Review: Chi Chi Glamourous Eye Shadow Collection - BASES palette

It's the last week of uni and I've been stressing quite abit. So I made a trip to Westfield Carousel to destress... and boy did I do some serious damage there. The item I was most excited about was the 2 new Chi Chi glamourous eye shadow palettes that was recently released!! Their glamourous Nudes is super popular because it's a very close dupe to the original Urban Decay Naked palette. This line initially had 3 palettes, Nudes, Bronzes and Brights but Chi Chi has since expanded and introduced another 5 palettes, Bases, Classics, Oasis, Sultry and Rich Gems.

Chi Chi stand at Myer.

I picked up 2 of the new palettes, Bases and Rich Gems, since Myer was having a buy one get second 50% off for the entire Chi Chi range! In this post, I will swatch the Bases palette and share my thoughts on it.

As mentioned, I bought my palettes from Myer but Chi Chi is also available in Target, David Joness, Gloss and of course their website. Previously, the initial 3 palettes retailed for AU$19.95 but when I bought mine, all the palettes are now priced at AU$22.95. To be honest, I was quite shocked at the price increase and it did make me rethink my decision to buy it. However, I justified my purchase because they were new and weren't available back when the price was lower (and that's also why I decided to skip on the Nudes palette). You can watch Jodi's video to see her compare the Chi Chi Nudes palette with the original UD Naked. She gives a very thorough review as well as swatches so go check her out if you're interested!

As you can see, it comes in a plastic packaging without a mirror with 2 double-sided sponge tip applicators. Each palette is has its name printed on the clear plastic lid in silver and includes 12 light neutral shades. There are 2 matte shades(indicated by the white arrows) with the rest being shimmery/satin finishes. From what I can see, there are no glittery shadows in this palette.

Whole palette swatched.

I've included a close up for the swatches for a clearer view. There aren't individual names for each specific shade, but the pictures below show the shades from left to right on the palette.

Overall, I'm loving this palette because it has so many pretty neutral shades! I'm also quite glad there aren't any blacks and greys unlike the Nudes and Classic palettes because I rarely use black in my crease and outer corner. This is an excellent day-time palette or if you're like me and don't rock smokey eyes often.

The texture of these eyeshadows are pretty good quality for the price that you are asked to pay, but they definitely do not compare to the high-end brands like Urban Decay in terms of smoothness. They are all fairly pigmented except for a some of the skin-toned shades, but it's not a deal breaker for me. Even the not-so-pigmented ones still had colour show up with one swatch but it just looks lighter than in the pan. I don't think it's a problem because those shades are more suited for blending out other colours or just as a light overall lid colour.

I paid AU$34.50 for both palettes so each one came down to around AU$17.25. If 23 bucks is still over your budget, try waiting for it to go on sale like what I did. Target and Myer always have some kind of offer on Chi Chi products every now and then. Hope this review helps some of you out there and if you've tried these palette, definitely let me know what you think of them!

I will be posting my review of the Rich Gems palette soon, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading.. (:

Lust have it: May 2013

My Lust have it for May has arrived! Was really looking forward to this month's box because I couldn't resist and went to see other people's unboxing. When I saw that so many people got 2 mini Nicole by OPI polishes, I was ecstatic!! But as usual, my rotten luck with LHI meant I had a different box. Sigh... why why why?! Can't I for once get a good box from them? Anyway, let's get on with the unboxing.

Light grey flower design for May's box.

Here's what I received:
1. Camouflage Colour lipglosss in 015 Vanilla (full size) - 15ml RRP $12.95
2. Seacret buffing block (fullsize) - RRP $30
3. Paula's Choice clear exfoliating solution (30ml) - 118ml RRP $38
4. Nude by Nature papaw ointment (full size) - 75g RRP $12.95
5. Tigi elasticate & recharge shampoo & conditioner (10ml) - 250ml RRP $25 each

Total estimated value - $69.56 (prices in AUD)

Appears clear on my lips, with visible shimmer particles.

