NP Set – 12 Colour Eye Shadow Palettes

Recently I picked up two NP Set palettes out of random and I probably just bought them because they were on sale otherwise I doubt I would had picked them out. NP Set is just a more affordable cosmetic/beauty range from the famous Napoleon Perdis Brand. It’s sold at Target here in Australia and recently I’ve seen some chemists are also stocking on them (but not the complete full range). Anyway Target was having a sale on their cosmetics so I like to browse around to see if there is anything worth buying that I like.


This isn’t the first time I’ve tried NP Set and probably will not be the last. I currently use one of their Face Primer and I also use their synthetic brushes (very basic range). However it is my first time actually using their eyeshadows. I guess I sort of had some good expectations from them since I’ve used tonnes of Napoleon Perdis makeup at school.

BUT…


They are completely different to what I had thought they would be. Some bad news and some good ones. It’s like that with all products but keep in mind these are only my own honest opinions on them. There may be other reviews/swatches where people will have a complete different view of them compared to the way I saw them.

Anyway let’s get down to some information about them…

2 NP Set Palettes of 12 colours from Target.

Pure Luxe Cosmetics Swatches and Review

I finally got around to doing this one, which had being on the list for a very long time. I had so many colours to swatch that it took me forever to do and it got a little messy for me, since I’m a bit of a klutz.

Tray of samples ready to be swatched and reviewed

Inglot Cosmetics Swatches and Review

I know some of you guys have being waiting for this post for a long time and I apologise for the delay. This one actually takes a lot of time since I’m a bit of an Inglot Cosmetics obsessed. I thought I would start off with a description of Inglot Cosmetics that is taken directly from their website.


“INGLOT Company was established over 25 years ago by Wojtek Inglot, a young chemist working at that time in R&D department in pharmaceutical company.


His principal objective was to produce high quality products at fair and reasonable prices, using only the best possible ingredients and raw materials from the most reputable suppliers.


Wojtek Inglot is still directly involved in the formulation and design process of all new Inglot products.


All Inglot cosmetics are produced within the European Union and 95% of them are manufactured in our own state of art production facilities.


We work with make-up artists and colour consultants to bring the latest trends in colour, texture and form to the market. We are constantly developing new products and have just launched the world’s first ever Breathable Nail Enamel ensuring better health care for nails whilst enhancing their beauty.


Our unique Freedom System allows customers to experiment with countless shades and colour combinations of different face products, giving them the opportunity to create their own customized colour palette.


We are present in 240 retail locations worldwide.”

Prepare for some heavy loads of photos because I own 50 Inglot eyeshadows, 4 blushes and 8 gel liners. This is going to be one very long post because after the swatches and review I will relay some Australian prices.

Inglot Cosmetics Obsessed much?

NYX Round Lipstick and Lip Gloss Swatches and Review

Don't forget to enter my 1 year anniversary Giveaway if you haven't done so by clicking on the link...
http://hairandmakeupoverload.blogspot.com/2011/01/1-year-anniversary-giveaway.html




NYX being a popular affordable makeup brand, but today I’m only here to share my thoughts and swatches of the round Lipstick and Lip Glosses that I own from this brand. I may not own all of them in the collection but I own enough and had used them enough to give my real honest opinions on them. My thoughts may not be the same as everyone else’s reviews since we all view products differently.

I’m sure a lot of you are already familiar with the brand anyway. My swatches are not done on my lips because I find that the pigmentation of your own natural lip can alter the true colours of the actual lip products. Therefore I am just swatching them all on my arm to show the actual colour. However keep in mind that it may not turn out to be the exact same colour when applied to your lips.

The round lipsticks are available at great prices and I have to say for the price they offer it at the lipsticks is definitely not bad at all. The creamy texture is great as it glides on your lips smoothly. Some of them don’t smell bad either so that’s also a plus for me. I just can’t stand lipsticks that have that super strong chemical smell to it. I get put off by the smell no matter how pretty the colour of the lipstick is. So I’m glad NYX don’t’ produce ones with those chemical scent to them.

