Matte Lip Creams; Swatches and Comparisons

At the moment, in the makeup world, there has been an insurgence of lip creams, glosses and stains. These are really good if you want a bright opaque colour, but don't like to reapply every hour or so. They are a great way to finish off any outfit, by either making it a stand out point, or matching it to an aspect of your outfit.

I have 3 Australis Velour Lips and 2 Lime Crime Velvetines that I am going to swatch and compare for you today. In my personal opinion, Velour Lips are a cheaper alternative to Velvetines, as they retail for about $15 whereas Velvetines are about $30.

Both brands are great if you are trying to abstain from purchasing cruel products, as they are both against animal testing. I'm not sure if either brand is completely vegan, but at least they are one step closer to being vegan.

I'm going to swatch Lime Crime first, as I only have 2. I also find that Velvetines are a much thinner formula than Australis. With every swatch, I'm going to include a photo with flash, and without so that you can get a better idea of what the colours look like.

The first colour is Utopia. It is a bright purple colour with pink, or warm, undertones. This formula is quite thin and I find two coats is perfect.

With Flash

Without Flash

The next colour is Wicked. Wicked is a dark, vampy red. This is thicker in formula than Utopia and only requires one good coat.

With Flash

Without Flash

The first Australis colour is called Rio'D. It's a very bright, even neon, orange. I find that the formula for these are very thick, and can be quite drying.

No Flash

With Flash

Second is called Ma-Li-Boo. This colour is a very bright pink. Its quite a true pink in my opinion, as I can't see it swaying towards warmer or cooler tones.

With Flash

Without Flash

Lastly, we have Ny-Cee. This is a real 50s pin-up kind of red. A lighter version to Lime Crime's Wicked. It's definitely blue based rather than orange.

With Flash

Without Flash

I hope this post helped you out with the different matte lip products you can get. This is just comparing two different brands, but there are countless more out there on the market. If you liked this post, let me know and I can see what other lip swatches and comparisons I can do.

Shannen xx
Photos taken on a Canon 600D
18-55mm lens used
PicMonkey.com used to edit photos

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First Impression: SugarBaby Natural Self Tan Cream

On my recent trip to Wellington I purchased some SugarBaby. I've always been as pale as a vampire and I wanted to try some tanning stuff. I got mine from a shop in Queensgate. I forget what it's called, Cosmetic Plus or something. They were having a closing down sale so I got this at 40% off. I payed $18 for it I think. 

I spent about 10 minutes trying to decide which one I wanted because they have a massive line of fake tan. Because I am a beginner at all things golden and glowing, I picked the cream because all you had to do was apply it like a moisturiser. It only takes 3 hours to develop so I would know quite quickly if it went too dark for my liking or what not. This specific product only last 3 days before you need to reapply which is another reason I grabbed it, in case I didn't like it. 

Before I go into how I feel about the products, I'm going to chick in some before and after photos. 

The very first thing I have to say about SugarBaby is that they do not test on animals. This is a super thumbs up for me. The second thing is that this stuff smells like hot cross buns. And it's awesome. 

I love this stuff. It's the perfect darkness for my naturally pale ass skin. It's not too orange, not too yellow. It's perfect. It actually looks like I've been sitting on a beach on holiday somewhere when in reality I stood in front of my mirror and spread lotion all over my body. I am currently on the second day(?). I applied it yesterday morning. So one shower later, it's still nice and tan, albeit a little bit lighter. 

I highly recommend this stuff if you want to get into self tanning, but you're unsure about how dark you wanna be or how to do it. This is super easy to apply, and super hard to stuff up. 

Definitely has a 10/10 from me. I'll keep you guys updated on how long it lasts on my body. 

Shannen xx

Photos edited on fotor.com

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China Glaze Nail Polish Swatches and Impression

From L-R: White On White, Liquid Leather, Platinum Silver, Nova, Bridezilla

Now I think nail polish is the perfect accessory to finish of any outfit and because of this, nail polish has a small spot in my heart. I have a very large collection of nail polish, sadly hidden away in a massive hat box.

