FOTN - Red Lips with LMdB Oscar De La Renta "Ready to Wear" Kaleidoscope

I have no idea why, but my face always freaks out in summer. Is it the excessive sweating??? Apologies for the weird bumps on my forehead >.<

How to achieve this look:
- Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation - Beige Ivory
- Natio Sunshine Bronzer
- Shu Uemura Blush - P365
- Ready to Wear Kaleidoscope
- Shu Uemura Partial Flare False Eyelashes (on outer corners)
- Lancome Hypnose 

xoxo
Cindy

Chanel Peche Nacree - Review

Summer is well and truly upon us with temperatures hitting 41 deg C so its time... its time to update my nails! I've been jealously eyeing my colleagues' perfect manicures in the shades of bright orange, fuschia and even bluey-green and thinking to myself that one of these days, when I am less busy with work (bleh!), I will have time to do my own.

Let me be upfront here. Almost all of my nail polishes are bright colours - pinks, oranges, fushcia, a bit of blue, a bit of yellow, and a couple of purple shades. The one that spoke to me happened to be this unassuming shade of irridescent milky peachy pink.  

I took a photo in full sun above. What I love about Chanel nail polishes is that they make YOU look like a pro at applying nail polish. Honestly, I have neither the patience nor the steady hand to be good at it. Peche Nacree is a little bit runny for me, and two coats will still look a little streaky as you can see in the pictures. I never do three coats when doing a DIY manicure. Who has the time - seriously? :P

The picture below was taken indoors with artificial lighting.

I hope this post has been helpful. If there is anything that I want you to take from this post, its this: TRY CHANEL POLISHES. You won't regret it.

Until next time, and Happy Australia Day!

xoxo

Cindy

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Hi guys!

I am finally live on Bloglovin'

Please stay tuned and follow my blog - it only takes a second (well, not literally)

I'll let Mr Puss in Boots do the convincing ;) Tehehe

Spring Collection Highlights - 2012

Its nearing the end of January and almost all of the Spring Collections have been launched. For a comprehensive look at all the collections available to you this spring, head on over to Makeup4All. Today I will be posting a few select collections that I am most tempted by! I must say - so far, I have exercised amazing will power and restraint. Do I have any spring collection items to review? NO *pats own back* :D

However, I am not letting my lack of purchases (I am saving up for a couple of trips this year) stop me from enabling YOU - my beautiful, makeup obsessed readers! 

Le Metier de Beaute Northern Lights Collection

LMdB nail lacquers are "3 free"
$18.00 USD each

Northern Lights Kaleidoscope Eye Kit
Ionic - satin/matte naked sunset
Sky - pale/shimmering skyline blue
Magnetic - blazing copper penny
Equinox - satin/matte twilight violet
$95.00 USD

Aurora Kaleidoscope Lip Kit
Illuminate - shimmering hot pink w/ a sheer finish
Voltaic - satiny nude mauve
Dynamos - effervescent coral tangerine
Eos - opaque fuchsia
$95.00 USD

 Blush Kit Kaleidoscope (P.S: there are more colour variations in the kit than the picture shows)
Satin peach
Matte rose pink
Shimmery highlighter
Cool pink
$95.00 USD

Please note that these are not the official promo pictures from LMdB. These pics were taken by the gorgeous Alyx (LMdB MUA from Neiman Marcus - Las Vegas) to tempt us. If you are interested in any items from this collection or from the permanent line - do not hesitate to contact her! 

Alyx- +17027227400 

Shu Uemura Celestial Garden Collection

Oh, how I love Mr. Shu. He always manages to make me swoon with his seasonal collections. I love his false eyelashes most of all.

I dropped by the Shu Uemura counter today and Bruce, the counter manager there showed me the brochure for the Celestial Garden collection which will launch here in Australia on Monday, 6th February 2012. Silly me did not take notes on the pricing of the individual items, but if I remember correctly, the limited edition eyeshadow trios will retail for 60 AUD.

