First Impressions: Colourpop!, Fleur de Force and Physicians Formula

Hello beauty lovers!

I am very excited to write this post today as I have been testing some very affordable makeup items and Spoiler Alert: They are amazing!!!

I purchased three Fleur de Force Lip Glosses. They are such a nice consistency, thick but not gloopy, moisturising and so pigmented!! From top to bottom I have Written in the Stars, Seeing Stars and Starlight.

Out of the three, Starlight is less pigmented but still so pretty!! Its an awesomely wearable peach. All of these has a pleasant fruity scent but its nothing too offensive.

MOVING ON!

Colourpop! is fast becoming one of my favourite e-tailer for makeup. Seriously, they are amazing!!!

I don't love all the products but that may be because I have chosen some colours which don't suit me.

First up is my beautiful, gorgeous Where The Light Is palette by Kathleen Lights (a youtuber). I love this collaboration and I can not wait to get the sister quad which is called Where The Night Is. Each of the eyeshadows and lippie stix and lippie pencils are 5 USD each. The blush and bronzers are 8 USD each.

The shades from left to right are Glow (matte), Cornelius (matte), KathleenLights (pearlized), and Blaze (metallic). I am seriously in love with these. Glow is not quite as amazing as the other three (it is slightly harder and drier than the others) but it is still a really great eyeshadow. 

I didn't think I would ever love cream eyeshadows THIS much but I do. These combine the best of both cream and powder eyeshadows. Super strong pigmentation, lack of powder kickup (game changer!!) and stays put for 8 hours WITHOUT primer on my very oily eyelids. 

The lip products that I got are (from left to right) Button Lippie Pencil, Lumiere 2 Ultra Matte Lip, Lumiere Matte Lippie Stix, Frenchie Lippe Stix, and Frenchie Lippie Pencil.

I gotta tell you. I hate Button and Lumiere 2 (Sorry Kathleen) for the colour - they don't suit me and much too dark and I feel like I have aged 10 years when wearing these. Lumiere, and the Frenchies are so so so good. Highly pigmented and comfortable to wear. Thumbs up!

NEXT UP!

Physicians Formula has some of the best bronzers in the drugstore and I have been seeing some awesome reviews of their Shimmer Strips so I bought one on sale in Priceline (AUD 14.95)

It is a nice product, but it won't replace my current highlighters (Becca, Guerlain and Hourglass).

See my swatches below. The shades are quite powdery and I am not a huge fan. So devo.... Even applied lightly, this thing gives you a very strong highlight (almost frosty) effect. I wish the powders were more finely milled. Oh well.

Hope you like my first impressions. I highly recommend checking our Colourpop! as they ship to Australia and they are so affordable.

xoxo,
Cindy

Shu Uemura Shu:Palette - Review and Swatches

So here's the deal. I was really going to post a review of this palette weeks ago but I keep putting it off because the palette didn't wow me. Guys, this palette is good but it isn't AMAZING.

I have such high expectations from Shu Uemura eyeshadows so I wanted to make sure that I was being fair and testing all the shades and did various eyelooks with it.

The palette has varying quality from shadow to shadow. I find that the pigmentation and formulation of the metallics are generally good. But this is true from a lot of brands, is it not? The mattes are nicely pigmented but applies a bit patchy. The light shadows aren't powdery and blends nicely. I think this is a palette that you can not overdo and for that reason, it is perfect for the office.

I think these eyeshadows have that understated quality and works perfectly fine for daily wear. The one thing I absolutely adore about Shu Uemura shadows is that the powder is nicely pressed and you don't kick up a lot of excess when you dip your brush in. LOVE that about it. Keeps the palette nice and clean :)

The brush that comes free with the palette is atrocious. I'm not sure why it was included but it really doesnt work well with the shadows unless you spritz MAC Fix + on it to try and coax the product to get on the freaking brush.

So... all that being said. I'm not sure if I would have purchased it if I knew this was the quality I was getting. It was quite pricey (Over AUD 200 full price!!) and I would probably save that money to get myself two of Tom Ford's high quality quads.


 Swatches are shown below, in half sun and then inside with artificial lighting with no primer underneath.

Comparison with the same shade in the old packaging. 

L-R: Shu:Palette, Single (1st Gen) Shadow 

I also tried to play around with using Mac Fix + to intensity the shadows - to some degree of success.

Love,
Cindy xx

Collective Haul - Makeup and Skincare

Hello everyone! I am finally back on the blogging world and this time around I plan to be a little more regimented in my blog post releases. I hope you have all been well and as this is my first post in 2016: Happy New Year, and Welcome to A Girl's Guide To Makeup v 2.0.

I've been doing a bit of shopping over Christmas and New Year and I have a few things that I am excited to show you!

First up - Skincare

My fellow Australians : PRICELINE SALE!! Oh my. Lets get this post going shall we...

I recently finished my 500 mL bottle of Bioderma Sensibio H2O. My holy grail. My precious! I have strayed to other brands (Simple and La-Roche Posay) and this is hands down my favourite! If you would like me to do an in-depth comparison, let me know in the comments below :)

Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Night Pads Extreme. This has both glycolic and lactic acid in it, so I am imagining that it will sting a little on first usage. I'm currently using up my sample of Sunday Riley Good Genes (which is horrendously pricey) so when that runs out, I will be using these pads.

