{ Review + Swatches } Wet n Wild 'Comfort Zone' Palette w/ a FOTN!

I recently purchased one of Wet n Wild's Color Icon palettes in 'Comfort Zone' after ummm-ing and aah-ing for the longest time! This eyeshadow palette comes with a collection of 8 pigmented and shimmery colours. I absolutely adore the selection of shades which are totally up my alley- a mix of neutrals and olive tones. A great palette for winter/fall although I would wear these colours all year round.

Like I said previously, all the eyeshadows have a shimmery finish with two of the shades also adorned with microglitters. This is my first Wet n Wild eyeshadow palette and  honestly, I was really amazed by the pigmentation and colour pay-off. All the eyeshadows apply really easily and have a silky texture although some of the darker eyeshadows tend to be a bit more chalky- although a negative that I can put up with. I especially love the uniqueness of the 'Definer' shade in the second column of the palette- a reddish brown with a slight green iridescence. Defintely something I don't have in my eyeshadow collection! Although that colour is great swatched, the greenish iridescence seemed to get a little lost once applied on the lids :(

Pros: 

• Inexpensive- purchased mine for around $8 AUD
• Pigmented and silky to apply
• Great all-in-one palette to create day and night looks from
• Very little fall-out
• Gorgeous shimmery finishes
• Glittered eyeshadows do not cause a major mess or fall-out
• Amazing colour selection

Cons:

• Cheap packaging and double-ended brush
• Not easily accessible in Australia
• Some of the darker shades are a little chalky

A recent FOTN using only the eyeshadows from this palette on my lids! **No primer used**. Simple and earth-toned colours on the lids plus a pop of colour on my lips.

Making silly faces.

Thanks for reading! I hope this post has helped those of you thinking of purchasing Wet n Wild eyeshadows. Let me know which eyeshadow palettes you are currently loving :D

Have a nice week lovelies!

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored post and I am in no way affiliated with Wet n Wild Cosmetics. The product mentioned was purchased with my own money and as always my reviews are 100% my honest opinion. *

{ YUM! } Lazy Sundays at the Tuck Shop

* PHOTO HEAVY !! :D * Our meals from the past two Sundays brunching at the Tuck Shop. We had such a great first visit that we wanted to go again the following week to try more of their dishes. Their menu is probably the most exciting brunch/lunch menu I've seen in a long time! Sundays are definitely very busy and it's only a small cafe so be prepared to wait for 15-30 minutes. Worth the wait though! Food and drinks are made fresh, beautifully presented and the wait staff are super friendly : )

The interior : 

 

Our food from visit 1:

Lamb, rosemary & vegetable pie: Pies are what the Tuck Shop are famous for! This was soo delicious- their pastry tasted so fresh and the filling was so flavoursome. The lamb was well cooked and tender too. Definitely recommend this one!

 Chorizo with paprika potatoes, peppers, spanish onions and crispy pork belly, fried egg: I chose this one after seeing so many photos of it whilst browsing Urbanspoon. Loved the flavours in the dish but wish they added more chorizo and pork belly! When I saw 'crispy' pork belly, I was expecting a crispy skin and a tender/soft pork meat although the whole thing was crispy which I didn't particularly enjoy.

Our food from visit 2:

 Moroccan meatballs with flatbread, tomato, hummus and za'atar fried egg: My boy's dish- he gives it a 6/10. Other than the great presentation and uniqueness of the dish, many aspects of it were lacking. He says the meatballs were too mushy, hummus was average and it was a little salty for his liking.

Bruschetta with grilled bacon, goats curd, tomato, avocado and basil salad: My dish! Loved the combination of ingredients and the presentation! Definitely something different to the traditional tomato and basil bruschetta! Only minus about this dish was the saltiness- a little too much salt from the bacon and the goats curd.

Beef, bacon & cheddar pie: Both pies we tried were yummy but I definitely prefer the pie during our first visit- I preferred the lamb and rosemary filling because of the gravy and tenderness of the vegies and lamb. This pie had a lot less sauce and the meat was more chunky.

  Vanilla shake: So freakin delicious! The extra vanilla pods added made this shake so heavenly. Tasted different to many other generic vanilla shakes I've tried. I like how the Tuck Shop's shake is not too thick and had the perfect vanilla taste. It was not overpowering-ly sweet which was great too.

Their menu: 

 Their menu apparently changes everyday. I only noticed very minor changes between my first and second visit.

Overall, I found the food to be tasty but not mind-blowing. I think my expectations were too high after reading the many outstanding reviews! Either way, I will definitely return- I just love how the rest of the dishes on their menu sounds.

For more info, I shall link you guys to their Urbanspoon page here.