For christmas, I added to this collection. I received 5 colours from a China Glaze range that I now forget the name of. They are a white, black, sheer pink, silver and a glitter. All of these colours are amazing. The silver is crazy opaque and you only really need one coat of it. The white is also super opaque too, but two coats is needed for this to make it super white. The pink is nice and sheer, which is great when I don't really want much on my nails. It has a slight glitter reflect in it which is amazing. The glitter is a silver sparkle which coats the nails in so much glitter it's basically opaque. I paired this with the silver polish underneath, but I don't think it's even necessary.

First up we have Liquid Leather. This colour was super opaque after about 3 coats. It's also super shiny. This was taken without a top coat on.

Secondly is Bridezilla. As you can see, it's a very sheer shade that only adds a slight hint of colour and sparkle.

This is my favourite shade in the collection. Platinum Silver was opaque after the first coat but you see it here with two coats.

This last one shows both White on White and Nova. I did this because I never wore the glitter on it's own. The white was fully opaque after two coats. Nova was on top of Platinum Silver and has two coats of glitter.

Hope you enjoyed this!

If you did like it, let me know below!

Also, let me know if you wanna see more of this type of posts (:

Shannen xx

Photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used

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First Impression: L'Oreal Paris Voluminous False Fiber Lashes

For christmas, I got this L'Oreal Paris Mascara and Eyeliner set. It comes with a full size Voluminous False Fiber Lashes, a pencil sharpener and a mini Kajal like eyeliner. I haven't used the eyeliner, as I'm not much of a pencil eyeliner wearer, but if you want to see a first impression, or a video of me using it, just let me know. 

So today, I am bringing to you a first impression of the Voluminous False Fiber Lashes in Black. I'm not sure if it's waterproof or not, but when I got in the shower at the end of the night and started washing my face, it was quite easy to remove with just water. 

The wand on this mascara is long. Its not crazy fat and round like some mascaras, but its not super thin either. I think it's the perfect size to do both top and bottom lashes. The actual product inside the tube is very black, and quite thick. The best way I can describe it is gloopy, but its not clumpy. I didn't notice any type of clumping. 

I took photos before I applied the mascara, after one coat, after two coats and then a final one 12 hours later. 

I only normally wear mascara with one coat, just because my eyelashes are quite long, so if  I wear more, they just get out of control. So for scientific reasons, I showed two coats so everyone can see what it's like. 

I loved this mascara. There was no smudging under my eyes. It was still as black as when I applied it in the morning. The only thing I have to say is that after 12 hours the curl in my lashes did straighten out.  I was super impressed with this mascara, to the point I now wear it everyday. 

If you've tried this mascara, let me know what you though about it in the comments below 

Also, let me know if you liked this First Impression post and whether or not you'd like to see more. 

Any feedback would be appreciated!

Shannen xx

Photos taken on a Canon 600D

18-55mm lens used

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My Beauty and Fashion Idols

 These are people who I watch daily, and always check for new videos or blog posts. They are definitely a huge inspiration to me and why I started this blog up, and why I started my YouTube as well.

As I am way more into clothes and fashion than makeup, I'm going to start with my three fashion idols.

My Fashion Idols:

My number one fashion idol, or even my favourite blogger/ youtube is Rhiannon (FashionRocksMySocks). She is so amazing. She is funny, cute and dresses so adorable. I am definitely in love with her style and her personality. She's so easy to relate to and seems so real, like we truly are friends in real life.

Next up is Jess (sunbeamsjess). She is from the UK, just like Rhiannon. I'm not sure why I love Jess so much but her style is awesome. It's so different to how I dress, but here I am watching her videos every time she uploads. She also dabbles in a bit of makeup every now and then too, but she mostly focuses on fashion. I think I enjoy her so much because she is the same age as me, so I feel like we have tonnes in common.

