March Makeup Haul & Get The Look Make Up Ideas

March Make Up Haul 

This haul has been long due. An online purchase that I had been waiting on for over a month and a half, products I've put off in purchasing and much needed ones, I'm glad I've finally been able to do this post! I've also decided to do a brief mini review of each product and added makeup look ideas using the products reviewed in this haul.

First off given my future plans for traveling I've been trying my best to buy only necessities so it's rare for me to be doing hauls that were personally purchased as most of the times products that I do receive are either from personal gifts (from family and friends), freebies, gifts (from companies), products for reviews or from international swaps.

Sleek MakeUP (online purchase):
I've been waiting for just over a month (one month and two weeks to be exact) for my Sleek MakeUp order to arrive. There were shipping issues and Sleek were kind enough to replace the previous missing shipment. I have read many rave reviews about Sleek MakeUp. If you're a product junkie like I am then you will know just how amazing Sleek cosmetics are, particularly their palettes and their lip paints (which happen to be dupes to lip tars). I tend to be a sucker for pretty packaging and colors and I couldn't pass up Sleeks i-Divine Candy palette. This eye catching palette comes with 12 candy/sorbet colors that are perfect for day wear or adding that "pop" of color to your smokey eye or using the pinks and purples for blushes. Texture wise, these shadows are brightly pigmented, buttery and there are more shimmers and satins then there are mattes.

The second palette I purchased from Sleek was the i-Divine Ultra Mattes Darks palette. I have so many palettes that are filled with nothing but shimmers, satins and pearl texture that I thought this was a great palette with nothing but mattes which are great for both day and night wear. This palette comes with 12 matte colors that are again buttery and very pigmented. Without doubt you're always going to get great color pay off with Sleek MakeUp. This palette offers browns, purples, greys and greens to give you different variations to smokey eye looks. I've found reaching for this palette often since purchasing it.

 

The swatches of the palettes:

(LEFT Sleek i-Divine Candy palette swatches without primer) 

(RIGHT Sleek i-Divine Ultra Mattes Dark palette swatches without primer)

Sleek Make Up Pout Paints (not pictured) in Peek a Bloo and Peachy Keen:
I've read a few reviews that these were dupes to the OCC Lip tars and given that I am a big fan of the lip tars I had to try Sleeks version and see if they were comparible. I picked out two colors that were striking to me and they were Peek a Bloo and Peachy Keen. I had ordered these along with the i-Divine palettes and  felt that I could probably create some very interesting looks with these. They are just as pigmented as the OCC Lip Tars however they aren't as long lasting. These Sleek Pout Paints have a distinctive fruity like odor. Their consistency is runnier (watery and tends to separate more inside the tube) than that of the OCC Lip Tars. For the price however, it is a great dupe. It just doesn't have a great range of colors as the OCC.

Lip Liners and Yellow/Orange lip trend: 
I have been needing get a few lip liners. Red, which has been one of the dominant colors in my lipstick collection and purple. I had been putting this off for a while and wearing lipsticks without liners. Gloss (at Marion) have a selection of BYS cosmetics that are cost effective. Though the BYS range aren't known to be of the highest quality, I do believe they do have some winning products (their nail polishes are A-MAZING). They have quiet a huge color range when it comes to eye and lip liners. They're super creamy and pigmented. They do have some colors which are more misses than hits (if you're looking for a pigmented black/brown liner look else where), their reds, pinks and purples however are winners and at a price range between $2-$5 they're worth the try and if it doesn't work for you, you're not breaking the bank.

I have an abundance of lipsticks, a little more than the average makeup junkie, yet amongst the reds, pinks, nudes, purples and what ever other colors of the rainbow (and their many color variants) yet one color is amiss. Yellow. How is it I have blues, greens and black lipstick yet I don't have yellow? The funny thing is this hadn't even crossed my mind till I walked into Rundle Malls Inglot store and saw the array of new freedom system color additions. Yellow was the color that caught my eye and without even thinking (like gee Zhahara what look are you going to pull off with this?) I was already by the counter purchasing it and also got a freebie sample of the orange. WIN!

MAC in Film Noir: 
Speaking of lipsticks, I've been looking for a certain colored lipstick that will be my main use for the coming Australian fall. I wanted something that looked rich, chocolate(y), yet had that red vs purple battle...Burgundy! To be honest a year and a half ago, if I had to swatch this color and was told to try it I would politely decline and would tell you it was too "bold and dramatic" for me. Fast forward now and my makeup taste has become incredibly adventurous and bold. 

Introducing to you my new love MAC's lipstick in Film Noir ($36AU). This color rocked the runways of Fashion Week and has been a favorite trend for some time now. It is no wonder, the color is flattering for all skin colors and is great to wear for day or night. The lipstick is a satin finish so there's medium shine but packs a punch when it comes to color. You only need one swipe and the color pay off is outstanding (as with all MAC products). The creamy formula is non drying on the lips and is rich in color. I recommend using a liner with this lipstick (either a deep purple lip liner or one that is similar to the lipstick) to give it a clean put together look. Did I mention when teaming it with some fabulous fake lashes and some clean cut cat eye liner makes quite the statement and oozes Hollywood glamour. 

