Koni

Even though I've always admired this product I was never interested in buying it because I just find cream highlighters a bit too high maintenance for me. The ones I've used in the past tended to move during the day/night, had patchy application or emphasised the texture on my skin. I decided to try them again after I read BR member, TheBeautyContext's great review.

Now when I sampled it on my hand at Smith & Caughey's I wasn't entirely convinced with the almost non-existent golden highlight but BR members don't play when it comes to highlighters, I remembered the BR reviews I had read and bravely said goodbye to $57. Out of all of Benefit's packaging, this metallic mirrored lilac tube is by far my favourite! It has a round sponge tip at one end, used to soften and blend out the product and the other end we have the retractable highlight.

On my skin tone it's more of a soft golden peach hue which gives me a healthy radiant lit-from-within glow. It's not overly luminous but the more product you layer on the more intense the sheen on your face becomes and the more evident the fine shimmer. I love that I can layer this on top of my moisturiser and foundation without any pilling - even if I apply the highlight layers between doing other things. The cream-to-powder finish means it lasts longer on my oily skin than I would have expected had it just been a full cream highlighter - so a good 7 hours for me.

My only issue is that even though it's sheer and buildable you have to ensure you blend it out properly because if you're part of the chocolate club like myself it could potentially look ashy when in fact it's just a matter of taking a beauty blender or flat top brush to it. This is officially my favourite cream highlighter! I love to apply this onto my cheeks (yes like blush), then take it up to the high points and then follow up with blush and contour.

With the recent vault this was one of my priority, must have items. Luckily I got it and when it arrived I sqweeeed with joy. Fiji Spice Queen have taken an already awesome thing and turned it into something even better, something I love to use every day.

The smell is nice, not something I'd usually go for. The mandarin citrussy smell is there, but then I'm guessing the ylang ylang is what's throwing me off. Both smells are quite subtle and not overpowering in anyway - once rubbed into the skin I barely notice it, and when it's in my hair its subtly perfumed but otherwise I don't notice it. I do notice the mandarin smell more, but it's still not in your face.

I've used this 3 ways so far, as a body oil, as a hair oil and as a hair mask. I love all three ways. It absorbs really quickly as a body oil, with no greasy residue or filmy feeling left on my skin. I can almost put my jeans on straight away as well, which, if you have a terrible moisturizer you know that this is a struggle! The oiled skin is left soft and hydrated and I quite like it more than my regular moisturizer.

As a hair oil I use it just in the tips and sometimes the left over oil on my hands tames the fly away hairs, which I like a lot better than hairspray. As a hair mask I left it overnight and shampooed it out the next day - my hair was gloriously soft, softer than usual, and slightly more tame.

For an oil I get that it's in a pump bottle, and over summer this will be super handy as the oil will pump out normally, but as it's still cold the oil is still solid and stays solid unless you melt it - for that reason I'd love this in a tub, so I don't have to melt it every time I want it! But otherwise this product is amazing and I'll definitely be repurchasing it.

I have a love/hate relationship with these glosses which I've been using for a year and I regret buying the collection. I made sure to read several reviews on beauty blogs and Youtube before buying so was surprised when I wasn't that impressed.

The packaging is bulky but the clear tube allows you to see the colours which is true to colour. The pigmentation is amazingly vibrant to the point that they're a bit too over the top to wear to the office for me (except maybe 2). I was hoping to soften the vibrancy by picking up minimal product and lightly layering it but then you look like you haven't finished your lips.

The texture is buttery and light weight, I love how they feel on my lips however they can be drying. I find that these are not glosses you can just walk out the door with a plain face because it'll look like you forgot the rest of your makeup.

I find it's too much work to apply this product so that it doesn't bleed or move. Lipliners can only contain this product for so long so I find I have to check the mirror more often when I'm wearing this so I don't look like I've taken lessons from the Joker.

If I'm lucky I can get 2.5 hours without having to reapply/fix (without eating/drinking). But I guess that's typical of a gloss. I bought mine directly off of their website without any shipping issues.

Below are the shades and what they look like on me. I recommend these glosses to those who love vibrant colours and aren't about that natural lip.

Reds 1.Burning Love* - Vibrant red

Purples 2.Toxic* - Vampy purple 3.Purple Fusion - Blue based violet Pinks 4. Wild Child* - Fuschia 5. Attitude - Barbie pink (almost neon) 6. Cotton Candy - Bubble gum pink 7. Petals - White based pink

Other 8. Undressed* - Nude beige 9. Sunshine Kisses - Warm apricot (reminds me of Lime Crime's Cosmo Pop)

*My favourites

We all know YSL packaging is stunning but when it’s pricey you really want the product to be just as fantastic. For me, this isn’t worth the investment however I can’t say that I have found a dupe that is close to this in terms of the natural brightness it brings to the areas of my face. I have the shade 4.5 Luminous Sand which complements my MAC NC42-44 skintone nicely.

