Review: The Body Shop Radiance Highlighting Pearls

I am a huge shimmer fan. If it's shimmery or glittery in any way, I need to own it. I don't have much experience with beauty products from The Body Shop but their Radiance Highlighting Pearls definitely makes me want to venture out there a little bit more.

So this product is a series of small spheres in gorgeous pearlescent colours that when applied with a blush brush to the face (or even elsewhere on the body) leaves a gorgeous shimmer that contours in the right light, and leaves the face looking fresh and illuminated.

The pearls come in 3 colours - yellow, pink and a white pearl colour that leaves little pigmentation on the skin, but instead leaves a gorgeous shimmer. I love using this when it's a sunny day out to highlight my cheeks and nose, or to add flair to an otherwise neutral face.

As you can see, the pearls are quite pigmented but these colours don't show on the skin. I love the packaging (with a gorgeous gold lid and clear base so you can see the product inside) and how the pearls are loose, but I do wish that they were compact - they do run quite loose which can be irritating because they can get stuck in your brush.

This product is such good value for money. I bought this in store for $40NZD, so it's budget friendly, but the product will last a long time too. I usually do two or three swipes with the brush to pick up product so your money goes a long way.

I love how fresh faced this product is, it would work for every skin tone as it isn't drying, overly pigmented or frustrating to use. Even on dryer skin, the individual pearls feel almost hydrating, it's difficult to describe until you swatch them. Overall, I'm super impressed with this and am keen to try out their bronzing version.

xo Bridget

Review: OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss in 'Meta'

So I just had a Pepsi Max Kick and I think I can actually feel my blood in my veins so I apologise for any insanity that comes out via this post. But in a special way, it might also help me articulate my love for this lip tar! I bought this from Lipstick Republic a month or so ago and I adore it! Stained glosses are a genius idea and I definitely want to purchase a few more colours.

So I bought Meta, a vibrant orange-red in the tube, but applies as more of an orange-pink on the lips, but I assume this would change depending on pigmentation etc. Unlike a regular lip tar, you can be more liberal with the amount of product used, making it a bit easier for beginners. It also means you can apply it more sheer.

Like the lip tars, stained glosses last for a few hours, though the gloss dissipates once you've had a drink or two. I always wear a clear lip pencil to contain it because I'm assuming that lip tars would bleed easily without it due to their texture. The stain for Meta isn't too obvious due to it's colour and my own lip colour.

Speaking of texture, the stained glosses are still silky soft and smell of sweet peppermint (which I love!). I also love the packaging - super easy to throw in my purse as the lip tar tube comes in a plastic ziploc bag with a mini brush for easy application. 

I bought this for $18AUD at lipstickrepublic.com and I fully plan or purchasing more. I love how it has all the elements of a lip tar, but as a gloss so it feels far more hydrating and less harsh on my lips, especially when they're still recovering from winter. The price is appropriate too, considering the sheer amount of product you get. Meta has totally been a game changer for me and the perfect introduction into OCC lip tars.

xo Bridget

Review: Kate Moss for Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick in '04'

I absolutely adore Kate Moss for Rimmel lipsticks, and this one is no different. I bought this late last year, wore it once, and then never wore it again because I felt it was just too dark. I've bought it back out of the cupboard though, and I'm trying to give it another go, pairing it with simple eyes and shimmery cheeks.

Like the other Kate Moss lipsticks, the quality is bang on. Super cute packaging, with highly pigmented lip colours that last for hours.

The product in the tube is really true to colour, as most Kate Moss lipsticks are. It appears as a gorgeous dark plum, and as you can see from the swatches, it applies like that too. While it applies as a dark plum on the lip, it does fade and bleed easily. It fades to a cute lighter purple, but it leaves a dark rim around your lips, and without a lip liner, it bleeds due to it being such a creamy lip colour (despite being matte finish??).

The colour in the swatch photo is a little lighter than in real life, I'm still trying to figure out why Blogger alters my photos when I upload them to fix this. But as you can see, the pigmentation is great, despite it not lasting long. Perhaps wearing a dark lip liner all over the lip would help, but not by much.

I love the packaging - a cute black tube with Kate's signature is a nice touch. It's sturdy, but still plastic. Nothing amazing but it's easily identifiable in my sea of lipsticks. 

