Revlon's latest offerings...

Revlon's new Colour Stay Aqua Mineral Make Up Foundation 

What it says on Revlon's website:

NEW Colorstay Aqua™ Mineral Makeup delivers a burst of hydrating coconut water and an instant cooling sensation upon application. The result: your skin looks luminous and its texture smoother. With a shine-free formula that’s made with water, not oil, this lightweight powder gives you a fresh, flawless finish that lasts all day.

Fragrance free and non-irritating.

Provides medium coverage in 8 beautiful shades, with SPF 13 protection.

Although it doesn't give that much coverage it feels wonderful on my skin. And what a cool brush hey?! It's lightweight and is perfect for when you need something quick and easy to apply when you're dashing out the door. Works like a charm if your after something lightweight that lasts all day...R150

Revlon Custom Eyes Eyeshadow 5 colour Palette in "Sweet Innocence" R145 (*+- a few rand if I remember correctly)...the swatch on my hand above are the colours in the palette from right to left :)

So there you go, just some of Revlon's latest that I thought I'd share with you :)

Make Up: Good Quality...Nice Price

Australian MakeUp brand Essence has been around in Clicks here in South Africa for a while now, but at first I was a bit hesitant to try any of the range.  After walking straight past numerous times, I decided to give it a try (*I must admit it might have had more to do with my balance of funds than anything else*). I was not disappointed!

First up...
'Essence Mosaic Powder'

"with different perfectly aligned colours each, these mosaic powders conjure-up either a gorgeous rosy complexion or a sun-kissed tanned look. you now have a choice of the mosaic powder in a natural fresh colour combination or as a gentle bronzing powder"





'Essence Colour & Shine' Eyeshadow


"sure to satisfy even the highest demands on eye make-up: the baked colour & shine eyeshadows contain an unusually high pearl pigmentation to make your eyes shine like the stars! thanks to the triple-colored marbling, the light colors are especially radiant while the darker shades have incredible depth. the silky powder texture makes application really easy and the colors are super vibrant! apply moist for even more intensive results"




The Mosaic powder works wonderfully as a very subtle bronzer with lots of shimmer, and it lasts all day. The eyeshadows are easy to blend and are highly pigmented, so they really show up well.

Above is my growing collection...the swatch on the right are the eye shadow colours. The colour & shine shadow was from their 'Bohemia' range in "Good Old Times" and the duo eyeshadow in "Girls Night Out".

And look at these cute 'styling cards' you can download from the website:

Don'y let the young girly looking advertising put you off, with prices ranging from R30 - R80, you definitely get bang for your buck :)

Plus, Essence doe not test their products on animals (*yay*). Essence is stocked at most Clicks & Dischem Stores.

Playing up your *eye's*

Found this article and thought i'd share it with you :) The following colours will help to make your eyes stand out:


For Blue Eyes:
Shades of brown, camel, and taupe will help blue eyes appear even bluer. The darker the liner, the more your blue eyes will pop, like with dark browns, blacks and charcoal. If you choose a green liner, choose a darker green like dark golden green or forest green. Too light of a green color will not accentuate blue eyes, but make your eyes fade. Also avoid blue liner unless it is super dark navy blue.

For Brown Eyes:
Shades of slate blue, gray, and plum will help brown eyes stand out. Brown eye girls are very lucky. Brown is a neutral color. Thus meaning almost any makeup shade look great on brown eyes.  Choose "warm" toners like golden browns, deep red plums, Bronze to make eyes look warmer and softer. Choose "cool" tones like black, deep navy blue, cool dark browns, dark metal grays to make your brown eyes look cooler, and sometimes darker. Avoid light colored liners like light pinks and light purples. 

For Green Eyes:

Shades in Plums, purples, dark gray, blacks and charcoals, all shades of brown and brownish-pink will help green eyes look even greener. The darker the liner, the more your green eyes will pop, like with deep purples, dark browns, blacks and charcoal. Choose "warm" toners like browns, golden browns, red plums to make eyes look greener and lighter. Choose "cool" tones like deep navy blue, blue purples, deep teal to make your green eyes look bluer.  Avoid light colored liners like light teal, light blues if your green eyes are lighter and darker shades if your eyes are darker green. 

Thanks to Style101 for the great tips!

*MakeUp Brushes*

I'm sure every girl dreams of owning a full set of MAC brushes, but let's just be real here. At around R300 a pop, my pocket is just not big enough. So...before getting depressed, check out a really cool new range of pretty great quality brushes from Clicks. 

Here are a few of the brushes in the range that I have and what they do...

"Picture Perfect" No.13 Stippling Brush R99.99

This brush is used for stippling foundation onto the skin for a more airbrushed finish.  The bristles need to be stiff in order to hold up to the foundation and not streak **this brush does tend to loose a few bristles when used**

"Drama Queen" Eye Defining Brush No. 31 R19.99

This brush has a definite angle to help with putting colour close to your lash line. Great for highlighting inner lids and making your eyes appear wider.

"Shady Lady" Eyeshadow Brush No. 30 R29.99

Exactly what it says...add colour and go for it! Really holds eyeshadow well (without most of it landing on your cheeks) and is great for building colour.

"Holy Smoke" Eye Make-up Smudger No. 32 R24.99

Apply your eyeliner and eyeshadow and then smudge the lines using the soft sponge tip. Work from the inside of the eye outwards.

"Glow Stick" Foundation Brush No. 20 R59.99

Used to apply your foundation. Put a small amount of foundation onto the back of your hand and dab it with the brush. Using light strokes, work the product over your face starting from the centre and moving outwards. This brush 

"Fancee Me" Fan Brush No. 14 R29.99

Use this brush to dust away small mistakes like eyeshadow 'fall-out'. Not quite sure how useful this one is, but at least it looks good :)

"Eyescream" Eye shadow tips R29.99

These sponge tips are for layering and blending eyeshadow. They are soft and spongey and really easy to use!

Also in the range:

"Luxury Liner" Eye Liner Brush R19.99

"Bronze Bombshell" Bronzer and Shimmer Brush R49.99

"Kabuki Crush" Kabuki Brush R89.99

So there you go...obviously no where near as nice as MAC, but still pretty good. Your makeup bag never looked this good!

Mascara...

The search for the perfect mascara is always a tricky one. How often have you found yourself forking out a fortune for a fancy smancy 'lash building/extending/protecting/ornamenting' mascara, only to find yourself looking like something out of Rocky Horror when you try it on?? Well here are 2 of my favourites that actually do what they say...

MAC Plush Lash: R140

This tiny tube really packs a punch. It volumizes, plumps and curls, all without clumping. And at a pretty neat price too, you can't go wrong!


ModelCo Fire Lash Brush on Lashes: R340

This mascara comes in 2 tubes. The first step is to put on the 'Extension Mascara". Step 2 is to brush on the "lash Fibre" and then finally brush on another coat of the extension. You can keep putting on as many coats as you need to create your desired look.
This one is quite pricey, but it really does work. Only downside (*apart from the price that is*) is that takes more time than most mascaras to get right. But, if you have the time, and the money, these are 2 little tubes of greatness :)

So there you go, two mascaras to suit any girls budget. Stay tuned for more reviews on other beauty tools & products...