Sleek iDivine Sunset Palette: Swatches + Demo

This is an absolutely gorgeous palette and I was so impressed with the quality of the all the colours, particularly because they were all shimmers or metallic shades. I also think the inclusion of the matte black shade is a fantastic addition to the palette and I used it to line my top lashes and well as the outer corner of my bottom lashes as an alternative to a liner pencil and to smoke out the look. Although when I first opened this palette the brightness of the colours made me wonder how and if I would ever use this palette but I was able to create a really wearable look that I would definitely recreate for a night out. The fact that the shadows were so easy to use and blend together I know I'll definitely be pulling out this palette a lot. I'm particularly obsessed with the rose, bronze and pink shades in the second photo of swatches.

Expand to see how I did the rest of my look!

Mid-Week Update

Don't forget today is the last day of the Priceline 40% off sale and while most of the stores are a mess you can still shop online until midnight to get the discount. I will definitely have a haul coming up soon!

Also I have recently been receiving emails from Myer One which is Myer's loyalty programs with beauty newsletters called Beauty Talks. The newsletter features the latest in beauty trends as well as the current deals on beauty.

• Until Sunday save 10% on beauty products online when you use the code BEAUTYW14 at the checkout.

Also there are gift with purchase deals for Napoleon Perdis and Elizabeth Arden

• When you spend $79 at Napoleon Perdis you receive a 7 piece gift set valued at $230 - this gift set looks beautiful!
• When you spend $70 at Elizabeth Arden you receive a 9 piece gift set including skincare and beauty products valued at $219.
• Both offers are available until the end of the month.

Since I buy a lot of my makeup from Myer as well as get my brows done at Benefit all the time, the Myer One program is a fantastic way to earn points and get vouchers when you reach a certain amount of points. I also can use this card when I fill up at some petrol stations so I earn points pretty fast! Definitely a must have if you shop a lot of  high-end beauty or just at Myer in general :)

I also wanted to share with you my mani - I was just going to do a simple, pinky nude but lets be real I can never resist a bit of glitter! The pink shade I used underneath is OPI colour that I don't know the name of and the gorgeous rose gold glitter on top is 'Haley Good Lookin'' by Nicole by OPI the Modern Family Collection.

                         

Happy shopping!

xx Catherine

Review: Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Mascara

My previous experiences with Maybelline mascaras have been less than impressive, however, The Falsies mascara gets so much hype in the blogging community I was interested to give this one a go. I was very impressed with this mascara, especially for the price. I really like how you can layer this mascara without it going clumpy to create a dramatic effect. As well as this, the curved wand is fantastic for reaching those outer lashes which I absolutely love. The light, dry formula means its perfect to keep your lashes curled all day.

Here you can see the definition this mascara gives with only one coat, compared to no mascara. My natural lashes are really underwhelming - they are straight and very short. This mascara worked well to add heaps of length, separate the lashes as well as curl them without using an eyelash curler.

Although this is not my favourite mascara of all time and it definitely doesn't create a 'false lash effect' as the name suggests, it is definitely a fantastic everyday mascara if you prefer dramatic lashes.

xx Cat ^.^

Priceline 40% off ALL Cosmetics

If you have an ever expanding wish list of beauty items the next two days are the best time to stock up and grab some new products to add to your collection. I don't know about you but I absolutely live for these 40% off sales and I am super excited!

Weekly Beauty Edit

I've put together five beauty and fashion favourites from the week so you can get your quick fix before the working week begins again!

1// Benefit Lollitint

I purchases this at the pre-launch and was so excited to use it as it is an absolutely gorgeous colour. So with high hopes painted it on my cheeks and well...there's nothing to really describe what I had done to my face - my cheeks were so purple I thought I may have started turning into a blueberry, Willy Wonka style. Luckily I read a couple of reviews and watched a few tutorials (as you should when you spend $55 for a product) and found that you could create a really natural, flushed look with this stain by first painting the product on a stippling brush and then dabbing it onto your cheeks. TA DA! It worked and I was so happy because it created a look which was everything I had hoped for in the product. As a stain it really lasts all day, so I wore it everyday to uni this week.

2// Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

I've really enjoyed using the Real Techniques Brushes but the Expert Face Brush has impressed me the most so far. I have used it with both my Kate Somerville CC Cream which is a very moisturising product as well as my MAC Matchmaster Foundation which is thicker and creates a very matte look. The brush worked so well with both these different products, blending them into the skin seamlessly and I was able to cover my entire face quickly.

3// Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss 

This lipgloss claims to be ultra shiny, moisturising and non-sticky. It meets all these claims and for less than $3 exceeds all my expectations. So far I've picked up the shades Bright Side of Life - a beautiful coral with gold glitter and True Love - a berry shade with silver glitter. The glitter isn't chunky or gritty at all and these have amazing pigmentation. Although they don't have the staying power of the NYX Butter glosses I am so impressed with these especially for the price. If you don't have these, you need them!

