NYX Glam Liner Aqua Luxe Review

Hola Amigas!

We’re so slack at this blog thing, but please forgive us for the absence we try to be frequent, but life is stressful (fml). HOWEVER! We do love doing this, so today I’m reviewing the NYX ‘Glam liner Aqua Luxe’ range.

I want to start off by saying that I wasn’t expecting much. I honestly thought they would be quite sheer and that I’d have to build it up to really get a pigment payoff—but, boy was I wrong. These are amazingly pigmented! The only one I really had any problems with was the purple one. I had to swatch it twice before it looked like the others, but I think I might put that down to it coming from a bad batch. The GLAM Gold (brown tube) is also sheer, but I prefer it that way. I feel like if the brown was more solid it would look tacky on the eye. 

I don’t want to sound like one of those people, but, I wasn’t expecting such great quality from a drug store brand. I think for their pricing they’re a steal, especially if you love doing dramatic looks.They apply smoothly and aren’t patchy at all and the brush applicator is easy to use. They do have quite a glittery finish, but I would say they’re more metallic than glittery—which is slightly disappointing, as it is marketed more as being a glamorous glitter liner.

(Left with flash, right without flash)
From bottom to top: GLAM Pink, GLAM Purple, GLAM Azure and GLAM Gold

This time round I only bought the colours I really wanted because I was slightly sceptical—however after experiencing just how well they work I think I’d go out and buy the rest of the range.

The liners come in 9 colours and if you live in Australia or New Zealand you can find them at Priceline or Target. They’re $9.95 each and currently there is no set including all of them. Here's a link to buy them online if I've managed to tickle your fancy. 

https://www.priceline.com.au/nyx-glam-liner-aqua-luxe-collection-3-g

Much love, Kimiz 

Colourpop!

Hi guys!

Soooooo I recently made my first ever Colourpop order (yay) and some people have asked what I think about the products, so here I am. I'll try to keep my opinion on each product short and sweet though, so you guys don't get bored out of your minds.

Just quickly I'd like to say that when you're reviewing products, you tend to become acutely aware of the negatives because that's what you look out for. And things you might not even notice if you weren't actively seeking them. So just keep that in mind.

It took a little over 2 weeks for me to receive my package - annoying but that's the typical timeframe in which I receive packages internationally. There was free international shipping which is why my sister and I jumped at the opportunity because typically, their shipping to Australia is pretty pricey. 

I was nervous when I received the package because I have seen people have issues with tainted products, however, all my products came in excellent condition. The packaging the products come in and the packaging of the products themselves are extremely beautiful.

Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, this is what we had ordered:

One Highlighter (Lunch Money)

One Brow Pencil (Black N' Brown)

One Contour Stick (Easy Peasy)

One Lippie Stix (Pillow Talk)

One Eye Liner (Swerve)

One Ultra Glossy Lip (Lychee Me)

Three Eye Shadows (Nillionaire, Cricket and Drift)

Five Ultra Matte Lip (Limbo, Chi, Vice, Beeper and Trap)

Lets start with the highlighter - which if you were wondering is my favourite product of the bunch. The highlighter is a cream to powder product, so it gives a beautiful, natural highlight to the skin.  I find it difficult to apply with a brush so I just use my fingers and then blend it out with a brush. The end result is beautiful regardless. I will say though, you definitely need to set this with a powder highlight because it tends to disappear throughout the day. 

Easy Peasy Contour Stick was a downer for me. While applying it, it virtually blends into nothing so you have to layer it a few times to get it to appear on your skin - which is not ideal. I wouldn't recommend the contour stick at all. 

The eyeshadow colours did not correspond to the pictures on the website but irregardless are still beautiful. You definitely need to apply these with your fingers to get the pigment you want - not to say the shadows aren't pigmented because they are, but applying the product with your finger gives you a better result. I can't really provide an opinion on how the shadows blend as we bought eyeshadows that are to be applied on the lid. If you do buy an eyeshadow, I strongly recommend you buy Nillionaire. 

L-R Lunch Money (highlight), Nillionaire, Cricket and Drift

Swerve Eyeliner is a crayon type eyeliner. I love that it's so pigmented and does not transfer or tug on my waterline! It also blends out so beautifully, so it's perfect for smokey eyes. 

