Bellabox October 2012

So as you guys know I've wanted to sign up to Bellabox for a little while now after the last couple months of disappointing subscription boxes I bit the bullet and subscribed. Bellabox is $15.00 per month and ships within the first two weeks of the month - a welcome change. 

Anyway most of you lovely people probably knew all that, so on to what I received in my October box. October is breast cancer awareness month so this month was themed around that, with a box full of pretty pink themed beauty products. 

My first reaction upon opening the box was 'wow there is so many products' something I haven't been accustomed to with other boxes. All of the products where brands I've heard of or used before and I was excited to see some of my favourite brands in there. The products I received were: 

Bourjois Smokey Pencil in Dark Purple 

Carmex Moisture Plus Lip Balm 

DKNY Fresh Blossom Eau So Intense

Estee Lauder Action Lift Treatment

Klorane Shampoo With Oat Milk

Klorane Conditioning Cream with Pomegranate 

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polish 

Clinique Turnaround Extra Radiance Renewer 

As you can see there is a great range of high end and lower end brands which is really exciting. I don't know about you, but if I have heard of a brand before I am more likely to purchase their products especially because they're usually more available. I absolutely loved the contents of this box and there isn't one product I don't want to try. I am especially loving the DKNY perfume - it smells delicious, and the Carmex lip tint. I haven't had a chance to try out all of the products but I know this box was definitely worth the $15.00. 

Did you get a Bellabox this month? What did you think? 

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Foundation Review

I bought this foundation about 2 and a half months ago. I was really excited to try it as I am a big fan of creme foundations. I accidentally (like always) bought a shade too dark. I have the colour "Buff Chamois".

As you can see in the photo of me above, it is a little bit patchy - I am not wearing any concealer or powder. I think this foundation is best applied with a brush, unfortunately when I took this photo I had already applied it with my fingers, I would ordinarily use my Real Techniques Buffing Brush. Like most creme based foundations, it does tend to stick to the dryer areas of your face. If you have really dry skin you might not like this.

I especially like the fact that this colour is yellow based as I find with a lot of cheaper (drugstore) foundations they tend to be very pink toned.

Cost: Around $30.00 AUD.

Coverage: Medium but can be built up to a full coverage.

Packaging: I love the look of this packaging, although not very practical.

Wear time: Anyone that has used the original Revlon Colorstay would know that this foundation does not budge. It is the longest wearing foundation I have tried.

Repurchase?: This is a really nice drugstore foundation. I just think the price is hard to justify...

This foundation would be perfect for someone who wants to try a creme foundation but doesn't want to spend a lot of money on something like Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation. Also the fact that it stays on and doesn't break down after a long day at work is a big plus.

Have you tried this foundation? What did you think of it?

IMATS Sydney 2012 Haul

So if you read our last post you know that two weeks ago Megan and I attended our very first IMATS, you can read more about our experience here. It was really crowded at some stalls and it was hard to get in to test some of the products, I didn't really feel like fighting someone over a product so I  didn't end up buying too much. I was happy with the products I purchased and glad I didn't go too crazy. 

Now onto what I actually bought and what I think about them so far.

Inglot Eyeshadow Quad using the 'Freedom' System

Inglot was by far in my opinion one of the most popular stalls of the day, it was absolutely packed but I managed to squeeze my way in and got to swatch a lot of eyeshadows before making my final decision with these four. The four shades I picked are all shimmery, as you can see from the swatch above. 

These shadows are gorgeous and have fantastic pigmentation. I know the colours may seem really boring, but I'm not the kind of girl that wears really crazy eyeshadow colours (I prefer to leave that to my lips). I adore all the shades I purchased and I am also loving the sturdy magnetic packaging! 

Obbsesive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in 'Trollop' & 'Divine' 

These were something Megan and I knew we were definitely going to try and get our hands on, after hearing so much about them through various blogs we were very excited to see them at IMATS. This stall was also extremely packed and we stood there for quite awhile before we could get in and swatch some of the lip tars. I decided on these two fun pink shades because I really didn't need another red lip product in my collection. I am actually obsessed with these and think they definitely live up to the hype. I would definitely recommend only using a tiny bit and applying them with a mirror to avoid pink stains  under your lips like me. 

Crown Brushes

I know I could have spent a lot more time and money on brushes but by the time I wanted to go back to different brush stands it was just so overwhelming I decided I had bought enough. These were my first purchase of the day, and they were all pretty cheap. I'm glad I finally have more eye brushes to add to my collection and a decent blush brush. I love how soft they all are and they seem to be great quality. I haven't had a chance to use these yet as I want to give them a wash before I do so. 

