December Favourites

Hi everyone and welcome to my December favourites post! With December meaning Christmas I was able to buy and receive a bunch of new products to try out (and maybe even fall in love with). Many of these are high-end because it was Christmas time and so I decided to splurge. I have a range of products including makeup and skincare which I would like to share with you all. Enjoy! 

Face of Australia precision brow pencil- Taupe

I have done an entire review on this product already (click here to see it), however I love it so much I decided to add it into my monthly favourites for December. This product is amazing quality, the pencil has a great texture and application and the value for money is astounding!

Cost: $8.45 AUD
Buy it here: http://faceofaustralia.com.au/product/eyes/precision-brow-pencil-taupe 

Napoleon Auto Pilot eye and lip makeup remover

 This is the first actual eye makeup remover (in a liquid form) that I have tried. I always used to simply wipe away my eye makeup with makeup wipes ($2 ones at that). I received this for Christmas as part of a set that contained a face primer, lip primer, sample size eye makeup remover, sample mascara, five makeup wipes and five serum testers. This stuff is a holy grail for me. It is literally AMAZING! It literally only takes a few drops onto a cotton pad, one or two swipes and BAM!! All your makeup is gone. Mess up your eyeliner? Grab a Q-tip, put a few drops on and wipe away to reveal a blank canvas ready to start again. 

I will be doing a full review with demos in the future so stay tuned to look out for that! I cannot rave about this product enough. It is amazing. HOLY. GRAIL!

Cost: $39 AUD
Buy it here: http://www.ry.com.au/napoleon-perdis-auto-pilot-duet-makeup-remover-120ml.html

FOA liquid eyeliner

 I am very new to eyeliner. This is my second ever eyeliner I have purchased and I have to say I love it a lot more than my last. The last one I had was a felt pen liner by Rimmel and it wasn't very good. The pen was too large, my liner would flake after two hours and pigmentation was dull. 

This is a game changer! It is so much easier to use and I can get so close to the lashline. It is such a versatile liner- you can create a thin line for a more neutral look or a thick, dramatic line with a wing for a more nighttime appropriate look. For a beginner like me, this product is amazing. 

Cost:$8.95 AUD
Buy it here: https://www.priceline.com.au/face-of-australia-liquid-eyeliner-8-ml

 

Napoleon contour kit

 

I had never contoured before in my life before buying this kit. I am still trying to perfect what I have come to call an art however this product makes it easier for me. The colours themselves are perfect for me- from the cool-toned mocha brown to the cream-white, shimmery highlight it's amazing. I love how everything I need is all there in one compact, sleek design: My blush, contour shade (or bronzer) and highlighter. I absolutely love this product and recommend it to anyone. 

Cost: $65 AUD
Buy it here:http://www.activeskin.com.au/napoleon-perdis-the-ultimate-contour-palette-7-4gr

Spin for perfect skin

For almost two months I found myself debating over whether or not I should get a facial cleansing brush. Everyone raved about them but I couldn't understand it- my theory was that it would be too harsh on the skin and would cause more harm than good. Oh, how wrong I was.

It was around christmas time that I decided why not and asked my grandmother to get it for me. With a coupon code, I was able to get this bad boy from the Vanity Planet website for $45 AUD (including shipping).

I don't want to give too much away because I will be doing a full, in-depth review and demo in a few weeks... But I love it. 


Cost: $100 USD (for a coupon code simply look up reviews of the product on YouTube, and most youtubers have a code- you will have to be subscribed to their channel to use it)
Buy it here:http://www.vanityplanet.com/products/spin-for-perfect-skin

 

 Givenchy Dahlia Divin perfume

This one was also a Christmas present and I have but two words for this perfume: marry me. I am extremely picky about my perfume. Extremely. If it has musk, I don't want it. Too sweet? Nope. Too strong? Not in a million years. I went perfume shopping with my stepmum and she knows this too well.

If you love floral, fruity scents that aren't too subtle but not too overpowering you'll love this one. Givenchy, I am sorry for mispronouncing your name when I first met you. Please forgive me my love.

This perfume is my absolute favourite. The packaging is absolutely gorgeous- it's simple yet elegant and the scent is to die for. Yes, I have expensive taste. Yes, you should try it too. Yes, I will continue re-buy this perfume for all eternity. 

Cost: $119 AUD (50mL)
Buy it here: http://www.myer.com.au/shop/mystore/edp-dahlia-divin  (not sure why but on the website it is yellow)



I hope you all enjoyed my December favourites! Have a lovely week and I'll see you all in my next post. Please comment if you liked this post and if you have any requests!

-BWA (Beauty with Amy) 

 

 

 

Face of Australia: "Precision brow pencil- Taupe" in-depth review -Beauty with Amy

So I just picked up this brow pencil today from Big W as I have been searching and searching for the right brow product. I think I found it. It is by the brand Face of Australia (FOA) and has a spoolie on one end and a triangle-shaped, retractable eyebrow pencil on the other.

WHAT IT DOES

Short answer: It is a brow pencil designed to achieve gorgeous brows effortlessly and affordably.

Long answer: According to FOA website (link here- Face of Australia taupe pencil product page), this is what this product claims to do: "Create perfect, defined arches and add definition to your brows with our ultra slim Precision Brow Pencil."

Here is some other information about the product (again, from the FOA website): 

• "The precision tip allows you to draw on individual hairs while the smooth formula glides on easily to create fuller looking brows.
• The lightweight formula is buildable so just apply more to add more volume. The retractable pencil means there is no sharpening required and gives a precise application every time.
• Handy built in spoolie brush makes blending easy."

