Beauty Haul | No. 1

A couple of  weeks ago I had a teeny splurge on beauty, and because Priceline was having a 40% sale on all cosmetics I just couldn't resist! I know it may not seem like I bought too many things, but this was all in a days work and I really should be saving, so yeah...naughty me!

 Essie is a brand that I would consider to be on the more pricier side of the spectrum of drugstore nail polishes, being priced at around $17 a pop, so I made the most of the 40% off deal and picked up three in the shades 'aruba blue' a metallic, mid toned blue, 'bikini so teeni' a powder blue with tinnnnny specks of glitter in it, and 'go ginza' which is a very pale lilac. 

I would highly recommend Essie polishes as they are very opaque and need just 2 coats to reach their full colour, and are very high quality, staying chip free for about 4-5 days without a topcoat. 

The only problem I have is that the brush is pretty small and doesn't cover much of the nail when applying. As a result it makes it a bit harder to apply and looks quite streaky when its first applied but it surprisingly dries completely smooth and seamless! 

SWATCHES...

(Left to Right) Go Ginza | Binkini so teeni | Aruba Blue 

Topshop 'Pillow Talk'  

I have read so many good things about Topshop makeup, so when I was in the Chapel st store I thought it was the perfect opportunity to pick up a couple things to try out for myself. I must say, so far I'm pretty impressed with the quality of this lipstick, it very pigmented and moisturising on the lips, however I found that if you have chapped lips it tends to sit in the cracks which is pretty annoying, but forgivable. Aside from that the colour is a gorgeous pale pink, but was a fair bit paler then what I expected when I first applied it to my lips! None the less it is still a pretty shade. The Topshop lipsticks are a reasonable $15, given their high quality and great colour pay off. Not to mention the undeniably cute packaging which I absolutely love!

Chi Chi 'Say My Name'
I'm still not too sure why I bought this lipstick. Was it because of how well other people can pull of ultra pale lilac lipstick? Or was it because it is called 'Say My Name' which reminds me of  a quote off Breaking Bad, a tv show that I love so dearly? Well I dunno, but it certainly isn't the shade that I would normally reach for! None the less I will try to find somewhere to wear it, even if it's just for a fancy dress party!
 The formula of this lipstick is very matte and doesn't seem to dry out the lips too much, but with most matte lipsticks I would recommend wearing a lip balm underneath to retain a bit of moisture. The smell of this lipstick is probably my favourite part! I don't really know how to describe it but it is so nice and almost smells like a fragrance that you actually want to wear! The packaging I find a bit tacky, but I'm not really too fussed by packaging anyway (apart from Topshop packaging of course) so I'll deal with it. I can't remember the exact price of this lipstick but I think it was around the $10 mark.

Revlon Kissable Balmstain in 'Honey'
Originally I was looking for the new Revlon matte balms after being convinced by many beauty bloggers that it was something that I desperately needed in my life, but after trying to find them at numerous stores, I soon realised that they were completely sold out! (To be honest I'm shocked that people are so on to it!) Instead I thought I would try out the original balm stains, opting for the colour 'honey', as it looked like a nice subtle pinky shade. And I must say, I am surprised by how much I love this! I was a bit sceptical as I don't usually like lip products to be too glossy but this has a kind of subtle sheen when first applied then dries to stain. It is perfect for everyday use and you don't have to worry about  it smudging everywhere when eating which is always good! I would defiantly recommend everyone try this! 

Chi Chi Matte Lipstick -Say My Name | Topshop lipstick - Pillow Talk | Revlon Just Bitten kissable Lipstain- Honey

Topshop Glow in 'Polished'

I have never actually owned  highlighter before, so this is pretty new to me. When browsing through the Topshop makeup I noticed how pretty their highlighters looked so I took it upon myself to give it go and try out the Topshop glow highlighter in 'polished'. I would describe this shade as quite pearlescent, being a shimmery white/silver with glimmers of pink running through. The Topshop highlighters are, I think, a bit on the pricey side being $18 each, and although they are brilliant quality, I still don't know whether it was really worth it. I apply the product to the tops of my cheek bones and the inner corners of my eyes, which gives a nice over all glow to the face. When applying, keep in mind that a little goes a long way as you really don't need much, so I can tell that this is going to last me ages, which is good news because it is a fairly small amount of product!

 SWATCHES...

(Left to right) Revlon Just Bitten kissable lipstain - Honey | Topshop lipstick -Pillow Talk | Chi Chi matte lipstick - Say My Name | Topshop Glow -Polished

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in 'Blonde'

I have been using an eyebrow pencil by Rimmel in the shade 'Hazel', but I wanted to try something else as I find it has too much of an orangey tone to it. So I decided to try out NYX's Eyebrow Cake Powder in 'Blonde' after seeing a few good reviews. So far i'm really liking it! it includes two pressed powders in light brown shades that are supposedly suitable for blondes,but suites my mousey brown hair just fine, as well as a wax and a little spooly and angled eyebrow brush. I use the darker powder as I find the lighter powder is just too light so I tend not to use it at all, and begin by applying the powder with the angled brush in short stroking motions to fill in the brows. I then I apply the wax with the spooly, brushing through my brows to hold the shape in place, which I think also helps it look neater and darkens up the colour slightly. I think this eyebrow powder is so affordable being priced at around $10, so you don't have to break the bank to achieve great brows!