spending money to get hair like mine.

About a year or so ago, I noticed that my hair was drastically falling out. Every time I brushed my hair, I would end up with handfuls of hair missing from my head. I also shed a lot of hair around the house and all over people I'm with. It's always been a joke that if you're around me, you'll leave with my hair stuck to your clothes. It hasn't just been happening to me, my mum has also noticed the same thing with her hair and together, we've been trying to find a way to stop our hair from falling out so much. Right now, we both have thin hair and its getting continuously thinner!

We recently discovered the new L'Oreal Elvive Arginine Resist x3 range. I actually saw an ad on Facebook and I was like "MUST. GET. SOME. NOW" so that day, I went down to the supermarket and bought all 4 products in the range. It's an anti-hair fall range that reinforces hair from the roots to stop it from falling out so much.

So far, we've only been using the shampoo and conditioner and we've been blown away by the results! We've definitely noticed a difference in hair loss in just the last week that we've been using this. I think the results can be attributed to the fact that the shampoo and conditioner leaves our hair extremely tangle free and super straight so that when we brush our hair, our brushes and fingers have nothing to catch onto.

I know that this isn't much of a review but I just wanted to let people know that the range is out there and that it would be good for people who are experiencing a lot of hair loss as well as people who want a shampoo and conditioner that will detangle their hair for them. I've used a lot of haircare in the past that has left my hair worse of and very tangled but nothing has given me amazing results like this range.

Urban Decay Lipstick in Catfight and rant about samples

Ever since the new Urban Decay lipsticks were released, I'd been dying to try them. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a mini sample one to try and I'm happy that I did as I absolutely loved the formula. I've loved it so much that I've actually gone on to buy a full sized one. I think that this is a great example of how samples can really influence people to buy products. I often get turned down by sales assistants if I enquire about samples which usually means that I don't get to try the products so I never end up buying them. I understand if there actually aren't any samples but most sales assistants are quite rude and abrupt about it.

It's not that I'm walking up to them and asking for samples outright. Whenever I got to makeup counters to buy stuff, the sales assistants will always try to recommend something else (which is their job I guess) and if it's something that I haven't researched about before, I generally want to try a sample before I shell out my money for it. I'm absolutely fine if they don't have any but I'd appreciate if they didn't treat me awfully just because I dared to ask for a sample. Ultimately, they lose out because if I like something, I'll go back to the place I got the sample from and buy it from there. For example, I really liked the mini Urban Decay lipstick so I ended up getting the full size one from Sephora who gave me the sample rather than Beautybay who I could have gotten free shipping from.

Anyway, onto the lipstick:

Urban Decay lipstick in Catfight

The lipstick is really creamy and goes on really smoothly. I was quite surprised as I was expecting it to tug on my lips but it really didn't. It also has a formula that doesn't accentuate any dry spots on my lips. I thought it would be quite matte but its neither matte or glossy. It's basically a very creamy and very pigmented lipstick.

The wear time has also been quite good. It lasts for hours on end and yes, like most lipsticks, it will transfer onto drinks/cups and wear off as you eat but the pigmentation is crazy and it will leave a stain.

Wearing Urban Decay lipstick in Catfight

The lipstick looks more red than pink in the tube but it actually swatches like a hot pink. It really reminded me of MAC's Impassioned lipstick but Catfight is slightly darker and has more red tones than Impassioned.

Left: MAC lipstick in Impassioned
Right: Urban Decay lipstick in Catfight

I was quite sceptical that the Urban Decay lipsticks would be good but I'm happy that I did get to try it. I remember that Urban Decay used to have lipsticks that were quite large and had a dagger shaped "handle" but they discontinued them around September/October last year. They went on sale for like $3 each! Since then, I'd always wondered if Urban Decay would bring back lipsticks and it looks like they've made their lipsticks better than ever! I'd definitely recommend them. If you look at the picture above, the swatch was ONE swipe which just goes to show how pigmented they can be.

If you're one of my Australian readers, I'd recommend that you get them from Beautybay for the free shipping. Otherwise, you can order them from Sephora if you use a parcel forwarder :)

October Favourites!

I'M BACK! I know I haven't been blogging much lately but I have a really good excuse! I've been sick for a week with gastro (stomach bug) and it's been showing no signs of easing up so I haven't been in the mood to be on my laptop or getting out of bed unless I have to. I was basically getting fevers and really bad stomach pains whenever I ate anything so after sucking it up for 5 days, I finally went to the doctor who diagnosed me. I'm not a fan of taking medicine (I'm really forgetful!) so I was basically just napping after every meal to distract myself from the pain. It's also made me really tired so I've been sleeping a lot too.

As well as not blogging, I haven't even had the energy to read other blogs! The thing that's brought me back though is all the October favourites posts. I LOVE favourites posts and I always look forward to reading them :) So I have a lot of reading to catch up on and here's my October favourites (by the way, I'll be drawing my blogiversary giveaway winner when I'm a bit better).

