✧ Online Haul: ColourPop Cosmetics ✧

Happy Monday errbadeh! It's already the middle of November and we only have a month and a half left till we're all greeted by 2017. Crazy how quickly time flies huh? I feel that I always say that in every blogpost haha. But that's only because it's true.

In August, I posted my first online haul on ColourPop Cosmetics since they had only launched their worldwide shipping on the 12th of July. Back in September, they then had FREE international shipping promotion if your purchases are above USD50 (and it's going to be free until the end of this year! YAY!) and shipping fee is USD9.99 for purchases below USD50.

This time around I ordered an eyeshadow quad, a highlighter and six lip products. My order was placed on the 22nd of September and I was sent an e-mail with USPS tracking number after five working days. My parcel arrived and was collected on the 20th of October.

Here are some pictures I took!

⇣ The iconic ColourPop box and their greeting card ⇣

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⇣ Lip products ⇣

↬ Calypso (ultra satin) - a medium toned rose shade.

↬ Baracuda (ultra satin) - a deep rosy, mauve shade.

↬ Hutch (ultra satin) - a dark, purplish plum shade.

↬ Lost (ultra satin) - a medium brown shade.

↬ Love Bug (ultra matte) - a burnt orange shade.

↬ Stain (ultra glossy) - a soft burgundy shade with a sheer finish.

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⇣ Zingara Super Shock Shadow Collection ⇣

▶︎ (Top to Bottom)  ◀︎

↬ Seeker - a warm, reddish brown shade in a matte finish.
↬ Paradox - a burgundy red shade in a satin finish.

↬ Elixir - a warm, orange matte shade.
↬ Jinxie - a pearlised champagne gold shade.

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⇣ Highlighter ⇣

↬ Spoon - a light silver, champagne highlight with a lot of sparkle.

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 ☃ A little round up.. ☃

I have always liked ColourPop's eyeshadows because they have a very creamy consistency. I usually apply and pack them on to my eyelids using my fingers first and I then only use a fluffy brush to do all the blending. I feel that ColourPop's eyeshadows apply the best with fingers first. As for their lip products, I gravitate towards ultra satin lips than I do their ultra matte lips. Ultra satin ones feel more comfortable on my lips. Ultra matte lips tend to be more drying so that's where all the lip balms come into good use!

For the look above, I used the Zingara eyeshadow quad to a live orchestra event a few weeks ago, paired with the ultra satin lips in the shade Lost and the highlighter Spoon. 

 ⇣ Me wearing ultra satin lips in the shade Calypso ⇣

⇣ Me wearing ultra satin lips in the shade Baracuda ⇣

⇣ Me wearing ultra matte lips in the shade Love Bug ⇣

I recently made another order from the website and it revolves around their latest collaboration with HELLO KITTY! Soooo excited to receive the parcel but I shall patiently wait, knowing that parcels usually take two to four weeks to arrive to Brunei.

Till then, thank you for reading! I hope this blogpost is helpful in a way or two. Please leave a comment or question down below if you have any! Have a great week ahead of y'allz.

Gladyator signing out.

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✧ Online Haul: Anastasia Beverly Hills ✧

Happy Monday, errbadeh!

The past week has been a tad hectic. I had my graduation last two Saturdays and I'm officially a Masters holder yay *throws confetti*.  To "prepare" myself for the event, I decided to get some stuff from ABH. I saw that they were releasing their new Master Palette by Mario as well as a new liquid lipstick in the shade Allison. So... I went on and did a little damage by purchasing those two products and a liquid lipstick in the shade Veronica. Guilty not guilty!

I already own a few liquid lipsticks  (shades: Kathryn, Dusty Rose, Catnip, Ashton) from ABH from an online haul a few months back. So for this blogpost, I will combine both hauls. Here are some pictures I took!

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↯ What I got! ↯

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↯ Master Palette by Mario eyeshadow palette ↯

▶︎ (L-R) ◀︎

↬ Hollywood - a medium-toned gold shade with a slight shimmer.
↬ NYC - a reddish, bronze shade with a pearly sheen finish.

↬ Kim - a medium-toned brown shade with a tad of orange undertone and has a slight sheen finish.

↬ Muse - a medium-toned copper shade with a metallic sheen finish.
↬ Marina - a slight peachy, medium-toned champagne shade with a metallic finish.

