Napoleon Perdis NP Set

Today's review is the NP Set  Lash and Dash, which includes the black mascara and lip gloss palette.

In my excitement I actually put away the mascara and only took a good look at the lip gloss (who can blame me, I am a total lip product lover!) I later on found the mascara, gave it a go and decided to do a review on it.

The lipgloss is in sturdy little packaging which is simple yet classy. It has three colours, (none are named) all of which at first glance I believe would suit pretty much anyone and are not all that outrageous. It comes with two brushes (on on each end). The brushes are okay, but they are not amazing. I really like the mirror that is included, because not only is it useful for applying the lipglosses, but for applying the mascara too.

Not sure what happened on the right, but at least you can
get an idea of the colours

The lipglosses smell sweet and yummy. They all have the same scent. I thought they would all be reasonably vibrant in colour, however they are all super sheer and when on the lips there isn't much variation in the colours, which is why I didn't take any photos of how they looked on my lips (all quite similar) The red gloss does give a bit of a stained look which is a nice subtle hint of red. I included swatches on my hand which indicate how sheer these glosses are.

Pink, Orange, Red

These lipglosses aren't my favourite because they are quite sheer, but they aren't too bad. Had they been a little more pigmented it would have made all the difference. They were slightly sticky on my lips and slightly drying but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a good lip balm. I give the lipglosses 6 out of 10.

The mascara on the other hand, was much better. I know others hated the size of the brush, but I myself loved it. Because it is so small it is super easy to carry around, and it is great for applying mascara to those tiny lashes on the inner corners of your eyes. It is non clumpy which is something that I really look for in a mascara, and goes on smoothly. It stays on well and doesn't flake off too much. It isn't waterproof which isn't great for me, but others who are fine with that will like it. When you take the wand out of the tube, there is no excess mascara you have to wipe off, so it is really good. I was way more impressed with the mascara than I was with the lipgloss! I give the mascara 8 out of 10.

Maybelline Eye studio Eyeliner - Brown

  Don't you love freebies?! I got this eyeliner out of a magazine in the colour brown.

Let me tell you a little secret...I am terrified of gel and liquid eyeliner. Why? Because no matter how hard I try, I cannot master it. I have read so many ways to apply it and watched more videos than you can count, but it never EVER works. Ever. But, once again I tried my hardest to create something that I could actually go out in public wearing, and believe it or not I am relatively happy with it.

 I applied a little of the gel to my upper lash line with severe difficulty. Yep, I spent ages and ages trying to make it neat, straight, thin and as close as possible to my lashes. I think I did pretty well considering the trouble I normally have. I am aware that you can barely see it, but for my first shot (okay, maybe fourth or fifth shot!) it looks alright. I now want to try building it up and making it a bit more obvious so that my eyes are a little more defined.


By the way, the spot at the back is actually a freckle -
not the eyeliner!



The brush that comes with the gel is actually pretty good. Its bristles are stiff so that you can make a nice line with it. Usually the brushes that you get with the product are awful, but this one was the exception.

The gel itself is odd, it's not overly pigmented and doesn't glide on nicely. It kind of goes a bit powdery, but I think that is because I didn't really have much product on the brush. It works well enough though, and (once you can master it) looks good. I know that you can get it in blackest black as well, and I have heard that it comes in charcoal and eggplant (grey and purple) but I'm not sure if you can get them in Australia (I haven't seen those colours myself).

Okay, this is NOT the best picture (all the colours are funny)
 but you can see the eyeliner.
I am not wearing any mascara (obviously)



No mascara, no eyeshadow.
It appears as if there is no eyeliner, but as the above photo
indicates, there is.



The eyeliner is waterproof and really does stay on your eyes all day. The only problem with this is that it is hard to get off if you make a mistake while applying it (like me!). I am a waterproof fan so this really suited me.

Would I purchase this again, or recommend it? I don't think I would spend money on it (it is actually quite expensive in my opinion) but as a freebie I consider it to be worthwhile. If it was cheaper I would buy this. I think I am going to give this product 7 out of 10.

*I might be using this eyeliner in some upcoming posts, so hopefully when I get better at applying it you can see what it looks like when I do it a bit thicker!

Nivea - Light Kiss

I haven't posted in days (yet it feels like months!) and I have missed it so much!

