November Favourites... A bit late, sorry!

I was originally going to film this post rather than write it, but I also want to film a haul video which has most of this month’s favourites in it anyway so I decided to make this a written post just to break it up a bit. Let’s just jump in!

HOURGLASS AMBIENT LIGHTING POWDER IN DIFFUSED LIGHT:

This is a luxury item I have been wanting for ages but never allowed myself to buy because of its ridiculous price tag. When I first tried out this powder it was about $70, and at just the thought of purchasing it you could hear the tiny screams and cries of your bank account or credit card. Every time I went in Mecca Maxima or Mecca Cosmetica I would hover around the Hourglass section just swatching the powders and blushes, trying to pluck up the nerve to spend that much money on 10 grams of powder, but it never happened. Instead I bought the Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Loose Setting Powder and tried to convince myself that it was even better because it was slightly cheaper and had more product.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when I was in the new Mecca Maxima. I was waiting while one of the sales girls and the manager were putting out all the stops to help me with a foundation conundrum (a matter that was eventually solved with extraordinary results, if you live near Westfield Garden City on Brissy’s southside you definitely need to pop in there and check the store out), and I found myself hovering once again by the Hourglass stand, except this time the powder was $59, a respectable price drop in my eyes. So, swayed by the tremendous help I received, I bit the bullet and bought the powder. It has been the only face powder (not including under the eyes and a bit on my nose to stop my glasses from smudging my foundation) I have used since I bought it. It is so light and glowy. It sets your makeup without leaving a powdery matte residue, which is exactly what I look for in a powder. It was well worth the wait and the $59. Also, can I just talk about the exquisite packaging for a sec? It’s so pretty! I mean, sure, it gets kind of fingerprinty, but who cares! It’s beautiful!

THE BODY SHOP MOISTURE FOUNDATION IN SHADE 01:

I don’t have as much to say about this as I did about the Ambient Light Powder. The colour match is pretty perfect and it has a very hydrating, dewy finish. It’s not super long wearing, so I wouldn’t recommend it too oilier skinned people, but for normal to dry skinned people it will wear okay. I’ve been really liking it paired with the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick, topped off with the Ambient Lighting Powder. It applies well with most brushes, but I like it best with my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. The price point is good too, coming in at just $27.95. All-in-all this is a great foundation.

AUSTRALIS LIP & CHEEK COMBO IN FLAMINGO SKIES:

This is the only product in this month’s favourites that is not something new I’ve bought. I bought this ages ago, but it was lost somewhere in the depths of my makeup drawers for a while, so I forgot about it. I’ve been using this on my cheeks a fair bit lately. I grab my stippling brush and swirl it around both shades to get a really nice, deeper peachy pink colour and then I just stipple and blend it into my cheeks. It gives a really nice flush to the cheeks and because it’s a creamier product there’s no risk of becoming cakey or looking over-powdered.

BOBBI BROWN SKIN FOUNDATION STICK IN ALABASTER:

This is a product that I had sort of discounted ages ago. My skin got really dry and the foundation started to cake up, especially around my nose area. Originally I also had the shade Porcelain, which was a hair too dark for me (big shock, I know). Then a while ago I changed the moisturiser I was using. Now I use the Aveeno Daily Moisturiser, or whatever it’s called and it hydrates my skin amazingly. When I got The Body Shop foundation I would sometimes put the NARS Radiant Creamy Compact foundation underneath for a bit of extra coverage. Then I pulled out the Stick Foundation in Porcelain and tried it, and was amazed at how nicely it sat on my face now I was using a different moisturiser. So, I went out and got myself one in Alabaster and I’ve been using it either on its own or with The Body Shop foundation ever since. I can’t believe I discounted it the way I did. It’s so nice to wear. Not too heavy, not cakey, and if I really didn’t feel like it, I wouldn’t have to set it with a powder. Just a lovely foundation. It might even be my HG foundation. We’ll just have to wait and see.

NYX GEL LINER IN DARK BROWN:

This last favourite might be a bit of a weird one. While I have used this liner as an actual eyeliner, it’s not what I bought it for. I went into M.A.C. a little while ago and tried to get the Fluidline brow gel stuff, but since it was a new store they hadn’t received the shipment yet. The girl helping me told me I could try dark brown gel eyeliner instead. She said even though it’s a thicker formula, it would still work. I wasn’t entirely sure about that, so I certainly wasn’t going to spend 30-something dollars on M.A.C. eyeliner. So, I popped over to Target and got the NYX one. It has been working a treat. I use it to shape out my brows and then top them off with a bit of my trusty old Gimme Brow from Benefit. My brows stay on all day and look nice and well formed, instead of the bushy feeling I always get from pencils and powders. The NYX stuff is cheaper than M.A.C. too, which is just an added bonus! 

I hope you guys enjoyed this long-winded favourites! Sorry it’s coming to you a little late. It would’ve been up last weekend if I had of known I was just going to type it up… oh well, better late than never! Stay tuned for a haul video coming soon! xx

Friendship Chats

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about friendships. Friendships are something that are so important to your continuing development and it is so important to surround yourself with positive, respectful and loyal people who accept you. This is something that I feel has taken me a lifetime to fully achieve. I have had a lot of friends over my 26 years and I have lost touch with most of them. This is mainly because when I was growing up my family moved a lot and as a kid it is hard to maintain long distance friendships. It’s completely okay to lose touch with people too. It’s a natural part of life. Lately though, my life has had friendship changes that were unexpected and somewhat hard to accept.

When I graduated high school I lingered with a lot of the friends I’d had for a while before we all started to drift off in our separate directions. I made a couple of work friends in the couple of jobs I had when I was 18 before I moved to North Queensland. I lived up in Bowen for a couple of years, and worked in the tourism part of the council. Despite a nutcase for a boss, I got along well with most of the people I worked with, which made the fact that I was very far away from the friends I had left behind in Brisbane a little easier to deal with. As much as I respected and liked the people I worked with, especially those that kindly taught me all the things my crazy boss was incapable of teaching me, I (as usual) was somewhat out of place.

