FOTD - Where's My Coffee? Ft. Coffee, Black by Portland Black Lipstick Co. + a review!

I know a deep coffee coloured brown isn't something I would have seen myself wearing 3 years ago, but I love this new trend of bold lip colours and this is one of the great ones!

I stumbled upon the indie brand Portland Black Lipstick Co. when one of my favourite instagram makeup artists I follow @jessicahazemua posted a few of their shades that she had sampled. After doing a bit more research I decided to make a purchase of a few shades for myself!

After a bit of a rocky start (the order took around 6 weeks to arrive, however I received extra samples as a means of saying sorry, and a lovely email from the company apologising for the delay caused by a backlog of orders) I received the 3 colours I ordered in the full size - Artificial Amethyst (a metallic dark purple), Indigo Bridge (a dark metallic blue bordering on black),  and the colour pictured above Coffee, Black (a very dark brown with warm undertones).

Swatches from L to R: Indigo Bridge, Artificial Amethyst, and Coffee, Black.

I also received samples of Gilded Lily (a gold foil), Pewter Couldron (described as the colour of duct tape by Portland Black Lipstick Co. Haha), Bad Penny (metallic copper), Perfect Foil (metallic silver), and Graey (a light grey). Samples can be purchased of any colour for $2, and I had selected a few but was also gifted with several by the company as an apology for the lateness of the products. I think samples are such a GREAT idea. When ordering very odd lip colours like this especially, it's not likely that you will go through a whole tube of metallic gold lipstick for most people.

As you can see from the wide selection above I was drawn to this brand for their very unique colour range. I had not seen metallic lip colours like this from any brands in Australia, and was excited to try them out.

The packaging on these lipsticks is a little odd. It's more like an old school chap stick than a luxe lipstick, but I believe that's part of the company charm. If you visit their website you'll see what I mean. I definitely use a lip brush to get a neat edge with these, so if you're not familiar with using a lip brush these might be a little tricky. Worth the extra effort though in my opinion.

The packaging is much the same as a "chap stick" and the lipstick within is flat to the tube.

These lipsticks all wear so well. They are incredibly pigmented, rich and moisturising and stay on for quite a while. I'd say they are no where near a long lasting all day lipstick like a velvetine, but compared to a normal lipstick, say a MAC lipstick for instance, these wear longer than that for me. Even eating isn't too damaging to the lip colour. It will however leave a mark on any glass you drink from, and edges must be kept neat unless you have a perfect matching liner (hard to find I think!).

This has turned more so into a review of the Portland Black Lipstick Company lipsticks instead of a simple face of the day post but oh well, it's a 2 for 1 kind of day! Haha.

Products used for this look: 

Primer: Smashbox - Photo Finish Foundation Primer 

Foundation: Nars - Sheer Glow foundation in Mont Blanc

Concealer: Bare Minerals - Correcting Concealer in shade 'Light 1'

Powder: Bare Minerals - Original Foundation powder in shade 'Fairly Light'

Eye Primer: Benefit - Stay Don't Stray

Eyeshadow: MAC - 'Scene' eyeshadow all over

Lashes: Benefit - They're Real mascara

Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills - Brow Powder Duo in shade 'Medium Brown'

Cheeks: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 hour blush - in shade 'Blushing Bride'

Lips: Portland Black Lipstick Company - Coffee, Black

What do you think of this take on the bold lip? Have you tried any great indie lipstick brands lately that you've loved? x

Wishlist - October 2014

1. E.L.F. - HD Lifting Concealer

2. ZOEVA - Makeup Artist Brush Belt

3. Dose of Colors - Lip gloss/lipstick 

4. Benjabelle - Brush Tree

5. Charlotte Tilbury - Full Fat Lashes Mascara

1. I recently was alerted to this product by miss Rhian at her Wifelife blog. It looks like a great cheap product to use for highlighting as part of contouring and highlighting the face after foundation! 

