'Limecrime' from Makeupnet.com

I was recently sent these lovely products by an Australian online store called 'makeupnet.com' who are the suppliers of Limecrime here in Australia (Limecrime is not available here in Stores). :( Will link tutorial as soon as it's uploaded.

Wow the colours are just dazzling, I especially love the 'Top Hattie' and 'Troubadour' Magic' eye dusts, really really nice and easy to wear and they come complete with a shaker lid to help prevent spillage.

The eyelid primer called 'Candy Eye Helper' is just wonderful, I'm going to even say that I like it better than the Urban Decay I've been using, it really helps the loose eyeshadows stay on and I find that there is no creasing going on at all.

The 'Great Pink Planet' lipstick felt nice on but unfortunately the shade of pink is a bit pale for my liking so I added a coat of 'Abracadabra' eye dust over the top, that's the great thing about these loose powders, they can be used as eyeshadows, eyeliners and even on the lips, multipurpose cosmetics are always good! although they tend to get messy easily

The packaging of these products is very girly and cute, they certainly stand out with their little holographic unicorns and bows. All these products are Animal Cruelty Free.

'Makeupnet.com' have some other great products on their site if you're looking for something fun and affordable just check them out.

Clean Makeup Brushes are Super Sweet!

Now I know a lot of people say you should clean your brushes every day or every other day but I really don't get the time to do that myself. I'm the only one who uses my brushes so they get cleaned when I get a chance, probably not quite as often as I should!

Well today, after working 8.5 hrs I came home to find my sister had cleaned them all for me, how sweet is that :D Last year over one of the holidays she had helped me clean them and learnt how I do it, boy I was so happy and I thought there might be a few girls out there that don't know how to clean their makeup brushes.

I don't use any fancy cleaners for my brushes, I just use a good shampoo to clean them (of course if you would prefer a proper cleaner or an antibacterial soap then use that). In a cup place a spoon of shampoo and then swirl your brush around in it, brush your brush onto your hand until all the dirt comes out, this may take a little while with foundation, lip and eyeliner brushes.

Rinse your brushes completely, gently pat them dry with a towel and let them dry with the brush end facing down if at all possible so that the water doesn't collect inside the handle (don't stand them on their bristles though). An easy method is to poke some holes in an old shoebox or any type of box that has some depth to it and put your brushes in that (recycling is always good). I use a small screwdriver to make some holes and then pushed the brushes through from the inside of the box giving a snug fit. For larger brushes use the screwdriver and then use a small brush to poke the hole and then an average size brush until you can fit the larger handle in the hole. Place an old towel or rag under the box to soak up any moisture.

Hope this helps someone out, happy cleaning :) xx

A Lovely Gift

I was contacted by the lovely Amy of 'Makeup Paintup' to see if I would like to receive an oil painting inspired by my makeup looks, hee hee ummm :) of course I would! :) Amy is just starting a new venture and wants some feedback on her work, I think it's really cute and although the photo doesn't show it, it has glitter in some of the makeup too, it will be going up on my collage wall very soon :)

If you are interested in contacting Amy you can email her on: makeup.paintup@gmail.com

Sigma Brushes, Spring It and Sun Laboratories Reviews

A few Reviews that I made a video on, you can see it HERE

SIGMA HIGH DEFINITION FACE BRUSHES

I was sent these brushes by Sigma quite a long time ago and although they are great brushes I just find that I don’t really use them as much as I thought I would, the smallest would have to be my fav out of the three, the round top kabuki. Another great thing about these brushes is that they are synthetic which means animal cruelty free!

I know alot of people really like these types of brushes but I honestly find the flat foundation brushes easier to use or my fingers as these stippling ones tend to apply too much product for me. They are great for a special occasion where you may want a 'thicker finish' for your makeup or for photography/modelling. The contour brush is great if you do alot of contouring but again, I really don’t contour my face that much.

They were sent to me in a lovely organza bag and their postage took about two weeks to Australia. I have found them to be great quality and they have not shed at all and the size is really good and comfortable.

I guess the downside is that they are not available in Australia, you have to order online from Sigma but their service is excellent.

Sigmabeauty: http://www.sigmabeauty.com/?Click=86583

SUN LABORATORIES - SELF TANNER

Sun Laboratories asked me to trial and review their Sunless Tanning lotion, Moisturiser/Maintainer and Body Polisher, being a pale person I jumped at the chance hahahaha.

Ok, I don’t normally go out and get a tan and this past Summer has been so wet that there wasn’t really much chance to get a tan especially now that I have a job so I thought it was a great idea.

I did try this product a few times, if you take a look at the video ‘Meet My BFF – Behind the Scenes Photoshoot’ you will notice how ‘tanned’ I look there and Juanita even makes a funny comment about it. Well the product did work really well but unfortunately because I live in a semi-tropical climate we get a lot of humidity here which makes the product come off onto my clothes. I did email the company and explain what happened and they said to let it dry ... I tried again and yes I let it dry but it just isn’t good in my climate and I can't keep staining all my clothes. I’m sure in a cooler climate or when Autumn/Winter rolls around it will work much better and not rub off but to give an honest review I have to tell you what happened.

It’s easy to use, you just exfoliate your skin with this ‘Body Polisher/Exfoliator, the large brush is for your body, to get rid of any dry skin, there’s a pumice stone one for elbows and knees and heels and then there is the facial one ............... apply the tanning product evenly and remember to wash your hands immediately after applying because it will stain. Leave to dry at least 1 hr before going to bed etc and then you moisturise in the mornings with the special moisturiser. It gives a brown tan which is not too orange looking like some.

