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.
★★/★★★★★

Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar

After buying this set a while back from Singapore, which for the record is where I buy all of my Urban Decay, Sephora, Makeup Forever etc etc products from, it sat in a draw buried for ages, because I simply had no need for it as eyebrows usually aren't on the top of my list of things to fix every morning. However, after a recent mishap with some wax strips that left my left eyebrow a little thin towards the end, I decided to try filling my eyebrows a little to make them more even whilst they grow back to their normal shape, and boy can I not wait for that.
So once I excavated this product from the bottom of a draw I found it to be extremely useful indeed! The dual colours in the set allow you to custom fill your eyebrows just right from root to tip and the wax is great for keeping everything in place, powder and wild eyebrows included.
The only downside for this little kit that I could possibly find is the fact that the tweezers are extremely hard to use, and I mean extremely hard, they are just too small, stiff and blunt ended to be really useful unless the hair that you are trying to remove is about 10 feet long. Same goes for the brush, it has the right angle for application but the handle is just so short. Mind you I understand that its meant to be so it travels well and is compact but still!

Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar

There are two different colour combinations available to help suit your hair type which is extra handy, the box pictured above is the darker of the two. Overall, this product is well worth the hype, now available in its shiny new packaging this Urban Decay staple is a hit product for a reason, it fills your eyebrows well and the products are relatively easy to work with, that is with the exception of the tweezers.

Price: This particular box is now known as the "Vintage Brow Box" and is available from Urban Decay online and Sephora for $14 down from $29. The new version "Brow Box" is available from Urban Decay online and Sephora for $29.
Weight: each box contains 2x 1.3g eyebrow powders, 1.4g wax and one applicator brush and tweezers
Colours available: 2 combinations, Brown Sugar and Honey Pot
Colour true to packaging: Yes
waterproof: No
★★★/★★★★★

Maybelline New York's Volum' Express 'The Colossal'

I love it. Lets just leave it at that. This readily available product was released quite some time ago by Maybelline and has been somewhat of a hit since then, and in its signature yellow tube you can't miss this one on the shelves. Maybelline claims that it produces 9x the volume in just one application with its 'collagen formula', I'm not sure if its that great, but its pretty damn good,
The formula used in this wonderful everyday creation doesn't clump too much and isn't excessively thick leading to droopy eyelashes, which isn't what you want especially if you have just curled them, or at any point for that matter. The only thing that gets me with this product is that you have to really apply it a couple of times in a row to get nice even coverage, but once you get it on, there is no mistaking that it really can be colossal. In a couple of strokes of the wand, which for the record isn't too bad, but it is bristly and not a flexible rubber brush, your eyelashes gain instant length and a subtle volume, for me, using this product is more about the fact that it lengthens and separates well without sticking together. This bad boy also dries fast so that you can finish your look without having to wait around for what seems like an eternity trying not to smudge it as you do for some of MAC's mascaras such as the 'Zoom Fast Black Lash', which whilst it looks great once its on, I find that it has a terrible brush for its somewhat more liquid-than-usual formula.
There has been some talk that this product has somewhat of a strange smell and to be perfectly honest it does but it isn't that bad, you wont notice it when its on and dry, you know what, lets put it this way, there are much worse ones *MAC's damn 'Zoom Fast Black Lash', if you want one that really does smell bad... go for that.* And just for the record here, Im not trying to pay out MAC cosmetics, I love them, but they really need help with some of their mascaras...


Price: About $12-$15 from any standard retailer, E.g target, Kmart, Myer, even some supermarkets sell it
Weight: 9mL
Clumping: very minimal
Colours: glam black, classic black, glam brown
Volume increase: medium increase
Lengthening: substantial
Curling: minimal, best used with an eyelash curler
★★★/★★★★★