However my down side to these lipsticks are that they’re not long lasting so they do tend to wear off a lot faster when you compare them to other drugstore brands like L’Oreal or Cover Girl. Then that only means I have to do touch ups a bit more often then I usually do and I think I can live with that if the price is good and the pigmentation of them are beautiful. Note that none are matte shade and all has that pearl/shimmer finish to it.

Now onto the swatches of the ones I own (Everything is bought with my own money, there was no sponsor or money paid for this review)

Without Flash



Bourjois Paris Smokey Eyes Palettes

I’m back to share some new products I bought and since then I haven’t bought another makeup product. Been at least 2 or 3 weeks now I think… so far so good…


Learning to reduce my spending and try to just live with what I own and I have to say I own a lot!

Bourjois Smokey Eyes Palettes comes in three different set of 3, I only got two since the other one was sold out at the store I got them from. I only remember paying half the price they normally sell it for so I thought it was alright to give myself a treat.

04 Nude Ingenu, 05 Rose Vintage

 I bought 04 Nude Ingenu (browns) and 05 Rose Vintage (Pinks), however I have to be very honest after testing them. They’re not particularly great and I’ve seen reviews on them that were not very favourable towards this product. The pigmentation was alright, nothing great but lacking in some way. I’ve noticed that the lightest colour in both of them don’t really show up or have much pigmentation. They’re all shimmer base eyeshadow so there isn’t any love for matte colours.


The texture of the eyeshadows is smooth, but blending is such a pain that I would probably not use them much. You heard me right; I found blending the eyeshadow was harder than most drugstore eyeshadows. I know for a fact that it wasn’t because I wasn’t blending enough, I was blending like crazy but it just doesn’t really blend well at all.

Here are some swatches I did…

Top line is without any base or primer.

Second line is with Elf Mineral eyeshadow primer.

Third line is with NXY Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk.

04 Nude Ingenu with flash

04 Nude Ingenu without flash

05 Rose Vintage with flash

05 Rose Vintage without flash

Anyway I went ahead and did an eye look with Nude Ingenu and here is how it turned out.



close up of left eye

Products used:

Inglot Gel Eeyliner 77 (black)

Elf Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

Rimmel London Mono e/s 214 Jet Black

CoverGirl Lash Blast Waterproof Mascara (for first coat to the upper lashes)

Maybelline The Falsies Volum’ Express Waterproof Mascara (for second coat to the upper lashes)

Maybelline Define-a-lash Waterproof Mascara (for lower lashes)

different angle and lighting



light and natural, something you can wear on a daily basis

final look

How do you guys like the new borders I add to the pictures?

Is anyone interested in seeing some swatches of e/s and gel liners from Inglot?

Should I do an update on my new makeup organisation?

Anyway thanks everyone single one of my followers for their continuous support :)

I’ve finally collected my stuff for the giveaway and it will be launched on 31 January, because that day will mark my one year blog anniversary. Keep an eye out for that date and come back to enter :)

Jesse's Girl Stardust Powder Eyeshadow Swatches

I want to apologise for the laziness, not because I’m bored of blogging but I am absolutely blanked with what makeup I would like to show. I’ve been doing looks but I absolutely hate them or they don’t turn up like I want them too, thus I have nothing to share.

Anyway I stress first thing that everything I mention today is bought with my own money and they are not sponsored/free from Jesse’s Girl. I was not paid to do this review or show these swatches and everything here is based on my own opinion and experience with them. Therefore they may not be the same as other people who had already reviewed or swatched them.

6 colours to choose from

There are 6 shades in this series and each one cost US $4.49 each or you can get it in a set of 6 for US $24 (which is what I did). I actually bought these ages ago and put them aside to use another day and to share some swatches, but I cleaned the whole vanity and put them in the drawers…. Then I forgot them :p bad girl I am!