The brow pencil is slightly harder in comparison to the Anastasia Brow Wiz, but for the price point it is really good. You just need to make sure you apply it with light hand because it is really pigmented but it blends into your eyebrows beautifully once brushed through.

Now you know I just had to buy the Lippie Stix in the shade Pillow Talk. The colour is beautiful, and the formula is extremely creamy and comfortable. It's not so matte that its drying, it feels more satin with a matte finish. 

B-T Trap, Lychee Me

I was slightly disappointed with the Ultra Glossy Lip in Lychee Me because it was not as pigmented as I hoped. I get the same effect when wearing the Lucas Paw Paw Ointment only with a slight hint of colour. The formula however was really comfortable, it wasn't sticky. Maybe their other colours are more pigmented, I'm not really sure as this is the only gloss we purchased.

L-R Limbo, Chi, Beeper, Trap, Vice, Lychee Me
Bottom Pillow Talk

Finally, the Ultra Matte Lips. I was nervous for these because there were so many mixed reviews. To begin with, it is a liquid formula - it has a really runny consistency so you best be careful not to tip it. It is extremely comfortable and it honestly feels like I'm not wearing anything on my lips. I don't need a lip balm underneath because it is not drying. It does however slightly transfer and takes a while to dry down. In terms of longevity, personally, the Ultra Matte Lips are not extremely long wearing and tend to fade throughout the day. I had drank coffee and licked my lips and my lipstick disappeared. Limbo in particular crumbles once you've rubbed your lips together. The colours also do not correspond to the colours shown on the website. However, again, for the price point and what you personally look for, you may be able to overlook these. You just need to make sure you look up swatches on YouTube to be sure of the colour. I wanted to note that I'm comparing the Ultra Matte Lips with Kylie Cosmetic Liquid Lipsticks and Jeffree Star Liquid Lipsticks. 

B-T Limbo, Chi, Beeper, Vice, Pillow Talk, Trap

Overall, I'd say I'm happy with my order - but if I'm being completely honest, I probably won't buy from Colourpop again. The quality of most of their products is good but nothing that really stands out to me. The price point is extremely affordable - but their shipping rates can be slightly too much for what they're worth.

In regards to this review, just keep in mind that different products work differently on everyone and that these are my personal opinions only! I'm in no way stopping you from trying them out yourself! 

If you do want to buy from Colourpop, I'd recommend looking up swatches to verify the colours - keeping in mind that some colours look different on various skin tones. I'd also recommend bulk buying with a friend to counteract the slightly expensive shipping rate. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or contact me on twitter @fxckzarry. Hope this was helpful!

P.S. Thanks Roeya for the help and your arms.

Love, 
Rama 

Skin 101

Hi guys,

As some of you guys may know, I work within a company that gives me access to endless skincare products and knowledge about them. Skincare is probably one of the most important steps in your daily regime and I know a lot of people tend to struggle with their skin - from those pesky hormonal breakouts to cystic acne to just the good ol' textured skin (looks pointedly at Rama). 

If you've ever read the ingredients list on a box of moisturiser, you'd find a whole bunch of gibberish mixed in with some elements that just seem too confusing to pay much attention to (I know I've overlooked it on more than one occasion). So I'm hoping this post might make it a bit easier for you guys to choose products best suited to your skincare type and concern. 

Your skin consists of three main layers: the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. The epidermis acts as a protector from external environmental factors while the dermis basically makes up the structure of your skin. It's where you can find blood vessels, follicles, glands, and the body's water supply, along with collagen and elastin. This is the layer you want to target most. 

The average skin cycle takes about 28 days - which is why it's important for those trialling new products to keep up the routine for at least a month. This allows you to see if results are actually showing up with continued use - of course, if you got a reaction then discontinue use. 

To make things a bit simple for everyone, there are three different skin types that we can all fit into; the oily, combination and dry skin types. If you tend to have an oilier skin type, the main distinguishing factors would be the presence of thicker-looking skin, enlarged pores, being prone to breakouts, and obviously oiliness throughout the day. In contrast, drier skin types may sometimes experience dry patches, small/invisible pores, tightness and matte looking skin. But don't confuse dryness for dehydration - they're two completely different things. The combination type houses two different types - the normal/oily or normal/dry which is a combination of all these factors. 