This is such a bizarre product, I don't even know how to explain it but I'm going to try anyway. It is advertised as being "surprising light care for beautiful silky lips, with lotus and almond."

Okay, it has this foamy, mousse, watery kind of texture yet little gritty bits are present in it. I'm not sure if the gritty bits are intentional or whether something just went wrong, but whatever it is, it's very weird. When you apply it to your lips it's cooling and refreshing (menthol like) with little lumpy bits. Seconds later it has all soaked in and you can't feel anything - even the gritty bits are gone. Gosh it's weird. The cooling sensation lasts about ten seconds. It's feel watery yet dry at the same time...I must be making you all utterly confused. It does feel silky. Seriously, I cannot explain it!

It has a kind of pearly sheen, bordering on leaving a little hint of white residue. People who have dark lips will find it to be white at first, but it turns out alright after a little bit. Those whose lips are naturally light may find that this makes them look washed out.

I did get this product for less than half the price that all the others cost, and now I can understand why. It's just so...odd!

It has a smell that is kind of like vanilla ice-cream, soap and a slight hint of chemicals. I do like it, it has a sweet smell which is lovely.

A review I read suggested to use it as a lip primer - I did and it was very good. It was a nice base. I don't know if I was imagining it but it felt as though my lips were a lot silkier with this as a primer.

I wouldn't recommend this product for someone who has chapped lips and is looking to fix them, but as a lip primer and a base for lip glosses or lip sticks, I would say it is a worthwhile product to have (if you don't have a lip primer). I give this product 5 out of 10.

Beauty Heroes

I'm really interested in everyones' response to this post. It's all about your beauty heroes.

I was talking to my friends about this recently, and they all had someone who they looked up to in the beauty world, whether it be a family member (I really, really want an older sister! Unfortunately it's not going to happen!), celebrity or even someone who they didn't know but saw on the bus everyday to school as a child!

Me? I have a couple of people that I stand in awe of in the beauty world.

Sarah Tarca, Aussie girl from Adelaide, ex beauty editor in the Australian teen magazine 'Girlfriend' (she has just recently become the editor!) has to be my number one beauty hero. Not because she is stunningly gorgeous (she is very beautiful though!), not because she is the editor of a magazine (a job I am fascinated by!), not because she owns all the lipglosses I want (so jealous!) but because she is hilarious, has the most amazing writing style and makes even the worst beauty products totally loveable. Every month I would buy the magazine so I could flick to her page where she jams as much goodness in that her word limit can handle. Oh, I wish she would write her own beauty magazine! She is brilliant!


A collage I made from magazine pictures of Sarah Tarca!

She is totally fearless when it comes to beauty and tries every crazy, insane beauty product known to man. And, even better, like me she is a lover of natural beauty and thinks makeup should enhance not cover up! I think that fact that she is not a famous celebrity also makes her more like the girl next door, who you love and can relate to in every way. Could she be any better?! I don't think so!

In the glamorous celebrity world, I love Emma Watson and Blake Lively. Both of them are stunningly gorgeous and always look amazing. Ahhhh....

I love how they have such natural beauty - they both look so lovely without makeup. The last photo of Blake is an example of that. She uses some gorgeous makeup to enhance her eyes but gosh does she look good!

Emma is very much the same, whilst the photo of her with the coat looks awesome, she looks just as stunning in the close up photo with little makeup.



The beautiful Emma Watson



And of course, how could I forget Mum, who introduced me to this crazy world and put up with me spending hours buying more (more!) lipbalms to add to my growing collection.

I would love to hear who your beauty heroes are, or who you think has amazing natural beauty.



Emma Watson



Blake Lively - how lovely is a smile!



This is such a gorgeous photo of Blake!



NAK Biomarine complex - Diamond Polish

I got this product from a voucher in a magazine. I didn't really know what to expect from it, but I was never really sure what to do with it. It sat on my dressing table for about a year until I finally decided I was either going to use it or chuck it out. 

I looked into it a bit, and discovered that it was very good for taming crazy hair that just won't stay put.

I have a lot of trouble with the hair around my ears. From front on, it actually sticks out the side of my head and makes me look pretty ridiculous. This stuff smooths all the crazy hair down and keeps it there for a long time.

At first it feels weird and greasy, and when you put it on it goes all slick and wet but it dries pretty quickly and looks nice and smooth and not too slimy.