I think a big reason I’m quite often out of place is because I actually really prefer spending time alone a lot of the time. I like to sit quietly with a book and some music or a movie and just be alone and I think that seems odd to a lot of people. I think maybe people thought I was strange for not wanting to constantly go out shopping or clubbing or whatever, and a majority of the time was happier to just be by myself. I’m not even sure why I’m like that. Maybe from moving around so much… I don’t know. All I know is that I like myself that way and I don’t want to change.

This brings me to the main point of this post, which is pay homage to the people I’m lucky enough to call my friends nowadays. I won’t name people out of respect for privacy, but these people know who they are. This post isn’t about disrespecting old friendships I once had, because I needed all of them for one reason or another when I had them and I don’t discount them at all. What is different about the individual friendships I have now is that I feel like I don’t have to try hard at all to fit in with any of them. They’re cool with all my weirdness, even my desire to be alone 70 maybe 80% of the time. My best friend, who I will name, Kate, is an amazing chick who pushes me to do more with my life, but doesn’t force me to change if I don’t want to. All my other friends are just as amazing for a million different reasons. To go from friendships where I felt the need to change myself somewhat to fit in, to friendships where everything is cool the way it is feels really awesome and relaxing. 

I think the important thing to remember with friendships is that it’s totally okay to drift apart from people and simply not be friends anymore. Even if that person was utterly important and special to you. Sometimes even the special friendships fade away. You just have to learn to not be offended or too hurt by it. Try and see it as a gateway to things that will be even better and healthier for you. Trying to grip onto something that isn’t real anymore isn’t healthy and it holds you back from growing and changing into the person you need to become next. Well, that’s what I’ve learnt from all of my past and current friendships anyway!

My New Obsession... I Can't Believe It's Taken Me This Long!

Okay, so I’m a little late jumping on this bandwagon, I know, but hey, better late than never! A couple of weeks ago I bought Lena Dunham’s book, ‘Not that Kind of Girl’ as incentive to keep studying and get through my end of semester exams. Once I survived the horrors, I was finally able to open up the book I’d heard so many good things about. I was first intrigued by this book after watching one of my favourite YouTubers, EssieButton rave about not only the book, but Lena Dunham as a person. Before buying the book I’d never really known anything about her. I’d never seen her show, ‘Girls’ or anything else she’s been in (that I know of). The only time I’d ever seen her on something was when she was on ‘Ellen’ a couple of months ago, and I have to say that I wasn’t really paying that much attention to the interview because I was wait for Melissa McCarthy to come out.

Fast forward to now and I’m just over halfway through the book and after reading the introduction was compelled to get my eager little hands on all the episodes of ‘Girls’, of which I am currently up to episode 5 of season 1. Her writing style is fantastic. It’s quirky, sometimes a little edgy and always entertaining. The way she writes is almost as if she’s telling you in person, which I love. It makes her stories all that more real (which they are, of course). Don’t even get me started on the show. I love it. The only words that come to mind when I try to describe it are ‘HOW WAS I NOT ALWAYS WATCHING THIS?!’ It’s everything I love in a show: quirky, funny, emotional and realistic with regards to how people actually look and think and act. I’ve heard it be described as the younger woman’s ‘Sex and the City’, but I don’t agree. It’s far less glamourous and therefore far more relatable and believable. Don’t get me wrong, I used to really love SATC. I even used to have all the DVDs, but I can safely say that, even after only 5 episodes, I prefer ‘Girls’. In SATC the woman were gorgeous with their ‘perfectly’ sized and shaped bodies. They all seemed to be fairly well off with very successful careers, which isn’t completely unrealistic, because there are plenty of successful women out there, but it doesn’t really speak to the struggling woman. Also the relationships are somewhat glamourized in SATC. There’s a slew of beautiful men traipsing through the seasons (not that I’m complaining about beautiful men!). I like that the women on ‘Girls’ seem to be on different ends of the relationship and career success spectrums. Each woman has problems that appear to seem almost alien to the others because of their vast differences, yet they each try to understand one another. To me, that is far more realistic. Friends who band together despite being worlds apart in personality, etc.

The point of this post is to neither review the book or the show, but more to marvel at the creator of both. I’m so fascinated by Lena right now, and so in love with the way she presents herself and her work to the world. In such a short time I have grown to admire and be wholly inspired by her. I love to write, but lately I haven’t been feeling inspired at all. I think very creatively and need to feel inspiration to complete creative work (although I wish I had the talent that others have of being able to muster inspiration on command). Each time I read a little of the book or watch the show and see how talented and driven she has been, it makes me want to go out there and do what I know I can do fairly well (if I do say so myself). If you’re a Lena neophyte like me, I definitely recommend you check out the book and watch anything she might be in. If you’ve been on this side of the fence for a while, then allow me to introduce myself: Hi, I’m Cassie and I’m so happy to finally be in the land of Lena.

I hope you guys enjoyed this little bit of something different. I really just wanted to share with you all the reason I’m finally feeling inspired again xx

The Body Shop Moisture Foundation Initial Thoughts

Hey guys!

Well, exams are over and I’m officially done with uni for the year! That means I can finally spend some real time thinking about my blog and actually getting things uploaded to it and my YT channel. That brings us to the purpose of this post, which is a first impressions (of sorts) of a foundation I bought a little of a week ago. It’s the Body Shop Moisture Foundation in shade 01.

This will only be a short one because I will be doing a review video on it soon, once I’ve got a good handle on how I feel about it, but here are my initial thoughts. I wrote them down after a day or two of using it.

