Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

This foundation is my current obsession at the moment. A few weeks ago, I had read some reviews on this foundation and I am always looking for a better foundation. Now first & foremost, I am NOT one for a foundation with a glow or some sort of dewy finish, so this foundation was in my don't-go-there list. I decided to go to Myer and try a sample. The lady suggested a 6.5 for my skin tone. So for the next few days I used the sample, she gave me a very generous sample. And I fell in love!

Firstly, the color range for this foundation is extensive. I love how there is a 6, then a 6.25, 6.5 then a 7. It's perfect for those people who are in-between shades. Bear in mind, this Giorgio Armani foundation range seemed to be very yellow-based with strong yellow tones. The foundation has an SPF 20 which obviously means it's not good for special events where you know you will be photographed. The packaging is very sleek and classy but it is a glass bottle so bear in mind the weight in your bag, also the sensitivity when you drop the bottle, it may crack. 

I applied the foundation with my flat top stippling brush from Make Up Geek because I just love the way the foundation acts with this brush. I did try it with my beauty blender but I personally am NOT a fan of this product especially when I am trying to aim for a full-coverage look. The foundation applies so lightly, but is very full-coverage in my opinion. The lady told me when I bought the product that it is medium coverage but build able, personally I felt that it is very buildable and is more on the full-coverage side. The foundation blends soo easily, it's actually the most blendable foundation that I have ever worked with. It has this amazing glow to it. I recently also purchased the Chanel foundation called Perfection Lumiere, which apparently gives a glow also, but I did NOT like this foundation at all. The Giorgio Armani foundation gives you a very healthy glow but not a white glow. It gives a nice tan glow which is perfect for me because of my dark skin. When I wear this foundation I feel like my skin is so care-free. 

This foundation is well suited to dry - normal skin. I am oily, BUT I found this foundation to last a good 5 hours before the shin came through. This foundation gives a velvet finish NOT a matte-finish. I knew before purchasing this that it wouldn't sit well with my oil, BUT it gave me a healthy shine. I only needed to blot once, near 7-8 hour mark, but other than that I love it. This foundation is amazing, I recommend EVERYONE to try this foundation because it is superb. It may even change your mind about matte-finish foundations. Speaking about matte finish, I use Make Up For Ever Super Matte Loose Powder in my T-zone to minimise shine, and this defiantly helped with my shine. It is quite pricey, I bought mine for $90 at Myer but I believe it is totally worth it!

Love Aysh

xoxo

Benefit They're Real Mascara

This mascara is worth the hype! I heard soo many things about this mascara, so I thought I'd give it a try. Firstly, the bottle is stunning. It is slender with classy packaging. It has no abnormal smell, of course every product will have a scent, but this has no off putting scents at all. It didn't irritate my eyes at all. The formula is soo thick and amazing because it makes my lashes look full & not spidery.

The brush is amazing as you can see. It allows you to coat every single lash, especially the head of the brush. It alternates between short and long bristles, which ensures you reach every lash. This is a unique brush for me. I am prone to buying the thick brushes not so much the thinner brushes but this is the first and last brush I would buy!! I love Maxfactor mascara's but this mascara is just amazing. I always switch up mascara's but for the last 2 months, I have been using this every day.

Curled lashes.

2 layers of the mascara.

 As you can see the results are amazing!! I only need 2-3 coats for huge blown out lashes. It is quite heavy, so I suggest you curl them well before you apply the mascara because they can make the fall down. It comes off very easily, unlike some drug store mascara's such as Colossal, which is soo hard to get off. This lasts all day, makes my lashes look so full. I love this mascara. Only downside, is the pricing in Australia. It retails for $53, and you can only buy it Myer. I bought mine on eBay for $20 ! 

Love Aysh

xoxo

Essentials

So, I thought I'd let every one know, what my current faves are for 2013, so far. This is what I wear every single day. This has taken months & months to perfect, and I can't slash won't change anything because this has worked so well for me!



Make Up For Ever All Mat Primer
This primer is very similar to Benefit's Porefressional, but this has more control with oil & shine. It's lightweight & colourless. It doesn't have a funky smell, & absorbs straight into the skin almost instantly! There is no residue left over and gives my face a finish matte finish, minimising pores.





