Chanel Eyeshadow Quads : Murano & Enigma

In my recent  Strawberrynet haul I had got 2 Chanel eyeshadows quads
Below are the pics of the 2 quads.

• Chanel Murano

          

L to R : 
  Row 2, Column 1
  Row 1, Column 2
  Row 1, Column 1
  Row 2, Column 2

I also managed to do a look with all eyeshadows from this quad only.

• Chanel Enigma

L to R : 
  Row 1, Column 1
  Row 1, Column 2
  Row 2, Column 1
  Row 2, Column 2

 The eye shadows are intensely pigmented and very smooth. The colors are easy to blend and can be built up to desire.
 I would definitely recommend Enigma to anyone who is lover of smokey eye. Its a no brainer quad for smokey eye.


I loved them so much that I am sure that there are more Chanel quads to come.... 

Tale of Two Oils

Let me tell you a small tale of 2 oils.

Few weeks ago, Mr. M was grinding soup in the mixer when the lid flew open and soup splattered all over the kitchen and him. Soup was right off the stove so it was burning hot and it was all over his face. Fearing serious burns we washed his face with cold water but my first aid box didn't have any burn ointment.

I quickly ran through my skincare inventory and the first thing I used was Calamine lotion to cool down the heat in the burns. This actually helped cool the burns but we did visit the doctor next day who prescribed burn ointment for 5 days.
Ointment healed the burn but there were real bad scars all over his face.

I again turned to my skincare repertoire for healing the scars. It was hard but I finally managed to convinced Mr. M to use

• Bio Oil ( for AM)
• Akin Rosehip Oil ( for PM)

We continued this regime for 6 weeks diligently and now all that is left of the scar is a very faint shadow. In fact Mr. M commented that the scars have considerably reduced and he has observed added benefits

• Smooth skin
• No breakouts (he has super oily skin)
• Glowing complexion

Mr. M is rarely impressed by anything, but when he commented on the positive changes, I silently thanked the 2 oils and applauded myself for having them.
I think, he is loving it so much that he might not his back on this regime.

I apologize for lack of photographic evidence, but Mr. M was not very cooperative with idea of photoshoots ( husbands !!!)

Urban Decay : Naked Palette

Okay..after lot of thinking and reading other blogs, I finally caved in and ordered the much talked about Urban Decay Naked Palette from BeautyBay 3 weeks ago. And since the day it was dispatched(10th May) I would check my post everyday in hope to find it waiting for me. So my joys knew no bounds when I found "Sorry, we missed you note" from Australia Post on 25th May.

The treat I had been waiting for so long has finally arrived.

I confess that when I opened the palette, I went 'Meh' with the colors..I had eyeshadows all over my collection which were common to my the ones in Naked.

But,boy, I was in for surprise when I swatched it. Its almost butter smooth and with awesome pigmentation.
The swatches below are taken without any primer. Also they last over 10 hours without any creasing with UDPP as the base.

L to R :

•          Virgin : I couldn't think of an appropriate description :-(

•          Sin : Highlight shade with hint of pink

•          Naked : Matte light brown, perfect for blending

•          Sidecar : Frosty brown shade

 L to R : 

•          Buck : Matte medium brown

•          Half Baked : Copper color with hint of gold

•          Smog : Medium copper brown

•          Darkhorse : Dark chocolate brown

L to R :

•          Toasted : Metallic Copper with hint of rose

•          Hustle : Brown color with strong plum hints

•          Creep :(what a name for e/shadow) its a shimmery black

•          Gun Metal : Shimmery silver with shades of blue

I know most blogs have already reviewed this in detail but I just want to add that this palette is all a neutral lover needs to have.

The only thing which I didn't like...the velvet packaging..but I guess thats just me

Face Of Australia :Liquid Eyeliner

What does one expect from a liquid eyeliner ?

• Color payoff
• Ease to apply
• Easy to clean
• Dries quickly

Have I found an eyeliner which ticks all 4 ? No, till I used Face Of Australia (FOA) liquid eyeliner in brown.

In addition to above, I have been able to achieve the perfect line without smudging and getting any eyeliner on my lashes. I was even able to get a nice flicked look. Now, this is amazing considering the fact that I have never ever got a perfect line without making multiple attempts, frustration and promising to stick to pencil liner.

