NARS x Sarah Moon 'Isadora' Blush Review

If you haven't witnessed the insane hype around NARS products - in particular, their blushers along with the famous 'Laguna Bronzer' - then hello, welcome to the world of beauty blogging, it's nice to meet you!

NARS blushers are frequently referred to as some of the best blushers on the market, but at the hefty price of $44 per a single blush (and they're not huge or anything, either!), it's taken me quite some time to actually splurge on one of these cult classics. What finally convinced me was a combination of having leftover spending money from my trip to Europe at hand, and this particular blush shade being limited edition as part of the NARS x Sarah Moon Holiday Collection.

Isadora is a medium, warm and rosy plum shade with a frosted finish. This is honestly such a gorgeous shade, and perfect for mid-autumn right through winter. It's extremely pigmented - I honestly think this is going to last me for years because you really only need the smallest amount to cover both cheeks. Unfortunately, I learnt that the hard way the first time I tested it out - I'm sure you can imagine some hilarious images of me with a strong, dark pink splotch on my left cheek. *cringe*

I'd definitely suggest being very light-handed with this one, and tapping off the excess. While it's taken some getting used to, I do appreciate the insane pigmentation of this blush.

Once it's on your cheeks, it stays there. This blush lasts all day with little-to-no fading, which I'm certainly pleased about. The colour is super gorgeous, and the interesting mixture of plum colouring (which usually leans cool) with a warm undertone to it is lovely for those of you who, like me, seem to bounce between skin tones.

What do you think of NARS blushers - love them, or hate them? Did you pick up anything from the NARS x Sarah Moon Collection?

Have a lovely day!

x Chontelle

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in 'Patina' | Review

I've had the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick's on my beauty wishlist for several months now, but I'd been holding off on actually purchasing any because I was hoping for the extremely popular Baci or Caramello. However, a couple of weeks ago I had a bit of spare money to spend and decided 'why not?', picking up my third choice from Mecca on a whim - Patina!

Honestly, the main reason this wasn't in my top two was only because I was worried it would pull too dark on me, like most lipsticks do. However, it didn't and I'm honestly so glad now that I've bought it! Patina is a gorgeous, deep and dusty pink with mauve undertones on me. It leans neutral to cool, which is perfect for my cooler skin tone and pink undertones. However, I really feel like this colour would suit most skin tones, pulling differently to compliment everyone - I have a friend with completely different colouring than me who looks just as good with Patina on, albeit pretty different!

I love the long wear on this lipstick too, it lasts for hours (though I wouldn't necessarily say it 'stays all day')! I wore it to the hairdressers recently, where I had two coffees (cappuccino's with all that foam and chocolate powder so I had to wipe my mouth a bit too) and a biscuit, as well as some water. It stayed on almost perfectly through all of that, which I was amazed (and very pleased) with! It only came off later in the evening when mum and I had an early dinner of steak and chips and Hog's Breath, which was understandable because of the oil and the messy nature of the meal! Still, it lasted a good 6 or so hours and probably could have done longer without that meal!

The applicator is also a plus, it picks up a good amount of product and glides effortlessly across the lips. It's just pointed enough that it is easy to fix up the edges of the lips for a smooth line. Honestly, I am so happy with this product and after trying so many awful liquid lipsticks, I'm glad to have found one that I'm more than happy to use - at last!

Have you tried any of the Stila Stay All Day liquid lipsticks? What are your thoughts? Leave me a comment down below, I'd love to hear your opinion!

x Chontelle

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette | Review + Swatches

I finally own the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette! At last, it's mine!

As one of the most hyped, cult-status eyeshadow palettes in existence, and something found in just about every girl (and guy's) beauty collection, I certainly took my sweet time in picking up this beauty! I'll be honest, I tried very hard to ignore the hype, thinking nothing could beat my trusty UD Naked palette. Ha, was I wrong!

If the delicious, chocolatey scent that hit me when I opened the palette wasn't enough to make me fall in love, then the smooth and buttery texture of the shadows and the way they blended so easily when applied certainly sealed the deal!

