Review: BYS Blush Trio in Heart Skipped A Beat

BYS is a relatively affordable Australian makeup brand and they have a great range of products. Today's review is on the BYS blush trio in Heart Skipped A Beat. I got mine at Gloss for AU$6 but BYS is available at Gloss, Kmart and The Reject Shop here in aussie.

This blush trio has 8g worth of product in total and contains 1 satin finish and 2 shimmery powder blushes. There are no specific names for the individual shades so I shall attempt to describe them to the best of my abilities...

Left: light pink (satin)

Centre: bright coral pink (shimmery)

Right: dusty pink (shimmery)

My camera doesn't pick up on the shimmer particles in the pan, but the centre and right shades definitely have shimmer to it. The light pink shade on the left doesn't have visible shimmers in the pan but gives a nice sheen when swatched. Swatching them was a dream, they feel so velvety soft although there was slight fallout. I probably applied too much pressure with my finger because when I tap my brush into it, there was hardly any.

The pigmentation of these blushes really impressed me! With a light tap of my brush into the pan, it picked up enough product which gives visible colour to my cheeks even on the first application. You can obviously build it up to the intensity that you want. Packaging of this product is pretty standard black plastic with a clear top so you can see the shades. It kind of reminds me of Sleek's Blush By 3 kit in terms of appearance but the plastic packaging is definitely not as sturdy.

There are 3 other shades available from their blush trio range and they are Coral Me In, Endless Summer and On The Bright Side. If you head into any Gloss outlets, they usually put out testers so you can swatch them. Kmart and Reject Shop has the items packaged in a plastic case and I haven't seen testers provided at those places. For the price point, I do highly recommend checking them out. Hope you enjoyed today's review. (:

Haul: StrawberryNET

This haul is probably my first online 'high-end' purchase so I was really excited while waiting for it's arrival! It all started when I saw an email from StrawberryNET about their '10% off all makeup' sale. Normally I wouldn't be tempted by 10%, but this sale applies to already discounted products, so I went to browse the site a little. Before you know it, my finger was clicking away and I have an email notifying me of my order. I ordered on the 9th with my items shipped the very next day and they arrived to me in Perth,WA on the 16th. So I know this post is pretty late but better late than never, right? (:


Lots of styrofoam bits and bubble wrap to ensure nothing is broken! (:

The first item is a lip color trio by Bobbi Brown. I first saw this set featured on Roseanne's blog when she hosted a giveaway on them. I obviously didn't win so when I came across it on Strawberrynet, I was actually quite excited to see it further discounted from AU$35.50. The three lip colours in this set are Soft Rose, Sandwash Pink and Nude.

Quick look at the packaging.

Left to right: Soft Rose, Sandwash Pink , Nude.

I am really happy to finally get my hands on The Balm's Bahama Mama bronzer. This is available in Singapore at Sasa but I could never fork out the SG$29.90 for it. So when I saw it on sale for AU$21.50 (not including the additional discounts) I decided it's time to get it.

Edward Bess is a brand that I briefly heard about when watching RAEviewer's makeup collection video recently so when I saw their blush was also reduced to AU$24.50, I did a little research to see if their blush was worth trying. Sure enough, the reviews were great so I decided to pick one up. The shade that I got is in Moroccan Rose.

Comes with a nice velvet pouch.

I have previously purchased from Strawberrynet before and I did have a great shopping experience with them. As a new customer, you get a free gift with your first purchase (back then I got a Stila lip liner) and as a returning customer, you get certain percent off your purchase depending on how many items you buy. I won't bore you with the nitty gritty of it but you get the idea (or check their website for the details and current promotional gift). So my total bill came up to AU$81.50 but with the 10% off makeup sale and my 1% loyalty discount plus 2% for buying 3 items, I only paid AU$70.90 in total. (And shipping is free by the way, yes international too!)

70 bucks is quite abit to spend but considering it's all high-end products and I technically have 5 items, I really think it was a pretty good buy. Hope you liked this haul and definitely let me know your thoughts if you have tried any of these products! (:

Review: Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara

Today, I am going to review the Maybelline mega plush volume express mascara which is the one with the gorgeous green and pink tube. I wasn't going to try out any more new mascaras but I got sucked into the packaging.

The mega plush mascara is available at Priceline for AU$19.95 but they always have sales on mascaras so I'd definitely recommend that you wait for them. Also very happy that they have a waterproof version because I only wear waterproof mascaras.

