Review: Impulse Cosmetics Lipstick

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about some amazing lipsticks from Impulse Cosmetics! I purchased these second hand off a friend which is why I'm not classing this as a Store Review, but rather just a regular review ^.^ I picked up a full sized tube of Pandora, and a sample size of Platonic which I've been lusting after for ages!

The full size tube looks just like a lip balm tube, which I am not really a fan of since I prefer pointed tips on my lipstick to avoid lip liners! The sample lipstick is housed in a thin clam shell container, which is fantastic since I'm using this shade as my emergency lipstick! There's enough room in the clam shell to swirl your finger around to pick up the lipstick, but it's also small enough to store safely in your handbag/wallet without being bulky!

Pandora is a dark, plum/"black sherry" red shade, with a strong purple undertone. It's labeled as a semi-glossy matte lipstick and is supposedly creamy and moisturizing while giving you that opaque finish you crave in one swipe!

INGREDIENTS: Castor Oil, Cetyl Stearyl Alcohol, Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Carnauba Wax, Candillia Wax. (May contain: Titanium Dioxide, Oxides, Manganese, Blue #1, Red #6, Red #7, Red #21, Red #27, Red #30, Red #33, Red #40, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Orange #5, Yellow #10, mica.) Vegan Friendly | Cruelty Free

I love the colour of this lipstick, but there is something about it that makes it not stick to the inside of my lips! I assume it's because it's quite waxy (which makes them very long lasting for me!) but with a colour so dark it just looks so silly! I also found that this colour bled quite a lot, and the lip balm style tube made it very very difficult to use without a lip liner, and since I don't have a suitable lip liner for this colour, it looks really awful and smudgy. :S

However it does make my teeth look super white!!

Platonic is a light neutral/nude pink. It's also labelled as a semi-glossy matte, but I find it has much more of a matte finish than Pandora does!

INGREDIENTS: Castor Oil, Cetyl Stearyl Alcohol, Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Carnauba Wax, Candillia Wax. (May contain: Titanium Dioxide, Oxides, Manganese, Blue #1, Red #6, Red #7, Red #21, Red #27, Red #30, Red #33, Red #40, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Orange #5, Yellow #10, mica.) Vegan Friendly | Cruelty Free

I absolutely love this shade, it's a beautiful nude pink colour for me, but I feel like it will be quite light on someone who has tanner skin than I do. It dries to a waxy matte finish and is kiss proof, something that I didn't expect! The sample pot makes a beautiful emergency lipstick since I don't need a lip liner to apply this, just a finger! I want to purchase the full sized tube of this one for sure!

What I Love

-  Beautiful colours

- Great range of other colours

- Very pigmented

- Not drying

What I Don't Love

- Pandora won't stick to inner lips

- Not a fan of the lip balm style tube

- Tends to make a dry layer on top of the bullet

Final Thoughts?

I really loved both of these lipsticks, but I won't be able to keep Pandora since it just looks ridiculous missing the inside colour! I loved the finish and colour of Platonic and will definitely be purchasing it full size when it's back in stock, with another couple of colours! ^.^ I'm also super keen to try out their Mattifying Lip Powder which makes me so curious!!

Manicure Monday: Dark Rainbows

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm feeling particularly lazy with names, so I'm just going to call this manicure Dark Rainbows, because well, it is dark, and it does have rainbows! ^.^

 I used Rescue Beauty Lounge in Pui Mosso for the gorgeous dark navy base colour, I purchased this solely because of the name (being a music student of course!) with Glitter Gal Light as a Feather for the holographic top coat! I love using holographic or glitter toppers to spice up manicures when I'm feeling super lazy! ^.^

Store Review: Pagan Marie

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be doing another Store Review on a super popular New Zealand site - Pagan Marie! Pagan Marie is an online boutique that sells clothing, Footwear, Swimwear, Intimates and Cosmetics. It's taken me a while to shop from this site since I've got a bit of a difficult body to fit clothes to so shopping online can be a massive risk, but I took a little chance while they were having a massive sale, because I just can't resist a good sale!!
 

Price Comparison

This is difficult, since Pagan Marie don't stock any clothing that I could find in walk in stores in New Zealand. I don't consider the pricing extremely high, but it's also not cheap clothing. The clothes average at around $80 with some of the knits and coats being higher in price, while shorts and small tops are lower. The pricing suggests that the clothing is good quality, and also designs that you can't purchase from Ebay, Aliexpress or other super cheap clothing stores.

Website Practicality

I found the website really easy to navigate, there is an easy to use search bar, separate search tabs for clothing, beauty, tops, bottoms or dresses. You can log in so that you can track your purchases, and sign up for their newsletter which lets you know if they have any new stock or sales! One of my biggest issues with this store is that they don't have measurements for individual pieces, but just general sizes. I don't find these helpful because I am usually between a S or M in clothing, so how am I supposed to choose my correct size when they don't provide measurements. What size sweater should I purchase if I have XL bust, S Waist and S hips? This is one of the main reasons I've been putting off shopping at Pagan Marie.