I find the packaging quite cute with a little bling star on the corner of the lid and a bonus for me is always a clear lid! That way when I do reach for them I can see which colour it is without having to open all of them to see. The plastic is not that thin flexible stuff and it feels really sturdy and strong, so I like that very much. Just beware though that all of these shades are shimmer/glitter shades so if you’re not a fan of that then these are definitely not for you. In the end I did find that the shades it was limited was a bit small, so hopefully in the future there will be more colours to choose from.

Pretty shimmer/glitter shine to the eyeshadows

The pigmentation of these eyeshadows is amazing!  I love them and even without a base under them they are great.  The black (Galaxy) without a base is a little on the powdery/chalky side but with a base it is wonderful.  The eyeshadow is really soft and smooth so when you apply it, it doesn’t feel chunky or chalky and they blend fairly easily as well.  Check out the photos for the swatches and you might just see what I mean.

With Flash
Top without a base
Bottom with a base

Without flash
Top without a base
Bottom with a base

 For anyone interested in these please visit the Jesse’s Girl website here to make your purchases:


http://www.jessesgirlcosmetics.com/



Now just a quick peek on my makeup ideas that I didn’t like thus I didn’t go ahead and make picture tutorials or complete…

Covering big red pimple on the nose :p

Didn't turn out the way i wanted it thus I didn't complete it

Sigma Makeup Brushes Review

Some of you probably know not too long ago Sigma was having a free shipping promotion so I snatched up this chance to get myself some of their brushes. I’ve read many good reviews about them and really wanted to try them. Well to let you guys know they’re great! I now use them as a part of my professional makeup kit and would definitely recommend them to other people.

I ended up buying myself the complete brush kit without the brush roll (since I already got a brush roll) and the synthetic face kit (which is relatively new).

Complete brush kit without brush roll

All the brushes are of good quality and they’re super soft, they also don’t smell when you first get them so that is a bonus. I washed them and after they dried they are still as they were when I first got them. There was no shedding so that is definitely a bonus with me. I hate it when you buy nice soft brushes but then it sheds like crazy. I’ve used them on friends and they’re definitely great for a makeup artist who is only just starting out and can’t afford to buy all the expensive MAC brushes.
In my opinion they’re just as good as the MAC ones and I seriously can’t find anything to complain about them at the moment. I’ve already had them for about 2 weeks. If you’re not after a whole set then you can also buy them individually.
The synthetic face kit is absolutely wonderful! They’re so dense yet they’re so smooth and soft that I couldn’t stop running the brushes on my hand.

Synthetic face kit (LOVE!) and the free blending brush

The silver brush was a free gift with the purchase of the complete kit and it’s a fluffy blending brush. Very similar to the MAC one and it works just as well, except it’s like a travel size of it so I’ll be adding that one to my travel brushes.




NOTE: Sigma did not pay me to review their products, everything was bought with my own money and this review is based on my honest opinion on their brushes.

Rimmel Mascaras and Bronzer Review

I’ve bought some Rimmel products sometime ago and had given them a good test and I’m finally here to share them on my blog of what I thought about. Bear in mind that what mentioned in this post is purely my own opinion and may not be the same for everyone else who had used this product before.

First I guess I should start off with the bronzer I bought. After all I was searching for a nice matte bronzer and I saw Rimmel had some in their product range. I ended up buying the Sun Shimmer Bronzing Compact Powder in Light Matte.

The bronzer is a smooth pressed powder and the packaging is very standard but sturdy.  It’s not completely matte and does a very small hint of shimmer in it, but barely noticeable.  It smells nice and the colour is not bad, but perhaps it is too light for me?  Maybe the medium might had suited my skin tone more because this one is not showing up as well as I thought it would when I swatched it at the store.

Without Flash

With Flash
Turned out a little blurry :(

I bought 2 mascaras at once from Rimmel at Priceline because I really wanted to test them and I have to say the first ever mascara I bought from Rimmel gave me MAJOR disappointment so I was rather reluctant to try.  However I’ve seen some review and so I thought I just give it a shot as not all mascaras are horrible.