Mega plush waterproof mascara in Very Black.

The brush is pretty big and has a curved head, with shorter bristles at the ends and longer ones in the middle. The wand also has a bending mechanism so it's not a solid straight wand.

Bend-y wand.

(Do pardon my poor photography skills, this is the first time I'm doing close-up shots. Maybe I will try taking at a different angle next time.)

Top: No mascara, Bottom: With one coat

This mascara does lengthen my lashes and coats them evenly. I didn't find it difficult to reach the lashes at the inner and outer corners. I do quite like this mascara because it is super natural looking. I tried applying more layers but the difference was barely noticeable so I didn't bother taking another shot. It did make my lashes look slightly darker(i.e. thicker) but just very slightly and the good thing is that it didn't clamp as I was layering it on.

I would consider this formula to be on the wetter side which was pretty nice for me. When it dries, it doesn't leave my lashes hardened which is also a plus. The brush head was easy to work with although I find it doesn't really volumize. The wand also does not really make any difference to my mascara application as far as I can tell.

And if you were wondering, yes, I did curl my lashes for this shot but I think it's just the way my short lashes are. People always talk about mascaras "holding the curl" but that never applies to me. I don't notice that curling my lashes or using a waterproof mascara makes my lashes more lifted. So I can't comment on the "holding curl" ability of the mega plush. Sorry!

Overall I am enjoying it for everyday. It makes my lashes more noticeable but without the clumps and not looking over dramatic which is what I want in a mascara. Hope this review helps! (:

Chemist Warehouse Sale + What's new at Priceline

Hey everyone, just a quick post to inform you guys that the half price sale at Chemist Warehouse and My Chemist is back!!! Yup, 50% off everything from Revlon, Maybelline, Rimmel and Sally Hansen. The sale ends on 26th and 29th of September for the respective pharmacy. 

And since we're all about updates in this post, I thought I'd quickly mentioned a few new releases at Priceline. Essie has finally come to Aussie!! I almost couldn't believe it because it was so random. The polishes are going for AU$16.95 each and their base/top coats for AU$17.95 each. If you ask me, that is a crazy price to pay for nail polish! I'll definitely wait till I get back to Singapore and visit Smoochiezz if I want any Essie polishes (Smoochiezz sell Essie for about SG$8-9).  Nonetheless, it is nice that they are available in stores since nail polish are the kind of things that have problems with shipping and stuff, so it's not always easy to buy them online even though it is cheaper.

Front and back of stand.



Also, I saw this new Essence display at my local Priceline. It's their new Me & My Ice Cream trend edition which was released in July 2013. This is the first time I've seen a new collection out in stands so soon in Australia. Usually if there is even any display within the Essence stand, the collections are from months back. Was tempted to get the blush but it was pretty confusing because looking at the product, it looked like a baked blush, but the displays says it's cream. There weren't any testers so I passed it in the end.

Last but not least, the four new shades of the Revlon lip butters that were released in the US as part of their Spring 2013 collection has finally reached Australia! Sorry I don't have a picture of the display for this mention but it's literally everywhere. I first spotted it at Chemist Warehouse at the checkout counter so I assumed it wouldn't be part of the 50% sale since it's new and not on display next to the Revlon stand but I just decided to check with the cashier and she said it is discounted! (Say what?!) So obviously I had to pick up one and the shade I got is Juicy Papaya which I have been eyeing since I heard about the new shades.

That's all I have to update. By the way, today is voting day here in Australia. Surprisingly, I am actually quite excited to find out what the outcome is even though I don't get to vote. Have a great weekend everyone!! (:

Haul: Crush Cosmetics

This is a super overdue post but I thought I'd still share my haul from crushcosmetics.com.au that I purchased some time in August. The stuff on there isn't the cheapest but they were had 20% off sale storewide plus free shipping if you spend AU$65 or more, so I took the opportunity to pick some things on my wishlist. The thing that drew me to shop here was because they carried Lime Crime but I skipped out on them (which I totally regret!) and got other stuff instead. Posting took only 6 days to get to me here in WA so that was not too bad.

I was pretty selective about what brands I bought because even with the 20% off, Wet N Wild was still pretty overpriced but that's just me. I really cannot justify paying more than 3 times US retail price for the same product so I'll probably wait till I visit the states or if family and friends are returning from there.