Hope you've been having a fab week and I hope this post hasn't made you too hungry hehehee..~

xo Laura

{ Review + Swatches } Sleek Makeup : Glory I-Divine Eyeshadow Palette

Another palette to add to my collection of Sleek eyeshadow palettes! I was gifted this limited edition palette from Sleek's 2012 Collection called the 'Glory I-Divine' eyeshadow palette. Along with this eyeshadow palette, Sleek has also released a blush and a pout polish as part of their limited edition 2012 Collection which celebrates the London Olympics. As it is a limited edition palette, I really wanted to put up this review/swatches post asap just in case you guys were interested in purchasing one for yourself!

I already did a separate post a while back reviewing and swatching 4 of Sleek's eyeshadow palettes from their permanent line so I won't ramble on too much about the quality of their eyeshadows as I found them to be essentially the same. The main difference I found was that the 'Glory I-Divine' palette was a tad less powdery and therefore had a little less fall-out compared to the ones I have previously reviewed. Possibly a change in formulation?

This palette also contains a mixture of matte and shimmers as well as a variety of colours. There are a few bright colours in this palette too which is a nice change for me as I own and wear a lot of neutral shades! I really love the rose gold colour called 'Bakerloo'. It reminds me a lot of 'Chopper' from Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette! Most of the shadows in the palette are well pigmented with the exception of two on the top row- the first eyeshadow from the left, 'Tube', a shimmery cream-gold and the second shadow from the right, 'Platform', a matte grey. The matte grey eyeshadow hardly even shows up on my skin!

Top row of the palette:

Bottom row of the palette: 

The 2012 Collection (includes eyeshadow palette, blush and pout polish) retails for $19.99 whereas the eyeshadow palette alone costs $9.99. You can find more information on www.sleekmakeup.com

If you're interested in a more in-depth review of Sleek's eyeshadow palettes, please take a read of my previous post here!

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored post and I am in no way affiliated with Sleek Makeup. The product mentioned was gifted to me by Sleek Makeup for winning their twitter competition. As always my reviews are 100% my honest opinion. *

{ NAILS } Revlon : Minted vs. Jaded

I'm in love with anything and everything mint so I really had to pick up both of these mint coloured nail polishes from Revlon! I've had 'Minted' for a while now, a nail polish from their regular line. 'Jaded' is from their "Top Speed" range and claims to dry faster once applied on the nails.

Honestly, when comparing both bottles side to side there is virtually no difference in colour at all although I did notice once applying the first coat of each, 'Jaded' had a slight shimmer whereas 'Minted' did not. Once you apply more coats of each nail polish, they look practically identical. The shimmers in 'Jaded' are not noticeable at all unless you look at your nails super closely. Another slight difference I found was that 'Minted' was a tiny bit of a darker mint compared to 'Jaded'.

I applied 3 coats of each to achieve the full opacity I wanted, plus my Seche Vite top coat. As pictured below, I applied 'Minted' on the nail on my ring finger whereas the rest of my nails were painted with 'Jaded'.

In Sunlight:

Indoors:

Can you see the difference between the two? Very minimal right!?

So which one do I prefer? 'Minted'. Here are my reasons why:

• It did not chip as fast (both lasted around 5 days before I noticed 'Jaded' start to chip first)
• It's less expensive. Roughly $2 cheaper than the "Top Speed" range
• Not much difference in how quickly both dried, especially when you expect the "Top Speed" nail polish to dry a lot quicker
• Colour, finish and ease of application are virtually the same for both

I've just removed my nail polish and my nails are looking shy and bare right now. I might give my nails a much needed break and a little breather. It feels weird because I ALWAYS have nail polish on!!

Anyway, hope you had a fab weekend!

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored post and I am in no way affiliated with Revlon. The products mentioned were purchased with my own money and as always my reviews are 100% my honest opinion. *

{ REVIEW } Real Techniques Brushes

Here's my review on the Real Techniques brushes created by Samantha Chapman, a professional makeup artist and one half of 'pixiwoo' on youtube! I was so excited when I found out that these brushes were finally going to hit Aussie shores. I purchased the blush brush in Priceline for just under $20AUD whilst i won the Core Collection kit through Priceline's twitter comp! :D I was so surprised I actually won something fab for once in my life LOL- thanks Priceline!

Camwhorin' with my blush brush!

All the brushes are made from synthetic taklon bristles which make them uber soft! I remember having a feel of the blush brush in Priceline and was just standing there for a few minutes just stroking it like a madwoman. I love the sleekness and the colours of the handles too! Each brush category have their own different handle colour. The 'base' brushes which includes brushes from the Core Collection are orange, the 'eye' brushes are purple and the 'finish' brushes are pink. They actually remind me a lot of the Sephora brush handles! It's also great that some of the brushes have a flat base so you are able to make them stand on their own.

The blush brush (pink handle) came on its own while the Core Collection kit (orange handles) came with a brush case as shown above.

