{ Review + Swatches } Wet n Wild Mega Last Matte Lip Covers w/ Lip Swatches!

I can't get enough of lip products. Along with cheek products and eyeshadows, I think that lipsticks are one of my favourite beauty items to collect! I've been hearing some great things about these Wet n Wild Mega Last Matte Lip Covers (what a mouthful >.<) and of course I had to give them a try! I've been quite into matte lipsticks lately, especially with darker shades. I think dark matte lips are super gorgeous whether it be a bold pin-up red or dark burgundy plum.

I picked up three of their matte lipsticks:

L-R: 911D Stoplight Red || 902C Bare It All || 907C Mauve Outta Here

Stoplight Red is a bright cool-toned red, Bare It All is a browny-nude and Mauve Outta Here is a bright almost fuschia pink with slight purple undertones. My favourite of the bunch would have to be Stoplight Red. Possibly a surprise to those of you who know how much I love my nude and pink lipsticks! I just feel that with matte finishes, reds or any darker colours are a such a classic. Bare It All leaned a bit too brown for my liking and honestly, I really prefer my lighter lipstick shades to have a creamier finish. Mauve Outta Here was ok- I expected it to be a lot lighter in colour, like a pinky-mauve but it turned out to be quite a deep pink.

I don't care for the light plastic packaging at all but I guess for the price you shouldn't expect much. I'm also not too fond by the fact that you can't twist the lipstick all the way down meaning that when you put the plastic cap back on, you need to be super careful not too bump the edges on the lipstick. Your cap can get pretty messy if you're not careful!

Can I get a YAY for lip swatches?!  

Overall I really do love the colour pay off of these lipsticks and I do think they are worth it. Due to its matte formulation, they are long-lasting but also not the smoothest lipstick to apply on the lips. They wear quite well even after food too- Stoplight Red faded only the slightest bit after eating! 

My tip when applying matte lipsticks is to make sure your lips are completely free of any dry flakes before applying and with darker lipsticks, use a lip brush to apply the lipstick for a cleaner edge and better precision.

Pros: 

• Really really inexpensive
• Great pigmentation
• Very long-lasting
• Variety of different shades to choose from
• Not too drying on the lips

Cons:

• Bad cheapo packaging
• Not very smooth to apply
• Quite hard to apply more pigmented and darker shades without a lip brush due to the shape of the lipstick (it's more rounded compared to the usual. Don't know if that made any sense sorry T.T)

So if you're looking for cheap yet great quality matte lipsticks then I really do recommend them! I got these lipsticks for $2.75 each (not including shipping)!! Amazing price don't you think!? I got mine here FYI : ) 

Hope everyone's week has been great so far! I finished the final exam of my university degree EVERR yesterday so I feel pretty awesome : D I feel sooo free!!

xo Laura

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

{ STYLE } My Kingdom

If you don't already know, I love my statement necklaces. Just a simple, casual and plain looking outfit can be instantly transformed into something a bit more dressy and suited to more formal events. Formal occassions or not, you would probably catch me wearing bold jewellery pieces on most days of the week.

I picked out this 'Kingdom' necklace from Vanity Box (an Australian-based fashion and cosmetics online store)- I personally prefer statement necklaces with shorter chains, in that it would sit on my upper chest although I could not pass up on this one! I was immediately drawn to its bold design, especially the glamorous-looking pendant, the earthy colour scheme and the vintage-esque feel.

The necklace feels like it's really well-made, sturdy and it's not too lightweight. The only frustration I have with this necklace is that it can get tangled really easily, obviously with the many chains and layers incorporated into the design- so appropriate storage is a must!

Vanity Box is selling this gorgeous item on their website for $18.80AUD. Amazing! Doesn't this piece look a lot more expensive?! Super satisfied :D

Visit Vanity Box here for more gorgeous items, including a variety of Asian-brand cosmetics, fashion apparel and accessories!

xo Laura

* Disclaimer: The 'Kingdom' necklace was gifted to me by the team at Vanity Box. *

{ STYLE } One

I've been obsessed with anything lace recently. I used to think it was a bit old-fashioned and trashy but if lace is subtly incorporated into an outfit, I think it makes your overall look a whole lot more classy and elegant.

I haven't worn this lace-flowery printed number for a while now. I was so glad it caught my eye while rummaging through my closet- just adore the print and how the design is not too 'loud' and in-your-face. I really appreciate the black panelling on the sides of the dress, with obvious reasons why- *oh hello instant body slimmer :p*.

What I threw on for a special date night. I can never doubt the black and gold combination- hints of gold on my jewellery pieces and my heels with gold-embellished soles!

