NARS Autumn 2012

August 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Here’s a quick look at my latest purchase, a few pieces from NARS’ Autumn 2012 collection.

Alex – thanks for letting me buy these today and make sure you take care of that hand!

Autumn Leaves

Blush in Outlaw (I love how the label casted itself upon the pan)

Autumn Leaves (left) and Outlaw (right) – no flash

Autumn Leaves (left) and Outlaw (right) – with flash

First Impressions:

  • I adore the subtle golden flecks in Autumn Leaves
  • Outlaw is definitely a berry variant/take on Orgasm

Pictures, review and more swatches to follow.

So, what do you think?

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Makeup lesson with Cindy of Mecca Maxima – review

January 11, 2012 by 1 Comment

When it comes to makeup I am a lover, fan, avid buyer, but certainly not a master of creating a flawless look.  Typically, something goes astray because my hands have a tendency to be a bit shaky. With practice I think and hope that the uncertainty/shakiness will subside.  Until then, I need to gobble up as many tips out there; it’s one thing to swatch, but I am striving to show and teach you a thing or two whenever you stop by Bagful of Notions.

In addition to the rather brave and bold Burberry lip gloss I received for Christmas, I was also given a few other lovely gifts – one of those items happened to be a gift card to Mecca Cosmetica.  This card entitled me to one makeup lesson where the full value of the card was redeemable for makeup carried by Mecca.  A lot of cosmetic counters partake in this practice; a beauty professional will offer their time in exchange for buying a few of their wares.  Keep in mind this is sometimes free on weekdays and varies from company to company.  Alternatively, an appointment is expected to be made and a minimum purchase is usually set for the weekend due to the change in clientele; do your homework before jumping in.

My Golden Ticket

During my shopping excursion last week, I visited Mecca with the hope someone was there to educate me.  Alas, their best artist, Cindy, was out that day, but was definitely available on New Year’s Eve – perfect!  I made a mental list of what I wanted to accomplish during my lesson and reminded myself to not be afraid of asking questions.  Here’s a list of what I think we attained during my lesson:

  • Foundation application on my sensitive skin; I just got diagnosed with rosacea, bummer :(
  • How to properly apply gel liner with a brush
  • Preventing eyeshadow creasing

Cindy listened to my questions and concerns and then wandered around the store in order to equip herself with the products she wanted to try on me.  I figured honesty was the best policy in regards to sharing what’s been going on with my skin; direct sunlight and I don’t mix well anymore.  What I thought was adult onset acne ailing me this past year, really turned out to be a mild form of rosacea. With the aid of antibiotics, knowing what my trigger(s) are (the sun), the use of mild skin care products and using 30 SPF religiously has helped to balance my skin out.

Cleansing my face was the first item on the menu; Cindy started with Mario Badescu’s line and thankfully I didn’t experience any stinging or breakouts afterward.  Here’s a look at what she used for this part of the process:

Onward Cindy went and tackled my foundation concerns; this included finding the right brand to help protect my skin, as well as honing in on something light but buildable in terms of coverage and more important – colour matching.  We settled on Smashbox’s Primer in green which helped to combat the red in my skin, Studio Skin Foundation and Halo Powder to set.  While I am not a huge fan of using primer, Cindy educated me about why it’s a good idea to use primer in conjunction with foundation; it creates a great base for your foundation to sit on top of and minimizes foundation from moving around and finding fine lines, wrinkles and pores.  Consider it one of the first big steps in creating a blank and flawless canvas.

Cindy threw in Bobbi Brown’s under eye corrector and By Terry concealer (similar to YSL’s Touche Eclat sans the highlighting properties) to cancel out the blue around my eyes.  Usually I hide this problem area with Bobbi Brown’s creamy concealer kit, but I must admit it was nice trying something new. Although, I am not ready to give up my kit just yet.