October Favourites!

1. Hakuhodo retractable slanted face brush: I'm not actually sure if that's the name but they don't put the model numbers or names on the brushes. The plastic casing is really cheap looking (and scratches easily) but the actual hairs on the brush are so so soft and it makes applying bronzer really easy.

2. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer: I've been loving this primer for when I need my makeup to last all day. It can seriously keep foundation on my face for over 12 hours. The consistency is similar to Benefit's Porefessional.

3. Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in number 7: If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you'd know that this is my absolute favourite concealer! I have about 6 tubes of this at the moment because I love it so much!.

4. Prestige Waterproof Eyeliner: Unfortunately, Priceline no longer stocks Prestige so I can't stock up on this :( It's an amazing eyeliner for tight lining and it doesn't smudge at all. I have super oily eyelids and whenever I use this, it stays put.

5. NARS Deep Throat Blush: I rediscovered this blush this month after not using it for a little while. I forgot how natural this blush looks on me!.

The movies that I put my makeup on in the photo above were a really good bargain at Coles. I got The Help for $9 and Couples Retreat for $5. I absolutely LOVE The Help and it's one of those books where I actually liked the movie as well. If you haven't seen it, it's definitely worth watching although I think that you should definitely read the book first.

Favourite Lip Glosses!

Oops... It's been far too long since my last post! Life has gotten crazy busy recently as the uni semester is finishing up and I'm doing my last lot of assignments before the exam period. Other than that, I have no excuse for the lapse of time between posts! Anyway, I wanted to do a short post on my favourite lip glosses today :)

I'm not a big lipgloss fan at all and I'll normally skip over them when I'm shopping for makeup. However, on the odd occasion, one will catch my eye and no matter how much I try to resist buying it, I eventually cave. This has happened 3 times this year and I don't regret buying them at all :)

Top 3 lipglosses
Left to right: Clarins Eclat Minute, Bobbi Brown lip gloss and
Lancome Gloss in Love

I first heard about the Clarins Eclat Minute in 01 Rose Shimmer (approx AUD$25) through Essie Button on Youtube and I pretty much tracked it down immediately afterwards. This is a super smooth and only slightly sticky lip gloss that I use for a no fuss no-makeup look. However, I've recently realised that when it wears off, my lips get really dry and flakey so I always need to have a lip balm handy.

The second lip gloss is the Bobbi Brown lip gloss in Pink Coral. I believe this was a limited edition lip gloss from a few months back (but is still available) and I just couldn't get it out of my mind! Every time I walked past Bobbi Brown at David Jones and Myer, I would pick it up and almost buy it but then I'd put it back because of the price tag (AUD$42). I'm sometimes a little ditzy and I'll put lipstick on chapped lips and go "oh crap, I have all these dry patches now!" so I'll whip this out and put a coat of lip gloss over my lips to disguise any dry skin and patchy areas on my lips.

And the last lip gloss is a new addition, the new Lancome Gloss in Love in 312 Blink Pink (AUD$42). This is a pinkish nude lip gloss with shimmer that isn't sticky at all! It's really smooth and when it does wear off, my lips aren't flakey at all which is why I really love this! The formula is just so luxurious that I really want to go back and buy a few more colours.

The swatches below were taken under natural day time lighting in the bathroom. There has been no filtering or editing. For more swatches, see my August Favourites Post and my July Favourites Post :)

Left to Right: Clarins Eclat Minute, Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss
and Lancome Gloss in Love

Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation and Luminous Silk Powder

I was at the Giorgio Armani counter at Myer a few weeks back and got chatting with a makeup artist (MUA) about the Luminous Silk foundation. He asked a bunch of questions about my skin type and the type of coverage that I wanted and he actually recommended the Designer Lift foundation instead. I'd said that I had combination skin and that I wanted a medium to full coverage foundation.

Products not true to colour. The powder is a tad lighter coloured in real life.
Filter applied.

I've been using both these products every day and I'm so impressed by them! It's definitely made me a lot more interested in the other things that Giorgio Armani has to offer like the lipsticks and lip glosses. I wouldn't say that my curiosity about the Luminous Silk Foundation has worn off so I'll probably go back for that one sometime but Designer Lift has knocked my socks off.

