Urban Decay Ink for Eyes Cream Eyeliner - Demolition

Being young with no steady income (birthday money doesn't count, right?!) means that you learn to either save up for big purchases, or stick to drugstore/cheaper makeup that you can pick up with quite good mark downs when on sale. Though this does satisfy my appetite for makeup, being a beauty blogger means that I am well aware of all the gorgeous higher end products, and eventually you start to want products from the more glamorous brands like NARS, MAC, Benefit etc. One of those brands was Urban Decay and I was so lucky to get to try something out when Jen from The Shopping Queen held a giveaway and I won it!

I wasn't really all that sure of what I was getting...I knew it was an eyeliner from Urban Decay but I hadn't actually heard of the Ink for eyes eyeliner. You can imagine what I thought when it arrived - it is just so beautiful.

The packaging is incredible, both the box and the actual product. You can see that the box is a rich purple with vibrant blue and green metallic on the peacock. It's a work of art in itself. On the eyeliner it is a black outline on the silver plastic, and though it isn't perhaps as eye catching, I think it is still incredible.

The shape of the product itself is highly unusual, but amazing! Usually gel eyeliners are in circular little tubs, however this is in an elongated rectangle type shape with the top flipping up on a hinge to reveal the product, a double sided brush and a mirror. It's perfect. The only complaint I could make about this is that the shape of the mirror (being long and skinny) is a little bit useless for anything other than eyeliner.

I LOVE the brush, though the only eyeliner brush I had prior to this one was the brush supplied with the Maybelline gel liner (which I really liked too). It is so thin and angled and allows for the easiest application. I like my liner to be thin and subtle most of the time, and due to the precision that can be achieved using the Urban Decay brush it suits me well. The sponge on the other end, used for smudging, is not something that I really use though I imagine others would find it incredibly useful.

The eyeliner itself is in the shade Demolition, a dark brown without any shimmer or glitter. I find that it is quite creamy and therefor easy to apply but does not smudge or transfer throughout the day. It is very pigmented though it can be difficult to achieve the opacity you might expect when you are applying it to the lashline on the super thin brush. It lasts all day on my eyes with ease.

I have been using this non stop and it seems as though I have only made the tiniest dent in the product. I get the impression that this will last for a very long time.

For my first taste of Urban Decay, I am really impressed. I couldn't find this on their website so I have no idea how much it costs, but I imagine for Australians it wouldn't be cheap. I think the Maybelline gel liner (which I also have in brown) is pretty much the same, but the Urban Decay packaging trumps every other product I have ever seen.

I give this product 9 out of 10.

Behind the Blog - Sailor Klerr

To kick off YouReview's first ever, 'Behind the blog' series is Claire, an Australian blogger from over at Sailor Klerr. 

Claire's blog is a mixture of reviews, swatches, product comparisons, tags and lifestyle based posts. 

I asked Claire a number of questions and here is what she had to say about blogging, all things nautical and microbiology.

Why did you start blogging?

I was really interested in the blogging community, and wanted to join in! At first I wasn't really sure what direction I wanted to go in, as you can tell from my posts at the very start of my blog. I gave up for a while and then started reading and watching a lot of beauty bloggers and vloggers. I started to get into makeup and thought it would be really fun to start my own blog.

What is the significance of your blog name?

Klerr is a nickname a friend gave me a while ago, and I love all things nautical (except, ironically, actually being on a ship at sea) so adding Sailor seemed to fit.

What is your dream career/job?

I don't really have just one dream job. There are so many jobs that I'd love to do, including being a customs officer, a microbiologist and an epidimiologist. I do know I want to work in science though, and I've spent 3 years at uni working towards that.

What is one piece of advice you could give to a new blogger?

Don't be afraid! You need to be blogging for yourself, not anyone else. If you worry about who's going to read it, or follower numbers, you're going to have a bad time! Enjoy it, and write about whatever feels right for you.

Which type of makeup product do you tend to find yourself collecting the most?

