Essence Ready for Boarding lip and cheek creme - Sending you kisses

Isn't this just the prettiest product you have ever seen?

When the Essence Ready for Boarding Collection came out, it was the lip and cheek cremes that caught my attention. Bright, vibrant shades of dark pink and a gorgeous coral, they called my name. No matter how far and wide I searched I was unable to come across one that hadn't had grotty little fingers rammed into the product, leaving behind fingerprints and an assortment of coloured fluffy things.

The collection came and went and I accepted that I'd missed out yet again, until I found this little beauty hidden in the dark depths of the Target Revlon stand for $3.99 - unopened and all!

I love this shade, I love it, love it, love it. It is such a bright, vibrant hot pink that looks terribly scary (especially for a blush) but can be blended out to give such a healthy, rosy glow. As for the lips, I am able to apply this fairly easily as a stain or a thicker lip colour without having to fiddle around for ages.

I do really like cream blushes, but I tend to use them less often than my powder blushes because they do require more effort to apply. When I'm getting ready during the week I have very limited time so whatever is quickest wins. As a result, this little beauty doesn't get worn all that often.

However! When I do wear this I am reminded of how lovely it really is, and how natural looking cream blushes appear to be no matter what shade they are. Yes, it is really fiddly and you have to be so careful that you don't end up looking like a clown, but when used correctly it is so beautiful.

Because I am lazy, when I apply this on my cheeks I tend to just wear it as a lip colour too, and although it may sounds a little bit too matchy-matchy, when sheered out on the cheeks you can't really tell that it is the same product.

I love this as a lip colour and I find that the application, unlike when used as a blush, is a piece of cake.

As a blush the lasting power is pretty good, although in the really hot weather it's not wonderful. As a lip product it lasts forever but is very drying and requires a moisture top up (whether it be through a gloss or lip balm).

Like many Essence products, this has a sweet vanilla kind of fragrance that I love.

I am quite impressed with this although I wouldn't spend big bucks on it. Fortunately, as it is an Essence product, I don't have to. I give this 7 out of 10.

American Makeup - I need your suggestions!

A good friend of mine went to America on exchange for six months back in January. Now she has settled in and is having an absolute blast, I plucked up the courage to ask whether or not she would be able to pick up some makeup products, since she is in AMERICA and all.

When she said yes I basically had a heart attack and squealed for joy, but the problem is now I have to construct a list that doesn't consist of a gazillion products (more like 3 products). Though I have always drooled over all the American brands I never really thought about it seriously because I thought I would never get any of them! Now that I can, I'm stuck for what to get.

Do you have any suggestions of your favourite products or brands that cannot be passed up? I would love any of your suggestions!

The brands I have been thinking about are as follows - I have no idea how I am going to narrow my picks down to about 3 products!
- Soap and Glory
- Wet and Wild
- Real Techniques
- Topshop
- EOS
- NYX
- Tarte
- Urban Decay
- MUA
- Too Faced
- Benefit
- OPI
- China Glaze
- MAC
- NARS

Obviously we have access to some of these in Australia but the price different is crazy!

If you have any specific suggestions from any of these brands (or others) I would be so grateful if you could let me know.

TAG - The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger

I was tagged by the lovely Dawn over at See It, Love It, Swatch It to do a very interesting tag, The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger Tag. When I first read Dawn's post, I knew it was something that I had to do - it describes me rather well!

Rules:

1. You must copy and paste these 'rules' onto your post when you write it, it doesn't take long!.

2. You must state that this tag was created by 'The Beau Bow' and link www.thebeaubow.blogspot.com

3. You must thank the person who tagged you at the start of your post (link their blog as well) -follow them if you're feeling nice!, and then at the end of your post state who you tag, and then comment on their blog on their latest post to let them know you tagged them, and link your post so they can see what to do.

4. Title this post 'The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger TAG' so everyone knows what it is about.

5. Have fun! :)

The Questions:

1. Name a beauty regime that you rarely do. 

I never ever use a toner, simply just cleansing and moisturising instead. Despite this, I think I own about 5 toners. I also rarely use an eye primer (I have been getting better with face primers though!) because I have no trouble with creasing or making my eyeshadows last.

I will tell you what I am good at though - taking my makeup off before bed. I do that without fail, and I am so very proud of that!

