Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer {Review and Swatches}

Hi Dolls,

I hope you had a stunning weekend and happy belated mothers day to everyone!  Whether you're a human mommy, furr-mommy, still waiting for yours or have lost a precious bundle - hope you were spoiled and that someone told you that you're a wonderful and special women!

Revlon Ultra HD Lip Lacquer

If you're looking for a bright lippie, that's a mixture between a gloss (non-sticky) and a lipstick - these beauties will be perfect for you.

This HD lip lacquer is a wax-free gel technology, true to colour with high-impact shine and a bouncy, lightweight feel.  The applicator has a brush wand.

As you can see, both of these colours have shimmery pigments in them, but it doesn't transfer as glitter on your lips, instead it just creates a lovely glossy sheen.  And trust me when I say, the colours are super pigmented and so bright - so a little goes a long way.  It dries to a glossy sheen, in terms of lasting quality, I'd say you'll get a few hours of wear eating and drinking.

If you're like me that's a bit apprehensive to wear super bright colours, I lightly dab my finger on the brush and then tap it onto my lips, then to tone it down further I'll use a nude lipstick in the centre of my bottom and top lip and then I'll lightly blend it in.  It creates a very soft ombre lip but nothing extreme, it just looks pretty and wearable.

Both of these colours are so pretty and Strawberry Topaz is the perfect red cherry lip for winter!

*  Sponsored Product *

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Firm Favourite: MAC Fix+

Hi Dolls,

I hope you're doing well?

We went on a family vacay last week down to KZN, and it was so lovely!  You would never think they're having fall weather over there, it feels like middle of summer for me, and everybody dresses so casual - the vibe down there is just awesome and I miss it already!

Anyway, this is another product that I've been using for years.  It's absolutely a firm favourite with me that I've repurchased constantly.

MAC Prep & Prime Fix+ - R235.00 / 100ml

I've read that this makes some people breakout, I have sensitive skin that is prone to acne breakouts and I've never had any, but I suppose it differs for everyone.  On top of that I do have combination skin (that is drier in winter times), with an oily t-zone, and I don't find that this makes me more oily than when I don't use it (it will give you a glow after your sprayed it on but it's not oily).  I just had to address some concerns first because I know that these are common problems that a lot of women seem to have.

You may think that this is a product for setting makeup, which it is, but there are tons more uses!

I use this as a primer, especially during times when my skin feels very dry, I literally soak my skin in this before applying makeup as it leaves it feeling very hydrated and takes away that stiff feeling your skin may have.  Sometimes I'll apply this after a primer or I'll just use it alone as a primer.  Not only will it give you added moisture this way, but if you're looking for a way to lock in your makeup from morning to night (no budging) give it a try.

Also, instead of wetting your beauty blender, to get a fuller coverage and lock your foundation in to stay all day in place, just spritz fix+ on your beauty blender, and I also use this method for my under eye concealer (which is MAC Pro Longwear concealer), as I feel it helps lock the concealer into the fine lines and helps to minimize under eye creasing.

And then obviously the way that most people use it is after all of my makeup has been done, do 2 - 3 spritzes all over.  Seriously, this stuff literally locks in your makeup as is, I do my makeup around 7am in the morning, and by 8pm at night it still looks the same.  Plus, I have oily skin and it still doesn't budge.

I also like the smell of it, not sure what's in it exactly but it's just a very fresh scent which I enjoy.

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Review and Swatches: The Balm Nude'Tude Eyeshadow Palette

Hi Beauties,

YouTube is both a curse and wonder for me, as I find so many amazing brands that I never knew about, and on the other hand I lust after all these brands that I cannot seem to get my hands on (Too Faced *cough*) lol.

So many people have raved about The Balm, so when Retailbox launched this palette, I had to get my hands on it with the Mary Lou-Manizer.

The Balm Nude'Tude Eyeshadow Palette - RetailBox

Burst Studio Makeup Brushes - Burst Studio  *Sponsored Product*

If you're looking for cool toned eyeshadows, this should be right up your alley.  These are all natural earthy colours, and you'll be able to create so many different looks.  From natural day time to full on glam.

PS - Sorry that I photographed dirty brushes ;) I suppose I wanted to show you that I actually use them haha. But seriously, these are the best makeup brushes and they're right up there with Sigma and MAC, and I used these 4 to create the eye look shown here.

I know it's such a cliche to say that a shadow is buttery soft, what other word describes it best?  And that's exactly what these eyeshadows feel like, my fingers just glide over them.  They're all true to the colour in the pan, but as with most eyeshadows in this category, there is some fallout but not too much - and what I mean is that you'll be able to easily swipe away the little bit that has fallen out without ruining the whole look.

This palette has both shimmery and matte eyeshadows, and I like that some of the darker eyeshadows like Silly has a bit of shimmer in it.  Once applied you don't actually see glitter, it just helps create shadow/depth in a look.  Another way to use darker shadows is to create a smokey liner instead of using a pencil or liquid eyeliner, you just spray a bit of Fix+ or another setting spray on an angled brush, dip it into the darker shade and apply as you would a liner.  This is really an awesome method if you're not into a heavy makeup look, shadows looks more wearable and softer - so give it a try if you haven't.

The white colour called Sassy is by far one of my favourite white shimmery shadows!  I love creating a smokey eye, and this is so stunning on the eyelid, with Selfish in the crease and outer corner and then you go full glam and smoke it out with Serious.  It's a stunning look and I love wearing this on a night out or for date nights.

How cool is the names of all the shadows - and you'll notice they all start with an S.  Awesome indeed.

If you're an eyeshadow hoarder like I am, I would highly recommend this, just because you can create a full eye-look with all of these shadows together, but because they're "basic" shadows you can incorporate them with other eye shadows for different looks.  If you're anything like me I'm sure you feel like you can never have enough lol.  

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The Body Shop Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate {Review}

Hi Dolls,

I hope you're having a fabulous week so far!

Recently I did a review on The Body Shop Bouncy Mask, and this product is part of the Drops of Youth line.

I've been using this eye cream for about 5 weeks, and I love using this in the morning.  What you do is squeeze the tube at the top (you'll see the curve on the last photo), just one squeeze pumps out enough product to use on both eyes.  The applicator is a roller ball, and it's very soothing on tired and puffy eyes.

I distribute the product between my eyes, and then use the roller ball to soothe my eyes for a bit, and then I'll lightly dab the remaining cream into my eyes.

The product itself is quite thin, so if you're looking for a thick eye cream this is not it.  I can't say I've noticed a big difference yet in terms of turning back the clock as I have with the bouncy mask, but this surely does an amazing job in moisturizing the eye area.  It's particularly good for mornings as it's light enough to wear under makeup.  If your skin around the eye area is very dry, I would recommend that you use this product in conjunction with a moisturizing eye cream, as I found that it doesn't give me enough nourishment when my eyes feel very dry, as I find it at the moment with the season change.

Like I said, I enjoy this product for it's soothing and calming effect on the eye area in the morning, so if you suffer from puffiness or very dark circles you may want to give this a try.  

All in all this is a lovely eye cream and I love the ethics and principles of what this brand stands for.

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