January 30, 2013

The New Illamasqua Collection - I'mperfection

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Illamasqua's new collection called I'mperfection which is released worldwide on 31 January 2013. Regular readers will know how much I love the brand, so it was exciting to see what new products they were launching this time. As was expected, the collection was just amazing with some key standout items for me.
illamasqua i'm perfection collection


"Within the word imperfection you'll find I'm Perfection; Sometimes the soul of the word is staring you in the face. It is our so called flaws that make us unique. The beauty is in our differences, our imperfection is our beauty."  Alex Box - Creative Director

January 29, 2013

Body after baby - time to take action

Like most women I know my weight has been up and down over the years, but generally the last 5 years or so I've been quite happy with it (even though I probably could have lost a few more kilos). But now almost 7 months after having a baby my weight has been stuck at a number I'm no longer happy with and it's time I take action. But first, a little background about my weight.

History
I have an Armenian background. I'm totally generalising here, but we eat a lot. Bread and cheese is our weakness. As are kebabs, baklavas, and pastries. Did I mention bread and cheese?

At my biggest I was 74kg which was due to a combination of eating fatty ethnic foods cooked by my mum, working in an office environment (which means eating lots and lots of cake to celebrate just about anything) and not exercising much. Ok, not exercising AT ALL.

Then with some moderate excercise (2-3 times a week), healthier eating plus trekking around South America for 3 months I went down to 65kg for my wedding in 2009. I adopted a more healthier approach to cooking and by 2010 I was 62kgs where I stayed until last year when I fell pregnant.

January 28, 2013

5 to Try: Easy updo hairstyles

Since having a baby I've been in a bit of a hair rut. I put my hair up in a bun about 90% of the time because if I wear my hair down my cheeky little 6 month old just grabs and pulls it. Hard. But just putting hair up in a bun is a bit boring, so here are 5 easy updo hairstyles to get me (and you) out of a hair rut!

January Bellabox - first impressions

Beauty sample subscriptions are no longer a new concept. In fact Bellabox itself has been around for 12 months and it seems to be one of the few of its kind to last so far. For those that aren't aware of how these subscription boxes work, for $15 a month you get a box of trial sized beauty products sent to you. They can be cosmetics, skincare or haircare items from well known and cult brands.

I was sent the January Bellabox for review, and here's a look at what's inside. 

January 24, 2013

Covergirl + Olay Pressed Powder review, swatches & photos

I haven't worn Covergirl face makeup in ages. Nothing against the brand itself (in fact I LOVE their Lash Blast mascara!), it's just that their colours all leaned too pink and thus were unsuited to my olive complexion. The last time I wore a Covergirl foundation I was still in high school and wearing their Clean Liquid makeup because that's what everyone else did. I wore it in Ivory. Yes, it was incredibly pale for me. Yes it did look pretty bad actually. And yes, the 16 year old me did think that I looked pretty good.

So needless to say when this Covergirl + Olay pressed powder* arrived in the mail I was a bit hesitant as I did not think the shade would suit me. But I'm very pleased to say not only was the shade (Light/Medium) right, but the formula is incredible.
Wearing Covergirl + Olay pressed powder in #340 Light/Medium

January 22, 2013

Why I hardly wear bright lipsticks anymore

Aahhh bright lipsticks, oh how I love them. But lately they've been gathering dust in my make up case, hardly being worn. Why? Luca! That's right, my 6 month old cheeky little boy sometimes gets too excited and grabby, and puts his little paws all over my face smearing the colour everywhere. Case in point.

Here's me wearing a bright lippy.
Wearing Elizabeth Arden lipstick in Coral Vibrations

January 19, 2013

Benefit They're Real mascara review

I'm normally a drugstore mascara type of girl. Many years ago I used to buy expensive department store mascaras that cost over $45 AUD but frankly none of them gave me the type of volume and separation that I didn't already get from cheaper brands.

The one I'm reviewing today is a department store one. This mini sized They're Real mascara by Benefit was included in my "She's so Jetset"* kit which I reviewed previously HERE.
Mini-sized They're Real mascara by benefit

January 14, 2013

5 to Try: Glitter nail art

This year I'd like to introduce some regular features on Makeup and Macaroons. It will give me more focus when blogging, and it will give you dear readers an idea of what to expect. Today I'm starting off with one of these new regular features which I'll be calling 5 to Try where I'll be showcasing 5 "things" to try, be it a new hairstyle, lipstick or nail art.