It claims to moisturise your hair as well, which would be nice if it did (I can't comment on this one because I can't tell any difference). It is Australian made and is not tested on animals and is good for all hair types.

It's not an amazing, brilliant product that has stunned me, but it is good for summer when your hair goes a little crazy and you can just slip it into your beach bag for when you go somewhere nice after a day at the beach.

It did make my hair feel so soft and lovely though. 

I would give this product 6 out of 10. 

Whoops, almost forgot to add the picture of the actual product!

Impulse - Tease (old version)

I found the old version of Impulse tease in the back corner of a two dollar shop. In case you don't know, I have a massive love for body sprays, so I just couldn't resist purchasing it.

I am not all that fond of the packaging on the version that I have, but I really love the smell. It's a sickly green colour with a flower shape filled with pink eyes on a blue background. Yep, it's not my favourite looking body spray, that's for sure!

I love the smell - it's fruity and delicious, and has a hint of a kind of beachy smell. It's very fresh. The scent itself is not described on the can, but I would call it a zesty, flirty kind of smell. It sort of has a bit of a pineapple kind of hint to it too.

The name kind of describes it, but I think they could have come up with something better.

I am interested to see whether the new version of it is the same scent, because the packaging is so much more tasteful.

What it smells like: Fruit, Pineapple, A bit like the beach (kind of), freshness
Where I would wear it: To a party or music festival
Who would wear it: Someone fresh with good ideas, bubbly, fun and exciting
Season and time to wear it: Spring during the day

I give this spray 8 out of 10.

BYS blush in Candyfloss

The range BYS is a really, really cheap brand of makeup. I find their products to be a bit hit and miss - sometimes they make something that is really amazing, other times its so dodgy you never ever want to to see the stuff ever again. This blush was somewhere in the middle. Some of their products are like dress-up makeup for three year olds! Then you might find something classy! It's very unpredictable.

This blush was really crazy cheap and therefore I expected it to be of a really dodgy quality, (I late found out it was soooo cheap because it was on sale) but I actually found it to be okay. You get 5 grams of the stuff, which seemed to last a long time for me.

I think there are six colours in the range, and I think another one would have suited me better, but all up Candyfloss worked alright for my skin tone.

It has a shimmery kind of finish to it, rather than a matte finish. It's not all that pigmented, but it can easily be built up to give a nice look - although a little too much and it looks stupid (it's a fine line between too little and too much!). It's not all that long lasting, so I wouldn't trust it to last from morning until night.

I didn't really like the packaging because I found that it just spread everywhere! All the fallout went all over my stuff. The packaging looked okay though.

I probably wouldn't repurchase this because it's not amazing, but it does the job. I actually haven't found my 'perfect' blush yet but I am definitely on the lookout! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 I give this product 6 out of 10.

Why I love a good makeup-free day

I know most of my friends are horrified when I mention a makeup free day. Now, just to get this clear, when I say no makeup, I mean no makeup. Don't try and sneak in a lick of mascara, and you over there, take off that blush! I can tell you're wearing foundation, and stop trying to smuggle in that lippie! Nope, when I say makeup free, I mean going totally bare faced, facing the world head on with nothing to protect you now!

No!" they yell in sheer horror. "I couldn't possibly even consider the idea of not wearing (insert favourite makeup product here)! That would be terrible, awful, the most horrible thing in the entire world!"

Well, I brave a makeup free day as often as possible, because you know what? It makes me feel so much better.

Yes, for those of you who live life with makeup by your side, it can seem pretty scary not wearing makeup. I know how it feels, especially when a great pimple has decided to set up camp on your face and it seems like your face is home to an enormous mountain range, but by steering clear of the makeup for a day, it really puts things in perspective.

Every time I leave the foundation alone, I realise that my skin isn't actually that bad. Sure, blemishes will always be a problem, but in the scheme of things, I have no wrinkles (Another reason why I'm glad I'm still young!) and it's actually not too bad.

By not wearing makeup you rediscover all the things you love about yourself. For instance, my eyes are actually pretty good on their own! And my nails look lovely without a lick of polish!

You also get a good look at your starting base and it inspires you to try out new makeup looks. You see, when I apply makeup I always put on the same stuff everyday. By not wearing makeup I see that maybe a new lip colour would look nice, or how about trying some new eyeshadow. It inspires me to try out some new stuff.

