Review - MAC Diamonds Cream Coloured Base

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about an unfortunately limited edition product, but something that's been sitting on my vanity looking very pretty for a while, that I've never really mentioned nor wanted to sell!

This is the MAC Diamonds Cream Colour Base from the Riri loves MAC Collection. What is a cream coloured base? This is what the MAC website tells me because I don't really know either.
"Versatile and multi-purpose, Cream Colour Base can be applied directly to bare skin, or layered over foundation, moisturizer, or powder. Apply with a brush, sponge, or fingers. Colour effects range from a light veil to highly dramatic, depending on method of application." (1)

This particular cream coloured base looks quite bronze in the pan, but comes across much more golden in tone when you swatch it. I'm still a little unsure as to what I'm really meant to use this for, but I mainly use it as an illuminating blush or as a cream eyeshadow.

The base has an absolutely lovely creamy texture that feels super buttery without feeling like it's melting on your fingers unpleasantly. The colour is a little bronzey/golden on my skin tone so it doesn't particularly work as a highlighter or anything like that for me personally, but for someone who has deeper skin tone than me, I think it could look quite lovely as a highlighter!

This cream coloured base gives me a little bit of summery bronze-y colour on my cheeks and a lot of glow with a sprinkle of glitter. It's perfect for quick summery cheeks and I really need to make more of an effort to wear this rather than just using it for eye candy! (The packaging is so gorgeous though!).

What I Love

- Beautiful packaging

- Nice texture and colour

- Easy to apply with fingers or brushes

- Lovely on light or dark skintones

What I Don't Love

- Limited Edition :C

 Final Thoughts

I really like this Cream Colour Base even though I don't wear it very often. I'm absolutely certain that there would be a very cheap dupe out there for this that I am not aware of, but the packaging of this product is just so gorgeous! I'll happily use up this cream colour base and then buy a cheaper dupe since it's limited edition, but if you can find the packaging for this I would highly suggest snapping it up as it's incredibly beautiful! ^.^

Have you got any beautiful products wasting away on your shelf?

Manicure Monday - Bright Summer Nails

Hello Princesses!

Today I have some super cute, bright nails to show you! Even though I have pastel cutesy nails all year round, I'm pretty much a stereotypical girl in the sense that I will have bright fluoro nails in summer and dark rich tones in winter. I can't help it! 

I used Color Club's Jackie Oh for the bright pink and Essie's Beyond Cozy for the silver gold. I love the colour combination of pink and gold whether it's bright pink or pastel pink, I think it just looks so cute! ^.^

Do you conform to the bright nails in summer trend that is here every year?

Store Review - Newdress

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about a super cheap clothing store called NewDress! I found this store through a Youtube fashion haul which stated that the clothing was very cheap and good quality, so I decided to grab a couple of pieces of clothing to see how they compared to more expensive alternatives! (Note, this was before Supermaryface's youtube review)

Website Practicality

I find the NewDress website quite practical to use, but not very aesthetically pleasing as I would like. They have very handy navigational tabs at the top of the page as well as a great search bar, and I like that you can set it to NZD so I don't have to convert money every 10 seconds.

Price Comparison

The general pricing is very cheap. It's hard to compare the prices without having absolutely identical products, but these are at least a little close in style!

Newdress shirt - $4.44 + Shipping - $1.16 = $5.60USD
Yesstyle shirt - $29.90 + Shipping - $14.00 = $43.90USD

Can we just talk about how cute the Yesstyle shirt is though oh my gosh I want it now (although according to the reviews it's not worth nearly $50USD!). The NewDress shirt is insanely cheap in comparison along with the almost $1 shipping.

Shipping and Packaging

My parcel took the standard three and a half weeks to arrive to New Zealand, and each item was wrapped separately in plastic wrap. The shipping cost me $7.53USD which is pretty standard, but the shipping seems based on weight/volume and I'm not sure if it gets capped at some point, which would be expensive if you were to purchase boots or bulky products. 

Products

Since it's summer here in New Zealand, I decided to get two summer pieces, even though the knitwear was extremely tempting! I initially purchased another shirt, but they ran out of stock before they could ship my package so I missed out on that one :C I was refunded the same day through Paypal which was fantastic.

Women's Chiffon Pleated Retro Long Maxi Dress Elastic Waist Skirt Dress - $4.89

I've really been wanting to get a maxi/midi skirt for a little while, but I can't find any in New Zealand that aren't ridiculously expensive or in my style, so I was really pleased to find a Navy Blue Chiffon skirt for only $4.89USD!

