Colour Theory Review*

Recently I was lucky enough to be sent to try out some of the new Colour Theory range that is sold at Amcal and Guardian Pharmacies.

They range from 4 different price points of $4, $6, $8 and $10. 

This is going to be quite a long review/post so be warned.

Eyeshadow in See Princess

When I first saw this eyeshadow, it had the most beautiful eyeshadow colours I've ever seen.

The royal blue colour at the bottom just spoke out to me. 

I was also shocked to see a drugstore eyeshadow quad that contained a small brush that looked perfect to use to put eyeshadow on the lashline or the inner corners but also the typical sponge applicator.

I find that the colour theory packaging consists of a thick transparent casing which is surprisingly strong. It did take awhile for me to get used to opening the eye shadow with some force, but after awhile it is quick to open.

They each dont have a name but for swatching purposes I'll be labelling them 1-5

Starting for the top left and clockwise to the middle colour. It contains a frosty mint green shade (1) , grey (2) , gorgeous royal blue (3) , dark purple-blue (4) and a deep purple shade (5) all being a shimmery shade.

The grey shade does look more matte on the lid though but has a hint of shimmer that isnt detectable unless you look up close.

Eyeliner: Colour Theory Eyeliner [[no primer]]

I applied 2 to the inner corners, 1 to the inner third of the lids and on top of 2, 3 to the outer 2 thirds of the lids and up to the crease, 5 to the outer V of my eyes and 4 to the bottom lash line.

L-R: 1,2,3

L-R: 4,5

L-R: 1,2,3,4,5

I find that shade 1 was the most pigmented out of all the colours, it came out as a silver eyeshadow which I do use on the inner corners. The other shades come out more pigmented after a bit of layering but once you get that perfect colour it is surprisingly pigmented.

It feels almost buttery to apply and blends like a charm which is what I love most about these eyeshadows.

I do have very oily lids so they don't last long on me and do crease without a primer like most eyeahdows but with a good primer you wont be disappointed with the pigmentation and lasting power especially for $10.

Black Liquid Eyeliner

I was most excited to try this one out since I am a eyeliner fanatic, it retails for $6 and is a felt tip.

I personally have a hard time with eyeliners in felt tip pen form since they do smudge on me and my very first experience with felt tip pen liners (Sportsgirl) was horrible and ever since then I just avoid purchasing them, although that was 4 years ago... 

The felt nip is actually smaller than I expected but it does help those people who just started using eyeliner for the first time. It allows you to do smaller strokes and you can easily do a defined wing if you want to try a cat eye look.

The eyeliner dries super fast and is matte, it's also really quick and easy to use.

CT Eyeshadow 1 in the inner corner || CT eyeliner [[no primer]]

5 hours later

I did use this eyeliner without a primer to school and sadly it did not last and did smudge and fade at the end. Was disappointing since it did claim to be smudge proof, even working for 3 hours it still smudged a teeny bit. But I did want to see how long it lasted without a primer and assuming with a primer on, it probably wont budge at all. 

Bronzer in Natural Glow

I actually thought this was a blush rather than a bronzer since the colour looks more of a pink toned brown which I have never tried before but dont be fooled with first looks since this bronzer isnt as pigmented as you think.

Even swatching with a finger it just does not come up as much, but this is the lightest shade of bronzer out of the 3 they have, it isnt the perfect shade for bronzing nor contouring but it is perfect for a very subtle tan on the face, I love using this product below my cheek bones when my face looks pale since it gives me a very natural glow (like the name suggests!). I actually have no idea whether it even lasts on my face since you just cant notice it at the end of the day.

The only con I have about this bronzer is how hard it is for my brush to pick up the product, you need a very dense brush to pick up the product, I use a fluffier brush which doesnt pick up any product until you swirl the brush half a dozen times.

This retails for $8.

Lipstick in Flirt Alert & Baarbie Girl || Lipgloss in Fairy Floss

(I have a slight confession, I have only ever used lipgloss once in my life way back when I was 11. So you can probably not trust me on my first impression of this lipgloss!)

Retailing for $6 on lipsticks and $8 for the lipglosses I think the lipsticks are a bargain to get. I would compare these to the Savvy lipsticks on the quality and the price range. I find that they dont have a wide range in colours on the Savvy lipsticks but the CT lipsticks comes in 16 different shades so you can definitely find your perfect shade. The lipgloss however comes in 8 shades.

 Flirt Alert is a matte coral red shade, Baarbie Girl is a purple pink shade and Fairy Floss is a light pink gloss but just shows clear on my lips (hence no swatch).

I find that the scent of these lipsticks smell very similar to the MAC lipsticks which I do love!

But I do wish they had a label on the lipsticks that said whether they're matter, creamy or shimmery since I had no idea that Flirt Alert was a matte red lipstick.

Flirt Alert does cling to the dry area on my lips but Baarbie Girl is just so creamy and moisturising that you cant really tell.

