Beauty in a tick: Illamasqua's Maneater

Illamasqua's Maneater

Released as part of the "I'm the One" Valentine's collection, this velvety, matte red isn't for the faint-hearted -- the name alone says it all.

Swatch of Maneater

Illamasqua's Maneater is a vanilla scented, "highly pigmented, classic cherry red." At first glimpse I immediately pictured Gwen Stefani on the cover of Tragic Kingdom -- the tilt of her head, her Gretta Garbo inspired 'do and those bright red lips.

In order to achieve full opacity, Maneater requires patience, persistence, Q-tips, makeup remover and a slow/steady hand. The texture might feel creamy when swatched on the back of your hand or on the inside of your arm, but don't let that experience fool you. Be prepared for tug o' war when it's time to apply Maneater; it's as if you're going against the grain.

Wearing Maneater

Illamasqua's formula proved to be long-lasting (I wore Maneater for 5+ hours and experienced minimal fading) and non-drying (thank goodness).

Want to try red lipstick, but don't feel brave? Here's a tip I gave my friend Vanessa. Start by wearing a bright shade around the house to see how it wears and feels. Before you know it you'll be walking around the mall or out for a drink with your friends -- I bet you'll even find your girlfriends will be asking where you picked up said bold lippie.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Illamasqua's Maneater:

• $25.00 AUS / $24.00 USD 

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 8 out of 10 bags — for all the work it took to apply Maneater, the end result most definitely outweighed the challenging application. 

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Just about to paint Trilliant on my nails. I'll be sure to update the Nail Library.

*PR sample provided –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

A glimpse at the lips: Go-To Skin Care's Lips!

Go-To Skin Care's Lips!

Up until a year ago I hadn't heard of Zoe Foster-Blake -- blame it on my infatuation with US gossip periodicals, but slowly I've been learning from trawling the Internets on a local level. I now know Lara Bingle is dating Sam Worthington, Australian cricket player Shane Warne and Elizabeth Hurley were once an item and did you ever hear about that time when Zoe had a horrific massage in Amsterdam while on her honeymoon?  The story is hysterical, but I doubt she was laughing at the time.

Since reading about her cringe-worthy experience, I started following Zoe on Twitter and Instagram.

On top of being an author, a beauty industry veteran and cat mother to smush face Meowbert, Zoe let the cat out of the bag (no, not Meowbert) and announced the launch of Go-To Skin Care. It's release was slated for the 1st of April and Zoe held true to her word.

Thanks to her experience, trials and tribulations with all things beauty-related for the better part of a decade, Zoe set out to build the "scaffolding of skin care" by developing "five essential and easy to use" products for every woman.

For a little over two weeks I've been toting around Go-To's Lips!, "a deeply restorative, soothing and moisturising superbalm that rescues dry, cracked lips, and perfectly conditions happy, healthy ones."

While it's never washed my dishes, I can personally attest Lips! has helped to make my consistently dry and flaky lips soft, nearly flake-free and well-hydrated. With regular use I've even noticed I require fewer applications throughout the day thanks to (among others) the medical grade lanolin, avocado and jojoba oils. Can't forget about the fruit factor -- I'll never say no to pomegranate, unless, of course, I have to pick the kernels out myself.

Tip: A little goes a long way. Don't dispense too much onto your lips; for as tasty as it is you'll find yourself lapping up the excess product and then some. 

The peach hued packaging is unpresumptuous and the commentary sprinkled about the tube is very Zoe.

My satisfied pucker thanks you Zoe

What about the rest of Zoe's Go-To Skin Care range? In the very near future I do plan on checking it out, because my cranky skin has stopped playing nice.

Here are the other four products, listed for your consideration:

• Exceptionoil - body oil for almost everywhere, almost

• Exfoliating Swipeys - single-use exfoliating face pads

• Properly Clean - a facial cleanser

• Very Useful Face Cream - moisturiser for the face, duh!

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Go-To's Lips!:

• $14.95 AUS 

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags — Lips! Passed the Tin Man test with flying colours.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• The Exfoliating Swipeys will most likely be my next investment.

Don't fret, Go-To ships internationally as well. Zoe has even personally endorsed Gavin the carrier pigeon. You'll have your goods in no time!

A peek at the cheeks: NARS Matte Multiple in Laos

NARS Matte Multiple in Laos

Matte Multiple. You instantly think two-in-one, especially when you finally do spot the price on the register's screen.

