ILLAMASQUA HAUL AND REVIEW!

I ordered some Illamasqua goodies after Christmas as they there was a code that we could use for a 15% discount and they were also having an online sale for selected items so I took the advantage of the 15% discount code and I also got one thing from the online sale that they were having as the other 3 items I wanted wasn't in their online sale's list, so I just used the 15% discount code for the 3 items.

So I got 3 Blushers, and a face primer; 2 of the Blushers are powder and 1 is a cream blusher and as for the face primer, I got the Satin Primer instead of the Matte Primer.

So let's start with the "Satin Primer":

Before applying make-up, it is best to prepare your face with a primer; as this evens out the skin and allows a better application of either your foundation or powder and it also gives one's face a better look (e.g. I got the Satin Primer and this gives my face a more 'dewy' look, if you get the Matte Primer it will give your look a more 'matte' look) I did not get the Matte primer mainly because my skin is a little dry, not too dry but dry at certain areas and I think if I were to get the Matte primer, it would enhance those dry spots that I have and overall with this Satin primer, I really like it as it does even out my skin and allows a more smooth application of foundation and I love the effect it gives on my skin. It has a vanilla scent to it but it's ok for me and it comes out as a white liquid-lotion texture but it blends out into the skin without leaving your face looking white. The primer was £19.00 but after the 15% discount, it was £16.15.


Next thing I purchased and LOVING IT! is the Powder Blush in "Rumour":

This I love so, so much! It is described as a Pale pinky-beige with a matte finish but I would agree with the description of it but on my skin it looks just like a beige which makes it really great for contouring and that was the main reason why I got it. So I'm really happy with it as it does serve it's purpose and the powder is highly pigmented as well as finely milled which is great as it blends in effortlessly. Another shade which is great for contouring from Illamasqua would be "Disobey" but it will be great if you could go to their counter and choose the shade that best suits your skin tone as I've heard that there are a few contouring shades depending on your skin tone but "Rumour" suits me just fine and I'm happy with it. The Powder Blushers are £16.50 each but as it was on sale on their website, I can't remember how much it was but if I wasn't mistaken it was either £9.00 or £10.50.


Another Blusher that I got was the Powder Blush in "Lover":

This powder blush is not something that I would go for naturally but I've been on a kick recently for peach/beige Blushers so I got this one. It is described as a Soft Apricot with a matte finish as well and it is gorgeous, on my cheek, it just brightens up my whole face. In person it looks scary in the pan as it looks like a really bright peachy orange shade but once applied on the cheek it is beautiful and you'll only need a little as all Illamasqua's products are highly pigmented. So make sure you use a light-hand if you dont want to go out looking like a clown. This is originally £16.50 but after the 15% discount, it was £14.03.


The next Blusher is not a powder blush, it is a Cream Blush in "Rude":

This is another blush that is famous when it comes to Illamasqua and it is a coral pink shade in the pan and also when swatched. It also looks really scary in the pan but when applied it gives a nice flush to the cheeks. I was very surprised with the texture of this cream blush as I've never felt a cream blush so smooth before and it doesn't come off as super pigmented when swatched but it is definitely buildable and feels so light. And the best part is, this can also be used on the lips! which is great and a plus point. The thing about Illamasqua is that their products are highly versatile. So, this was £16.50 also but after the 15% discount, it was £14.03.

Here are some swatches:

From Top to Bottom: Rumour, Lover and Rude (all swatched heavily for swatching purposes)

LOVE,

ALVINA

MAC Cham Pale Haul

Hi everyone, firstly, I'm really sorry for taking so long to post this up. So I got 3 things from this collection. I did not get the palette, I did not get the Lip Gelees and I did not get the Eye Kohl in either Feline or the shimmery champagne one (correction, I did get the shimmery champagne one just that I returned it as I wasn't too impressed by it, so I return it and exchange it for one of the paint pots and I already have one of Feline, I didnt need another one, so I skipped that too).

So I only got the Fix+Lavender, Chromagraphic pencil in NC15/NW20, and a Paint Pot in Dangerous Cuvee. 

First up, let's talk abt the palette, I didnt get it because I recently got a 4 pan-palette as well and I also got one of the shades that were in the Cham Pale palette which was "Brule" so I did not see a purpose for me to buy the palette as I rather fill it up with the shades that I love more:

  

Next, let's take a look at the Fix+Lavender:

The Fix+Lavender has a very mild scent of Lavender; not too strong and since its my first Fix+, I am liking it as a refreshing mist spray for the face. The Fix+Lavender was £12.50.

Next up, the MAC Chromagraphic Pencil in NC15/NW20:

The MAC Chromagraphic Pencil is just a skin tone pencil shade which can be used for concealing spots, lining the waterline for brightening of the eyes with instead of a white pencil, and also highlighting the brow-bone. This is a very versatile pencil and I love the texture of it which is super creamy and is easy to apply. The pencil was £12.50.

 *Just a word of caution, this can't be used on the lips as it is stated on the box itself as a warning.*

The only Paint Pot I bought is the darkest shade among all the Paint Pots; "Dangerous Cuvee".