A typical skincare regime would include at least three main elements - cleansing, toning and moisturising. Basic, easy and quick. But if you're looking for it, more advanced skincare regimes include exfoliating, serums, masks, eye products, neck creams, instant gratification treatments etc etc. 

Skincare is such a broad topic that it would take pages for me to go completely in depth with it. So to make this experience slightly sweeter and more of an easier read, I'm just going to go through your essentials (sorry, guys). 

Ingredients to look out for:

Hyaluronic Acid (or sodium hyaluronate) 

Honestly my personal favourite, hyaluronic acid has saved my skin from my teenage-excess-sebum-producing-leather-looking skin days. Able to hold more than 1000x it's own weight in water, HA is probably one of the most important ingredients to look out for if you're constantly surrounded by free radicals (namely pollution, air conditioning etc) which lead to dehydration within your skin. Your body's supply of HA decreases with age, so it's important to regularly supply your skin with it to minimise the appearance of wrinkles, loss of volume, and loss of elasticity. 

Alpha-hydroxy Acids (AHAs) 

AHAs are naturally occurring acids that you can find everyday in products that you consume. They are a class of various acids that, when applied to the top of your epidermis, break apart the binds of dead skin cells on your skin to remove them, while increasing cell turnover which allows for the growth of new skin. AHAs include: glycolic acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, mandelic acid and citric acid. 

Beta-hydroxy Acid (BHA)

While AHAs are made up of various types of acids, the only BHA is salicylic acid. Many of you may have seen this term in your cleansers as it works as a gentle exfoliant and antibacterial agent. Salicylic acid is derived from willow bark, making it a naturally occurring substance. It can penetrate into your pore unlike AHAs and gets rid of dead skin cell buildup within the pore. 

On a side note, if you have an aspirin allergy, please stay away from salicylic acid as this comes from the same family as aspirin. 

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate, magnesium ascorbatol) 

One of the most popular ingredients in any skincare product, Vit C has been scientifically proven to remove those pesky fine lines and wrinkles. If you're looking to get rid of hyperpigmentation, stimulate collagen synthesis and protect your skin from free radical damage, then look for Vitamin C especially within your products. 

Vitamin A (retinol, retinoic acid, retinyl palmitate, hydroxypinnacolone retinoate) 

Ah, the mother of all ingredients - retinol. Retinol has been used in many night time skincare products for a while now, and the reason for this is because retinol can actually deactivate when met with UV rays. However, some clever person has decided to combine retinol with various other ingredients and have found a way around this (ferulic acid is one definitely). Retinol encourages the reproduction of skin cells and stimulates collagen production, which can definitely help with signs of ageing. 

Happy New Year!

Loooooong time no see my friends. Hope you've all been well.

I'm back with a post about the new year. First piece of advice for 2016? Make. Things. Happen. We’re often down in the dumps about not achieving what we want to, but are we really doing anything to make things happen? If you’re like me, you’re probably shying away from this question and mentally cursing about your level of procrastination. Well this year, let's stop waiting around for things to just work out. Take the initiative and make those changes in your life! Don't wait for anyone, don’t slow down for anyone, make 2016 your bitch! This might be just the push you need. Get the boy or girl, get your grades up, get that job! I honestly believe we can do anything we set our mind to if we want it enough.

Leave toxic relationships in 2015. From first hand experience, I know how difficult it can be and sometimes I do wish we were still friends, but I honestly am happier. All they did was drag me down and sabotage my happiness. You won’t know how relieved you will be until you drift from those people. If you're not the confrontational type - I sure as hell am not, slowly drift away from them, reply slower, talk less. Your happiness is the most important thing in the world, and don’t you forget it.

Be organised! Organisation is key to less stress. Grab a diary, buy a calendar, clean your room, organise your school work, buy a bunch of folders and set of highlighters, clean out any unneeded junk, write down everything you need to do or buy! In doing so, you'll be be more prepared, avoid panicking and have more time for other people and hobbies. It makes a world of a difference to your health and wellbeing. Don't forget to not overpressure yourself, you're only human, bad things happen. You'll get through it.

