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Cult Products: The Good and the Meh

07:04 Unknown 0 Comments

Hello my little birds! 
I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long, work, life and all of that wonderful stuff has been a little intense lately.


So I’m making a comeback with my thoughts on some of the big name products I’ve been trying lately!



First up – NARS Sheer Glow. 
I know, I know, I went on about this baby a few posts ago, but now that I’m almost two months into using it consistently and constantly, I need to say it.

HOLY. GRAIL.



Holy grail foundation. I know, a big claim, but I am still so, so in love with this foundation. I’ve changed my application method from using the Real Techniques buffing brush to smoothing it on with my fingers. I find it gives me a little lighter coverage, that’s more buildable, and feels nicer first thing in the morning.
Worth the hype? Absolutely.
10/10


Last month I treated myself to the original Naked palette by Urban Decay. 
I actually can’t describe how excited I was to open up my post package and carefully take it out of its box. The packaging is gorgeous, chocolate brown velour with a magnet closure, and a lovely big mirror to go with the shadows. 





The brush that comes with the palette is incredible too!
In terms of the shadows, I quite like the shimmer shades, especially Virgin and Half Baked. They’re quite pigmented and give enough shine without large glittery fragments. The matte shadows are nice enough, but I prefer my Too Faced Naturals palette. I haven’t tried the darker shadows, simply because I haven’t had an excuse or reason to whip out a smoky eye lately. But it is pretty to look at, and hold… and there is a great variety of colours in the palette, some of which I haven’t swatched or used just yet.
Worth the hype? Eh, kinda.
7/10

I’m a dirty blogger. 


Last month I ordered my first, of what will be many, Frank Body coffee scrubs and OH MY GOSH. My skin feels amazing, soft and nourished, my shower is a coffee bean infested mess, but it’s so worth it. If I had one minor complaint (and I do), I hate that you need to leave the scrub on for five minutes before rinsing. Not because I don’t like waiting (I can be patient when I try), but because it’s FREEZING. Freezing, freezing cold; the pack recommends five minutes but it’s a struggle, folks, standing in the shower DESPERATE to jump back under the hot water.
Worth the hype? YES.
9.5/10 (because waiting and being cold sucks)



In terms of beauty inspo Zoe (Zoella) is kinda up there, so when she started raving about Maybelline Lash Sensation Mascara I thought I’d give it a go. 
Coles had it on special so I figured, why not? AND OH MY GOD AM I GLAD I DID. THIS STUFF IS AMAZING. It looks like I’m legitimately wearing false lashes, more so Maybelline Falsies, or Benefit They’re Real! 

 

This photo was taken about four hours after application and they still look phenomenal, and since the formula is waterproof there’s no risk of smudging or shadow during the day’s wear.
Worth the hype? HECK YEAH
10/10

It's spring! (WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN SERIOUSLY HOW ARE WE IN SEPTEMBER ALREADY??)
Aside from my shock and concern over the fact that we're already in September, spring time means that summer isn't far away, which means, you guessed it, this pasty little beauty blogger is going to start seriously tanning again soon. Whilst I'm in love with the St. Tropez mousse in Light/Medium, I don't have the time currently to be applying and waiting for it to dry, etc., so I wanted to use a gradual tanner for now. I've used the Dove Body Glow, Le Tan Gradual Tan, and Palmers' Cocoa Butter Gradual Tanner in the past. This time around I decided to opt for the Bondi Sands Everyday Tan, after reading some very positive reviews online. Before I found St. Tropez on sale (Oh, HAPPY DAY!), Bondi Sands was my go-to tanning mousse, so I figured the gradual tanner would be the same quality. 

And so far, so good! What I love about Bondi Sands is their tan is red based, rather than brown or orange. This means, for me, having a pinker skin tone, the tan looks that touch more natural. Unlike the Palmers' Cocoa Butter Gradual Tanner, which starts depositing colour almost immediately, the Bondi Sands takes 1-2 days to start clearly showing up. That being said, it's a really nice, warm, natural looking tan, however I've found the Palmers' tanner to be more moisturising. What I've been doing is alternating each day, one with Bondi Sands, the other with Palmers' Cocoa Butter, just to keep my skin nice and moisturised.
Worth the hype? I'd say so!
8/10



Now I’d like to quickly re-visit a product I reviewed a little while ago, because it’s a cult classic, and also… Well, I’ve had a slight change of heart.
When I first tried the AContour palette, I struggled. The powders were highly pigmented and good quality, but not quite right for me. I pushed them to the bottom of my make-up bag, thinking, if anything, I’d try it out again this summer when I’m tanned (by the bottle) and going out, etc.
Well HOLD YOUR HORSES, FOLKS, BECAUSE I ACTUALLY WENT OUT. SERIOUSLY. I WENT AND DID 21-YEAR-OLD-THINGS. And that involved being tanned, and a lower cut top, and I tried something I’ve never done before.
I contoured my boobs.
Yep.
That happened.
And it went… well? Really well, actually, it looked quite natural, and I have the AContour palette to thank for that! So… thank you, Australis!
Worth the hype? Actually, yeah!
8/10




Also I FINALLY HAVE A GLASSHOUSE TAHAA CANDLE MY LIFE IS COMPLETE I AM SO SO SO HAPPY AND THE VANILLA SCENT IS ACTUALLY AMAZING
Worth the hype? YES.
11/10, 12/10, ALL THE NUMBERS/10


So there we have it, a few cult classics, a few new favourites, and a couple of misses, and a whole lotta reading for those of you who've missed this bird!

Until next time my loves,
Tweet tweet xx





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