Glitter Injections: Honest review

L-R: Love Letter, Copper Crush, Rose Gold, Insta Love 

I saw this brand floating around Insta for a long time, and finally took the plunge. You've probably seen mixed reviews and if you're not new to the scene, you have heard the drama over this brand (see Hannah Schroder's video here, along with her update). There are more in depth stories, just Google it,  I won't get into it, but I agree with the pros and cons. Basically they are aesthetically impactful, but some people have experienced issues over the last couple of years.

I believe they have updated their formula in recent times - and I have had mine for 8+ months and have not experienced any issues at all. I purposefully waited this long to post a review or any pics in the interest of fairness, just to see the longevity of the product and find out if those issues arose. They didn't - all my glitters still look and smell as they did on original purchase (in the pics shown).

T-B: Insta Love, Rose Gold, Copper Crush, Love Letter, [discontinued duo Moonlight Melody]

Personally, I think it's a fun product to play with, they are really cute and great for dramatic effect - but I haven't (and won't) use regularly as there are other glitter formulas that arguably stay put longer + are arguably safer. Honestly, Glitter Injections are pretty pricey, and there are other brands similar which have not had the drama involved, which I feel a bit better about (If you're interested in my faves, send me a message, let's chat about them). Glitter Injections might be good for one-time costume makeup or even if you don't use them on the eyes, and use for other areas of the face or body?

To each their own, and like I said they are still pretty fun and I haven't had any issues yet, so if you do want to try Glitter Injections, you can do so at your own discretion. Click here for the store.

J x

NYX in Australia

NYX opened its first flagship store in Aus in December last year at Pacific Fair.

 

Among the cult favourites, the loose Pigments are coveted. We don't get a lot of choice for pigments in brands across Aus, so this is a great addition to the mix. 

Meet my first NYX pigment, PIG16 Potion

 

 

I chose this shade to add more selection to my purple collection, and so far I love the colour payoff.

NYX don't make a liquid or base formula to mix with but I've used MAC Fix+ and it glides like a dream. Have yet to try but I'm guessing a sticky primer would work as well. 

Love this colour! It's a blue-brown based purple with a white-blue shimmer through it. Not exactly glitter, more iridescent shine.

Here it is (top) swatched with UD Moondust palette shade in Magnetic for comparison:

 

I'm not in need of any other pigments at the moment but at $11.95 a pop I won't hesitate to get more should any catch my eye. Super affordable and pigmented (duh, Jen it would want to be as a Pigment lol). 

Tell me your favourite shades and I might add to my collection!

J x

Ellis Faas Liquid Gold

You've all seen Chloe Morello lose her sh** over these Ellis Faas products, but here's a better look at the E303 Metallic EyeLight she couldn't quite get to work.

I had this used on me for the first time during a makeup lesson and I have to say I also lost my sh** - albeit for a different reason.

This stuff is legit. It's like pouring liquid gold over your eyelids, and once dry, it will not budge.

Opening up the lid, you're greeted with the brush applicator.

You've got to twist the end to get the product up to the brush, and this is where all hell breaks loose. I've only used mine three times, but on all occasions I had the same problem as Chloe (and I know many others). It's like waiting for the cork on a champagne bottle to pop, and it never does. Sad times.

I was told on purchase to be patient, that a few twists was enough and the product would spout from the brush in due time. Idk about you, but I'm impatient af, and even moreso when I'm applying makeup in a rush. Just. Get. The. Damn. Eyeshadow. Out. Please.

When it does finally appear (I'm gonna say at least 3-5 mins) it's like a surprise, explosive volcano and you've got quite a lot to work with. Somewhat good, at least it's not stingey. But somewhat bad, seems wasteful to have that much come out at once.

Nevertheless, if you can look past this packaging flaw, the results are worth it.

This shadow glides on, you hardly need a primer, it's quick to dry and the liquid is heavily pigmented. You will not want to touch any other gold eyeshadow after this, it's that good.

It's definitely on the luxury high-end scale price-wise, so this isn't something you're going to be purchasing all the time, but it's a unlike anything I've ever used before. I'd definitely say it's a must-try for hardcore makeup lovers, only because of the quality and colour payoff. It's so low fuss in those departments, it kind of makes you forget it took you half an hour to get it working ;)

So: get it if you can afford it + are looking for something new & amazing to try. But I wouldn't say it's an essential part of your beauty life.

Aussies, you can find it here at Mecca Cosmetica, along with the four other metallic shades.

Ellis Faas E303 in action with Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette.

J x

Massive Beauty Haul! - Mecca Maxima, Kiehls, Sephora

The stash pre-unpackaging!