Goes on the lips like a film which isn't particularly comfortable. It's not exactly 'sticky' per se but I guess that's the best way to describe it. I'm still sitting on the fence about this one.

3 coloured surfaces: grey, white and blue 

That's alot of paw paw!

So there we have it! Although I am totally bummed about not getting the mini OPI polishes but at least it's a much better box compared to last month. Guess my luck is slooooowly improving? Bellabox definitely did it for me this month, even though the total value is lower.

(But seriously, 30 bucks for a buffing block?! minus that and LHI's box is only worth AU$39. And I have much higher expectations for LHI because they adjusted their price for including "more international and premium beauty brands". They kicked off their new box with a big bang in March but since then I honestly don't think it's up to standard considering the price increase. Sometimes I want to say that March was all just for show to get people to sign up because they are losing so many subscribers since end of last year but I won't. I do feel they try to do a good job, but they need to try much harder.)

I will still try out the products I got because I haven't used any of the brands before. What did you receive in your LHI box this month and what are your thoughts on it?

Bellabox: May 2013

It's time again for beauty surprises! My Bellabox arrived in good time but it a different packaging than usual. It came in a plastic wrap and not the tiffany blue box which made me thought it was probably an initiative by bellabox so that rain won't damage the boxes (well, there was a crazy week of storm 2 weeks ago in perth). Turns out, the box was too full and wouldn't close shut, hence the plastic wrap instead of a rigid cardboard box on the exterior. That's great news for me! This month's box has a nice weight to it and to have it overflowing with products is definitely an added bonus! 

Love the band-aid sticker.. cute!

Full size items which did not fit nicely into the box.

And here's what I got...

1. [A'kin] kaolin clay & lemongrass express purifying facial masque (full size) - 75ml RRP $19.95
2. Bloom lip stain in Peach (full size) - RRP $18
3. La Roche-Posay effeclar duo (3ml) - 40ml RRP $25.95
4. La Roche-Posay effeclar foaming gel (15ml) - 200ml RRP $19.95
5. Manicare duo mascara brushes (full size) - 10/pack RRP $4.99
6. Almay moisturizing eye makeup remover pads (full size) - 80 pads RRP $9.95
7. *BONUS* Nanoblur (2ml) - 30ml RRP $29.99

Total estimated value - $58.33 (prices in AUD)

'Marker-tip' applicator, which I have never used before on my lips.

Got it in the shade 'peach' which is a lovely coral pink colour.

Bleeds into surrounding fine lines though.

I am super pleased with this month's box! Firstly because it's jammed packed with products and it's not the usual shampoo and conditioner. Really glad to see so many full-sized items (4!!) which I cannot wait to try. I have heard about the Almay eye makeup remover pads before so was very excited to see it in my box. Also happy to try out the effaclar duo because I love La Roche-Posay! Was using their foaming gel in the past and it has worked great for me, so this sample is perfect for me to take when I travel!

Surprisingly, I was also happy to receive the mascara wands. I love to use them to brush through my brows after filling them since not all brow pencils come with a spoolie (which can be really annoying). And always looking forward to any makeup item these boxes throw in.. so I will definitely be trying the lip stain. Secretly thrilled that I didn't get the shadow pencils because they don't seem to transfer colour very well, and who wants to tug at their lash line when applying eyeliner?!

Once again, I am very impressed with bellabox! This is my third box and they certainly do well in putting out a good variety each month. Maybe I'm just really lucky with my bellabox boxes, because others have gotten lower-value boxes than myself. I do hope my luck with them continues. What else did everyone get in their box? I'd love to know.. (:

My Revlon Lip Butters collection (review + swatches)

When Revlon first released their lip butters from their colorburst line in the US back in 2011, everyone was raving about them on youtube and beauty blogs! But because I'm in Asia, I couldn't try them out until they were released in Singapore about 3-4 months later, which was actually surprisingly quick.