Rouge Deluxe has better photos of the actual collection for you to ogle, Joey from Joeyspace  has already reviewed all three eyeshadow trios!! I have my eyes on the Creamy Dome Blushers, the Eye Crayon Duo, the Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine lipstick (which one? Decisions decisions...), the eyeshadow trio in Light (green, yellow and brown - i already know that this will be LOVE) and of course, the false lashes - it is called Angel Wink, btw. How gorgeous!

I wish it was Christmas again because there are so many items I want from the Northern Lights and Celestial Garden collection!!

So... what's the verdict? What have you/will you lovelies be buying from the Spring Collection?


P.S: Pssst, I might just show this post to dear husband tonight... Maybe he will get the hint? :P

xoxo
Cindy

Hourglass Prodigy Hydrating Lip Gloss in Hypnotic and Pulse - Review & Swatches

Hourglass is a brand that is underrated in my opinion. I would bet that most of you (in Australia) probably have never heard of it, unless you frequent Mecca Cosmetica which is just fabulous!! It has Elias Faas, Chantecaille, By Terry, NARS, and Hourglass - brands that you can not purchase in any other cosmetics store in Australia.

 

I purchased two colours - Pulse and Hypnotic. The promotional picture above is of Pulse. It is described as a golden-strawberry shimmer lip gloss. Hypnotic, is a golden-berry shimmer lip gloss. I have swatched it below, Pulse is the top swatch, and Hypnotic is below. You can see a slight difference in colour. Hypnotic is more fuschia/berry and Pulse is more peachy pink.

Top-Bottom: Pulse, Hypnotic

Overall, I don't really have a problem with these lip glosses. Both are pretty colours, very long lasting and very moisturising. I must, however, mention that it is not as lightweight and a touch more sticky than my favourite lip gloss formulation from Le Metier de Beaute.  

Oh, and before I go, I should mention that the packaging is unconventional and cool! Basically the clear part where you see the lip gloss shade is squishy, and you press it (gently) to get the lip gloss out. Its thin and wide shape is supposed to be ideal to fit in your purse or your pocket if you so choose.

If you are interested in purchasing these items - head on over to Zuneta.com to save yourself some hard earned dosh. They have great discount deals from time to time and you may save yourself up to 50% of the RRP price (for any brand, really, not just Hourglass) in Australia. Hourglass Prodigy Hydrating Lip Gloss retails for AUD 39 dollars in Mecca Cosmetica stores and online.

Till Next Time!

Xoxo

Cindy

FNO Oscar De La Renta "Ready to Wear" Kaleidoscope - Another Le Métier de Beauté Winner!

 

Last week, I managed to swatch my beloved and very hard to find Oscar De La Renta palette from Le Métier de Beauté. I had to sell a kidney to be able to afford this but you know, at least I get to be pretty!

The kit consists of:

• Red Chiffon Lip Crème Lip Gloss, a high shine scarlet lip creme (which is a repeat shade from the Empress Kaleidoscope Lip Kit)
• Pink Suede, beautiful shimmering eye and cheek highlighter
• Teal Tweed, a gorgeous shimmering teal
• Champagne Silk, nude/brown/flesh pink eyeshadow with a hint of shimmer

L-R: Red Chiffon, Pink Suede, Teal Tweed, Champagne Silk

I feel a little bit dubious about the names of these shades but what do I care? I love this kit! If you did miss out on this kit, you may want to troll Ebay for it. You never know, I have seen some vintage kaleidoscopes pop up from time to time. Be warned though - you will probably pay through the nose for this. I was lucky enough to purchase mine second hand through a friend for less than the retail price ;).

The kit retailed for US$ 150 dollars and a fraction goes towards NYC Aids Funds. 

Happy Tuesday & A Non-Beauty Related Post

 

It has been a hectic day at work for me so when this baby arrived safe and sound, my spirits were instantly lifted.

*************************************************************************

Balenciaga Anthracite City with Rose Gold Giant Hardware 

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Its just so gorgeous that I wanted to share with all of you!! ^.^

xoxo

Cindy

Le Métier de Beauté Antiquité Poupée and Empress Kaleidoscope Kits Review

Hello! Tonight I will be reviewing my newest kaleidoscope obsessions - the newest Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscope in Antiquité Poupée created by LMdB MUA Dustin Lujan, and also a beautiful lip kit that was released for the fall called Empress.