Blush Brush:

The first brush I tried out from the range and I absolute love this one for not only blush but because of its tapered shape, I also like using it for a light contour with my bronzer. I've tried using this as a powder brush too which works really well because it is able to powder more precisely under your eyes and around your nose due to its tapered nature. Although, it's not my favourite brush to use for a powder. I prefer my powder brushes to be more rounded and fluffy. A great 3 in 1 brush nonetheless!

The Core Collection Kit:

I freakin adore the 2 in 1 case and stand! Always a thumbs up for multi-function items!

Now onto the individual brushes in the kit....

Pointed Foundation Brush:

This brush is definitely way too small to use as a foundation brush although I do like it as a concealer brush. It's great to conceal dark under-eye circles as well as any other blemishes you have on your face with a liquid concealer. If you like using foundation brushes, you may want to use a larger brush just because it will save you time! For me, I don't particularly like foundation brushes. I would rather use a soft buffing brush or my hands to apply my foundation/BB cream.

Contour Brush:

I have been searching high and low for the perfect contour brush just because I couldn't find the perfect size for me and therefore had to resort to using the one angled blush brush from Sigma as my blush AND bronzing brush. This is the perfect brush size to contour under the cheekbones with your favourite bronzer. I have yet to try it out but it would probably be great to use to apply a highlighter as well!

Detailer Brush:

I love using this brush for more precise details such as applying red lipstick! It helps to create a clean edge around your lips which is fantastic, making your lips look more defined. I also like using it to apply a shimmery shadow on my inner eye corners to brighten up my eyes a bit more. I think it would also be great to use it as a concealer brush to conceal any tiny spots and blemishes you may have on your face.

Buffing Brush:

I've used this brush to apply my BB cream and I love how soft it is when I buff the product into my face! It creates a really smooth and non-streaky canvas on your face unlike many foundation brushes out there hence the reason why I prefer using buffing brushes over foundation brushes. I've also tried using this brush to apply my powder which I really like! 

Pros:

• Amazingly soft bristles!!
• Many of the brushes have multiple functions
• Really sleek brush handles in different fun colours
• A lot of the brushes have a flat base hence are self-standing
• No shedding of the bristles
• 2 in 1 case and stand if you purchase their kits (Core Collection and the Starter Set)
• High quality, well-made and sturdy brushes
• Good brush sizes and easy to hold

Cons: 

• Rather expensive if you purchase them in stores in Australia. I have had a couple of people tell me that iherb.com sells them at an inexpensive price
• Flat base means that it will take up more room if you store your brushes altogether

As you can see, the pros definitely do outweigh the cons. I absolutely love these brushes and I'm definitely looking into purchasing a few more. I really want to try some of their eye brushes, powder brush and their expert face brush next!

Have you guys tried out any of the Real Techniques brushes? How do you like them? And if not, which ones would you love to try out?

OH! and visit Real Techniques' youtube channel here to watch Sam's makeup tutorials using the brushes!

Thankyou for reading!

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored post and I am in no way affiliated with Real Techniques or Priceline Australia. As I've mentioned in the post, the blush brush was purchased with my own money whereas the Core Collection kit was sent to me by Priceline Australia for winning their twitter competition. As always my reviews are 100% my honest opinion. *

SIGN THE PETITION!! ILLAMASQUA: FIGHT FOR A FAIR BEAUTY PRICE IN AUSTRALIA!

I really wanted to make this quick post after watching Wayne from gossmakeupartist on youtube put out a video regarding the topic of ridiculously inflated prices in Australia's beauty market. If you are a beauty lover in Australia, you know how expensive cosmetic products are here in comparison to other places around the world such as the US and UK. It's unfair to us! Why should Australians pay 61% more for the exact same product in the UK?

Like my paint skillz? LOL

Illamasqua has noticed our frustration and has set up a campaign to make a stand against the global giants of cosmetics. They need our help to make this happen so please sign this petition: http://www.illamasqua.com/fairpriceforbeauty/

For more info about the campaign: http://www.illamasqua.com/fairpriceforbeauty/about-the-campaign/

Watch the campaign film here: http://www.illamasqua.com/fairpriceforbeauty/campaign-film/

And here is Wayne's video! PLEASE WATCH and read all the info in the video's downbar. Thankyou Wayne so much for bringing awareness to this topic! <3

I urge all of you reading this to spread the word. Tell your friends and family to sign this petition too. Share this post, share Wayne's video etc and hopefully us Aussies won't be paying outrageous prices for cosmetics anymore!

Thanks so much for reading!

xo Laura

❥ June & July Favourites 2012

Hey loves! Welcome to my second favourites post! I know that I mentioned in my May Faves that I would try to put out a favourites post every month but I've started to think that would unreasonable for me to do. I really don't try a lot of new products every month hence will only be posting my favourites whenever I feel I have plenty of great products to share! So let's get onto my combined favourites for June and July!

