Sephora Beauty Game Changers!

Hello loves!

Excited is a bit an understatement to describe how I was feeling when I received this Beauty Game Changers package from Sephora! As soon as this magical box was left on my front door step, I eagerly scooped it up and tore into it as fast as my hands could muster! (while still keeping the beautiful packaging intact of course for lots of photos)

This bag was full of makeup products and skincare items that are beauty innovations and must-haves; products that are going to go the distance! I've never tried any of the items included, but have lusted over them for many many moons. (MUFE HD Foundation and Kat Von D Shade+Light palette, I'm looking at you!)

I still haven't tested out these beauties, but as soon as I have, I will keep you guys posted! I am planning on doing a review/first impressions on my Youtube, so keep an eye out for that in the upcoming week!

 Now without further ado, let's get onto the Beauty Game Changers!

Don't they look so pretty?!

The first must-have product is the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream! This CC Cream will be your best friend because it multi-tasks like nobody's business. I've heard amazing reviews of this and I cant wait to try it out! It claims to be a colour correcting, full coverage cream, and has anti-aging and hydrating properties. It also has an SPF of 50+! I cannot wait to smother this CC Cream all over my face!

 Sticking with the theme of base products, the next Beauty Game Changer is the Make Up For Ever HD foundation! I think this foundation is what I'm most excited for! Keep in mind this is the old formula now, they have actually released an Ultra HD foundation, which I am itching to try aswell!
This HD foundations claims to be an oil free, medium to full coverage liquid foundation that covers skin imperfections flawlessly while remaining invisible on the skin. Sounds amazing!

The Sephora Smoothing Primer softens the appearances of imperfections, prolongs the wear of your foundation (which keeps you looking flawless longer), and has a moisturising and smoothing formula with added richness of Vitamins E and A!
When I'm on the hunt for a new primer, this ticks all the boxes for me! My skin is quite dry and dehydrated, so when I come across a primer that's going to put added moisture back into my skin, I'm all for it!

Another product from IT Cosmetics, this time is a skincare item! The IT Cosmetics Confidence In A Cream is a transforming, moisturising super cream that nourishes your skin with collagen, hyaluronic acid, peptides, ceramides, antioxidants, and has colloidal oatmeal to help minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while improving the texture of your skin! Let me just say guys, this sounds amazing! I'm so excited about every product, I cant help it!

The next Beauty Game Changer is the Alpha-H Liquid Gold! I have actually tried a sample of this before and loved it, so I'm so glad I have a full size now! This skincare cult favourite helps your complexion look more even toned and luminous due to it's resurfacing action qualities, it speeds up skin repair and renewal processes, and helps your skin to produce its own moisture from within to ensure your skin is completely hydrated! This Liquid Gold is seriously a secret weapon to have in your collection for flawless complexions.

Next up is a contouring product! This Cover FX Contour Kit includes 4 cream shades; highlighting, illuminating, contouring and deep contouring. They claim to be extremely blendable, and free of fragrance, gluten, mineral oil and talc. Also vegan! I am loving cream contouring at the moment, so I'm very keen to give this a go!

The Tarte Cosmetics Tartiest Lip Paints are the next Beauty Game Changer! I received the shade 'Bae' (can we take a moment to giggle at the name) and it's such a gorgeous red shade! These lip paints claim to be full coverage and long-wearing, with a lightweight texture and a non-drying matte finish!

Matte liquid lipsticks are super on trend right now, and I've heard great things about these Tarte Lip Paints! I am intrigued to see if they actually are a non-drying matte finish, because sometimes liquid lipsticks are a bit too much for my poor dry lips. I'm excited to put this to the test!

I feel like this next product needs a halo around it and angels singing! Introducing the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascra! This mascara instantly creates length and volume in one application, is smudge free and has a curvy brush to really get as close to the lash line as possible, to maximise those lashes and create lots of volume and drama!

I've never tried anything from the Marc Jacobs beauty range before -  I'm so excited to give this a go! The packaging feels so luxurious and I just want to carry it around with me all day..

The next Beauty Game Changer is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer! I'm a long-time lover of her Dipbrow, so I cant wait to give this brow pencil a go! I love that it has a triangular tip for precision, which is ideal for outlining and filling in one single motion! It also has a spoolie on one end which is super convenient for lazy people like me!

