Kester Black - Autumn Collection

Hi guys! Hope you are well. Today I will be showing you the new Autumn collection by Kester Black which consists of 4 creme colours. As always the formula is perfect, needing 2 coats for full opacity and smoothness, and the brush is the perfect width to paint your nails effortlessly. Kester Black nail polishes retail for $20.00AUD and are available online here. Here's a look at the colours!

Perennial - the perfect salmon pink/coral. My photos make this look too orange for some reason but this is definitely a new favourite of mine and I'm so glad to see brights are still making an appearance in cooler month collections! 

Petra - This is a beautiful, soft, peach skin tone creme. I found it didn't suit my skin tone that well, but this colour would look beautiful on lighter skin tones!

Quartz - This is my least favourite colour from the collection, a mauve-purple-brown creme.

Rust - This is a fantastic colour for Autumn and Winter. It is a deep red/brown creme. It is so edgy and I can't wait to wear this as a nail and lip combo!

So which colours are you most drawn to? Thanks a lot for reading!

Benefit - Roller Lash Review

Hi guys how are you going? I hope you had a great weekend! Today I will be sharing with you my review of the newest mascara by Benefit called Roller Lash (RRP $38.00, available from Myer on the 18th April 2015). This new 'super curling and lifting' mascara has a patent-pending hook design that positions, catches, lifts and curls lashes into a dream curl. It helps to open your eyes and the formula holds them in place for 12 hours. The brush design has a curved, thick side (perfect for upper lashes) and a straight thin side (perfect for bottom lashes). The packaging is gorgeous. Very cutesy and barbie like with the textured wand handle in bright pink. 

I really looooove this mascara. When I first tried it I found it clumped up my lashes so much and gave me a thick, black spidery look but once the formula settled a bit and I figured out the best technique to apply it, it gave me such long curly lashes. I was actually very impressed as it looked like I was wearing false lashes! I had so many compliments when I wore this out. I've also found it can be a dual result mascara. When you use the curved, thick side on your upper lashes they are incredibly dramatic, but if you flip the brush  to the straight, thin side and use that on your upper lashes it gives you a more natural, everyday result which I preferred. Let's look at my results showing 1 coat on my upper and lower lash using the curved and straight sides respectively.

Before

After

Clinique - 2 in 1 Beyond Perfecting Foundation & Concealer

Hi guys! How are you all? Today I am sharing with you my review of the new Beyond Perfect 2 in 1 Foundation and Concealer by Clinique (RRP $50.00, available online here and in Myer and David Jones). This foundation claims to give a natural, beyond perfected look that lasts all day. Lightweight, moisturizing makeup covers thoroughly without clogging pores. Skin breathes comfortably, colour stays true, even through sweat and humidity. It is ideal for all skin types who want moderate to high coverage.

On first application, I noticed the consistency was very thick. It applies on very smooth and blends really well and sets within 5 minutes. In my opinion I found this foundation too thick for me. I even used this product just for spot treatments on blemishes and it did conceal them nicely, but I found it was really thick and turned powdery once set, which set into my smile lines. It was very noticeable around my dry patches (near the sides of my mouth), not so much that it would look like it was clinging onto the dry skin, but instead it was very cakey looking.

I recommend this foundation to someone with very oily skin as it didn't budge at all (even when using an oil to moisturise) but do not use too much as it will begin to look very cakey and thick. This foundation didn't work very well with my skin but i'm interested to hear if anyone has had positive effects with this product? Let me know below! Thanks a lot for reading.

Blended in perfectly.

Youngblood - Brow Artiste Sculpting Pencil

Hi guys! Happy Monday! Hope you had a cracking weekend and ready to tackle the week! Today I will be showing you the new Brow Artiste Sculpting Pencil by Youngblood (I am reviewing the shade Dark Brunette, RRP $39.95, available from stockists online here). This new brow product has the benefit of a pencil, powder and wax in one. It creates naturally fuller, defined brows with a smear-proof formula. One end contains the product and the other ends has a useful brush to keep the hairs in line. This product does exactly what it says it does. It gives me natural looking brows and lasts all day! (including riding to and from work, working all day, and wearing a helmet!). I love that the product has a thin pencil to easily fill in any gaps and makes nice crisp lines, perfect for the tail of my brows. I have officially replaced my old brow powder to this amazing pencil! I highly recommend this brow pencil and can't wait to try more Youngblood cosmetics! Here's some pictures.

Left Pictures: Before, Right Pictures: After

Love having bold brows - it pulls my look together without needing any other makeup!

Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Mascara By Kate Moss

Hi guys! Today I have a quick review of the latest mascara by Rimmel to hit the shelves called Scandal'Eyes Mascara which is designed by Kate Moss (RRP $16.95, available from Priceline, Big W, Target, Kmart and selected pharmacies nationally)! It has a unique broken heart brush that helps to capture each lash and coat it evenly with the mascara to reveal big, voluminous, dramatic lashes. The shade I tried out was Eye Rock Jet Black (004). I used 1 coat on the eyes. I'm not a huge fan of this mascara to be honest. It didn't apply that well and it made my lashes look too clumped for my liking. I actually prefer brushes that are thinner and smaller as I feel they really coat the lashes deeper at the root! Let's take a look!

PC: Rimmel Australia website

Before

After

Trippy Blurred Lines Nail Art

Hey everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. Today I wanted to show you some nail art I did last week using 3 colours (all Kester Black colours). This look was extremely easy to do but looked really cool in the end! All I used was a thin striper brush over a clear nail and did very messy lines of dark blue,then light blue and then the pink. The colours blended into each other slightly and added some extra dimension. I finished it off with 1 coat of SV.