I really liked this foundation straight away. It’s a really nice light to medium coverage and the finish is quite dewy, which I like. The colour match is pretty spot on, which is especially surprising, since foundations on the lower end of the cost spectrum usually don’t even come close to being light enough to match me. Considering it’s pretty much summer here, what with our 37 degree heat here in Brisbane, this is not the foundation you would look to for heaps of longevity, but since I have fairly dry skin, I love how hydrating this stuff feels.

I don’t have too much more to say about it, since I plan on doing a proper video review on it really soon, but my initial thoughts basically boil down to it being a good foundation and even better because it’s only $27 or $28.

Thanks for reading! xx

My thoughts on writing

Hey guys!

Today I wanted to talk about writing. Not just techniques, but what I do to keep my writing muscles limber and all that good stuff. I want to mainly focus on writing fiction today and keeping up with your inspiration.

The first thing I really want to say is that there is no one right way to write. Inspiration comes in many different forms and you sort of have to roll with it and let it show you the best techniques to help you in that moment. I used to think that there was a ‘right way’ of writing and was convinced that the reason I felt so crap at it was because I was doing it wrong. In actual fact the reason I felt crap at it was because I was overthinking it.

Some techniques that I’ve noticed that I take when I do start writing is taking actual pens and paper rather than computers and keyboards and doing a little be of freewriting. I’ve tried freewriting on a computer, but I find that when I’m typing I think too much about spelling and punctuation and whatnot. When I sit quietly (well, I’m quiet, my music is not) with a pen and paper and just write I find I am more productive because there’s no backspace button. So my piece of advice on freewriting is find a method that makes you the most productive. If you find typing on a keyboard keeps your creativity flowing then that’s what you should do. If you’re like me and prefer putting pen to paper, that’s cool too. I do know that freewriting can be important when writing fiction because it can take your story to places you didn’t originally imagine it could go.

Once I think of a character I like to think about every aspect of that character. I like to know where they came from before the story is set, how their journey will affect them and what kind of life they might have once the story is over. I like to use the characters to guide the story rather than creating characters to fit the story and setting I create. I like to create people I relate to on different levels, and I like to create people who might raise serious questions about my mental stability.

As I go through the process of trying to create a new story I would like to keep you guys updated on how it’s going and any new methods and techniques I might discover along the way. At the moment I have mapped out the two main characters and written the first chapter. I’m working through the second chapter and I’ve written up ideas that constantly run through my mind about it. I keep all my story and character ideas in a notebook and keep a separate notebook for freewriting and chapter writing.

I hope this post helps anyone who loves to write but maybe have some insecurities about it like I do. These posts won’t be super long, but I do want to do them somewhat frequently. I don't claim to be a fountain of completely useful knowledge. like I said before, everyone writes differently, but, just as I have taken tips from others along the way, I hope that some of my tips can be added to some of your writing arsenals. :)

Video: October Favourites

Hey guys!

I know it's a few days late, but here's my October Favourites. I hope you enjoy. I promise the editing will get better next time! :)

Something a little more personal...

Hey guys!

In light of my plans for a revamp, I decided to make my first post a little bit of a personal one. I went into a little bit of detail in my last post about why I decided to revamp the blog. I know my blog isn’t that old, and giving it a makeover might seem a little odd, but it’s something I need to do to maintain my interest in doing it.

Before I started my blog I mulled the idea of it over and over again. I’m kind of weird about my privacy and sharing my thought and things like that, especially on such a potentially large scale, so it was actually quite scary for me put ideas into reality. Along with being private, I also have a bit of a self-confidence issue too. It’s not something I talk about very often, or really at all. Actually, I more prefer to just pretend that it doesn’t exist. But alas, it is always there, in the back of my mind. It rears its ugly head in a big way when it comes to my creative side. I’m so critical of my own work that I find it hard to believe when other people give me compliments. I know it’s a common problem that people must have, but it doesn’t make it any easier to overcome.

On a very personal note, I suffered depression for a while and it definitely plummeted my self-confidence even lower. I’m my own worst critic in the absolute worst way sometimes. For example, I recently went to a wedding and when I was thanking the couple for including me in their special day I was literally confused when they told me that they wouldn’t have not invited me. I have the hardest time believing that I’m any kind of afterthought for people, and I think that’s another thing that kept me from initially jumping in and starting the blog. I think that’s also why I started this blog with the intent of it just being about beauty stuff. Beauty stuff can help make you feel somewhat special when your inner self can’t muster the strength to do it on its own. Now I realise that, while makeup is fun and makes me feel good, and I want to share that with you guys, it’s not the only part of me I want to share. There are so many other things I’m interested in that I can talk about and from now on, if it’s something I want to talk about on my blog, it will go on there. I don’t want to confine myself to a specific genre.

I’m hoping that by pushing myself in this direction I might be able to start to combat my self-confidence issues so I can start to feel genuine in my inner confidence and not just like I’m faking it.

I hope you guys liked this slightly more personal post. If any of you out there have a similar confidence issues I’d love to hear of any methods you have come up with for dealing with them.

I’m thinking that my next post will be about my writing methods and how I go about doing certain things. Also stay tuned for a monthly beauty favourites video, which I might film tomorrow if I feel like it :) 

Hey guys!

It’s been so long since I’ve even sat down with the intention to type something to post on here. I have tonnes of ideas for blog posts and even a couple of YT videos, but honestly, I haven’t felt the slightest inclination to put them into action yet. I do know that I want to talk about the M.A.C. Rocky Horror Picture Show line. It was released in Australian stores last week and I picked up a couple of things. I also have a teeny haul I’m thinking about filming.

The thing is though, as much as I love and am obsessed with makeup, I realised that I don’t want to write only about it. I feel like I need to write about other things. Books, movies, music, things that happen in the world… just whatever is peaking my interest.

