Velvet on Velvet: New from Rimmel

Rimmel recently released a few new products just in time for autumn and are perfect for lovers of all things matte!

Firstly, a product that I've been waiting to get my hands on for a while - the Apocalips Lip Velvets. These are the matte version of the original Apocalips Lip Lacquers which I seriously love (yes, I have all the shades). The Lip Velvets come in 4 different shades - two deep shades, an orange and a pinky nude. I decided to try the shade 'Meteoric Matte' as it looked very similar to the Australis shade 'Doo-Bai' but I wanted to see if the offering from Rimmel would be more comfortable on the lips.

The Apocalips Velvets definitely have a matte finish, however, they feel very similar to the original Apocalips as in they don't set on the lips. Whilst this makes them really comfortable to wear they will transfer like crazy with any eating or drinking. Whilst the shade 'Meteoric Matte' is such a beautiful deep berry shade I found this such a pain to wear during the day as it smudged all over my face, wore off unevenly and the colour ran quite badly around my lips. A beautiful shade but definitely a high maintenance formula.

Along with the Apocalips Lip Velvets, Rimmel has released a range of Velvet Matte Nail Polish. I have always loved the Rimmel nail polishes and was definitely excited to try the matte formulation. I picked up the shade 'Midnight Kiss' which is a navy blue and I thought it would be a cool alternative to a black polish.

I was most impressed with the fact that this nail polish actually dries in seconds. To get the best result I find that using only one coat gives the most even finish as layering the polish can look a bit messy if you're not careful. I have tried matte polishes before that just look as if you've got 'pillow marks' but this is not the case with the Rimmel Velvet Matte polishes. The finish is definitely matte and I think velvet is also an accurate description. The only negative I found was that the polish chipped really easily. As someone who always takes the extra step of adding a top coat, obviously using a top coat over these polishes would ruin the matte effect and it definitely showed in the wear time.

Overall I'm kind of disappointed I got sucked into the hype of these products. Whilst I was impressed with both products in terms of their shades and velvet texture I found them a little inconvenient and fussy - ain't nobody got time for that!

Rimmel is available from Priceline, Target, Big W, Kmart and other Pharmacies. The nail polishes retail for $8.95 and the lip velvets for $15.95 - but always look for a sale!

Have you tried these new products from Rimmel?

xx Cat

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New In: At the Drugstore

The hardest thing about not having a job at the moment is being tempted by all the new releases to hit Australian shores (first world problems I know, but seriously...hire me). There are heaps of exciting new products popping up at the drugstore so I've complied a list so you don't miss a thing.

Maybelline is definitely my favourite drugstore brand and they have so many new products hitting the shelves. Firstly for the eyes, a twist on everyone's favourite black liquid liner, the new Master Graphic Liquid Liner is for those who love a bold liner look. Maybelline also brought their Pumped Up! Colossal Mascara to the Australian market. Maybelline have an amazing range of mascaras so if you're looking for something new to try, I doubt you could go wrong with this one.

More Maybelline products that have finally reach Aussie shores are the Dream Wonder Foundation. I tried this in store and it is very similar to the L'Oreal Nude Magique foundation. However, I did notice that the Dream Wonder foundation have a larger selection of pale shades which is excellent news for #whitegirls like me. I was also excited to see the Face Studio Master Hi-Light and Face Studio Master Glaze products on shelves too!

Finally from Maybelline are their Colour Drama Lip Colour lip pencils, which look like a thick lip liner and remind me of the Bobbi Brown Art Sticks. They have a nice range of colours and this is definitely a product I'm interested to try as it's quite unique to the drugstore market.

Revlon have added to their Photo Ready range with three new products. Firstly is their Prime and Anti-Shine Balm which claims to even out the skin's texture and minimise pores. Another new addition is their Airbrush Effect Foundation and finally is the Insta-Fix Makeup which comes in a convenient stick form. This range seems to be aimed at providing a long-lasting flawless complexion. A few retailers have a 3 for 2 promotion on this range at the moment which would be great to take advantage of if you are interested in trying these products.