Nail polish! I have so many already but I still find it hard to put down a colour if I find a nice one in the shops. My collection would be completely ridiculous now if it wasn't for the fact I need to save money for traveling. I really enjoy doing nail art though, so my collection is justifiable and used.

What is your go-to/HG lip product?

I have so many lip products I love, but my MAC lipsticks, particularly Angel, would probably be my most used and loved.

Thank you so much Claire for being part of the 'Behind the Blog' series. Please check Claire's blog out at http://sailor-klerr.blogspot.com.au/.

If you would like to nominate a blogger to be featured, please don't hesitate to let me know by emailing me at candiceyoureview@yahoo.com.

New Series - Behind the Blog

I love a good blogging series from time to time. When my 'What do you think?' Wednesdays series came to an end, I began thinking up another series that I could run on YouReview.

After much thought I realised that I wanted to give other bloggers a chance to get their name out there and showcase their blog. After all, one of the greatest things about blogging is getting to interact with other bloggers.

Every fortnight there will be a 'Behind the blog' post and a blogger and their blog will be featured.

The first ever 'Behind the blog' post will be posted tomorrow, so stay tuned!

If you want to nominate a blogger whose posts you love to read, please email me at 'candiceyoureview@yahoo.com.'

Beauty Advice for your 16 year old self

I started this blog back when I was 14 years old,  and to be honest I had no idea what I was doing whatsoever. I was hardly even into beauty, but I desperately wanted to start a blog and had an ever growing collection of about five lipbalms (strange how I though that was a lot back then and now it doesn't even rate on my radar in terms of my makeup collection!) and figured a lip balm review wouldn't be too hard to write.

Well, I was pretty appalling if I'm honest with you but I feel that I have grown a lot since then, certainly expanding my knowledge of makeup and beauty. Anyhow, back to the story! - as I do have a beauty blog, I notice other people's makeup more than anything else, and I think it is safe to say that many teens are prone to making horrible makeup mistakes.

If you could pass on some wisdom, what would you say? I myself am very conscious of my makeup and how I appear to the outside world...I cater my makeup for the occasion, that is for sure!

Were you victim to an awful makeup 'look' when you were 16? What should I stop myself from before it is too late! For those of you who are my age, what do you ensure that you never mess up when it comes to makeup?!

I would love to hear any horror stories you have to share!

NOTD - Revlon Nail Enamel in Graceful

I received this as a freebie, part of a Priceline beauty bag that I picked up when attending this awesome event.

This is the first Revlon nail product that I have ever tried and I am really impressed. Though it isn't a shade that I would usually go for, I actually found that I quite liked it and grew to appreciate it more and more as I wore it over time.

This certainly wasn't the case for everyone, and I did get many comments regarding the 'disgusting/ugly/weird coloured polish' on my nails, but I think it is acceptable and I shall continue to wear it.

I achieved what you can see in the photos using only one coat - very impressive! It also dries really quickly which is ideal for impatient people like myself who usually end up ruining their nails because they get so bored and use their hands before the polish is dry.

I don't think I would buy Revlon polishes because they are so much more expensive than brands like Ulta3 which I feel are equally effective. 

Mini Lancome Juicy Tubes

The word lipgloss has always, always, always meant 'Lancome Juicy tubes' to me, basically since I was born. I don't know why that is, especially because I never owned one - perhaps the first lipgloss I ever heard about or came across was a Juicy Tube - but even now, since my knowledge of lipgloss has expanded, that is still what the word lipgloss means to me.

You can imagine then, how excited I was to receive these three mini Lancome Juicy Tubes as part of Dawn's giveaway prize from 'See it, love it, swatch it.' Unfortunately they don't appear to have names, so I shall describe them to you. I did look the shades up on the website and guessed what they might be so please correct me if I am wrong.