AVALIABLE SHADES

Short answer: There are two colours: blonde and taupe.

Long answer: There are only two shades available for this product: "Taupe" and "Blonde", so there isn't a lot of variety. The (limited) shades are described as "versatile shades to suit any brow colour" which I disagree with. This is because the blonde shade will only suit BLONDES. If you have dark hair, you will not be able to use this product (obviously). In addition, the taupe shade is a cool-toned brown shade with grey undertones, which won't suit all brunettes. As someone who has dyed their hair blonde I find this shade perfect.

Below is a picture of the product in the shade "Taupe"

I was unable to find some pictures of the pencil in the blonde shade online and I don't own it so it wasn't put in this review (sorry for any inconvenience!).

DIRECTIONS

This is what the FOA website says to do with the product:

"STEP 1

Start by brushing brows with the spoolie brush.

STEP 2

Using short strokes, apply product first to the fullest part of the brow and draw on individual hairs.

Mimic the direction of the hair growth and work your way outwards by filling in any sparse areas.

STEP 3

Once you’re happy with the application, lightly brush through again with the spoolie brush to blend out for a natural look.

STEP 4

Repeat application for even fuller looking brows."

PICTURES

CRUELTY FREE

 Face of Australia is proudly 100% against animal testing and are large supporters and contributors to Choose Cruelty Free, an organisation dedicated to ending animal testing in the beauty and cosmetics industries.

PACKAGING 

Short answer: Love it. It's sleek, elegant and compact, however I would have liked if the spoolie end stayed with the white theme and wasn't clear. 

Long answer: The product came as shown in the pictures I've taken except it was simply wrapped in plastic (which was quite difficult to remove I must say). That is one of the two negatives I have on the packaging. Personally, I really like it! The white is a little different as most I have come across are black and it gives a very sleek, elegant and high-end look to the product. I would have liked it if the end with the spoolie did have the white packaging like the rest of the product, but I guess they made it clear to show it comes with a spoolie? I'm not sure, but this is the other negative I have. I think making the entire package white would have been more aesthetically pleasing and I think the white just feels more sturdy rather than the clear plastic (in my opinion).
Rating: 4/5

PIGMENTATION

Short answer: Pretty good. Neither harsh, nor too light and colour stays true during transfer from the pencil to the brows. However, if you want high colour payoff, you will have to layer the product.

Long answer: This is one of the first brow products I have tried and it is the first pencil I have tested out. Compared to what I (personally) have used (which is only one powder duo and one other AVON eyebrow pencil) it has great pigmentation! It isn't too harsh, and the shade in the pencil is identical to the shade when it is applied to the brows. As shown in my swatches above, it is quite light with a single swipe of the pencil (left swatch), but it can be layered to get good colour payoff (right swatch). So overall, it is quite good.
Rating: 4/5 

TEXTURE, APPLICATION & QUALITY

Short answer: Not too harsh, or too soft to the point where it has little pigmentation. The spoolie is also great quality. Love it!

Long answer: Personally, I love the texture of the pencil- it's soft (but not soft to the point where it blends TOO much and leaves little pigmentation) and thus applies easily. It doesn't feel harsh or abrasive on my skin which is great. I love the shape of the pencil as it is triangular (see picture above), you can use the thinner end to get a nice outline and shape as well as use it to fill in for a natural look by using short strokes to create the appearance of hair. Then there is a thicker end which I use to fill in the thickest part of my brow. Overall, this product is great as you can achieve many looks from a VERY natural brow (as shown in my before and after above) to a clean, cut and precise brow and anything in between!The spoolie allows for even distribution of the product to either soften the look or brush hairs into the desired shape before using the pencil. I love how the bristles of the spoolie are not too thick and not too thin (0.5mm upon measurement, with a 2mm gap between each bristle)
Rating: 5/5

VALUE FOR MONEY

Short answer: Fantastic value for money- very affordable for the Australian market, especially for the high quality.

Long answer: I picked this up for $8.95 at Big W. This is in Australian dollars and is a FANTASTIC price, especially for eyebrow products in Australia- other pencils generally retail for $12-15. This product is amazing quality, the packaging is GREAT and I just love it!
Rating: BIG 5/5

WHERE YOU CAN PICK IT UP

Big W is the only 'drugstore' shop thats stocks face of Australia products that I am aware of. The only other place you can pick this product up at is the FOA website:
Taupe- http://faceofaustralia.com.au/product/eyes/precision-brow-pencil-taupe
Blonde- http://www.faceofaustralia.com.au/product/eyes/precision-brow-pencil-blonde

(both links open in a new tab)


*The FOA website does have international and national (within Australia) shipping. For more info on shipping, click here.

COST

AUD: $8.45
US: $6.14
EURO: 5.60 Euro
UK: 4.11 pounds
*All costs are based off the FOA website

OVERALL OPINION AND RATING

Short answer: BUY IT!!!

Long answer: I cannot rave about this product enough. I absolutely love it! The packaging it amazing, it isn't too abrasive on the skin like other pencils I have tried, packaging looks sleek and almost high-end, amazing value for money and the application is also great.
Overall rating: 9.5/10 

I hope you all enjoyed this review! Have a lovely week and I'll see you all in my next post! Please comment if you liked this review and if you have any requests.

-BWA (Beauty with Amy) 

All information is from the FOA website (link here).
All opinions are my own.
Unless stated, all images are mine.