I haven’t done a lot of personal writing on here, it was originally designed to be just about makeup and skincare, etc. but now I feel like I want to expand the horizons of what makes me comfortable on here. I’m a somewhat private person. People usually only get information about me that I want them to have and there are very few outside my family that pass that threshold. Now, I’m not saying that I’m going to be spilling all my secrets on here, but I feel like, if I expand the range of things I write about on here, it might help to display my personality better. It’s really hard to talk about makeup, especially to a camera and inject tonnes of your uniqueness into it. I’ve been watching YT videos for a while now and I know that the people I watch regularly were not originally as comfortable and personable as they are now. I know, given time, I will probably feel more comfy on camera too, but honestly, my real passion is writing. It has been since I was a little kid.

The break I took from doing makeup stuff originally started so I could get through some assignments and then once they were finished I realised that I didn’t feel like writing or talking about makeup constantly. As much as I love makeup and watching other people on YT talk about it, I wanted something else for a little while. I even started writing fiction again. I’ve done a whole chapter and a bit, plus some intensive plot and character workups. I won’t be talking about the plot and story ideas on here, because I find that as soon as I start telling other people about my stories, I kind get bored with them, probably because then I get the feeling people expect something out of me and I hate feeling that way about my writing. What I do want to talk about on here from now on (along with all the other stuff mentioned before), are my writing processes. I’d love to here about other people’s processes too. It doesn’t have to be for story writing, it can be for any form of writing. I just would love to share my experiences and the things I’ve learned over time. I’m not success by any means, but writing isn’t about that anyway, but I figure maybe if I share some of my thoughts, you guys can open up and maybe even give me some new ideas and methods that work for you.

So, basically the message I’m trying to get across in this (now very long) post is that my blog is going to be getting a revamp. It will no longer be An Occasional Beauty Dream. I’m even going to alter (not change) the name. I want to keep it close to its original name, just without the ‘Beauty’ part. Maybe I can exchange ‘Beauty’ for ‘Life’? What do you guys think? I’d love some input!

P.S. I just thought I might mention that just because I don't want my blog to just be beauty related anymore doesn't mean I think badly of people who dedicate themselves to bringing us reviews and such about beauty. It's just the opposite. Without YT beauty channels and blogs I wouldn't have plucked up the courage to start my own. I think the people who can make a success of themselves by bringing information about a subject they love to the masses are amazing and lucky, and I hope that one day I can have success in my own areas of interest like them. :)

First Impressions: Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Hey guys!

Sorry this one's a bit late. I've been in a mad dash to get assignments done this week. I have another one that should hopefully go up this weekend, so stay tuned! 

Review: LimeLily Eyeshadows

Hey guys!

Today’s review is of the LimeLily eyeshadows. I’ve talked about these a couple of times, and have also just filmed a tutorial using them. If the video isn’t up now, it will be soon. I have seven of the shadows, but there are a heap more to get. I get them from The Make-up Foundation, which, as I’ve mentioned before, is a fantastic makeup supply wholesale store here in Brisbane. They make awesome professional products.

The shades I have so far are: Goldmine, Posie, Liberty, Aquatic, Calico, Lemon and Lime Zest.

THE POSITIVES:

These are highly pigmented, long-lasting shadows. They come off beautifully on the eyes and have great colour payoff. They blend really easily as well. There is an amazing range of shades to choose from and what I love the most is the selection of matte shades. Most of the seven that I have are matte shades and they are so vibrant. Just beautiful.

THE NEGATIVES:

There aren’t a lot of negatives to these shadows. If I had to be picky I would say that the formula is a little drier than I usually like my shadows to be. They’re not chalky, but they are definitely not as buttery and creamy feeling as my UD Naked Basics palette. The only problem I have with the drier formula is that I have sensitive eyes and it can irritate them a little. It’s a little price to pay for beautiful, pigmented eye looks though.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

I really have a soft spot for these shadows. They’re fairly inexpensive and they’re great quality. I definitely want to collect as many different shades as I can!

Review: Vaseline Intensive Care Spray Moisturiser

Hey guys!

Today’s review is of the Vaseline Intensive Care Spray Moisturiser. I’m actually on my second bottle of this. I have the Cocoa Glow one. I both of mine from Priceline on sale for about $6AUD, which I think was half price.

THE POSITIVES:

It’s got a really nice scent to it. Also it really does absorb quickly. Not as quickly as the ads suggest, but it’s still pretty quickly. It has a nice cooling feeling on the skin when you initially spray it on, which feels awesome, especially in the morning. It feels like it helps wake the body up a little. You don’t need heaps of this to do the job. One line of spray down each of my limbs usually does the trick. It definitely isn’t greasy either, which is great, because there’s nothing worse when moisturising to finish only to feel like you’ve had an oil bath with C-3PO.

THE NEGATIVES:

Even though you don’t need to use a lot, it does run out quite quickly because you only get 190g in the bottle. I found with my first bottle that as is got older the product built up behind the spray hole and instead of spraying out in one nice stream it sprayed out everywhere. I end up spraying it into my hands and applying it like normal moisturiser.

For something that calls itself ‘Intensive Care’, it’s really not all that moisturising (on me at least). I’ve had really dry skin this winter and this really just didn’t cut it. I’ve tried the aloe one of this brand in the bottle and I find it more moisturising, which is weird to me, because I figured that they would all be basically the same formula.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

While I do like this, I don’t like it as much as I did when I first purchased it. Obviously I originally liked it enough to repurchase, but my second bottle has made me change my mind. I don’t think I’ll be getting this again. I might try the one in the pump bottle next time. The one in the bottle has more product for about the same price, which is definitely more appealing.

Are there any body moisturiser you’ve tried and loved? Let me know in the comments :)

August Favourites: E.L.F, Benefit, The Balm & more!

Hey guys!