Shipping and Packaging

The shipping was a super quick 1 day delivery. I purchased after working hours on the 13th, and my package arrived on the 15th. The shipping was free too, which makes it all the sweeter! ^.^ My purchase was cutely wrapped in tissue paper with a little Pagan Marie sticker, the sweater was plastic wrapped and tagged, which is nice to know that nobody has tried on my item before.

Products

I purchased the Soho Knit in Grey in size M. This sweater was originally $79.99, but since I purchased during a 50% off sale I got this knit for $39.99! ^.^ (It's currently on sale for $50!) It's 100% cotton with sequins sewn to mesh, sewn to the elbows of the sweater. The website actually describes this as having "glitter elbow patches" rather than sequined elbow patches, and having an uneven hemline. 

It has a moderately wide neckline that you cannot see on the model since her hair is in the way, and bat-wing sleeves which you also cannot see on the model. I find it odd how tight the seam of the arm is in comparison to the rest of the sleeve, and how wide the end of the sleeve is, although this could be because it's a little bit oversized.

The sweater looks quite nice from the back, but from side on it makes me look quite chunky. I'm quite busty, so the sweater more or less just hangs down from there and hides my small waist. It also hides my bum so I literally look flat and wide from the side.

The front on view isn't so bad I think ^.^

My biggest issue with this sweater is the glitter/sequin elbow patches. I don't think they look as full and sparkly on my sweater in comparison to the website photos, also since they're individually sewn on sequins they fall off everywhere. I actually mean everywhere too, I worked a full day in this sweater and when I swept the floor at the end of the day there was a ridiculous amount of sequins that had fallen off just while working.

Overall I really like this sweater, it's a perfect neutral, quick to throw on top which can be worn with a long sleeve top for winter warmth, or just with a singlet for a light summer nights! I really wish the elbow patches were true glitter rather than sequins, and that it fit me a little better, but I think it's a beautiful colour and it's super soft and comfy! ^.^ It's my current go-to 5 minute dressed up outfit since I'm always running late!

What I Love

- Awesome products

- Great quality

- Frequent sales and new stock

- Super quick, free delivery

- Little personalized notes on orders

- Fair pricing (good quality, hard to find in New Zealand)

What I Don't Love

- Price reflects quality (which some may not be able to afford)

- No measurements for individual items

Final Thoughts

I really liked shopping at Pagan Marie, and it you live in New Zealand and don't usually have trouble finding clothes to fit your body,  then I would highly suggest shopping with Pagan Marie! I would personally shop a lot more at Pagan Marie if there were measurements (especially bust and length measurements), because I just don't want to buy a dress that shows my bum, or is way too revealing on the chest area. Pagan Marie has a great exchange policy for non sale items if you do purchase the wrong size, but since I have a weakness for sale items this isn't so helpful for me personally!

Have you shopped with Pagan Marie before? How was your experience?

First Impression: LUSH Herbalism

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about one of LUSH's amazing cleansers - Herbalism! I've already done a First Impression on the LUSH Angels on Bare Skin cleanser which I absolutely loved (and subsequently finished a whole pot of) so when I went back to repurchase Angels, the LUSH Staff also sent me home a massive tester pot of Herbalism to see if I liked it just as much!

What Is It?

Herbal cleanser for troubled skin

"Battling with oily, blemish-prone skin? Cleanse with Herbalism and experience the power of herbs. Its gently exfoliating, deep-cleansing base of kaolin clay and rice bran mops up excess oils, and a toning blend of rosemary, nettle and chamomile leaves skin feeling fresh, clean and calm. This gentle green giant contains chlorophyllin, which is extracted from alfalfa plants: it’s rich in nourishing vitamins and minerals, and helps to balance out your skin’s oil production. Say hello to clear, balanced skin!

Features

• Oily skin no more! Use Herbalism all over your body for balanced, matte skin.
• Have a sensitive side? Oily skin can be sensitive, too! We’ve included rose absolute to soothe and calm as you cleanse.
• Best used fresh: Our cleanser rolls are preservative-free, so be sure to use it up by the best before date on your pot!" 

Ingredients

 Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis) , Kaolin , Glycerine , Chlorophyllin Water (Aqua) , Nettle, Rosemary, Rice Vinegar Extract (Urtica dioica, Rosmarinus officinalis) , Rice Bran (Oryza sativa) , Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides) , Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia) , Chamomile Oil (Anthemis nobilis) , Sage Oil (Salvia sclarea) , Fragrance(1)

Herbalism is so similar to Angels on Bare Skin, except that Herbalism is a pale Shrek green colour and smells a little like vinegar, whereas Angels smells like Lavender and looks like clay. I definitely prefer the scent of Angels, but interestingly enough the boyfriend prefers the scent of Herbalism!

Just like Angels, Herbalism made my skin feel absolutely amazing! It's such an amazing exfoliator which is gentle enough to use on tender breakouts or every day if you feel like it! It felt moisturizing, but cleansing at the same time, my face didn't feel tight after cleansing like it sometimes does with foaming cleansers.

