Raving about makeup, skincare, hair and other little obsessions... A Beauty Blog

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Keira Knightley-esque Smokey Eye Makeup Tutorial



Hello, everyone! So as promised, here's the Keira Knightley Smokey Eye Makeup Tutorial that I filmed. I have a couple more tutorials planned and hopefully they will be up next month before I go into exam period. Anyway, I hope you like it!





Products used:
1. Essence Smokey Eyes Set in 02 Punk Vibe
2. Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Eyeliner
3. Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara
4. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Beige
5. Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 008 Cashmere
6. MAC lash #32
7. Urban Decay Naked Palette (eyeshadow in Virgin)




If you have any feedback, please feel free to leave it in the comments below!


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Thursday, September 26, 2013

HG Search: Skin Care Trial #1 - Burt's Bees and Jurlique

Sorry for being MIA guys! My academic life has been hectic and it unfortunately still is. I promise this does not mean that I'll be posting less frequently. I will do my best to schedule posts. I will be uploading my Keira Knightley Smokey Eye Makeup Tutorial tonight and then have it live on Saturday for your viewing pleasure.

I've trialled the following products for more than a month. I'm in search of my Holy Grail skin care routine. So I'll be reviewing more skin care products during my journey. Anyway, let's jump straight into this review!




Burt's Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser 
Claims: "contains jojoba beads to gently exfoliate the skin for a natural healthy glow. Encourages normal skin cell turnover leaving skin soft and brighter with added radiance."
RRP: AUD24.95
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Review:  This is a very light and gentle. It's ineffective at removing makeup. This is more for those who like it natural and organic. I have no issues with it except it's too gentle for my liking. I need something stronger to really clean out my pores. I do like that you can twist the pump to lock and unlock so it's excellent for travelling. The product is quite runny and the jojoba beads are quite scanty. Perhaps that's a good thing because it's not meant to be a scrub. It's a gentle cleanser after all. This product unfortunately, has not made any difference to my skin. Definitely no added radiance noticed.



Burt's Bees Radiance Toner 
Claims: "contains a blend of cleansing and softening ingredients to gently purify and tone the skin. Removes lingering traces of cleanser and any trapped dirt, oil and make-up leaving skin feeling fresh and radiant."
RRP: AUD24.95
Packaging: 4 out of 5
Review: Like its matching cleanser, this toner is very gentle. I feel it has not made any difference to my skin either. The packaging isn't as great as the cleanser. The product leaks whenever I put it in a makeup bag and travel with it. I will not be "repurchasing" this duo. Thank goodness, they came free. It was from the Blogstar 2012 prize pack that I won. Otherwise, I would have felt like I wasted my money.



Jurlique Balancing Day Care Cream 
Claims: "lightweight, moisturising cream formulated to help minimise the visible signs of ageing. smooth, silky and easily absorbed into the skin."
RRP: AUD50/AUD87 for 40mL/125mL
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Review: This is a thick moisturiser. If you're thinking of buying/using this product, I strongly suggest you press the product onto your skin rather than spreading it over your face like a standard moisturiser. Otherwise, you'd end up dragging your skin and create wrinkles. This cream protects my face from drying out. However, it does not infuse any extra moisture that I crave. My skin was just okay. I want a moisturiser than makes my skin extra smooth and soft.

I cannot tell you if this product has actually been protecting my skin from environmental damage. I haven't noticed any difference in my skin. Maybe I have not been using it long enough but at my age, I'd have to stick to this product for another 20 years before I can safely announce its efficacy in minimising signs of ageing. This is also another product that I got for free (it was a gift with purchase). I've stopped using this cream as a moisturiser for my face. Recently, I've been using it as a hand cream and I must admit that my dry hands love it! Too bad it's pricey so it won't be sustainable for me and my bank account to keep using this product as a hand cream.


Do you have any Holy Grail Skin Care products? Please do share!

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Sunday, September 15, 2013

Minimalist Makeup Tutorial

Hey everyone! I decided to film a "minimalist makeup tutorial". I wanted it up yesterday but video editing and uploading took forever. So apologies for the delay!



This is how I normally do my makeup when I'm in the hurry in the morning. It takes ten minutes max to complete the look, which is very fast for me considering I usually take an hour when I do my makeup properly.




Here's a list of the products that I used:

1. Benefit Benetint
2. Rimmel London 9-in-1 BB Cream in Light
3. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Beige
4. Shiseido Eyelash Curler
5. Benefit BadGal Lash Mascara
6. Rimmel London Stay matte Pressed Powder in Cashmere
7. RealTechniques Multitask Brush
8. Urban Decay Naked Palette Eyeshadow (Virgin)


What do you think of this look? Will you give it a try?