Having said that, there were definitely some deals I got with the sale so let's get right into it. Here's my parcel when it arrived.

My box full of goodies!

The Sleek Blush By 3 released a limited edition shade as part of their Candy Collection, Sweet Cheeks, which includes one cream blush and two powder blushes instead of the regular three powders. In all honesty, I picked this up because the colours (+ packaging) looked so gorgeous I just couldn't resist. Best thing was, I only paid AU$15.96 (~SG$19) for this which is a total steal considering it cost me £9.99 (~SG$20) when I bought my first Blush By 3 kit at Superdrug when I visited London earlier this year, so technically it's slightly cheaper than regular retail price. 

Left to right: Candy Floss, Dolly Mix, Cupcake.

I also got some e.l.f brushes seeing they are under AU$5 after the discount. I was interested in the Contour brush because I have a similar one from Essence which works really well for applying eyeshadow in the crease but sadly is damaged. The Powder brush was also another back-up because the one I currently own is shedding like crazy!

Left to right: e.l.f Powder Brush and Contour Brush (AU$4.79 each).

Close up of the brush heads.

Sadly though, the Powder brush I received is also a faulty one. I first noticed a few strays sticking out of the top and when I brushed it against the back of my hand, you can see the stray hairs falling out. Not sure if all their Powder brushes have this problem or I just keep getting faulty ones. ):

Poor workmanship of the brush. ):

I was very into rose gold makeup for a while and have been eyeing this blush in Rose D'Oro by Milani. Everyone talks about Luminoso but I tend to go for matte blushes, with this rose gold exception, because my complexion isn't the best. Really glad I got it because it looks amazing on my cheeks! This came down to AU$11.96 after the discount.

Milani baked powder blush in Rose D'Oro.

Last but definitely not the least, is the item that I was most excited about.. and it is the NYX Butt "Naked" Eyes palette! I had wanted to get this for the longest time (maybe just under 2 years? This palette came out end of 2011). And can I just say how glad I am now that I finally got it! With the sale, this palette came down to AU$28.76 which is good enough for me considering Smoochiezz is selling this for SG$42! 

Love the range of colours they have!

So that's it for my Crush Cosmetics haul. Customer service was fantastic and all my items came in good condition. Definitely worth checking out especially when they have a storewide sale going on but like I mentioned, I was particularly selective about purchasing from their website because some brands are very much overpriced in my opinion. Free shipping does help alot since other cheaper websites such as Cherry Culture charge shipping fees by weight, so do keep that in mind. Thanks for dropping by and have a great rest of the week! (:

Bellabox August 2013

It is time again for my Bellabox unboxing! Sorry this post is up so late, I have been slacking on my blog the past week because my boyfriend came to visit from Singapore. Anyway, the theme this month is "get active", which I thought was really nice and I find that the products do cater nicely to the theme. So without further ado, let's jump right in!

I like it when my box feels nice and heavy. (:

In my August box: 

1. Pevonia gentle exfoliating cleanser (5ml) - 150ml RRP $67

2. Aphelia oasis herbal acne solution (2ml) - 50ml RRP $49

3. Ultraceuticals ultra CC cream in Medium (5ml) - 50ml RRP $59

4. Maybelline dream pure BB cream in Medium (full size) - 30ml RRP $15.95

5. L'oreal base magique primer (5ml) - 15ml RRP $29.95

6. Banana Boat mineral protect sensitive sunscreen (full size) - 120g RRP $15.75

7. TOM Organic (2 tampons) - 16 tampons RRP $7.99

Total estimated value - $52.77 (prices in AUD)

Interested to try out an exfoliating cleanser!

Definitely something I can use since I'm constantly breaking out.

Excited to see a different brand of CC cream and with SPF30 too! Will definitely give this one a go.

To be honest, I was quite bummed when I saw this in my box just because I bought it the week before. Otherwise, I would be absolutely thrilled to receive this! Still, it is a nice product so I don't mind a back-up of it.

I already own the full size of the L'oreal base magique but haven't used it quite enough to give a review. It does have a smoothing effect to the skin and does reduce the look of pores on me, so I do like this product enough to keep using it.

Nice touch from Bellabox. This will surely come in handy for those who swim or exercise regularly.

Get Active gift!

August has been another great box in my opinion. I will be trying out most of the items in my box except for the tampons, haha! What did you get in your Bellabox this month? (: