First Impression / Review - Australis Eyeshadow Primer

Hi everyone!

Today I have a first impression and review for you of the Australis Eyeshadow Primer. Check it out below!

Make sure to subscribe to my channel so you don't miss any future videos! You can buy this primer here.

-Alexis :)

GRWM / Tutorial - Affordable Simple Winter Makeup - Neutral Eyes and Deep Lips

Hi everyone!

This is my first makeup video for you guys - a super simple winter makeup look using only affordable products! 

Make sure you subscribe to my channel so you don't miss any future videos!

Products Used:
Loreal Nude Magique CC Cream
Chi Chi Classics Palette
Chi Chi Rich Gems Palette
Avon Eyeyliner
Australis Liquid Eyeliner
Revlon Lash Potion Mascara
LA Girl Pro Conceal
Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder
Chi Chi Mosaic Bronzer

Chi Chi Viva La Diva Lipstick in Social Climber

If you have any requests for videos or blog posts please let me know in the comments!

-Alexis :)

Chi Chi Eyeshadow Palettes Review + Swatches

Hi everyone!

Chi Chi is a very affordable makeup brand that I love. I have had these 3 eyeshadow palettes for a while now so I thought I would write a review for you with swatches!

These eyeshadows are very pigmented and are amazing quality for price. These eyeshadows have a creamy feel to them and aren't too chalky. They blend together easily and look amazing.

Classics

This palette is made up of 6 matte shades and 6 metallic and shimmery shades so is perfect for creating an everyday makeup look and for makeup for going out or an event. I think a palette like this is an essential because it has everything you need to create a simple makeup look for any occasion. This palette has a white and a black as well as a range of browns which I love using for just wearing any day when I'm out and about. 
A couple of the shades are hard to see in the photos because they were quite light and similar to my skin tone on my arm but look amazing on my eyelid.

My favourite shades from this palette is #4 from the left which is a beautiful shimmery gold and #6 which is a light purple with a gold reflect.

Rich Gems

This was the first Chi Chi palette I got. It is made up completely of colourful metallic and shimmery shades so is perfect for events or going out. The second one from the left is actually a dark green which is easier to see in person and when it is blended out more. The colours in this palette are super pigmented which is great for when I want to do something exciting with my makeup.

My favourite shades in this palette are #7 from the left which is an amazing copper shade, it is probably the most pigmented shade in this palette and has the smoothest texture, and #12 which is a beautiful silvery pale pink which I love using to highlight the inner corner of my eye and my brow-bone and even my cheekbones. 

Metallics

This is probably my favourite of the 3 palettes I own. All the shades are metallic and there are a couple of shades which are more glittery. Every shade in this palette is super pigmented. It is hard to see in these photos but #4 is a chocolate brown colour and #12 is a dark greeny brown.

My favourite shades in this palette are #2 which is a beautiful light blue with a silver reflect, #9 is an amazing purple which I use quite often and #11 which is another copper that is super pigmented and very smooth, similar to #7 in rich gems.

I love these Chi Chi palettes and are amazing quality for the price. I would definitely recommend these to everyone! You can buy them here.

-Alexis :)

Peace, Love & Daisies

Top - Old - Valley Girl

Skirt - Factorie - Similar

Coat - Glassons - Same style but

different colour

Watch - Citizen

Rings - Lovisa

Necklace and bracelet made by me-

Facebook Instagram

Over the knee socks are a simple way to transform a summer outfit to a winter one. With the coat and the socks I was very warm and the outfit looked awesome! Go check out my jewellery on my Facebook and Instagram.

-Alexis :)

DIY - Dreamcatcher

Hi everyone!

Today I have another DIY for y'all... how to make a dreamcatcher! I love these and they are perfect for hanging in my room, which I like to keep a summer vibe in all year round. These are super easy and there is endless designs you could make.