Nuxe Reve de Miel was recommended by Lisa Eldridge in her Favourite French Pharmacie Products video and when I saw it, I got so excited I almost bought two! Don't worry, I came to my senses :P

My colleague recommended that I try Rosehip oil to combat the signs of aging. I am excited to try this but I am sliiiiightly worried that it will make my skin congested. If you have tried this product please let me know. Apparently, this is the rosehip oil that is used by the Duchess of Cambridge... if its good enough for the Duchess, it's good enough for me!

Bioderma Hydrabio Legere was also a Lisa Eldridge recommendation and I am SO GLAD I picked this up. It has a pump, a locking mechanism for the pump and a cap. Seriously! Tick, tick, and tick. The packaging is SAH good for a pharmacy brand and at 40% off - this deal really can't be beat.

I tried the moisturiser today and it was lovely. I can't believe I have never tried this before! Bonus - this product is non-comedogenic. I suffer from teenage and adult acne and have oily skin so for someone like me, this is perfect!

Last but not least, I got myself some sunscreen! The boyfie LOVES to go to the beach and we go through our stash so quickly.

Makeup

Shu Uemura Shu:Palette. If you have followed me for some time, you will know that Shu Uemura is one of my original loves and remains one of my favourite brands. I missed the Maison Kitsune release last year because I found it to be TOO colourful (as much as I like to think myself adventurous, I am not!). When I saw this palette I couldn't resist!

The only item I picked up in the Christmas 2015 release is the Guerlain Palette Ors Et Merveilles. It is an eye and blush palette with both eye and blush applicators. I can't wait to try this and show you :)

What palettes and/or skincare items have you picked up recently? Let me know in the comments below.

Lots of Love,

Cindy xx

Crushing on: Shu Uemura Metal:ink Eyeliners

Babes,

Its been a while since I have blogged about beauty. To be perfectly honest, nothing has caught my make-up saturated world until the release of Shu Uemura Metal:ink Eyeliners!

All I could think of when I saw them in store was that I must have them all... I think it is time for me to purchase a select few and report back to you once I road test them.

As a side note, I have recently updated my blog sale to offer FREE SHIPPING on all orders.

I need to downsize and clear out what I dont use anymore. Help me free up some space, ladies!

xoxo

Cindy

New Blog Site

As you may have noticed, I have taken an extended hiatus from the blogging world. This is due to personal circumstances and also finding that my interest in makeup has waned.

I hope you have had a great time reading my thoughts, and I would like to invite you to follow my new blog - Cindy's Societal. I will be blogging about great places to visit/eat at/hang out in the greater Perth area as well as blogs about lifestyle, health and beauty!

A Girl's Guide to Makeup will continue to be live for blog sales and whatnot.

Stay tuned and please follow my new blog! :)

Love
Cindy

Additional Items for my Blog Sale!

I have some exciting news to share with you all! I have begin a massive cull of my collection in order to pare down and streamline. All I have at the moment are lists of the item sorted by brands - please email me personally if you are really interested in purchasing at cindygenit@hotmail.com.

LMdB (prices 50-65 AUD, usage is brand new to lightly tested for most):
Oscar de La Renta
City Girl
Modernist Merlot
Chinoiserie Azure
Blush Kaleidoscope
Bauhaus Eye
Bauhaus Lip
Enchantment Lip
Les Artistes Lip
Autumn Embers Lip
Red Rapture Lip
Aurora Lip
Pallid Incandescents
Violaceous Splendour
Golden Transcendence Lip
On the Coast 
Reviews:  
Part 1
Part 2
  Suqqu:

09 Usumoegi Tested 1x In Box 50 AUD

Face Colour Palette EX-02 BNIB 65 AUD

Ex 11 Sumiredama BNIB 55 AUD

Ex 13 Ginsudama BNIB 55 AUD

Ex 15 Hanazuki BNIB 55 AUD

Chanel:

Charming palette BNIB 50 AUD

Eclosion Us version palette BNIP 45 AUD

Mystere us version palette BNIP 45 AUD

Variation au version palette used once 35 aud

Harmonie du soir palette BNIB 50 AUD

Stupendous palette 95% 35 AUD 

Soho de Chanel blush 95% 35 AUD

Epatant Illusion d ombré 95% 20 AUD

Abstraction illusion d ombré 95% 20 AUD 

Illusoire illusion d ombré BNIB 25 AUD

Bronze rose bronzer BNIP 40 AUD

Bronze coral bronzer BNIP 40 AUD

Sable Rose bronzer BNIP 40 AUD

Sable Beige bronzer BNIP 40 AUD 

Tom Ford:

Lavender Lust quad 95% 45 AUD

translucent Pink pressed powder BNIP 50 AUD

Shu Uemura (vintage):
Midnight Winter Sakura palette 90% 15 AUD
Secret Luscious Rose palette 90% 15 AUD
Adorned Marguerite palette 90% 15 AUD
Fleur de Source palette 90% 15 AUD
Bundle discount: Get all four for 50AUD!!

Domestic Shipping:

Free standard shipping over 150 AUD, Free express shipping over 200 AUD for Australian customers. 

International Shipping:

Standard International Shipping is capped at 15 AUD, I offer a free upgrade to Registered Mail for purchases over 200 AUD.

Please allow three business days for me to pack and send. I have a 9-5 job and don't always have the time to run to the PO :)

Happy Shopping!!

xo Cindy

End of Year Giveaway - Winner has been Announced and Notified!!

As promised, I am posting a giveaway to thank all my wonderful followers for your support :)

The prizes:
1. Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire So Crazy! Perfumed Shimmer Powder
2. Chanel Limited Edition Le Vernis in Magic
3. Dior Addict Extreme in 536 Lucky (Sample size)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and enjoy!

xoxo Cindy