May Favourites

Jordana Eyeshadow Base: Cheap, cheerful. Gets the job done, Love it. Slightly flesh toned so you can wear it as a "lid concealer". 

Estee Lauder Double wear Powder. Not so cheap but just as cheerful. Great as a setting powder or a mineral foundation. I love this. it's well worth the $80 i paid for it

Cheap, very cheap. I love this eyeliner. It's the only one I use these days. It glides on so easily and the tip is super flexible and perfect for winged eyeliner.

Just a fucking good brush. Go buy it. That's all i have to say.

Smells yum. Trust me. And the bottle is cute. YUM. Must have for Summer. (it's winter here, I goes i just want ti watch the world burn.

I blogged about it. It's fab. Go buy it $42 nz

I have used this every single day this month. good for smoky, neutral and "barely there" eye look

Shh. I'm pale but it's good. If  you don't like dewey finishes, steer clear of this one. It's like a disco ball up in this bitch.

My very first youtube video

Hey, I'm branching out into the world of youtube
Click Me
This is my very first video :)

Estee Lauder Haul!

So I was in the market for a new face powder and because I wasn't too impressed with the extremely low end ELF face powder, i was some what over correcting. As i walked into Farmers today, i saw that estee lauder were giving away a goodie bag with any purchase of two items. so here are the details

I picked up the double wear powder in Pale Almond

Pure colour lipgloss in Candy

My free products were

An eye shadow quad with shades ivory slipper, silver bell, iridescent violet and smoky ember. All of which are gorgeous.

A lipstick, also in Candy

Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

Some skincare? yes please!

Advanced night repair

Advanced night repair eye creme

Daywear creme

Perfectly clean Exfoliator. 

These all came in a cute little cosmetic bag which is the perfect size for everyday

I haven't had a chance to test drive these products completely but so far, so good :) 

xx Lydia

Napoleon Perdis, "The One Concealer" Review

Say bye bye to tired eyes. Pretty much all my life i have battled with dark under eyes. I will be the first to say that my camera is pretty forgiving. I good friend of mine suggested using a salmon toned corrector. After some research i decided to buy this one. It is labeled as a concealer but i think it is a universal corrector. at first, i thought the shade would be much to dark for my skin but even with light/fair skin this product blended incredibly. I have been using the on concealer for a month and i am struggling to put a dent in it. A little bit goes a long way! It has banished my dark rings of doom under my eyes. Definitely a must have in my makeup routine

 

Picture from napoleonperdis.com

Here are some before and afters :)

The beauties of makeup

To the left is me with no makeup and my hair not done, to the right is me with a full face of makeup and may hair done including extensions.

The right side is definitely more attractive and just better. So when people ask me why I wear makeup every single day, this is why. I have many broken capillaries on my face, dark circles, pale lips and blotchy uneven skin tone. That is why I wear makeup every single day, to improve and enhance my looks. The amount of makeup i wear varies depending on the occasion and my mood but makeup is a must for me :)

Lydia xx

Revlon Pink Happiness Delicate Moment Perfume Review

I bought this perfume about a month back because i did not like like idea of using designer perfume everyday. this has replaced my Gucci Rush as an everyday scent. I do still love Gucci rush every bit as much but it is more of a deeper, night time scent. Delicate moments is a light, sweet, fun scent that is suitable for all ages. The scent lasts all day on the skin. You can pick this up for $52.99 and Farmers or $25 when it's on sale. I really like the simple and understated sophistication of the bottle. Great perfume at a great price

Bed.

After a long, hard week I just can't wait to retire to my boudoir

My little haven

Nivea Lip Butter Review

This product is amazing. Nivea, you have truly outdone yourself. Me, being a longtime wearer of nivea lip balms, was greatly excited when this got launched onto the New Zealand market. Having tried at least on flavour of every nivea lip product in the duration of my life, i knew this was going to be a goodie! It is smooth an buttery and glides on like a dream. Now, let me just say, I have been using this for about a month and i have put a fairly decent dent in it. I used all throughout the day and it is the perfect handbag companion for the colder wintery months here in New Zealand, I would most definitely repurchase this, I even bought one for my mum.

E.L.F. Makeup Mist and Set Review

Excuse the naked face and boyfriend sweater. Here is a webcam selfie with me and what is becoming one of my favourite non-makeup makeup products. (non-makeup makeup = not visible on the skin but used in makeup routine, like primer)
I've been using this for the best part of a week and I have not had the need to retouch at all. However, today I skipped my setting powder step just to see how mist and set stood up to the test solo. I have to say, I was not too pleased with the results. By about midday, my skin had an oily layer and the makeup did not last as long as it does when used with powder. I recommend using the mist and set in conjunction with a setting powder for the best results.
This is the first setting spray that have used so i can not compare it to any other of the many on the market. I payed less than $5.00 for this item so I think this is a great addition or something to try out to change up your makeup routine slightly.

Helping out your mates

Mates. To me, mates are someone who rate there to lend a hand and help out and also people who you are willing to help out and lend a hand to. The benefits of having a friend who is a photography student is awesome professional quality portraits.... FOR FREE. The best thing is, I'm helping her. She takes wonderful photos of me... for her benefit! I can't think of a better thing to help a friend with. Modelling for photoshoots is so much fun too :)!

Heres a picture. Credit to Eleri Bradely (Love you girl)

Vani-T Makeup - The Lowdown

Vani-T Makeup is makeup brand that started in South Australia. It's not tested on Animals and is 100% organic. Although this is one of the few makeup brands that is truly "down under", it's not really readily available on the shelves in cosmetic stores and department stores but if you can get your hands on it, I strongly recommend you get chu some! It is one of the retail brands in our training beauty room so i have access to the products. I've ordered about $400 worth of Vani-T makeup so expect a haul and a review
Lydia xx

Hair extensions.

