I Won an Instagram Giveaway!?| Australian Beauty Haul

Hello everyone!

I’m baaaaaaack! I’m finally done with school and I am ready to have a new post for you all on a REGULAR basis, that is until classes start again in September…anyways let’s get into today’s post and not rush summer!

So a little while back I won a beauty giveaway on Instagram by one of my favorite accounts "Bubbalocchamakeuplover". She is from Australia and I was so excited to win because I've never tried out any Australian make up brands because I’m from the United States.

The first thing I opened when I received the package is the Australis “AC on Tour” Contouring and Highlighting Kit. I was so happy to win this with my prize because I've seen so many Australian beauty accounts rave about this on Instagram and was wishing I could own it!

*Be prepared for multiple pictures because I'm in LOVE with this kit!*

Inside it looks like the high end Anastasia contouring kit, but I’m guessing this one is much cheaper! The pigmentation of this kit is INCREDIBLE! I tap my brush into this so lightly and still have to tap off excess!

All of these powers are super smooth and blendable, which is good if you’re someone who doesn't like a super harsh contour. Also, they are all matte, if you have oily skin in the summer, then you’ll appreciate that!

The top of the kit has three powders for setting and highlighting.

In the top left is a peach colored powder which I use to set the concealer over my dark circles and then I top it off with a more neutral powder.

In the middle is a yellow powder which reminds me a lot of the Ben Nye Banana Powder that everyone raves about! I haven’t used this one yet because I’m not quite sure how to apply it! It looks a little funny on my skin tone but when I figure it out, I’ll Instagram my look, so if you want to see it, check out my profile, HINT HINT! 

The last shade in the top row is a BEAUTIFUL highlighting shade. It is a pink shade with a gorgeous sheen to it, no sparkles or glitter at all! Like the others, this powder is super blendable and leaves an airbrushed finish.

The bottom row is all contouring shades.

The first shade in the bottom left is a warm tan shade. This would be better for bronzing your face over contouring because it looks super natural and gives a great sunkissed look.

The middle shade is a cooler, ashy brown which I use to contour because it creates a shadow effect in the hollows of my cheeks, which is essentially what you want from a contour!

The last shade in the bottom right is a deeper version of the first contour shade. I’d say it’s about two shades darker with a little more red in it. This reminds me of my favorite ELF bronzer in Caramel Cabana but matte. I’m probably not going to get much use out of this shade because I am very fair and I don’t tan very much during the summer but I’ll play around and see!

Here's one last picture of the kit to make you fall deeply in love with it!

You might be wondering why I didn't put up swatches in this post and that is because I am going to post a review of this in about a week!

The next component of my prize is Maybelline’s Master Precise Liquid Liner in black. I’m not a huge fan of liquid liners because I always seem to mess it up, but this liner lets me create the tiniest line and gradually build it up! I still prefer my ELF Cream Eyeliner but sometimes I gravitate towards this a love it every time!

The next thing I won in the giveaway is two lippies by Australis. It is their Velourlips Matte Lip Creams. They are in the shades “NY-CEE” and “TOK-I-O”. Before I get into explaining them, I just want you to know that these are the Bomb.com!

They are super pigmented and smell like fruit punch, even hours after I apply them!

NY-CEE is a bright, classic red color. This is the one I wear because the other not my everyday style, but I’m hoping to use if for a Halloween tutorial! NY-CEE is my current favorite red and it lasts ALL day! Of course it does stain (my lips seem to absorb color!) but by morning it’s usually faded.

TOK-I-O is a super bright purple. This isn't something I wear everyday (or ever, really) but hopefully I can create some tutorials for Halloween with it. I've swatched this on my hand and left it overnight and it didn't budge! The lasting power of these lip creams are amazing!

I also received an eyeshadow palette from Bubbaloochmakeuplover. It is the Party Glam palette from the brand MODELSPREFER. They are all shimmery, satin shadows in a beautiful range of colors.  I haven’t used this much because I really gravitate toward matte shadows, but so far my favorite color is “Tease”. It is a gorgeous copper brown which really highlights my eye color!

Last but not least I received a Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Pop in the shade Pink Shock. I’ve never tried any of the Baby Lips so I’m not sure if they’re moisturizing, but this one doesn’t leave my lip moisturized for very long.