4// Denim Jacket

I've done a bit of shopping lately picking up fashion staples going into autumn and winter. I got this Lee Cooper denim jacket from Big W for only $35 and I am in love with it! Its such good quality, especially for the price, feels comfortable on the skin, fits well and is nice and sturdy. I practically haven't taken it off this week wearing it with black skirts or colourful dresses and boots and I think these looks will be my staples throughout the colder months.

5// Oscars 2014

As the awards season comes to an end I was super excited to watch the red carpet of the Oscars. Although in my opinion there weren't any incredible fashion moments, a few of my favourite looks were, of course Lupita Nyong'o looking as stunning as ever, Angelina Jolie with an beautiful beauty look and finally Cate Blanchett who I am absolutely obsessed with - she is the epitome of class.
The popular beauty looks on the red carpet definitely reveal some of the hottest trends going in the spring/summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Peachy nude, matte lips and classic black liquid liner were very popular and lucky the weather in Australia is still warm enough for peach lips!

Hopefully the Weekly Beauty Edit will be a regular post every Sunday so please let me know if you liked this post. I've also added a Google Friend Connect button to my side bar so you can follow me on Google + if you don't have a Bloglovin' account.

See you soon,
xx Cat ^.^

Lips by NYX

NYX Round Lipsticks
Swatches

Narcissus

Rose

The Verdict

I'm not super impressed by these lipsticks and after reading a lot of hype surrounding them am a bit disappointed. Although the colours are gorgeous and pigmented I really don't think I will be getting a lot of use out of them. First of all I didn't expect them to have such a frosty finish which I am not fussed about at all. They do claim to be moisturising which is true, but the moisture sits on top of the lips making them quite uncomfortable to wear and I was always worried about the product going gloopy and patchy.

Where to buy?

I bought mine from cherryculture.com and definitely recommend this site when bulk buying NYX products. They retail for USD$4.00 but always seem to be on sale and I picked them up for $2.80 - Definitely a great deal. The swatches they have on the website are definitely NOT true to colour so do a bit more research if you're after a specific colour or like me just YOLO it and choose a few random ones.

You can also buy NYX from Target in Australia and they retail for $8.95 - still relatively cheap for a lipstick in Australia. A good option if you want to swatch colours.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

Swatches

Tokyo

Istanbul

The Verdict

Again, another product that claims to be moisturising but really the moisture sits on top of the lips, making them fairly unpleasant to wear. The colours are BEAUTIFUL though and I love the semi-matte finish they have. I bought these thinking they would be similar to the Australis Velourlips but these are completely different. I like to wear these when I just need an easy lip colour for popping out of the house to go to the shops or lunch with a friend. Not overly long lasting but because they are so easy to applied with the doe foot applicator a good one to take on the go. I like wearing Tokyo with the Peaches and Cream Butter gloss!

Where to buy?

• AUD$12.95 from Target and crushcosmetics.com.au 
• USD$6.00 from cherryculture.com

NYX Butter Gloss

Swatches

Peaches and Cream 

Crème Brulee

The Verdict

Probably one of my favourite lip products of all time. Incredibly buttery and absolutely feels like it melts onto the lips. They are the most pigmented, long lasting and glossy lip glosses I have ever worn. I prefer to wear these just on their own but will also add a nice gloss and extra colour to a matte lipstick. This is a product that absolutely deserves the hype.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I ONLY HAVE 2 I NEED ALL THE COLOURS!!

Where to buy?

• AUD$10.95 from crushcosmetics.com.au
• AUD$9.95 from Target
• USD$5.00 from cherryculture.com

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss

Swatches

131 Gold Pink

The Verdict

A nice gloss that is very pigmented just like the butter glosses, it also has really tiny gold glitter in it, that isn't chunky or particularly gritty while wearing so it's definitely my go to gloss if I'm feeling in the glitter mood. It has an angled doe foot applicator that makes application super easy. The only thing I don't like is the smell, which is exactly like those red Starburst lollies no one likes.

Again, I prefer to wear this alone because the pigmentation is so great it gives a nice, natural, glossy finish.

Where to buy?

• AUD$11.95 from Target
• AUD$9.95 from crushcosmetics.com.au
• USD$5.50 from cherryculture.com.au

xx Cat ^.^

Tarte Cosmetics/Sephora Mini Haul

 

 

When I hear someone is travelling to the US or anywhere with a Sephora I get VERY excited. I immediately thought of all the makeup I could buy! However, I thought to be considerate of the person kind enough to shop for me and also keeping in mind my budget, I chose a few special things that I've been lusting over from Tarte because there is literally no way to get their products in Australia unless you use a shipping service. Taking a few recommendations from one of my absolute favourite Youtubers Essie Button I picked up the;

• Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Natural Beauty
• Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation in Fair-Light Neutral
• Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush

I just wanted to share with you these beautiful products before I try them out and do full reviews - but really I just couldn't contain my excitement!
Thanks to Maddy's mum for picking up these products for me at Sephora and of course Maddy for helping organise everything <3

Hope you enjoyed this special haul as much as I did !
xx Cat  ^.^