Paddy's Market Mini Haul

I rarely visit Paddy's Market, but this Saturday I was reminded what a veritable treasure trove it is for discounted and discontinued makeup. Priceline (probably the store I frequent the most) is cleaner, more trustworthy and convenient, but Paddy's Markets has some exciting items and vastly cheaper prices. There's Revlon nail polish for $3. Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks from $6 (I had to resist buying Black Cherry and Berry Haute at that price), ColorBurst for $8 and all the discontinued Matte shades. Maybelline ColorSensational and L'Oréal lipsticks were around the same price. NYX eye and lip pencils for $3-$4. Revlon and Maybelline eyeshadows for $7-$10. The list goes on. Some items were definitely dodgy (the "NARS", "MAC" and "Benefit" stuff in particular), but I'm fairly confident the American drugstore goods were legit (though how they were sourced and whether they're half a decade old is another matter). I ended up buying three China Glaze nail polishes, one Revlon lipstick and a L'Oréal eyeshadow duo.

l-r: Techno, Stellar, Snow Globe

l-r: Stellar, Techno, Snow Globe

I've not seen China Glaze being sold in any physical Australian stores, so I was fairly excited to check out Paddy's Markets as I knew they were stocked at some stalls. I was specifically looking for Swing Baby but I couldn't find it. Instead, my eye was drawn to these sparkly/glittery shades on display and I had to have them all. I'm especially enamoured of the perfectly named Snow Globe, one of the most beautiful polishes I've come across. Iridescent glitter (turquoise, peridot, amber, peach, cornflower blue, lavender) in a clear base. Only problem was the one nail I painted chipped in a day.

I know I said I wouldn't buy another lipstick unless it was the perfect yellow-based pink or something truly special, but I managed to limit myself to one Revlon lipstick in a shade I've been meaning to buy for a while: Pink In the Afternoon. It looks like a rosy medium pink, but on my lips it's significantly warmer with slight coral tones. A pink lipstick that isn't purplish on my lips and actually warms up my face? It exists.

l-r: HiP duo, Suspect, YDK, Busted, Verve

I've heard positive feedback from the blogosphere about the L'Oréal HiP Metallic Shadow Duo eyeshadows and was thrilled to randomly come across the Electrified duo. It consists of a super shimmery cool taupe and a dark purple with a subtle plum sheen, two shades that could've come straight out of Urban Decay Naked2 (in terms of colour selection and quality). At first, I thought that the taupe would be similar to Suspect and the purple close to Busted, but when I swatched the colours alongside each other, the Naked2 shades were significantly warmer and more brown. In comparison, the taupe in Electrified almost has an olive tone. It's actually closest to L'Oréal Infallible eyeshadow in Sahara Treasure (the HiP is a touch cooler, lighter and less gold). I searched high and low for Sahara Treasure and while I love the colour, I don't often reach for it because the pressed pigment is a little tricky. Electrified makes it easy. The best part? It was $5. Thank you Paddy's Markets.