2. Is washing your makeup brushes something you do regularly?

What?! You're meant to wash your makeup brushes?! 

Just kidding, I'm not that bad but I am pretty hopeless. Does that bother me? No.

3. How long will you last with chipped polish?

It will be off by the end of the day, I can't stand chipped polish.

4. How long do you put off buying/replacing a new beauty product?

To be really honest, I have so many products at this stage that if I run out of one (which hasn't happened in the makeup sector yet, only skincare) I have another that is able to replace it already in my collection.

5. What is your worst beauty habit?

I would have to say my worst beauty habit is collecting so many products that I will never be able to get through completely. It doesn't help that I'm not actually allowed to wear makeup to school (Not that I want to wear a whole lot, but a little bit every now and again would be fun to play with!) so I only get two days a week to go crazy!

6. Name something non beauty related that you put off doing all the time.

Studying for upcoming tests and writing snail-mail letters to a friend of mine. I love that we write letters to one another but it takes a lot of motivation to actually put pen to paper and start it!

7. When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready to the last minute or not?

No way! I get ready well before I need to leave. I have this funny thing where I hate how my makeup looks straight after application, when it's all fresh and funny looking. I only start to like how it looks about half an hour after application, so I have to do my makeup early in order to wait until it looks nice before I leave!

8. Can you commit to spending bans?

I've not ever undertaken a formal spending ban but I am pretty sure that I could do this fairly easily. The majority of purchases I make are because I have money burning a hole in my pocket, but in the scheme of things I actually don't buy that much. Usually I wait a couple of months, spend a whole heap, then wait another couple of months, so on so forth.

9. How organised is your makeup and nail polish collection?

It's okay but I don't really have the right kind of storage to make it all nice and pretty. I know where everything is and I am able to see it all displayed in front of me, so I guess that is good. 

10. What is the longest amount of time you have gone without writing a blog post?

The longest time I have gone is one month, but I had one month's worth of posts already written so that posting continued regularly and you weren't able to notice.

This tag was so much fun to complete, so if you are interesting in doing it yourself, go for it!

Revlon Lip Butter Berry Smoothie

The Revlon lip butters were one of those products that literally exploded onto the internet. Beauty bloggers went wild swatching and raving about the tubes of buttery goodness, all while Australia sat back and watched, patiently waiting for them to make their way across the ocean to make contact with our soils (knowing full well that when they did they would be exorbitantly priced). Well they were - at $21.95, in fact - and despite the unbelievable price tag we all bought at least one anyway.

I bought the lip butter in Sweet Tart for half price back when they first came out, though even then I was super late on the bandwagon. Though I really do like it (I actually love the shade) it's not the most practical, every day kind of colour. I have wanted a more everyday colour for so long but just could not handle the crazy price. I was debating whether to get Peach Parfait or Berry Smoothie, and when Priceline was having a buy one get one free sale (it's still going but ends 25th March!) I just went to get both.

That didn't actually happen. When I got to Priceline I got very distracted by the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. I have one in the shade Smitten, which is very pretty, but once again it isn't exactly an every day kind of colour. I went to get the shade Honey but when I swatched it I saw it was almost identical to Berry Smoothie. Long story short, I got both the lip butter in Berry Smoothie and the Balm Stain in Romantic for $21.95.

Anyway, back to the story - what do I think of the Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie?!

I love it. I love it so much. It is the most beautiful berry colour that's not too bright and not too subtle. It's not too pink and it's not too red. It's just right.

As is the case with all of the lip butters, they are packaged in a classy looking silver tube, covered by a quilted patterned case in the corresponding colour. The top of cover is also clear so that you are able to see the lip product from the top when you are sifting through all those lipsticks you have in your collection!

The shade itself, as mentioned, is a lovely everyday but still somewhat exciting kind of berry shade. It does have a slight amount of shimmer in it but when it is on the lips I haven't noticed it.

The formula, despite being called a lip butter, isn't exactly as moisturising as I had initially thought, although I do wear this all the time and any excessive use of a lip product is bound to dry your lips out. If I apply a lip balm prior to wearing this it lessens the problem, as well as alternating between this and a balm throughout the day.

It is really quite pigmented which is a feature that I like, because it is more pigmented than a tinted lip balm but not as opaque as a lipstick - it's just a good inbetween.

