Tom Ford Lipstick

Flights are booked to Europe and the holiday planning has begun...which means one thing, a mammoth decrease in spending, particularly on clothes (sigh) and shoes (double sigh). However, that does not mean I’m not allowing myself to indulge, albeit rarely. Introducing what I refer to as “my little piece of luxury” – Tom Ford lipstick. 

Tom Ford lipstick is, to put it simply, divine. From the packaging of a white case with gold edging to the heavenly colours available, it is the ultimate in lipstick. It glides on the lips feeling like you’re coating them in a fine layer of silk.

The colour I purchased is Vanilla Suede, which I can describe as nude to (very) pale pink in colour. Vanilla Suede is spot on if a nude tone is what you’re looking for. For more of a glam look, I highly recommend putting a top coat of Chanel Glossimer in Coral Love, number 146 (see picture below) on top of the lipstick. The coral tones of the lipgloss really compliments the nude lipstick. 

My one and only criticism is that there is not the staying power you would expect for a lipstick that retails at AU$65. I find that I have to reapply frequently throughout the day (or night) which is disappointing given the relatively expensive price tag.

Eye makeup remover

The beauty (pun intended!) of buying products when the brand is offering complimentary gifts is being able to try products that you wouldn’t normally buy from those particular brands. For me, this is eye makeup remover. Over recent months, I’ve made the most of the offers from Lancome, Estee Lauder and Elizabeth Arden – all offering gifts with purchases over $75, and all including eye make-up remover.

Lancome – “Express cleansing water”

This is labelled as an “express cleansing water” for face, eyes and lips. I was quite impressed with this ‘cleanser’, it left my skin feeling clean and toned, and removed my eye makeup with ease. However, although it is advertised as a cleanser, I think it’s more suitable as a makeup remover and as such, I recommend using this as an all over makeup remover prior to cleansing.

Source: au.strawberrynet.com

Estee Lauder – “Gentle eye makeup remover”

This was a very gentle eye makeup remover and felt similar to the Lancome express cleansing water. What I particularly liked about Estee Lauder was that there wasn’t any oily residue whatsoever. I found this is convenient when having to remove my “day” makeup and being able to immediately reapply my eye makeup, ready for the night. On the downside, I found that it took longer to get all the makeup removed compared to Elizabeth Arden. 

Source: esteelauder.com.au

Elizabeth Arden – “All Gone” Eye and lip makeup remover

The Elizabeth Arden make-up remover is a two-step process (firstly smoothing on with a cotton pad then rinsing with water) compared to the other two, which are both a one step process (simply putting onto a cotton pad and wiping makeup off). That said, it is a fantastic eye make-up remover. It has a slightly oilier texture which means it does not leave the skin feeling dry and it is super gentle on the eye area. Compared to the other two makeup removers, this removed the most makeup using the least amount of product.

Source: elizabetharden.com.au

Overall, all three makeup removers were gentle and effective. In my opinion, Elizabeth Arden removed makeup with the most ease compared to the other two. The Elizabeth Arden eye and lip makeup remover is definitely next on my shopping list!

Nude by Nature

Source: nudebynature.com.au

As a follow up to the mineral make-up post, we asked our mum, who is in her mid-fifties, what she thinks about "Nude by Nature", a mineral make-up brand. Here is what she thinks:

Meagan & Tarryn: what products by Nude by Nature do you have?

Sandra: Nude by Night-liquid mineral foundation; Natural Mineral Cover; Undercover airbrush mineral primer; antioxident foaming cleanser; 24hr anti-aging moisturiser; mineral mascara.

M & T: Are you happy with them all? What would be your favourite product and why?

 S: This is difficult to answer as I love them all...but if I had to have just one product, it would have to be the mineral cover, as I couldn't go out without having applied it. It’s lightweight and I can have as little or more coverage, depending on where I am going.

M & T: Nude by Nature advertise the ease of applying the powder. Would you say that the application of the powder is as easy as they advertise?

S: Just follow the directions and yes, it is easy. I would recommend using their brush as it is beautifully soft. Powder is loose so can be a bit 'fly away' so I recommend getting dressed after putting on the make-up.

M & T: How would you rate the coverage and staying power?

S: Great coverage and is lightweight. And it stays on all day without touch ups. 

M & T: How often do you need to buy a new mineral powder?

S: Approximately every 3 months

M & T: And finally, is this product value for money?

S: Yes I think it is.....and it is Australian made and owned!

Mineral makeup review

It seems like nearly every make up brand is coming out with their own versions of 'mineral makeup'. Is there really much difference between brands? I would definitely say 'yes'!

The ingredients is a key thing to check on any of the products to ensure they don't contain non natural products like talc. The following mineral makeup brands are ones that I have either loved or loathed! 

 BellaPierre: This brand retails at about $80, at this price though, it does tick all the boxes! It contains just 4 natural ingredients, rating it as the most natural makeup that I have been able to find. Application is a breeze, coverage is easy to tailor (use more/less for desired coverage) and it lasts longer than any other mineral makeup I have used.

Bloom: Retailing at about $35, this foundation is definately value for money. It gives a lovely luminous finish to the face, giving excellent, easy to apply, coverage.

Natio: At the affordable price of about $19, the quality difference in this makeup is not very subtle. It comes in both a liquid and powder foundation, both of which I found to become patchy on my face during the day. The liquid foundation gives very poor coverage, while the powder is messy and difficult to apply evenly.
 

I definitely love using mineral makeup during the day and for work, but feel more comfortable with a normal foundation when going out for dinner/drinks, as I prefer a heavier coverage. 

It certainly has helped to keep my skin in better condition, and is worth taking the time to practice putting it on, before long it takes just 5 minutes for a natural, breathable foundation application.

Illamasqua make up

Illamasqua is a relatively new make-up brand to grace Brisbane. Looking to discover our "alter ego" through make up, we booked in to have our make-up done at Illamasqua for New Years Eve. The cocktail party dress code was "black and white with a touch of bright", so we all chose a different eye shadow colour to make our outfit 'pop'!

Emerald green

Purple. (Note the purple colour on the eye lashes - tres cool!)

Pretty in pink!

Loved the coverage of the foundation and the eye shadow had staying power, however I was disappointed with the fake eyelash choice. Most of the fake eyelashes were flat-ish, whereas I prefer fakies with a slight curl upwards. Some of the eyelashes had a tint of colour on them (ranging from pink, purple and green) which really compliments the eyeshadow colour.