Beauty Product Reviews

Makeup Geek Goodies – Review

makeup geek enchanted pigment review

I was pretty excited recently when Makeup Geek finally restocked their ‘shelves’ (theoretcial shelves: They are an online store). I’ve been wanting to get their Creme Brulee and Peach Smoothie eyeshadows for a while, but they are constantly sold out: Clearly a sign of serious popularity! They were back in stock recently so I leapt into action, snapping up these along with a few other coveted goodies. I was super pleased I did: They were out of stock again a few days later! (Note, at the time of writing this blog post they were in stock again).

Here’s a quick run down on these two highly sought-after eyeshadows, a Z Palette,  Makeup Geek’s Enchanted loose pigment, as well as a couple of eyeshadow brushes that I got at the same time.

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Neutrogena Pore Refining Cleanser – Review

neutrogena-pore-refining-daily-cleanserBeing the owner of seriously large skin pores (aka mini moon craters) Neutrogena’s new range of product claiming to shrink and refine the look of pores had me both curious and hopeful. There’s a cleanser, toner and exfoliating cleanser in the range and I thought I’d give the cleanser a whirl. So, off I went to my local New World and added one to my trolley for the lovely affordable sum of NZ$13. (more…)

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Signature Facelift at Simply Indulgent

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Before and after (cringe)

Simply Indulgent, a new beauty therapy business opened recently in Taradale, my local shopping paradise. I was super excited when I was contacted by Fiona, Simply Indulgent’s owner with the offer of a complimentary ‘Signature Facelift’ treatment so I could go and experience what she had to offer. Needless to say, I was “off like Mum’s undies”, or so the saying goes.

Before I get down to business, here’s a bit of an assurance – as well as a bit of a spoiler: I was so happy with the treatment that I’ve booked in for a follow-up that I’m happily paying for myself. I felt it was important to get that out of the way before you think about to wax lyrical about a complementary treatment because, well, I would like to receive more of them. I’d never do that. If I like something, I’ll yell from the rooftops. If I don’t, if it just didn’t work for me, well, you’ll hear about that too in the form of something like this blog post.

So, with those assurances out of the way, here’s a whistle-stop tour of what I had done and what I rated about it!

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Spotlight on: L’Oreal Shocking Extensions Telescopic Mascara (waterproof)

Loreal Telescopic Mascara Review RT
Before and after. I applied three coats of mascara (what can I say, I like a little drama)

It’s no secret that a) I rarely leave the house sans eyelashes and brows and, b) Maybelline’s The Falsies is my No1 mascara. I love The Falsies because it’s inexpensive (well, as cheap as makeup ever is in NZ) and it gives me eyelashes that are so dramatic I’m often asked if I have eyelash extensions.  So, it is extraordinarily rare that I will stray and buy a different brand. On a whim, I bought L’oreal’s Shocking Extensions Telescopic  Waterproof Mascara and the short version of the story is: This product is a CRACKER and I reckon it’s nearly as good as The Falsies. Check out the before and after photo. Result! (more…)

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Shampoo and Conditioners: Supermarket vs Salon – A pricey experiment!

Scharzkoph's offering left, Dove in the centre, my beloved L'oreal Vitamino on the right.
Scharzkoph’s offering left, Dove in the centre, my beloved L’oreal Vitamino on the right.

Ordinarily, I’m a hair snob and I nearly always buy salon shampoo and conditioner. However, every now and then I get sucked in by a snazzy looking marketing campaign, or unexpected bills roll in and my beloved L’oreal Vitamino is temporarily out of my price range. In this situation, Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to New World I go.

In the past few months I’ve tried two supermarket shampoos and conditioners: Dove’s Colour Radiance Range and, more recently, I road tested Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Diamond Color range following an awesome PR and marketing campaign. Marketing campaigns can be incredibly powerful in influencing the consumer to purchase a particular product – using an SEO agency, like Victorious, could help businesses further their online presence especially when it comes to how they rank on search engine results. How did I go? Let’s just say one range came up trumps and is a definite repurchase, the other one had me muttering vile swear words as I tried to untangle newly formed dreadlocks that left me looking like Worzel Gummidge. (more…)

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Art Deco Makeup – Hit or Miss?

Art Deco makeup review nz

Have you heard of German cosmetics brand Art Deco? I’m not surprised if you haven’t, this has to be one of the most underrated makeup brands outside of Europe! So please, let me enlighten you: Art Deco is the cosmetics market leader in Germany and a best seller in Europe. Having lived in Germany and other parts of Europe, Art Deco is a brand I loved and used a lot of ‘back in the day’.  So, as you can imagine, I was jumping for joy when Farmers announced they’d be stocking Art Deco at some stores in NZ last year. Their range is comprehensive, there’s a mineral makeup collection, foundations, eyeliners, blush… Look, you name it, they’ve got it. My favourites are the colourful array of sixty-something eyeshadows which you can purchase individually, or make up your own little cosmetics palette: Blinkin’ genius.

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Vaseline Spray on Moisturiser – Does it deliver?

vaseline spray moisturiser reviewAfter Nivea’s In Shower Moisturiser, you know, the one that I reviewed that I wasn’t backwards about coming forwards on (it was rubbish), I had low hopes for Vaseline’s newest offering in the moisturising Convenience Department: Vaseline Intensive Care Spray on Moisturiser.

I’m lazy when it comes to moisturising. I like a super hydrating product but I don’t have the time (nor inclination) to spend much time rubbing it in. Which is why I gave this a go. Spray it all over your body, holding the can 10cm from your skin.  After spritzing, you quickly rub it in – good to go.  A bit like Neutrogena’s spray on sunblock, if you’ve given that a bash.  In a nutshell, this is moisturiser-spray-and-go. (more…)

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Bummed Out: Five Beauty Products I regret buying

imageI buy a lot of beauty products. Mostly I do a lot of research before I buy so I don’t cock up with my beauty purchases too often. But I do, sometimes… And it really bums me out to waste money! Here’s five items I’ve bought that didn’t live up to my expectations – that I now chalk this up to experience! (I don’t like using the word regret…) (more…)

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