Finally in my goodie box of Beauty Game Changers was the Kat Von D Shade+Light Eye palette! I am such a huge eyeshadow junkie, so of course I almost fainted when I saw this was included!
This eyeshadow palette is specially designed for eye contouring (hence the all matte shades) and is arranged in three separate colour sections; neutral, cool and warm. I'm all about those warm eyeshadows so I can tell the right hand side of this palette is going to get a workout!
I love that it includes different undertones to suit and flatter every skin tone. So thoughtful, Miss Kat Von D!


So that's it for my Sephora Beauty Game Changers! I hope you guys enjoyed seeing what I got, and I will definitely be posting first impressions very very soon!

All of these products are of course available at Sephora in-store and online! (IT Cosmetics is only available in store!)

Hope you all have a great day loves,

Steph xoxo

- All products were provided for consideration, however this post is not sponsored. All opinions are my own! I'm always going to share my honest opinions on products with you guys!

Models Prefer Radiance Illuminating Palette swatches!

Hey guys, today I have a super quick and unplanned post about the new Models Prefer Radiance Illuminating Palette I picked up today at Priceline!

 I could be living under a rock, but until today I hadn't heard anything about this palette! It could be brand spanking new, which is why none of us beauties have had a chance to get our paws on it yet. But I'm sure now this highlighter palette will go flying off the shelves because it is so damn gorgeous! The best part is that it's only $12.99. Yep, $12.99!!

The first shade in this palette is a beautiful champange colour, the middle shade is a rose gold and the last shade is a STUNNING golden bronze colour. I think that one is my favourite!  These are probably best applied with a light hand because they are so pigmented.

I attempted to swatch these beautiful shades, but let me tell you, these photos do not do it justice! Because 1, I am terrible at swatching, and 2, you just can't capture the luminosity and intensity of these highlighters in a photo!

Now onto the swatches :)

(Taken with flash)

So guys, I highly suggest you run out to your nearest Priceline and grab yourself one of these Models Prefer Highlighter Palettes!!

Hope this post has been helpful,
Steph xx

Makeup Geek Haul! Swatches + Review

Hey lovelies!

Today's post is all about the new Makeup Geek eyeshadows I recently ordered! This order had been such a long time coming. My Z palette had been half empty for quite a while, and I was itching to place another order to fill up the rest of my palette.

Thankfully over December, Makeup Geek were having daily sales on their website, one of them being free international shipping! Free shipping is quite rare on their website, so of course I had to take full advantage of it!

Makeup Geek is by far my favourite formula of eyeshadow I've ever tried! They're so pigmented, buttery, smooth, beautiful, long lasting and come in a range of amazing colours. If you haven't yet tried Makeup Geek, I HIGHLY suggest you check them out!!

I ended up ordering 11 regular eyeshadows, and 2 foiled eyeshadows. I wanted to order alot more than that, but I only had 13 free spaces left in my large Z palette! Fortunately, I can always just get another Z Palette and make a new palette ;) These eyeshadows are just too addictive not to!

 White Lies is a matte white that's perfect for highlighting your brow bone or inner corner. I love using this to brighten up my eye area, it works a treat!

Vanilla Bean is a light beige shade, which is perfect for under the brow bone or as a transition shade. I use this shade first before I go in with other colours, just so they're easier to blend out and there's no harsh lines.

Latte is medium brown shade which is perfect in the crease!

Frappe is a medium warm brown, and one of my favourite shades! It goes perfectly with just about any eye look.

Cosmopolitan is a beautiful rose gold with a shimmery finish. It looks quite brown in my swatch, but I promise you it's not! I love using this all over the lid with Peach Smoothie (a matte light peach) in the crease!

Barcelona Beach is another brown matte shade, but a lot cooler in tone compared to Latte and Frappe.

Hipster is quite similar to Barcelona Beach, but a shade lighter with a shimmery finish. These two shades pair amazingly with each other.

Cupcake is described as a matte warm pink, but I find it's more on the cooler side! Still a beautiful shade, one I don't have in my collection.

Poppy is a striking matte orange with pink undertones, almost like a coral. This shade is beau-ti-ful! It looks quite intimidating in the pan, but it adds such a nice, subtle pop of coral to your eye. A gorgeous shade, I highly recommend checking it out!

Morocco is a  matte burnt orange shade, which I absolutely love! I'm obsessed with orange shades, as they're perfect to warm up any eye look. This is another shade that looks quite scary in the pan, but it's a lot more subtle on the eyes.

Bada Bing is a dark chocolate brown with gold flecks throughout. The gold flecks aren't that noticeable when applied to your eye, but still a gorgeous shade nonetheless :)

FOILED:

Magic Act is a such a stunning gold, everybody will love this shade!! It's so beautiful and pigmented, and looks AMAZING all over the lid. I actually wore this out on New Years Eve! Such a stunning, festive shade.