I like that it comes in pen form but sometimes I have an issue when my fingers are slippery from moisturiser/concealer/foundation. It can be tricky when trying to put the lid back on. Like any pen form product it’ll take a number of clicks until the product comes out for the first use but once it does it will only take a click or two going forward.

What I love about the product is that it’s lightweight, blendable and brightens the areas where I apply it. The first few times I wore this, I received compliments that I looked refreshed and this was the only thing that was different. It’s a bit on the average side of coverage because I can still see my dark circles coming through and it’s no match for my oily lids because the product is pretty much gone by lunch time even when set with powder.

I like wearing this with minimal makeup (i.e. no foundation) mainly under my eyes, bridge of my nose, forehead and chin because it looks as if I almost have a natural even skintone. I like this product however not enough to say that I would repurchase it. I’m positive I can find something that is more affordable with more product rather than just 2.5ml.

I've always wanted to try Karen Murrell's lipsticks but I wasn't aware of where I could swatch them before deciding on a shade so I was over the moon to receive this in the BBBE this year. Now for me, fuchsia is an intense rich blend of pink magenta so when I saw the colour in the tube I was surprised that it was 100 shades lighter than I expected. It came across with little shock and looked more wearable than one would expect with a name like Fuchsia Shock.

I adore the effort put into the packaging of the lipsticks from the recyclable materials used to the coloured boxes that apparently reflect the shades hidden inside. The tube on the other hand is a little dull to be honest, it's a light weight matte black where the top half of the inside is a shiny black. I kind of wish they went with shiny right the way through because it could possibly have more appeal for those walking past the testers.

This lipstick goes on waxy and translates into a semi glossy finish. It smells like cinnamon and reminds me of a lighter version of Big Red chewing gum (delish!). The pigmentation is average - it's buildable but you need several swipes to achieve decent coverage. I believe this lipstick is good for those who are wanting to try bolder and brighter shades but are still not on board with full opacity.

I love that it's moisturising, it doesn't feather too much and there's little slip but the lasting power is below average with 2 hours wear and that's if I don't eat or drink. I can't see myself repurchasing any other shades from this brand.

Full price at Farmers this mirror costs $79.99, but quite often they have a 50% off sale. I got this mirror during one of those sales so it was only $39.99. I honestly couldn't live without this mirror (okay maybe not haha). But it is seriously amazing and it has significantly improved how I do my makeup since I've owned it.

This mirror has two sides, one with normal magnification and one with 7x magnification. You just spin the mirrors around to switch to the other side. Both mirrors are very clear. The first time I looked in the side with 7x magnification, I got quite a shock! I could literally see every individual hair and pore on my face. I now pluck my own brows because of how easy it is to do with this mirror, so it has saved me a good amount of money.

This mirror is battery operated. There was another similar mirror at Farmers that required you to plug it into the wall to turn the lights on, but I wanted one that was easy to move around. I've owned this mirror for over a year now and I use it pretty much everyday. I've only needed to replace the batteries once. The lights are bright enough to illuminate your face well, but not too bright that they hurt your eyes. The lights can either be on high, low, or off. I generally keep it on high because I find that the low setting is too dim. But it's good that they give you the option.

I take this mirror with me whenever I travel. I find it so difficult to do my makeup with a normal mirror now. The side with 7x magnification makes it really easy to do my eyeshadow, eyebrows, eyeliner, and lipstick. It helps me to ensure that my makeup looks flawless. I would recommend this mirror to anyone. If you don't own a mirror like this, you should buy this one. It makes it so much easier to apply makeup and it also makes it look even better!

I was a bit skeptical about a balm that claims to help against body odor. Especially an all natural one which has no chemical or artificial ingredients. All the ingredients are familiar and some are organic. Two thumbs up for that. I would like to thank BR for introducing me to this amazing product and giving it to me to trial.

The No:3 Underbalm comes in a clear glass jar which can be recycled. A plastic screw cap keeps everything in the jar. Pretty simple and cute product with no unnecessary packaging-just the sturdy bottle itself. The label is simple and states the flavour, ingredients and has a green stickman figure holding his harms up and a unisex symbol. When I first opened it the lemongrass scent really hit me hard as I was not used to that scent. Its not unpleasant and had notes of lime as well but I felt the lemongrass was more dominant.