One of the most exciting new releases that I have been waiting for to hit Aussie stores is the L'Oreal Colour Riche Exclusive Nude collection. There are a range of nude nail polishes and matching lipsticks inspired by some of Hollywood's biggest stars. I've already got my hands on some of the lipstick shades and I absolutely love them! The formula is quite sheer, but very moisturising and comfortable on the lips. I definitely recommend wearing a lip liner underneath to get more depth of colour.

From Rimmel is a new mascara release and the first mascara to be created by Kate Moss! The Kate Idol Eyes Mascara has a thick, curved wand that claims to add heaps of volume. Kate's line of lipsticks and nail colours are some of Rimmel's best products so if you're a fan of Rimmel mascaras I would definitely check this one out!

Finally from the drugstore are some new releases from Sally Hansen, one of my favourite brands for all things nail care and pretty colours! Firstly are two new 18K Gold products for nail care - the 18K Gold Hardener and the 18K Gold Cuticle eraser. Both products look fantastic for a DIY mani at home and I will definitely be trying these out!

Have you picked up any of these products recently? What's your favourite new release?

xx Catherine

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Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick: review and swatches

Rimmel have recently re-released their Moisture Renew lipstick range and when I they went on sale at Target I grabbed a few of the shades I had my eyes on! 

These lipsticks mainly interested me because I've been gravitating towards matte lipsticks a lot lately and wanted to try some bright lipsticks with a more glossy formula. The Rimmel website says these contain SPF 20 as well as Vitamins A, C and E for well cared for lips - impressive!

They feel absolutely gorgeous on the lips and practically melt on when applied. The pigmentation is amazing and with only one coat gives an intense colour that can be built up even more! The finish they give is beautiful and glossy, making the lips look plump and full. However, because they are a moisturising formula the staying power isn't overly impressive. They do last a few hours but if you're eating or drinking they will come off the lips.

As well as this, the packaging is really sleek, particularly for the price.

As You Want Victoria

A beautiful vibrant, blue based fuchsia!  

Sloane's Plum

A brown based plum shade. I had trouble with this one looking patchy so I prefer applying thinner layers using a lip brush.

In Love With Ginger

I absolutely love orange shades and this is a fantastic addition to my collection!

The Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks retail for $13.95 but Rimmel is often on sale at Priceline at Target so there's a good chance you can get these at a better price. I definitely recommend these for the price, the pigmentation and fantastic colour range.

xx Catherine

FOTD: Bronze and Bright Lips

This look was inspired by my new lipstick from Shanghai Suzy "The Gossling Lippie" which is an amazing bright orange. I love orange shades and this was is such a nice glossy formula. 

I recently received a new bronzer to try and it was so shimmery I tried it on my cheeks inside and absolutely love the result! 

Read more to see the products I used :) 

FOTD: Arctic Monkeys Concert

Last week I went to see my favourite band live, The Arctic Monkeys. My outfit was pretty standard - band shirt and denim jacket, so I thought I would do something really exciting with my makeup. Something about this event screamed a red lip to me, so I paired a classic red lip with a winged liner and long lashes. Read on to see how I got this look!

Makeup and Skincare Haul

I had this week off uni and did a little bit of shopping picking up some new beauty items.

//Makeup

I've been looking for a lightweight foundation or tinted moisturiser for a while now but I really didn't know which one I wanted to try and if the products that had a light coverage were going to be too dewy. I eventually decided to go into Mecca. I always go into Mecca when I have a beauty conundrum because the staff are always so amazing and helpful. I didn't go in with any expectations and was recommended the Dr Dennis Gross CC cream. After I tried it on my face I absolutely loved the finish - it wasn't completely matte but had a nice natural finish and didn't feel at all too wet on my face. I'm really impressed so far and will give you a review after I've given it a good test run

Target was having a bit of a beauty sale and I decided to go in to get some lipsticks from Maybelline, but all the ones I wanted were sold out :( I ended up choosing the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in translucent as I've heard so many great things about this powder and it was 30% at around $9 so I had to buy it!