I didn't feel any extra oil controlling factors in comparison to using Angels on Bare Skin, nor any acne controlling factors. I found that Angels exfoliated a little more than Herbalism since it has lavender flower in it, and I also majorly preferred the smell of Angles as opposed to Herbalism.

Would I Purchase This Product?

No, but only because I prefer Angles on Bare Skin! Herbalism made my skin feel amazingly soft, clean and supple, but I really disliked the herby, vinegary smell. I didn't think that Herbalism made any difference to my acne or oily skin, so Angels on Bare Skin wins for me! ^.^

What are you favorite LUSH products?

Store Review: IHerb

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be reviewing a slightly weird store, but a super handy store nonetheless, which is Iherb! Iherb is a really interesting store that sells Supplements, Herbs, Bath and Beauty, Skincare, Grocerys, Sports and Pet goods. I've personally only shopped in the Beauty section, but I hear that the Grocery section is also amazing. The Beauty section contains the cheapest ELF, Real Techniques and Physicians Formula products that you can find in New Zealand. If you live outside of New Zealand then your prices are probably lower, and therefore you probably don't need to shop here, who knows!

Price Comparison

The Elf Undereye Setting Powder is $3USD ($3.69NZD) plus shipping off Iherb. Or $10NZD from my local K-Mart which is the only place that sells ELF in NZ. Obviously if I only want one product I'll drive down and buy it locally, but if I want  to buy bulk ELF, IHerb is the cheapest way!

Shipping and Packaging

I chose the second cheapest shipping, which was the tracked DHL. Choosing the tracked option is always the best since you know where your package is, and this is a very very cheap option at $8USD! It took one week to get to me which was wonderful, but I was NOT happy with the method of packaging to keep my products safe. They literally packed the box with the products, and chucked a loosely scrunched piece of paper on top! I didn't have any glass products or anything like that, but if I had, they wouldn't be very safe :C

I limited myself to three brands that were hard to find locally, ELF, Real Techniques and Physicians Formula.

Products

First up are my ELF basics! Each of these products were $3USD, which is super cheap! I'm really happy with the overall quality of the ELF products and I've written up a quick review of each! Let me know if there is anything that you want full review on!

Eyebrow Kit - Medium

This is an amazing product - I can totally see why this is so hyped and raved about! I've had mine for only a couple of months, and have already hit pan in the gel! The powder is a great crease colour, but I can't use it on my brows since I have the medium colour (Dark was out of stock).

Powder Blush - Candid Coral

I love this blush too, a quick brush of the product will pick up quite a lot, so it's really necessary to tap the brush quickly before applying, but for $3 and the beautiful big colour range I will definitely be purchasing more!

HD Blush - Headliner

I like this blush, but it is a little bit of work to blend! The pump disperses WAY too much product, but I do hear that this is a dupe for a Makeup Forever blush! Either way, it's a great product for a super cheap price!

Next up are Real Techniques! There are no stores that sell Real Techniques in New Zealand (that I know of!) and the easiest and cheapest place to buy them is IHerb! The separate brushes cost $9.99 and the Brush Set cost $29.99 which is a very reasonable price for brushes that are so good! I'm totally in love with all of these brushes, they're totally worth the price!

Lastly I have two products from Physicians Formula. I picked these two products because of the adorable packaging, but honestly the packaging is more of a pain than it is cute.

Nude Wear, Glowing Blush - Rose - $12.43

The colours in this blush are really beautiful, but the blush is just so powdery and chalky that it doesn't look good on the skin. It's a little hard to get the blush to pop since it's not so pigmented, it's such a weird blush. I really don't like it and don't recommend paying over $10 for it.

Nude Wear, Glowing Nude Powder - Light - $14.35

I like this powder even less than the blush. The light colour is good for my face colour and the darkest colour is good for contouring, but it's just so hard to pick up either colour without touching the peachy shades in between. It's really powdery and has a lot of fallout and in all honestly I wouldn't pay $3 for this.

What I Love

- Cheap, fast tracked shipping

- Discounts for first timers

- Discounts for larger orders (bulk buying)

- Cheap prices

- Restocks very quickly

What I Don't Love

- Bad shipping packaging

Final Thoughts

I'm quite 50/50 with this store. Putting aside how much I love the Real Technique and ELF products in comparison to how much I dislike the Physicians Formula products, I quite enjoyed shopping with IHerb. I really wish that the shipping packaging was a lot better though, because I'm really cautious about grabbing other products that might break in the post. But then again the ELF products are $3 and it's just so tempting!

If you do end up making an order through IHerb and you want to take $10 off your first order you can use my code FQB347 to get the discount!

(Full disclosure, the coupon code is an affiliate code, and you can actually get the discount without using the code automatically by being a first time purchaser. However if you want to support me, please use my coupon code! If you don't want to, don't. No big deal ^.^)