NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara

So I feel like mascara tubes never ever run out and as a result of that my desk is swamped with about thirty random tubes ranging from cheap drugstore products to high end luxury products. For about the last 6 months Ive been really attached to the Maybelline New York The Falsies Volum' Express in Very Black Flared. But after that product got left at home after a recent trip overseas, I dashed downstairs and wondered down Orchard Road in Singapore and found the equivalent of some kind of Myer or David Jones style makeup counter floor in which I discovered this beauty.

NARS Larger Than Life Mascara

This product is great for everyday wear, it provides a light coat of mascara with just one application that doesn't clump lashes. This mascara does also provide some volume and lengthening, however its not super dramatic by any stretch of the imagination, but like I said, for everyday wear it looks pretty sharp. This mascara isn't waterproof at all but once it had dried is pretty resilient to flaking on to your face which is great as it means that reapplication isn't necessary during the day. 

When you pair this product with a fibre extender like the one available from Urban Decay called the Lash Primer Potion it truly covers all the white fibres really throughly and when a second coat is applied it brings a more dramatic look to the eye.

NARS also claims that this mascara is vitamin-enriched and curls with every stroke, which it does, when you apply the mascara it does give a slight curl and it doesn't leave eyelashes feeling dry and brittle when you remove the product. The wand for this product it really simply shaped as you can see in the image above, and the bristles are quite stiff and the wand itself has no flex and has a tenancy to have a bit of excess product on the tip of the wand which generally needs to be wiped off before application or it likes to be clumpy or if you're like me you are more likely to get it all over your already perfected face.

This product, costing $25 per tube, (although I honestly remember paying a hell of a lot more for it…), contains a little less in the tube than a normal mascara. The tube only contains 0.21oz of product where as most drugstore brands contain about 0.31oz, as a result of this I feel like for the first time ever the tube might actually be properly empty.

Price: $25 per tube from NARS.

Weight: 6g

Lengthening: Average

Volumizing: Average

Curling: Average

Waterproof: No

Clumping: Very Minimal

★★★/★★★★★

Sephora Mineral Foundation Compact

Sephora's mineral foundation compact offers users a smooth matte finish to an every day look. This compact, whilst not the most streamlined on the market offers up a pan of product and a mirror like every other brand, but the applicator sponge included in this compact has a two sided approach to makeup application. The light lull side is intended to be used to provide everyday light coverage of the product to your face, where as the black side is designed to apply a thicker layer of the powder to allow for a fuller coverage of the face. I have personally found that the light coverage side of the sponge is more than adequate as it alone has a tenancy to apply quite a bit of the product as is.
This product can't really be built, but unlike other powders, this product goes on smooth and evenly the first time if you use the provided sponge. However if you try to use this product with a brush, it doesn't go down too well, not only does the product not seem to even want to get on any of the brushes I tried to use, once you manage to get a decent amount on, the amount of fallout from the packaging is unbelievable, so brushes definitely aren't this products best friend.

Sephora Mineral Foundation Compact

After a full days wear, even with a base liquid foundation or a primer, this powder does get a touch patchy so if your heading out for a ling day, try sealing it with some setting powder or a sealing spray like Urban Decays All-nighter spray or for a cheaper option in Australia Australis make a similar setting spray product, although personally, I would choose the Urban Decay one if you can get your hands on it.

Availability: Avaliable in most Sephora stores and online, although I haven't been able to find this product online lately which is a bit of a shame as it is a favourite staple of mine, from memory it cost somewhere between $20 and $30?
Weight: 10g (0.35oz)
Colour range: This product follows with Sephora's standard skin tone colour scheme so that means there is quite a reasonable range, and matching concealer and other products can be bought with ease from the Sephora range.
Coverage: Anywhere from full to light depending on which side of the sponge you use and how heavy handed you are.
★★★1/2/★★★★★

Yes To… Grapefruit brightening facial towelettes

Okay, so I thought these would be amazing to be honest… I was mistaken. After hearing nothing but good things about this range of products I decided to give one of them a whirl, even though they are a touch costly.

Yes To Grapefruit facial wipes

These towelettes are supposedly designed to cleanse, exfoliate and brighten your face, which they don't do… at all… in fact they did nothing beneficial to my face other than partly removing my makeup which wasn't waterproof, had no effect on my mascara and eyeliner whatsoever and burned my face like all hell. Instantly after applying this product to my face I noticed a very significant burning sensation which wasn't at all pleasant and immediately washed my face with warm water to try and relieve the burning sensation, which did work, up until a point, then it continued to sting. So least to say I won't be reaching for these wipes any time soon, and I don't even have remotely sensitive skin.