↬ Claudia - a grayish blue metallic shade.

↬ Lula - a muted taupe matte shade. 
↬ Isabel - an orangey, terracotta shade with a matte finish.
↬ Violeta - a darker reddish brown shade with a matte finish.

↬ 5th Ave - a medium gold shade with a metallic finish,
↬ Bronx - a olive green shade with a metallic finish.

↬ Paris - a brownish, bronze shade with a frosted finish.

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↯ Liquid lipsticks↯

▶︎ (Top to bottom) ◀︎

↬ Ashton - a medium-toned brown shade.
↬ Dusty Rose - a muted, purplish pink shade.

↬ Catnip - a medium-toned purplish plum shade.

↬ Kathryn - a red shade with a pink undertone.
↬ Allison - a pinky, brown shade (which I think can pass as a darker version of Dusty Rose!).

↬ Veronica - a muted, plum-ish mauve shade.

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 ☃ A little round up.. ☃

I really, really like the liquid lipsticks. On me, they aren't drying at all and they last a looong time. I once wore Kathryn to Jerudong Park, which included me having really good (and oily) food and still, the lipstick held up until the end of the night with only a tad of feathering on the outer corners of my lips. I've worn all six shades above and I like all of them. Here are some pictures of me using them! (L-R, top to bottom: Ashton, Dusty Rose, Catnip, Allison, Veronica, Kathryn)

 

 

 

As for the Mario eyeshadow palette, the payoff is AMAZING. I used it (in the last two pictures above) when I had rehearsals for my graduation and on the actual day of the event too. My makeup held up the entire day, despite sweating a lot throughout the day.

The eyeshadow palette is USD45 and each liquid lipstick is USD20. The shipping fee to Brunei costs approximately USD18 but the courier is UPS so your parcel is shipped directly to your house. And that only means no queuing up at the post office and getting taxed! That also means, no queuing up at the post office and getting taxed for your parcel (YAY!)!

I personally don't mind paying for the shipping fee because it is really convenient. If it's too hefty, you can always find friends who are interested in ordering so the shipping fee can be divided accordingly.

I hope this blogpost has helped you in a way or two. Please don't hesitate to leave any comments or questions down below if you have any. Thank you for reading and have a great week ahead of you!

Gladyator signin' out.

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✧ Mini haul: Tarte Cosmetics. ✧

Hi errbadeh!

No, this blogpost will not be about another Sephora Favourites set. But instead, it will be about Tarte Cosmetics! You can probably tell by the title of this post already haha. Roughly two and a half months ago, I'd only found out that Tarte (website HERE!) actually ships to Brunei!

Shipping fee to Brunei is approximately USD24 (≈ BND32). However, shipping fee to Brunei is free if you spend above BND169 and that was what I did. If there are certain products that you want from Tarte but their prices do not add up to BND169 and if you're unwilling to pay the BND32 shipping fee for just a few products, you can ask your friends whether or not they are interested in purchasing from Tarte. This way, the entire purchase can add up to BND169 and you are then entitled to free shipping. 

I ordered a few goodies on the 10th of March and the package arrived around a month, which is usually the timeframe for international packages to reach Brunei. I shall list below what I ordered and the price of each item!

↪︎ water foundation (SPF 15) in shade light-medium honey ↝ BND54

↪︎ so fine micro liner in black ↝ BND26

↪︎ tarteist™ creamy matte lip paint in shade tbt ↝ BND22.50

↪︎ tarteist™ lip crayon in shade latergram ↝ BND21 BND

↪︎ double duty beauty™ limited-edition eye & cheek palette  in classic courage ↝ BND41.50

↪︎ double duty beauty™ limited-edition eye & cheek palette in sultry starpower ↝ BND28

So altogether, my order costed BND193, which I think is okay. Reason being, I actually am paying the base amount from the official website itself. Yes, there are a few sellers on IG who sell Tarte too. But why should you pay for their marked up prices when you can get the actual, proper price from the website itself? The sellers may absorb the shipping fee and you need not pay for it, but instead pay for the (sometimes unreasonably) jacked up prices. But you can always gather a few friends to make a single purchase off the website and share the shipping fee, additional bonus if it's free! Certain websites like Tarte offer free shipping if an amount and above is spent, but those websites that do not offer such free shipping, they often offer flat shipping rate, which also can be divided among you and your friends accordingly!