Another good thing about wearing no makeup is that when you go to put some on the next day, you realise how beeeeeautiful you do look when you wear it! That mascara does wonders to your lashes! And that lipgloss you were going to chuck out actually makes you look gorgeous!

So, next time you get inspired to take off the makeup, I say 'go for it!' because it really does work its magic.



A picture I took of the sun through the clouds
 - totally irrelevant but beautiful all the same!



Maybelline Salon Expert - Born with it

I was given this nail polish for a birthday from a lovely friend who knew my taste in nail polishes exactly! Yep, I love the colour of this nail polish so much. It's a pastel pink that is just gorgeous and compliments everything I wear. It's soooo beautiful and natural. Ahhhhh....

Problems? Yes. I found it very difficult to apply because it went on very streaky. It was shocking, actually, because no matter how hard you tired you just couldn't get even coverage. Once it dried a little, it did improve, but even so it wasn't wonderful.

It also seemed to take an incredibly long time to dry. I'm not sure if this is because of the fact that my new obsession with the Rimmel London 60 second drying nail polish has increased my expectations, but whatever it is, it takes a very long time to dry.

I will include quite a few photos of this one, because I want you to be able to see what it looks like after it dries. I wore three coats and I was almost tempted to do a fourth, except that I thought that was a bit stupid - it should be okay with three!

I liked the brush that came with it, it might just be me but I found it to be flatter and thicker than usual which I liked.

About two hours after I applied it when I went to get my memory card out of my camera, it put a huge dent in the polish on one of my nails. Thankfully I had already taken the photo, but I am disappointed! Argh!

Well, I went to bed about four hours after applying it. Next morning I woke up and found that every single one had smudged and was totally ruined. It was awful. Needless to say I cannot comment on how long it lasted on my nail nor how chip resistant it was, because I took it off straight away. So disappointing!

I loved the colour of this so much, but the actual polish was shocking. I am surprised that Maybelline would make somthing as terrile as this! I am curious to see whether a top coat would make any difference, but until then, unfortunately I must give this product only 1 out of 10.

I've won an award!

I have some really exciting news! I've been awarded the 'Tell me about yourself award!' For me this is incredible...Apart from the fact that I have no idea about anything in the blogging world, it's nice to know that someone actually likes my blog! Thankyou so much 'Addicted to makeup' for awarding me with this. Whoever is reading this should honestly go check out http://makeuplolovers.blogspot.com/ because much like me she is new to the blogging world. She is wonderful!

Rules for this Award
1. Thank the person who awarded it to you and give a link back to their blog.
2. Write 7 random facts about yourself.
3. Then spread the love and award to 7 other bloggers.

Okay...7 random facts about me!

1) My favourite time of the year is definitely SUMMER!
2) I think yellow is a happy colour - I use that to my advantage!
3) I do not like the soft drink Coke
4) I love reading and I love nature
5) I keep every nice letter or note I have ever received
6) I prefer to write in pencil rather than pen
7) Whilst I like (actually, LOVE) chocolate, I would choose mixed lollies first any day!

And now I would like to give this award to seven other bloggers who are truly amazing!

1) Nivedita - I can't thank this girl enough! One of my very first followers she is so lovely and has a brilliant blog! http://makeupandchitchat.blogspot.com/
2) Oh you Pretty things - To put it simply, her blog is full of pretty things! Check it out! http://ohhyouprettything.blogspot.com/
3) Hannah - This Aussie girl has an aweome blog called Beauty Down Under. Check out her reviews. http://aussiebeautyreviews.blogspot.com/
4) The glamour girls - These girls know what they are talking about! I love the idea of a joint blog!
http://theglamourgirls1.blogspot.com/
5) Marla - A lovely makeup blog! She's not afraid of any makeup look!
http://marlaandmakeup.blogspot.com/
6) Beautyfully inspired - A blog full of beautiful things!
http://beautyfullyinspired.blogspot.com/
7) Leah - Leah not only has a great blog but cool videos too!
http://leahs-land.blogspot.com/
8) Kate - 'Live laugh love makeup' is a relatively new blog, but is great all the same.
http://livelaughlovemake-up.blogspot.com/

I gave it to 8 bloggers, but hopefully that is okay! Thanks again 'Addicted to Makeup!'