I have had difficulties with the product actually softening to the point where it is a little smushed up in the tube. I'm not sure whether that is because it has been stored in some particularly hot places or whether it is just a soft kind of product.

In terms of lasting power I find that this does quite well as it leaves a bit of a stain once the product appears to have worn off.

Even though these are so crazily priced (especially comparing the prices between America and Australia!) I still feel compelled to purchase more. I love this shade because it is beautiful yet wearable, and already I have had more use of this than Sweet Tart.

I give this 9/10.

Ring Collection Update

I have an obsession with rings. I love them. Necklaces and bracelets and earrings are nice, but it is rings that take the cake for me. Back in February 2012 I posted my ring collection but of course it has since grown to accommodate for some beautiful rings that I wear all the time, and I thought I might show them to you!

I am a bit of a bargain hunter and I tend to only pick rings up when they are under about $5. Of course, the quality of the majority of the rings I own isn't that great but it doesn't bother me because I pay so little for them.

It is a bit of a pain when the rings tarnish because some of them were so lovely to begin with. It was interesting comparing the tarnished rings to the initial post when they were all shiny and beautiful - they look so different!

These are the 21 rings that I own:

Small Silver Rings

- Bow Ring - $3 from Target

- Striped Ring - $5 from Equip

- Heart Ring - $5 from Equip

- Purple Stone Ring - Family Gift

Tarnished (used to be pretty) rings

- Star ring - Family Gift
- White stripe ring - $5 (Part of Set) from Diva
- All rings on middle finger - $5 (Part of Set) from Diva
- Chunky ribbed ring - $3 from Diva
- Chunky Round ring - $0.50 from Diva

 Fun/Crazy Rings

- Butterfly ring - Gift
- Stone ring - $2 from Diva
- Yellow ring - $0.50 from Market
- Brown ring - $3 from a charity

"Gold" rings

- Leaf Ring - $3 from Lovisa
- Heart Ring - Gift
- Chunky leaf ring - $5 from Factorie
- Stone and leaf ring - $2 from Colette

 Leftovers
- 3 Bands - $3 from Equip
- Pink Stone - $5 from Lovisa

So there are all my rings, my favourites are the ones down below but I do love them all!

MAC lipglass - Kumquat

This is my first ever MAC product. Ever.

Call me crazy, but I've been drooling at my computer screen for so long now, devastated about the fact that I don't own a lipstick in Lovelorn or Creme Cup, or an eyeshadow in All that Glitters or Woodwinked or Naked Lunch. $36 dollars is just a painful amount to fork out for a lipstick when Essence has a gorgeous lipstick in All about Cupcake that I wear on a regular basis for $4. Still...

And then one day I found out that I had won Sophie's giveaway from Born to Buy and I just about had a heart attack when I realised that included in the prize was a product from MAC! Though my parents didn't appreciate how amazing this was, even they cracked a smile when they were blessed to witness my excitement regarding the news. MAC. I was going to own a product from MAC.

Just before we get into the review, I must say that I am not really a gloss person. I love my lipsticks and lip balms but glosses are just not something I wear on a regular basis, so I am kind of biased when I write the review in the sense that it takes a lot to impress me with a gloss!

The MAC lipglass in Kumquat is a gorgeous shimmery orange tangerine colour. In the tube it actually looks quite terrifying, and if it was an opaque lipstick I certainly wouldn't have the guts to wear it. However, as it is a lipgloss, when applied it is fairly sheer and instead of a full on orange look you get a gorgeous hint of orange with slight golden shimmer throughout. I like that this isn't too pigmented but it still has a decent amount of colour. I don't have any similar product like this in my collection so it has been fun playing around with a whole new lip shade. I like to combine it with other lipsticks to alter their colour, but even on its own I am able to pull this shade off.

I had difficulties with the ridiculously sticky nature of this gloss. It was so thick and tacky that even trying to open my mouth seemed a challenge as it stuck my lips together. When I applied only the tinest bit of it, it was a lot easier to manage, but of course the colour and shine was lost. My hair was in a ponytail yet I still found myself constantly pulling hair from my lips until my hair was just an awful orange gloopy mess. The only upside to this was that it meant that the gloss stayed on my lips for a very long time, but when it comes down to it I really just didn't get on with this aspect of the formula.