Get your priorities straight. Focus on more important things, and be aware and less focused on the petty things. Life is short, enjoy it while you can - cliche I know, but most cliches are true, no? Go into bad situations you’re faced with, with an open mind. Don't be clouded with negativity, sadness or anger when you're attempting to solve an issue. Bad situations are only as bad as what you make them out to be. Sleep on it and make sure you're relaxed and rational. Your attitude towards a situation has the power to shape the outcome - psychologically proven ;).

These are the foundations of most New Year resolutions, whether that be eating healthy, exercising more, getting your grades up or being happier. Make 2016 yours. I wish you guys all the happiness and success in the world. Don't forget, we’re only human; the above things will take time to learn but keep at it. Happy New Year! Make 2016 your bitch.

Rama x

21 Things I've Learnt In 21 Years

It's been a long long twenty-one years and there are some of the more important things that I've some to learn as I stumbled and crawled my way through life. 

1. Don’t wear yourself thin

Life gets busy, trust me, I know. My assignments kept piling up, and exam period always seemed to be looming ‘round the corner, and my mum just wouldn’t stop nagging me to ‘clean your room’ or ‘wash the dishes’ or ‘you’re always in your room come and spend time with us’. And before I knew it I was stretched so thin that the slightest thing made me snap - In this case, my brother bumping into me and me bursting into tears.

So, now I take a moment and do something I enjoy.

I read a book, or watch a movie or a couple of episodes of my favourite show, I listen to music, or simply take a nap. I just do something to relieve the stress. I don’t let it build up.

2. Sleep is important

I cannot stress this point enough. A minimum of eight hours is recommended per night. And I suck at fitting it in. But I’m trying, and I think I’m getting there. But it’s a struggle and every time I have an assignment or an exam (or literally every weekend) I mess it up. But, maybe one day it won’t be so bad and I won’t be such a grouch, and those puffy bags/bruises under my eyes will be gone.

Maybe.  

Oh No He Didn't

In which I ramble about boys and attempt to give empowering advice. 

Situation one:

So you’ve got a crush, he’s 6ft tall, has a good sense of humour and smells nice, WONDERFUL—except he doesn’t know you exist—oh no. DO NOT FRET I am here to save your day *really uncomfortable wink*

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in my life it’s to live fast and do everything you’ve always wanted to. If you want something you need to go for it, you need to take leaps in your life that allow you to be happy. You really like this boy right? I mean you are stalking his instagram every two seconds and you are checking his facebook to see what he recently posted. If you can’t stop thinking about him and what he might be doing at this very moment THEN JUST TALK TO HIM GIRL.

Sit in front of the mirror for a second and ask yourself, what is the worst thing that can happen here? The only horrible thing I can think of occurring is him not replying and you know what, if that little snot nose boy doesn’t reply to you (excuse my French here) fuck him. If he chooses not to reply to a beautiful and confident young lady like yourself then he’s not worth your time. YOU TAKE YOUR BEAUTIFUL ASS AWAY FROM HIS INSTAGRAM AND GO FOCUS ON SCHOOL OR SOMETHING (you really should be focusing on school first lbr). 

A Letter to My 16-Year-Old Self

There was a time during our teenage lives where we were uncertain about almost everything – being unsure and desperate for guidance was how I carried myself during the first few years of teenager-dom. It wasn’t easy back then, and it still isn’t easy now. But I’d like to think that I’ve learnt a few things in the meagre three years between then and now.

Back then, I would’ve absolutely killed for someone older and more experienced to tell me what to do. And so I sought out other people for some advice – anything, really. But the thing is, I never actually took any of their advice. So in saying that, I’m doing myself a favour and sending out a letter to my 16-year-old self in hopes that she’ll take heed of it.

To my 16-year-old self,  

Sixteen. One of the most important ages a girl can turn – hell, there are even movies dedicated to teenagers turning the ultimate sweet sixteen. It’s the year everything seems to pile up, sometimes even threatening to overflow. There are times when you’ll sit in your room and just cry because everyone and everything seems to be so against you, but then there are other times where you’ll find yourself the happiest you’ve ever been and wishing you could relive that moment forever.