Benefit Hoola Bronzer 
This bronzer is the best bronzer in my collection. I own a fair few, for example, MAC Give Me Sun, MAC Blunt, Too Faced Chocolate, MAC Matte Bronzing Power, and this bronzer has to be the best. It stays on all day & doesn't fade. It gives my complexion the right amount of glow. It has no shimmer what so ever (if you can't already tell, I am all about matte finishes). It glides on quite well & doesn't look muddy at all. I apply this with the Nars Kabuki N21 Brush.

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation
I use this to set my highlight under my eyes. I only apply a little bit. I have the colour C4 (I know it's light) but I only dab on a bit to set my highlight. It's lightweight & gives me good coverage. If I put too much on, I do have to blot during the day. It has no weird smells & comes with a mirror which is great.





Make Up For Ever Camouflage Cream in Yellow
 I LOVE this concealer! It has amazing coverage & does not look cakey on me at all. I have the colour yellow because I have yellow undertones & this is quite thick. I love a thick application. I also have MAC Pro Long Wear Concealer but I find that it makes me look cakey & I always have to blot! This concealer does the job, it conceals, highlights & also allows for a matte finish. I usually use a concealer brush the blend it out with my Make Up Geek Stippling Brush.

Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Plus Foundation
I have the colour Soft Beige & I am in love. In my previous blog I thoroughly explained this foundation, so I will write a brief description here: I LOVE THIS FOUNDATION! (I have compared this to Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, Estèe Lauder Double Wear, Clinique Stay Matte, MAC Prolong Wear, Lòreal True Match, Revlon ColourStay for Combination/Oily and Nude by Nature Minerals. This is the only foundation that has managed to stay on for more than 9 hours without looking shiny. I was so skeptical in purchasing this as I took a risk buying it online, but I am soo glad I took that risk! Amazing coverage, withstands humidity, love love love! I apply this with the Make Up Geek Stippling Brush, which is similar to the Sigma Flat Top F80 Kabuki Brush.



Benefit They're Real Mascara

I have owned SOO many mascaras in my time & this is AMAZING! I also purchased Model Co Fibre Lashes but they made my lashes look soo clumpy and I hated the original brushes. This mascara has an amazing brush that lets you reach even the tiniest hairs in your inner eyes & the formula is amazing with no weird smells. I only need 1-2 coats for separated, extended, thick, elongated lashes.


MAC Melba Blush 
This blush has been talked up on blogs & youtube, and I can see why. It such a beautiful subtle color! I can't wear pinks or anything too orange due to my complexion, so this is the right balance! It is a pink but a 'nude' pink with peach undertones. I only need a little dab on the apples of my cheek for a subtle pink-ish glow for the day. I have had this for a few months and it still looks like I haven't touched it! Extremely pigmented, love it. I apply this with a MAC Angled Contour 168 Brush as this brush picks up A LOT of pigment & blends well.

Love Aysh 

xoxo

Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Plus

I have been a foundation-junkie for the past few weeks, stocking up my collection in long-wearing, oil-free foundations. I've tried foundations such as L'oreal True Match to Estèe Lauder Double Wear to Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk & I WAS yet to find the best foundation until I cam across Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Plus Foundation. This foundation is amazing! I only need 1 pump for full coverage, and maybe a little extra on my not-so-good days. Matte finishes are what I look for with foundations. The main reason I bought this, is because it is said that it is Kim Kardashian's favourite foundation brand, so I thought I'd give it a go.
The foundation is described as: The Mat Velvet + foundation conceals skin imperfections, evens out the complexion and matifies with a non-oily powdery finish. The result is flawless and lasts for hours long. Its smooth, fluid texture is very stable, water-resistant and long-lasting. While it has a good coverage, it is also easy to apply. The end result can be fitted to your needs. Applied lightly, Mat Velvet + provides a natural, matte look to the complexion. Using several layers to help conceal blemishes creates a supple and elastic velvety finish. This new oil-free and non comedogenic formula is suited to sensitive skins.