But with FOA liner, I have managed to get perfect flicked eyeliner look each time I tried. In fact I am so confident now that I wear it quite often and even to events and parties.

I think what does the trick is the brush, which is firm enough to get the perfect line and still bends just enough to take the shape of eye.

I am loving this so much that I might buy other colors from the range.
It retails at $8.95AUD and can be bought from Priceline, KMart,Big W and Selected Pharmacies

Disclaimer : Product was provided for consideration but the views are entirely my experience

Can a Brand rise while prices drop ??

And the answer is an emphatic Yes !!!. Kiehl's has proved it

Last week, few of us lucky bloggers were invited to Kiehl's Blogger's exclusive event held at Myer,Bourke Street.It is here we were told that Kiehl's was reducing price across their range including their cult products Creme de Corps range of body lotions, Ultra Facial skin care products.
It was like music to ears, cause I absolutely adore there Avocado eye cream which earlier used to retail at $65 AUD is now only $39 AUD..Isn't it great !!

To put the price drop in perspective,Ultra Facial Cream 125ml used to retail at $105AUD is only $64AUD which is a 40% drop !!!

Kiehl's has a history of a brand that gives back to the community and with this price drop they have again proved that they indeed give back to their customers.
Now I can stock up on my Avocado eye cream without envying my US cousins.
This price drop is effective 9th May

It was fun filled and very well organized event.We had our skin analysis done and 3 products were given for trial . The bloggers got a chance to mingle, play with various products and discuss our concerns with Kiehl's

 

Kiehl's has proved that they are growing even though the prices are shrinking. Yes , my fellow Aussie this is true, finally a brand has decided to help the consumers

Many other brands need to take cue from this great initiative and start giving back to community

Lilac Eyes

I had done this lilac/plum look on one of the weekend. I have tried to break down the steps using pictures although I am not sure how helpful it is.

Apply the plum/lilac color eyeshadow all over the eyelid. I have used MAC Noir Plum from the Peacocky Collection

Apply a matte brown eyeshadow in outer crease. This can be intensified depending what you are after

 Then apply black eyeliner on upper lashline. I have used Bobbi Brown Gel liner in Black

Now as apply any black Kajal on the waterline and lower lash line. Then smudge it only at outer corners using the lilac/plum eyeshadow.I have used Stila Kajal.

And as final step, 2 coats of mascara

Please let me know in comments what you think of this

StrawberryNet Haul

Last month I had gone on self imposed spending ban, which was very hard to follow. I am not sure if I can try going on another one soon.

Just as the month was ending, I got an email from StrawberryNet that they were missing me and offering 20% discount on entire range. Now, who could resist such an offer specially since I had been holding off the shopping for so long. I was having hard time with shopping cart when  Anissa gave me a valuable suggestion - start with a cart full of everything I fancy and then start eliminating things which I didn't need. Believe me this really helps. Try it next time you are doing online shopping.

I ordered following

• Chanel - Les 4 Ombres Eye M/U - No. 19 Enigma

• Chanel - Les 4 Ombres Eye Makeup - No. 16 Murano

• Laura Mercier - Lip Colour - Rose ( Creme )

• Lancome - Blush Subtil - No. 02 Rose Sable

• H2O+ - Raspberry Guava Moisturizing Body Balm

• H2O+ - Milk Hand & Nail Cream 

And a Pretty Fashion Makeup Kit was a gift with the order.

I had also gone for Express Posting and the total cost was $163.54 which included the express postage of  $9.26. There was considerable saving since a Chanel Quad retails at $98AUD.

I placed the order on 30 April and the package was delivered by morning of 6th May. Now, the package required signature on delivery so if you plan to use express post, please provide a delivery address where you would be available during day.

The package arrived all nicely bubble wrapped with all care taken since it had some powder and liquid products

A small note on their customer service. I was impressed by their responsiveness to my queries and the clarity of answers. This is what we need when doing online shopping.

So,all in all I am happy customer and will definitely go back for more.