There comes a time is every hair extensions life where they are just no good anymore. They get thinner and tattier and they just don't feel as good as they did on the first day I first took them out of the pouch. Mine however are nearly at the end of their short but lovely life. As a part-ti me extension wearer I must replace them soon. Taking to the websites in a search of a new set as they run about half the price of a salon set a for roughly the same quality.
There is always a danger of buying online, you can't test the quality yourself, you must have complete and utter faith in some offshore distributor. You don't know if they are selling you the real deal "Remy human hair". you should end up with some nasty synthetic blend. You just don't know but It's a risk I'm willing to take.

Request a review

Feel free to leave a comment on this post with a product you would like me to review. I'm always looking for products to review and for my down under sisters, I will also post the best place to but makeup and beauty products without spending a fortune.

NYX Wicked Dream Palette review

So as you might night, I hauled Some ELF and some NYX products recently. One of the items I hauled was this palette. to be honest, on purchase of this palette I must admit, I was a little skeptical. Firstly because we can't buy NYX in NZ so I knew nothing about the brand and secondly, I have not heard that much about this particular product

I really like the design and packaging of this product. It's sleek and tidy. It'll be great as an addition to a professional makeup kit or even a personal collection. The best feature of the packaging would have to be that the individual eyeshadows are not as deep as the packaging. At first I was like "What a rip off!" BUT on closer inspection I realised that it was a design marvel. The shadows don't hit the mirror so this  keeps the mirror somewhat cleaner. Yeah, it's inevitable that a mirror in a palette will get filthy but this one, not so much. Well done NYX. Truly great design

There is a good range of matte, shimmer and satin finishes. I have swatted a few of my favourites here. The top colour appears to be a midnight blue colour in the pan but when it is swatched, it's a black with navy blue shimmer. this looks really interesting on the lid. Perfect for going out. There is two matte browns which I recommend for a brow filler. This palette has a perfect mix of neutrals and colours.

Lydia xx

NYX Round lipstick Review

Although I have only had my NYX lipstick for less than a day, I'm pleasantly impressed with them. They are steadily on their way to becoming some of my favourite lipsticks
I'm going to talk about all three and then each separately. They cost $3.80 NZ from beautyjoint.com. So time for some quick maths 3.80 x 3 = 11.40. $11.40?! that would not even buy you half a lipstick from a New Zealand drugstore (or chemist as we call it) Yeah, NYX is cheap but is it good? Well, yes. It's fantastic. I rate them higher than Elizabeth Arden lippy's.

Left to right we have the colours Shiva, Eros and Peach Bellini
Today at beauty school, two friend and I trailed these puppies out. we wore a colour each for the afternoon class.
I wore Shiva. Don't let this lipstick fool you, it seems like just your standard magenta/fuchsia colour but it has the most beautiful, subtle blue shimmer. Ok I know what your thinking blue lipstick? Trust me it just works.
Now for Eros. My friend Kim wore this beauty, she has a light-medium complexion and blonde hair. This fiery orangey red looked absolutely grand on her, I would recommend this shade to all blondes. It just looks phenomenal.
Charlotte wore the final shade, Peach bellini, This is a little gem. It's one of those bold, bright shade but somehow muted. the shade is like Vibrant mandarin by maybelline but toned down a thousand times! If you are looking for a bold shade but don't want to venture too far into the in-your-face brights, this is the shade for you!

This photo shows no justice but (top to bottom) here is Peach Bellini, Eros, Shiva

"Cute girls pulling ugly faces"

As some of you may know, a photo sequence has been doing the rounds of the internet in the past couple of month. The sequence consists of some gorgeous girls pulling some ratchet ass faces. Now, don't get me wrong. I had a good giggle to myself when i saw it. I thought it was a marvellous idea!! Comparing two photos of the same person, one attractive, one not so much. I Got inspired and decided to post my own version of it.

HAUL PIC! #1

Above is my beautyjoint.com haul.

NYX cream blush in the colour boho chic

3 NYX round lipstick (left to right) in the colours Shiva, Eros, and Peach Bellini

E.L.F setting spray

2 E.L.F shimmering facial whips in pink lemonade and lilac petal

E.L.F Crease brush

E.L.F Bronzing brush

NYX wicked dreams palette.

I'll post a review on all the products separately. Comment to request what one you want to see first. 

All this together cost about $70 including postage.

Ok, I know what my northern hemisphere sisters are thinking but this is such a good deal for New Zealand. 

I worked out what this would all cost so similar products here and $70 wouldn't even cover the palette and the lipsticks, al in all. I'm overwhelmed with my picks and purchases.

The downfalls of New Zealand

As some of you may know, I live in New Zealand. It's a country full of culture and picturesque landscapes. Everything is amazing except the ridiculous price we have to pay for makeup. I will admit, I love a good lipstick as much as the next girl but I can not justify spending around $30 on loreal. Earlier on this year I discovered the awesome website www.beautyjoint.com Last week, I splurged big time! I bought some amazing products that are not available here. I am so happy.

Shipping took 7 days and it was around $20.

Lipstick

Lipstick is without a doubt my favourite beauty product. I wear lipstick every single day without fail. For me, it's just the ultimate pick-me-up. If I'm feeling down, i'll glide on a bright orangey red shade, maybe even a bright pink. I love all my lipstick and my collection is forever growing. Lipstick just get me excited!

Welcome

Hi all! I would like to take a moment to introduce myself. I'm lydia. I am currently training to become a beauty therapist/ makeup artist. I want to share my knowledge with everyone. From haircare, fashion, skincare and makeup! I love it all.

Lydia xx