Girl's eyes be like, 0o. Guess, I won't be getting that lipstick tonight, too.

What exactly does this twofer do? For the cheeks you can go one of two ways:

• Apply wet (brush and water required) for a sheer wash of colour
• Apply dry (directly from the tube and use those fingers to blend, blend, blend) for a higher impact look

As for Laos being worn on the lips, I've only tried applying it straight from the tube.

Side by side comparison: Matte Multiple (top) and The Multiple (bottom)

 Matte Multiple (left) and The Multiple (right)

 Matte Multiple in Laos (left) and The Multiple in Copacabana (right)

Size and price-wise you're paying the same price for about half the product, so what gives? NARS Matte Multiple isn't trying to pretend to be her sister, The Multiple, she's actually attempting to steal the baton in order to run for the horizon.

This little sister is pigmented and perky, but if you give her a glass of water she'll cool off and simmer down.

Laos loves to vogue 

Swatches of Laos: applied dry (left) and wet (right)

Last week I put Laos (a rose coral) through its paces. We ate dinner with Scott, had Personal Training with Casey and chatted with Hannah and Michelle at work. I'd like to think I gave Laos a thorough workout.

Laos on the cheeks is a major boon. It lasts all day (including through said workout) and it's easy to apply -- I love tapping a bit of product onto my cheeks and letting my fingers do the work. As for the final look, it's seamless and effortless.

While little sister Laos loves the cheeks, she hates going out for a spin on the lips. I repeat, hates. I wore Laos on my lips for the better part of my work day last week and felt self-conscious doing so. This particular matte formula is moisture wicking, settles in all the wrong places and wears down in the most unforgiving manner. It felt like I was wearing a pair of too tight pantyhose -- muffin top abound.

Wearing Laos on my lips and cheeks

NARS Matte Multiple is available in six other shades, two of which (I think) are meant to be used for contouring.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for NARS Matte Multiple in Laos:

• $58.00 AUS / $39.00 USD 

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 9 out of 10 bags — when only used on the cheeks
• 1 out of 10 bags  — for the lacklustre performance on my lips

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Temptalia gave us a look at the NARS Adult Swim Collection. I must say, Lost Coast looks appetising.

Beauty in a tick: Arbonne's CC Cream

Arbonne's CC Cream

A few years ago I worked as a bank teller in a really affluent Massachusetts' town and I was hustling to burst out of there. For a hot second I was courted to become an Arbonne saleslady.

Yep, you heard it here first.

Long story short a customer had sold me on a few products; cut to me attending an Arbonne sales consultant event with said customer in attempt to serve me some Kool-Aid. In the States, if you hit your sales goals they give you Tiffany jewellery. That's right, give.

But I saw through the pyramid scheme and even had a moment when my mind flashed back to Roald Dahl's The Witches. My mind jogged to the part where the boy spied the witches convening at the hotel  -- one second they were these miserly women and by the next second they had peeled their masks off! I kept waiting for this to happen, but it never did.

Every time I hear or read the name Arbonne I instantly think of The Witches, which I realise is unfair, but the mind (mine especially) has a funny way of working.

Swatch of Arbonne's CC Cream in light (applied heavily)

Swatch of Arbonne's CC Cream in light (sheered out)

Arbonne's (C)omplexion (C)ontrol Cream promises to "mattify, moisturise and prime all at the same time." While I did share a similar experience to Arbonne's claims, I wasn't prepared for the CC Cream to slip and pool within my pores after a few hours of wear. Initially the coverage was smooth, but something gave way and forced Arbonne's variant to make my pores appear larger than life. 

If it hadn't been for Arbonne's migratory flight pattern, I could've gotten on board. 

Wearing Arbonne's CC Cream in light

If you think the 10 benefits Arbonne promotes for using their CC Cream (Primer; Protector; Concealer; Hydrator; Mattifier; Brightener; Blemish Cover; Pore Refiner; Comforter and Complexion Controller) outweighs my own personal user experience, then head on over to Arbonne to check out the other three shades (fair, medium and dark) available for purchase.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Arbonne's CC Cream:

• $49.00 AUS / $40.00 USD 

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 3 out of 10 bags — meh, I'll go back to using my Jane Iredale Foundation

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Arbonne has an amazing eye cream, but I can't seem to find it on their site.

*PR sample provided –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.