Urban Decay's Supercurl Curling Mascara

Urban Decay - Supercurl Curling Mascara

Aside from the cute packaging that this tube of mascara comes in, Urban Decay's Supercurl mascara I have found to be a great product that really does add some lift you your look. Unlike other curling mascaras, this one feels relatively light on your eyes and tends not to clump as long as you don't apply excessive amounts. The downside of this product is that it is difficult to apply more than one coat as it tends to start to clump more and more and it dries quite quickly.
The curved brush allows you to sweep along your lashes once or twice and get complete coverage, and the small flexible prickles along the brush separate slightly as you go, further reducing its tenancy to clump.
As you can see in the photograph below, (and please excuse its quality, all I had with me today was my phone camera), my left eye has had a single coat of Supercurl mascara applied and my right is natural, with no eye product. The eye that has Supercurl on it has clearly been lifted and appears more open with the lashes curling up and away from the eye. This mascara also adds depth to your look, and with a little black eyeliner on your water line and top eyelid, gives your eyes that classic elegance and some serious eye drawing attention without the need for fake lashes that move and stick and are just a pain to put on.

left: has one coat of Supercurl, right: has no mascara at all

Price: $20 from urbandecay.com

Weight: 9mL

Clumping: very minimal

Colours: black

Volume increase: medium increase

Lengthening: minimal

Curling: quite good

★★★★/★★★★★

M.A.C Eyeshadow -Idol Eyes

M.A.C single pot eyeshadow - Idol Eyes

M.A.C eyeshadows are all fantastic, with the exception of a few very odd shades that don't match any look... Today however we are looking just at M.A.C's single colour Idol Eyes, a silver glittery shimmer which is fantastic on its own with a black mascara and eyeliner (a gel one works best) or as a colour on the top lid over a darker colour like a black, blue or pink/orange to add some sparkle to your look, this is great if you want to add some shimmer to your night out if you are going straight from school or work and don't want to lug around a big container of makeup.
This shade is also great as a finisher, all you need to do is put a dab in the corner of your eye to really make them pop.
As it is a single pot this shade obviously doesn't come with its own brush but M.A.C and other brands like Napoleon Set make great reasonably priced brushes, but remember to clean your brush after you use it because otherwise you will end up with sparkles in all your eyeshadows.
If you are using this product on its own, you may want to consider using a primer such as Urban Decays 'Original' or a Napoleon or Too Faced alternative as it does tend to come loose and is easily smudged but it doesn't really seem to crease.

Price: $33
Weight: 1.5g
Creasing: not really, but use a primer so that it doesn't all come loose
matt or shimmer: shimmer
waterproof: no
colour true to package: yes
★★★★★/★★★★★

Maybelline New York define-a-lash volume mascara

Maybelline's define-a-lash is a great, relatively cheap product that is readily available. It adds a great slight curling effect to lashes without having to cake it on in a hundred layers and keeps your everyday look more natural and less Barbie. Personally, brownish-black is a great colour that goes with darker hair and a natural colour eye shadow or none at all.
The brush that is standard with this product I found to be surprisingly good with a slight bend in it to curl lashes, it is small and flexible allowing you to get all your lashes without missing the ones in the corner of your eye or the outer edge of your eye. The applicator wand, whilst it may have a reasonable amount of product on it does not come up in clumps that get stuck to your lashes, glueing them together or getting it around your eyes when you blink, ruining your look when you have to clean it off. As you can see below, mine is very well loved and has been a part of my standard daily routine for a number of years, least to say this is not my only one.

Maybelline New York define-a-lash volume mascara

Price: $20
Weight:6.5mL
Clumping: very minimal
Colours: black and brownish-black
Volume increase: moderate
Lengthening: moderate
Curling: slight curl, benefits naturally curled lashes
★★★★/★★★★★

waterproof make-up removers - L,Oreal VS Revlon

So when the day is over and the flashy makeup must come off, although it is sometimes all too tempting to face-plant in to bed. Waterproof makeup, whilst protecting against panda eyes and awkward running and also that need-to-look-in-the-mirror-every-five-minutes syndrome can be a pain to remove in a hurry or when you just don't feel like working at it.
So today we are looking at two relatively cheap, common brand waterproof makeup removers that will get the job done without the need for excessive effort.
1. L'Oreal Paris, Dermo-Expertise waterproof makeup remover for eyes and lips