My August Favourites video is now up on YouTube, so pop on over and check it out. Please subscribe to my channel too! :)

Products Mentioned:

Inglot eyeshadows
Urban Decay Naked Basics palette
NARS Sheer Glow - Light 1 Siberia
E.L.F. High Definition Undereye Setting Powder
E.L.F. Eye Refresh
Australis Lip & Cheek Combo - Flamingo Skies
Benefit Cha Cha Balm
Benefit Gimme Brow -  Medium/Deep
Essence Brow Powder Duo
Bare Minerals Concealer - Light 1
The Balm Cindy-Lou Manizer

Review: Garnier Gentle Cleansing Milk

Hey guys!

Today’s review is of the Garnier Gentle Cleansing Milk. I got this on sale from Priceline a couple of weeks ago for around $6AUD. I think it might have been half price.

THE POSITIVES:

I’ve used this pretty much every day since I bought it and it really does a great job of taking my makeup completely off. I’ve found that the way to get the best result with the least amount of product is to actually rub it all over my face and then wash it off with warm water. I find that if I use makeup remover pads, like the bottle says to, I end up using more product. It also has a really pretty scent, but it doesn’t irritate my skin, which is great. It’s really good at getting waterproof stuff off, like my mascara or Gimme Brow.

THE NEGATIVES:

While it doesn’t irritate my eyes as much as other stuff I’ve tried, it does cause a minor sensation around my eyes. Also, for a milk cleanser I don’t find it to be as moisturising as the bottle would lead you to believe. My skin isn’t any drier, but it’s definitely not softer from using this. While I eventually did find a good way of using this, I don’t think they should be suggesting to use makeup remover pads. The formula is just way too thick and you end up using more pads and product trying to get your makeup off, especially if you have a full face of makeup.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

This is definitely a nice product and the price point is pretty good, but it just hasn’t wowed me. Would I repurchase it? Probably not. At least not straight away. I think I’d prefer to look at other products before I came back around to this one. I just think that for something designed to go on eyes and face, my eyes shouldn’t experience any discomfort at all.

Are there any makeup removers that you’ve tried and would recommend? Let me know in the comments :)

Tutorial: Everyday Makeup Routine

Watch in HD!

Hey guys!

My new video is finally up. It's probably not the best, but I think it's okay for my first video tutorial. Please subscribe to my channel and like my page on Facebook! The links for both are down the side. :)

Products used:

E.L.F. Eyelid Primer

Maybelline Colour Tattoo – Barely Branded

M.A.C. Strobe Cream

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick – 0 Porcelain

NARS Sheer Glow – Light 1 Siberia

Bare Minerals Concealer – Light 1

E.L.F. HD Under Eye Setting Powder

Elizabeth Arden Cemamide Loose Setting Powder – 01 Translucent

TheBalm Cindy-Lou Manizer

TheBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

Essence Brow Powder Duo

Benefit Gimme Brow – Medium/Deep

Australis Lip & Cheek Combo – Flamingo Skies

NYX Butter Gloss – Crème Brulee

Review: Benefit They're Real Mascara

Hey guys!

Today’s review is of the They’re Real Mascara from Benefit. I was given a sample of this from a girl at the counter a week or so ago, so I don't have any pictures of this one. I had also tried it a while before as well. The full size of this product is $38AUD from Myer.

THE POSITIVES:

The volume and length that this mascara gives is amazing. It’s quite a wet formula, so it allows for a fair amount of product to be applied. It definitely isn’t all that clumpy and does make it look like your lashes but better.

THE NEGATIVES:

I really don’t like the wand that comes with this mascara. I’m clumsy when it comes to putting mascara on myself and if a wand is too big I tend to get it everywhere. This is what happens when I try to use the They’re Real wand. It’s quite a thick barrel and instead of tapering off it comes to a ball shape at the end. I’ve taken to using a disposable wand instead. Also, because of the wetness of the formula, I find that it is very hard to get a thin layer of this on my lashes. I’m lucky to have quite long dark lashes, so I don’t generally use a lot of mascara. I prefer just a tine thin layer, focussed on the outer corner. This mascara doesn’t really allow for that.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Do I think this is a good mascara? Yes, most definitely. Is it dark, very volumising and very lengthening without looking clumpy. Would I purchase the full size version? No. As nice a mascara as this is, I really can’t justify $38 for a mascara when I wouldn’t even use the wand it comes with. Also, I don’t love it anywhere near as much as my Maybelline Mega Plush mascara. I get the finish I want every time with that mascara, without a struggle, and I love the wand it comes with.

Overall, this mascara isn’t a complete miss. I’ll definitely use up the sample, I just won’t be buying the full size. I can see this being an awesome mascara for someone who has very light or sparse lashes and loves a wetter formula.

Review: Chi Chi Nudes Palette

Hey guys!

I came across this palette in a search for a kind of dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palette, which is really hard and expensive to get your hands on in Australia. Now, I don’t have the Naked palette (yet), so I can’t say how good a dupe this is, but I have fallen in love with this palette in its own right.

This palette is a very brown based one, with a couple of matte shades and a range of shimmery/satin finish shades.

THE POSITIVES:

The palette has absolutely beautiful shades. There are twelve to choose from and they’re a good range of neutral shades. I love that you can achieve many different looks with just this palette. The texture of the shadows is amazing as well. They’re all so buttery and creamy feeling. They’re incredibly pigmented and while there is a little fallout, it’s not excessive and chalky like some shadows can be.

I like that the lid to the palette is clear, so you can see the shades without opening it. Despite being made of plastic, it does feel quite sturdy too.

THE NEGATIVES:

There are only 2 matte shades in the whole palette, which is disappointing. Matte shades are my favourite. It’s a little annoying that there isn’t a matte highlighting shade, because that would really help with all the shimmery looks you can achieve with the palette.