That being said I still use it for the color! One swipe leaves a nice color on my lips that’s not too crazy for a “low key, hanging out in comfy clothes but still have to look presentable to run errands”, kind of day! *Disclaimer: guys I am so sorry, my computer lost the picture I took of this product so the one below isn't one that I took but I will replace it when I get the chance!! :)

Okay guys, that’s it for my Australian Beauty Giveaway Haul! I’m so thankful to Bubbaloochmakeuplover for hosting this giveaway, I love all my prizes! I hope you all have a wonderful day and if you’re lucky enough to already be out on summer break like I am, enjoy it!

Xoxo,

Brig

My ikatehouse affiliate link: http://www.ikatehouse.com/?mw_aref=8161f5d154a17e1412f65b4eac1cd80e 

This company has many makeup brands for an affordable price, including NYX, L.A Girls, Jordana and more!

Smokey Date Night Makeup Tutorial!

Hello everyone!

Before I start this tutorial I have a quick question for you. Does anyone who reads my blog also watch Revenge? I just started watching it and I am HOOKED! Comment down below and we'll chat, just please no spoilers!

Okay now for the tutorial! Here's a quick overview of the look and the products I used:

This time I started with my face because if I'm doing a look with winged eyeliner, I don't want to wreck it while I'm applying primer and foundation!

Not my pic! Found on ulta.com! 

I applied my Eyes Lips Face Mineral Face Primer as usual with my fingers, paying extra attention to dry patches and the area around my nose where my pores tend to be as big as black holes! 

For this tutorial I decided to give Revlon's Nearly Naked Foundation in Ivory another try (review coming soon!). This foundation is a shade too light for even my pale winter skin so bronzer and blush was a must for this look!

I used my usual favorite blush and bronzer, both by ELF. Thinking this in the tune of a broken record, the bronzer is their Mineral Pressed Bronzer in Caramel Cabana, and their Baked Blush in Peachy Cheeky.

After finishing my face, I moved onto my favorite place to experiment, my eyes!

First I prime my eyelids and undereye area with ELF's Mineral Eyeshadow Primer.

After I blend out the primer, I apply eyeshadows from my Hard Candy palette in this order:

First I apply the camel looking color in and just above my crease. Then I apply the light pink all over a lid. Third I apply the light brown shade all in my crease and blend it with the other colors. Then I apply the darkest brown on my outer-V and blend it slightly into the crease.

I find that after all that blending, the opacity of the pink shadow fades so I'll go back in and apply it on the lid. After I do that, I'll take the white color in the palette (which my camera didn't even pick up on) under my brow and in my inner corner. 

Once my shadow is done, I use ELF's (of course!) Cream Eyeliner in black to create a winged liner. I'm hoping to eventually do a tutorial on how I apply my winged liner so it looks great every time, but for now it shall remain a mystery! :)

As for my brows, all I do right now is take an angled eyeliner brush and use the same light brown that I used in my crease (#3) to fill them in. They really need to be touched up so I don't overfill them or else they'll look ridiculous!

Oh snap! I almost forgot to tell you all what I'm wearing on my lips! Today I picked Wet n Wild's Megalast lipstick in 901B "Think Pink". I think this was the perfect light pink to wear for this look! 

After I'm happy with my eyeliner, I curl my lashes and apply mascara. For this look I'm using my Rimmel London Scandaleyes mascara in waterproof black. I love using this mascara for more dramatic looks because it makes my lashes look almost like I'm wearing falsies! 

Here's one last look on this...look:

Okay guys, that's it for today's tutorial! Can you tell I'm obsessed with doing tutorials lately?? As always please find me on social media or comment below! 

Xoxo,

Brig

My ikatehouse affiliate link: http://www.ikatehouse.com/?mw_aref=8161f5d154a17e1412f65b4eac1cd80e 
This company has many makeup brands for an affordable price, including NYX, L.A Girls, Jordana and more!

Easy Spring Makeup Tutorial!

Hello everyone!

I hope all my readers on the East Coast is enjoying the GORGEOUS weather that has finally arrived! To accompany it, I have a super easy spring makeup tutorial for you all! So, let's just get right into it!

So here's just an overview of the look:

As you can see, it's a very neutral eye and face look with a super pretty pop of color on the lips. That's what spring makeup means to me, a neutral look and a great pop of color! 