Sephora Nail Polish Remover: 

I am constantly changing my nail colour every couple of days so a product that will conveniently and quickly remove my nail polish is a tick in my book! I picked this up whilst on holidays in Singapore and bought 2 bottles! The inside of the bottle is basically a sponge and contains nail polish remover. You basically just put your nail in the sponge hole, twirl it around and voila, your nail polish removes instantly! No need to use those cotton pads and nail polish removers anymore! They are also very long lasting. I purchased the 2 bottles at the end of 2010 and I'm currently on my second bottle. Although, I'm searching for a replacement asap because I'm back to nail polish remover and cotton pads once this runs out :( I've heard of Bourjois making something very similar to this so I might have to check that out when I'm at the stores next. 

Do you guys know of any other brands that sell these types of nail polish removers? I would love to know!

Payot Paris, Pate Grise:

This baby is my favourite spot treatment for those annoying pimples you get every now and then. It's a very thick mud-like formula with a pretty strong herbal scent which I have gotten used to. I love to use it whenever I get a breakout as I feel that it really does reduce the redness and will miraculously get rid of those pimples way quicker compared to if you left it alone. It's especially great for those pimples that feel harder rather than the soft pustular ones because the formula really helps to dry up the blemishes and therefore a gentle exfoliation will get rid of it instantly. I kid you not!

Bath & Body Works Anti-bacterial Hand Gels: 

 If you guys know me personally, you know that I ALWAYS carry around some form of anti-bacterial gel and hand wipes. I'm a clean-freak, once I touch something dirty I need to disinfect my hands. Before I eat and need to use my hands, I need to disinfect them. Of course, this shouldn't replace your soap and water but anti-bacterial hand gels are awesome on-the-go especially in places where you don't have easy access to a restroom. My favourite anti-bacterial hand gels of all time are these ones from Bath & Body Works. They smell absolutely divine! I was first introduced to them when I was holidaying in Dubai and luckily got a bunch ordered in for me during my last trip to Jakarta! There are a great variety of different scents to choose from but the favourites I've tried so far would have to be "Sweet Pea" and "Japanese Cherry Blossom".

Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm: 

 This is my second tube of this lip balm and I love it! It's so moisturising, easy to apply and the scent is not over-powering at all. I can't quite put my finger on the scent but it is extremely subtle. I've tried their rose lip balm and it definitely does not compare to this one in terms of its moisturising ability. The rose one did not even smell of roses nor was it even moisturising. It's very much on par with "Lucas' Papaw Ointment" (in the red tube) in terms of moisturisation but Nivea's is just way more convenient to apply on your lips since you can just directly apply it on your lips without having to squeeze it out of the tube and then having to go wipe your sticky fingers.

Cetaphil Moisturising Cream for Dry, Sensitive Skin:

Now this is a new product for me but I am so so so impressed by it! Who says you need to go out and buy expensive high-end moisturisers when you can find something as great and simple as this one. Firstly, it's fragrance free, which is important if you have sensitive skin like myself, secondly it's inexpensive and thirdly it is extremely moisturising and hydrating. Possibly the best moisturiser I could use right now during this really cold harsh weather in Australia where my skin tends to be on the drier side. It's a pretty thick cream which I don't really mind because it means you only need a small amount. It's great because it locks in the moisture throughout the day. Definitely my new favourite moisturiser. I'm not too sure how it will perform when the months get hotter but I'll probably have to switch back to a lighter-weight cream. All in all, great for the winter!

 Sephora Duo Eyeshadow in "Fresh Brown No.5":

 I've been starting to use this duo again lately which contains the the perfect neutral colours. They are both shimmer eyeshadows with the lighter colour being a pink-champagne shade and the darker eyeshadow a brown with a slight hint of purple/burgundy undertones. This is the duo which I used as my predominant eyeshadow colours in my previous makeup look for my dinner date which I'll link here. No primer used at all, only my NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yogurt as a base which I thought really brought out the light champagne shadow even more. The shadows are pretty smooth to apply on the lids aswell and nicely pigmented.

Etude House Bling Bling Eye Stick in "#05 Silver Milky Way":

Really great as a highlight for your inner eye corners or even as an eyeshadow base for a silver shadow. A really pretty and pigmented shimmery glittery silver colour. Love it!

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in "Soft Nude":

Hands down probably my favourite nude lipstick. A gorgeous and wearable peachy nude shade that will not make you look like a corpse! Applies smoothly, great pigmentation and provides a really nice shine on your lips.

L-R: Etude House Bling Bling Eye Stick in "Silver Milky Way" and Revlon's "Soft Nude" Lipstick

That's all for my favourites! Thanks so much for reading!

xo Laura