Max Factor - Assorted Nail Polish Swatches

Hi guys! How are you going? I'm so glad it's Friday! Today I am showing you some random swatches of four Max Factor Glossfinity polishes (RRP $11.95) and two Max Effects (RRP $5.95) polishes. They are all highly pigmented and apply perfectly in 2 coats. I really love the brush on these polishes too. Max Factor is available from Myer, Priceline, Target, Big W, Kmart & selected salons nationally. Let's take a look!

Burgundy Crush - This is a stunning blood red polish with a hint of raspberry. I find this lighter on the nails than in the bottle.

Candy Rose - This is a beautiful mauve pink with brown undertones.

Hot Coco - For some reason my camera made this look too green. It is more of a lighter ashy brown. This colour would be perfect for camo print nail art.

Ivory - A stunning dense white gold shimmer.

Opal - This interesting shade is a grey creme with an opalescent white shimmer through it. It is gorgeous.

Sunny Pink over Opal - This combination is SO beautiful! Definitely dreamy and ethereal. In love!

Mavala - Fantasy Colour Collection

Hi guys! Hope you are all doing well. Today I have 6 beautiful shades by Mavala to show you from their new Fantasy Colour Collection (RRP $8.99 each, available from selected salons nationally). These nail polishes boast extra long wear and high glossy formula! The formula on these polishes were perfect. I had no trouble at all and I had no problem with the small brush either which may annoy some people! Let's have a look at all the colours. Each swatch shows 2 coats of polish with no topcoat.

Amber Drop - This is my absolute favourite colour from the collection. This unique gold polish is very yellow/burnt gold in colour but shines so beautifully on the nail! I'm in lurveeeeee!

Caftan Blue - This beautiful polish is another favourite of mine from this collection. A blue/green with gold micro shimmers through it. So stunning!

Duchess Rose - This is the perfect light pink/beige shade for my nails. So elegant and classy. One of my favourites!

Flannel Grey - A beautiful mid-tone grey with very subtle blue and silver micro shimmers through it.

Velvet Prune - A deep dark red brown creme.

 Warm Cognac - A deep burgundy brown creme.

Which colour is your favourite?

Kester Black - Water Based Nail Polish Remover

Hi guys! Hope you had a great week! Today I will be reviewing the brand new Kester Black - Water Based Nail Polish Remover (RRP $20.00 for 125ml, available online here). It is a white peach scented Water Based Nail Polish Remover containing aloe vera and vitamin e, to soften the skin and strengthen the nails while removing colour. It is both acetone and acetate free, and is also non-flammable and has a lengthened evaporation period. I must say. I'm in love. It has a really subtle smell and leaves my nails moisturised, soft and healthy looking. I was a bit taken a back by this product because I was so used to using straight acetone with glycerin mixed in to remove my nail polish and this combination gives me almost instant removal. With this remover, it does take a noticeable longer time to remove - but this is expected with the product containing no acetone or acetate.

I really have nothing negative to say about this product - I think I am just impatient after using acetone for so long. This polish remover would be PERFECT when swatching and removing colours that stain nails. For me personally, I will not be using this remover on my clients as it takes too long and I need to minimize time where I can for my service. Kester Black is only strengthening my love for the brand! Here are a few pictures!

Mmm oily cuticles..

Covergirl - XL Nail Gel

Hi guys! Today I want to show you some colours from the Covergirl - XL Nail Gel collection. I have 5 bright cremes (2 a part creme/shimmers). I've never tried these polishes before but they have a really great, opaque formula and most of them only needed 1 coat for full opacity! I do find the lid is a bit bulky but that is a minor problem. Let's take a look at the colours! All swatches show 1 coat (unless stated) with no topcoat.

Plump It Pear - A really nice grass green creme. 

Buxom Blue - This one is my favourite from the bunch and is a beautiful sky blue with blue shimmers through it.

Haughty Lemon (2 coats) - Another favourite, this canary yellow has a beautiful yellow shimmer in it.

Overblown Orange - A bright coral orange creme

Rotund Raspberry - This colour is a bit darker than traditional raspberries, it's more of a mulled wine shade but super gorgeous!

So which colour do you like the best from these? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for reading.

L'Oreal - Dark Side of Grey Collection

Hey everyone! I hope you are having a fabulous week and ready to have a great weekend! Today I will be showing you the L'Oreal Dark Sides of Grey collection. It seems grey is having a big comeback with nail polish which is great for me as my collection of greys were quite small! This collection includes 6 polishes; 2 mattes, 1 liquid sand and 2 textured glitters. I used 2 coats for each swatch shown below and had no difficulty with the formula or application. L'Oreal polishes retail for $7.95 from Priceline. Let's take a look at the collection!

 Aux Chandelles - A beautiful light grey cement creme. My favourite from the collection!

Do Not Disturb - A gunmetal shimmery metallic. This sparkles so beautifully!

Mademoiselle Grey - This is a darker blue/grey. My photos make it look a bit too dark.

Secret Wish - A gunmetal iron metallic. When I applied this polish I thought it was a bad batch because suddenly all these bubbles appear. It wasn't until I looked online at other swatches that I realised that was the intended effect. This is a big no go for me!

Totally D'Accord  - A dark navy base with gunmetal/blue glitters in it.

Which one is your favourite? Mine are Do Not Disturb and Aux Chandelles! Thanks for reading!