TOO FACED - MELTED CHOCOLATE LIQUIFIED LONG WEAR LIPSTICK

Want to change the world? There's nothing to it.

When I think of Chocolate, my mind goes straight to my favourite chocolate bar and then to my favourite movie, Willy Wonka (Yes, the one with Gene Wilder. As far as I'm concerned, there was never a remake). Arguably two of the greatest loves in my love. I am known for being a chocolate addict. If I could, I would live and breathe chocolate. I'd probably be made out of it too if I had my way. So imagine how excited, and restrained, I have been over the release of so many chocolate beauty products. Yes, I'm thinking of you, unattainable Chocolate Bar Palette.

Moving on, I ended up buying the Too Faced Melted Chocolate Liquifed Lipstick in 'Chocolate Milkshake' as it put me over the limit for free postage at Mecca. Woo! Who doesn't love free postage? I'll admit, I'm a sucker for free postage. I'd been eyeing the Melted Chocolate range for a while, mostly because I've always been curious about the melted range due to a friend who is obsessed with them, and again because IT'S CHOCOLATE. Alright, I'll put my inner Augustus Gloop away for now.

Augustus understands the addiction

In summary, Lipstick + Chocolate + Bianca is a no brainer. I was bound to buy it sooner or later.

My May haul was saaaa good

The Melted Chocolate Collection claims to be made with real cocoa powder and is rich in antioxidants. I can confirm the cocoa powder for you right now. This product smells just like chocolate. It makes me want to eat chocolate when I smell it. The smell is so realistic that I completely believe that cocoa powder was used when making these lipsticks.

Let's start off my taking the packaging The packaging really is a true representation of the actual colour of the product. I'm always really impressed when that happens. And check out those gleams of gold. Perfect Packaging! A+ from me Too Faced.

If you've never used a Too Faced Lipstick stay tuned, otherwise scroll down to the next paragraph. The Liquified Liquid Lipsticks actually have an angled velvet tip, compared to traditional lipsticks and brushes. At first I was a bit unsure about how the tip would go and whether it would line my lips without making a mess. Ladies, put your minds at ease because this velvet tip is amazing to use. I found it to still be as precise as a brush and I've made absolutely no mistakes while using it. Again another A+ Too Faced for innovation.

'Chocolate Milkshake' smells amazing. Hands down. And the colour is so pigmented when applied. Warning to the wise though, you do not need a lot of product when you use this lipstick. A thin layer will get you the colour pay off that you need. In my experience, if you use a lot of product then you're more likely to find it transfers much easier and quicker.

This product is not food, water or kiss proof and will need to be reapplied as needed. But it sure is pretty as hell. Unfortunately, I find it disappointing that it doesn't meet any of my three criteria as the product has long wear in it's name. Maybe Too Faced and I have different ideas of long wear. I found this this product leaves a milky white line on my lower lip where my lips meet after a while and it's very visible. I've tried to find a way to correct this but nothing has worked so far. Again, if you're after a long wear lipstick then check out my previous post on Black Moon Cosmetics. You won't be disappointed.

The other massive disappointment that I had with this product is that if you apply the lid tightly as you would with any other lipstick or lipgloss, it actually causes spillage and overflow into the cap due to extra pressure from the cap onto the tube. I wish I had been forewarned about this so I could have prevented this lipstick overflowing into the cap. Sigh. I hate wasted product.

Other than that, this lipstick had the potential to be what my chocolate dreams are made of, but fell slightly short. I'll continue my search for the perfect chocolate cosmetics. If you're interested in trying this product out for yourself you can begin your very own chocolate collection here.

- B xo

LIME CRIME - VELVETINES

Good news everyone! Lime Crime is finally back in Australlia, with a partnership having been established between Lime Crime and Makeupnet.

There has been some controversy surrounding Lime Crime over the past few years, most famously the credit card hacking incident. I have a lot of friends who ceased their relationship with Lime Crime following this incident, and were too afraid to purchase unicorn goodies from the retailer via credit card or paypal for fear of their information being stolen by hackers. It was around this time that Lime Crime also severed all of their ties with their Australian retailers which left us babes high and dry, and fighting over Lime Crime sale items on sites such as PepperMayo and Princess Polly. Those were dark times.

Thankfully, it was announced a few weeks ago that Makeupnet would now be stocking all of the Lime Crime goodies here for us in Australia. Yay! Now we can shop freely with little fear of another hacking. So of course, that calls for a review of some of their much loves liquid lipsticks, known as the Velvetines.

My favourite Velvetine - 'Riot'

What I really like about the Velvetines, which only Jeffery Star Cosmetics has been able to match recently, is the colour diversity and Lime Crime's boldness to produce statement shades. Velvetines come in every colour of the rainbow! It's insane.

I am a big Velvetine lover. BIG. Just look at my stash.

I don't know if you've realised, but sometimes I get a bit carried away with my purchases and try to buy everything.

'Velvetines liquid matte lipstick dries to a touch-proof velvet finish'.

A very quick shout out to my biggest blog fan, who also happens to be my boyfriend. You know you've found a keeper when he buys you Velvetines for Christmas. 

Packaging

The packaging is super cute and the product smells really nice too.  The brush applicator is easy to use, and excess product can be wiped off back into the tube.

The only issue I have is that sometimes the tube appears to not have been completely filled. This is just the way the liquid lipstick moves around inside of the tube and is nothing to be concerned about.

'The first Velvetines lead the way in the hugely popular liquid to matte lipstick trend'. 

Shades & Textures

Lime Crime offers an amazing range of shades, and I only own a small potion of the Velvetines available. 