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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Blog Sale

Hey everyone, instead of throwing these products out, I thought I might just check with you guys in case you want them. For most of them, all you have to do is pay for the postage and it's yours. This blog sale is only open to Australian residents.

If you're interested in getting any of the products listed below, please email me at ty.blog.epi@gmail.com



5 Strips left in each. Just pay for postage.




More than 3/4 left. Just pay for postage. 




Used only once (both). $3 + postage. 




Used approx. 5 times. More than 3/4 left. Just pay for postage. 




Used approx. 7 times. More than 3/4 left. $10 + postage. 




Used only once. Just pay for postage. 



Unopened. $5 + postage. 



Used approx. 10 times. Just pay for postage. 


Friday, September 6, 2013

Tag Week: 5 Things You Didn't Know About Me

Source: 7yaks.wordpress.com

A big thanks to Sandy from Eyes for Makeup, who tagged me to do a "Get to Know Me" type post. Absolutely love your questions, Sandy. I enjoyed answering them!

1.What do you do outside blogging? Work, study, chase pigeons?
I'm studying Medicine at uni.

2. Do you have any special talents like singing or burping the alphabet?
I wish I had a special talent. I'm not aware of any. I think the closest one would be "being bossy".

3. If you could be any animal, what would you be?
I'd like to be a dog. Either a Labrador or Golden Retriever or a Border Collie. They are such happy and lovable dogs! If not, I'd be an alpaca. They are sooo adorable!

4. If you could only eat 3 things for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Wow. This is hard. If I have to be practical about it, I'd choose fish, broccoli and corn. I'm probably taking this question too literally.

5. Do you feel like you don't have enough, have enough or have wayyyy too much makeup?
I think I have enough makeup. Probably more than enough. I can't help but want more though...

I tag

Michelle from Michelle's Little Beauty Space
Alice from Alice Jane in Newcastle
Amy from Bottled Beauty
Kerri from Beauty & Things
Ms Jelena from Ms Jelena's Blog


Here are my 5 questions:
1. What's your favourite makeup product at the moment?
2. Apart from blogging, is there anything else that you do as a hobby?
3. If a genie appeared and would grant you one wish, what would that one wish be?
4. Would you rather have an amazing wardrobe of clothes and shoes or an amazing makeup/beauty collection? Choose one only.
5. If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?


Even if you haven't been tagged, please feel free to answer these questions in the comments section below or make a post on your blog!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Tag Week: Liebster Award

Source: livecolorful.com

Hey guys, I was tagged by Court from Made in Marcelle to answer 10 questions as part of the Liebster Award. Sorry, Court, I did not mean to take so long to post this! 


1. What is your very first makeup product you owned?

Lip gloss. My mum gave me a deluxe sample tube. I think it was a Lancome one. 

2. Five things that are currently on your beauty wishlist?

MAC Fix +, Beauty Blender sponge, OCC Lip Tars, anything from Charlotte Tilbury's Makeup Collection, and TheBalm Bahama Mama.

3. What type of beauty blog posts or beauty YouTube videos you enjoy reading/ watching?

Definitely tutorials. I love learning knew things. 

4. What is the most expensive makeup you own?

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation 

5. Favourite lip balm?

Have yet to find one. But if I really must put one down, it'd be Bobbi Brown's. 

6. What do you use to apply your foundation? Hand, sponge, or brush?

Hands, most of the time. Brush, sometimes. 

7. What is your holy grail mascara?

Have yet to find one. Best to date is Clinique's High Impact mascara. 

8. Do you prefer the dewy look or the matte look? 

Dewy, all the way! 

9. Tell me your one favourite drugstore brand product and one high-end brand product.

Currently: Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer and Urban Decay Naked Palette 

10. What is the biggest beauty mistake you've made?

Packing on photo finish powder under my eyes with my finger! You can read about it here.


Here are my 10 questions
1. Favourite skincare product.
2. Name three makeup products you cannot live without.
3. What do you invest more time, energy and money in: nails or hair?
4. Which celebrity do you draw the most beauty inspiration from?
5. Do you prefer to sleep in or get up early to do your makeup?
6. What do you love most about blogging?
7. If you could be an ambassador for a beauty brand, which one would it be?
8. Which part of the face do you enjoy doing makeup on the most? (Eyes, lips, cheeks?)
9. If you could only choose one, would it be brains or beauty?
10. If you're given $200 to spend on a high-end beauty product, what would it be?


I am tagging
Valentine at Valentine the Blog
Sarah at Glamourpussgirl
Stephanie at Luxury on the Lips
Sarah at breathebeauty
Claire at Claire de Blog


Rules for Liebster Award 
You must link back the person who nominated you. 
You must answer the 10 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you. 
You must pick 5 bloggers to be nominated for the award with under 200 followers.
You must come up with 10 questions for your nominees to answer. 
You must go to their blogs and notify your nominees.