Lust Have It - August Box Review

This was the first beauty box I've ever received, and I was so excited when I came home and it was on the table! To be honest, it's a bit hit-and-miss (more miss than hit) but I think that's how these things work. There's got to be someone who saw this and thought, "These are all my favourite things!" unfortunately, not I.

-tanGo Tan Removal Cloth, RRP $29.95. Honestly? It's a piece of microfiber cloth that you could buy at a supermarket for $2, except it has a brand. I am the palest person in the world by far so would have no use for it, at least as a tan remover. The small description does say that by adding water it can be used as a makeup remover (read: flannel) however I'm far fonder of muslin cloth so I'm not sure where this might end up...

-Tigi Rockaholic Rock Out Shine Blaster, RRP $27.95/100mL. This is quite interesting. I do like a good hair product, and while I've only run a small bit through my ends to test, it smells divine and does temporarily mask split-ends, as promised. This claims to be somewhat of an all-rounder product, in that it seals the hair cuticles to help dry quicker, softens hair, adds shine, masks spilt-ends, works as a "mixer" with your other products... Like I said, quite interesting! So far so good.

-ModelCo Eyeliner - Black, RRP $26.00. I've never understood why ModelCo's products are so expensive, since I don't particularly like any of them. I don't wear pencil liners very often, and when I do I reach for soft kohls (namely Rimmel). This feels quite hard and not very pigmented. It's one draw card is that it has a sharpener in the lid, but I still don't think that warrants paying close to $30 for a so-so black liner, when there are such great ones for under $10.

-Marc Jacobs DOT Fragrance vial, RRP $160/100mL. This disappointed me. Not the perfume - the perfume is everything that I love and more, and makes me feel all giddy and blushy (Marc Jacobs fragrances in general have this effect on me). The fact that Lust Have It specifically promotes their business as a supplier of luxury premium-sized samples, I would expect that maybe I am paying for something I couldn't just pick up at a Myer counter. However I digress - this perfume is spectacular. Red berry top notes, a heart of jasmine and orange blossom resting on a base of vanilla and musk? No wonder I'm complaining about the size!

-Appelles Skin Detox Shower Gel (RRP $12.95/100mL), Body Booster Skin Lotion (RRP $12.95/100mL), and Body Bar Vegetable Soap (RRP $4.95/40g). I can't review these products properly and honestly because like the tan removal cloth (scoff), I highly doubt I'll ever use them. To me, these products smell like cheap supermarket-brand shampoo. The packaging of the soap is reminiscent of what you might find in a hotel room, and I'm really not someone who uses soap bars anyway (with the exception of a few Lush soaps). When I tested a small amount of the skin lotion on my arm, it hasn't made my skin softer at all over the course of the day so nothing is really drawing me in.

Well, that's it! I think the only things I'll get any use out of is the Tigi hair treatment, and one or two applications of the Marc Jacobs fragrance haha. Maybe I'll save it for date nights, that'll get me a super honest opinion! Do you subscribe to Lust Have It, or any other beauty boxes? What did you think of this months picks?

NARS Windstar Eyeshadow Duo

I've only ever owned NARS face products before - foundation, concealer, primer etc. But for some reason never any eyeshadows or blush, some of their more famous areas of expertise. I decided to finally take the leap seeing as I've never been disappointed before, and oh Lordy... I don't ever want to use another shadow, ever again. I know there is amazing quality products on the market for incredibly low prices, however you can just tell them difference once you use a high-end product. I have a smaller collection of high-end shadows that I keep aside for when I go out or am having a bad day, and the ease in application honestly is just superb.

Both shades in this duo have very fine glitter particles in them, but they're definitely glittery rather than frosty or satiny. They both contain green and orange glitter, which looks absolutely stunning. Quality aside, the colour contrast between the glitter and the actual shadow shades is really what sets these apart from drugstore products.

The actual colours in this duo are right up my alley. On my pale skin, if I don't use a base they tend to just neutralise my eyelids a bit and give that 'halo' effect, which I love anyway. But if I use a base that's a little darker than my natural skin tone (Bare Study or Groundwork by MAC, or Lush's new Sophisticated cream shadow) this does show up fairly true to pan. Paired with either black or brown liner, this duo creates an amazing foundation for an everyday fifties-inspired winged liner look, keeping it very soft and pale on the lid with a strong line for definition.