Supplies:

-A hoop the size you want your dreamcatcher,

I used metal but plastic works just as well. I 

also used a large one and a smaller one

-String or embroidery thread - lots of it!

-Feathers

-Scissors

-Needle

-Leather string (optional)

-Any other things to decorate eg beads

1. Choose the colour you want the hoop to be, I chose black, and tie the end onto the large hoop.

2. Start wrapping the string around the outside of the hoop. You need to cover the whole hoop.

3. Once you have covered the hoop tie off the string and cut the end. I put a dab of glue over the knot to make sure it wouldn't come undone.

4. Now is to make the net part in the center. Start tying the string around the hoop (see picture). To keep it from going lopsided the string needs to be tied on in even spaces apart. You can just estimate this but I actually measured mine because I didn't trust myself not to mess up. I think I split mine into 12 parts but it will depend on the size of your hoop. 

5. Once you get back to the start don't tie the sting in the same place as the start but tie it in the middle of the first section of string. You will be making a sort of spiral shape.

6. It should be starting to look like this. Keep going until you get to the center.

7. When you get into the middle it is easiest to use a needle to weave the sting as it gets small.

8. When you get to the middle you can just tie it off like I did or thread a bead into the middle for extra decoration.

9. With the smaller ring I wrapped leather around it.

10. Take 3 strands of the leather and glue them to the hoop.

11. Next plait the strands.

12. When you reach the end glue the ends down onto the opposite side of the hoop.

13. Glue 2 strands of the leather to the middle of the plait and to the bottom of the hoop on an angle to make a peace sign. 

14. Tie the peace sign onto the bottom of the dreamcatcher.

15. Tie feathers onto the bottom. The easiest way to do this is to tie the string around the feather then put a dab of glue over the string so the feather doesn't slip off. Add any beads or anything else you want to decorate it with.

16. Tie string on the top to hang it from.

Done! These are super fun and easy to make and are an awesome decoration for any room. The different ways you could make them is endless!

If you have any requests for DIY projects leave a comment!

-Alexis :)

Max Factor Luminizer Foundation Review

Hi everyone!

I another foundation review for you today - this time Max Factor Luminizer Foundation. 

There is 14 different shades so finding a perfect match is easy. I got the shade 50 natural.

The packaging of this foundation is nice but nothing amazing. It has a pump which makes it easy to get the product out. 

The only thing I had on my face before the foundation was moisturiser and I didn't use a setting spray.

The texture of this is nice, not too thick which made it easy to apply. I used a flat top foundation brush to apply it and it blended out very smoothly with almost no effort. 

I would say this foundation has a medium coverage but I was able to build it up to a almost full coverage without it looking cakey. It would also be able to be worn light if a smaller amount was used.

Above is what the foundation looked like by itself. I hadn't used any concealer at this point and you can see it has covered up the acne and scarring on my chin and the redness on my cheeks.

This foundation made my skin glow amazingly which I love!

I set the foundation using my usual Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder and it soaked up the powder so didn't look powdery or cakey at all.

The picture above shows how flawless and glowing my skin looks with this foundation! 

6.5 hours after application:

After 6.5 hours this foundation still looked amazing! A tiny bit had rubbed off around my nose but that was only because I am a bit sick at the moment. It looked exactly the same as earlier on the rest of my face - that is with no primer or setting spray!

Overall I think this foundation is AMAZING! It stays put for hours and has a flawless finish. At around $40 (NZ) it is pretty affordable and for the price is a very good buy. I would definitely recommend this foundation!

-Alexis :)

Almay TLC Foundation Review

Hi everyone!

I bought this Almay TLC (truly lasting color) Foundation a while ago mostly due to the fact that I have slightly sensitive skin at times. There is a lot I have to say about this foundation so thought I would write a review for you. I had a quick look on the internet for other people's reviews of this foundation and found that many people love it and many people hate it. This review is just my opinion on it and I would recommend you look up more reviews before buying or testing it if you have the opportunity.

