Account Page

I was actually fortunate enough to win this little beauty and I have to say that I could quite happily sit and sniff from the open bottle (if I had nothing else to do)! I love the combination of coconut oil and frangipani! There's a slight after note of paw paw but not enough to render it "medicinal" smelling. [That's a hangover from childhood I have, although I still find Lucas Paw Paw Ointment to be a handy product to have around the house.] It is moisturising enough for me to get away with not moisturising my entire body after showering (I have REALLY dry skin at the moment for a medical reason) and leaves me feeling fresh and smelling nice but it's subtle enough to wear a scent not from the "tropical family" if I wish I'm very grateful to be given the chance to try something this lush and, apparently, surprisingly affordable. I can see myself buying both this and other Essano products.

I bought this product in Red Dahlia, and it's nice for everyday use, except I find that I have to apply SPF50+ lip balm or sunscreen underneath if I wear it outside.. I have a Burt's Bees Lip Balm in Wild Cherry, which to be honest, I do find more moisturising and it has a delicious taste. If only the company could "marry" the two concepts and throw in sun protection - they'd probably have a product beyond fault from me :-)

I've always tended to have dry hands & weak nails, despite moisturizing religiously and taking regular care of my nails. A few months ago, I unfortunately ended up in ICU for over 3 weeks, which took an understandable toll on my nails! I found this number in the Bargain section of my usual Pharmacy - so despite my fear that it may "burn" off my cuticles (or similar) I bought it and am glad to say it was one of the best $2 I have ever spent. It is actually rather gentle. You just apply it to the cuticle area, wait a minute or 2, push the cuticles back a little with an orange stick then rinse it off.

I'd like to thank Beauty Heaven and Garnier for inviting me to participate in this Trial Team I was sent both the Light and the Medium shades of this new, Sensitive Skin formulation of their BB Cream I believe that the packaging is nearly identical to the other formulations - being in a squeezable tube which can easily dole out a particular amount, which is a pretty good design My primary problem with this product is that despite being the "least orange" BB Cream I have ever tried - it is unfortunately still too dark for me (being MAC NW 10-15) The formulation smells nice, it prevents sunburn and doesn't really need powder applied over it (in terms of oil etc.) but whilst inside it looked as if it may well be the right tone for me, when I went outside it was apparent that it was a bit orange on me and in fact when I was wearing it several people asked me if I was feeling unwell...

I was sent the Revlon Ultimate Suede in Backstage 035, a fact which made me feel quite relieved as I cannot seem to wear quite a few pink or light-red lipstick tones due to my auburn hair, pale complexion & highly pigmented lips! But I digress.. Backstage is certainly the darkest of the colours available. I would describe it as a deep plum with very dark red undertones, based on how it fades over the course of the day, and evening after reapplication. It comes packaged in a clear tube, which whilst in immaculate condition upon arrival & is still currently holding up fairly well, is just starting to scratch despite careful storage. [For instance, if removed from my bathroom drawer at all, I would always put it in a small, soft cosmetics bag.]. I can imagine that this may well continue over time & for this reason one of my few real criticisms is that for the RRP of $25.95 I would generally expect slightly more "attractive" packaging.
There was no overbearing and unpleasant scent (to me) which was a definite plus Onto application & wear!
I tried it straight from the bullet initially, which works well due to the angle of the lipstick i.e. I found it easy to work around my cupid's bow area and to not overlap over the edge of the lip either on top or bottom. This way, however, I found myself applying several swipes to get the colour as dark as it appears on Olivia Wilde's Ad Campaign.
I found that working with a sharp-edged lip brush the perfect way to reach the level of pigmentation I was going for, whether I teamed it with lip-liner or not. In fact, it did not feather at all for me so really, I've ended up not bothering with using a lip-liner but rather cleaning up the outer rim of the lips with concealer after application When I first apply this product, it seems nice & moisturizing like I'd applied a lip balm, however, after the 10-15 min. setting process (which felt a little "odd" the first time!) it dries to a true matte formula. It is definitely not as drying as some long wear products can/have been... I really like the finish, but I did experiment with putting a little lip gloss over the middle of my lips for effect but it just seemed to make the matte formula gluggy & unpleasant to wear Each day I wore it I wore it all day and into the evening - the colour would start to fade down to a more red, less plum tone rather like a lip-stain after about 4-5 hours. I took that as my cue to re-apply.
Luckily, it's sweat proof, food & drink proof and most importantly - transfer proof, though your "kissee" may find the texture of your lips a little unusual! I'd like to wholeheartedly thank BH for allowing me to take part in this Trial. Despite having read VERY mixed reviews on International Beauty Blogs etc. I really enjoy using this product & have recommended it to others. In fact, my Mother has probably already bought one & she certainly needed no encouragement...

