Sunday, August 12, 2012

Glitter and Hype

I attended the Spa & Beauty Expo as a guest of my friend and took advantage of the trade-only event as best as I could (i.e. spent way too much money). I bought 3 OPIs (Dulce De LechePirouette My WhistleNothin' Mousie 'Bout It), 3 Button London nail polishes (Tart With A Heart, No More Waity, Katie, The Black Knight), Orly RageEmbryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè, Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation (#118) and NYX blush in Taupe. A few of these products are much hyped but difficult to get a hold of (the foundation and Embryolisse in particular), so though they were much more than what I'd usually spend, I willingly handed my credit card over like the chump I am.










l-r: NYX blush in Taupe, Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè, MUFE HD Foundation in 118


I have on my thumbnail OPI Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It (over Ulta3 Brandy Wine), index finger is Button London Tart With A Heart, middle finger is Butter London No More Waity, Katie, fourth finger has on Butter London The Black Knight, and pinky is OPI Pirouette My Whistle over OPI Dulce De Leche.

I'll do individual reviews on some of these products separately, but here are some first impressions. I still think OPI is the best nail polish brand. I couldn't decide on which Butter London shades to get and in retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have selected three glitters. It's difficult to fish out the heart-shaped glitter in Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It, but it's an adorable polish regardless. NYX Taupe thankfully isn't too ashy and clashing on my yellow-toned skin (but whether I can pull off contouring still remains to be seen). The Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè seems to owe its popularity more to the fact it acts like a makeup primer, rather than being a superior moisturiser. Even though I think I chose a relatively light shade in the Make Up For Ever HD foundation, for some reason it still seems quite dark and yellow. Coverage also seems to be a little higher than what I normally go for. I'm looking forward to trying it out properly and giving a more detailed review.

91 comments:

  1. wow! i am incredibly jealous, what expo is this and do you know if it comes to Melbourne?? Loving your purchases too and im surprised they sold MUFE products! :) x

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    1. I'm not sure, but more information about it is on their website: http://www.internationalbeautyexpo.com.au/ I think it was a Sydney only event for 2 days. The MUFE prods were sold at the PM Studio booth - they're the stockists of MUFE in Australia :)

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  2. Oh wow, I didnt even hear about this event, but I wish I did! I love, love, love MUFE products! Quite disappointed I didn't attend! Great little haul though, I'm so jealous! :)

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    1. I was completely oblivious to it as well, it was my friend who mentioned it and suggested that we go :) I haven't tried any MUFE prods except the HD foundation I just bought - they're just so hard to get a hold of here!

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  3. The Black Knight nail polish is gorgeous! I also really like the No More Waity, Katie.

    Sandra from The Puzzle of Sandra's Life

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    1. It is really pretty - at first I was afraid that the glitter wouldn't be as pronounced against the black base, but the effect is really nice. Especially with a shiny top coat :)

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  4. oh I'm so jealous with your haul!! I havent tried any butter london polishes because of their hefty pricetags..:/
    and I agree that OPI Nail polishes have brilliant quality, wish they were cheaper here in europe since in USA they're only like 8USD per bottle and here 16€ T.T
    I am looking forward to see your indepth reviews on each products hihi ^^

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    1. I know what you mean, prior to buying these 3, I only had 1 Button London polish which was a magazine freebie. They're around $22 here, so ridiculously expensive! OPI retails for $19.95, but you can often find them on sale for around $14.95 at various chemists and salons. I'm definitely going to review lots of these products in the future :)

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  5. wow, you've made some great purchases and i love all the glitter polishes you have picked :) Especially OPI Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It. I think that will be on my wishlist heheh :) Its so cute and adorable. I have yet got to try out the Butter London nail polishes because i have heard many good reviews on it and their shades are amazing. Thanks for sharing~xoxo

    www.yingcbeauty.com

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    1. They definitely have some beautiful and eye-catching shades! But they're just so expensive :( Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It is really pretty, especially as it has a kind of pink-tinged opalescence about it, along with the adorable heart-shaped glitter!

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  6. I'd love to try all of these products! You have such great taste x

    josieowen.blogspot.com

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    1. I hope you get to try some of them for yourself soon. Thanks :)

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  8. Love nail polishes, all of them! :)

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    1. I'm a huge sucker for glitter polishes, can you tell? :p

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  9. Everything you bought looks amazing! x

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  10. I've seen a lot of UK people use button london nail polishes. Haven't tried them but i love the sparkly polishes you're wearing up there! my favorite would the galaxy looking nail color :P HEHEH. and dang girl, that's a lotta cosmetic products! :P

    Joyce @ carouselstreet.com

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    1. I know, I went all out. I did not hold back, lol. At least I managed to not buy any brushes, eyeshadows or lip products :p

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  11. Beautiful haul, I was invited to this but wasn't willing to shell out the bucks to fly up to Sydney when I'm coming for IMATS so soon! I love The Black Knight, great choice! I am busting to try Embryolisse and am so envious of your chance to!

