YSL Shocking Volume Mascara

Volume Effet Faux Cils (Shocking) - # 01 Deep Black

I've only tried this mascara a couple of times and I already consider it an all time favourite.

Despite this, there's really nothing much to say. To sum it all up it gives great volume, great length that's lasting, gives you a beautiful doll eyed look and, I never knew this was possible for mascara, but it smells really nice. Like butterflies and rainbows. Seriously.

Although I don't think it's the most 'shocking' mascara I have ever tried it's definitely the only of its kind that can boast great length and volume and still look good; and at $34 AUD I believe it's worth every penny.

Oz Cosmetics Haul

So… I went a little crazy last week on Oz Cosmetics.com. I'm excited about trying out all these products so I have no regrets...yet.

1. Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer
2. Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser (Nude)
3. Prevage Triple Defense Shield SPF50 Sunscreen
4. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15
5. Yves Saint Laurent Shocking Volume Mascara
6. Korres Lip Butter (Jasmine)
7. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Skin Perfecting Foundation (B10)

I can see some more reviews looming in the near future...

Korres Mandarin Lip Butters

Korres Mandarin Lip Butters in Peach & Rose

Lip butters have been my saviour this season, I wear them everywhere. I wear them when I'm out with friends, at work, even at home. Overall, they are great for your average, everyday use. Lipstick and lip glosses are too much of a hassle; and lip balms are colourless and boring; in the middle sit the lip butters, offering what everything else lacks: lasting colour and moisture. Of course, not all lip butters are amazing, but these Korres ones are pretty darn close to it.

The shea butter and sunflower wax in this product helps maintain moisture for a lot longer than Revlon's colourbursts, they lasted for at least two hours on my lips before drying out. They also contain SPF15, and yes, your lips need protection from the sun too, so this is another huge plus. The scent is light and practically unnoticeable, and for those who like to eat their lipbalms, no matter how hard they try, good news, it tastes like nothing!

They're available in five basic colours : colourless, peach, pink, purple and rose.

Unfortunately it's somewhat hard to track down these stick butters online. I purchased mine off ebay for $5 each but I know you can also purchase them from Asos and Korres' official site for $10 each. That may sound somewhat expensive but it's half the price of what I paid for those Revlon lip butters. Ugh.

Missha's Mega EX Volume Mascara Review

Mega EX (Cat) Volume Mascara by Missha

During my most recent Yes Style haul I decided to try out a couple of South Korean cosmetic brands. Missha's Mega EX (which I am going to assume means 'EXTREME') mascara was one of them. I picked up the Cat Volume one, but they also have a Doll and Fan volume; but what really intrigued me about this mascara was the packaging. As a visual design student I tend to have a weakness for sleek, shiny things and when I saw this mascara, I don't know why, but I couldn't help myself.

The packaging is, well, plastic and looks even more so in real life, and the brush looks so hairy  it looks like I stuck it in a pile of dust, which I probably did now that I think about it. After going over my lashes 4-5 times it starts to clump a bit too much for my liking, and although you can work it to give your lashes quite a bit of length it lacks that 'MEGA EXTREME' volume the name implies. Its staying power is pretty decent though, in fact, even after my regular eight hour shift there was no smudging and the length hadn't dropped off either.

Before | After

Overall, it's not a bad mascara. It almost looks natural from afar, so It's great for those lazy days at home or when you just don't feel like dealing with your messier, high-end mascaras. Considering that I only paid $14 AUD for it, I think I got my money's worth, but if I had the cash to go back and buy another one at its regular retail price ($19) I'd probably put it towards a better mascara for a few dollars more.

Revlon Lip Butters Review

From left: #080 Strawberry Shortcake,  #085 Sugar Plum, #040 Red Velvet,

As my first post (yay!), I thought I would start off with my latest beauty obsession: lip butters. We're in the middle of winter at the moment in Australia so my lips are always in need of some TLC, hence my madness-educed splurge on lip balms this season. Having tried the Korres Mandarin lip butters previously, and seeing practically everyone in the beauty blog world giving them a go, I thought why not?

Revlon's Colourburst lip butters come in a huge range of colours (well, huge for a lip butter range), so it's safe to say there is a colour for everyone. My lips are a little redder than most of my fellow pasty's out there, so I tend to go for the darker colours (Red Velvet, Sugar Plum). Priceline were having a 2 for 1 sale at the time so I decided to try out a lighter colour (Strawberry Shortcake). I don't know about anyone else but I found the spread of the pink looked very inconsistent on my lips. Unlike the other colours, it tended to just sit in and highlight the cracks on my lips whether or not I applied lip balm before or after. It also has a slight shimmer to it which I never noticed while purchasing. So here's a word of caution, some are shimmery! :( I thought I was going mad when I first put this on my lips. The problem is at first glance at the product you won't notice it (can't even see it in the close up below either), it was only when I put my glasses on and looked at it in the sunlight did I see the incy-wincy glittery particles. Funny how something so minuscule can make such a huge difference.

From top: #040 Red Velvet, #085 Sugar Plum, #080 Strawberry Shortcake

On the other hand the Red Velvet and Sugar Plum (non-shimmer based) smoothed out my lips for a bigger, fuller look and I've been wearing them everyday since I bought them, even if I am bumming around my house in my jammies most of the time…

Unfortunately, they're not the most moisturising lip butters on earth. They feel nice and nourishing on application, but in most cases I've had to reapply it within an hour with a little balm to avoid my lips drying out completely.

The colour is definitely buildable, but as someone who personally likes my lips to look more natural than anything, I find myself applying lip balm over the top to avoid my libs being too vibrant during the day; and this is what I love about lip butters. It's a lipstick and moisturiser in one.

Overall, I really like this product, maybe not as good as the Korres Mandarin lip butters but you have to admit, these babies look great in your purse (and won't break as easily). Plus I love it how you can just smack it on and go. No blotting, no layering, no brushes, nothing. Love it.