The wait is finally over - I checked out Mecca Maxima's Urban Decay launch!

(Did not get first 100 freebies - devastated!!!)

Also took a trip to Kiehl's, and been saving my Sephora Sydney mini haul for this blog post.
Check out what I've picked up this month:

-The Line Up-

We were treated with free water, museli bars and reading material.
First 100 in the line got a makeup bag with deluxe samples - I was number 106! Cue frustration.
I ended up with 2 deluxe samples with purchase, though - Perversion mascara, and the usual eye primer that comes with Naked purchase.

 -The Haul-

I deliberated whether to get Naked or Naked 2 (already own Naked 3), but the colours in the original swayed me.
I feel like I will probably get Naked 2 at some point in time though (who could resist). Same deal with the Naked Basics range, I loved the matte shades in Naked Basics 2.

No swatches of the Naked palettes, as I'm sure there are a hundred on the internet somewhere.
I did swatch my lip products though (sneaky Too Faced purchase happened), photo below!

The original Urban Decay Naked Palette

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2

Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick Sheer Streak

 This UD lipstick colour caught my attention and I could not say no! So. damn. pretty.
Texture reminds me of Maybelline Whisper range, or the Revlon Lip Butters but more durable. So, it does have that gloss factor to it.

Seems like a hydrating flush of colour - pretty keen to take it for a test run! Standard packaging, but I'm loving the signature UD purple.

Also picked up Too Faced Melted liquid lippy in Melted Velvet.
Have been wanting to try this for A G E S.

So many tempting colours, but I picked a Winter shade so I can play with it in coming months.

The squeezable, doe foot applicator could get messy, but I'll give it a go!

I'll keep you posted on the outcome of these two lip products, as I'm sure you're intrigued about the hype as much as I am.

Oh - got two lip liners on a whim as well. Nothing exciting, just for staple purposes - details in the swatch below:

L-R: UD Sheer Streak, Too Faced Melted Velvet, Rimmel Lip Liners in 004 Indian Pink & 049 Natural.

 -Kiehl's-

Wanted to try out two skincare products I cannot stop hearing about (Zoella, I'm looking at you)!

Midnight Recovery Eye gel, and Blemish Control Daily Skin-Clearing Treatment.

Sales woman also threw in samples of the Creme de Corps moisturizer, and Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleanser.

Again, will keep you posted on the outcome!

 

-Sephora, Sydney-

Obsessed with masks lately, picked up a Honey Mask from Sephora.

Got overwhelmed with the product range, panicked, and ended up picking up Sephora blush Pink Flush, and Sephora cheeks & lips Brilliant Jumbo 04 Vintage Pink.

Not really sure if I love them, but I'll see how they go haha!!!
Was super overwhelmed, and had a friend waiting so didn't take my usual time swatching, etc.
When in doubt, go for the subtle, neutral tones!

 

Did you check out the Urban Decay launch today?
Or got any favourites from Sephora Australia?

Let me know :)

J x

DIY Fix For Broken Makeup

There you are, going about your business and daily makeup routine, when you look down and see the dreaded....

You've hit pan!!! Noooooooo. Nearly time to head back to MAC and grab another of those bad boys. Seems simple right? Wrong. This happens a day later...

Cracked beyond repair - but fear not! Here's my tip and what I did to salvage my Select Sheer MAC Pressed Powder.

There are a few quick fixes floating around the internet on saving your broken makeup, so this isn't a new concept. Probably lucky for me since I wouldn't have continued using the powder and it seems such a waste since MAC products can become quite pricey. 

One tip suggested to melt the powder into a bit of alcohol and re-set it into the pan. I don't quite remember why I didn't try this, but I think I would be a bit skeptical on the quality of the product after re-setting and also adding a harsh alcohol to it (also probably couldn't be bothered to look for alcohol & wait the drying time). But if you have tried it and it worked well for you, I'd love to know so I can try it in future.

Personally, I decided to place the loose powder in an empty sandwich zip-lock bag, grab the end of my hair brush, and crush all the powder until it was very fine. It ends up looking like a mineral powder but slightly denser. Place all the powder into an empty container (I stole mine from my sister but I know you can purchase these at chemists or post offices in the travel section, if you're living in Australia. I'm sure you can get them at similar places worldwide, just ask your sales assistant).

And there you go! All better. I run a kabuki through the powder just because my powder brush is a bit too big to fit into the container, but I assume the kabuki can also distribute it better as it is now a loose powder. Just be sure to tap off any excess before applying to your face and you're good to go.

Hope this has helped some of you who are stumped at what to do with broken makeup, and remember it could apply to any broken powder, whether it be setting powder, eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, etc.

Below is the finished product :) 

J xx