Here are all the products I used:

From left to right:

Eyes Lips Face Cosmetics Essential brushes:

- Professional Total Face Brush

- Professional Eyelash and Brow Wand

-Professional Eyeshadow Brush

- Professional Blending Eye Brush 

Individual compacts (all from ELF Cosmetics):

-Mineral Pressed Bronzer in "Caramel Cabana"

-Baked Eyeshadow in "Enchanted"

Baked Blush in "Peachy Cheeky"

The eyeshadow palette is from Hard Candy and is called "Birthday Suit"

The eyeshadow primer is ELF's Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

The mascara below it is my new favorite! It is ELF's (of course!) Lengthening and Volumizing Mascara 

The chubby lip pencil below the mascara is Rimmel London's Colour Rush Balm in "Sun-kissed"

The eyeliner below the lip color is Wet n' Wild's Color Icon Kohl Liner in "Calling Your Buff" 

On the right side of the palette are ELF brushes from their studio line:

- Angled Contour Brush

-Flat Eyeliner Brush

I know some makeup artists say not to do your eye makeup before your face makeup but today's look is super simple and doesn't involve foundation or anything messy so I switched things up!

Here's the order I used the eyeshadow in:

Please ignore my brows, they're so horrible right now!

The color I used as a base on my lid looks much paler because of the lighting I used but I reality is a beautiful pastel pink, perfect for a pretty neutral springtime/ Easter makeup look. You can see it a little bit better in the first picture. Oh and enjoy all the freckles I'm getting from the sunshine! No matter if I use sunscreen or not they come up at the first sign of spring!

I applied the light pink with the "Eyeshadow brush" and blended the light and dark brown in my crease with the "Blending Eye Brush". If I think that the opacity of the pink shadow was lost between all that blending I'll go back in and put on another layer. This just makes it so it looks more like a pretty pastel pink spring look and less like an everyday neutral look. Using the pink just makes it a little more special:) 

After I finish my eyeshadow, I curl my lashes and apply two coats of my ELF's Lengthening and Volumizing mascara! This mascara is super lengthening but not very volumizing so it's much better for an everyday look. If you want a mascara that would give you thick lashes for a special occasion or if you just like big lashes, this is not for you. Also this mascara is super dry, but it works so I don't mind!

I totally forgot to demonstrate in this picture that I also took the light brown color I used for "2" and smudged it in my lower lash line for a smokier look. I applied to my lower lash line with the flat eyeliner brush, I got as close to the lash line as possible. The nude eyeliner also comes into play here, I used it on my waterline to look more awake, I really needed it today! 

After I applied my eye makeup, I applied my face makeup. Like I said earlier, I didn't apply any foundation so I went straight for the contour!

If you've been following me for a little while, you'll know that this is my current FAVORITE bronzer! It leaves a super natural finish and can be applied lightly or built depending on your preference. 

I first applied this with the "Angled Contour Brush" (pictured above) to the hollows of my cheeks, under my jawline, on my hairline, and down the sides of my nose. Then I took my super fluffy "Total Face Brush" and blended it until I was happy with how light and natural it looked! 

After contour, I applied blush and my baked eyeshadow super lightly as a highlight. I applied the blush to my cheeks and blended it towards my temples. 

Ignore the eyeshadow brush, I did not use this on my eyes for this look!

For the highlighter I applied it on the top of my cheekbones and blended it in the same direction as my blush. I applied it VERY lightly because the blush also has shimmer in it so I don't want to look like a sparkly clown!

Last but not least are the lips, if you didn't know this is my favorite part! Today I used my favorite coral color, Rimmel London's Colour Rush Balm in "Sun-Kissed"! I've recently put up a mini review of this color under my March Favorites so go check that out if you're interested:)

For this tutorial I didn't explain to you how to do my brows, mainly because I'm planning to do a separate tutorial for them but also because today they were insanely messy! 

Okay guys that's it for my tutorial on my favorite springtime/ Easter look! I've been having so much fun planning tutorials and posts for you guys! As always feel free to comment down below to leave requests or find me on my social media! Love you all:)

Xoxo,

Brig

My ikatehouse affiliate link: http://www.ikatehouse.com/?mw_aref=8161f5d154a17e1412f65b4eac1cd80e 
This company has many makeup brands for an affordable price, including NYX, L.A Girls, Jordana and more!

March 2015 Favorites!

Hello everyone!

It is currently 9:15pm on March 30th and I'm going to try to get my March favorites up before March is actually over! I cannot believe that March is actually over and there's only 30 days standing between me, finals and SUMMER! I can't wait!

Aaaaaaaaanyways, here's what I loved during the month of March!