 

Even though the packaging does feel sturdy and I like the clear top, overall it does feel kind of cheap, and I know it was, but they don’t even have names for their shades. I didn’t like that it came with those little sponge applicator things, I would have much preferred a brush, or nothing at all. It feels like such a waste because I always end up chucking out the spongy things without even using them.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

I really do love this palette. It was my go-to until I got my UD Naked Basics palette. I still love to mix the shimmery shades of this palette with my Naked Basics palette to create even more neutral looks. I can totally forgive the packaging and not having enough matte shades because this palette was cheap and the quality of the shadows is outstanding. I really need to go out and get basically all of the other palettes that are in this line. Don’t be fooled by the cheaper packaging of these palettes, try them out and discover for yourself how beautiful the shadows are to work with!

Have you tried any of the Chi Chi palettes? If so, which ones and which one do you think I should try next?

Haul Video: Drugstore & Highend!

Hey everyone!

My second video is finally uploaded! I'll have a list of the products mentioned below. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel! :)

Products Mentioned:

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

KUU Konjac Sponge

Garnier Gentle Cleansing Milk

M.A.C. Pro Palette - Single

LimeLily Eyeshadows in Goldmine, Calico, Liberty & Aquatic

Inglot Eyeshadows in 131 & 116R

Essence Liquid Ink Waterproof Eyeliner in Black

E.L.F. Zit Zapper

E.L.F. Healthy Glow Bronzer in Sun Kissed

E.L.F. Eye Reresh

E.L.F. All Over Stick in Golden Peach

E.L.F. Eyelid Primer in Sheer

E.L.F. Matte Lip Colour in Rich Red

E.L.F. Small Stipple Brush

Random Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

Hey guys!

Okay, so I was feeling a little uninspired by the beauty review I had started writing for today’s post, so I decided to do another random review similar to my Sailor Moon one a few weeks ago. This one is going to be of Guardians of the Galaxy, which I saw last night. It’s going to be really quick, so don’t blink or you might miss it!

I loved it! I’m a bit of a nerd at heart and I love all the superhero movies. Honestly I am more of a DC girl than Marvel, but this movie almost swayed me to the other side! It had so many funny parts and hilarious one liners, not to mention all the awesome space action… it was just great!

At first the CGI felt a little forced, but you quickly get over it because the movie is just action pretty much from the word go.

Oh! And the soundtrack! It is brilliant! They play all these classics from the 70’s and it kind of makes your want to get up and do a little dance.

I definitely recommend heading out to see this one guys, it’s just a fun movie to go and lose yourself in for a couple of hours. 

Review: Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

Hey guys!

Just a quick one today. I am so happy to be able to do this review! I finally have the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. I know I’m a bit slow on this one, but Urban Decay is really difficult and expensive to find in Australia. I was really happy to find it for $25 on eBay.

So I got it in the mail last week and tried it out immediately. There are six neutral shades in the palette. Five matte shades and a shimmery one.

THE POSITIVES:

The fact that most of the shades are matte is a big bonus for me. For me there’s nothing better than a good matte eyeshadow, especially when it’s a neutral toned one. There’s a good balance of lighter and darker shades, and they’re all buttery and creamy and highly pigmented. The absolute best part of these shadows is the fact that they don’t crease on me. I’ve never had a shadow not crease on me without the use of a primer or base. To be honest, half the time I get creases even with primers and bases. I wore these shadows for an entire day without any primer the first time I tried them and I didn’t get any creasing. It’s makeup miracle!

The packing is really nice too. It’s nice and sturdy and compact which will make it good for travel. It has a decent sized mirror in it that gives you a good view of your eye while you’re apply the shadows.

THE NEGATIVES:

There aren’t a lot of negatives on this one. At least none that I’ve found yet. Obviously a big negative is the difficulty in getting UD in Australia. It would be awesome if somewhere like Mecca Cosmetica stocked it. When it comes to two of the lighter shades, I’ve found that they are quite similar looking on the eye, even though in the tray and swatch on the arm one is clearly more yellow and the other more peachy. The shades are Foxy and Walk of Shame (W.O.S). Foxy does show up a smidge lighter than W.O.S., so it’s not a huge deal, but I was having trouble finding negatives, and I decided to get a little nit-picky.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

I love, love, love this palette. It is on its way to being a favourite. I love the colours, the pigmentation, the texture and as I said before, the fact that they haven’t creased on me yet. I’m so happy I finally got this palette and it makes me want more UD stuff. If you haven’t already tried out this palette (and I know a lot of you have!) I can definitely recommend this one, it’s my new love! 

NARS Sheer Glow Review & Demo (first YT video!)

Hey guys!

My very first video is finally finished and uploaded to YouTube! I hope you guys enjoy it and stay tuned for more! I've finally worked out a schedule to regulate when I post and in what form. To start off with I'll be posting written stuff on Mondays and Wednesdays and then Fridays will be video posts. If you guys have any suggestions for things you'd like to see, written or video, just leave me a comment! Please subscribe to my YT channel (Cassie Louise) and head on over to Facebook and give my page a like! 

July Favourites: L'Oreal, Revlon, ELF, Bobbi Brown and more!

Hey everyone!

I was really hoping that this post was going to be my first video but alas, it was not meant to be. I have a few favourites to share with you all and I’m really excited to have my first favourites post up! I guess I may as well just jump straight in!

L’OREAL LUMI MAGIQUE FOUNDATION IN PURE PEARL:

I’ve done an actual review on this foundation, which can be found on my Beauty Reviews page, but let me just say again how much I love this foundation. If it weren’t for the fact that the colour match is a little too dark, this would probably be my holy grail foundation. Apart from the colour match, I love everything about this foundation. It’s beautiful and light feeling on the skin. It gives good light to medium coverage. It doesn’t have an offensive smell. It lasts pretty well on me (on oilier skin it might not though). It blends easily. A little goes a pretty long way, and best of all the price point as far as Aussie pricing goes is on the lower end of the spectrum at around $33. This is a great illuminating foundation, and I really just love it!