I am yet to find where I can buy this in Australia though, so if anyone knows please share. The e.l.f. Australia site doesn't list it and neither does the Crush Cosmetics site. :(

2. Now that I'm studying to be a makeup artist I definitely value my brushes and all of their purposes a whole lot more. I have a nice set that we got with school, but this set is GREAT for the price and has a lot of duo fibre brushes that I would love to upgrade my kit with. I have seen nothing but great reviews for these brushes, with comparisons to MAC or Sigma - both of which I have in my personal brush sets and love! I think this will be my splurge item with my tax return money. :)

3. This brand keeps popping up with makeup artists that I love on instagram, and watching some videos from Rhian (again, yup) this week reminded me that I still would love to try these!  I'm looking at getting some more nude colours, so I'd love to try some of these lipsticks and glosses to layer with. Have you tried these? What are your favourite colours?

4. This was another product that I randomly came across on instagram, and since then they keep popping up from time to time. Now that I'm washing my makeup brushes a lot more often (every time I use them!), I think that a couple of these would definitely make my life easier!

5. I had never heard of this brand before watching Rhian's youtube, but again, now that I've seen the amazing difference it made with her lashes - I need it. Haha. I am a bit of a mascara hoarder (I currently am using 7 different types on rotation.) so this would be a great addition to the collection. Hopefully I can get this to ship to Australia! Is it a big brand overseas if you're not from Australia?

That's it for this month. As you can tell I've mostly been watching Rhian's youtube and reading her blog and being highly influenced from that. She has a great channel so make sure you check her out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo2ISnT2ZBA3aYYFilzli1g 

Have you got any of these products already? What are you lusting over this month? x

Tried and Loved - NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 'Damned'

Nars products have yet to disappoint me, and this is no exception! This is the perfect alternative to the "normal" bold red lip.

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the shade 'Damned' is a magenta colour - meaning it has a purple undertone to it - and for me having green eyes this means the colour really makes my eyes pop! It definitely appears darker in the pencil than it does on the lips, so don't be put off if you don't reach for dark colours often.

Nars describe their Velvet Matte Lip Pencil as:
"The application of a lipstick combined with the convenience of a pencil in a jumbo crayon design. Lips are instantly saturated with rich pigments and a velvety matte finish. The long lasting, non-drying formula is enriched with emollients for a creamy texture, while a combination of unique silicones ensures long-lasting, seamless color for hours. Use for lining, all-over lip color, or pairing with another lip product."

The thing that really stands out with this lip pencil is that even though it's a matte finish, it definitely doesn't dry my lips at all! I would say this is owed to the vitamin E which is in the formula. 

The colour payoff is also outstanding and one swipe will give you the perfect colour which lasts for hours and hours. Being a matte it really lasts a long time, and even eating and drinking barely dents the colour (apart from oily food which will move any lip colour!). 

I find these lip pencils really easy to apply because the pencil makes for a really precise application, while the chubby pencil makes the coverage quick and easy. I have a NARS sharpener too which fits this pencil shape, and the smaller pencils perfectly meaning hardly any product is wasted when sharpening. 

I absolutely love every shade of these that I've tried. I also have the matte in Dragon Girl (an all time favourite flattering for everyone red!), and the Satin Lip Pencil in shade 'Lodhi' - to be reviewed at a later date ;)

In Australia you can purchase these from Mecca Cosmetica for the new lower price of $34! So great to see the prices coming down on so many products. 

Have you tried any of the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils? Which shade is your favourite? x

Sephora Haul - sneak peek!

One of my friends recently took a trip back to her home in the United States and me being me, I took a little bit too much of an advantage of that and made a huge Sephora order! 

I made sure to order things that I know that I can't get here in Australia, or that were limited to Sephora so I ordered from brands like Kat Von D, Tarte, Makeup Forever, and Anastasia Beverly Hills. Some of these brands you can get in Australia, but are quite expensive to ship in, or things just don't come to Australia like the Smashbox Master Class Palette.

I ordered a lot of things that have had a lot of great hype lately - like the Anastasia dipbrow, and the MUFE HD foundation so I can't wait to really give those a good trial! The other goodies I ordered were mostly to get a few better palette's to add to my makeup kit, and because I've been eyeing them off to try for a while. 