A tip I learned about Bobbi Brown’s corrector is I can apply and go without setting it with liquid foundation or powder; this product really does help to neutralise my under eye circles.  A definite low maintenence win in the morning! Also, for foundation newbies: start applying from the center of your face and work your way out; Cindy said this is a main focal point and is often the place where the most coverage is needed.

Work in progress

Once makeup trickery was completed on my face, we then moved onto my eyes.  While I do love a good smoky eye, the traditional colours used leave me looking like a raccoon.  It’s not pretty.  Browns and golds are more my speed and also help to accentuate my hazel eyes.  First, Cindy started with Stila’s smudge pot in ‘kitten’, this was applied from my lashes to my brow bone.  Then she went back in with Stila’s smudge stick in ‘lionfish’ and applied it along my lash line; Cindy then smudged the fine line with the smaller end of this brush.  The smudging and blending of the golden brown liner created the smokiness I was looking for.  Be sure to do this straightaway in order to avoid having this product set and dry unless you’re looking to line your eyes.  The last colours she added were Stila’s eye shadows in ‘wheat’ (applied all over my lid) and ‘barefoot contessa’ (blended over ‘wheat’ starting from the middle and through to the outer corner of my eye).

The final thing I wanted to learn was lining my eyes with gel liner like a pro.  Cindy believes once you finish applying the various shadows, it is best to go back in with your liner; I likened this practice to wrapping a package with a pretty bow.  But, as you might recall, I am not terribly handy, no pun intended, or steady.  My fears were calmed by Cindy when she introduced me to this little guy.  After a quick tutorial, which involved Cindy using her hand like a sketch pad.  This part of the lesson allowed her to show me how to properly hold the brush and how to dash the bristles along the lashes a la morse code.  With a flick of the corner of the brush with a small amount of Stila’s smudge pot in ‘black’, Cindy then illustrated how to accomplish the cat eye effect.  Colour me smitten!  Being the great teacher Cindy is, she asked me if I’d like to have a try at lining one of my eyes, but I wasn’t in the mood to ruin her artistry.

Another great tip I learned is if your gel liner pot looks like it’s drying out on the surface, don’t throw it out.  Use the end of a brush to stir up your product; the gel will most likely be fresh underneath!

Since it was New Year’s Eve, Cindy added a few lashes to the outer corners of my eyes to amp up the drama.  A bit of blush, NARS Luster layered over Gilda, was applied to my cheeks and for my lips we went with NARS Niagara and Greek Holiday.  I believe Cindy’s a big fan of lippie.  When she was swatching the assorted tubes of lipsticks and glosses, I should’ve taken a picture as she brought over six or seven colours for my consideration.  Cindy also pointed me to creamier formulas - however, I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to try;)  Twist my arm!

The makeup lesson aftermath - a beautiful disaster

A few other items used which helped to complete this look:

 

The final look

 

Cindy and me

Getting to know Cindy:

When Cindy isn’t painting pretty faces at Mecca Maxima (twice weekly), you can find her teaching at a local beauty school in Melbourne. Cindy is armed with close to ten years experience in the beauty industry – she knows her stuff!  Aside from being a makeup guru, she is also extremely knowledgable about proper skin care and health.

Cindy’s calm demeanour and sweet personality made for an extremely enjoyable experience – I will be sure to harass her whenever she’s working.  If you ever want to meet with Cindy for a lesson, I would strongly recommend making an appointment with her in advance due to her limited schedule.

Cindy’s been praised by her co-workers as being the best and she is!

What I walked away with

 

My "face"

 

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for one 90 minute lesson (a gift from Santa Scott):

  • $150.00 AUS – here’s a look at what else is available in store

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 10 out of 10 bags; I walked away with lots of helpful tips, a face chart to reference and a mini haul

Likelihood to purchase again from Mecca Maxima:

  • Cindy is by far and away my favourite, but I will gladly buy from any of her fellow workers when she’s not there
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My New Year’s Eve outfit

January 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Last year Scott and I started a tradition of visiting The Waiting Room inside of Crown Casino’s main lobby area.  People watching was on the menu for the evening; that’s our thing when we go out to get tipsy and there’s no shortage of interesting people roaming about on New Year’s eve.  Lobbies are transient – most people sought refuge from the hot summer day; at it’s hottest Melbourne’s temperature hit 34 degrees celsius (93 F) and that was around 5:30 in the evening.