BOBBI BROWN SKIN FOUNDATION STICK IN PORECLAIN:

Now, I know I did give Bobbi a glowing review like I did with the Lumi, but after I posted the review I decided to give it another go. What I found was that the dry, patchiness I was getting before wasn’t happening anymore. I chalked it up to my new range of skincare and the extra hydrating it is giving my skin. It’s still not my favourite foundation, but I have been really enjoying it this month. I know I definitely like it a lot better than my NARS cream foundation, which only wins in the colour match department because Siberia is the perfect skin tone match for me. I discovered the other day that I can get my NARS to look almost as good as my Bobbi if I let it sit on my skin for a few minutes before moving on to the rest of my base, whereas my Bobbi looks awesome straight off the bat. I don’t have to wait for it to set before moving on with my routine. In the battle of cream foundations NARS vs Bobbi, Bobbi is the clear winner.

ELF EYELID PRIMER:

ELF is fairly new to me. I’ve been wanting to try them for ages, but from what I’ve seen K-Mart has only just started stocking them (or at least the one near my house). One of the first things I bought was the eyelid primer. I got this because I needed a new one and I had forgotten to get one for the day that I had planned to do makeup on some models/willing victims, so on the mad dash to the makeup day I stopped in at K-Mart and wouldn’t you know, right there in front of my was the ELF stand, offering up its $3 eyelid primer. I used it on all the girls and was really happy to see my makeup creations lasting all day. Since then I have got one for myself and have used it nearly every day. I’m really impressed. I have a really hard time stopping creasing, and this $3 little miracle really seems to do the trick.

REVLON JUST BITTEN KISSABLE BALM STAIN IN RENDEZVOUS:

I only have two shades of the balm stains, but Rendezvous is my favourite. I love how you can get a subtle hint of orange, or build it up for a more intense colour. I find the longevity fairly good. At first it did bother me that it wasn’t all that moisturising, but now I just treat it like a really sheer lipstick, meaning I simply use a lip balm/butter to moisturise first. There’s not a lot to say about these balm stains except that I love the ones I have and I can’t wait to try more shades and finishes.

SUKIN SKINCARE:

I have the Sensitive Skin Cleansing Lotion, Hydrating Mist Toner and Moisture Restoring Night Cream and I love them all. Each product does the exact job I expected them to do and my skin is in such great shape from them. The cleanser is nice and calming, but I feel like I get a good clean from it too. The toner is so easy to use. I usually just spray a bit on my hands and pat it in, but you can also spray it directly on your face and just let it absorb. I’ve used it both ways and it works just the same. The night cream is a god-send. My skin was so dry and red and irritated. This cream has helped it to get to a point where I don’t feel patchy or itchy. My skin is smooth and feels plumper. I love this line and I can’t wait to try more from Sukin. Oh, and I forgot to mention one of the best parts! It’s so cheap. My cleanser and toner were only $10 each and the night cream, which will last for ages only cost $20! How awesome is that!

THE BALM MARY-LOU MANIZER:

I have never been a huge fan of shimmery highlights. I just hate the feeling of chunks of glitter sprawled across my face. The Mary-Lou Manizer was something I always figured I wouldn’t like for that reason. When I finally went in to the store and swatched it, I was amazed. It’s shimmery in a very subtle way. It gives more glow and sheen than outright glittery texture. I’ve used this nearly every day since I bought it about 2 months ago, and I love it. It’s so pigmented that you only need a light dusting. I can see this lasting for ages and ages, because I’ve barely made a dent in mine.

KUU KONJAC SPONGE:

Ahh my beautiful Konjac sponge. My most prized possession (in my bathroom)! This sponge coupled with my Sukin cleanser is pure heaven after removing my makeup. It gets rid of the excess makeup, plus all the other yucky stuff I imagine my face accumulates during the day. Its so easy to use, and it works great with or without cleanser, so on days where I haven’t worn makeup I can just use the sponge alone and still get a great clean. I can’t say enough great things about these konjac sponges. They’re just amazing!

So that’s it! I really hope you enjoyed my July favourites. Next month I will really try to make it a video, which might make it a bit more interesting. I would love for this blog to be a healthy mix of written and videoed posts, just to keep it interesting and flex my creative muscles :) 

Just a quick message...

Hey guys! 

I know I haven't been posting much lately. I've had a bit of a cold, but I am working on some new stuff. I'm trying to get my first video done, as well as working on a couple new reviews and stuff. I promise to have something up this week! :)

Review: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains

Hey guys!

I’m sitting here with a cold, watching Star Wars for the billionth time, so I thought I might as well get a quick review up.

I bought my first Kissable Balm Stain a while back. As of now I still only have 2, but I’m definitely keen to try more shades, and branch out into the Lacquer and Matte ranges as well. I have Charm and Rendezvous, which are both orange based shades (my favourite!)

THE POSITIVES:

The shade range on these products is awesome. I also love that you have different finishes to choose from. There are the balm stains, which I have, the matte shades and the lacquer ones. With the ones I have, the pigmentation is really good for something that’s called a balm. I have pretty pigmented lips, so Charm does have a little trouble showing up because it’s such a light shade, but Rendezvous is great. It’s a deeper orange and gives great colour payoff on the lips.

THE NEGATIVES:

I’ve only tried the balm stains, but I can say the ones I have aren’t very moisturising. I’ve been getting really dry lips this winter and I really have to moisturise them before I put these on. I was hoping that something with the word balm in it would have been just a little moisturising, but instead they can be somewhat drying, especially on really cold days.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

So this was a really quick one. Even though they can be drying on my lips, I definitely will purchase more of these. I really love the colour payoff. They’re great for days when you want colour without having to use an actual lipstick (which is most days for me). The colour range is awesome, and I love the fact that you have different finishes to choose from. I definitely recommend giving these a try if you can.

