Budget Friendly Everyday Minimalist Look

It's been a long time since I have done a look post -  so I thought I'd share with you my typical makeup style these days - the minimalist look. There's not a plethora of products to layer over, just a slick of foundation to even out my skintone, blush and lipstick for some colour, defined brows, mascara on curled lashes over lined and lightly shaded eyes to widen it up and away I go.

For an everyday look, I don't think you need to spend a small fortune (and some of us don't have the disposal income to do so) so I've decided to showcase how to achieve with basic products that are budget friendly and costs less than $20 per item.

Everyday Minimalist Look
First up, the products I used are below:

Face
Rimmel London Match Perfection in shade #102 Light Nude A$17.95*
Face of Australia loose translucent powder A$11.95
BYS Blush Trio in On the Bright Side A$6.95* (reviewed here)

Eyes 
Canmake four shiny eyes eyeshadow palette in #3 Milk Chocolate (bought online for approx A$13 when our currency was above parity)
Face of Australia Impact Curl mascara A$11.95*
Maybelline Master Precise liquid liner in black A$13.95
Daiso Eyebrow pencil in Dark Brown A$2.80

Lips
Rimmel London Kate Moss lipstick in shade #103 A$11.95

All up, the cosmetics will set you back just over A$90 at full price or cheaper if you can pick up some of the items during sale periods (eg. Priceline currently have 50% off Maybelline products).

Minimalist look

As you can see, that's almost a complete essentials set of  makeup products. The only thing that is missing from this essentials kit is a good concealer which is handy if needing to cover blemishes or dark circles (I've yet to find a good one at a budget price so have not featured it here).

How to achieve the look:

1. Dot foundation of moisturised skin and use brush or fingers to blend product into skin (I always use a synthetic flat top brush to do the job). 
2. Apply one, two or all three shades in the blush duo in a "C" shape from the temples down to cheeks and blend with a makeup brush to achieve a natural flushed look. 
3. Set face makeup with loose powder using a fluffy powder brush (I set  my makeup after blush to lock in the colour for longer as well as helping to blend out any harsh lines)
4. Define the brow with this brow pencil by drawing light quick strokes to fill in sparse brows. Use a brow comb on the other end of the Daiso pencil to soften any harsh edges (a cotton tip is also handy to lighten overly draw brows). 
5. 2. layer on the mid colour from eyeshadow palette onto lids with a flat eyeshadow brush or sponge applicator. 
6. Use a crease brush to apply the deepest shade shadow in the palette 1/4 from the outer corner of eyes and then blend the edges to soften the look (sponge applicators won't work here to give that smooth look).  
7. Line eye with this precision eye liner with sharp tips that give fine defined lines that only liquid liners can provide. 
8. Curl lashes and then apply a coat or two of Impact Curl Macara. 
9. Apply lipstick onto lips directly from tube (or if you want well defined lips, use a lip brush), blot with tissue and reapply to make the colour more lasting. 

So you can see, the eye are only slightly enhanced as I've blended away aot of the colour, the cheeks are lightly flushed and lips are just natural pink shade. I usually carry this look to work as it's easy to put on in the mornings and easy to co-ordinate with any outfit without too much thought involved.

These items are products that I actually use regularly, if not everyday basis and just to create this look either as they are good value, and provide great quality. If you don't mind the non-fancy packing, the smaller selection of colours/shades, then you don't need to spend a fortune to look good.

All the products (except Canmake eyeshadow which is an Japanese cosmetic brand and only available online) can be picked up at accessible stores such as Priceline, Big-W, K-Mart or your local pharmacy.

What look do you wear everyday and how much does the products you use to create the look cost?

Products marked * were provided for editorial consideration. The rest were purchased by yours truly. 

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers

Rimmel recently launched the latest lip offerings into the market called Apocalips. 

I was initially thinking this would could be another hybrid lipstick-stain product(al la L’Oreal Shine Caresse) but it is in fact a new category in its own right. This is a new breed of lip lacquers/glosses that are highly pigmented and creamy in texture, as you would find in traditional lipsticks but with the shine that is often seen in lacquer glosses. Lets check out the official wordings first shall we? 

Rimmel Says:

Combines the intense colour of lipstick with a lacquer like shine, Apocalips lacquers are packed with pure colour pigments; its lusciously creamy, conditioning formula promises a never-before combination of colour, shine and comfort that lasts and lasts.