Firstly, the foundation comes in an extremely wide range of colours to accomodate for all type of skin types - whether it be pink undertones or yellow undertones etc. I love this colour range. The consistency is thinner than I expected, The Double Wear by Estèe Lauder is thicker and feels heavier on the face. I found it to be a bit runny. It is lightweight which is great & it also does not look cakey at all - dependant on the layers though. It has no strange perfumes or smells. The packaging is great because you don't really see much of the squeeze tube bottles anymore. It allows you to control the amount of product you would like to use. Its also a very sleek looking tube. The foundation also, doesn't settle into fine lines & wrinkles. I did not need to wear any under eye concealer, although I did wear Make Up For Ever Camouflage Cream in Yellow Beige as an under eye highlight. 

One good squeeze.

I used 2 methods to apply the foundation - first with a damp Beauty Blender and second with a Make Up Geek Stippling Brush which is very similar to Sigma's Flat Top Kabuki, F80 Brush. I just prefer brushes rather than the blender because I like the finish it gives. Blending wise, it blended quite well. It didn't set as fast as I thought it would either, considering the Double Wear set pretty fast. In conjunction with this foundation, because I have oily skin. I also used the Make Up For Ever Mattifying Primer. The combination of these 2 are perfect for me due to my oily skin. The make up itself is oil-free which ensures my make up stays matte for longer.

Left: Spread out. Right: Blended

The only downside with the product is the availability because I am in Sydney and we don't have many retailers that stock this brand. I bought my Make Up For Ever cosmetics at  Media Make Up Store. They are a great online store because they let you try samples of basically everything and you just need to pay for postage. There is a store in Sydney City but it's quite a travel for me. Also, the packaging is quite small BUT then again, I don't need as much product as I normally would. The price I paid is reasonable, in relation to the brand & also the fact its not very common in Australia, I paid $58.00 AUD. 

Overall, great foundation! Definitely purchasing again & this has now become my holy grail foundation. The foundation stayed matte for much longer (8 hours PLUS!) than Estèe Lauder's Double Wear & did not need to blot at all.

Love Aysh

xoxo

ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick in Nearly Nude

I have to say this is one of my holy grail nude lipsticks!! The product is described as, a high-impact colour that won't budge, ModelCo’s PARTY PROOF Lipsticks are a super long-lasting, strong pigment lipstick in ultra-vibrant hues. The rich, non-drying formula glides on effortlessly without drying, caking or flaking. Housed in a chic white case and complete with an inbuilt mirror for easy application — these lipsticks are the perfect addition to your beauty bag.

Personally, this lippy is amazing! It comes in a cute square tube, and has a built-in mirror which allows for easy application. The lipstick itself is quite thick, which is great because you don't need to layer it. It is a creamy matte, but it is more on the matte side. The swatch on the website is not the colour that it actually turned out to be. The website gives more of a light beige swatch. I found it more to be a pale-pink nude rather than a browny-nude. It is heavily pigmented which is great because my lips are already quite dark and this doesn't alter the shade. Also because its thick, natural lip pigmentation isn't an issue for this lipstick. I love the fact that is thick because it makes application easy and also you don't waste product & time. I think this lipstick looks very similar to MAC Myth, but this would be the cheaper version. Myth is also a quite pale lipstick, another one of my faves! Nearly Nude comes at $16.95, I bought mine at GLOSS cosmetics in Sydney, I'm not too sure about other stockists, It is quite hard to come by. Overall, think its a great lipstick, only downsides would have to be that sometimes it flakes off, which I personally hate. It also last a good 3-4 hours but not  any longer than that. Also, the packaging is quite large compared to other lipsticks. Usually I come across the typical round bottle. Other than that, its a great lipstick to have in your collection. This nude usually goes with every type of eyeshadow I wear, because it doesn't drag the attention away from the eyes. I would wear this with dark eye make-up. I would recommend it for the olive to tan skin. If you are pale then I DO NOT recommend this as you would probably look ill. 

Left: ModelCo swatch. Right: My swatch.

 

My lips before.

Applied one layer of the lipstick.

Wearing the lipstick for a night out on the town :)

Love Aysh

xoxo