First off, I am a huge fan of these lip butters! They are fantastic for me because they don't dry my lips out like other lipsticks do. Having said that, I also wouldn't slap them on when my lips are super dry as they aren't as moisturizing as traditional lip balms. I see them more as a lipstick because of the pigmentation i get from them. I love that they are buttery smooth and so easy to put on. No doubt they don't last super long because it's so creamy but that's not an issue for me compared to chapped lips.

Sadly, there are only 8 shades available in Singapore.. Brown Sugar, Peach Parfait, Fig Jam, Cherry Tart, Lollipop, Strawberry Shortcake, Sugar Plum and Macaroon. Macaroon is apparently not available in the US. I've seen it featured on some english beauty blogs though, so it might be exclusive to the UK/Asian market? I'm not entirely sure. They retail for SG$15.90 at Watsons/Guardian. I got some of mine when Watsons have 20% off Revlon. For those of you who still think it's too pricey, you can get your hands on the lip butters at duty-free and they have other shades that's not available in Singapore. I got Pink Truffle from Changi Terminal 1 at only ~SG$9.

The Aussie drugstore carries the full range (same as US) and they retail for AU$21.95 each at Priceline!! I know right, what a rip off! And to think lip butters only cost around $6-8 in the US. However, Priceline does always have discounts so I always wait till Revlon lip products go on buy-one-get-one-free to purchase the shades I can't get in Singapore.

So far, I have 11 of the 25 shades (original 20 + macaroon + 4 new shades) available. Pictures and swatches will be below in this following order...

1. Creme Brulee

2. Brown Sugar

3. Pink Truffle

4. Peach Parfait

5. Strawberry Shortcake

6. Berry Smoothie

7. Sugar Plum

8. Gumdrop

9. Lollipop

10. Tutti Frutti

11. Candy Apple

Colour-coded transparent packaging with clear top.

Similar quilte design as the regular Revlon colorburst lipsticks.

Left to right: Creme Brulee, Brown Sugar, Pink Truffle, Peach Parfait, Strawberry Shortcake, Berry Smoothie, Sugar Plum, Gumdrop,
Lollipop, Tutti Frutti, Candy Apple.

Here's a close up of my arm swatch...

Left to right: Creme Brulee, Brown Sugar, Pink Truffle, Peach Parfait.

Left to right: Strawberry Shortcake, Berry Smoothie, Sugar Plum, Gumdrop.

Left to right: Lollipop, Tutti Frutti, Candy Apple.

I did not do lip swatches since my lips are quite pigmented and the overall look will probably be different for everyone. The individual swatches below are as true to colour as I can get them to be. I played around with the lighting and angle quite abit to get it to show up as it does in real life, so please ignore that my skin looks like a million different shades. (:

Creme Brulee (095)


Brown Sugar (020)

Pink Truffle (001)

Peach Parfait (025)

Note: This is the only shade with visible shimmer particles, in swatches and on the lips.

Strawberry Shortcake (080)

Berry Smoothie (050)

Sugar Plum (085)

Gumdrop (060)

Lolliop (075)

Tutti Frutti (015)

Candy Apple (035)

As mentioned, the lip butters are super creamy. Hence your lip products may not be very well-maintained and may sometimes 'melt'. But hey, no sweat. I just usually take a tissue and wipe around the tube if it starts to build up.

Example of product 'melting'. 

I love all the colours in my collection but my most worn is definitely Peach Parfait(because it's the first one I ever got) and Pink Truffle. Revlon has recently released 4 new colours as part of their 2013 spring/summer collection and they are Wild Watermelon, Juicy Papaya, Sorbet and Pink Lemonade. Not sure if I will be able to resist them when they finally release in Singapore/Aussie but we'll see if my collection grows. For now, I couldn't be happier with my collection. Which other shades of the lip butters have you tried and what are your favourites? Do share and comment! Thanks for reading.. and happy Sunday everyone!