Turning sweet sixteen – the year you learn to drive a car (provided you get your license), the year parties and alcohol take over (for a select few, this might not be the case); it’s the year that exams start to take precedent, where friendships form and collapse; the year that you can legally have sex and discover things about yourself that you didn’t know before.

I’m not going to lie, turning sixteen was not easy for me. I cried, a lot – about everything you can imagine. Sixteen marked the end of my junior high school life, along with the start of that horrendous two senior years that you’re ultimately going to face. Sixteen was the year I lost some of my closest friends, but also formed a tight-knit friendship (that is sadly, now over). Your teenage years are all about trial and error. Remember that.

I made some stupid choices in my sixteenth year but that’s ok. Think of it as a learning experience; you’ll grow, you’ll mature, you’ll laugh at how stupid you were, but you wouldn’t be you if it weren’t for those particular experiences.

1.       Don’t let boys take over your world.

I’ve seen so many people crash and burn during the whole 15-17 year old age range. Sixteen is the year where you notice everything. You might’ve giggled over a few crushes back in the day with your friends, but this is the year where things get a little more serious. You’re more willing to experiment with your love life, which is absolutely ok. Talk to boys (or girls for that matter), get to know them, break hearts, have your heart broken. Just don’t let them take over your world. Don’t shut your friends out, don’t neglect your schooling, don’t abandon everything that makes you you, just for a boy.

Lilash Review!

Hello friends.. It's been a while
Sorry! We've been bogged down with our university workload.

I've been trialling the Lilash Eyelash Growth Serum for a little over 12 weeks and wanted to share the results with you all! As the name suggests, it's designed to assist with eyelash growth, Lilash also have a serum designed to help with eyebrow growth.

Looming Grades!

Hello ladies and gents!
Sorry we've not been posting.. Been bogged down with exams, assignments and all. Hope everyone's well! This post was requested by an anonymous question on ask.fm.

Thought since I'm also waiting for my exam and assignment results, I'd share a bit of advice to hopefully assist anyone feeling anxious about their results!

Keep your thoughts positive. Having a negative mindset will really bring you down. You've already done the exam, there is no need to think about the "what ifs" and "I could have written more". In doing this, you will drive yourself crazy and there's just no need. You've already completed the exams, they're in the past now, as much as it sucks you cannot go back and re-do it, so it's best to accept it and move on.

Combatting Oily Skin: A Product Review

Hello friends,

I was sauntering around a Westfield shopping centre the other day when I came across an interesting-looking store. Curiously, I abandoned my earlier hunt for the perfect pair of boots, and glanced through the glass windows, only for my eyes to meet the most perfect sight - makeup... enough makeup to last me my entire lifetime. Naturally, I had to walk in right? And that I did... to discover the amazing world of Mecca Maxima.

Ok pause and rewind.

I'm just being a doofus... Contrary to the gibberish I've written up there, I've actually known about Mecca for a while now as one of my good friends is the 2IC at the Macquarie store in Sydney (having previously worked at the Parramatta store). Truth be told, I headed in there to buy my mum about $300 worth of Lancôme creams for Mother's Day but ended up buying myself $300 worth of skincare products and makeup (not my best moment, I'll admit).

I was wandering the aisles, searching aimlessly for something to suit my skin as I needed to revamp my skincare regime when an idea hit me: Why don't I get one of the workers to assist me? Funny thing, that. Having people getting paid to wander around the store, bursting with knowledge and reviews about many of the products on the shelves. Who would've thought, hey?

Anyways, long story short, I was with this amazing worker for about fifteen minutes and coincidentally, we both had oily/combination skin (everything's going swell for me, isn't it?) and she recommended me a few products that have worked well with her skin so without a second thought, I bought them (probably should've thought through blasting $300 at once but it's worked out well for me so I'm not complaining).

And no, before you guys ask, the three products I'm reviewing won't cost you $300.

Billboard Awards Red Carpet Review

Hey guys!

So the past couple of weeks we’ve been absolutely swamped with uni work, but we thought hey we’ve been neglecting the blog so today because we adore y’all so much we’re gonna give back and give you our best and worst dressed of the Billboard Music Awards!

I’ll get straight to it and rip the Band-Aid off so that we can appreciate the goodness later!