This gloss is super shiny, and though I'm not usually a fan of shimmer in this it is so subtle that I can deal with it. I really feel as though I've stepped out of some kind of advertisement when I wear this as my lips are stunningly glossy.

I really like the packaging of this gloss, especially that it has a doe foot applicator as opposed to a squeezy tube (I really, really don't like them!). The simplicity of it makes it look classy and put together, and I like that it is fairly small at only 4.8g as it is easy to slip into your makeup bag.

Here in Australia these cost a crazy $35, a price that I personally would not pay for a lipgloss no matter how incredible it is.

When it comes down to it, this product really hasn't blown my mind as I had hoped. In fact, the only reason I would wear this is for the gorgeous colour because the formula is pretty poor in comparison to my all time favourite Savvy gloss, or even the Essence stay with me or Australis glosses. This is quite disappointing considering it is my first ever MAC product, but even though I don't LOVE this it still holds a special spot in my collection and I will continue using this and won't be getting rid of it any time soon.

 I give this 6 out of 10.

My Blog has had a revamp & GFC changes

As you may or may not notice, my blog has changed significantly since you last visited!

Even from day one I had trouble finding a blog layout that I was completely happy with, and despite having had my last layout as it was for over two years, I wasn't actually happy with how it looked.

Obviously I have finally got around to changing it and I am really happy with how it looks now. As is always the case, there are things that I am still not 100% pleased with but I am content with the changes that have been made. I hope you like them too!

Additionally, I am sure you have read the hysteria regarding the loss of GFC. I too was gutted to read that I would be losing the 281 followers that I have worked so hard to gain over the past two years. Every new follower has been the most exciting discovery, and to think that I will start back at zero again is so very disheartening.

I do understand that once GFC is gone, platforms like Bloglovin' and Shesaidbeauty will take its place. I'm sure as bloggers yourself you would understand how much it would mean to me if you could follow me one one of these platforms - there is a way that you can transfer every one of the blogs you follow via GFC over to Bloglovin' which is what I did when I signed up.

If that all gets too tricky, there are widgets (buttons) in the right sidebar of my blog that you can just click on for a quick follow.

Thank you for all your support, and just for the record, I am not at all happy about the whole GFC thing. Argh!

Essence Lipliner - Cute Pink

I've never been one for lip liners, believing them to be a product used only by old ladies with the aims of enlarging their lips by about 50% by drawing way out of their lip lines and pairing it with an opposite coloured lipstick (ie. not a good look). I've never really felt the need for a lipliner, but when Dom from Dommsmiles (on youtube) was talking about them and wearing them, I decided that perhaps I really did need a lipliner after all.

I wasn't keen on the idea of paying a whole lot for them, they are a pretty boring kind of product after all, so I decided to go for an Essence one considering they cost about two dollars.

I believe I picked this up on sale, I don't recall for how much though, but even full priced they are very affordable.

I chose a hot pink colour in the hopes of using it to brighten some of my other lipsticks (using it as a base) but I've since been using it as a lip colour on its own.

The way in which I apply this is by 'colouring in' my lips. As this lip pencil is so pigmented, I am able to get even colour payoff with ease. It is quite a bright shade as I mentioned, but even for someone like me who is a bit hesitant to go all out with colour, I can still manage to pull it off without too much difficulty.

As it is a lip pencil, it is ridiculously drying, I'm talking painfully dry. Though this problem isn't easily solved, with a generous lathering of lipbalm prior to application or a decent coat of gloss afterwards, the issue can certainly be minimised. Having said that, I certainly wouldn't wear this everyday or my lips would be in a terrible state.

The upside to it being so drying is that it tends to remain on the lips for a very long time, especially if you have applied a gloss after it. I would trust this to get me through a meal, though it isn't nearly as pigmented as it was to begin with.

In terms of formula, the pencil is creamy enough to give good, even coverage but not so creamy that it crushes under the slightest pressure.

I like using these alone, however under lipsticks they are a very good base and do alter the shades (a nice change I have found!). I do intend on picking up other shades, though I don't really consider these a 'staple' in my collection.

I am glad I picked up this lip liner, especially as it is so cheap, but it's certainly not a Holy Grail type product. I give this 7 out of 10.

My Hair Routine

Today's post is a result of Nivedita's request and she asked me if I could post my hair care routine. Well here it is, but I'm telling you - it is so very boring!