//Skincare

I had to repurchase some of my daily skincare items as conveniently all my skincare products are running out at once. My first repurchase was the Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner which I have been loving, especially now as my skin is becoming drying into the colder weather. I also wanted to get some more rosehip oil as my little sample size from Kosmea was running out. Kosmea isn't stocked at Priceline so I picked up the Trilogy Rosehip Oil instead. Finally, I picked up the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water to see what all the fuss is about.

Finally, after finishing all my bath ballistics from Lush I couldn't stand the thought of not having a bath without one so when my sister went into the city I got her to pick some up for me. I chose three that I hadn't tried before - Butterball, The Secret Garden and Blackberry. I also got a container to house them in called the 'Pillar of Fizz'. I thought it was a great storage idea to keep my bath ballistics near the bath without worrying about the packaging getting wet.

Let me know if you've tried any of these items. Also I've just put an order through crushcosmetics.com.au so be expecting another haul soon!

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a beautiful week <3

xx Catherine

Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Moss: Review and Swatches

No. 32

No. 28

I recently bought both these shades at Priceline when all Rimmel London lip and nail products were 2 for 1.

They are quite similar in formulation to the NYX Creamy Round Lipsticks - while they glide on the lips easily, they tend to cling to dry patches and unless your lips are really nice and smooth they do tend to move around and clump easily. I found the shade 32 to be slightly easier to wear in terms of formulation as it was a little bit more opaque and creamy. To find inconsistencies within the same line really annoys me and doesn't exactly make me want to run out and get more colours.

I love the colours however, especially shade 32 which is a lovely peachy nude and I absolutely love it (and I want this exact colour in a matte formulation!).

They are relatively long-lasting but nothing incredibly impressive, which is also a little disappointing for a product that claims to be long-lasting.

The packaging is quite nice for an affordable drugstore lipstick - they retail for AUD$11.95 - I love the matte black and Kate's signature in red is a nice touch.

Overall these are fairly average lipsticks and they wouldn't be my first recommendation but I'm happy to have shade 32 because its absolutely gorgeous.

xx Catherine

What's on My Face?

The usual 'bad day Priceline visit' - I really need to stop my terrible habit of emotional shopping! But I am very happy with all these new goodies and expect lots of reviews coming up!

15 Minute Makeup

It seems like time is always of the essence these days and to have an hour to sit down and do your makeup seems like an impossible luxury . However, looking great doesn't have to take a super long time. With the right tools and products you can be glammed up in the smallest amount of time. This is a look I wore for a night out with friends.

Read on to see how I did this look 

Summer Beauty Essentials

Summer is here! I love everything about summer; the warm weather, beach holidays, uni break, my birthday and Christmas! Summer is also a fantastic time to revamp your beauty routine and try bright, fun colours. My favourite trends for summer are bright lips and corals. I also really love light coverage and dewy finishes for foundation, as there is nothing better than frolicking around in the sun with beautiful glowing skin. What I also love to create a beautiful dewy, glowy look is cream blushes which add a little extra glow to the cheeks and help make your powder blush go that little bit further to give you that sun kissed glow.

Of course, if you’re pale like me, and also live in Australia where the sun is unrelenting, the most important thing for summer is to be using high protection sunscreen – definitely with SPF 30+ or higher.

My every day summer essentials are:

Face:

•   Bourjois Bronzing Primer
•   Kate Somerville IllumiKate CC cream in no.1 ‘Fair’ à this product is SPF 50+ !!
•   Stila Convertible Color dual lip and cheek cream in ‘Lillium’

Lips:

• Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer in no.501 ‘Stellar’ à Fantastic for a night out
• Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in ‘Vibrant Mandarin’ à A beautiful bright coral which is right on trend for summer
• NYX Butter Glosses à My favourite right now is ‘Peaches and Cream’ but the entire range is so beautiful in terms of colours and now NYX is available in Target!

Bright Nails:

• Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquer in no.190 ‘ Coral Crush’

Keep checking for updates, as the next few posts will have some of my summer inspired looks!

Cat ^.^