My First Mecca Beauty Loop Box

Despite being a diehard beauty addict, in the last few years my budget has leaned towards home wares and house projects over a regular big splurge at the beauty counters. I think that is why I've only just managed to reach the first real tier of Mecca's Beauty Loop program despite having been a member for quite some time. I am now a Level 1 Beauty Discoverer, which means I've spent between $300-599 annually in store. As well as the quarterly sample boxes I receive complimentary makeup application on my birthday, and as you move up the rungs to 'Level Two - Beauty Devotee' and 'Level Three - Beauty Aficionado' you get birthday gifts, makeup applications and lessons as well as special events etc. Here's a link to all of the details if you want to take advantage. The sample box is very cute and I didn't need to make a purchase in order to receive it, they simply scanned my card and were really friendly overall (as they always are at Mecca!) It comes with a card of product details which I think is a nice touch, and very reminiscent of beauty subscription boxes.

 

 

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer
I've used this before and really liked how it felt on my lids and how it gripped onto my powder eyeshadows to help them last. Experience has told me that I can stretch a sachet like this out for 2, possibly 3 uses if I don't let it dry out.

Josie Maran Cosmetics 100% Pure Argan Oil 4.5ml
This was easily the most exciting product in the L1 box, how dinky is the miniature bottle? I've always wanted to try out something from Josie Maran and I haven't used an oil product in the longest time, so this is a wonderful addition for me!

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Cleanser 2ml
Another brand I've yet to try, I have heard great things though so I'm looking forward to trying out this foaming exfoliating cleanser for the first time!

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer 1ml
I love a good primer, and this is meant to be the bees knees! I know the lovely Vita from Making Up 4 My Age liked this one so fingers crossed it works for my skin.

Have you tried any of these products?
What store cards do you find the most beneficial, and which aren't worth it?
-Emma

The Perfect Primers for a Flawless Face

Well prepped skin is one of the most important factors for a smooth foundation application – allowing a good morning moisturiser time to sink in is a great first step to a flawless look (and I have to admit it’s one I sometimes forget to do pre-coffee) If I know I have a long day ahead or that I want my makeup to last longer than usual, I have an arsenal of primers in my everyday makeup drawer to reach for.

Quite often I will pull out my Face of Australia Face Base Primer for day time use – it’s a renowned dupe for the pricier Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Primer*, and having compared it to the travel size NP I have in my stash I have to agree with that claim! They basically feel just like a light moisturiser and sinks in really quickly without feeling velvety like a silicone based primer. My sister has pretty dry skin and uses this when she wears foundation, and she loves how easy it is to apply and that it doesn’t break her out.

Until quite recently I was apprehensive about using silicone-heavy primers, but the pores around my nose and in between my brows have been annoying me lately so I was excited to try the Smashbox Photo Finish Color-Correcting Primer sample that I received at Sephora on our honeymoon. A thick green paste in texture, this acts like ‘spak filler’ to put it bluntly and I’ve been vigilant about double-cleansing when I wear it so it hasn’t clogged my pores or broken me out at this stage.

Last but not least is an unlikely primer in the form of the Dermalogica Oil-Free Matte SPF30 sunscreen*, which smells citrusy fresh and is something I wore all year round to protect my skin from sun damage. It leaves the skin matte without taking away any moisture from the skin and I found that my foundation sat so much nicer when I wore this underneath – a great incentive to wear sunscreen daily, no?

Now that we’ve spoken about priming the skin, I’m off to sink a coffee to prime my brain for the day…

Emma x

*Products mentioned were provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

Revlon Haul (including Myer GWP!)

I’d had my eye on a few things from Revlon, and I generally like to wait until they have a good sale on or a worthwhile promotion before I hand over the money. As luck would have it, Myer has a great gift with purchase (GWP) on right now until Christmas Eve, and you get a choice of two metallic clutches filled with products when you spend over $39.95. I chose to pick up the new Colorstay Whipped foundation (150 Buff) as I’d read a few blog reviews and they seemed positive, and I threw in the Colorstay eyeshadow quad in Siren to bring the purchase up to the correct amount. I ended up spending around $60 AUD, which is not bad when you consider how much I got in the clutch as well.

 

 

I chose the blue clutch set as I like the look of the palette and gloss more than the items in the other pack, even though that bag is more attractive. Ever since the Colorstay quads were released I’d had my eye on them, but since I’ve indulged in the beauty that is high-end eyeshadows, I was afraid I would be disappointed with the pigmentation. I haven’t had too much of a play around with them, but since I received the Addictive neutral quad and am now the owner of 2 palettes, I will be sure to let you know how I get on. I was happy with initial instore swatches, so only time will tell. The Colorburst gloss in Orchid is a pretty purple toned pink filled with shimmer, and as a lover of most Revlon lip offerings, no doubt I will love this gloss and it will fall into my regular beauty line up for summer.

The clutch also holds a Colorstay nail enamel in 280 Blue Slate, a PhotoReady 3D Volume mascara in Blackest Black and a PhotoReady Perfecting Primer sample. The clutches contents are valued at over $99, and I think it is a pretty good deal if you are thinking of picking up something from Revlon anyway, or would like to get a Christmas gift from there and pick up a bonus for your efforts!

 

If you were telling someone about Revlon and they had never heard of them before, what would you recommend they try?

 

June Empties

In June I really made an effort to try out some of the sample products I had lying around, and use up the half empty shower products that were wasting space. I am pleased with what I've used up, and will aim for even more in July!

Botanics of Australia Revitalising Body Cleanser with Lemon Aspen*

This was very different to the scents I normally have in in shower, it was a little too 'Australiana' smelling for me but I loved that it came out in pearlescent little squiggles!

