What's in your (makeup) bag? Vol. 1

Ever wonder what's in your friend's bag? Want to take a peek and see what others are wearing? Please join me each week to find out 'What's in your (makeup) bag?' Karen, my secret cheerleader, shh! Goes way back, we're talking pre-me; she's my Mom's best friend and a lovely lady too. Let's take a look inside...

Karen (left with her husband Brian) and her makeup bag (right)

Karen (left with her husband Brian) and her makeup bag (right)

Karen

Karen

Want to share the contents of your makeup bag? Send me an e-mail -- nicole at bagful of notions dot com.

A glimpse at the lips: Hourglass' Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Ballet

IMG_8782

Looking for a lippie that lasts all day and requires minimal maintenance or touch-ups? Hourglass' Opaque Rough Liquid Lipstick has your lips covered.

Ballet

Ballet

Hourglass promises 14-hours of wear thanks to its voodoo-ish properties and ingredients. Let's see how Ballet fared on my lips this past Thursday.

8AM

8AM

Slight fading and my lips were a tad parched

Slight fading and my lips were a tad parched

Dry lips? Apply chapstick!

Dry lips? Apply chapstick!

Almost quitting time

Almost quitting time

I was honestly pleased as punch with Ballet and received lots of compliments; the colour served as a great contrast to my little black dress.

And what about the rest?

The wand is pretty handy -- it's flexible and glides over the peaks and troughs of my lips; it's a good thing too, because this particular flat doe foot applicator does not discriminate against shape or size. The cilia-type bristles grab onto the product so well -- I suggest wiping off the excess product in order to start with a minimal amount, this allows you to build up the colour slowly.

The first hour after application is crucial for getting this long-lasting formula to last. Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick binds to your lips and has a tendency to feel tacky, initially. So, fight the urge to purse or smack your lips together -- doing so will transfer the colour and create a patchy finish. If you can be conscious of this, I promise any one of their nine shades will take you from morning to night.

Ballet, a lively pink, wasn't my first choice. I fell for Rose, but settled because Sephora and Mecca Cosmetica both have a tough time keeping Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick on their shelves. I now know why ;)

Wearing Ballet

Wearing Ballet

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Hourglass' Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Ballet:

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

  • 9 out of 10 bags – Love that it lasts, but I don't enjoy its ability to really dry out my lips.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

  • I've had a tube of Hourglass' Veil Mineral Primer since October, but I have yet to try it. Perhaps the time is nigh!

What do you think? Will you add this to your makeup bag?

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

Trend watch: Eyeshadow Sticks

2012 was the year of Beauty Balm, Lip Balms / Butters and nail art & glitter, but what will 2013 have in store for us? Cream Shadow Sticks! Bobbi Brown and Clinique are launching these suckers in a store near you!

Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow Tint For Eyes

Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow Tint For Eyes

Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick

Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick

Katie Holmes is pimping Bobbi's brand and Clinique is using the effervescent candy theme.

Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Eyeshadow Sticks (retails for $28.00 USD) are available for purchase online now. Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow is due to hit counters this February and they will retail for $16.00 USD (double that price for Australians). Although, I did read an article about price harmonisation, but when will that happen?

Will you give these newbies a go?

This or That: Beauty on a budget

On my quest to find the perfect shade of turquoise eyeliner, I narrowed the field down to two opponents.

Swatches of Savvy by DB (left) and Essence (right)

Swatches of Savvy by DB (left) and Essence (right)

Both pencils present with similar qualities:

Retractable pencil - no sharpening required

"Long lasting"

Similar in style to far more expensive brands, e.g. Stila, Chanel and Lancome

Appeared to be waterproof in the absence of such claims

Subtle fallout

Turquoise

Wearing Essence's Tu-Tu-Turquoise (left) and Savvy by DB's Turquoise (right)

Wearing Essence's Tu-Tu-Turquoise (left) and Savvy by DB's Turquoise (right)

Essence's Tu-Tu-Turquoise

Essence's Tu-Tu-Turquoise

Essence's Tu-Tu-Turquoise is the cheaper of the two (retails for $2.95 AUS) and in an ocean of blue, Tu-Tu-Turqoise hovers at the top. Application was easy -- the colour appeared almost immediately with a glimmer of sparkle. This formula stays as promised, however, fallout occurs during application; be prepared to clean up a few flecks of colour before walking out the door.

Savvy by DB (retails for $6.99 AUS) is a deeper and darker turquoise shade, it's more like the deep end of the ocean. Application was just as simple, yet took a little longer. The pencil needed to be warmed in order to get the colour party started. As with Tu-Tu-Turquoise, Savvy by DB's Turquoise also requires clean up. Don't worry about a dance party in your crease either, once applied Turquoise falls in line.

Which turquoise pencil came out swinging?

Points go to Essence for affordability and availability; it's also my personal favourite. For a more sophisticated turquoise eye, Savvy by DB is the pencil for you; Australian ladies can find this shade at their local Priceline. For the International set, Stila's Peacock appears to be a close, albeit more expensive, dupe.

Enhanced by Zemanta