After reading some online reviews I discovered that many people had had the same issue as me, and the wipes had caused redness, burning and breakouts for a large majority of the people that used them. The underside of the packaging for these products states to use a moisturiser in the same line after using the wipes to banish spots and blemishes, but if the first product causes them there doesn't seem to be much point bothering with that.

The product quality in terms of the size of the towels and the quality of the fabric is great, they are more than large enough to 'cleanse' your face and neck. However there are only 25 wipes in a pack and for what they cost here in Australia, this won't be a product I will be purchasing again as much as I wanted to love them.

Price: $10 for 25 wipes… not the best value by far.
Effectiveness: Nope, they burn your face, don't remove much makeup and do not seem to help to brighten or exfoliate the face at all.
★/★★★★★

Fresh Sugar Petal Tinted Lip Treatment

This lip treatment is great, Fresh is offering up some great lip treatments at the moment and this is no exception. I picked this product up on a recent trip to Singapore after having seen it raved about many by many bloggers alike.

The Fresh Sugar Petal

The formula for this product is sweet and rosy smelling with a smooth creamy texture. When applied to the lips it goes on evenly without streaking or clumping and hydrates whilst also providing a slight tint, perfect for everyday wear and also SPF 15 as an added extra bonus to this sweet little product.
Whilst the product itself goes on smoothly, it doesn't seem to have amazing lasting power, particularly if you're eating or drinking and may have the tenancy to cause the dreaded lipstick-on-the-teeth look. If your feeling a little more fancy (or in my case bothered) when you use these products with a lip primer and a little bit of lip liner, then the lasting power does significantly increase, but I still wouldn't leave the product at home and head out for the day. However this product is a pretty good day to night performer as it has buildable coverage with one coat creating a sheer look with a little tint and multiple coats providing rich colour.

The packaging for this product is a small sweet metal tube with a screw cap, unlike many lipstick or chaps that just have a pull off lid so getting used to this one can be a little tricky if your in a hurry.
Fresh claims that the product hydrates lips for 6H but with its staying power, I'm not sure this is entirely likely, however it does, with regular application, leave lips feeling moisturised.

Price: These are a little pricey generally costing about $22.50 per tube from Sephora and online at Fresh.
Colour range: 11 available colours in this range.
Colour true to packaging: Mostly yes, but the packaging is matt, so check them out before you select your final colour.
Waterproof: No
Finish: Sheer
Staying power: Not to bad for general wear, but it does rub off easily whilst eating or drinking.
★★★/★★★★★

EcoTools Brushes

EcoTools are a series of brushes that I have been extremely keen to try over the past little while, so after much indecision I decided to give the domed bronzer brush and the foam applicator brush a run for their money, and boy was I impressed. The bristles on these brushes, and all EcoTools brushes are made from cruelty-free materials and the handles are crafted from aluminium ferrule and bamboo. That means that not only are these brushes light weight and easy to clean and travel with, as they are sold in a reusable pouch, but they are relatively environmentally friendly. These brushes are pretty easy to clean with a brush cleaning solution and dry back in their natural shape without too much fuss, but like any brush you can't leave them lying down, brushes should really be left to dry upside down so that water doesn't damage the bristles or the glue.

Top: EcoTools domed bronzer brush, Bottom: EcoTools foam applicator

Lets start off with the Domed Bronzer Brush. Well what isn't there to love? This heavenly brush flaunts soft bristles and a wide easy to grip handle. It provides great coverage with pressed bronzer, and if your like me and a touch on the lazy side of life, this brush I have found makes a great powder brush for loose powders as I prefer a more dense brush rather than a looser, longer bristled brush. 

The foam applicator brush has two sides, one for application and one for blending, making this tool useful for liquid, mousse, foam and paste foundations or blushes. The soft foam gently buffs foundation on to the skin without leaving behind a streaky mess like brushes or a pitted textured look like some conventional sponges. The sponge itself is super soft, and even with harsh and repeated use shows no sign of loosening from the handle or starting to deteriorate (I've had problems like this in the past with beauty blender like tools). 

After trying these brushes myself and hearing only good things from friends that have used them as well, I'm very keen to try other EcoTools products such as their paddle brush, but unfortunately I'm having a little trouble actually finding one in Australia. I'm also keen to try out their Face and Body Sculpting Brush, but again it's proving hard to find. I have also herd nothing but good things about the EcoTools false eyelashes range, which I'm hoping to be able to find online, along with these other products soon!

Price: Domed Bronzer Brush retails in Australia for $19 , and the Sponge Brush retails for around $17

Available range: EcoTools offers a total of 20 single brushes and a number of selected sets, in Australia, I personally have only ever seen 14 of these brushes and a few of these sets which is a real shame. Other EcoTools products such as hairbrushes and false eyelashes aren't really available on the Australian market. 