I was surprised to find that the creamish paste inside was quite firm. First day I used my fingers to swirl on top of it for it to soften up but I found that it was like a double dip situation for me. Afterwards I just used a craft/popsicle stick to take a small pea sized out. I rubbed this between my fingers to it warm up and more spreadable. Sometimes I just put the blob in my armpit and when it softens from the heat than I spread it around. It’s a bit gritty at first but I think after a while the heat smooths everything. It doesn’t stain, sting, leave residue, cause irritation or is overly greasy. And it absorbs quickly. I really love the fresh smell it gives me but it gets subtler throughout the day.

I have religiously been using this since I got it and I love this product. I have been taking it through its paces. I had pretty hectic days and also vacuumed the whole house. That itself has me running to the showers but using the paste kept body odor at bay. Also I didn’t sweat as much. Depending on the day the product can protect you upwards of 8 hours. Sometimes I got 12 hours! Absolutely marvelous.

I read later on their site that it has 100 applications and the paste softens/melts on warm days. Definitely will make it easier to apply than. I cant wait to try the other flavor’s. Needless to say that I will be buying this and also to tell you all that you need these in your life!

Iam going to update this review in summer and see if it really works as well as it does now. Since its winter Im not as sweaty as I usually am.

Out of the few I own my favourite is Lilas D'Or. I bought it a few years back after a number of beauty bloggers claimed what a great dupe it was for NARS Orgasm blush. At the time I couldn't justify paying $50+ for a blush so Bourjois it was and I don't regret it.

It's a small round pot with a magnetic lid and lock so it's safe for travel and takes up very little room. To open just press the small gold button in and pull open.

Upon opening you will notice the strong smell of talcum powder which I'm really not a fan of but definitely bearable. There is a mirror, a small domed brush and a gold round piece of paper with a short blurb on the blushes in French and English.

The blush has a soft texture, blendable and good pigmentation for my chocolate skin tone. This blush does have shimmer but fear not it's not overpowering; just apply with a light hand - besides the shimmer in NARS Orgasm is more prominent compared to this. It gives me a peach pink glow and lasts 4-5 hours. There is some slight spreading of the shimmer but note that I love blush so I pack it on like no tomorrow haha.

Other than the scent the only other issue I have with it is when you start hitting pan you may have to use a smaller brush to fit into the pot but not a deal breaker for me.

Anyone who's lived in a humid climate with long hair has fought the never ending frizz battle... and Auckland is NZ's words culprit in this regard.

I have long, fine, dyed hair, and in the humidity it gets pretty boofy. When I'm in Asia I pretty much just wear it up, but I was determined to find something to replace my old, discontinued favourite...and I have!!

I'm in love with Lee Stafford Poker Straight heat protectant, and when I saw the dehumidifying spray I had to try it.

Lee Stafford Poker Straight Dehumidifier comes in the characteristic hot pink packaging; in this case a metallic pressurised spray tin. The spray mists out in a super fine 'dry' mist - they refer to this as a 'liquid umbrella'.

I usually apply this in between drying and straightening and that works pretty well for me but you can also use it as a finishing spray.

The spray is virtually odourless - it has a faint 'hairspray' type scent but nothing particularly noticeable.

Because the mist is so fine, it's easy to get it everywhere you need it, and because it's 'dry' it doesn't add moisture to your hair. Basically it provides a virtually impermeable layer that the humidity in the air struggles to penetrate, meaning that your carefully straightened/curled/styled hair isn't affected by icky summer moistness anywhere near as much.

It's well priced, at $18 a can, and as it's available in Farmers and pharmacies it's often on special.

I'm delighted with this discovery. It works exceptionally well for me and will become a summer saviour for my hair!

A while ago a friend had recommended Mellow cosmetics and I had never heard of them before. I was curious as it was a New Zealand company, I ordered 2 Matte lipsticks and 2 eye shadow singles. The lipsticks I chose were Candy floss which is a bright barbie doll pink, and Nude which is a pinky beige nude colour. When I had purchased these they came in black rectangle lipstick bullets, now they have changed the packaging which makes the look very professional and sleek.

Both lipsticks have a similar consistency, soft and creamy to apply, it glides on thick with no patchiness and is not drying. I wouldn't say it is a completely matte shade as they both have a slight visible shine to both when applied. I like to apply these and dust some loose powder over the top to make these completely matte. These are the most non drying matte lipsticks I have tried so far.

The wear time is pretty good, if I dont set with loose powder these can survive eating and drinking. After 4 hours the middles of your lips need to be touched up.

I will be purchasing more, these are great inexpensive lipsticks and very underrated!