It's definitely worth the $10NZD (retails at $15NZD) I bought it for, and I would totally pay full price because these lipsticks are worth it. I've tried a few other Rimmel lipsticks, but none compare to their Kate Moss 'collections'. 

If you're looking for a deep plum lipstick, I wouldn't recommend this one. MAC's Rebel is generally the way to go for longevity (or even Talk That Talk from the RiRi Hearts collection) but it's always difficult with a colour such as this. If you're willing to reapply every hour, this lipstick is worth it. I love wearing it with an understated eye, usually just a swipe of gold on my lids with mascara, nothing crazy. Otherwise, this was a good start for me getting into darker lips and I still love it with all my Kate Moss adoring heart.

xo Bridget

Review: Revlon Lip Butter in 'Lollipop'

It was about time I added to my Revlon lip butter collection to prepare my little collection ready for summer (any excuse to buy more makeup, I know). I decided to go for a soft pink to accentuate my natural lip colour and match all the beautiful flowers.

First off, the product shown in the tube is very true to colour, which most lip butters appear to be. It is a vivid pink both in the tube and on the lips, which wasn't what I was really after but it seemed to work out for the best in the end. This colour would look gorgeous on all skin tones - complementing tans, while not washing out pale ones.

I have no idea why my arm looks so freaky! This photo looked a lot different in Picasa, so apologies for Blogger being annoying.

For longevity, it's hard to judge. It's rub off easily if you eat or drink but leave a subtle pink tint to my lips, which I quite like. You can tell they won't last hours on the lips though, but they're very easy to apply, even without a mirror because they're more like a chap stick so there's that, I guess. 

The colour is very vivid, more so than I was expecting. If you have naturally pinky lips, it will be even more vivid. I was expecting the colour to be more subdued but I found a way to get the best of both worlds!

Revlon Lip Butter w/ Baby Lips underneath.

In this photo, you can see the colour is far more sheer. To do this, I applied Maybelline Baby Lips (any chap stick will work though) and then dabbed the lip butter on lightly so I was getting the beautiful pink, but it wasn't too bright. As you can see, it ends up looking similar to a lip stain but far more moisturising. 

Straight out of the tube. Again. Blogger does strange things to my photos but the lipstick colour is true 2 lyf.

In the second photo, I have applied it right out of the tube so you can see how truly vivid it is. I've definitely warmed to this colour the more I've worn it but I'm saving the full colour for when it warms up a tad.

The packaging is nice and sturdy, I can easily chuck it in my bag and not have to worry, but with the summer heat coming up, I am worried about the lipstick melting because lip butters are more susceptible to that stuff. I wish I had a mini fridge on my vanity to keep my lipsticks in!

Money wise, it is pricey when you buy them in stores, but I got mine for $15NZD online, and they're well worth it. I do find myself using this and my other lip butters every other day and the product disappears quite quickly but it's still well worth it, especially due to the wide colour range. 

xo Bridget

PS. I've started adding photos of the makeup on my skin now due to weather improving. It was so difficult trying to get realistic photos of lipsticks in the cold winter light. Any suggestions for future posts or improvements are totally welcome! ◕‿◕

Review: Sleek Blush Trio in 'Lace'

I finally bit the bullet and bought myself this beautiful blush trio by Sleek! I've only heard good things about this brand, and I've only used their matte lipsticks before but blogs rave about their products and I'm in desperate need of more blush so here we are!

First off, the packaging itself is very sleek, and quite small but you still get a decent amount of product in each little compartment. It's styled similarly to NARS blushes but with a smooth plastic, as opposed to that god awful non-slip stuff that NARS uses.

The pigmentation on these is crazy! I was so impressed. They also last a long time. I wore this to work for 7 hours and it didn't fade noticeably at all. 

Crochet is very orange but applies quite peachy, it isn't as vibrant on your face as it is in the pan, thank goodness. I was a bit worried about this colour as I'm a blush snob and stick to peaches but I'm sold on this one. It's pigmented enough to give you a beautiful flush, but not so much to make you look orange crazy.

Guipere is a gorgeous rose-gold colour that originally made me buy this particular trio. As you can see, it's a rose colour with gold shimmer. It isn't as pigmented as Crochet and Chantilly, but it's more subtle with the gold shimmer taking centre stage. It would work well as a highlighter on the cheeks if you don't apply too much.