After purchasing Windstar, I can't wait to try more NARS eyeshadows - I can't get enough!

-Kate.

Date night lips - a match made in HEAVEN!

My boyfriend and I don't live together, but even though we're so busy we make the time to go out once a week just the two of us. It's such an amazing break from reality, and to have found someone who makes you so happy is really just so liberating.

All Revlon Everything: Super Lustrous lipgloss in Lilac Pastelle (L) over Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain in Passion (R)

I always want to look nice for him, and I love when that effort pays off. I rarely wear lip gloss, but the other night I put a really thin, sheer coat of Revlon's infamous Lilac Pastelle lip gloss over one of their Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stains in the colour Passion, which was a beautiful and brightly contrasting doll-pink. I'll review this stain later as I did have a bit of fun trying out the range.

The overall effect was a dulled-down pinky-purple, and I made sure to apply the gloss well before my man arrived - no guy likes to kiss glossy lips! This was more about the beautiful colour it gave rather than the glossy finish. If you're enjoying this blog and would be interested in more day-to-day makeup looks, let me know by commenting below :)

If you've made it this far, 1) congratulations; and 2) I'm sorry for the lack of posts, however I'm working full time at the moment as well as going to uni full time as well. Finding the time to even sleep properly is difficult, so blogging took a back seat. I'm going to try to update this at least every second day from now on and hopefully someone will get some use out of whatever I post!

Lush 'Emotional Brilliance' range - Launch!

I was lucky enough to go to one of Lush's product launches last Saturday for their new line called 'Emotional Brilliance'. It's Lush's first real go at makeup, their previous efforts really only being confined to some borderline-theatrical concealers. Now with the new 'desert island products', all of which are 100% vegan, Lush has finally made up for some of its past woes.

The three products I chose from Lush's colour wheel

The range is a little gimmicky - but I love that! The idea is that you close your eyes, spin a colour wheel (pictured below), and when you open your eyes pick the first three colours that stand out. Each corresponds to an Emotional Brilliance product, and each has a special meaning for you in that moment.

The first colour is your strength/weakness. I picked Dynamic, a beautiful pastel peach. The second colour is a subconscious need you might have, for which I picked Focus, a pearlescent baby blue. The third is your talent, which you need to fulfil your subconscious need. I picked Quietly Motivated, a burnt caramel-colour. All three products I chose were liquid eyeliners.

Even though I knew that this was a sales gimmick of which I was entirely in control, I went in thinking I would pick completely different colours and when these words popped up in front of me, I was surprised at how relevant they were to my current situation. (Especially Focus - I have been trying to move house for 7 weeks!) It really added something special to the event, and although I walked away without any of these products (I'm coming back for Quietly Motivated though) I was impressed with the choices my subconscious made.

Emotional Brilliance colour wheel and kiosk

I ended up buying a cream eyeshadow tagged Sophisticated, and the very much talked-about Fantasy, a gold liquid liner that when applied honestly is like liquid gold leaf - it is so amazing. My one issue is that as it is drying, it stings a little. I'm not sure if it's due to the vegan ingredients or perhaps I just have sensitive eyes, but once it's dry it's no longer a problem. The other products in the range were incredible too though, such as their mascara (which was the blackest black ever) and my favourite, the Feeling Younger skin tint which is a shimmery white highlighter which when applied lightly gives a dewy and fresh, rose gold halo effect to the skin.

L-R: Translucent powder, mascara, cream highlighter (not to scale).

The title product Emotional Brilliance is a pink-toned translucent powder which is of very good quality, but not anything revolutionary. At $19.90/8g, it's fairs well against something like the Laura Mercier powder, which in Australia retails at $68/29g.

Sophisticated, Fantasy - $24.95 each.

I had a really amazing time at this event and once I go back and pick up some more products from this range I'll definitely let you know how I got on with them (Quietly Motivated, Eyes Right and Feeling Younger are on the list!). This has also become part of the permanent line, so definitely don't feel as though you have to buy everything at once as buying two products alone set me back $50, however it's a really impressive and well thought-out range and I highly recommend it.

Have a good week!

-Kate.