L'Oreal Paris

price: about $15-$19 from Target, Myer, David Jones, Kmart etc, readily avaliable
suitable for sensitive skin: yes
volume in bottle: 125mL
ease or removal on eyes: pretty good, may take some scrubbing for stubborn mascara
ease of removal on lips: good
ease of use of bottle: bottle is slightly difficult and if you tip it up to get some of the product on to a makeup removing pad, chances are that it will leak a little
oily residue on skin: yes, you will need to rinse your face after makeup removal
rating:★★★/★★★★★



2. Revlon Colorstay - dual phase eye and lip makeup remover for long ware

Revlon Colorstay

price: about $20-$29 from Target, Myer, David Jones, Kmart etc, readily avaliable
suitable for sensitive skin: not specially formulated
volume in bottle: 118mL
ease or removal on eyes: not bad, may take some serious scrubbing for stubborn mascara and lip tars
ease of removal on lips: ok
ease of use of bottle: bottle is considerably better than the L'Oreal one, it does not drip or leak when you tip it up
oily residue on skin: yes quite a lot, you will need to rinse your face after makeup removal
rating:★★/★★★★★

Overall, I would suggest for a cheap waterproof makeup remover to purchase the L'Oreal Paris one. Whilst the bottle is annoying, it is formulated for sensitive skin and doesn't take as much work to get mascaras off.

Paint Box temporary hair dye by FUDGE

Whilst Manic Panic dye is popular in the states, as far as I'm aware there is only one place in Sydney that actually sells it, and it isn't exactly the cheapest thing either, although it isn't too bad (about $25 per colour). As an alternative Paint Box by FUDGE is a great temporary dye that washes out in 3-30 washes (I'm not kidding, that is what it says on the tubes) and works on most hair types. 

Like all peroxide-free hair dyes, it works better on lighter hair, but if you are like me and have very dark hair with a few honey/tiger coloured streaks, this product gives your hair colour in the sunshine and will turn those blond streaks in to streaks of vibrant colour. The tubes recommend that you leave the dye to sit in your hair for 15-30 minutes, but because of my hair colour, I leave mine for up to 45 minutes with my long hair pinned up on to the top of my head and two or more plastic disposable shower caps on my head to trap in heat which helps the dying process. You can also go ahead and dye certain segments of your hair like bangs and tips, but as a beauty tip - cover the bits of the surrounding hair that you don't want dyed with conditioner as it will stop the colour from bleeding, especially in lighter hair.

Whilst I go for reds/blues/purples, Paint Box makes an amazing range of colours and shades which can all be mixed with a special product called 'Whiter shade of pale' which is a thinning type paste that is similar to the colours so that they can be mixed and your ultimate colour achieved if you seek something different from their selection of 16 vibrant colours.

Goldfinger

Goldfinger is a great all over colour and slightly lightens darker hair or streaks, giving a shiny, almost gold colour. This is one of my favourites.

★★★★★/★★★★★

Blue Velvet

Blue Velvet is one of Paint Box's richer tones and I love it, however whilst it looks great when it first goes on, after a wash or two, you may find that your hair goes a nasty green colour for quite some time, so be prepared to have to maintain this colour, or if it is just a once off colour for a party or night out, be ready with some permanent hair dye for the next day to cover the green and go back to your natural colour, but beware, you may, depending on your natural colour, need to bleach your hair to do this.

★★★/★★★★★

Cherry Bomb

Cherry Bomb is a fantastic bright colour for summer fun. It gives a warm red glow to hair and doesn't look horrible as it fades out.

★★★★/★★★★★

Clockwork Orange

Is a TERRIBLE colour, this thing instead of dying my hair orange dyed it a sickly shade of blonde-in-the-swimming-pool green. NEVER AGAIN.

0/★★★★★

Purple Haze

A nice warm tone for winter. In darker hair I found that it made blond streaks look more of a mauve colour than a true purple, it was still pretty though and faded out well.

★★★/★★★★★

Pretty Flamingo

One of my favourite all over colours, when I use this one I usually do my entire head and I love the vibrant pink over the top of my blonde and the subtler shades of pink over the dark brown. For me, this is a colour that can not be beaten.