I am super impressed with all the palette's at first glance, and the only thing I've been unimpressed with so far is the Kat Von D studded lipstick in 'Homegirl'. The application was super patchy, uneven, not as pigmented as I expected. It was so bad that I couldn't wear it. Such a shame because it's such a beautiful shade, and amazing packaging. 

I will be doing a more in depth review of these products once I've given them a proper whirl. Stay tuned!

Sephora opens in Australia in December and I am super interested to see which brands they will and won't be stocking (although I have a fairly good idea of most of them at the moment). I will definitely also be interested to see how the pricing will affect the rest of the Australian market! 

Have you tried any of these products? What is your favourite item from these brands? x

Lime Crime Haul! Utopia Velvetine and more!

When I saw that Lime Crime were releasing another new Velvetine colour I knew straight away that I would be making an order so here is a few snaps of my mini haul from them!

In the end I decided to order straight from the Lime Crime website even though there are a lot of certified re-seller's in Australia including Crush Cosmetics. I was making quite a large order, and a couple of friends bought something too so the International shipping rate of $10.95 split between a few of us was super cheap! It also meant that almost everything I wanted was in stock. 

This time around (yes I will keep repurchasing from Lime Crime. So much love for this brand!) I purchased the following: 

• Lime Crime - Velvetine in new shade "Utopia"; a long lasting liquid to matte lipstick in a 'blue based orchid'.
• Lime Crime - Fantasy Eyeshadow palette in "Alchemy"; a beautiful duochrome palette with extremely high pigmented eyeshadow colours!
• Lime Crime - Opaque Lipstick in "Airborne Unicorn"; 'medium purple with a neon note' and a highly pigmented colour payoff on the lips.
• Lime Crime - Opaque Lipstick in "Coquette"; 'pale peachy nude' - but not too bright which I love.
• Lime Crime - Zodiac Glitter in "Aquarius"; 'deep midnight blue with a marvellous purple/turquoise shift'
• Lime Crime- Eyeliner in "Rhyme"; 'bright metallic gold eye liner'! 

As you can see in the swatches the colour payoff really is great in all of the products and that is something I love about Lime Crime. I have not yet been disappointed by anything!

The lipsticks have a really cute limited edition packaging at the moment for their 6th anniversary, little details like this make the brand different for me. So cute. 

I had a quick play around with the shadows and created the pictured look with the shadows "spellbound" as the base, "Love potion #9" in the crease and a little pop of "divination" in next to the crease which really gave it that Mermaid look! The lipstick in these photos is the new Velvetine in Utopia. 

At first trial I am loving EVERYTHING that I purchased. I have previously purchased Lime Crime Velvetine's in "Wicked", "Red Velvet", "Seudeberry" and "Pink Velvet", as well as the Opaque lipsticks in "Babette" and "Geradium" and the "Blue Milk" liner so it's not a big surprise that these are just as great.

I'll have more updates and details once I give the products a longer run. I'm definitely looking at doing some comparison swatches of lip products soon - like Babette vs. Coquette. :)

Have you tried anything from Lime Crime? What's your favourite Lime Crime product?

Wishlist #4

1. Urban Decay - Electric Palette

2. Anastasia Beverly Hills - Brush #12

3. Anastasia Beverly Hills - Dipbrow Pomade

4. Too Faced - Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick

5. Glamglow - Brightmud Eye Treatment

1. I will admit that my palette and eyeshadow collection is getting rather large, but these colours are just so different to everything that I already have! These are described as pressed-pigment shadows with a super intense colour payoff. I've been trying to play around a bit more with colour lately, so I think this would be great for keeping with that challenge. 

2. I was recently in Hawaii and meant to pick this up when I was in Sephora, but forgot! I did buy it for a friend though and she absolutely swears by it. I use something very similar at the moment, the MAC 266 small angle brush, but this one is specifically designed for brows and has the handy spooly on the end too!

3. I also wanted to pick this up in Sephora when I was there but it was sold out in my colour. :( I've heard great things about this product though, and after purchasing and loving the brow powder I definitely need to add this to my collection too. I only ever use powder for my brows so this would be super interesting to play around with.  