Because last New Year’s eve was even hotter, I knew I needed to dress accordingly.  Sale shopping convened at the local Gap this past Friday and fortunately I walked away with an outfit for $68 AUS. I don’t want to even begin to rant about all of the other things I saw on sale, which included items I had purchased the day the Gap had officially opened.

Question for the Gap: when will you start honoring price adjustments here in Australia?

And without further ado, here’s the outfit I wore last night.

 

I paired this steal with espadrilles (mine are cream coloured) my mom had given me for my birthday – funnily enough, they came from the US Gap.  A belt from SABA in tan finished the look.  I know this look might appear to be on the casual side, but I am still getting acclimated to hot weather in December.

Yesterday I went for a makeup lesson with Mecca Maxima - Cindy worked her magic while I tried to take tons of mental notes about all of her tips and tricks.  Here’s a sneak peek…

 

Stay tuned for my full review!

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Bitten by the bug

October 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment

For the past few years I have been an avid reader of several beauty websites; mainly makeupandbeautyblog.com.  I enjoyed Karen’s writing style, honest reviews and ability to convey her witty personality.  Often, I would spy adverts and invitations to guest blog, but would never really think twice.  That was until I moved almost all the way around the world from the US to Australia!

Comparisons have been made, shopping has been had and my wallet’s been hit hard.  This life changing event is what inspired me to share my personal experiences with Karen’s readers; I thought, maybe, everyone could compare notes and perhaps empathize with me.

I apologize for posting this story twice (once here and on Karen’s site), however, the feedback was incredible and made me feel like I should start my own blog.

Late last year my husband and I became American expats living abroad when we made the move to Australia from the U.S. for his new job. I knew about our big journey months in advance, so I did the best I could to prepare and studied anything and everything I could about the land down unda’ before we arrived; however, I made two fatal mistakes.

First, I never fully realized just how expensive things would be down here, and second, I was unprepared for how long I’d have to wait for makeup collections to make their big debuts here after being released in the States.

As a woman of substance, I have my needs. Among them: facial moisturizer, hair products (loads of ‘em), perfume, nail polish, and anything pertaining to MAC, Benefit, Clinique and Philosophy. Not long after moving, I was already hitting the bottom of my assorted elixirs and potions, wondering what I was going to do.

I realized that I could either A.) Skype my mom and ask her to send a care package my way, or B.) venture out into the city of Melbourne to find more permanent beauty solutions. Gone were the days of Cheese-Itz and Dunks’, so I figured it was also time to broaden my horizons and revamp my beauty artillery.

The first thing to go was my coveted container of Origins GinZing Eye Cream; I needed to find something just as good at combating my puffy under-eye circles. In the States, the cream sells for $29.50 USD, but here it sells for a whopping $64.00 AUS! With the US dollar on par with the Australian dollar, I just couldn’t justify paying more than double for the same thing.

I searched high and low for hours in Mecca Cosmetica (heaven), The Body Shop, L’Occitane and several other local pharmacies and department stores. During my quest, I kept happening upon a brand by the name of Jurlique, which I’d seen before in Sephora but never really gave much thought.

It’s a homegrown brand here in Australia, and the company prides itself on using organic ingredients. The price for a tube of Jurlique’s Herbal Recovery Eye Cream ($52.00 AUS/$40.00 US) wasn’t as bad as GinZing’s, and I also figured I should start using things I’d be able to find anywhere in Oz.

Arnica, the active ingredient used in Jurlique’s Herbal Recovery Eye Cream, claimed to fight my tired, puffy eyes, and I was up for the battle. I have to say, I’ve been happy with the results.