★★★★★/★★★★★

Price: $19 from Priceline pharmacies and hair salons

Weight: 75mL per bottle

Range of colours: total 14 and one mixing colour ('whiter shade of pale')

colour last: semi-permianent (3-30 washes depending on hair type)

colour true to package: in most cases the end result is lighter or less bright when complete and hair is dry)

RATING: ★★★★/★★★★★ (depending on the colour, beware oranges, greens and light blue)

NARS cosmetics blush

A very well loved pressed powder

NARS pressed powder blush, whilst not a new product on the market is still a great blush. It feels light on your face and when applied with a large brush, doesn't clump or leave annoying streaks where smaller brushes or puffs may miss. This blush also blends relatively well over the top of both liquid and powdered foundation without much fuss and doesn't give that super-apply cartoon cheek look to your freshly made up face like paste or stick blushes do as you have to rub and blend them.
I love this product and it has become part of my every day wear, mine is very well travelled and the case has seen better days but never the less, I wont let it go. In its time it has also seen a number of brushes come and go but believe it or not whilst blush brushes are great, I find that this works well with a foundation brush, in fact because i travel with this one, I use a cheap Chi Chi foundation brush, as unfortunately it isn't one that gets cleaned all that often.
The only thing that gets me about this product is that it doesn't come with its own application tool, but thats OK, it gives you the chance to choose what works best for you.

NARS blush colour 'Deep Throat'

Price: $29 from narscosmetics.com

Weight: 4.8g

Range of colours: total 28

matt or shimmer: slight shimmer

waterproof: no

colour true to package: yes

RATING: ★★★★/★★★★★

Urban Decay's NAKED2 palette

Whilst the first Urban Decay palette brought us a range of browns, naturals and blue-grey in both shimmer and matt-style tones to create a palette perfect for everyday wear, the NAKED2 palette brings a whole new ball game with 12 new tones (with the exception of 'Half baked' which featured in the original NAKED palette) and a double ended brush featuring Urban Decays crease brush and shadow brush which unlike many larger palettes is full sized making application a breeze. The combination of the double ended brush means that with minimal effort a range of looks can be achieved without the need for more tools, and more brush cleaning.
Personally I love this palette for everyday wear but it can be spiced up for an evening out with a little shimmer powder.
Whilst you do not really need to apply a primer with this eyeshadow, it doesn't necessarily crease to an alarming extent, but without a primer such as Urban Decays original Primer Potion, you will need to reapply if your wearing it all day and in to the night, and reapplication on the move with this palette is a bit of a pain simply because it is large in size and isn't necessarily something that you want to be carrying around in your handbag all day.
This palette will run you $50 but is well worth the buy, as it includes 12 diverse shades and a full size double ended brush. The box that this comes in also includes a sample sized (3.23mL) LIP JUNKIE, which is cooling on the lips with a very minty smell and taste to it.

(left to right) Foxy, Half Baked, Booty Call, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout (MY SKIN TONE IS A MEDIUM TO LIGHT BROWN)

Price: $50 from urbandecay.com

Weight: 12x1.3g

Range of colours: total 12

creasing: not too bad, may need some re-application after several hours wear, improved with use of a primer

matt or shimmer: mix palette

waterproof: no

colour true to package: yes

RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

SEPHORA Jumbo Liner 12H Wear Waterproof

SEPHORA's Jumbo waterproof eyeliners definitely bring on the bold. With a fantastic range of colours including shimmering gold, peacock blue, taupe, beige, black, white, silver and several shades of  blues and greens amongst a total of 28 colours of BOTH matt and shimmer finishes these pencils will bring some colour to your day or simple cover to everyday looks.

I have found that whilst these liners are fantastic just around the top lid of the eye, the bright colours in particular serve well as eye shadows, although when applied liberally they bring a serious pop to your look, they can feel a bit sticky for a while, you can set them with a make up all night setting spray or a de-slick powder, but beware of the tool that you use to apply powder over the top of them as the colour may rub off a little, so be gentle.

I love these pencils and would definitely recommend that you give them a try, there really is a shade for almost every occasion. My personal favourites are 11 turquoise, 14 violet and 10 green.

(bottom to top) 11 turquoise, 10 green, 14 violet

Price: $14 each from sephora.com

Weight: 0.10oz 

Range of colours: total 28

creasing: not too bad, may need some re-application after several hours wear

matt or shimmer: available in both

waterproof: yes

colour true to package: yes

RATING: ★★★★/★★★★★