First up is Fifth Harmony…not really sure what they were going for but this is a straight up no. Like the only one really doing it for me here is Dinah, which is sad because these girls are all fire and could’ve done some real damage on that red carpet.

Next is…Delicia? Not really sure if she’s trying to outdo Nicki Minaj, pay tribute to her or what? I’m just really not sure and as cool as it looks it’s just straight out wrong, I thought days of celebrities doing this was over *sighs* I hope it lights up or something, I mean that would make it slightly okay.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

WHERE DO I BEGIN, OH MY GOSH.

THIS MOVIE WAS INSANE. If I had to give it an unbiased rating it would definitely be a 8.5 out of 10, but because I'm beyond bias I'll give it an 11.

For those of you who don't know me very well, you should probably know that I am obsessed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, absolutely obsessed. It's my guilty pleasure and I am a dork. I cannot begin to express my utter love for Marvel Superheroes, it's concerning.

Age of Ultron is the second Avengers movie and the  and let me tell you, it is a very satisfying sequel. Forget what they say about sequel's being crappy, this was definitely far from crappy. It had me laughing, crying and everything in between. *Whispers* It changed my life.

The movie is centred around Ultron, the 'love child' Of Dr Banner (The Hulk) and Tony Stark (Iron Man.) Originally designed to be a peace keeper, Ultron takes on the latter role, causing chaos and grief. The Avengers AKA World's mightiest Heroes work to keep the metal bastard at bay (no one tell Captain America that I swore)

What's On My Phone?

Hello friends!

Hope you’re all well.

We’re all bogged down with assignments and exams, so unfortunately haven’t had time to write for the blog as much as we’d like to. I received an ask.fm question with two suggestions – What’s on my Phone? And Favourite Beauty Bloggers! I’m going to go ahead and do the What’s on my Phone suggestion, will also do the Beauty Bloggers in near future!

-

I’ve only got two pages because I like everything in a folder, organised – looks cleaner. In the extras folder I’ve put all the apps I could not care less about. We should have the option to delete those, am I right ladies? 

Review: Cinderella, Insurgent, Fast & Furious 7

Hey guys!

Been a while since I really posted anything without having Rama breathing down my neck (love you, Rams) so I thought I'd actually put in some effort and contribute (for once).

Basically, I've been going on what some might call a movie binge in the past two weeks or so. Now, I wouldn't really call it a 'binge' per se, but I've paid to see more movies in a cinema in these two weeks than I have all year, so just stick with me on this.

The three I have chosen to review are Cinderella, Insurgent, and Furious 7 (allow me to cry). Now, I know they might not be of any interest to you, but I've heard some pretty mixed reviews of all so I thought, why not put in my two cents? (Also, I like looking for the graphics haha).

Ok, so let's get started.

-

Scrub-adub-dub

Hey honeys!

So I'm currently on my mid-semester break and I thought I'd honour my terrific procrastination skills by doing a review. 

Let me introduce you to...get ready for it...Mr. Bean

Ah yes this casanova has it going on, he's so good at what he does that he'll be all over you for the next few months. No honestly I love this stuff and it may smell a bit gross and get a bit messy but it does wonders! 

OurTunes

Hello, so we’ve absolutely no clue as to what our next post would be, and we decided it would be our five favourite songs and one guilty pleasure – song wise.

Rama –

Anastasia – I’m Outta Love

Chris Brown ft. Kendrick Lamar – Autumn Leaves
Rihanna – Towards the Sun

Tinashe – All Hands on Deck

San Cisco – Awkward

Guilty pleasure: High School Musical - Scream

Kimerah –

The 1975 - You

One Direction – Happily

One Direction – 18

The Killers - Human

Chris Brown - X

Guilty pleasure: Gunday Soundtrack - Jiya

Ayshe -

Sam Smith – Leave Your Lover

Sia ft. The Weeknd – Elastic Heart

Maroon 5 - Feelings

The 1975 – Medicine

Kodaline – All I Want

Guilty pleasure: High School Musical – Gotta Go My Own Way

Tina –

The Weeknd – Earned It

The Weeknd – Often

Ed Sheeran – Photograph
Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth – See You Again

Taylor Swift - Style

Guilty pleasure: One Direction – I Want