 

 

 

This is my first Paint Pot and I'm loving the texture on how creamy it is and I love the shade as well! I didn't planned on purchasing this one at first as I bought the Eye Kohl initially in "I Get No Kick" but I did not like it at all it's just a champagne sheen but I love the Chromagraphic Pencil so I returned the eye kohl and exchanged it for the paint pot instead. I've heard that the Paint Pots in this collection was sheer and glittery but the reason why I picked this up was because it reminds me so much of the "Hypnotizing" e/s from the Love Lace Collection. When paired with the "Hypnotizing" shadow, it is gorgeous! The only downside about the paint pot is that it is very glittery and I did experienced fall outs under my eyes after awhile but it can be solved with powder so I am not too bothered as I love the colour.

LOVE,

ALVINA

REVIEW: NARS The Multiple in St.Barts

This is the NARS Multiple in St. Barts. I've been wanting to try this for awhile now and finally caved in and just got it. For those of you who don't know what a Multiple is, it is basically a product which can be used on the Face, Body, Lips and Eyes. And what so great about it is that it is a cream to powder finish and the texture of it is just velvety smooth! Not sticky at all!

I was debating on whether I should get this or Copacabana which is another one which I've heard alot about but decided to get this one instead as I've been looking for a product that I could contour with and I love this! It is a true brown taupe shade with slight shimmer but it still looks great for contouring.

 Copacabana didnt interest me at all as I thought it was gonna be just a sheen glow on my face but it turned out more like a whole lot of shimmer on my face which was disgusting so I decided to go for St.Barts instead which is AWESOME for contouring the cheekbones, jawline and the bridge of the nose, I really saw the difference after it was applied on my face by the Make Up Artist at NARS and boy was I impressed! It even looks great on the lips! It doesn't look as orangey bronze as it looks in the swatch as in person it is really a true taupe colour so I would definitely suggest to those who are interested on getting it to go to the counter and swatch it in person as it is definitely worth a look at.

I love it and would definitely repurchase another once I'm done with this or even if I'm not done by the time I go back to my country, I'm gonna repurchase another one. The price: £29.00.

THANK YOU FOR READING AND I HOPE THIS HELPS. =)

 LOVE,

ALVINA 

REVIEW: MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush

Above is MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush. I wanted this brush ever since I got into a kick for contoured looks. So I decided to get it as a Christmas present for myself. If I'm not mistaken, the bristles are made of goat hair and it is really, really soft! OMG...it is SUPER soft, trust me. Now, the fact that the bristles are white actually kinda puts me off because once it is used, it looks really dirty so yea, very disgusting but it does what it's supposed to do.

I used it mainly for contouring as I have a another brush which I use for applying blushers only. So yea I use it to contour my cheekbones, jawline and hairline and sometimes the sides of the bridge of my nose. It can be used as a blush brush as well but I mainly bought it for contouring purposes so yea, depending on personal preference as well. Definitely check it out if you need a good quality brush for contouring or even as a blush brush.

The price is pretty expensive : I bought it at £22.50 but after the VAT increased the new price for it in the UK at the moment on their website states that it is £24.00. Luckily I bought it earlier. =) But personally I think MAC brushes are indeed an investment, it can definitely last you a long time if it is well taken care of but sometimes, there are cheaper alternatives out there as well but I haven't seen too many Angled Brush out there so I just decided to get this one instead.

Well, I hope that helps and please do rate the post if you find it helpful or not =)

LOVE,

ALVINA

DIOR Iconic V.S. YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cills

Hey guys, so today I'm going to be doing a mini comparison on the Dior Iconic Extreme in Black and the YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cills in 1 High Density Black.

Both mascaras are at the same price but I got mine during sales:
Dior Iconic Extreme: £21.50 
YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cills: £21.50

I'll let the pictures do the convincing. Any questions, just leave me a comment below =)

On the Right, as you all can see it's just my bare lashes and on the Left, that is just one coat of the YSL Mascara. Look at how its already volumizing my lashes.

That is two coats of the YSL Mascara on my left eye and the right side is bare. 

Left Side: 2 coats of YSL Mascara.

Right Side: 1 coat of DIOR Mascara.

Left Side: 2 coats of the YSL Mascara.

Right Side: 2 coats of the DIOR Mascara.

 As you can obviously see that the YSL Mascara definitely volumizes and lengthens my lashes and it definitely holds the curl of my lashes even without me curling it. As for the Dior Iconic Extreme mascara, it also does volumizes and lengthen my lashes just not as much as the YSL one does but if you're looking for a defining mascara, the Dior Iconic Extreme is the best way to go as it definitely defines my lashes more compared to the YSL one. I definitely prefer the YSL one more for a more voluminize lashes. Oh and just to mention, the YSL Mascara has some perfumed scent to it, just in case some of you may not like your cosmetics to have some kind of scent to it. The Dior one doesn't have any scent to whatsoever. 

LOVE,

ALVINA