1- Bright red with golden red shimmer dispersed throughout (Couldn't find a match but it looks most like Bolole)
2 - Pale pink with golden/slightly orange toned shimmer throughout, pearly finish (I think it is Dreamsicle)
3 - Bright medium pink with silver/blue toned shimmer throughout (I think it is Miracle)

First up is the packaging. To be honest, considering that Lancome is supposed to be a pretty respectable kind of brand, the packaging isn't all that impressive. It's nice and all but hardly anything to rave about. As is the case with every lipgloss, I struggle to get along with this squeezy tube type packaging, much preferring a doe foot applicator, but that's just personal preference.

As mentioned before, each of these glosses are jam packed with glitter - I'm talking to a crazy extent. For someone who isn't all that keen on the idea of blue glitter coated lips, this doesn't work all that well with me. I've tried to talk myself into loving the disco-ball feel of these glosses, but it's just not happening. Maybe if I was 5 years old I might be a little less apprehensive. Might.

So that little (uh, quite large actually) hurdle was a challenge to get over, but once having moved past that I got to the formula. Oh dear. I'm sorry Lancome Juicy Tubes, I really wanted to like you I really really did, but you didn't make it easy for me. Why must you be so sticky, thick and glitter filled?

Though they look so pigmented and different from one another in the tube, on the lips you can barely even tell the difference, they just all look exactly the same.

I hate to say it but I have to give these 3 out of 10.

What a shame. But you know what? I am still so glad that I own these iconic tubes of blue based glitter because if I didn't, I wouldn't be a real beauty blogger!

Honestly, I am glad I was so lucky to win these because now I know what Juicy tubes are actually like, and despite not getting on all that well with them, they still represent the word 'lipgloss' in my mind and I sure as hell won't be getting rid of them any time soon.

Have you tried any Lancome Juicy Tubes and did you have better luck?

Fundraising - Do you have any words of wisdom to donate?

Fundraising. The word strikes fear into my heart. Not because I'm a horrible person who cannot part with their cash, not at all. In fact, I donate money to charity and spend a heck of a lot of time volunteering and organising money making events within my school community. The reason the word fundraising causes me distress is when I'm the one running around asking for money. It is so hard.

Back in January, I believe, I spoke a little about the fact that I was excited about going on a school mission trip in July this year. As part of the deal we are expected to do a whole bunch of fundraising which has been fine and we have been doing very well. Until now.

We are holding a silent auction at a popular gathering our school holds annually. That's where it becomes tricky. I find it SO difficult to ask for money/donations and now I have to go around to all the local businesses and ask them to donate their good for the auction. I'm finding it impossibly difficult.

So, what is the purpose of this post? Well, I was wondering if any of you lovely ladies had done anything like this before and if you have any tips or advice you could give.

Is it worth me sending emails out to bigger companies or should I stick to little, local businesses? Are there any businesses renowned for making small donations or is it like drawing blood from a stone? Should I look for gift vouchers, food, services or any particular types of donations? What usually sells well at a silent auction?

Any advice would be of so much use because, as you can see, I have no idea what I am doing and to be honest the whole thing scares me to death!

Monthly Favourites - March

Believe it or not, it's time for another Monthly Favourites post!

This month it was ridiculously easy to pick which products needed to go in this post. I didn't have to spend more than a second considering any of these products.

Lips: For March my most used lip product has definitely been the Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie. I purchased this in the middle of March and have been wearing this every single day since. It is the most gorgeous Berry shade that isn't too dark or scary. The only problem I have with this is the crazy price in comparison to America, but I picked it up as part of a deal so it wasn't so bad.

Eyes: I was lucky enough to win an Urban Decay Ink for Eyes Eyeliner from Jen over at The Shopping Queen in the shade Demolition. Though I typically don't wear all that much eyeliner, I have worn this nearly every day because of the gorgeous formula and the incredible brush that is included. SO impressed.

Nails: I wrote a review on the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream that, again, I was lucky enough to win in a giveaway from Dawn over at See it, Love it, Swatch it. This is so effective at keeping my nails and cuticles moisturised and in good condition after being treated so very poorly!


Face: For face products, the only product that I have been using consistently on a regular basis is a new moisturiser of mine - the Simple Hydrating Moisturiser. It is light weight but gets the job done and is also free of all the nasty things that you wouldn't want to be part of your skincare. I'm very pleased with this new change to my skin care routine.