Flame Thrower is a bright, in your face warm copper shade, which is so metallic and buttery! One swipe of this and the pigmentation is insane! This is also quite a unique shade to my collection.

I'm still blown away by the richness and intensity of the foiled eyeshadows! So far I have 5 foiled eyeshadows in my collection, and each of them are beautiful and pigmented shades, without the need of Mac's Fix+ on your brush before you apply them!

My completed Z Palette!

That's it for my Makeup Geek haul guys! Makeup Geek hauls are my favourite, there's just something about opening those individual packets and placing them in your Z Palettes, arranging them to your fancy! That's what I love about Makeup Geek. You can personalise your palettes however you like! 

Hope you guys have a marvelous day.

Much love, Steph xx

Benefit Air Patrol Eyelid Primer Review

Hey guys! Today's post is all about Benefit's new Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer!

I was lucky enough to receive this product, and I'm here to share my thoughts on this baby! I've had this for about a week now and I've been using it every day. Long story short - you need it in your life!

Firstly, lets talk about the amazing packaging. Benefit always has gorgeous and striking packaging, and this one is no different! The Air Patrol Primer packaging is cute, girly and adorable! The cap of the primer is also made to look like airplane wings, which suits the aviation theme perfectly.

Now let's talk about the product. The Air Control Primer doubles as a BB Cream, and contains SPF 20 which protects your eyelids from the sun! It's yellow in tone, making it colour-correcting, so you can wear it alone on those 'no-makep days', and not have to feel self conscious of those scary veins on your eyelids! (Maybe thats just me.. whoops!)

The product is dispensed using a click/twist method, which is perfect because you can control how much you're using, and it won't dry out! The bottom of the packaging claims one click is needed per eye, but I find one click is more than enough for both of them! The tip of the Primer is very soft and jelly-like, so it's very gentle on the eyelid area. It acts just like a finger to apply and blend it out!

The Air Control Primer not only hydrates and protects against sun damage, but it's also amazing as a base under eye shadows! It doesn't crease, fade, and really increases the colour payoff. I've worn this primer on 12 hour days at work, and by the end of it, my eyeshadow still looks the same!

I want to show you guys how amazing this primer really is. In the top swatch, I have one layer of the Air Patrol Primer, with Makeup Geek's Cocoa Bear applied over it using a flat shader brush. The bottom swatch is of the same eye shadow, but no primer. See how crazy the difference is?! I applied the same amount of shadow on both swatches, and well, you can see the difference for yourself. It really locks in the colour, and lasts all day!

The Benefit Air Patrol BB Cream Primer has become a 'holy grail' for me. I reach for it every morning now when doing my makeup! It has all the features I could want in a primer. Hydrating, colour correcting, has SPF, and locks in shadow.

This Primer retails for $50 and can be purchased online or at any Benefit counter in Myer stores :)

Hope you guys enjoyed this review!
Steph xx

Benefit U.S Haul

Hey guys!

I recently made an order through the US Benefit website, and today I'll be reviewing the goodies that I purchased!

I never intended to make a Benefit order until I received an email notifying me of free international shipping if you spent over $90. I'm a sucker for free shipping so of course I had to take advantage of the deal ;)

For us Aussies, buying makeup from the US is a lot cheaper than buying them here. It still works out being cheaper, despite how low the Australian dollar is at the moment. For example, the Roller Lash mascara on the US website is $24USD (approximately $33AUD) while it's $37AUD here if you were to buy it in store. I know it's not much of a difference, but if you're buying quite a few things, you do end up saying a lot of money!

Shipping did take a while though, which I expected, seeing as it was coming from America. I placed my order on the 18th of  November and it shipped out on the 19th. I recieved my package on the 9th of December, so it took a little under 3 weeks! 

My goodies arrived in a secure box, with my items wrapped up tightly inside! Benefit also included a few samples, which is awesome! Who doesn't love samples?!

The items I purchased were: Real Cheeky Blush Palette ($42USD), Roller Lash Mascara ($24USD) and the Fake Up Undereye Concealer ($24USD).

As soon as I saw the Real Cheeky Blush Palette on the website, I knew it had to be mine! The only Benefit blush that I had tried previously was Coralista, so this was a great way for me to try out the rest for a great price! Hoola had been on my wishlist for ages, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Hoola is a perfect bronzer. It's not too cool toned and not too warm toned. It lies right in the middle of perfection! It's insanely pigmented and just a beautiful bronzer overall. Definitely a must have if you haven't tried it yet!