4. I've seen these Too Faced Melted liquid lipsticks everywhere lately, so of course I want to try them! The colours are super intense and you can never have enough long lasting lip colours. ;)

5. I absolutely love the Glamglow Youthmud face mask so I would love to have this to pair with it! I love that these are in single use packets too which means they should store and last really well. 

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think? What are you lusting after at the moment?

Tried & Loved - Clinique - Chubby Stick - Chunky Cherry

 

I was recently lucky enough to receive a Clinique Chubby Stick in the mail and boy was I excited to try this one out! Chubby sticks have been around for a little while now, but I missed out on purchasing with the initial hype about them and almost forgot I needed one until the recent competition on the Clinique Australia facebook that I posted about earlier in my blog!

Clinique describe the Chubby Stick as "Super-nourishing balm loaded with mango and shea butters. Just what dry, delicate lips need to feel comfortably soft and smooth. Eight mouth watering lip tints in all, each with a subtle sheen." The 8 shades are currently: Chunky Cherry, Graped-up, Mega Melon, Super Strawberry, Fuller Fig, Woppin’ Watermelon and Richer Raisin.

The shade I received was Chunky Cherry which is a nice sheer red which turned a little more pinky red once applied to my lips as can be seen in the swatch and then in the picture above. I would say that this looks to be the brightest of all the shades in the current collection, and probably not something I would wear everyday at work, but definitely something I would put on any time other than that (I work in an office of mostly men that look at me funny when I wear much makeup, haha). 

The packaging makes them super easy to apply, as with any other crayon or pencil type lipsticks/lip balms I've tried before, but the balm side of things makes these super smooth to swipe on in a hurry or on the go. I applied mine in the car after a hair cut in the picture above without the aid of a mirror and found it sat perfectly on my lips. Great to have in your bag for a quick pick me up with your makeup, or to go easily from day to night without fuss! You can easily layer the colour to be really sheer, or build up to show even more

The Chubby Stick is a wind up tube in the cute shape of a pencil, made from plastic and with a shiny metal feel and look cap and tip. The product just feels nice in your hand like you know it's quality materials, and you know it's going to last, but without being too heavy to keep in your handbag every day. The packaging is really one of the things that draws me in with these because it's so different to most other lipsticks or lip balms on the market. If you've got a Clinique Chubby Stick, you know it's a Clinique Chubby Stick!


Overall I think the product lasted fairly well on my lips and was quite comfortable. It was hydrating enough to keep wearing through out the day with touch ups only needed from the Chubby Stick, rather than a lot of products where I still need a lot more moisture so my lips don't crack or dry out - I think the mango and shea butters work nicely here for that. I also like the consistency. It's smooth enough to glide onto your lips with ease, but also tacky enough to stick around for a while and you can feel it lightly on your lips without being too sticky. It's almost like a matte lipstick once it's been on your lips for a while, it doesn't dry your lips out but it's not overly slick, so if you need a little more moisture than that through the day I would probably top up with something like the Clinique Superbalm moisturising gloss I reviewed earlier in my blog.  


As with most Clinique products I've tried these are not scented. Sometimes I love a little gimmick of smell, and with such cute names it'd be nice to have the scent to match, but I also don't feel like I'm missing out without a scent in these products as the product speaks for itself and is present where it needs to be without being overpowering in any dimension.


I know there is a lot of hype about hybrid lip balm/lipsticks at the moment, but from the others that I've tried so far this seems to be the classic, and the best for a reason. I honestly can't wait to get more of these and wear them everyday! 


I was given this chubby stick to review, but you can purchase these from Clinique stores Australia wide for $35. I think this will honestly last me ages as a little product goes a long way! You can find your nearest Clinque stockist on their website here or you can also buy directly from the Clinique Australia website as they usually have awesome bonuses and free samples going on with their web-store. 


As an added bonus, there are 8 (yes EIGHT!) new shades being released at the end of this month, and I was lucky enough to be sent a preview to share. These can be seen in the image below: 

[image courtesy of Clinique Australia]

Have you tried Clinique's Chubby Stick yet? What do you love / loathe about them? What's your favourite colour? x