Since lately I've been into glittery nails the first of the "5 to Try"s is glitter nail art. It's the easiest way to make your nails sparkle without spending hours perfecting your technique.

January 09, 2013

Mini Lime Crime Haul and Review

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes for yesterday. We had a quiet day at home as the temperature here in Sydney reached 43C (109F) so we just stayed indoors in air conditioning. On Saturday the husband will be taking me out to dinner to a restaurant we've not been to before because they are apparently famous for their seafood platters and I LOVE seafood platters. Nom nom.

Anyway, onto my haul post. Just before Christmas I made a small purchase of Lime Crime goodies from Makeupnet (super speedy delivery!) I bought two nail polishes and a lipstick from Lime Crime.
L/R: Milky Ways, Once In A Blue Mousse, Airborne Unicorn

January 07, 2013

GIVEAWAY: Win an Illamasqua Blush of your choice

Tomorrow is my birthday, and to celebrate I've decided to give one of my readers a brand new Illamasqua blush in their choice of colour (as long as the colour is available at the shops). Illamasqua blushes are my absolute favourite blushes, and in case you missed it HERE is a review of my entire Illamasqua blush collection.



How to enter
To enter simply fill out the form below. You must be a follower of my blog in some way, e.g. GFC, Twitter, Bloglovin', etc. All details are in the form. The giveaway starts 7th January 2013 and closes 20th January 2013. It is open  INTERNATIONALLY. Full terms & conditions are in the form. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

January 06, 2013

My Illamasqua Blush Collection

If I was allowed to use blushes from only one brand for the rest of my life it would have to be from Illamasqua. The quality of their blushes is amazing: great pigmentation, superb blendability (is that even a word?), and an amazing choice of colours. Here is my current collection and I have no doubt I'll be adding more to it. And yes, I do realise I own far more blushes than any one person needs, but seriously, they are so pretty can you blame me?



Powder blushes
The Illamasqua powder blushes are very finely milled and because they are so pigmented only a little bit is needed for a beautiful flushed cheek. They also have a faint vanilla scent to them. Yummm....


Naked Rose - this is my absolute favourite colour. It's a neutral pink colour which I imagine would suit a lot of complexions. It looks a bit boring in the pan but looks amazing on cheeks. HERE is my full review of it.

Lover - this was my first Illamasqua blush, the reason for my love affair with Illamasqua blushes. A beautiful apricot shade that's perfect for summer. Previous review HERE.

Tremble - this is a milky pink colour that leans towards peach a little. I love wearing this during winter when my complexion is paler. Original review HERE.

Hussy - a warm, mid toned pink colour which looks great with a tan. It might be too dark for anyone fairer than NC25, but would look great on anyone with an olive skintone. Original review HERE.

Nymph - a cool, pale milky pink shade. If I'm not wearing Tremble then chances are I'm wearing Nymph when my complexion is paler.  Previous review HERE.



Cream blushes
I'm not normally a fan of cream blushes as they tend to slide off my face, especially in the heat of summer, but the Illamasqua ones are the longest lasting cream blushes that I've ever tried. Their texture is very wet feeling, but when applied they don't feel tacky. They can also be worn on the lips but do tend to dry out so a lip balm prior to applying these is essential.

Laid - this looks scarily bright in pan form (or when heavily swatched), but this raspberry pink shade is surprisingly easy to wear. HERE is the original review and FOTD with it.

Sob - a milky baby pink shade. Think Nymph but in cream format. Previous review HERE.

Rude - a warm coral shade which looks great on tanned or olive skin. HERE is my previous review.


So why am I showing you my Illamasqua blush collection? Because tomorrow I'll be giving one away right here on the blog. That's right, I'll be hosting a quick GIVEAWAY of an Illamasqua blush of your choice, so check back here tomorrow for details on how to enter.

And on that note I also wanted to quickly announce the winner of my L'Oreal BB Cream Giveaway, chosen by random.org -  It's Sue from Voyage Dans Le Temps blog. Congratulations Sue, I've emailed you about it already :)


Have you tried Illamasqua blushes? 
Which one is your favourite?

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...