Have a look at what I mean:

L- R: Suedeberry, Pink Velvet & Utopia

L - R: Cashmere, Bleached & Faded

L - R: Shroom, Pumpkin, Riot, Wicked & Salem

And some swatches:

Formula & Pigmentation

The colour range that Lime Crime offers in the Velvetines range is remarkable, and pigmentation varies depending on the colour, Like all liquid lipsticks, you cannot re-apply liquid lipstick on top of pre-existing liquid lipstick as it will become very patchy and noticable. 

All Velvetines become matte once dried completely. You can add gloss, however this will kill off any staying power the Velvetines had. 

I do however have a few issues with the Velvetines. I find that they quick to dry, which means quick and precise application is a must! They are not food or water proof, and unfortunatly touch-ups end up looking blotchy. So you will need to completely re-apply after food and drink as the product starts does start to crumble and flake.

On a positive note, they are make-out proof which earns the boyfriend tick of approval.

'All of Lime Crimes products have been cruelty-free since its inception in 20008. While many of the products were also vegan from the very beginning. In 2012 Lime Crime reformulated the rest to meet vegan standards'.

Ingredients

Lime Crime does meet some crucial beauty standards that make us make-up lovers swoon. All Lime Crime products are vegan and animal cruelty free with is always a big plus. Unfortunatly their products do still contain parabens.

Affordability & Retailers

Velvetines currently retail for $29.00 AUD, or $20.00 USD. I like to keep my eye out for a sale, so I can purchase as many as possible or cash in on free postage deals. Since re-establishing distriution rights within Australia, Lime Crime products can be purchased from Pepper Mayo & MakeupNet as well as directly from Lime Crime.

Final Verdict

I think that if the Velvetine forumla were to improve, to avoid that crumble and flake feeling, then I would buy every colour under the sun and wear them daily. However due to their high maintenance, I find that these lippies are reserved more so for the weekends.

If you still haven't given Velvetines a go, please do so. The colour range just can't be beaten. Plus, who doesn't look good in a Velvetine. Check out #limecrimevelvetine on Instagram to see what I'm talking about.


- B xo

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS - CONTOUR CREAM KIT

Oh my wow! What have I been doing with my life up until this point. This is my new best friend, and her name is Cream Contour.

Anastasia Beverly Hills  - Cream Contour Kit in 'Fair'.

Again, what have I been doing with my life? About six months ago I decided to try contouring for the first time in my life. Why? After a discussion with a lovely MAC employee, we both agreed that there are sixteen year olds out there in the world who have skipped the awkward stage of blue eye-shadow and spider lashes, and gone straight to perfecting contouring. What the hell is with that? So I figured if a sixteen year old can do it, why can't I? 

And that's how my contouring adventure began. Skip ahead past having to buy a contour brush, asking friends for contouring advice, watching endless tutorials, buying powdered contours, and crying over how much I suck. After lots of practice, I finally started to get a bit better at this whole contouring thing. Around that time, the ABH brand blew up over Instagram and I was exposed to the wonderful world of the ABH cream contour. I knew that I had to have one.

'This best-selling palette sculpts and defines your features with six highly blendable shades - three for highlighting, three for contouring'.

Packaging

Let's take an up-close and personal look at the contour cream kit.

Contour Kit in 'Fair'

I love ABH packaging. The Contour Kit comes in a black cardboard case, which has the brand and product name labelled on the front of the packaging in rose gold lettering. The cardboard cases also identify what colour kit is inside. 

The actual product case is durable plastic packaging, with a clear plastic top, which also has the company logo printed in rose gold. The clear plastic top also allows you to view the product when the case is closed.

Best part? The pans are replacable! So when you run out of your favourite contouring shades you can order replacements and slip them straight in. Personally, I'm interested in taking out the shades that I don't use and putting in extra's of the shades that I do use.

Textures & Shades

The Contour Cream Kit comes in four different shades to suit different skin tones: Fair, Light, Medium & Deep.

Contour Cream Kit in 'Fair'

'Use Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit to sculpt, define and enhance bone structure and features'.

Formula & Pigmentation

Previous to using the Contour Cream Kit  had been a Contour Powder kind of gal. After trying this beauty, I'm never going back to powder. Wow, what have I been missing out on!

The highlighting an contouring creams are as smooth as butter and just as very easy to blend in. A lot of people assume that you need to be a pro to be able to use a cream contour successfully. Rest assured, you don't need to be pro level. I actually found using the cream contour a lot easier than the powder. Whilst the powder allows you to gradually build your contour, cream contour gives you the opportunity to blend it out if it's too dark and heavy. It should be noted that the contouring colours in the pans do become a lot softer once blended in.

I have been using this kit daily with all of my looks and it leaves me looking and feeling fabulous. 

'Emphasise eyes, cheekbones, nose and jawline with smooth, velvety formulas that impart a subtle, dewy sheen'.

Ingredients

The ABH Contour Cream Kit is free from:

• Parabens
• Sulfates
• Phthalates
  

Affordability & Retailers

Being as pale as I am comes with pro's and con's. CON: as I child I was constantly asked if I was feeling well because I looked really sick. Thanks teachers and peers, appreciate it. PRO: as an adult I am constantly being complimented on how beautiful my skin looks. CON: no one in Australia stocks the cream contour shade 'Fair'. 

Sephora and Hairhouse Warehouse are both stockists of all things ABH, so if you don't require the 'Fair' Contour kit, head to either of these websites. You'll find that the contour kit also retails for around $70.00 AUD.

Final Verdict

Simply, what it all comes down to is one single question: do you need this kit in your life? The answer is a BIG FAT YES!  No matter what your skill level or your age, it's never too late to learn to contour.

- B xo