TRF Collection dress, Amante heels, faux snakeskin clutch gifted from my grandma, jewellery bought from a store in Jakarta and Colette

{ Photos taken by dtn | photography }

Time to sign out! Thanks for reading loves!

xo Laura

{ Review + Swatches } Mini Haul : theBalm

I've wanted to try the cheek products from theBalm for the longest time and luckily for me, OzSale (a flash-sale site similar to Hautelook etc.) were selling these some time last month at such an affordable price! I think I spent around $50AUD for all of these when usually one of their blushes/bronzers costs $20AUD each! A ridiculously awesome deal : D

I purchased two of their shadow/blush products in 'Frat Boy' and 'Down Boy', their bronzing powder in 'Bahama Mama' and a lipstick in 'Classified'.

So far so good. I've been so impressed by their cheek products which I think that theBalm is most famous for, and righteously so. Although they can be a bit powdery when you take some product from the pan onto your brush, they apply and feel really silky and smooth. They all have superb pigmentation too!

L-R: Down Boy, Bahama Mama, Frat Boy

I was also impressed by how sturdy the packaging was. Their cheek products are enclosed in a cardboard box with a magnetic closure and because of this I thought the blushes/bronzers would be more prone to breakage if you dropped it. I remember receiving my package with less than standard packing (hardly any foam padding or bubblewrap inside!!) and to my surprise, none of the products were damaged!

Another plus is its value for money. A standard MAC blush holds 6g/0.21OZ of product whereas theBalm's cheek products range from 7.08-9.9g/0.25-0.35OZ of product. FYI: MAC blushes in Australia costs around double as much as a blush from theBalm. Need I say more?!

Here are some close-ups of each of the cheek products and their swatches! I have no idea why they have tiny microglitters in there- either it was originally there and I didn't notice them or I accidentally transferred them using different brushes. Either way, they all basically apply matte : )

Shadow/blush in 'Frat Boy' (peachy-apricot pink)

Shadow/blush in 'Down Boy' (cool-toned pink mauve)

Bronzing powder in 'Bahama Mama' (matte medium brown with no orange undertones)

 L-R: Frat Boy, Bahama Mama, Down Boy

Pros:

• Great value for money- a lot of product for a reasonable price!
• Silky and smooth to apply
• Sturdy packaging and not bulky to carry
• Cute packaging design
• Suited to many skintones
• Amazing pigmentation
• Added mirror
• Bronzer in 'Bahama Mama' doesn't have any orange undertones
• Good longevity, stays in place all day

Cons: 

• Quite powdery when you try to pick up product with your brush- be gentle!
• Not accessible in-stores in Australia (that's why I love online shopping <3)

Now onto the not so good part of my review. The lipstick. Usually when I try a new cosmetic brand, I want to choose a shade/colour that I would wear often hence the neutral nudey-brown lipstick I picked up called 'Classified'. Although, I have to give props to the packaging since it's sooo cute and unique!- adore the newspaper design!

 

The lipstick was TOO sheer for my liking. There are some fantastic sheer lipsticks out there which are sheer but buildable but this one did not build up to the opacity I would have liked. I also think it was because it was too close to my natural lip colour therefore the colour wasn't able to show through very well.

Pros:

• Awesome design and packaging
• I really like the minty/cool feel it has on the lips
• Smooth to apply

Cons:

• Not available in-stores in Australia
• Too sheer and heaps of layers required to get some opacity- not sure if their other shades are like this or maybe it's just this colour? 
• The nude shade leaned too much 'brown' for my liking

That's all from me for now AND for a while since I have to start studying hard for my final exams EVERR in uni! It doesn't even feel like I've finished uni yet until I've completed and passed all my exams. T_T *soldier on!*

Wish me luck! and thanks for reading! Leave any questions or suggestions etc. you have in the comments section and I will get back to you when I can!

xo Laura

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

{ Review + Swatches } Peripera : Wonder of Lips in 'Reggae Beige' and 'Soft Pink'

A quick post which is kinda a continuation of my previous one where I reviewed and swatched some Peripera products! I've added two more of Peripera's Wonder of Lips lipsticks to my collection *yay*. They're definitely more wearable (compared to 'Cherry Pink' which I previously reviewed) and perfect for everyday use!

Now, I won't ramble on about my thoughts on these as I have previously reviewed these lipsticks in my last post HERE!

L-R: No.11 'Reggae Beige', No.4 'Soft Pink' 

I would describe 'Reggae Beige' as a peachy nude and 'Soft Pink' as a coral pink. At first I was shocked to see how bright 'Soft Pink' was but luckily for its sheer formulation, it made it more wearable, well for me anyway. Those who love bold bright lips can still rock this lippy if they just apply more layers! Like I mentioned in my last Peripera post, these lipsticks are very much buildable!

Not sure why the difference in packaging but still adorable nonetheless!

Top: No.11 'Reggae Beige', Bottom: No.4 'Soft Pink'

For those of you interested in an in-depth review and my thoughts on these lipsticks, you can read my previous post here. Oh, and for those curious-bees, I got these babies on ebay ; )

Have a great weekend!

xo Laura

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