The Chocolate Bar comes in a sturdy tin case that keeps the product safe, making it a great choice to bring along with you when you travel. I've got the 'new and improved' packaging, which is slimmer than the original and also has the shade names printed above each shade - which is a huge step up from the old plastic sleeve that everyone seemed to lose and really just dislike.

This palette has a versatile range of neutral, cool and warm toned shades that'll suit just about (if not) any skin tone/eye colour combination. There are 16 shades in total (6 matte, 10 shimmer) ranging from golds to browns, pinky/highlight shades, and even some 'stand-out' shades such as 'Cherry Cola' and 'Candied Violet' that add a nice albeit suttle touch of colour to any look.

Shades pictured (left to right) - Triple Fudge, Black Forest Truffle, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, Gilded Ganache.

Shades pictures (left to right) - Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Semi-Sweet, Strawberry Bon Bon, Candied Violet, Amaretto.

Shades pictured (left to right) - Champagne Truffle, Cherry Cola, Haute Chocolate, Crème Brulee, Hazelnut.

As I mentioned before, these shadows are buttery and smooth and blend like a dream! For the most part, they're very pigmented (unfortunately 'Strawberry Bon Bon' and 'Candied Violet' are lacking in this department), so you only need to tap lightly to pick up a fair bit of product on your brush.

At only $72 from Mecca Maxima here in Australia, this palette is great value for money and you won't be disappointed!

My favourite shades in this palette, and the ones I see myself using the most are; Marzipan, Hazelnut, Semi-Sweet, Milk Chocolate and Amaretto! But let's be honest, they're all gorgeous!

I'm extremely happy I finally jumped on the Too Faced Chocolate Bar bandwagon, and now I'm excited to try even more of the brands products - I've got my eye on the Cocoa Contour Palette and the Melted Chocolate Honey liquid lipstick, for starters!

Do you own the Chocolate Bar palette? What do you think of this palette?

x Chontelle

BEAUTY | Too Faced 'Sweet Peach' Palette Sneak Peak!

Today I found out about something that will finally convince me to purchase my first Too Faced palette - the first sneak peek of the Sweet Peach palette from the brand's upcoming Summer 2016 (aka.Aussie Winter 2016) collection!

As the name so clearly suggests, this palette is all about the peachy hues, full of beautiful warm toned shadows that are perfect for any Summer/Fall look (or just year-round really, depending on how much you like peachy colours)! Now for me, this is the perfect palette - I love love LOVE peach tones and I've yet to find a palette that actually embraces and provides such a gorgeous range of peachiness, well until now that is!

Picture Credit: @trendmood1 on Instagram

Now, I totally appreciate the quality, pigmentation, variety etc etc of the current Too Faced palettes, not just the Chocolate Bar palettes but the natural eyes, budoir, cat eyes - all of them are lovely, great quality palettes. But I'm not a fan of 'too crazy' colours (if you haven't already noticed, I'm a neutrals kinda gal), and both of the Chocolate Bar palettes really don't offer the hugest range of new shades after my original Naked 1 palette so despite loving the palettes, with my student & casual employee budget I really cannot justify such similar palettes (at least not at $70-$81 each).

So this gorgeous palette has me SUPER excited, because I've always wanted to own some of the amazing Too Faced eyeshadows, and this here is not only a palette I can totally and completely justify, but one I could honestly see becoming my favourite! I'm especially lusting over 'Just Peachy', 'Candied Peach', and 'Bell-something (I can't make it out)'!

Oh, and did I mention that it's supposedly going to be infused with real peach essence and smells like peahces!?! YES PLEASE!

Picture Credit: @trendmood1 on Instagram

And here's a photo that shows the packaging - seriously, how cute is it? I love the ombre look going on, gorgeous peachy colours, and as with the previous palettes the palette is in a sturdy, slim tin palette. 

I seriously cannot wait for this palette to be released, and hopefully it won't take too long for it to be released here in little ole' Australia after the US. Who knows, it may even be released in time for my 20th Birthday at the end of July?! ;)

What do you think of this new palette, are you as excited as I am? Will you be picking this one up? Let me know in the comments below!

xx Chontelle Louise