 My last fashion idols are twins Steph and Mel (thefashioncitizen) Their banter is fun to watch and they both have awesome styles. I lean more towards Steph's style, but Melissa also has a great sense of style. Steph is way more punk and grunge, whereas Steph is more preppy, girly. More like what you'd see in magazines, in my personal opinion. Steph is more like what you see on tumblr or instagram. These girls are from Arizona and I love having the opposite styles all on one channel.

Now I love makeup almost as much as I love clothes. It's the best accessory to compliment any outfit. So I do watch a lot of beauty gurus on youtube for inspiration. Here are my top 3:

Every one knows who Shannon Harris (shaaanxo) is. She's the most subscribed person in New Zealand and there is a reason for that. She is amazing at what she does. She is charismatic and funny. The longer she's been on youtube, the more experimental she's gotten and that is awesome. She is my go to for neutral looks.

 Lauren Curtis (laurenbeautyy) is an Australian version of Shaaanxo, pretty much. She's also really funny and down to earth. Lauren does a lot more glam looks than Shaaanxo so I go to her for inspiration for more dramatic eyes. She also has a cute laugh that you'll hear often in her videos.

Lastly, Karissa Pukas (saturdaynightsalrite). She's a Canadian living in Australia. She's great friends with Shaaanxo and they've even done a few videos together. Karissa is very boho and chic and awesome. Not only is she amazing at makeup, but she also has an awesome style. I not only like her for her makeup videos, which tend to be quite natural, but for her TMI Tuesday videos, which are basically Q&A videos. She treats her subscribers just like her real life friends.

YouTube feels like a big family, and the Youtuber's I watch make me feel super included and like I'm really their friend, or something like that. It sounds weird, but once you start watching these girls, you'l' understand. 

I hope you guys check them out. They're all awesome. 

Shannen xx

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Top Buys of 2014

2014 was full of shopping and new things for me, so I am bringing to you a post about my top 3 makeup, skincare, hair care and fashion buys. I'll include links where I can. If you've tried any of these, let me know how you liked them in the comments below (:

Top 3 Makeup Purchases:

1. MAC Mineralise Foundation in NW15

This foundation is amazing. It's light, it's the perfect amount of coverage and it's he perfect I between matte and dewy.  I've found this foundation has been the best for my skin. I have somewhat sensitive skin, as in I have to be careful what I put on it as I can break out really easily and this foundation has kept my skin smooth and somewhat blemish free. I highly recommend it if you like a light coverage. It is kind of pricey, especially if you live in New Zealand, but I think it's worth it.

2. ELF Precision Liquid Eyeliner in Black 

This eyeliner is my holy grail of all liquid eyeliners I have tried. I have hooded eyes, so I need quite thin lines when I do my eyeliner. This brush on this eyeliner is so thin, and super precise. I can get right into my lash line with this eyeliner and create the smoothest lines. It's also really easy to create winged eyeliner with as the brush is flexible. ELF is an amazing brand that is super cheap but super high quality. I recommend this if you have hooded eyes, like myself, or just like thin, precise eyeliner. 

3. QVS Beauty Blender dupe

If you can't afford the true Beauty Blender, I recommend grabbing this from Farmers or a pharmacy that stocks QVS. Ever since I bought my first beauty blender type sponge, I've found a huge improvement in the appearance of my makeup, as well as an improvement in time it takes to do my makeup. I've tried 3 different types. The first was the traditional egg shape, I'm unsure what brand it was but I got it from a cosmetics shop in Lower Hutt. The second one was a slightly different shape but still wide and flat at the bottom and pointed at e top. This was a Manicare one. The one I've loved the most is my QVS one.  It's the softest sponge, it's easy to clean and it really expands when you dampen it.  I'll have a blog post coming up in the next few weeks with a full review on all three. 

Top 3 Skincare Purchases

1. Herbalism by LUSH

If you have issues with acne or any kind of blemish then you really need to pick this up. In the few short weeks I've been using it, I've noticed a huge improvement in the appearance of my skin. It's smoothed out my skin and I also get less pimples. Here's a little bit of TMI but I also used it on my back as I could get a bit acne-y there too, and it's also helped clear that right up too. The small tub it comes in is going to last me ages. I've only had it about 2-3 weeks and I've only just dented the top. And that's with doing my face and back. 