Black Tube: X10
Pink Tube: The Max Volume Flash Mascara - Ultra Black

The Max Volume Flash Mascara – Ultra Black


I see that Jackee from Jackee’s Makeup Bag (http://jackeetmmakeup.blogspot.com/) had said was great on her. So I picked up this one and also noticed some other reviews on it after I googled on it too.

The brush is a good size and it doesn’t clump my eyelashes. It does give me good length but not great volume, which is something I need for my short lashes. After sometime it also flakes on me so I wasn’t happy about that.

Left: Black Tube
Right: Pink Tube

X10 Extreme Black Volume Flash Mascara – Extreme Black

I didn’t like the brush when I first pulled it out. Rather short and stubby which means it is more likely to clump your lashes and it was true on that. I noticed the formula of this mascara compared to the previous one in the pink tube is thicker, thus it gave length and volume which I liked very much. This one also didn’t flake on me or give me panda eyes after a whole day. However it means I have to put on this mascara with more patient since if I rush it I’ll most likely clump my eyelashes together so I don’t use this one if I’m on a rush to get the eyes done.
Both the packaging is pretty sleek and one is even in pink so a bonus for the ladies who love pink!


Has anyone else tried either of these mascaras? Would be nice to hear what you guys think :)

Wet N Wild Lipsticks and Coloricon

This is only a small part of my Crush Cosmetics order, and I’m finally getting around to reviewing some of the products.  Today I’ll be sharing my experience with you on my very first Wet N Wild products.  I ended up getting two lipsticks and a Coloricon which is an eyeshadow palette that I’ve heard good reviews about.

My very first Wet N Wild makeup :)

I don’t’ remember the names of the lipsticks and I can’t find my invoice, and the lipsticks don’t have names on them!  They’re very creamy and smooth and don’t smell bad at all.  They’re not matte colours and gives off a pearl kind of finish after application.  The pigmentations of the two colours are not that, but compared to NYX round lipsticks they’re not as good. 

The two colours I bought, but forgotten name and it isn't on the lipstick istself either :(

Warm light, without flash

White light, without flash

With flash

I also noticed that the life of them are rather short so I found myself reapplying them more often than I usually do when I wear lipsticks.  One major thing I didn’t like is not even related to the product but the actual packaging.  Love the fact it’s a clear cap so I can see the colour, but the fact it doesn’t retract completely into the tube is a bad thing for me.  I’m a clumsy person meaning I would potentially smack the cap into it and causing it major damage.

Clear cap :)
Doesn't retract completely into tube :(

Coloricon is a small palette consisting of 6 colours.


“Three matte and 3 highly pigmented effect shades that are sure to please the makeup minimalist and enthusiast alike.”

It comes in a plastic packaging which is actually quite sturdy and strong. None of that cheap soft plastic. It also comes with a cute sponge applicator and brush (even though I won’t use them, that’s not the point). The small soft brush however sheds like crazy!

Matte colours on the left, Shimmer colours on the right

The colour I picked up is “Lust” and other colours available for purchase are:


Greed

Pride

Vanity


I had done swatches with and without base, with the top being without and the bottom being with.

Matte Colours without flash

Matte Colours with flash

Shimmer Colours without flash

Shimmer Colours with flash

The pigmentations are great, better than I originally thought and the texture is smooth and soft. Application is easy as it glides on smoothly and it very easy to blend as well. I love the shimmery colours more, but the matte are just as great and I would love to purchase the other colours available!




I did an EOTD using this palette and other products used are:


Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner (Onyx)

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Rimmel The Max Volume Flash Mascara (Ultra Black)

Close up of my Left Eye



This photo makes my right eye look like it has double eyelid, when in reality I don't have any :p



With Flash

Closed eyes with Flash

Without Flash



Without Flash

 What do you guys think?
I'm definitely loving this eye palette!

Eve Pearl "Black Pearl Sale" Haul

Just wanted to share my haul from Eve Pearl. I nearly didn’t make their Black Pearl Sale where their products were 50% off. Luckily I got there in time and I just got them recently. I won’t be reviewing all the products I’ve bought from them, but I will share some photos with you.