Words can not express how much I love these two makeup items. I really can just bring the two palettes on holiday and be happy. Being a makeup junkie, I do have way too much makeup (more than I can wear in this lifetime) and this usually forces me to rotate what I use on a daily basis. Not anymore. Ever since purchasing these kaleidoscopes... they are all I have been wearing for the past two weeks.

Let me show you the beauties.

L-R: Antiquité Poupée, Empress

L-R: 1st Tier (Dusty Rose), 2nd Tier (Burlap Sorrel), 3rd Tier (Tarnished Russet), 4th Tier (Ember Ash)

Le Métier de Beauté  did not provide colour descriptions for the kit but I will try my best (top to bottom):

- Dusty Rose: A pearlized pink champagne
- Burlap Sorrel: A complex silver taupe with hints of khaki and gold and multi-coloured shimmer
- Tarnished Russet: A matte rust
- Ember Ash: A shimmery charcoal with flashes of dark blue (yes i am terrible at this! lol)

L-R : Swatches of Antiquité Poupée top to bottom in order & Couches de Couleur Application

I think this may be my favourite kaleidoscope to date. Even though Tarnished Russet is very sheer (the swatch took many brush swipes), it works very well with the other three outstanding eyeshadows. It provides a hint of warmth and uniqueness to this palette that takes my breath away.

L-R: 4th Tier (Plum Satin), 3rd Tier (Empress), 2nd Tier (Silk Road), 1st Tier (Imperial Silk)

Le Métier de Beauté provides the following descriptions for each colour in the kit (bottom to top):


- Plum Satin: A creamy plum for rich contrast
- Empress: A delicate mauve mixed with soft champagne
- Silk Road: A Shimmering red for sheer highlight
- Imperial Silk: A pale pink for a nude base

L-R: Swatches of Empress bottom to top in order & Couches de Couleur Application

Empress is another amazing palette from Le Métier de Beauté. You can see from my swatch that all the lip products contained within are incredibly creamy and glossy. They are extremely forgiving if you do have dry lips like me. They apply evenly and are extremely hydrating. This kit requires re-application after about 4 hours on me, but they leave a pretty stain on my lips so I don't bother ^.^ ! If you refer to my previous post here, thats what Empress looks like after many many hours of partying haha

If you know me, you'd know that I hate lip products of any kind (even lip balm) but Le Métier de Beauté has completely changed me. I love their lipglosses. I love their lip cremes. I love their lipsticks!!! Bring it on, baby!!!

Its almost midnight here in sunny Perth so I must say goodbye! I hope this review has been helpful and stay tuned for more posts by A Girl's Guide to Makeup. I know Claire has been dying to tell you all about her new love for Kiehl's skincare. I am also planning to kidnap one of my girlfriends so I can do another FOTD post! :)

Last but not least, I'd like to say THANK YOU to Linda and Charlestongirl at Best Things In Beauty who helped acquire Antiquité Poupée kaleidoscopes for me and my friend in Hong Kong.

Good night & till next time!

xoxo
Cindy

Happy New Year to All!!

Dear Readers...

Its been a few months since my first post on A Girls's Guide to Makeup

I guess it is time for me to show my face :)

I have posted some photos below of the crazy makeup I chose to celebrate the new year

Please excuse terrible hair, this was in the wee hours of the morning,

when all the celebrating *hic* had been done and our feet could dance no more

 

 

Oh, and this would not be a makeup blog without a list of beauty items I used to achieve this look;

Antiquite Poupee Kaleidoscope Eye Kit (review coming soon)

Empress Kaleidoscope Lip Kit (review coming soon)

Illamasqua Rude Blush

Shu Uemura P366 Blush

Chanel Mat Lumiere Foundation in #40

Lancome Hypnose Mascara

and

Shu Uemura Tutu Flare Lashes from the Nova Diva collection

Here's to a great year ahead!

xoxo
Cindy