As for the lipgloss, it feels and looks so much like the lanolips lip ointment texture wise, it isnt sticky but feels thick.

I did try this gloss on top of flirt alert and I really do love the combo, it makes my lips feel moisturized and isnt highly glossy (really dont like that look), it just turns the look of a matte lippie into a creamy lippie. 

I absolutely love applying a light layer of Flirt Alert on my lips, it makes my lips redder but isnt overly red. As for Baarbie Girl I'm just not used to wearing purple pink lip shades...yet (may change in the future). Flirt Alert lasts around 3 hours with eating and drinking and just fades which I prefer over the dreaded lipliner look (what MAC Russian Red does).

Nail Polishes in Mocha Mauve, Flamingo, Tangerine Dream and Cherry on Top

I've actually been on a ban from painting my nails for awhile now since my nails were pretty much breaking in layers but after a few weeks I've grown them out to get rid of the broken layers! So it was the perfect timing to paint my nails again. (oh the great feeling)

I do own nail polish colours similar to these besides Tangerine Dream since they are my most used colours to paint my nails with.

My favourite out of all the colours is Mocha Mauve, it's a taupe colour that leans on the purple side which is quite different to the taupe polishes I've seen before.

Flamingo is a bright pink colour which I do see everywhere. 

Tangerine dream is a deep orange colour.

Cherry on Top is a raspberry colour that leans on the red side.

All with 2 coats besides Cherry on Top which I used 1 coat.

These polishes are opaque with just 1 coat if you get the right thickness  but usually do the job well with 2 coats. And retailing for $4 each, they would be highly compared with the Ulta3 nail polishes and MUD polishes sold at Safeway.

They do chip after 2 days but they only just chip on the tips instead of massive chunks which I like, so you can get away with wearing the chipped polish until it starts chipping around the sides!

They do sell a huge range of other colours which I really do want to go and check out.

For the price points of the Colour Theory range, I do recommend you go check out their products, especially the eyeshadows! 

*These products were sent to me to review, but that does not change my view on the products*

Loreal Elvive Re-Nutrition Nourishing Conditioner

Loreal has been one of those brands that I have never reached out to when it comes to hair products, I usually go for Head and Shoulders or Pantene when I buy my shampoo and conditioners but since I was on a budget, I went to go find a conditioner that was on sale. 

I purchased this at Coles for around $4 on sale, choosing the conditioner for dry hair. (I have oily roots but dryish ends)

The packaging of this product is my favourite so far! I know most brands out there are starting to make shampoos and conditioners faced upside down to make the product flow more easily, this was still the same type of packing but I felt like the product and the packaging mixed so well together, like some conditioners I use just flow out automatically straight after I open the lid but this one doesnt until you squeeze it out yourself. So you get the perfect amount you want every time.

"From the 1st application, hair is transformed: soft, shiny and smooth."

I can say that I didnt believe this since most of the times I use a new conditoner, I notice a difference after days of constant use. But with the first time I tried this conditioner on my hair it did feel different compared with other conditioners but it wasnt like "oh my gosh, this is amazing!"  

I personally wash my hair every single day (yes I know its bad) but this conditioner lasted around 3-4 weeks of everyday use and that was faster than I expected. For 250 ml worth of conditioner it does seem like it would last awhile, I had to use 1-2 tablespoons worth of this conditioner since I love coating my ends until it becomes untangled, smooth and slippery but this product felt like you were putting a cream onto your hair, it just melted on and did not feel slippery like most conditoners, which was probably why I used a big amount than usual.

What's special about this conditioner is that it contains Royal Jelly and Omega 6 but also the scent lingered on for the next day until I washed my hair again, the smell is absolutely amazing, it's a lot like honey and a hint of vanilla, I could not stop smelling my hair.

Also my hair did air dry quicker than usual from using this, which is what I did like.

But for the ends of my hair, it's still that same as usual, not a massive difference from when I didnt use it. 

I wouldnt repurchase this since it didnt do much of a job with my ends besides making it smell nice. But if you have short hair, normal ends and love the smell of honey you could go check this out!

Essence Eyeshadow in 55 Shrimp Me Up

Obviously most people in the Australian beauty community know about the brand Essence. Known for the cheap pricetag and some of their amazing products but also not so good products. 

I have tried their eyeliners (pencil and gel) and I was not a fan of them but I am a big fan of their eyeshadows and this eyeshadow has not disappointed me.

I purchased this at Priceline last year (around September) for $2.85 when they were getting rid of most their stock so most of the products on the Essence shelf was 50% off and more. 

I was actually hesitant to purchase this shade because it was a shimmer eyeshadow and I'm a "matte" type of girl, but I needed a pink eyeshadow to go with my formal dress and the price for the eyeshadow was probably the main reason why I bought it. I was surprised no one swatched this eyeshadow since most of the Essence products are usually either dirty, opened or swatched and if you're lucky, unopened. 