First up is a bronzer by ELF cosmetics. ELF has been ALL OVER my blog recently but that's because they are my favorite makeup brand and they are amazing! This is the same bronzer I used in my "One brand tutorial", and it's the Pressed Mineral Bronzer in Caramel Cabana!

When this first arrived, I thought that this color would be way too dark for my very fair winter skin, but once I applied it with the brush shown below and then went back and BLENDED it out with a fluffy powder brush, the result was flawless! This color will definitely be on my skin all summer because once I get some summer sun, (safely, of course. Always use SPF!), this bronzer will look good without any other face product!

My next favorite is Rimmel London's Colour Rush Balms! I recently did a whole review on these so go check that out! However, only one of them has really stood out to me this month and that is "Sunkissed". This is a beautiful coral color perfect for the nice weather that is finally here after what seems like 10 years of winter!

I also figured out the other day that if you let these balms dry on your lips, they dry matte, which I love! They do however feel very drying, but I'll deal with that because of how gorgeous the coral color looks matte, and it lasts hours before it starts to fade and I need to reapply! So that's awesome:)

Another product I have been loving in March (I actually almost typed "May" here, like woah, let's not get ahead of myself here!) has been a favorite of mine since the beginning, and it's my Hard Candy Eyeshadow Palette in "Birthday Suit". Any of you who have seen me rave about this can feel free to skip this part but if you haven't heard about this then feel free to read on! :)

I bought this palette at the end of 2014 and it's still going strong which is surprising since I use it daily! I also did a review on this palette so if you really want to know in depth about this palette and see swatches then you should go check that out as well!

A haircare product that I have been obsessed with during March is Got2be's "Guardian Angel" heat protectant. Basically what this does is protect your hair if your going to use any kind of tool on it like a blow dryer or straightener. I picked this up in February because I ran out of my usual one and I actually like this more! 

Miss Glamorazzi on YouTube used to rave about this so I figured it would be good and she (as usual!) was right. This spray really does protect my hair from the damage of my straightener, the smell however, isn't pleasant. No worries though because it doesn't linger in my hair. The picture below is not mine, but it is the same product. Sorry, I usually use content that is all mine, but I just didn't have time to snap a pic of this product and edit it and get it up here before I pass out from exhaustion, haha!

Not my pic! Got it from drugstore.com!

A huge waste part of my time recently has been spent on Pinterest. If you've never heard of it, (although that's probably rare in 2015), Pinterest is a website/app where you basically create giant online collections of your interests. Every time you "pin" something that interests you to one of your boards (like you would on an actual cork board) it saves under a category on your profile so you can go back and look at it later.

I've been really building up my profile, I think I pinned well over 300 things this month, so if you like Pinterest as well, I urge you to follow me because I pin everything from blogging tips to make up, to fitness tips and workouts! 

Okay, that's all for my March 2015 favorites! I'm sorry it wasn't much but school has been CRAY! Do people still say that? Oh well, I'm bringing it back! Thankfully it's almost over! Thank you so much for reading and as always please feel free to comment down below or find me on my social media! You can find my social media by clicking the pretty new icons I installed on the right hand side of my blog! :)

Xoxo,
Brig



My ikatehouse affiliate link: http://www.ikatehouse.com/?mw_aref=8161f5d154a17e1412f65b4eac1cd80e 

This company has many makeup brands for an affordable price, including NYX, L.A Girls, Jordana and more!

Eyes Lips Face Mineral Eye Primer Review and Swatches!

Hello everyone!

Today I'm reviewing my holy grail eyelid primer. It is the ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer from their studio line. They also have one from their "essential" line which is $1 which used to be my favorite but I feel like this one is better and here's why!

In the tube, this primer looks like it would be a concealer, but once you blend it, it basically disappears and has a nice matte finish! I actually also use this as a very lightweight concealer for days where I don't need a full on concealer or as a primer for concealer for days where I need more than the usual full coverage (i.e. for nights where I was up until 1 am finishing a paper and I have to be in class at 9!). As you can see from the swatch below, this primer completely blurred out the lines in my hand which is insane for a cheaper-than-drugstore brand concealer!

The lasting power of this stuff is amazing! I have dry skin but for some reasons my eyelids are extremely oily so eyeshadow has always been hard to keep from creasing. This stuff helps my eyeshadow to not crease for at least 5 hours which is awesome, and even when it does crease and I'm not in a situation to reapply my eyeshadow I just blend out the shadow that creased with my finger just so there's no more harsh lines and that helps until I get home.