I’ve been using the cream since last November and like it just as much as GinZing. Both products contain the same amount of cream — 15ml — but the one from Jurlique has a much longer shelf life. We’re talking 24 months versus 6. You be the judge.

I, like Karen, have wavy hair that can go as mad as Medusa in mere seconds when exposed to humidity. I don’t even attempt to blow dry it when the forecast calls for more than 55% humidity; it’s just not worth the time or the arm strength.

My former hairdresser, Laura, knew the texture and wicked ways of my hair, so she introduced me to Moroccan Oil back in 2008. Not only did I fall in love with the scent, but I also fell in love with the fact that it kept my frizz in check on those really humid days. Alas, I ran out of the travel-size bottle I brought with me here and didn’t bring any spares, but equipped with the lessons learned from my previous adventure, I went out to my local hair supplier and plunked down $34.95 AUS for a 100ml bottle of One n’ Only’s Argan Oil.

It has a similar consistency, color and scent as Moroccan Oil and comes in a travel-friendly plastic bottle, instead of a glass one. It was another win-win — the price was right, and I’ve been very happy with the resulting smooth, shiny hair.

The next thing to go, unexpectedly, was my trusty eyelash/eyebrow comb from Sephora. I purchased it ages ago, but it eventually crumbled somewhere between Boston, Vegas, Miami, Amsterdam, Singapore and Melbourne. With as much as we’d been traveling lately, I’m truly surprised I didn’t have even more casualties inside my makeup bag.

This time I decided to head over to Myer (a local department store), a mere walk away, and perused their assorted high-to-low-end options. Restless and weary, I wandered past Benefit’s Brow Bar and was stopped in my tracks when I spotted this little beauty.

Tweezerman teamed up with Benefit to create this retractable eyebrow tool — the mascara-type wand keeps my brows in line, and it’s handy for separating my lashes before curling. It sells for $12.00 in stores and online in the US, but it costs twice the price here. I was willing to splurge, though, because I take my brow grooming seriously, thanks to my old friend Diana and her insistence on keeping the caterpillars at bay.

Not long after that, wouldn’t you know it, the pump in my Aveeno bottle stopped extracting its precious cargo. I removed the cap to tap out as much as I could, a ritual that went on for a few more weeks, but eventually the bottle was well and truly empty. I sort of felt like that crazy lady in Love Potion No. 9, trying to coerce every last drop from the bottle (you know you’ve seen it; don’t lie). 

The stress of moving had done a number on my skin; I’m talking breakouts aplenty. What I really wanted to find was something I could afford here that would moisturize my now unpredictable combination skin and protect it from UV rays, while keeping the shine from seeping through.

My Aveeno moisturizer wasn’t quite hacking it anymore, so I returned to the heavenly Mecca Maxima (Mecca Cosmetica’s big sister) in search of something new. The store carries Clinique, Mario Badescu, Clarins, DDF, Philosphy and many others, but what really caught my attention was Dermalogica’s new baby, Clean Start.

It’s a facial care range targeted at teens and young twenties, but I figured, what’s age got to do with it? Maybe it’ll work for my 27-year-old mug. The 60ml bottle cost me $45 AUS ($24 back in the 50).

I incorporated Welcome Matte (with SPF 15) into my morning regime, but, unfortunately, it didn’t work any miracles on me. The back of the bottle advises you to “Say goodbye to shine without drying skin with this extraordinary, lightweight lotion that won’t clog pores.”

Meh, I wouldn’t call it extraordinary. Sure, it moisturizes with SPF, but that’s about it. I guess I’ll have to find something perhaps a little more age appropriate.

Melbourne, Australia

No matter where you find yourself in this world, make sure you’re ready for what awaits you before you arrive. Melbourne has been lovely thus far, but the American in me keeps screaming, “you know you can get that a lot cheaper at Macy’s, Target or Nordstom’s!” Case in point, that KitchenAid Mixer? Let’s just say I’ll be lusting after it a little while longer.

Please visit Karen’s site and read the original post here.

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