2. Bio Oil

All of these skincare things are going to be about acne because that's been my biggest skin issue. But this covers anyone with scars, stretch marks and such. Because of my acne, I have a lot of scarring left over. I apply this as a moisturiser as well, because you can use it like that. So   put this on every morning before I apply my makeup and at night after my shower. My skin is a lot less bumpy than it used to be so this helps when I put makeup on. It also helps with my self esteem too because it's clearing up, and clearing up fast. 

3. Powerhouse Tattoo Balm

Not only is this amazing for healing tattoos but you can also put it on itchy bites and pimples. It contains lavender so it's super soothing. I use it mostly as a spot treatment and I notice an improvement by morning. It smells great too.

Top 3 Haircare Purchases

1. Coconut Oil

This has been my saviour. If you haven't read the post on how I went from red to blonde, you can read it here: http://kaleidocolours.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/ch-ch-changes.html. The coconut oil has restored my hair from dry and snapping to soft and manageable. I also have a post on how I do my coconut oil treatment. You can read this here: http://kaleidocolours.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/diy-coconut-oil-hair-treatment.html. It's a somewhat cheap treatment for damaged and dry hair.

2. Keratin Treatment

Now I've only just got this 2 weeks ago, but I've already noticed a HUGE change. My hair doesn't knot up like crazy anymore, I can just run my fingers through my hair every time. It's not frizzy anymore. I straightened it once this week and it's stayed straight. I'm in love with this stuff. And the best part, it's only $4 from Kmart. I'm going to do a more in depth review ins couple of weeks. 

3. Organic Care Shampoo and Conditioner

I'm going to put the condition of my hair down to all three of these products. But the organic care  brand is amazing. It's definitely contributing to the lightness of my hair. As it contains no yuck stuff, my hair is easy to manage. They smell amazing. They aren't ridiculously expensive like most paraben free products and they don't test on animals. They have three types of shampoo and conditioner. Colour shield, moisture and an everyday one. They also have two different ones for kids too. Here's a review on the Colour Shield range: http://kaleidocolours.blogspot.co.nz/2014/08/organic-care-colour-shield-shampoo.html

Top 3 Fashion Purchases

1. Kardashion Kollection Bag

Since buying this handbag in March, I've not used any other. I can fit all my stuff in there easy as. Everyday I carry a book, a couple of different perfumes, tons of lipsticks and even more rubbish. There's always more room for stuff too. They are great quality bags that come in all shapes and sizes as well as different prints.

2. Daisy Vans 

For my birthday this year, Blake got me a pair of high top vans in a daisy print. They are literally the most comfortable shoes I own. Standing all day on a concrete floor kills my feet, but I can wear these all day without feeling the wrath of concrete. Vans in general are the most comfortable shoes. Their soles are super thick and bouncy so it's great to work all day in them.

3. High Waisted Ankle Biters

These jeans are amazing. Ankle biters are great for me as I am very short, so the length is perfect. And then there is the high waisted part. They have three buttons and a zip, so they hold everything in perfectly while still being super comfortable. I've had these in both the black and blue they come in, as well as the short lived bleach, although they weren't as nice as the other two.

Thanks for a great year and here's to a new one !

Shannen xx

Links that I could find: 

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/158/24923/Products/Face/Foundation/Mineralize-Moisture-SPF15-Foundation/index.tmpl

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/studio/eyes/eyeliner/precision_liquid_eyeliner

http://www.qualityvaluestyle.com/products/cosmetic-nail/sponges-puffs#deluxe-egg-sponge

https://www.lushnz.com/shop/product/product/path/1021_159/id/94/face-cleansers-herbalism-cleanser

http://www.tattoos.co.nz/store,shop,2,1,TBalm.html