The foundation is quite runny and I find it really easy to put on using my fingers. The MUA said that the foundation could also be applied using a natural haired brush (not synthetic). I use one pump for my entire face and a little bit extra to bring the foundation down to my neck. I use number 5 (warm beige) in both the foundation and the powder, however, the powder is a tad too light. The foundation also looks like it's too light when I apply it but it does oxidise a bit so that it looks more natural about 15-20 minutes later. As reference, I sit between NC25-30 in MAC terms and use the following foundations:

• Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Bamboo Beige (closer to NC25) and Cashew Beige (closer to NC30)
• NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Punjab
• Maybelline BB Cream in Medium
• Hourglass Immaculate Foundation in Nude

The foundation and powder seriously lasts all day. I'm writing this review 12 hours after I applied both products in the morning and they're still going strong. I can also always see my blush and bronzer on my face after I come home from work. The only places that my foundation and concealer (Make Up For Ever Full Coverage Concealer in number 6 and 7) will rub off on is around my nose.

The picture below was taken about 3 hours after I applied the foundation and powder. It looks exactly like when I first applied it. This was taken indoors under natural light and there are no filters.

Please excuse the dead look. I have no eye makeup
or lip products on.

The next picture is what it looks like after it's been on for 8 hours. I did take the photo on a different day which explains the outfit change. This was taken outdoors, not facing the sun and there are no filters.

Giorgio Armani foundation and powder
after 8 hours.

I've also swatched the foundation beside other face products that I use quite often so that you can get a better idea of the colour. I think number 5 in both these products would be more suitable for people with skin tones leaning towards NC25 rather than NC30. I really like the medium coverage the foundation gives so I'll be repurchasing the foundation in a darker shade. I'd also repurchase the powder in a darker shade.

Swatches from left to right:

1. Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation in number 5
2. Maybelline BB Cream in Medium
3. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Bamboo Beige
4. Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in number 7

Indoors under natural light

Indoors in the bathroom under natural light

The cons of this foundation is that it does have a tendency to cling to dry patches. I have lots of those around my jaw and forehead so it will sometimes cling to them. It doesn't do it really badly and to be honest, it doesn't really bother me as it's not super evident unless you're up close to my face. The other con is the price! It retails for AUD$90. And for people who are probably wondering if this foundation is good for photos or not, it will occasionally give you a white cast. I wore it out one night and my face looked ok in the majority of photos except maybe 2 (out of 30).

One of the cons about the powder is also the price. It retails for AUD$88. The other con (depending on the way you see it) is that there's nowhere to put a powder puff or sponge. The powder is in a small magnetic compact that's very travel friendly and I love that it has a mirror! I don't use powder puffs or sponges (I carry retractable powder brushes) so this aspect doesn't annoy me but I know that it's a deal breaker for some people.

If you have oily skin or an oily t-zone, it's better that you use the foundation with a mattifying primer like the Benefit Porefessional or the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. When I pair the foundation and powder with these two primers, I can get away with not powdering at lunchtime if I really needed to (on a busy day or something). A primer that I can't use these products with is the NARS Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer as it makes my face look like a grease ball. I know of people who love that primer so I'd recommend that you don't pair it with these products.

Revlon Pink In The Afternoon Lipstick

I saw this lipstick on someone's blog a few months back and I'd been trying to track it down ever since. It was so hard to find and it seemed as if no one stocked it and I basically gave up on it. However, a few weeks back, I was killing time at Chemist Warehouse and found one tucked away in the Revlon stand. There was no official spot for it and no pricing. I grabbed it anyway and decided to buy it without even caring about the price as I wanted it that badly. Luckily for me, it rung up as $10 :D

Revlon Pink In The Afternoon Lipstick
(not true to colour. It was hard to capture the pink tones)

This is one of those 'my lips but better' lipsticks. It goes on so smoothly and it has that elusive lipstick formulation that is just so luxurious and it makes my heart beat every time I put it on. It makes my lips look absolutely perfect and it feels like its "second skin" if that makes sense. It reminds me of when I apply foundation and it looks like my natural skin... its kind of the same with this lipstick. It's not thick and it doesn't sit on the top of your lips. It kind of sinks in and makes people look at you and wonder whether you have lipstick on or if you just have really nice lips. Surprisingly, it's very pigmented and the swatch below was only one swipe of lipstick.

Left to Right: MAC Flamingo,
Revlon Pink In The Afternoon
Revlon Pink Lemonade Lip Butter

FOTD:
Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation in 5
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Powder in 5
Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in 6 and 7
NARS Laguna Bronzer
MAC Eyebrows in Lingering
Laura Mercier Mascara
Revlon Pink In The Afternoon Lipstick

It's perfect for people who don't normally wear lipstick much as it's not an "in your face colour" and it won't push you out of your comfort zone. It's also one of those lipsticks that you can pop on when you go out and you'll be having your photo taken as there's no chance of you looking back at the photos and going "what's with the clown lips?".

If I ever come across this lipstick again, I'd buy myself some backups. I think this lipstick is a 10 out of 10.

P.S. For the people who asked about the Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation and Luminous Silk Powder that I purchased a few weeks back, I'm wearing it in the last photo. I'd already had it on for 8 hours when I took that photo (no filtering) and it still looks perfect!