My Views: 

Lightweight and wearing comfortably, it feels very emollient on lips without a hint of tackiness or stickiness  and the high shine also helps to create a plumping effect for those with thin lips. 

It conditions like a lip balm, helps to prevent lips from drying but will show up chapped lips so conditioning lips and exfoliating them is a must (try a dry toothbrush after showering when the flaky lips are softened).

The colours range from subtle nudes to bright and vibrant shades so there’s bound to be a shade that suits all occasions. One swipe of the brighter shades and you have full coverage on your lips – something i’m very impressed with.  What’s better is that you can layer these lacquers so you can mix two Apocalips together to form your own custom shade as well as dial up or down the brightness of the colours. 

Under natural light on NC30 skintone

Under Flourescent light on NC30 skintone

Packaged in a doe-foot sponge applicator, it spreads the formula easily and can even be used to create defined lines when tilted on its side which makes touching up on the go easy-as. It has a tasteless but distinctive apple peel scent which is quite unique as well.

My only complaints are that some of the creme shades without any micro shimmer to add dimension can make lips look flat ‘painted on’ (which also could be an effect you are going after as well but isn't flattering for everyday wear). Good thing is that this can easily be resolved with layering of shades to create one that sits better on your skin.  

Lasting-power wise, the nude colours survived about 1 hr of wear before fading and disappears even faster when eating but the brighter shades lasts 2-3 hours and still holds its colour through light eating. 

The Colours

100 Phenomenon
A pale pink nude that looks best on fair skin and those with cool skin tones for a very natural my lips but better look. Those with pigmented lips like myself with have some difficulty pulling off the look with this shade as it’s washes out the lips too much. 

600 Nude Eclipse
A brown based nude pink that works much better on warmer skintones and also sits better with pigmented lips. This would be the ‘my nude lips’ look if you have medium or warm skintones – then this shade is for you. I love wearing this on my lazy weekend days where i like a bit of hydration but am not going for colour.

701 Stargazer

Full of golden micro-shimmer, Stargazer is very sheer and on my lips, I can barely see the colour other than the shiny shimmer from different angles. I think this shades works best when layered over other lip products to bring some golden warmth and sparkle to the colour. 

201 Solstice 

This is a dusky rose shade that would suit all skintones. The presences of shimmer adds a dimension to lips and just makes this an even more exquisite shade on my skin. This is one of my top picks  of the Apocalips collection.

101 Celestial  

This is a warm dusty pink with a creme finish. It differs from Solstice in that it's a brighter version of the shade and it doesn't contain shimmer is produces a nice block colour effect for lips.

102 Nova
This is a cool Barbie-resque mauvy pink that would wear better on those with cool and light colour skintones.

501 Stellar 
This is a warm and vibrant cherry red that just pops and brightens up lips and goes well with all skintones. In bright white lights, it even has a slight orange tint to it. I love wearing this on my no-eye makeup days because all attention goes to my lips.

303 Apocaliptic 
A rich berry pink, this signature shade that just accentuates the pouts and again would suit all skin tones. It's definitely another bright colour so make sure you co-ordinate your blush with warm berry colours when wearing this shade.

Personally, I love the texture and comfortable wear of Apocalips. My top picks from the current eight shade offering would have to be Solstice, Stellar, Apocaliptic and Stargazer for layering. These lacquers are even better value when on sale (as often can be found at the Chemist Warehouse) for up to 50% off. 

Apocalips Lip Lacquer RRP A$15.95 and is available from Priceline, Priceline, Target, Kmart, BIG W, selected pharmacies and selected Coles and Woolworths stores. 

Review & FOTD: Rimmel BB Cream

During the 2nd half of 2012 - the beauty market exploded in the number of non-Asian BB cream launches (the non-Asian version prefer the abbreviation BB to be known as Beauty Balm creams whilst Asian varieties are known as Blemish Balm creams).

Being a popular staple in the Asian markets over the past 10 years, it's little wonder that the BB cream mania been as wildly embraced once released in the non-Asian market. Today, you definitely need your own version of a BB cream if you want to be taken seriously as a makeup company (Clinique, Dior, Estee Lauder, MAC, Garnier, Natio and L'Oreal are all on-board!).

So what makes a product a BB Cream as opposed to being just a tinted moisturiser? Well they have the following properties.

• is a all-in-one primer, concealer and medium coverage foundation product to provide a natural and flaw finish to skin
• has a gel-like texture and have a dry to touch finish. 
• is a moisturiser and has additional skincare benefits depending on variety (whitening, healing, anti-ageing)
• has UV protection often means you don't need a separate sun block 

But even though there are skincare benefits in BB creams they are not to the same level as targeted skincare products so I would still apply my serums and skincar  as they are more effective in addressing the my specific concerns.