BH Cosmetics is one of cosmetics brands that ships to Brunei. Anastasia Beverly Hills and even Sigma Beauty, too! I tend to see IG sellers mark up their prices by a lot of %. Why not give purchasing yourself a whirl before purchasing from your local IG sellers? You can simply just visit the brands' official websites and try adding certain products to your cart, select Brunei as the destination, see the total amount of entire purchase (including shipping fee) and compare it to what you have to pay when you purchase from a local IG seller. By doing these few clicks and filling in some entries, you may be able to actually save some moolah for future purchases!

Okay, I should probably get back to blogging about my mini haul 🤓. Pictures toime!

⇧ Brown box containing all items ⇧

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⇧ water foundation in shade light-medium honey ⇧

⇧ The applicator is a dropper tool (which reminds me of my Chemistry two-hour long practicals..😶) ⇧

⇧ water foundation ↦ hydrating, light weight ⇧

⇧ SPF 15 sunscreen ⇧

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 ⇧ so fine micro liner in black ⇧

↬ You can get a thin line or a thicker line with this eyeliner!

↬ Thin ↝ Hold the liner where the tip is pointed directly to eyelids.

↬ Thin ↝ Hold the liner where it lays more horizontally to eyelids, rather than having only the tip coming into contact with eyelids.

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⇧ tarteist™ creamy matte lip paint in shade tbt ⇧

⇧ tarteist™ lip crayon in shade latergram ⇧

↬ Both tbt and latergram are mauve, deeper dusty rose shades.

↬ Both are super pigmented and creamy!!

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⇧ double duty beauty™ limited-edition eye & cheek palette ⇧

⤥ classic courage 

⤥ sultry starpower

⇧ classic courage ⇧

✶ May the starlight be your spotlight ✶

Swatches from top to bottom:

↬ stiletto (eyeshadow) ⇉ a matte, black shade.

↬ twilight (eyeshadow) ⇉ a medium, taupe and chocolate shade with a slight sheen.

↬ sparks fly (eyeshadow) ⇉ a medium, brown shade.

↬ ladies night (eyeshadow) ⇉ a matte, light taupe shade which can be used as a transitioning shade or as a base.

↬ glimmer (eyeshadow) ⇉ a light shimmery, champagne shade (perfect for highlighting the inner corners!)

↬ star power (blush) ⇉ a slightly shimmery, light dusty rose shade.

⇧ sultry starpower ⇧

✿ She dreamed, she believed & she succeeded ✿

Swatches from top to bottom:

↬ trailblazer (eyeshadow) ⇉ a matte, medium brown shade.

↬ lucky penny (eyeshadow) ⇉ a shimmery, bronze-y rose gold shade.

↬ smile on (eyeshadow) ⇉ a shimmery, bronze shade.

↬ rosy outlook (eyeshadow) ⇉ a shimmery, light peach shade with a hint of gold.

↬ rise & shine (eyeshadow) ⇉ a cream, off-white shade, which can act as a base for your subsequent eyeshadows.

↬ courage (blush) ⇉ a matte, medium peach shade.

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What can I say about the packaging of these palettes? Lawa brabis. The entire packaging is very compact, has a mirror in it, consists of five creamy eyeshadows and a blush! Even before opening up the palette and use it, you already feel positive inside because of the words written on the front of the palette.

I've yet to put these products to use and have only just taken them out of its packages for the first time today. I'm excited to though! Will be taking them along on my Singapore trip and put them to the test.

I guess this is all for today's mini haul! I hope you've enjoyed reading and that it's of help to you in any way possible. Thanks for making it this far ☺️. Please leave a comment down below if you have any questions!

Gladyator signing out!

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NYX soft matte lip creams pt. II.

Hi earthlings!

In October 2014, I featured and blogged about my six very much loved NYX's soft matte lip creams. You can check it out here! In that particular entry, you can find my review and pictures of swatches of shades: Zurich, Ibiza, Addis Ababa, Prague, Monte Carlo and Copenhagen.