Makeup Forever HD Blush in 07 

This was a complete impulse purchase, I was actually looking at the Aqua Creams when I spotted this and had to swatch it. You only need the tiniest bit of this blush because it's so pigmented, so I know I will get really great use out of it. It's quite easy to blend, and I'm looking forward to testing it out properly and will definitely follow up with a full review. 

Blync Lashes, Red Cherry Lashes & Duo Eyelash Adhesive

I have just recently been getting into false lashes so I picked up a few different types while I was there. I chose ones that weren't too dramatic as my eyelashes are quite long already, I just wanted ones that would enhance the look of them. Again I haven't had a chance to try these on yet but I will let you know how they go. I'm also super excited to finally have some eyelash glue that has been recommended to me rather than the little tubes that come with the eyelashes that never really works properly. 

So that's all I purchased at IMATS, I had a great time and I'm looking forward to next year.

Did anyone else attend? What was your favourite purchase?

IMATS Sydney 2012

Last weekend Katelyn and I attended IMATS (International Makeup Artist Trade Show for those who aren't sure what it is) in Sydney. This was our first IMATS so I thought I would do a little run down of our experience. It was held at the Sydney Convention Centre in Darling Harbour which was a great location for it, it is so pretty down along the harbour.

We got to IMATS at around 10am on Saturday morning. We were a bit worried there would be stacks of people and massive lines to get in but surprisingly there weren't. At the door we were given a bag to put all of our purchases in which I thought was a great idea. I personally didn't buy too much, I only got two OCC Lip Tars and a crease brush from Crown Brushes. Katelyn on the other hand went a bit more crazy on the purchasing front and bought quite a few new products to play with - she will be doing a little haul later in the week for those who are interested to see what she bought.

There were quite a few brands there that we had never heard of as well as some really well known brands - click here for the full list of brands. The Inglot and MAC stalls were by far the most busy, I felt a little claustrophobic trying to look at all the products at both of these stalls - I think that was one of the main reasons I didn't buy much. The most disappointing part of the day was realising that NYX had pulled out, they were one of the brands we were most excited for.

Unfortunately the event itself wasn't as big as we thought it would be (in the way of stalls and products being sold) and also the fact that neither of us are make up artists we didn't really feel the need to stay for the seminars as there would have been heaps of actual make up artists wanting to watch so we didn't want to take up seats/space.

All in all it was a great experience and we're both glad we went. We will be attending next year too so hopefully more brands will jump on board for IMATS 2013!

Did you go to IMATS in Sydney?

Lust Have It September

This month once again I received the 'Fun and Flirty' pack from Lust Have It, they have returned to sending out the products in the makeup bags and this months was sent out in a silver bag. The contents of this months bag included:

Davroe Ultimatum Non Aerosol Hairspray 

Dermalogica Active Toner

Dermalogica PreCleanse

Say It Wth Scent Frangipani Lotion

Mireness 'Protect Me' Tinted Anti Ageing Balm 

I was disappointed with this months selection of products, not even the Dermalogica products could make up for the rest of the bag. I've already used Dermalogica PreCleanse before and it's a great product so I know I'll definitely use it, same goes with the toner. 

The rest of the bag maybe not so much, the lotion smells like something an old woman would wear, it actually made me feel a little sick. To be completely honest, I'm a little sick of receiving tiny body lotion samples, they're barely enough to use on one leg and end up being thrown in a drawer never to be used 

The other two products I received weren't very exciting either, the hairspray had actually leaked in the bag which was unpleasant. I tested the hairspray and I'm really not fond of the way it makes my hair feel crunchy and the smell of it it quite potent too. Finally the last product was the tiny anti-ageing balm sample from Mirenesse, kind of funny they put an anti-ageing balm in the fun and flirty box don't you think? The sample size of this was a little ridiculous and the packaging was flimsy, honestly the bag could have gone without. 

Lust Have It also included some 'free' sample vouchers, a Mirenesse eyeliner which was only available to the first 1000 people (I highly doubt I will receive this). A free Davroe styling product (which is not really free because you have to pay for postage) I don't think I will claim this either, as their products have been less than impressive, and a Dermalogica facial treatment valued at $90.00 when you purchase a Dermalogica product over $50.00. So nothing is really 'free'. 

Overall you can probably tell my lack of excitement and disappointment in this months bag. An underwhelming selection of products and some 'free' samples to make up for the lack of products in the bag. I fear next month may be my last bag with Lust Have It if they don't pick up their game, I can't stand the thought of getting another body lotion and no makeup products. 

Did you receive the September Lust Have It? What are your thoughts?