To give you guys a better and more accurate review of their products I want to use them for like two weeks before coming to a conclusion. However today I will share the eyeshadow palettes swatches with you.

List of products and prices:
(NB: prices are all original prices; I got them all at 50% off)

Anti-shine Mattifying Gel (Light/Medium) – US $20
HD Dual Foundation (Light) – US $54
Salmon Concealer Trio (Fair/Medium) – US $50
Loose Setting Powder (Light/Medium) – US $22
Eye Palette (Emerald Eyes) – US $40
(Diva Eyes) – US $40
(Ultimate Eyes) – US $40

I love their packaging, very simple but look so glam/classy. One of the eyeshadow palette packaging was different to the other two, so I’m assuming it might have been the previous packaging? One palette also came with the small eyeshadow applicator and the other two didn’t get one. I’m not fuss about that since I never use them anyway.

Here are the products’ information all taken from the box, you can probably find more of it on their website at; http://www.evepearl.com/
Other shades are also available, shades mention are ones that I bought to suit my skin tone.

Anti-Shine Mattifying Gel (Light/Medium)
Net Vol: 15ml
This fast acting mattifying gel works instantly to control shine for oily and combination skin.
To use: Apply a thin layer as often as necessary. Let dry before applying makeup. Dab gently over makeup to retouch.

HD Dual Foundation (Light)
Silky Smooth Cream Texture
Versatile Sheer to Full Coverage
With CosmeNutrients
- A multi-functional combination of 2 foundations. Apply with a brush, sponge or fingers. Use water to dampen the sponge for sheerest application.
- The unique texture is versatile for full, medium or sheer coverage to achieve that beautiful flawless looking skin every time.
- The colour combination of the foundations will adjust to your skins needs. Will help create natural looking highlights and contours as it adjusts to the changes in your skin tone due to weather, sun exposure and your body chemistry.
- CosmeNutrients; The fusion of cosmetics with nutrients. Combining the unique blends of vitamins, minerals, proteins, peptides and anti-oxidants into multi-functional cosmetics formulations. The luxurious makeup provides light, non greasy, smooth application, allowing your skin to breath. The nutrients nourish and help protect, restore and renew your skins texture and elasticity. Reducing the appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles.

Salmon Concealer Trio “A” (Fair/Medium)
Net Vol: 16ml
This product did not come with a box therefore no information was provided. Please refer to the website for further information.

Loose Setting Powder (Light/Medium)
Net wt: 15 grams
This product did not come with a box therefore no information was provided. Please refer to the website for further information.

The eyeshadow palettes I love! The colours are beautiful and the texture is smooth so it glides on very well. May seem a little pricey, but since I got them on sale I’m not complaining. They’re small so it great for carrying around in your bag. I’ve done some swatches from the palettes for you guys to see (Sorry if the quality of the photos is crap).

Just so you guys know all the swatches are just one swipe of the colour, not continuous swipe to pick up more colour. So in my opinion the eyeshadows are very pigmented and easy to blend and apply.

All swatches for the eyeshadows does not have a base, they are all on my bare skin which is quite light.

Emerald Eyes – 7.2g/0.25oz
Ideal shades of green/bronze
(No names were stated on the packaging for the colours)

Diva Eyes – 7.2g/0.25oz
Colours included:
Sugar Plum, Cinnamon, Desert Rose
Black Frost, Midnight Blue, Emerald Green

Ultimate Eyes – 7.2g/0.25oz
Colours Included:
Natural Cream, Golden Pearl, Shimmer Rose
Deep Brown, Emerald Green, Rich Black

That’s all for now, I’ll do another review for the foundation and others at a later date when I’ve used them for a couple of weeks. That way my review is accurate and I can give a more honest opinion about the products.

Before I forget the website is quite good as there are tutorials and makeovers personally done by Eve and her team.

Anyway if your guys had used their products before I would love to hear what you guys think about them.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated nor do I get paid to mention these products or review them. All products mentioned above are purchased by me with my own money. All opinions are also my personal ones and may or may not be the same as other people.