Oh and a bonus is that they are not tested on animals.

I just love the exfoliator/body polisher which they sent also, which is battery operated and I use it all the time in the shower and to cleanse my face in general, the first week I did notice I broke out a bit but I’m thinking that was just because it was deep cleaning my face, it’s all good now J so I would definitely recommend that.

If you want an easy to use Self Tanner and don't live in a humid climate check out their site: http://www.sunlabsonline.com/

SPRING IT - HAIR REMOVER

Yeah I know this is a bit of a touchy subject with a lot of girls but let's face it, if you have darker hair or darker features chances are as you get older you are going to get some 'facial fuzz' going on that you don't really like and I know of some 'blondes' who also get thicker 'fuzz' than they would like. I've been asked quite a few times about hair removal for the face over the past year or so and I've only ever used wax on my eyebrows (between them that is hahaha) so when I was asked if I would like to trial this product I got a little curious and thought I'd give it a go.

It's a simple device like a long spring that you simply bend into an upsidedown 'U' and roll up your face where your 'fuzz' is bothering you, cheeks, upper lip etc, simple as that and yes it actually does work!!! A great little invention that is easy to use and cost effective.

The sensation takes a little getting used to, it sort of hurts a little when you first try it but not too bad and nothing that you can't put up with. It's designed for your face and not your eyebrows so don't try shaping them with it ok :)

They also sent me a little pair of tweezers with a built in LED light which I find very useful for all sorts of stuff, I don't tweeze my brows but lets face it, tweezers have a lot of other uses too. They are very attractively packaged, much like a lipstick tube with a built in mirror as well.

You can check out my review on YouTube to see how the 'Spring It' works.

I was kindly sent these products by: http://www.myspringit.com/ at 'Beauty by Rachel'

A second Brain, or so it seems!

So today I had a small surgery on my arm to remove a lump that had been there since last year and no one seemed to know exactly what it was. I still don't know what it is so it's been sent away for further investigation. I did a Vlog on my experience and thought I would show the picture of the actual 'lump' or 'mysterious brain' as I like to call it on my Blog, not the prettiest thing believe me .................... here goes!!!!!!!!!

Of course my real brain is much much much much bigger than this one :)

Things I've been lovin lately ...

So I've been really enjoying a few simple products lately that I thought I would mention here.

Solace Fruit Selection Body Wash in 'Coconut Milk' and 'Raspberry' .... yum yum, they smell as good as they sound and are so good to use, I even took one on Camp with me instead of traditional soap and loved it. These were given to me for my Birthday and I just love them, there were a box of four and these two are by far my favs.

'Australis Primer', I picked this up from Target back in January and have been using it ever since, it's really easy to use, inexpensive and seems to do the job well. We've had such humid weather in January and February and this primer has held up to it so I'm pretty happy. I can't really compare it to other primers as this is the first one I've ever used.

'Nivea' Fruity Shine (lip balm), I'm not sure exactly where I got this but you can get it just about anywhere, Target, K-Mart even Woollies for next to nothing, I love the tint it puts on my lips, just a touch of red and it works really well protecting my lips too.

My Hat - hahahaha yeah that's right I love my new hat, I bought this from 'Sportsgirl' for $40 but I've never bought a hat for myself before so I thought I would treat myself. It's simply a black felt hat with a skinny leather band, comfy to wear and makes me feel good.

Boots - Yep another treat for me, I've been busy saving so it was nice to spend a little money on myself. I saw these boots in 'Target' for $50 and just had to have them, they are sooooo comfortable and easy to wear, I took them on Camp and they didn't rub or anything. Just a great little 'all purpose' boot that can be worn with so many different things, be sure to wear some socks that come just above the top when you wear boots too (because you don't want any rub marks around your leg).

Napoleon Perdis Eyeshadow Quad Review

RY Hair & Beauty sent me this lovely eyeshadow pallet and brush by 'Napoleon Perdis' to try out.

This pallet was limited edition for Christmas 2010 and as it was so popular it was sold out very quickly, unfortunately you wont be able to purchase this particular one anymore but you can get similar results from other pallets
http://www.ry.com.au/eye-shadow-prismatic-eyeshadow-quad-...

This pallet is just beautiful, the shadows are easy to apply and the pigments come on just how they look in the pallet. They blend really well and stay on. The only thing I dislike about this pallet is that it doesn't have a closure and 'snap' shut, there's just something about that final 'snap' to say it's closed that I like. It has pleasant packaging and comes with two double ended sponge applicators. I used this product in my 'Mystical Nympth Eyes' video.

The particular shades that are in the ocean quad are similar to these colours:
http://www.ry.com.au/napoleon-perdis-colour-disc-electric...
http://www.ry.com.au/napoleon-perdis-colour-disc-premium-...
http://www.ry.com.au/napoleon-perdis-colour-disc-angel-du...
http://www.ry.com.au/napoleon-perdis-colour-disc-blue-cru...

** This gorgeous pallet was sent to me by RY Hair & Beauty: http://www.ry.com.au/ an Australian online store that offers overnight delivery and other free shipping options.

Napoleon Perdis 'Tropical Heat -- Ocean Collection' (Quad)
Napoleon Perdis Flat Shader Brush -- 10b (love this brush)

Indie Inspired Smokey Eye Makeup Look - My Inspiration

I recently put up a tutorial on the Indie Inspired Smokey Eye and this is the picture I refer to in that video from where I got my inspiration .... remember it's an 'inspired look' not a replica :)