Till recently, my interactions with BB creams have only been the Asian varieties, so I was excited to get introduced to the western versions with my first one being none other than the Rimmel London BB cream.

Rimmel Londom BB Cream - 30ml 

Boasting 9 benefits claims:

• Skincare benefits: 1 -prime, 2 - moisturise, 3 - minimise appearance of pores and 4 -helps protect against environmental damage;
• Makeup benefits: 5 - conceals, 6 - covers, 7 - smoothes, 8 - mattifies, 9 - brightens 

Available in 3 different shade, this BB cream caters to a wider varieties of skin tones. This is a plus as alot Asian BB creams only come in 1 shade. The light, and medium version are neutral tone and both suits me (summer and winter shade) and when blended out gives a very decent colour match.

Rimmel BB cream on NC30 skin, natural light

Being SPF 25, it gives decent sun protection so that you don't need a separate sunscreen if you are only going to be in incidental sun for a short period of time (which is adequate for those of us who doesn't get outdoors much during the day).

There is a light citrusy floral scent that is not over bearing and in fact quite pleasant. It definitely has a rich gel-like texture but is very easy to blend on skin to give a velvetly smooth finish.

For those with normal/oily skin, this BB cream would also provide adequate hydration on its own but if you have dry skin, I'd defintely layer a separate moisturiser rather than solely rely on this for hydration.

The claims of being a primer is substantiated as it does a good job of evening out the skin and mattifying it for a 4 hours (after that, my oily skin just shines through).

As a concealer, it provides medium coverage so that discolourations, redness and marks are all evened out but any large blemishes will need stronger coverage as this won't cover them as well. It also gives a radiant natural finish that looks like you've applied a soft-focus lens over your face so it temporarily brightens skin as well.

As for minimising appearance of pores, I found that my pores looked the same but it didn't accentuate it so this was a moot claim for me.

Verdict
Rimmel has put out a great BB cream as has pulled off 8 of the 9 claims - a pretty good result and I'd happily incorporate this BB cream into my everyday makeup repertory.

Skintone is even and complexion brightened with Rimmel BB cream

In fact, I do so most work day or casual weekend when I'm after a natural finish that covers my uneven skin tone, dark circles and what not but don't have me looking too cakey or heavily made-up. I normally would apply a translucent powder on top to set the product and a little blush, lippy and minimal eye product and I'm ready and out the door. This is an example of my not too made up look I sport on weekends.

Fresh look FOTD with Rimmel BB Cream. Full product lists used are

• Rimmel BB cream in M111vb11edium
• Face of Australia Translucent loose powder
• Bobbi Brown Blush in Apricot
• YSL Glossy Stain in #14 
• Kiss Me Heroine make smooth liquid eyeliner 
• Lancome Hynose Star mascara
• Daiso Dark brown brow pencil 

Rimmel BB cream RRP A$1295 at Kmart, Target, Big W, Priceline and David Jones stores as well as Woolworths and selected pharmacies nationally.

This BB cream was provided for consideration. Other products featured were purchased by me. 

Swatches: Rimmel London Kate Moss Spring Collection

Last month Kate Moss released her Spring Lasting finish Lipstick collection with Rimmel London. And now that Spring has finally come, it seems apt that I show you the fresh colours now.

So what makes this batch of colours Spring colours? Well they are lighter in shades and fresher in hues, more representatives of the colours we see with the floral blooms in gardens and streets during Spring.

With the same formula and packaging as the orginal Kate lip colours (reviewed here), the shades were selected by Kate to give intense colour and easy wearability with its smooth creamy formula and soft shine finish lasts for hours without fade.

The collection showcases nude beiges, a fushia pink, rose pinks to a vivid red to cater for morning, night or weekend casual lip colour occasions and are packaged in a streamline matte black tube with Kate’s signature printed in pink instead of red in its original collection.

They really are beautiful shades in real life. I fell in love with 4 of the shades the moment I caught sight of them instore but they have been so popular in my local store, they were sold out and I couldn’t get my hands on a couple of shades. Luckily, I was sent the collection a week later so I have the opportunity play with and enjoy the fresh colours.

The shades from the season are #03, #26, #16, #19, #20 and #22 and I've swatched them all to show you below.