Illamasqua Toxic Nature Collection Nail Paints

Okay..okay I know I am very late doing this post...but knowing the procrastinator I am this is no surprise.

Illamasqua released 5 nail paints as part of their Toxic Nature Collection and I bought 2 of those - Bacterium and Stagnate

Bacterium

Its a metallic gold with a hint of green/khaki coming through. I didn't have anything of this kind already in my collection

I have taken the pictures in different lights just to capture the different shades it has to offer.

What I liked most about this is that it applies streak free..,.yes you heard it right no streaks...

Stagnate

I fell in love with this color as soon as I swatched it at Myer. It was exactly what I love in my nail paint. Cream formula, easy to apply, dries quickly and the color was nice warm mauve. Perfect for cooler months.

The lightning has changed  in second picture so its the same color just looking different in different light.

Blue Eyeliners

I have got quite few non-black eyeliner. So, I decided to do a series of posts on them.

This post on blue eyeliner is the first in this series










From L to R : Revlon Luxurious Color - Electric Blue
Clarins Ultramarine
Maybeline Eyestudio

Now for how they look on eye. I have done swatch both on upper lashline and waterline. The reason being they might look different.


Revlon Luxurious Color - Electric Blue



As you can see its quite cool against my warm skin tone and almost frosty.

Clarins Ultramarine




I just love this eyeliner. Its very creamy , easy to apply and adds very nice pop 0f color

Maybeline Eyestudio



I got this eyeliner on complete fancy and I am glad I did. It creamy and really brings out the white in my eyes.
The only downside is that they smudge :-(

So, what blue eyeliners do you have ? Any favourites ?

MAC Shopping Experience

I generally don't do haul posts right after shopping..its always a delayed process when I can take nice pictures of products.
But, today is an exception because of the great customer service I experienced at MAC,Chadstone.

Generally, I have observed that MAC SAs behave very uptight and make you feel that they are doing us a favor by selling us makeup. But, today I was taken by surprise by awesome service provided by Karissa.

Few things which were remarkable about her service

• She was honest in her opinions, if it wasn't looking good she was upfront about it
• She wasn't pushy and trying to make me buy makeup ( as if I need pushing for it )
• She gave me space to feel comfortable & not breathing down my neck to make a decision
• She applied eye shadows to see the look unlike other SAs at same counter
• She was very helpful with her suggestions and opinions

So, thanks Karissa, I enjoyed the experience and will definitely come back for more.

Now, to what I bought - Silver Ring eye shadow,Powersurge eye kohl

Sweetheart, It's not you ..Its me

No..I haven't broken up with anyone.

I say this to Illamasqua Box lipstick each time I swatch it. God, how I love the color,the pigmentation, the texture...but for life of me I can't pull of red lips.

The trouble is just my lips with Box looks so amazing, I can't get enough of it..but the minute I see the whole face my heart drops...I don't know what but somehow I don't look good in it.

I keep trying this lip color in hope that some day, I might pull it off..Sadly it hasn't come till now.

Don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful pigmented red and must have for anyone who wears red lips.







Disclaimer : Product provided for consideration

NOTD : Nicole By OPI

Doesn't it feel great when you finally get the color you have been looking for so long.
I always wanted a bronze/rust color nailpaint and in attempt to get the perfect color I have accumulated quite a few of them.

And all of them have the same problems either they streak or the color makes my hands look old and tired...unlike the polished look I am after.

Few days ago, I had gone to Chemist to pick some necessary supplies when I notice this bronzey rusty nail paint by Nicole By OPI .
I immediately decided to buy it but I was fearing that it would be like many others..hope of falling in love but not even a relation formed.

Anyways I bought it ...and my my...I was in for a pleasant surprise...It was what I was after.






What I like about it :

-> Color. Perfect mix of bronze and rust with nice undertone of red
-> Formula. It applies like a dream , not a single streak
-> Dries amazingly fast with no smudge marks. This is essential for someone who wants to change her nail paint everyday.
-> Wear. There was no chipping after 4 days of wear.


What I didn't like about it:

-> Nothing

Girls/Ladies...please try this brand...I know I am going to get more from this range.

Disclaimer : I am not affliated to this brand.I just fell in love and wanted to share with everyone.