Overall this primer is a great one! For $3 you can't go wrong, even if you don't like it!

Okay guys, that's it for my review on the ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer!

L.A Colors Lipstick Review and Swatches!

Hello everyone!

Today I have another lippies post for you! This time it's for the L.A Colors Lipsticks. I recently picked up 3 of them at my local DOLLAR TREE! Yup, that's right, 3 great quality lipsticks for a dollar a piece!

At first when I swatched them on my hand, I didn't expect  much because they were very patchy and sheer. Once I applied them to my lips though, I was pleasantly surprised!

The first color (on the left) called "Coral Sheen"is a beautiful coral (duh!) color with some very tiny micro glitters in it. Actually all of these lipsticks have a sparkle to them, although it doesn't look sparkly on the lips, it just looks like a shiny lip color, so keep that in mind if you want to try them! Coral is my go to color for the nice weather that's supposed to be coming to the East Coast at some point this year and this lipstick helps me get excited for it!















The middle color is called "Dusty Rose". It's basically a mix between a mauve and bubblegum pink color. The application is very smooth and the finish is a strong shine just like "Coral Sheen". I'm not in love with this color, not for any particular reason, I just don't love it. I guess I'm in like with it! I like the formula and color, but I just don't think it works for my skin tone!

The last color is a purple that looks so much darker in the picture than it actually is. It's called "Frozen Berries". This is my least favorite color because it has the most sparkle and the least shine which makes it look super cheap (even though it was!) and it's super patchy, as you can see in my lip swatch below! It barely stayed on my lips even minutes after I applied it, and it clung to my chapped patches worse than the others. I just swatched it on my hand, and yeah, it was super patchy and it looks like a lipstick I had as a child during the 90's. Okay, that sounded harsh and I'm sorry but this particular color isn't good. The other's however are awesome!

Okay guys, that's it for my thoughts on the L.A Colors lipsticks! They can be found at Dollar Tree and at Family Dollar and are great for girls on a budget or beginners looking for a starter kit! As always, feel free to reach out to me on my social media listed on the right side of my blog. Also, comment down below and tell me if you've ever tried L.A Colors and tell me what you're favorite product is!

Xoxo,

Brig

My ikatehouse affiliate link: http://www.ikatehouse.com/?mw_aref=8161f5d154a17e1412f65b4eac1cd80e

This company has many makeup brands for an affordable price, including NYX, L.A Girls, Jordana and more! 

Rimmel London Colour Rush Balms Reviews and Swatches!

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all having a great day! Today I'm talking to you about my new favorite lippies, Rimmel London's "Colour Rush Balms". I'm not sure if these are still available in stores, I bought them at my local Job Lot. I just checked, they are available on amazon, but the prices vary a lot!

Here's the basics:

These balms are super glossy and sheer on the first swipe, but they are definitely buildable as you will see in the swatches! To wear them on a day-to-day basis I put the product on the center on my lips and blend it out with my fingers.

The colors I bought are 120 All You Need is Pink (left), 610 Sun Kissed (middle), and 110 Make Me Blush.

"All You Need is Pink" is definitely more of a sheer red than a pink but that's okay because it's still a really pretty color! As you can see, the more you apply these lippies, the more pigmented they become. I definitely wouldn't wear this color like I swatched it because it just doesn't work with my lip color but sheer, it's amazing!

"Sun Kissed" is my favorite lip color of all! Even heavily applied, this color stays smooth and beautiful. It's a gorgeous coral pink and could work well on all skin tones. This is my go-to color for spring and summer which is good because it's a color that never goes away, it always makes a comeback!

"Make Me Blush" is the perfect bubblegum pink for the springtime! It matches my lip color very well, it's about one shade darker than what looks super natural for me. I love this color as much as "Sun Kissed", but it does seem to cling the chapped part of my lips, as you can see. This being said, as long as I really exfoliate before I use this color, it applies like a dream, as do the rest of them. When I can, I'm definitely going back for more!

Okay guys, that's it for my review on Rimmel London's Colour Rush Balms! I love these things so much, they are perfect to just throw in your purse when you're on the go. As always feel free to reach out to me on my social media listed on the right side of my blog or leave a comment below!

Xoxo,

Brig

My ikatehouse affiliate link: http://www.ikatehouse.com/?mw_aref=8161f5d154a17e1412f65b4eac1cd80e

This company has many makeup brands for an affordable price, including NYX, L.A Girls, Jordana and more!