The other blushes in this palette include Dandelion, Rockateur, Sugarbomb and Coralista. They've very beautiful, but not as pigmented as Hoola. Coralista is the definite stand out of the bunch, it's a beautiful peachy coral shade with gold shimmer running through it! I find with the other blushes I have to use a heavy hand while applying them. These shades definitely suit lighter skin tones, as I don't think they'd show up very well on darker toned girls! Lucky for me, I can be quite pale at times so these blushes are perfect. Just keep that in mind if you're deciding whether or not to purchase this palette!

Swatches on my NC20-25 skin

The other goodies that were included in this palette were minis of a few of their top-sellers; They're Real Mascara, They're Real Push Up Liner and Watt's Up Highlighter.

They're Real Push Up Liner

Liner applicator

They're Real Mascara

Watt's Up Highlighter

These minis are a great way for me to test out the products to see if I like them before I buy the full sizes! So far I'm in love with all of them.

They're Real Push Up Liner is a gel formula, in a super easy click up dispenser. The tip of the liner is super rubbery and flexible which means it can get right up to your lashline, and the click up dispenser means it won't dry out and won't waste any product! They're Real Push Up Liner is super black, doesn't smudge and wears for hours and hours. I'll definintely be purchasing a full size when I run out!

 They're Real Mascara has become a cult item of Benefit, as it claims to lengthen, curl, volumise, lift and seperate. I've used this mascara a couple of times now and I love it. The shape of the wand is quite fat, with a lot of bristles even on the end, which means you can use it verticaslly to coat the underside of your lashes, right on the lashline! This makes your lashes appear longer, fuller and ah-mazing! This mascara gives me so much volume it's crazy! 

The Watt's Up Highlighter is a cream highlighter, which drys to a powder finish! This champagne highlighter is super gorgeous on the cheekbones, alone or layered with another highlighter! It gives my skin such a luminous sheen and doesn't fade throughout the day.

Overall the Real Cheeky palette is such a great buy. It's the perfect Christmas present for any makeup junkie in your life, or for someone looking to start out! Then there's me who bought this for myself, whoops! I just think it's such a great deal. Not only does it come with all their current boxed blushes, but it also includes their top sellers in adorable miniature form!

The first full sized goodie I picked up was the Roller Lash Macara. I love trying out new mascaras, and I'd heard such great things about this one! The style of the wand really curls and seperates my lashes, and is super duper lengthening. I reach for this mascara when I want to look wide awake. It really helps to lift my lashes, making my eyes appear bigger, hell yeah! I don't even need to curl my lashes before I use this mascara, but I like to anyway, so I can have extra curly lashes!

Finally I picked up the Fake Up Undereye Concealer, and so far I am obsessed with it!! It is SO hydrating under my eye, it literally feels like I'm applying eye cream to my eyes instead of concealer! This peachy toned concealer covers my dark circles, doesn't settle into any lines, feels extremely lightweight and lasts all day on my skin! I have dry skin so this concealer is a saving grace for me. It feels so moisturising, but doesn't slide off during the day! 

Swatches of the Fake Up concealer and Watts Up highlighter!

That's it for my haul guys! I hope you enjoyed it :)

Steph xxx

November Favourites!

Hey guys, today I thought I'd share with you my favourite products for the month of November!

Can we just take a moment to freak out about the fact that it's almost Christmas?! This year has gone by so fast it's crazy! Anyway, onto the favourites!

My first favourite of the month is the Designer Brands Longwear 24 Hour Foundation! I am completely obsessed with this foundation. It gives my skin such a full coverage without looking too cakey, it doesn't feel heavy on my skin and really gives me a flawless finish! I actually think this has become my favourite foundations of all time!! I always reach for it now when I want an amazing skin day ;)

The best part about this foundation is the price. It's only $12.99AUD! So crazy. Who knew affordable foundations could be such great quality. I highly recommend checking out this foundation! I have it in the shade Nude Beige and it's perfect for my light yellow skin!

Next up sn the Australis Oh Hai Brow Kit. Lately this has been the only thing that I've been reaching for in the mornings to do my brows. I regret that I stopped using it ever since I started using my Anastasia Dipbrow. Dipbrow is amazing, but sometimes I'm after a less defined brow look! This kit is perfect for that. It comes with two brow powders (which is great for mixing to create a shade that works for you), a highlighting shade, and a tinted wax! As you can tell by the picture, I use the darker brow powder and the wax A LOT. I first use the wax to outline my eyebrow shape, then I go in with the powder to fill them in! I love this method, because the powder creates a more natural brow, while using the wax to outline makes them look a bit more defined! Definitely pick up this brow kit if you're looking for something new to try!