The quality of this skirt reflects the price. The chiffon is interlocked which means that it won't fray, but the stitching on the cheap elastic waist is just plain lazy and there are loose threads everywhere. I can sew poorly, and I could definitely do a better job. There is no slit in the dress so striding or getting in and out of cars is a little bit of an issue (even though I have short legs) but I could just cut my own slit to be honest. The skirt isn't quite maxi or midi and sits just a little above my ankles (I'm 5'3 for your reference!). 

I purchased this in size L following the sizing guidelines on the site and it barely fits. It's a couple of CM smaller than the website states.

New Women Sexy Hollow Shoulder Chiffon Short Sleeve Summer Tops Batwing T-Shirt  - $4.44

(No the top half of me isn't really tanned, it's the 7PM lighting being silly.)

This top looked so super cute on the website that I couldn't resist it, but I was surprised when it arrived that it wasn't the cute mint green as shown on the website, but more of a rich lime green (which makes my yellow skin look sickly).

 This shirt would have been SO much cuter in mint green! :C

The stitching is absolutely awful, the bottom hemline is incredibly uneven and again there are loose threads everywhere. The shoulder frill doesn't sit as nicely on me as it does on the model, and the shirt is cut straight downwards, meaning that with someone that has an hourglass shape with a big chest and big hips like me, it sits very tightly on my hips and super loosely on my waist.

Not flattering at all. I don't believe that this is the shirt shown on the model in the photos is the same as this shirt because the frill is way smaller and the thin straps are way longer. You also really do need a strapless bra to wear this.

What I Love

- Super cheap

- Great range of products

- Good customer service (quick refund)

What I Don't Love

- Terrible quality 

- Like really, really bad quality
- Not the same size as stated on the website (smaller)
- Not the same colour, not even close

Final Thoughts

Umm yeah that was potentially an epic fail. Even though the clothing was super cheap, it's really reflected in the quality of the garments. I've worn the blue skirt out to work and it's been absolutely fine apart from being a little restricting, but the shirt is just absolutely awful, it's the wrong colour, terribly made and poorly fitting. I will probably order again from this website to get some super cheap disposable cutesy shirts, but if they continue to be as bad quality as the green shirt that will soon stop. Order at your own risk.

I will update you guys when I make another order to see if it was worth a second try! ^.^ Any other clothing stores you would recommend or would like to see reviews of?

2014 Favourites

Hello Princesses!

Today I'm going to be talking about my 2014 favourites! I don't usually do monthly favourites or anything because I struggle to find more than one favourite per month, but I every time I do a yearly favourite post I always find so many to talk about! -.- Let's get right into it!

Lush - BIG

This is my absolute favourite shampoo of all time, it makes my hair feel amazingly clean and smell super fresh! This massive tub lasts for absolutely ages too, so you get really good value for money! ^.^ You can check out my mini review here!

 

Argania - Liquid Gold Hair Oil

I absolutely love this this hair oil, it makes my hair feel and look healthy and I swear it makes it grow much faster than if I don't use it (although my mum still hates my long hair, love you mama!). New Zealanders can find this in any Farmers store, I totally recommend it along with everything else in the range!

Benefit - Porefessional

This is still my favourite primer of 2014 for smooth, poreless skin. I like other primers for brightening or colour correcting, but this is definitely the best pore smoother that I've tried in 2014! 

 

Trilogy - Rosehip Oil

I can't live without this little bottle of facial oil. I've been using it morning and night for over a year now and am completely addicted. It smooths and nourishes my skin, while also helping to fade acne scarring that plagues my face. This is my absolute favourite product of 2014!

NARS - Orgasm Blush

Peachy pink with gold sparkles, this is my go-to blush when I don't particularly have time to choose a blush to match my face. It works with everything, easy to apply and never looks bad. I always take this blush with me when I travel because I can trust it. 

Urban Decay - Naked

The O.G of neutral palettes, it's no surprise that this is in my favourites and I'm sure it needs no introduction. It's great, portable, pigmented and makes it easy to create natural/neutral or more dramatic looks. This is another of my traveling companions filled with trust.  

MAC - Pleasure Bomb

I really love the colour of this lipstick, it's such a shame it's limited edition because I totally would have bought another one! It actually looks very similar to Lime Crime Pink Velvet Velvetine on me, but I much prefer this lipsticks finish and feel on the lips since Velvetines are not the greatest for my dry lips.

Eye of Horus - Goddess Mascara

This has been my favourite mascara of 2014. It never clumps, removes with warm water and makes my lashes feel super moisturized and pampered. You can check out my review here!

LUSH - Angels On Bare Skin

The perfect soft exfoliator for sensitive or acne prone skin. This is my absolute favourite cleanser, and I've raved about it on many occasions so you can check out my proper mini review here!

That's it for my 2014 favourites! I hope you've all had an amazing 2014, and hopefully 2015 will be even better for us all! ^.^