★★★★/★★★★★

Manic Panic Amplified Flash Lightening kit and Manic Panic Hot Hot Pink Amplified dye

I was always one of those kids that had multi coloured hair during the holidays because the school I went to wouldn't have a bar of multi coloured hair, or any coloured hair for that matter. Anyway from the age of about 13 onwards I always had my hair lightened so I could temporally dye it during the holidays. By the time I finished school I had had every coloured hair under the sun, including a rather ghastly electric green. To colour my hair, I had always used Paintbox by Fudge which lasts anywhere between 3-30 washes, nice and vague right? I used Paintbox because it really was the only dye that was readily available for me to buy in Sydney. But now theres a whole world of online dyes available for us to try and test, so I finally picked up the one that I had always herd so much about, Manic Panic. And it really is manic.

Due to my hair being relatively dark brown, even after complete lightening, I knew to get truly electric colours I would have to completely bleach the hair I wanted to colour. The Manic Panic Flashed Lightening Amplified kit was absolutely amazing for this, its very easy to mix, apply and takes almost no time to process. This bleach kit also didn't leave my hair limp, broken or excessively dry although before colouring I did decide to run a damage control mask through my hair just in case. 

After applying the Hot Hot Pink Amplified dye and allowing it to process for 15 minutes, this was the electric result.

Manic Panic's Amplified Hot Hot Pink

Lest to say I love it, AND IT LASTS, about 30% longer than the normal Manic Panic dyes. The problem I always had with Paintbox was that it never lasted in my hair, this stuff on the other hand for me lasts around 5-6 washes, although it doesn't like chlorine pools. Manic Panic dyes are animal friendly and completely vegan as an added little bonus. And it won't stain your shower floor or your fingers either. To dye all my hair, which is quite long and thick, I used less than 1/3 of the bottle, so its well worth the money. 

Oh yeah, and it glows under a black light…

Price: About $22 per bottle if you get it online, (Bleach kit is about $22-$25 online), I bought both products on ebay for a total of $44 excluding shipping.

Weight:118mL (Bleach kit is single use, more than enough in each box to completely bleach long thick hair like mine shown above)

Colours available: The amplified dyes come in 17 different colours, (Bleach kit comes in both amplified and normal which is better for lighter hair that needs less extreme bleaching)

Colour true to packaging: In most cases yes, but it does depend heavily on your starting hair colour.

Waterproof: It is a semi-permianent dye that lasts quite well through normal gentle hair washing, cold water will help preserve the colour more. It does not like chlorine pools, so if you go swimming be prepared to re-dye.

★★★★★/★★★★★

Maybelline New York Dream Nude Airfoam

Ok, I'm not going to deny that when I first saw this product quite a while ago, I was intrigued. So after much fiddling around I bought it and I've got to say, I'm not impressed at all. For starters the colour matches doesn't seem to use a scale known to man kind. I have medium brown/light skin with some pretty uneven tones on my face sometimes. As a result usually I fit in to the medium skin tone category, but for this product I ended up with Classic Ivory (150), one of the lightest colours and its still far too dark!
After reading the instructions on the back of the can and shaking with significant vigour, I followed the instructions and squeezed a "walnut sized amount" on to the back of my hand… walnut sized… ok, rather odd measuring system but we'll run with it anyway. To apply this product you are told to take small dab from the back of your hand and buff it on to your face in small circular motions, not completely ideal if you are looking to build product as it seems to just push the now liquid around more and more leaving small, streaky circles. However, once the product does dry it is buildable but be prepared to take your time with this one as it needs to dry in-between layers throughly.
The first thing that I noticed after applying this product to my face was that it felt somewhat sticky when wet, and if your the kind of person that has oily skin or gets hot easily, this probably isn't ideal for you. This product does also have SPF16 as an added little bonus, but I think the products smell does resemble sunscreen a little.
Maybelline claims that it doesn't clog pores and is lightweight for everyday wear, which seems to be true, once it dries on your face it feels weightless and I, nor anyone else I know who has tried it has had a problem with clogged pores.

Nude Airfoam on skin, Classic Ivory 150

Overall, when choosing which colour you want to try, choose wisely, try a sample pot first in the store, just make sure its hygienic to do so. When applied to the face, this product does take some time to dry and feels sticky to the touch in the meantime, I would recommend finishing it with a powder of some kind just to help set it a little more. And most of all, BEWARE MESS. An overactive spraying finger with this product will leave you with a tonne of product on you hand and potentially everywhere else, so take it easy.

Price: About $11-$15, available online, in target, kmart, supermarkets etc.
Weight:46g (1.6oz)
Colours available: Total of 12 shades available, so a pretty good range.
Colour true to packaging: It doesn't seem so, have a good look at the instore testers.
Waterproof: No.
★★/★★★★★