Garnier Fructis Sensitve Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

The only shampoo that fixes my flaky scalp = my one true love.

John Frieda Conditioner*

This came with the new foam hair dye, and though it was moisturising it can only really be used one a week unless you like build up in your ends.

Lush Glogg Shower Gel

This is one of their Christmas time releases, it is uber spicy and richly scented, not for the faint of heart. I wish the cloves and cinnamon were played down a little by more of the mulled wine, as when I had a cold during the month my dulled senses enjoyed this shower gel.

L'Occitane Cherry Princess Pearlescent Shower Cream*

This was such a lovely scent and the formula was lovely, but I wanted new scents for the shower so am not too sad to have finished this one up.

Rexona Clinical Protection Deodorant*

This deodorant is a cream formula and really does stop BO and perspiration in general. Mad love.

Burt's Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Sugar Scrub

As you can see in my review (here) I'm not a major fan of this. Good at moisturising and isn't a horrible smell, but too daquiri-like for me and the seed-rage is too strong.

Hugo Boss orange sample

This little fabric swab was doused in the Hugo Boss fragrance and to be honest I don't distinctly remember the scent, but think it was citrusy and nice, but nothing extraordinary.

BareMinerals Prime Time foundation primer

This was a silicone based formula and I had my doubts, but this worked really well and didn't seem to break me out. Not sure if I would repurchase a full size of it, but I'm considering it.

Covergirl gloss

So old that it had to go, I don't even remember buying this.

Levou Aquaproof Mascara

Something about this mascara put me off trying it, it was in a free sample bag from somewhere random and I wasn't interested in trying it out.

Alpha-H Age Delay Cleansing Oil*

This little pot of oil (full size comes in a tube) was something I wasn't sure about, but ended up really enjoying. I used it as a sort of pre-cleanse and found it really easy to use, and I think I am going to buy a full size down the track.

Charmed Soap Bar

I am not the biggest fan of soap bars anyway and I don't know why this made a home in my shower. Gross and gone.

Showface Powder

I don't know if this is meant to be a blush or an eyeshadow, but it came smashed with my June Lust Have It bag. I emailed back and forth with Lust Have It, and when the replacement arrived, their were two pots inside and yet another was smashed. This is the second smashed pot, the other one went straight into the bin and made the biggest mess of my bathroom.

Phew, glad that is over!

How much did you finish in June?

*Marked items were sent to me.

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

As much as I adore new cosmetic releases and squeal over a bright shadow or new gloss, the staples in my collection are the glue that holds it all together. Without my MAC Painterly, my eyeshadows would all be worthless, as crease-city is not a destination I am fond of. This is, to date, the best product I have found to prime my lids with before eyeshadow.

Painterly is part of the permanent line of MAC products, and in my experience is more effective at gripping onto shadows than products like Urban Decay Primer Potion or drugstore eye primers. It makes the colours of my shadows appear more vibrant and it's really easy to blend over, which is really important when considering an eyeshadow primer.

Paint Pots come in 5g glass jars which feel nice and heavy in the hand, with a sturdy black plastic lid. Each morning I pop on my facial moisturiser then swipe a small amount of Painterly onto each eyelid. I then flick through my collection to decide on what look I'm going to create that day. By that time Painterly has had time to settle, and I go about applying my eyeshadows. I find that if I apply this at 6.45am, by the time 6.45pm rolls around my eyes are still looking good. I don't experience any fading or smudging, and I am happily crease-free unless I take a nap during the day. Even then, I'm usually okay. Sigh, the life of a uni student!

I have been using this pot for over a year now and as you can see I have plenty left. I use this at least once each day, and as I wear eyeshadow almost every day I would say this is great value! I must mention that I prefer the creamier Paint Pots over their glittery counterparts (like Genuine Treasure from the Posh Paradise collection) as I find these a million times easier to spread and work with in general.

Painterly doesn't contain glitter or shimmer so can be used with muted daytime looks or under a smokey eye for night. It's a beige colour that is a touch darker than my uber-pale skin tone, and this works perfectly for me.

As you can see, it's a really natural looking product. I found myself without this for 4 days last week and I couldn't bear using my eyeshadows without it, so just wore liquid liner. I don't like having bare lids with my liquid liner, however, as I like to use Painterly and a neutral shade to mask the discoloration on my lids even if the shadow is not the focus. This is why I think Painterly would make a great staple in anyones collection, if if you don't wear full on eyeshadow all the time.

On the MAC website Paint Pots are described as 'eye colours' but they really are so much more than that. They come in range of neutral shades (check them out here) so if you have a darker skin tone or want a darker base, you should be able to find one. I have my eye on Rubenesque next, but am trying to fill up my MAC palette so we will see.

Paint Pots retail for $35AUD or $17.50 USD.

Yes, the difference is ridiculous but there you go. Lucky the Paint Pots are worth the $35!

What eyeshadow primer do you swear by?

What is your favourite Paint Pot shade?

*This product was purchased with my own moolah, I have received no compensation for this review. Honesty, always.

Orange FOTD

Orange is pretty much my favourite colour, so here is a FOTD using some of my favourite citrusy prodzLook was partially inspired by Mister Christopher's t-shirt, which I wear to bed sometimes=)

Products used:

*Face of Australia Primer

*Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in #52

*Stila Convertible Colour in Gladiola

*Face of Australia Translucent Powder

*Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Facial Mist

*MAC Slimshine in Missy

*Elianto eyeshadows in Light Salmon & Coco Orange

*Maybelline Falsies mascaraMAC Slimshine in MissyElianto Light Salmon as a wash and Coco Orange in corner&crease

Finished off with Maybelline Falsies

I love this look as I think it's nice to brighten up your face in this dreary weather, with someone a little bit different. Are you into orange at the moment?

emmabovary xx