Magic Primer:
Another much needed purchase was for a new primer. I've been loyal to my Face of Australia (with SPF) primer (it's been my HG and believe it deserves a praise review of its own), but since the temperatures are slowly dropping and the coming of fall is nigh, I've felt the need to use a pore minimizer. I tried and had tested L'Oreal Revitalift Magic Blur primer but found it greasy on my already oily skin. My mom had recommended AVON's Magix Face Perfector. What I loved about this primer was the soft velvety touch of my skin after application. The white consistency is a soft almost mousse like cream that glides on to your skin.  Any redness was reduced, pores were 'blurred' and left a perfect clean base. It gave a flawless, glowing, smooth and even finish once foundation was applied. Though at almost $40 a pop it would want to follow through all it's claims...and it does! My makeup still looks fresh and flawless after 13hours (9am upon application till 10pm at night), which is amazing considering someone with oily skin, by 7pm my makeup usually tends to look patchy. It is definitely a product I would repurchase.

GET THE LOOK/Make Up Ideas:

GET THIS LOOK : Using Sleek MakeUp

 i-Divine Candy palette on eye lids. Strawberry Sherbet and Parma Violet on the crease, Apple sour and Bubble Gum on the inner and outer corners of the eyelids and Flump in the centre. Pat Bon Bon and Aniseed on top of Flump. Face: Apply Candyfloss from the Sleek MakeUp Blush by 3 palette in Sweet Cheeks on apples of cheeks. Lips: Sleek MakeUp Lipstick in Fushcia. 

 GET THIS LOOK: Eyes: Sweep MAC Eyeshadow in Brown Script on crease, then add Inglot #60 yellow eyeshadow all over the lids. I used L'Oreal Infallible 24hr Blackest Black Gel Eyeliner to create a clean cut Cat eye line. Face: MUA Bronzer in Shade 3 was used to contour the face and MAC's Blush in Blunt was swept all over the cheeks. Lips: Cover lips with concealer and then apply Inglot's New Freedom System Color Play Lipstick in no.# 91 with a lip brush. 

*This look was inspired from Jlo's 'Live It Up' video.

 GET THIS LOOK: Eyes: I used Sleek MakeUp i-Divine palette in Ultra Matte Darks. Apply Maple shade on crease and Flesh just above. Apply a combination of Paper Bag and Noir on outer corners of lid in a v shape and  layer for depth. Line eyes with any desired Black gel eyeliner. Apply mascara top and bottom of lashes, then add any of your favorite fake lashes to top off the eye look. Lightly pat Pillow Talk underneath your brow bone. Face: For a bronze flush I used MAC's Blush in the shade Blunt. Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder was used all over the face to contour. Lips: Line lips in any Deep Purple or Burgundy colored lip liner (I used BYS Deep Purple Eye liner as my lip liner), then apply MAC's Lipstick in Film Noir. 

Which looks will you be trying out? Do you want to see more Make Up Ideas and Get The Look posts? Do also want to see more hauls? Comment and let me know below my beautiful people

till next time,

Z. xx

International Beauty Swap (UK Edition)

I've always been interested in doing International Beauty swaps. You see so many of them on Youtube and you read about them in many beauty blogger sites. I believe this is a fun and exciting way to gain a new friendship and to also try out international beauty products that may not be readily available or accessible in your country. It's also a great way to connect with someone who shares the same passion for all things beauty. Swaps are always fun but currency can be an issue. Countries like the UK and the USA are offered quiet an extensive variety of world class cosmetics at a relatively lower cost rate than say here in Australia. In the US, popular cosmetic brands retail between $1-$20 while if imported here (and given because of the importing cost) the same cosmetic brand retails here at a higher cost between $10-$30. The problem is it isn't just the international brands here in Australia that are making beauty junkies break the bank, Australian owned cosmetic/beauty brands are also just as guilty which is why so many of us resort to online shopping....this is totally going out of topic so let's get back to the more exciting swap!

So my first International Beauty swap was with fellow blogger Samantha Bromfield from All that Glitters. We agreed on a $30 budget. This was both our first swap so we were still new on the rules etc. I'm going to be totally honest here, knowing the Australian cosmetic industry cost, I felt I wasn't going to go far with the budget we had. If I was going to get her high quality products I would only be coming up with a palette and a lip balm, I was definitely going to have to go over budget. This was a perfect challenge for me. For what I ended up sending Samantha you can read all about it here. For what she got me? Read on...

I got my package before she got mine. Samantha went above and beyond my expectations of this swap. She had wrapped each and individual product in purple wrapping paper and the box contained pink confetti. It seriously was like christmas! There were also ALOT of products in the box. 

There are just too many products to review each and everyone and some of them I haven't yet opened and swatched but however I will have detailed reviews coming up on some of the products from this swap.

Here are some I've swatched so far:

Samantha and I both agreed that after this swap we would come up with makeup looks using the products we received and post them here on our blog.
So here they are.

(Pictures from left to right pf products used to get the look:  pic.1 : for lips Barry M lipstick and Bourjois Bronzer swept over cheeks, pic.2 &3 : Sleek MakeUp Blush by 3 in Sweet Cheeks, Sleek Lipstick in Fushcia and pic.4 : MUA Bronzer swept all over for bronze look, for eyes I used MUA Undress Me Too palette and for lips Barry M lipstick)

I have enjoyed doing this Beauty swap and I would like to thank Samantha for doing this swap with me. I love EVERYTHING she sent me and I'm hoping she loved everything I got her. It's definitely hard to fall out of habits when shopping for someone else. Beauty products in particular. We both wanted to be adventurous so we tried to send each other things we would dare and try. Thank you once again Samantha for this fun experience.

I will definitely be using all these products and will be featured in many of my makeup looks.

Look out for my next blog post Make Up Haul and Get The Look Make Up Ideas where some of the products she sent me are featured.

Have you tried any UK Beauty products? Which ones are your favorite? Comment and let me know below.

Till next time my beautiful junkies,

Z. xx