Other: Last but not least is the 'other' category. I chose to feature this pair of shoes because they are literally all that I wear these days! As they are simple black flats they go with everything and even better is that I can pick them up from Rubi shoes between $5-$10. Excellent!

YouReview has a product directory

I've seen a couple of blogger develop a 'Product Directory' on their blog lately and figured it would be a good idea to do the same.

Basically it is just a list of every product I have ever reviewed here on YouReview in one easy to find list. You can find it as one of the tabs where the pages are found, just under my blog banner.

I have found other people's product directories very useful, and I hope you do too because this list took me a ridiculously long time to compile!

Feel free to let me know if any of the links are faulty.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - Romantic

I love lip crayons/sticks/balm stains/whatever you wish to call them. I don't know what it is about them that make them so much more appealing than any other lip product, but given the choice I will always, always turn to one of these over a lipstick, gloss, or even a traditional lip balm. I love them.

The Face of Australia lip crayons (see comparison swatches at bottom of post) are just about the greatest things in the world and so when I saw that Revlon had come out with a similar product, I knew I had to have one.

I picked up the shade in Smitten, choosing to select a colour that I wouldn't normally go for in the hopes of adding a slightly different shade to my collection as opposed to yet another (though beautiful and much loved) mid-toned pink.

Smitten is a beautiful shade and I am pleased that I purchased it, however I found that I wasn't getting much use out of it because I didn't feel it was particularly wearable in an everyday scenario. When Priceline was having a sale where Revlon lip products were 'buy one, get one free' I picked up the Revlon lip butter in Berry Smoothie and this Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in Romantic, a bright red. An everyday kind of colour? Not at all. What on Earth was I thinking?!

As soon as I got home I realised that I had probably made a mistake in selecting the shade Romantic. I feared that this, like Smitten, would be used very rarely due to the fact that it is bright red but it is just so gorgeous and so far I seem to be able to pull off. It is a little different to the lip crayon from Face of Australia in Macaron, with Romantic being more warmed toned with a slight hint of orange.

In case you haven't used the Revlon Kissable Balms stains before, they are chunky balms with a tapered end that are highly pigmented and have a strong minty scent. I myself don't like the scent (fruity/sugary scents are what I am a fan of but I really don't like mint!) but it is tolerable and fades over time. 

The packaging of the balm is just gorgeous - they look much like the Clinique Chubby Sticks with their coloured packaging (corresponding to the shade of the balm) and the twist up silver end. 

As mentioned, I consider the pigmentation to be remarkably high considering it isn't a lipstick, rather a tinted balm. Having said this, you are able to sheer this out or build it up as you please, so it is a fairly versatile product. The only problem with the pigmentation is that, unlike my FOA lip crayons, I have to pay attention and use a mirror when applying this. 

These are a little drying but it isn't a major problem for me as I apply lip balm before (and sometimes after) using this product anyway.

I think the most impressive aspect of this balm, however, is its lasting power. I am not joking when I say that it lasts about 5 hours before I feel that it has completely worn off, and that includes eating and drinking in the meantime. It really is a lip stain, and the more pigmented colours like Romantic and Smitten do stick like glue. You really have to commit to wearing these for a whole day because once they're on your lips, they aren't coming off! 

I am very glad that I have discovered these Revlon Kissable Balm stains because in terms of ticking all the boxes that I have when it comes to lip products, aside from the scent and price, these check them all. I still think that the Face of Australia lip crayons are my absolute favourite, but these follow very closely behind. 

They do cost $17.95, which is cheaper than Revlon's other lip products like the lip butters and lipsticks, but still more expensive than most other 'drugstore' brands. 

I give this 9 out of 10. 

L-R: Revlon Kissable Balm Stain Romantic
Face of Australia Lip Crayon Macaron

L-R: Revlon KBS Romantic, Revlon KBS Smitten,
FOA lip crayon Sundae, FOA lip crayon Cupcake, FOA lip
crayon Macaron