Review: Sukin Skincare Range

On my hunt for a new skincare routine after being somewhat unimpressed by Clinique I went through a few brands like Chanel (disaster), Aesop (not a fan) and Dermalogica (okay, but kind of pricey). While perusing the sales at my local Priceline one afternoon I came across Sukin. I didn’t buy anything straight away, but I went home and researched the brand.

Sukin are an Australian brand that makes natural skincare products. They stay away from harsh chemicals. They’re paraben and mineral oil free, etc. Basically they’re naturally good for your skin. After reading about them I was sold, especially after seeing the low price tags. I bought the Sensitive Skin Cleansing Lotion ($9.95AUD), the Hydrating Mist Toner ($9.95AUD) and the Moisture Restoring Night Cream ($19.95AUD). I’m yet to get a day cream from them, but as soon as I finish my Trilogy Very Gentle Moisturiser I’ll be all over the Sukin day cream.

SENSITIVE SKIN CLEANSING LOTION:

This cleanser is so gentle. I was a little worried that it was going to be too similar to the Clinique one I had just finished, because it was less than great, but I was wrong. Its natural ingredients make the consistency far more smooth and creamy than the Clinique. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now and I have noticed a change in my skin, unlike the Clinique. My skin seems smoother, more radiant and with the help of my KUU Konjac Sponge, my pores seem so much clearer. Even though the bottle is a bit smaller than the Clinique, I use about a third of the amount in comparison.

 

HYDRATING MIST TONER:

The mist toner is perfect for someone like me, who can stand that tiny bit of extra effort putting toner on a makeup remover pad and rubbing it across my face. With this toner I just spray it on and I’m good to go. It’s so hydrating as well. I love how refreshing it feels, especially under my moisturiser.

MOISTURE RESTORING NIGHT CREAM:

I love this! It’s probably my favourite of the three products I have so far. It’s so creamy, and yet it absorbs so quickly. It’s so moisturising, and it feels really calming, even though it’s not advertised as being a calming formula. I can’t say enough good things about this night cream. I can only hope that the day creams are as good!

THE BOTTOM LINE:

These may just be the best skincare products I’ve ever used. I love the way my skin feels now. Before using them it felt dry, irritated, and just plain old dull. Now it’s smooth and has more life to it. My redness is still being kept at bay, but I still have a normal, healthy flush to my cheeks. I’m loving how my makeup has been sitting and lasting on my skin since using this, in comparison to the other products I’ve been trying out. All-in-all this range is excellent. The price tags are pretty awesome too, as well as the fact that they are an Aussie brand. I definitely recommend checking out the line to see if they have something that might suit your skin type!

Review: Estee Lauder Pure Colour Portfolio Makeup Palette

Hey guys!

I got this palette from my beautiful family for Christmas and I am finally getting around to writing this review. I love this palette. It’s got a massive variety of shades and I love that (apart from foundation etc,) you can create so many entire looks from just this one product. 

The palette comes with 30 eyeshadows, 15 lipsticks, 3 blushes, 1 bronzer, a dual ended eyeliner pencil, 2 lip glosses and 4 little brushes/sponge applicators. Suffice to say, it’s pretty jam packed full of Estee Lauder-y goodness!

THE POSITIVES:

The range and pigmentation of the eyeshadows is amazing! There are greens, purples, blues, neutrals…. Just everything! There’s also matte, shimmery and satin finishes. It’s just awesome. It makes me want to go out and buy tons of Estee Lauder eyeshadows (I won’t because I live in Australia and that crap is EXPENSIVE!). The set comes with a little leaflet that gives you breakdowns of two different looks you could try, but there’s a plethora of ideas that you could come up with. The eyeshadows can also be used wet or dry, which is awesome because then it gives you the option of creating a pigmented coloured eyeliner.

Next onto the blushes and bronzer. Let’s start with the bronzer. It’s the Bronze Goddess in Medium. I had been wanting to try out this bronzer for ages, and I was so happy when I discovered it in the palette. I don’t always wear bronzer, but this is the perfect shade for when I do. It is so smooth and pigmented. Despite its wonderful pigmentation, it is easy to sheer out which works out well for my fair skin. Now for the blushes. I love them all. My favourite is definitely Peach Passion, which as its name implies, is a beautiful peachy toned blush. All of the blushes, like the bronzer, are highly pigmented but able to be sheered out.

I really like the dual ended eyeliner too. They’re really smooth and easy to apply.

THE NEGATIVES:

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of the lipsticks. I mean, they’re nice, but I don’t find them to be anything special. I wonder if the actual lipsticks are better, but I only have these to go on. I don’t find them to be super long wearing or incredibly pigmented. I usually have to build them up a little to get good colour, but then I start to feel like my lips are wearing a mask.

Like with the lipsticks, I don’t find the lip glosses to be anything special. They’re nice, but… meh. They’re a little on the sticky side, which I don’t like. Although, they do have pretty good pigmentation.

I’m not going to talk about the little brushes, etc. because they’re just generic, but it’s nice to have them there in a pinch.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

This was an amazing Christmas present. I get so much use out of it. I used it in my first tutorial here, and it’ll be used in the next one I have lined up. I use it when I’m going out and when I travel it’s usually the only palette I take… oops I lied, I also take my Chi Chi Nudes palette which is also awesome. But, when I travel I don’t take any blushes or bronzers outside of the ones in the palette. Apart from my Chi Chi Nudes palette which is just eyeshadows, this is my favourite palette. It’s so versatile and full of great shades and pure awesomeness. It was limited edition, but if and when Estee Lauder ever brings out something similar with the Pure Colour range, snap that baby up! You won’t be sorry!