COLLECTIVE BEAUTY HAUL

L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray | Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoo in Bad To The Bronze | Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk | Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish in Topaz

From The Drugstore

First thing which was an ESSENTIAL was the L'Oreal Elnett Satin hairspray. I have been living without hairspray for the past 4 months (I don't know how I survived), and the Elnett proved hard to find in Hong Kong. I finally managed to get hold of it in Mannings and couldn't be happier. The one I got was for color treated hair, has extra strong hold and UV filter.

I then picked up 2 Maybelline 24Hour Color Tattoos, simply because I love them and wanted more wearable colors in my collection.

Lastly, the Revlon Chroma Chameleon Nail Polish  was something I was curious to try out, hence the purchase. All the other colors were sold out and I was left with this choice, but it has grown on me since I first applied it.

From M.A.C

On my lips: MAC Ravishing

Eyeshadow in Naked Lunch | Eyeshadow in Mythology | Eyeshadow in Sketch

Blush in Modern Mandarin | MAC Large Angled Contour Brush 168 | Fluidline Gel Liner in Blacktrack | Cremesheen Lipstick in Ravishing 

I was kindly gifted a coupon to spend at MAC and ended up getting carried away. 3 eyeshadows I picked up were gorgeous satin iridescent neutrals, and an aubergine color for the crease. Since I was recently addicted to orange everything, I tried out the Modern Mandarin blush which brightens up my complexion. Ravishing is the perfect orange peach color, perfect for those who are not yet ready to step towards orange-orange. 

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS - BABYLISS MIRACURL/PERFECT CURL

There's nothing worse than burning yourself whilst trying to achieve the perfect curl. So when this revolutionary product came out, I knew I had to try it out. 

The Babyliss MiraCurl (alos known as the Perfect  Curl in the UK or the Conair Hair Secret in the US), came in a simple cardboard box. Nicely packaged, simple single instructions manual and well protected in its case.

This strange-looking contraption looks difficult to use at first sight. With various settings, it is by no means similar to the usual curling iron. It is also on the heavier side, which makes it slightly tiring for those with a lot of hair as it will take longer to go through the entire head. 

A red light flashes indicating that the tool is heating up, and when it stops flashes it indicates that it is fully heated up and ready to use. 

Settings include:

Heat:

Up to 230 degrees celsius, the MiraCurl provides 3 different heat settings allowing you to achieve various curls from tight, bouncy ones to loose, beachy waves.

Timer:

One of the things I love about this hair tool is the timer, beeping each second (from a selection of 8, 10 and 12 seconds) and with one last beep to notify you that the hair can be released from the tool.

Curling Direction:

Right, left and auto selections, allowing you to choose which direction you'd like your hair curled in. Simple and easy to manoeuvre. 

The Finished Look:

I'm more of a 'beachy, loose, girly' waves person. So I used the lowest heat setting and curled my hair mainly in the direction depending on which side the hair is on (e.g. for hair on the right side, I curled it with the R setting). After a thorough brush through, the curls appeared to be looser and with a finishing touch of hairspray, the curls stayed in place until the very next day. 

Usage:

Very easy, except my arm got pretty tired by the time I go to the last several sections. My worry was that my hair would get caught, however when I inserted tangled hair into the chamber, the tool was clever enough to indicate that I should release the grip and curl the section again. 

The Verdict?

Advantages:

Quick, easy to use, great selection of settings, safe to use and less probability of burning yourself. 

Great design.

Curls stay in place for a long period of time. 

Variety of uses to achieve various curls. 

Disadvantages:

Expensive, heavy, needed time getting used to. 

All in all, I did not regret spending my money on this one! It's definitely a multifunctional tool and will most likely last you ages. I just love how it does the job for you. All you have to do is take a strand of hair, insert it in the chamber and watch the magic happen! Definitely a gem for someone like me who's very low maintenance! 

I hope you found this First Impression review useful! 

I will be doing a more thorough review on my YouTube channel soon, so please make sure you are subscribed so you don't miss it! 

Have you tried the MiraCurl? I'd love to know what you think! 

If not, do you think you will be investing in one?