My before image - As you can see I have a lot of redness on my cheeks and acne and scarring on my chin. The only thing I have put on my face is my usual moisturiser.

The packaging of this product is very nice. It is in a glass bottle with a pump which makes it easy and not messy to get the product out. When buying you should check the pump works first if possible because the first one I picked up had a pump that did not work. There is 8 shades available, which isn't many compared to other makeup brands, so it can be difficult to get a good match. There wasn't much choice between undertones either. I got the shade 140 buff which I find is slightly too pink for my olive skin. It isn't a huge difference but can be slightly noticeable, possibly more so if you had darker skin than me.

I bought this from Farmers (NZ) for $34.95 which is relatively affordable. 

I found the texture of this foundation quite strange. It feels very thick and heavy which can make it difficult to blend onto the face. 

I found this foundation applied best with my beauty blender. I tried a flat top foundation brush and a paddle foundation brush but found that the products went patchy and didn't look good at all.

When the foundation was on my face it felt quite tacky and the weight of it was average. It didn't feel extremely heavy but it wasn't light either.

I have had a weird dry patch on my face and when the foundation went on it it made it sting a little which was worrying, especially because this is a foundation for sensitive skin. This foundation also clung to any dry skin on my face.

Because of the weird texture of it I would say it does take a bit of practise to be able to apply it well. I have worn it a few times before I took these photos and written this review. The first few times weren't so good :P

I feel like I used a large amount of product to cover my whole face. I used 2+ pumps for a start then I went back later and used more to build up the coverage.

                           

I would say this is only a light-medium coverage foundation. When I tried to build it up I was able to do so slightly but then it started to look quite cakey. 

Above is how it looked with just the foundation. In photos you can see it is very reflective so I wouldn't recommend this foundation for someone who is going to be having photos taken of them. (This was the good photo - others were brighter).

I set this foundation using my usual Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder. I found that the powder just sort of sat of the top and looked powdery and cakey so that is something you have to be careful with.

As you can see in the above photo the powder took away some of the shine. 

I didn't use any concealer and the foundation covered most of the scars and from a distance the acne couldn't be seen.

This foundation didn't cover everything but the finish looked alright overall.

4 hours after application:

This foundation is supposed to last 16 hours so I was quite disappointed when after 4 hours it was already starting to wear off. I had only been at home working on some things for this blog so it wasn't like I was running around or doing anything that would cause it to wear away quickly.

There was redness already showing through on my cheeks and the foundation was starting to separate on my nose and forehead.

After 6 hours:

The foundation was very patchy on my forehead and almost completely rubbed off on my nose. Some scars and acne was visible on my chin and more redness on the tops of my cheeks.

After 10.5 hours:

The foundation had completely separated all over my face and the acne and scars on my chin was clearly able to be seen. The foundation was very patchy all over my face and quite a few areas had worn off. 

My skin has been very easily irritated recently mostly due to it being winter so my skin has been dryer than usual. I found that for most of the day my face was fine but later on it started to get a bit itchy. I'm not sure if it was because of the foundation or just because my skin has been weird lately.

Above is how the foundation looked after 10.5 hours. (Sorry for the bad photo, it was late at night and we have horrible lighting). You can clearly see my acne and scarring on my chin.

Overall I did not love this foundation. It did not last long at all but with a primer and setting spray it would possible last better. The foundation by itself I have to say was average. Once I eventually got it blended nicely it looked good but didn't last long at all. I would not wear this if I was going out anywhere for longer than 4 hours as it just started looking terrible. 

I think this foundation would also be more suitable for people older than me as my skin is still doing funny teenage things and doesn't go well with quite dry or quite oily skin.

Sorry for this super long review, I just had so much to write about! 

Please leave a comment if there is anything you would like a review for. Also subscribe to this blog and my Youtube channel so you don't miss anything from me!

-Alexis :)