The packaging of the Essence eyeshadows come in a transparent plastic case with a flip lid. It just looks cheap but it's what you get for the price but the packaging is a lot more sturdy than you think, it does take some strong nails to open it up.

Also I'm guessing the size is similar to the MAC eyeshadows, it does look massive.

The metal case the eyeshadow is depotted in is magnetic so you can depot it into a separate eyeshadow palette. (All of the essence shadows have a magnetic base!) 

With flash

L-R: Artificial lighting, with flash

The eyeshadow seems like a pinky peach colour but when you swatch it, it comes out as a frosty dusty pink colur with really small glitter particles. 

It does take some layering over the lids until the colour becomes pigmented, but I find that if you use a light base at first (I use the NYX jumbo eye pencil in Milk), the colour becomes a lot more pigmented.

But what I love about this eyeshadow is how smooth it is to apply, it also blends like a charm. 

L: Essence eyeshadow over the crease, lids and bottom lashline R: No eyeshadow

Sadly since I do have very oily lids, it does crease on me without a primer (like all eyeshadows). 

I did pair the eyeshadow up with my Too Faced Shadow Insurance when I had my year 10 formal. And with 5+ hours of dancing and sweating, it lasted the entire day without creasing.

I wouldnt use this eyeshadow just by itself since the colour can make it seem like you have a rash or that you've been crying the night before. But I do like pairing this with a brown eyeshadow

 in the crease.

I am tempted to try out the other Essence shadows but I have too much eyeshadows that I would never get to the chance of using it.

Have you tried the Essence Single Shadows?

Kiehl's Lip Balm

While freaking out at Sasa during my Macau trip back in October, I impulsively put random products into my basket if they were a brand or asian product I've always wanted to try. 

The Kiehls Lip Balm was one of them.

Costed me 80 patacas (around $11 AUD).

I was actually having a hard time choosing whether to buy it or not, I mean $11 for a lip balm?! I couldve bought around 3 EOS lipbalms instead of this! 

Though the brand Kiehls I've always wanted to try, so I forced myself to try it out.

I've never seen a lipbalm that contains SPF 4 and with a quick internet research I found that SPF 4 blocks 75% of UVB rays! But not as much as some other lipbalms with SPF 20+, better than nothing though

The product is stored in a plastic white tube and disperses out from a flat hole, exactly like the Lucas Papaw Ointment.

I've used quite a lot of lipbalms in the past and this product was just an average product for me. It did a decent job at moisturizing, a little goes a long way and last on the lips for around 30 mins before it soaks in your lips. The product itself isnt liquidly but not gel-like, it melts onto your lips once it meets your lips, a bit like the Natures Care Paw Paw lip balm.

For $11 I wouldn't repurchase this, there are many lipbalms in the market that do a better job at moisturizing.

Saving Space with Z Palette

Unlike many other beauty bloggers and youtubers, I'm not blessed with a nice vanity or a makeup station area in the corner of the room. I'm just stuck with all of my makeup, skincare and perfume bottles all in the one desk along with other school junk and whatever stuff you put on the desk. So I do have limited space.

I remember hearing about the Z-Palette during the time I first started getting into makeup (I didnt have much makeup then) and being one of those "eyeliner only" type of girls I had no use to get one of them. As time went on and eyeshadows stacked up I knew it was time to get one of the Z Palettes.

I bought my Z Palette on The Makeup Box Shop for $21 and free shipping! And I cannot tell you the time it took to find the cheapest large z palette to buy from Australia. I recommend buying it from their website, cheapest one I found and... it accepts bank deposit! Though their service isnt that good since they didn't tell me when they got my payment or when they sent it so I thought they never received my payment. (I think it took around 2 weeks to get to me)

 The packaging for the Z Palette is actually really nice. They're very sturdy and the lid closes with that soothing noise of hearing a magnetic lid close together (like the naked palettes). It also comes in a range of other designs but I you'll have to get them on another website since The Makeup Box Shop doesnt supply the other designs. It fits about 28 MAC sized eyeshadows but you can put your powders, blush, bronzers or any product that has a tin base. 

They sell the dome palette which is like the Z Palette but with a deeper base so you can fit domed blushes and bronzers and also your makeup brushes, which I wish I couldve gotten since it's perfect for travelling.

When you buy the Z Palette it comes with 20 of their round metal stickers so for those eyeshadows that dont have a magnetic base, you can just stick one of those stickers at the bottom so it can magnetise to the palette.

Compared with the Beauty Style compact, the packaging is a whole lot better!

All of the Essence eyeshadows have a magnetic base just so you know!

I've saved so much space just from depotting all my single and quad eyeshadows into the one palette. It's definitely one of the things you should purchase if you need space in your makeup collection, also very handy if you put your everyday eyeshadows, powder, bronzers etc into that palette!