The ol' switcheroo: from high-end to low-end beauty

I love expensive makeup, but sometimes my wallet doesn't allow for such things -- especially when I'm attempting to save. Dupes for basics come in handy for the girl on a budget. For today's exercise I've shopped my own makeup stash and came up with a few cost-saving alternatives; I firmly believe in having options ;)

Chanel's Illusion D'Ombre in Mirifique versus Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Rock Chic

The only thing I can really afford from Chanel is their makeup and even this particular love affair comes at a major cost. Chanel's Illusion D'Ombre in Mirifique retails for $48.00 AUS / $36.00 USD; the formula has a tendency to incite drooling, a gaping jaw and squeals of delight. Then there's the realisation that you have to fork over dollars upon dollars you might not be willing to part with -- this is when budget beauty brand Essence saves the day. Rock Chic sells for $5.50 AUS and passes for Mirifique's doppelgänger. Both are creamy, black eyeshadows with silver glitter and no one will be the wiser.

NARS' Eyeliner Stylo in Koala (gray) versus Essence Superfine Eyeliner Pen in black

While it's not a dupe in terms of colour (Carpates would suffice), both felt tip pens are pliable, lay down colour upon touching the skin, however one of these is not like the other. NARS' Eyeliner Stylo costs $44.00 AUS / $27.00 USD, whereas Essence's Superfine Eyeliner Pen is available for as little as $4.95 AUS. My only concern with the cheaper formula is the feathering as seen in the swatch to the right, some clean-up might be required post-application.

YSL's Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils no. 1 versus Covergirl's Clump Crusher by Lashblast in Very Black

YSL's Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils was a bit of a bummer for me -- raccoon eyes aren't cute. Here's hoping Covergirl's Clump Crusher by Lashblast (say that three times fast!) saves the day. The former is available for $52.00 USD / $30.00 USD and the latter was purchased on sale for $10.00 AUS and maxes out in price for $6.99 in the States.

Urban Decay's Naked versus Covergirl's Eye Enhancers 4-Kit Shadows in Country Woods

Nude/bare is a thing and it's an easy eye look to pull off during the day. Urban Decay's Naked palette has been selling like hotcakes, but if the 12-pan palette overwhelms you in the variety or price department, a quainter quad should do the trick. Covergirl's Eye Enhancers 4-Kit Shadows in Country Woods is a petite imposter -- instead of paying $50.00 USD for UD's Naked, try shelling out 9.76 AUS / $4.84 USD for Covergirl's Country Woods. Virgin, Sin, Naked and Sidecar would blush from embarrassment.

Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero versus Rimmel's Scandaleyes in Black

A lot of women who've had the pleasure of using Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil certainly know one is not enough; 24 shades round out this offering -- at $19.00 USD a pop, your wallet will certainly shed a few tears. Kate over at La Beaute et le Blogueur sold me on trying Rimmel's Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal (15 shades to tempt you with), that's code for super soft eyeliner with high colour pay off! I purchased Scandaleyes on sale for $7.46 AUS / $4.49 USD. Btw, can you tell which swatch is which?

Let's see how much you can save...

Total Savings

Happy shopping!

I'll post a look showing off my cheap dupes later today :)

Take this waltz: Australis' Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick

Australis Colour Inject Lipstick in Honky Tonk, Salsa and Samba

Last month during Priceline's Australis sale I picked up a couple of their eye and lip products. Today I've got three of their Colour Inject Lipsticks to show you, Honky Tonk, Salsa, and Samba. I love how Australis named their Colour Inject lip products after dances! I'm a total sucker for anything with a cute name.

Swatches of Australis Colour Inject Lipstick in direct sunlight (from left to right) Honkey Tonk, Salsa and Samba

Swatches of Australis Colour Inject Lipstick in natural light

Honky Tonk is a nude pink shade with a creamy finish.

Salsa is bright medium pink with a creamy finish.

Samba is a mauve-y pink with a creamy finish.

The lipsticks were all comfortable to wear, but if my lips are extra dry or flaky, the lighter shades (Honky Tonk and Salsa) are not very forgiving and highlight any dry spots. They do have a faint "lipstick smell" reminiscent of the lipsticks my mother owned in the '90s, but the smell doesn't linger or bother me. The colour is buildable and takes a couple of swipes to achieve full opacity. They last about 4-6 hours on me and also leave behind a bit of a stain after the sheen wears away.

The lipsticks do contain SPF 15 (although it's not written on the packaging or the website -- I saw it written on the display at Priceline and even emailed Australis' customer service to double check). This is a huge plus for me since I usually wear a clear SPF lip balm underneath my lipsticks; with these I can skip that step.

I highly recommend these lipsticks. I love the fun names, the wide number of shades available and the fact they contain SPF 15.

You can purchase these (18 shades in total!) for $12.95 at Priceline, Kmart, Big W and select pharmacies. Keep an eye out on Australis' Facebook and Twitter page for any information about sales.

Australis is cruelty free :)

What’s in your (makeup) bag? Vol. 2

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?’ Erin, nail extraordinaire, loves to help you get yo nails did; she's the Californian born beauty behind some of my manis.

Erin's makeup bag

Question Erin

Erin can also be found on the Twittersphere @getyonailsdid.

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: Burberry's Lip Velvet in Pink Amber No. 306

Hook. Line. Sinker. What started as a sample quickly turned into a full blown purchase. Burberry's Lip Velvet in Pink Amber is a coral pink (red leaning) with specks of gold. Once applied you're left with a matte finish that lasts for a good four to five hours.

Application is a cinch, I could probably put this on with my eyes closed; there's no tugging or pulling and colour saturation is almost immediate. Lip Velvet feels light on the lips, it's so light you almost forget you're wearing it -- a second skin.

The wild rose Burberry uses in this particular formula hydrates your lips and imparts the scent of roses as well. The last part is something I'm not necessarily a fan of, but it disappears after a few moments of wear. Gotta take the good with the bad and I'd rather have moisturised lips.

Wearing Pink Amber on my lips

Twelve colours round out this matte collection, however, I noticed Military Red isn't available for purchase on Burberry's Australian site -- I'll have to check my local Burberry counter to see if this is the case as well. Another funny (peculiar) thing I noticed as well is the price point is cheaper on their online store; the Lip Velvet retails for $35.00 AUS online, yet I paid $50.00 AUS at David Jones' Melbourne CBD Burberry store. An absolute mystery to me!

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Burberry's Lip Velvet in Pink Amber No. 306:

• $30.00 USD / $50.00 AUS - but is it really? Enquiring minds want to know!

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 9 out of 10 bags – A slam dunk.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Burberry's S/S 2013 makeup collection looks good enough to eat! Can you also throw in one of those glossy magenta trench coats too?

Which Lip Velvet hue is calling your name?