As the title of the blog today suggests, it's high time I updated my humble collection of NYX's soft matte lip creams! This update is brought to you by three shades: Abu Dhabi, Rome and Budapest. Abu Dhabi was given to me by a dear friend last year. Thank you Mai! As for Rome and Budapest, I just bought them at BND18 each from a Bruneian seller on Instagram, @makeupzone.bn. 

Without further ado, here are the pictures that I took today! :)

↑ (L-R) Abu Dhabi, Rome, Budapest.

↑ Abu Dhabi

↬ A soft, nude brown shade. I often pair this together with Zurich to create a beautiful nude with a hint of peach combination.

 ↑ Rome

↬ A mauve, dusty rose shade. I think this is a beautiful shade and will look good on many skin tones! Rome actually reminds me of my Kat Von D's everlasting liquid lipstick in the shade Lolita.

↑ Budapest

↬ I see this as a wine-y shade and is redder than Rome, though both shades look a tad similar from the tube. Rome leans more towards brown and Budapest on the other hand, towards red.

These lip products smell amazing, as usual! The consistency is very creamy, as the name of the product would suggest. Though they appear creamy upon application, the finish is matte, but not overly matte that your lips end up being chapped and dry. I find myself reaching out for NYX soft matte lip creams more on a daily basis, just because they are so easy to apply and the fact that they aren't drying (with the pigmentation they offer) is definitely a bonus. In addition to that, they are easy to remove, in which the contrary poses a problem by other lip creams or liquid lip products. If your lips are naturally dry which may cause certain lip products to be drying on you, smack on some lip mask, moisturiser or Vaseline before heading to bed. This simple step has made my life much easier when it comes to applying lip products! 

I hope this blog post is helpful to any of you who might be interested in these lip products! Please don't hesitate to leave a comment down below if you have any further questions. Have a great weekend ahead of you!

Gladyator signing out.

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Review: ColourPop Strobing II.

Well hello there errbadeh!!!!! It's been a while, hasn't it? I certainly hope you're doing well! It's crazy that we're already nearing the end of September. And soon it'll be Christmas and New Years and Chinese New Year!

ColourPop Cosmetics has been getting so much attention from beauty and cosmetics enthusiasts all over the world. And this doesn't exclude me! ColourPop is known for its high quality, with affordability. Most products, if not all, cost only USD5! But sadly they do not ship internationally. There are a few sellers here in Brunei that carry ColourPop but I only go to TwixBN (link here!) because they offer the cheapest prices, to my knowledge at least.

So a few weeks ago I placed an order at TwixBN for ColourPop's Strobing II and it costed only BND57.60 after a 10% discount. This particular set includes three Super Shock Cheeks (blushers) and three Lippie Stix. My order arrived about two weeks later and I was beyond excited as it was my very first ColourPop product. So for my blogpost today, I will be talkin' about ColourPop's Strobing II! Here are ze pictures!

↑ Product packaging.

↑ Back of the box that states all the ingredients.

↑ Super Shock Cheek in Avalon, Parasol and Stryke.

↬ Parasol - a light, peachy gold shade.

↬ Avalon - a bronze shade.

↬ Stryke - a reddish-brown shade.

↑ Super Shock Cheek in Parasol

↑ Super Shock Cheek in Avalon

↑ Super Shock Cheek in Stryke

↑ Top to bottom: Toasted, Thistle, Promenade.

↬ Thistle - a light, peachy shade in crème finish.

↬ Toasty - a warm, brown shade in crème finish.

↬ Promenade - a wine-coloured shade in sheer finish.

Time for some selfies!

↑ Me wearing Thistle.

↑ Me wearing Toasty (my fave!).

↑ Me wearing Promenade.

Please do excuse my Hello Kitty pyjamas and my face with only mascara and penciled eyebrow! I was just getting ready to head out for a casual dinner and I usually do not bother putting on foundation because I am lazy like that haha.

Anyhoot! I feel that the cheek products might be a little too dark for me but I will definitely use them as eyeshadows because they are super creamy and easy to blend! I think they'll look great as eyeshadows. Will be trying that out when I get the chance! The Lippie Stix are very creamy as well and they smell so good, like caramel. Who doesn't like caramel-smelling lip products, right?

I hope this blogpost has helped you in a way or two. Don't hesitate to leave a comment or question down below if you have any! Have a great weekend ahead of you!

Gladyator signing out.

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