It's no secret that I'm a highlighter junkie, and these two products are perfection!

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette has become one all of my all time favourite products ever! The fact that it comes with two face powders, two blushers, one bronzer and one highlighter makes this the most convenient palette ever! There has been a lot of negativity surrounding this palette because of how small it is, but I personally think it's the perfect size. If they made it any bigger, I think it would look too bulky considering how many powders are inside!

The other amazing thing about this palette is that it's perfect if you're new to the brand, like I was! It's such a great way to try out these powders to see which ones work better for you. Personally I use and love them all, so I will definitely be purchasing full sizes when I run out of this palette!

Indiscretion swatched. It's so gorgeous!

My next favourite is the Laura Mercier Indiscretion highlighter! This highlighter is so incredibly beautiful it's insane. When I first saw this product, I purely wanted it because of how gorgeous it looked. It's just a bonus that I love the highlighter too ;) It's such a beautiful golden shimmery copper shade, and I'm so glad I was able to get my hands on it - I am obsessed. It gives my skin the prettiest glow ever! I definitely should've bought a back up though, because I am going to be very sad once it runs out :(

I'm a bit of a concealer junkie, and these two concealers have been my favourites this month! The Urban Decay Naked Skin and the Designer Brands Mineral Concealer. I've been alternating between the both of these and I'm in love!

I'd heard so much hype surrounding the Urban Decay Naked Skin that I just had to try it out for myself. It was always sold out on the Mecca website, but thankfully I managed to grab one in the shade Light Warm. I use this concealer under my eyes and anywhere else I want a highlighted effect, like my forehead, nose and chin. It blends so easy into my skin, doesn't crease under my eyes, and feels like nothing on the skin - it's so lightweight!

The Designer Brands concealer is quite a new favourite. I wasn't sure how it was going to perform, but I've been so obsessed with it! This concealer is so creamy, provides amazing coverage, and also doesn't crease under my eyes! I like the fact that I can use this under my eyes, or on any skin blemishes. It covers beautifully, and stays in place all day.

Another thing I love about these concealers is that they have doe foot applicators! It makes it so much easier to control how much product you're using.

The Nudestix Magnetic Eye Pencil, and Lip/Cheek pencils have of course been favourites for me this month! I've already written a review on these here, telling you guys how much I love them! These pencils are just so easy to use, and really have excellent colour payoff. My favourite thing to use when I'm in a hurry!

Two more products that I've loved this month have been the Models Prefer Cream Contour stick, and the Designer Brands Beyond Amplifying mascara.

I've been using the cream contour stick everyday and I'm in love! I never intended to purchase this, but I picked it up at the recent Priceline sale and I'm so glad I did. It's been the perfect way for me to test out cream contouring. The size of this makes it so easy to outline and define your face, perfect to get right under those cheekbones! I then use a beauty blender to blend it out, which gives me a natural looking contour! The cream contour stick is great as a base under powder contour, or great on its own.

Im not usually one to rave about mascaras all that much, but this Designer Brands one is an exception! This mascara doesnt flake, holds my curl all day, and really lengthens my lashes! Since this mascara is a tubing formula, it makes removal so much better! The tubes literally glide off my lashes so easily! No more panda eyes, hooray!

Lastly I have some lip products to share! Can you tell I like neutral pink colours ;)

First I have Stila's Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in the shade Patina. This colour has become such a staple for me. It's the perfect everyday colour, and it stays on all day on my lips! I'm so impressed with the formula of the Stila liquid lipsticks too. They apply so smoothly and never dry out my lips at all!

Next I have another new favourite, Designer Brands Matte Lipgloss in the shade '509'. This is another matte pink shade, and I'm in love. It applies like a lip gloss, then dries down to a matte finish. It lasts for hours and hours, even after eating and drinking!

Here's what they look like swatched next to each other! Stila Patina is on the top, and the Designer Brands shade is on the bottom. I was surprised at how similar these look next to each other! In the tubes they look almost identical, but swatched, Patina is a tad darker and cooler toned.

Overall I love both of these shades!

That's it for my November favourites! I've really enjoyed discovering so many new products, which have become staples in my makeup routine!

 Hope you guys enjoyed reading, and I hope you have a great day <3
Steph xx