#03 is a beige nude that is not too pale is suits both warm and cool skintones thanks to its pinky-brown base.

#26 is the other nude shade in the collection. This one is more a lighter creamy beige and is good for blanking out lips so that other colours will appear more true to shade or can be worn alone if you are going for a concealer-lip look. You will need contrasting eyes (think smokey) and lots of blush if you don't want to look like a washed out ghost.

#16 is a fresh salmon pink. It goes on well with muted makeup and is the perfect pick-me up daytime shade that just subtly brightens the complexion.This shade benefits from a slick of conditioning lipbalm if you have lip wrinkles like I do to help stop the colours from sinking into the lines like the photo below.

#19 is a medium rose shade that looks sophisticated but is safe to wear everywhere as it's not too bright or attention-seeking. This would be the shade I'd carry in my bag everywhere for a fail-safe slick of colour.

#20 is a bright fushia pink. Now this would be Barbie's favourite shade and mine as well for stand-out lips in the evening. It does work better with cooler makeup colourings so make sure to match this with cool candy pink cheeks. It also immediately brightens up your face and the stained look after the colour fades is very flattering.

#22 is a bright tomato red that just screams confidence and power. Even if you don't feel it, this lippy will allow you to fake it till you've got it. It is a fairly neutral red and any complexion should be able to easily pull off this shade. Again this shade works best with lips prepped with a conditioner or lip balm underneath for so the colour sits better on lips. I have applied in the below photo on top of my Nivea lip balm.

Which shades do you like most from the Spring collection? I have to say I love them all with the exception of #26 which didn't quite work for me.  Being so affordable with a good working formula, Kate's long lasting lipsticks have such a good range of shades, you'll be able to find one (or more) that looks fabulous on you.

If you are after more swatches, be sure to also check out Yishan's swatches over at BeautySwatch.

RRP A$11.95 at David Jones, Priceline, Kmart, Target, Coles and selected pharmacies.
These featured products were provided for consideration.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks

I’m extremely late to the party with this post because I misplaced these pretty babies during one of my clean up late last year and so have totally forgotten about them. I re-discovered them during a recent sorting through of my body care stash and I’m so glad to finally be able to swatch them.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks

Kate Moss in collaboration with Rimmel London launched her first lipstick range in October last year and featured 9 shades in the Lasting Lipstick range. This new Lasting Finish formula is light, non-drying and has light reflecting properties to add depth and pack a punch of colour to produce intensely coloured lipsticks.

Packaged in a matte black case with a Vermillion red Kate signature, it is edgy and iconic but very practical as well. The formula of these Lasting Finish lipsticks is very agreeing with my lips. They are quite lightweight with a satin sheen finish and don’t dry my lips out. This is handy for winter lips as it doesn’t get accentuated flakiness as much as with creamier lipsticks can.

I can wear these for 4 hours without any colour fade and still have fairly conditioned lips if I don’t drink or eat which is a great feat but the longevity does drops dramatically when food is involved and reapplication afterwards is needed to get a fresh coat of colour again.

Coverage wise, they are very buildable and the deep shades are potent – one swipe you have you intense colour and a second coat will ensure all full coverage on the entire lip. The lighter colours may require an extra coat but its light formula means it doesn’t feel thick or tacky on lips.

Now lets get to the shades I have to share.

#15 is a frosty metallic aubergine/mauve colour with that doesn’t do much to flatter my skin. It is quite sheer and takes a few more coats for the shade to show as per my swatch below. I can only see myself using this to layer over deep shades rather than on its own as it just doesn’t seem to work for me.

#10 is the true classic red with no blue or brown base whatsoever. This intense and opaque red is something I’d rock if I feel very blah and want to draw attention away from my tired eyes onto something more alluring. It can be quite intimidating to wear unless you are used to wearing brights but if you are looking for a true red lip colour, this is the one.

# 11 is a deep vixen red. It reminds me of the Valentine roses and looks broodingly good for anyone who wants to make a statement lips Twilight style. And when this shade fades, its leaves a luscious berry stain that can carry you through a through another couple of hours with just a slick of glosss on top to give it extra shine.

#14 is a warm nude beige with a brown/pink base. If you’ve been having problems finding a good nude lip colour, you must check this one out. I’ve been searching high and low for a nude colour that doesn’t look too ghastly or concealer-like on my lips and I think I’ve finally found it here. It is neutral enough but has enough colour to not make like I’ve lost all my blood and matches perfectly with medium skintones.