Admittedly, I have had these brushes since shortly after my local Priceline debuted them (a few months ago)...
I wanted to ensure that my review was not skewed by the "enthusiasm" surrounding their initial release Firstly - they are the softest brushes I have ever owned, or had anybody use on me. Ever. I have some lovely Taklon Mirenesse face brushes which are incredibly soft, yet these are softer still! [Sorry!]. They are softer than any MAC brushes I have ever had used on me. Quite simply, they are divine 1) Pointed Foundation Brush
This is lovely when used to apply foundations which are on the "runnier" side. The point on the brush ensures that every nook & cranny of the face is gotten into. I would also advise that one use this brush to apply concealer under the eyes - rather than the detailer brush, which is better for concealing spots etc 2) Detailer Brush) This is designed to spot conceal or apply lipstick. I use it to apply lipstick & occasionally to apply highlight to the area around my tear ducts 3) Contour Brush) This IS excellent for contouring. Also pretty good for highlighting (having been cleaned, of course) 4)Buffing Brush) As yet I have only used this to apply powder and Mineral Foundation - but I believe that it can be used to excellent effect to apply a medium-heavy liquid foundation. I have a foundation just like this waiting in my makeup drawer, and as soon as I've used up my other foundation, I'll be trying it! Finally, these wash and dry quickly like a dream. I highly recommend them to anyone who is serious about getting the best result from their makeup. I plan on buying at least a few of their eye brushes as soon as I see them on Special.

I had already bought Natio's Eyeshadow Brushes (Angled AND this one) when I received a full set of Natio's Brush es as a GWP. This Eyeshadow Brush is of excellent quality, the perfect size for the eye (mine, anyway) & the fact that it is synthetic makes it so much more versatile as one can use it to apply cream eyeshadows as well.
The ferrules are of excellent quality - and despite months of regular use and washing I have yet to notice any shedding whatsoever.
The Taklon bristles are incredibly soft and gentle on the delicate skin around the eye.
If I have any peeve whatsoever about this product - it is that the bristles could be the tiniest bit shorter to help facilitate application! However, this may not seem immediately obvious, but there is a "right" way to hold this brush. If you look closely, you will notice that there is a gradient in the bristles on the side of the brush which is stamped with the Natio logo & Brush Name. It is much easier to pick up shadows with this section.

I cannot speak to any of the other colours available in this range, but I have had this product for (almost) daily use in my waterline for well over a year. In fact it had been so long since I'd had to replace it due to its longevity that I'd sharpened down past the brand so long ago that I was unsure which product stub I was carrying around in my daily makeup bag!
I have used many different waterline brighteners, and own a few others which were much more expensive. However - I go back to this particular pencil as I find the colour suits my pale skin tone, stays on my waterline basically all day and is fine to use with my Contact Lens.
It swatches Icy White on your hand, yet looks quite beige and natural in my waterline.

First off, I would like to wholeheartedly thank BH for allowing me to participate in this trial The New formula of Nude Magique BB Cream comes in quite lovely and "classy" looking packaging - with the Light variant easily discerned from the Medium by very different sized fonts on the packaging as well as a metallic purple lid, as opposed to the plain purple lid on the Medium tone.
The product feels weightier in the hand than I expected from looking at it & the scent is inoffensive I was very excited to try a Western version of a BB Cream, sadly, whether or not this is a "classic" BB Cream or not is a little beside the point as far my complexion is concerned I trialed both shades inside my elbow on the night before my 1st application, and discovered that it oxidized fairly quickly, with both turning orange within hours I shall briefly list & address the product's 5 primary claims: -FLAWLESS COVERAGE: I found this product to have a coverage similar to that of your average Tinted Moisturiser, except that it contains "micro-particles" which tend to micro-exfoliate the skin (mine, certainly) -PERFECTLY EVEN SKIN TEXTURE: This could in fact be the case, unfortunately this product literally gave me orange skin when I had applied it precisely according to the instructions on the product -FRESH DEWY GLOW: This may well be the case when applied to a far more "tanned" or Olive skin-tone. In my case, as mentioned before, any glow had an orange cast to it. Also, I found the finish rather more matte except over my T-zone -24H HYDRATION: I never left this on overnight, but I can say that I felt I needed to adhere to my regular evening cleansing/toning/serum/moisturising Routine -PROTECTS WITH SPF12: Again - this may be due to my pale skin tone but on one of the days over the weekend when I was actually outside in the sunlight, I started to get burnt within 2 hours. Also, it seems to me that an SPF of 12 is a strange number - why not 15 or above or simply none and advise people to use a separate SPF if they're wearing in the daytime? This may well be FANTASTIC for teenagers! The actual coverage wasn't too bad, even for me. It is just a pity that it turned so Orange on my particular skin-tone. I have similar problems with many tinted moisturisers etc., but I had dared to dream about this one! 2.5 Stars.

I currently have the two colours above. Had the Pomegranate not sold out at the Priceline I went to, I'd have bought that too.
Having said that, I believe that I perhaps have the most suitable two colours for my complexion and colouring (pale skin and auburn hair).. I had initially expected to go back for the White one, but decided against it as I already own about 10 different Mirenesse Super Long Mineral Gel Eye colours, one of which is stark white! I really love the consistency of this product. They are smooth and creamy and don't set too quickly - allowing you to blend colours together and making sure you have the perfect shape around your eyes.
When I start to run low on the other cream & gel eye colours in my collection I would love to go back for more :)