Bethni x

BRONZE IT UP - BATTLE OF THE BRONZERS

MAC Equilibrium | Soap & Glory Solar Powder | Diorskin Nude Tan Bronzer in 001 Aurora 

Sleek Glo Face & Body Highlighter in Bronze Baby | Bourjois Delice de Poudre | Hourglass Illume Bronze Light

I don't know about you, but I love collecting bronzers (and all cheek products in general). Without it, I'm as pale as a ghost, so these little helpers subtly warm up my skin tone and just adds a bit more life to my complexion. 

My favorite out of the bunch is the Hourglass Illume which I have grown to love with its long lasting, cream to powder finish and the Diorskin Nude Tan Bronzer (can't fault Dior... ever). 

My least favorite out of the picks is the Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer which I still to this day, do not understand why it is so hyped about? It's a little too orange for my liking, and does not particularly impress me. The Sleek Glo, although labeled as a highlighter, acts for me as a very shimmery bronzer. It confuses me a little by what it does, and I barely reach for it. 

Do you have a favorite bronzer?

REVIEW: EMMA HARDIE AMAZING FACE MORINGA CLEANSING BALM

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm  £34.00 I don't think I need to explain this purchase of mine from a few months back. This cleansing balm has taken the beauty blogging world by storm and has been hyped by most if not all, of my favorite skincare and beauty bloggers including Caroline Hirons and EssieButton to name a few. After having finally used up my first jar, I decided it was time to review this beautiful essential (needless to say, it's going to be a positive one). 

NAILS : A WARM WELCOME TO FALL

I don't know about you but I am getting to the point where I'm abandoning my bright, summer nail polishes and opting for darker, 'non-bright' colors. Despite the fact that the HK weather is not anywhere near 'Fall' temperature, I don't find it odd that I'm pairing burgundy wine colors with my bright Summer attire. Nope, not odd at all.

I love Butter London nail polishes - everything is perfect when it comes to color, formula and long-lastingness. The color I'm sporting day is 'Dahling', a beautiful dusty dark red color with that elegant glossiness. Can't fault this brand, nor this color - especially for fall!

HAIR, BEAUTY & SKINCARE HAUL | Lane Crawford, MAC and Armani

It's no surprise that when you're at the shops, picking up some beauty "essentials", it's easy to get distracted by all the other makeup and skincare items nearby. I present to you my latest collective haul - where I definitely got side-tracked. I must admit though, I was pretty good in being focused on getting what I needed - I just picked up some extra bits out of pure curiosity!

TOP 5 BLUSHES | SHIMMERS & MATTES

So since I haven't done a Top 5 in a while, I thought I'd share with you my recent favorite blushes! These are the blushes I tend to reach for, and I love how there's a mixture of shimmers and mattes, plus I threw in an orangey tone in there too! Enjoy!

From left to right:

Benefit 'Dandelion', Rock & Republic 'Spank', MAC 'Legendary', Dior Poudre Shimmer 'Rose Diamond' and Sleek 'Rose Gold'

The Matte Pinks

It's such a shame that the Rock & Republic blush is discontinued. I'm very thankful that it is so pigmented that I don't need a huge amount on my brush to sweep on my cheeks, as I constantly use this blush and it has not even touched pan! Such a pleasant miracle!

Benefit 'Dandelion' is a great 'dupe', as the shade and finish is extremely similar, so if you want to get your hands on the Rock & Republic one but can't, I highly recommend Benefit Dandelion. Both have such a beautiful dusty pink color that's great for all skin tones.

The Shimmer Roses

What can I say? I love my Dior 'Rose Diamond' so much that it has been featured in so many of my blog posts and videos! It's just such a finely milled, velvety texture, not to mention the gorgeous Cannage Weave embossed on the blush. The colors can be swirled together for the beautiful rose gold finish, or can be used individually. 

The Sleek Rose Gold is definitely one of my all time favorites. I took it on holiday with me and it gives the most beautiful iridescent glow with its shimmer. As all Sleek products go, the blush comes highly pigmented and at a great price!

The Orange

MAC 'Legendary' is a very subtle peach color. It's one of those everyday blushes that just helps put the entire makeup look together for a refined and polished (but not overdone) look. 

With a gorgeous satin finish, this blush will effortlessly light up your face!

I'm always on the lookout for new blushes to try out - let me know what's your favorite blush!