Chantilly is very pink, a little less vibrant than it appears in the photo of the pan. A little goes a long way and it's colour when applied reminds me of NARS Orgasm a little in that the applied colours are very similar and buildable. I adore this colour, it would totally suit all skin tones, it's like a dream.

I bought this for $20NZD online, which is super cheap considering. And also why I love Sleek - amazing quality products with no insanely high price tag. I would love to try more of their blush trios, but I do wish they had more individual colours because I hate buying 3 products in 1, and then only using one or two.

xo Bridget

Review: MAC 'Saint Germain'

Totally bought this on whim after watching a Youtube video where the girl was wearing this colour and instantly fell in love! Ever since dying my hair purple, I feel like I have free range to wear obnoxious lipstick colours, so I've been making the most of it. I love a good Barbie pink and Saint Germain fits the bill perfectly!

Saint Germain is amplified formula, so it's super pigmented and opaque. The colour in the tube is true to how it appears on the lips, which is actually quite rare! But I love it - the colour is long lasting, slightly offensive but I happily wear it around university because I'm obnoxious like that.

I have no idea why my arm is so ugly omg I'm so sorry.

 As you can see, it as great colour pay off. After 1 swipe on my very sad looking arm, it's opaque. It is slightly more pale on my lips than it appears here, but the swatches are quite accurate.

This colour is said to suit pale cool tones (which I am) and darker skin tones. It's definitely a blue toned pink, so it can look very 'concealer lips' on people who aren't super pale or super dark. If you have any form of a tan, I wouldn't recommend this (I'd go more the route of Girl About Town or Candy Yum Yum for a bright pink). I see this as a more wearable version of the Nicki Minaj for MAC lipsticks.

I find it lasts around 4 hours before I have to reapply, but I find this difficult to judge because I am constantly drinking something, but like all MAC lipsticks, it lasts well with little to no feathering.

I'm looking forward to wearing this on my summer holidays, I feel like it's quite premature wearing such a bright shade while it's still cold (not that it really stops me). Overall, I love this colour. It is difficult to pull off but it's worth giving it go. I bought this for $40NZD at the MAC counter. You can buy them online cheaper but I've heard too many stories about fakes so I never buy MAC products online.

xo Bridget

Review: Rimmel Apocalips in 'Phenomenon'

I realise I'm very late with a review for these but I've had such a difficult time writing this review, alongside using the product. I'll start of simple: I don't like it. I really don't like it and I'm glad I got this on sale when they first came out. I feel bad saying this, and I feel like I've instantly outcasted myself by saying this because everyone loves these! Maybe I got a bad formula, the wrong colour, I don't know but I'm giving this review regardless, because we need to have all perspectives out there.

This product was my first foray into a nude lip colour, I just wanted something easy to put on for university so I could look more put together. For people who like this product, I totally recommend it for this! It easy to apply and has a great colour range so you can have one for each set of pyjamas you wear to lectures.

My issues with this product were many though. Firstly. this settled into the lines of my lips like nothing else. Not matter how I prepped my lips, or how many times I applied the product, it would slither in and make me looks absolutely ridiculous. Perhaps its this colour! I'm obviously trying to find a reason for this because everyone is so impressed and pleased and I feel left out!

Here are the swatches. As you can see, great pigmentation. I like this colour, it's a good pinky nude for those with lighter skin colours. It isn't weird concealer lips nude though, it definitely makes you look like you tried to look presentable in the morning, but not in a bad way.

I found the longevity of this to be nil. The formula is quite runny, so it doesn't hang around long on the lips. It never really dried on my lips, it stayed glossy and runny so there was no way this would last through a 5 minute conversation or a rice ball.

I wish I liked this, I really do. The packaging is super duper cute, and the colour variety is amazing. I'd be willing to try more of these but I'm not buying any more. I'll sadly be pawning this off to my sister in the vain hope that she will like it.

I just... I'm sorry. I had to do this review though. I know the Phenomenon is an NZ/Aus colour, so perhaps the formula got fucked with in that process? Please let me know in the comments if you know anything that could explain this! Super sad, but these things happen. I love Rimmel's lip products so I'm sad to give a bad review but I'm always honest with reviews, especially when a product in such a bomb.

xo Bridget