Just quickly, I have long, straight, relatively thick hair that generally does what it is told and requires little effort and attention. As a result, I give it very little effort and attention. I have always wanted super curly hair but it takes so long to do and doesn't last. The photos to the left show my hair both naturally (straight) and having been curled. Only in the past couple of months have I noticed split ends being a bit of a problem but a quick trim would solve those issues.

So basically I wash and condition my hair every second day. I use whatever shampoo is in the shower at the time, which this week turned out to be a Sunsilk Expert Perfect Straight hair shampoo and an Organic Care Balance Conditioner. Basically the shampoo and conditioner that I use comes down to whatever was on special at the supermarket. I have no thoughts or opinions regarding these, because in my opinion all shampoos and conditioners work the same (though some do make my hair greasy).

When I condition my hair I brush it through using a wide toothed comb to make my life easier once having gotten out of the shower. My hair due to its length can get unbelievably knotty so I do everything that I can to avoid that.

Now here is where the big decisions come in. At the end of my shower I rinse my hair thoroughly in freezing cold water. It completely ruins my shower, gives me this crazy kind of brain freeze and leaves me shivering and cursing but it makes my hair super shiny. I always have to weigh up whether shiny hair is worth the trauma but usually it does win out.

If it is summer I just brush my hair and leave it to air dry, but in winter I blow dry it. I then chuck it up in a ponytail or plait, the only two hairstyles I ever wear (I am ridiculously boring). 

The next day I don't bother washing or conditioning it, but I do put some kind of product through it . If I am having trouble with dry, split ends I'll put my Salon Confidential Repair Ends Mender through it. If it is a matter of frizzy, knotty hair then I'll put my Herbal Essences Dangerously straight leave in cream through it to calm it down a little. 

Other products I use occasionally are the Girlz Only Dry Shampoo for when my hair needs a bit of a clean but I'm too lazy to do it properly, the PPS leave in moisture spray for when I want a change from my Repair Ends Mender and my Toni and Guy Casual Sea Salt spray for when I want to pretend that I have curly hair, even though the product doesn't work one bit on me. 

So that really is the extent of my hair routine. I am absolutely shocking when it comes to different hairstyles - I literally wear a boring ponytail or plait every single day, and I never, ever, ever wear it down (because it just gets in the way!). There really is no point in me having such long hair because I just don't do anything with it!

Thank you so much for the post request Nivedita, I wish I could have made it more interesting for you!

Priceline Beauty Truck - Freebies and curls!

The Priceline Truck

Look at my curly hair!

Today I happened to stumble across the coolest thing - the Priceline Beauty and Health Semi Trailer!

I was out shopping today and saw a giant pink truck parked outside, so of course I went to have a look. I paid a donation of $5 (all the money goes to charity) and I was given a bag full of freebies. I then walked in and I could choose whether I wanted to have my hair, makeup or nails done, or a massage or health check.

I chose to have my hair done and the lovely ladies spent about 45 minutes curling my long hair. If you have been reading my blog for a while you might know that curly hair is my dream, so as you can imagine this just topped off my day! Too bad it lasted about 5 hours and it was completely flat again.

I only opened my freebie bag when I got home and holy moly are there some good things in there!


Unfortunately Adelaide was the truck's last stop so you may have missed out. Thank you Priceline, I had an amazing time for only $5!

All the freebies!

- Toni and Guy Nourish conditioner for damaged hair
- Schwarzkopf extra care hair repair liquid silk SOS repair treatment
- Dr Lewinn's firming eye cream
- Nivea Q10 Anti wrinkle Day cream
- Revlon Nail Enamel in Graceful
- Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry touch sunscreen lotion
- Neutrogena Hand Cream Original
- Neutrogena Naturals lip balm
- Swisse Hand Cream
- Cedel Dry Shampoo
- Colgate Optic White toothpaste
- Clean and Clear Morning Burst skin brightening facial cleanser
- Sukin Facial Moisturiser
- Nivea Q10 anti wrinkle Night cream

Beauty in a bottle also posted about this on her blog if you are interested.

And all the samples!

My hair immediately after being curled

Look at all that makeup!

The hair end of the truck

Free magazines anyone?

Entering the truck

Welcome to the Priceline truck!

Makeup and nails