#05 is a dusty pink shade that is neutrally balanced and works on both cool and warm complexions. It works equally well for morning, evening or a casual day out on the weekend, making it one of the most versatile shades in the collection.

As you can see, the Kate Moss collection range from bright reds to soft pinks and nudes and has a colour to suit every mood and occasion. Even beetter is that there are 6 new shades released this month to complement the existing 9 shades in the range, so there's no excuse that you won't find your perfect shade.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick RRP A$11.95 at Priceline, Kmart, Big Wid, David Jones, Coles, Woolworths and selected pharmacies. 
These products were provided for consideration.

Scandalous Fluttery Eyes: Rimmel London's Scandal'Eyes

In my Tom Ford Sahara Haze post last week, I used the Rimmel Scandal Eyes mascara to complete the look. Today lets take a closer look at the mascara.

Rimmel London Scandal’Eyes Mascara

This mascara gets your attention immediately. The bright over-sized orange tube means you cannot misplace it anywhere in your makeup stash. It also means that it takes up precious space if you are packing it into your makeup bag for on-the-go uses. But that’s the only negative about this product because it was all love when I put it to use!

The rounded brush is massive with dense bristles that help to grab my sparse lashes, coating it with a good lashing of the mascara formula. Due to it’s size I didn’t even try using it for lower lashes because I cannot do precise coating on my almost non-existent ones with such as big brush.

Formula wise, it contains collagen and keratin to build up the lash volume and help strengthen them up. When applying there were no clumps experienced, nor were there any flaking fall outs, and it did great job of giving defined separated lashes that give the fluttery full lash look that doesn’t droop at the end of the day.

Tip: start at the base of lashes and use a wiggling (zigzagging) motion to coat your lashes from base to tip to create volume and length.

After 5 hours of wear, there was slight smudging on my eyes (due to the fact I blink heaps and have rather watery eyes so others may not experience this).

Overall I’m very pleased with this new Mascara from Rimmel and am glad it launched this month because I've finished up with my much-loved Mirenesse Vibralash as an every day mascara.

12mL RRP A$16.95 at Priceline, David Jones, Kmart, Target, Big-W and selected pharmacies.

This featured product was provided for consideration.

Swatches: Rimmel Glam'Eyes HD - Green Park & Purple Reign

Today I’m going to be showing you swatches of the Rimmel latest eye shadow palettes the Glameyes HDs.

This eye collection is a collaboration with Kate Moss who provided the inspiration for the so cute design of the Union Jack strips to house the different colours of the shades in the palette.

Although the design is beautiful, it is quite unpractical as the small triangle wedges and thin strips of some of the shades make it very hard to pick the colour up with your regular eyeshadow brushes without contamination the bristles with its neighbouring colour. This is where you really need the sponge tip applicators which are more precise to pick up the product from the pan.

That design flaw aside, the product is beautiful. The colours all have a pearly finish that gives just the right hint of shimmer in all lighting without being overly glittery. They are soft, smooth and the colour pay off is quite high with minimal fall out during application.

They don’t feel chalky, blend well together without going muddy and are pretty crease resistant lasting 3 hours on my oily eyes before I start to see creasing along my semi hooded lids.

Rimmel Glameye HD quads come in 6 different palettes:

• Black Cab is a grey/silver/black combination that gives amazing smokey eye looks
• English Oak is a neutral beige/brown/pink combination for soft pretty everyday wear.
• True Union Jack is a bold navy/blue/pink/silver combination that would give striking party looks. 
• Green Park is a gold/olive/mustard combination for would complement brown and green eyed beauties.
• Royal Blue is a grey/silver/dark and light blue combination that works well with both blue and brown eyes.
• Purple Reign is a silver/mauve/purple grouping that gives a pretty day or night look depending on the intensity you apply these shadows with.

Below are swatches from two of the quads I have:

04 Green Park -the gold (d) is one of the best I’ve seen, it gives just the right warmth. the mustard greens (a & b) are also unique shares that are not often seen in other palettes.

on NC30 skin, indoor white light, no flash

06 Purple Reign – my favourite shade from this quad is the mauvey pink (c) and silver (d).

on NC30 skin, indoor white light, no flash

This Rimmel Glam Eyes HD collection may be the best eye shadows from Rimmel yet. Now I just need to dig out my sponge-tip applicators so I can apply them precisely!

RRP A$15.95 each at Priceline, Coles, Woolworths Kmart, Big W and David jones and selected pharmacies.
This review featured samples provided for consideration.