Collective Haul

After over a months absence due to ridiculous amounts of uni and work I am finally back on the blogging band wagon. This month has been good for me makeup-purchase wise, although my bank account would probably disagree. Living in Tasmania means that I have limited access to most higher end products, however in the last month I have been lucky enough to make a few trips interstate which meant that I was able to access products that I had been lusting after for a long time. Below is a detailed description of each product.

Inglot Freedom Palette
First of all can I say this is one of the most amazing makeup products I have ever purchased. I picked this eyeshadow palette up at IMATS sydney this past weekend gone as I had been wanting one for the longest time. I was after a neutral eyeshadow palette that wasn't huge like the naked palette and this one is the perfect size. I chose the shades 397, 407, 360, 363 and 63, all of which are perfect for every day wear (I am however going to give my sister 360 to put into her own palette as it is quite similar to 363 and instead purchase a matte cream colour). All of the eyeshadows are soft and pigmented and last all day on my eyelids without primer with minimal to no creasing. All up with the 30% off discount at IMATS this cost me $45 which in my opinion is an absolute steal for the incredible quality. I would definitely recommend these palettes to anyone looking for the perfect customisable palette.

Illamasqua Brow Cake in Motto

I picked this product up from Myer as I was looking for a brow powder that would make my eyebrows look more natural, as opposed to the harshness of a pencil. The colour motto is the perfect shade for my eyebrows as it has no red undertones and is not too dark for my fair complexion. Although it looks scary and grey in the pan the colour is surprising when applied to the brows. I find that this product stays on my brows all day, regardless of whether I use a gel or not and can be built up if you have darker brows. This product cost me $23.20 (random price, I know), so is not the cheapest product around. This is definitely a product I would repurchase or recommend to anyone who is looking for a more natural looking brow product and is willing to pay a little bit extra.

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Rude
After all the hype about this product a few months back on the makeup social I finally caved and purchased Illamasqua's cream blush in rude. I honestly do not know what I did before I had a blush this colour. This is the perfect every day orangey red blush colour which goes well with almost any complexion. It is incredibly pigmented and blends into the skin easily. My only issue with this is that it is a cream blush which means that it attracts pieces of brush hair easily and also means that it tends to melt off my face during the day unless I set it with a translucent powder. I ended up paying $28 for this at Myer but definitely think it was well worth it and would definitely repurchase.

NARS Laguna Bronzer

First off, this is my new holy grail bronzer. It is the absolute perfect colour that I can apply generously and still avoid looking orange. It has the perfect amount on shimmer in it meaning that it gives a bronzed glow instead of just looking dirty on the face. I honestly cannot say anything negative about this product, except maybe that the packaging would be better being less matte so that it doesn't look dirty all the time, although the packaging still manages to look good regardless. I purchased this product from mecca cosmetica in myer for $55. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone looking for a new bronzer and will definitely rush out to repurchase this once I use it all up.

Benefits They're Real MascaraAfter spending months trying to find a mascara that would lengthen and curl my short lashes I decided to just bite the bullet and purchase benefits they're real mascara. I heard mixed reviews on this product, with some people raving about how much they love it and others saying it did nothing for them. I would have to say that I sit between the two. This is an alright mascara. It lengthens my lashes slightly but does not hold much of a curl. I find the formula to be very wet and so can get quite messy. It is also the biggest pain to remove. Although it's not waterproof this mascara seems to still be on my lashes when I wake up in the morning, no matter how throughly I try to remove it. Honestly I will not repurchase this mascara, although it is good, it isn't really a stand out product and I have tried better drugstore products.

MAC Studio Fix Powder

Before this powder I had only ever used drug store powders which were adequate as I don't really have very oily skin. Before this I was using Rimmel stay matte, which worked well but was difficult to carry around with me as it did not have a mirror and the lid would fall off easily. I chose this powder based on the wonderful reviews I had heard on it and for the fact that it was compact and came with a mirror. So far, I have not been disappointed by it. The powder is finely milled and applies to the face evenly without looking cakey. I find that this keeps my face matte all day and does a reasonable job at keeping my foundation in place. I took a risk when purchasing this and actually purchased it from strawberry net in the colour NW20 for $32 as opposed to around $50 in store. Originally I was concerned that the product may have been fake however after comparing it to another persons I have confirmed that it is genuine. Although this is a good product I am unsure as to whether I will rush out and repurchase this again one I have used it all up or whether I will maybe try out something else.

Inglot Nail Polish in 331
Whilst I was waiting at IMATS for my eyeshadow palette this nail polish caught my eye. It is the perfect nude colour that I envisioned I could wear on a day to day basis. I swatched the polish at the stand and found that it was surprisingly opaque. However, when I got the polish home and attempted to use it for the first time I was incredibly disappointed. Although the polish is opaque it is ridiculously streaky meaning I could not get a decent application. I will try again using various base coats to see if I can get an application and will do an updated post if I succeed. I am very disappointed with this product considering it cost me $12 with the 30% discount and will not purchase another Inglot nail polish unless I can make this one work.