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    1. When is IMATS? This was the first beauty expo event that I've ever attended ... I'm completely oblivious to them. But I had a good time :) I definitely think you made the right choice in not flying out just for it though - it was fun to attend but not worth it if you have to pay for a flight to attend! I saw The Black Knight on a couple of blogs so I had to get that one. Hope you get your hands on Embryolisse soon!

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  12. You got yourself a lot of goodies!! Envy envy! Particularly interested in Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè. Heard a lot of good reviews about it. Please do a review after you try it. Love the Butter London polishes, especially the Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It. Seems a lot of work but worth it. Very pretty!

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    1. I know, I really spoiled myself! I am still on the fence about Embryolisse. I'll definitely do a review sometime when I have used it a bit more. I am seeing a pattern of being drawn to polishes that require a lot of work lol

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  13. amazing haul!! i just ordered dulce de leche, this has me super excited! i've always wanted to try butter london!

    a-la-foliee.blogspot.com

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    1. Butter London has some really pretty shades! But to be honest, I think the formula of their non-glitter polishes is better than their glitter polishes. Dulce De Leche was also on my wishlist for a while so I'm glad to have picked it up :)

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  14. Nice! You have so many pretty things! I really like the MUFE HD foundation, I hope you will too :) Coverage is slightly higher though!

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    1. I have been trying the foundation all this week ... it's been a seesawing ride haha :p I haven't had 100% success but I'm hopefully getting there.

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  15. Wow fantastic haul! You have such amazing taste for products :) I really need to try out some Butter London nail polishes x

    http://wewereraisedbywolves.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thank you Evelyn :) You should, I think you'd really like them :)

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  16. I love Butter London the black knight!
    S xx

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  17. "like the chump that I am" LMAO I can so relate to that statement I can't even begin to explain, I fully understand what it feels not to be able to get something I want to try out and once I get such chance, end up paying twice or even more than I normaly would, but I'm not here to make anybody feel bad so I'm just going to say that you've chosen great things, NYX Taupe is great for blush during summer and contour during winter, all the nail polishes look fabulous (glitter junkie over here!!!) and that I hope the other products live up to their hype. xx

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    1. I guess it's pretty funny because hyped products are self-perpetuating since people want to try a product purely because it's "hot", and those who have yet to try it still want to. I know I am definitely someone who can buy into the hype of a product - especially now that I've started blogging and I'm exposed to more reviews and vlogs that may feature the same hyped products over and over again. What can start off as relative indifference or total ignorance of a product can soon elevate to burning desire in a short amount of time. But at least the products I got here were actually quite significantly discounted from their retail price because this was a trade-only exhibition. So even though I spent not an insignificant amount of money, at least I got quite a lot from it :)

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  18. embryolisse is the best! :) Pretty nail polishes.

    Great blog: I'm your new follower. <3

    STAY AWESOME
    Lots of love, Pauline
    www.xpeachie.blogspot.com

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  19. The Butter London polishes look really pretty! Your swatches are making me want to pull out my glitter polishes again even though it's only been a short while I haven't worn them haha. I've heard mixed reviews about the MUF Foundation so please do your take on it as I'm quite curious. I've been meaning to buy a good foundation but I can't decide on what to get since I don't use it that often. I hope the NYX powder in Taupe works out for you in contouring - I do personally like it a lot cause it gives me a subtle definition and it's the only powder that I've found to not have an orange tinge in it but rather just a brown powder. :)

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    1. I remember your Deborah Lippmann and China Glaze glitters! Just don't wear the China Glaze one that was a nightmare to take off :p Some glitters can be so easy to take off (because they just peel off - usually those with a clear base), some are SO painfully difficult even if you soak your nail in remover.

      I will definitely review the MUFE foundation soonish. I've been wearing it all week with mixed results. I'm not really a foundation girl either, I definitely prefer eye makeup, nail polish and lipstick. But I think I'm coming around to foundation. I fear that this MUFE will be the first step into the bad world of forking out obscene amounts of money on expensive foundations in search of my HG.

      I'm quite liking Taupe, though I still stuck at contouring :p

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  20. I am so jealous! those butter london polishes are so nice! I have never tried it before, but I might now. I just need to finish off the polishes that I have lying around haha.

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    1. Good decision! I have so much nail polish that I'll never use up, and yet I continue to buy more...

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  21. I am SOO tempted to try this Embryolisse I see and hear of all of the blogosphere..!

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    1. I was curious as well to see what the fuss was about ... I hope you manage to try it out for yourself sometime!

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  22. Tart with a Heart and The Black Knight are so pretty! I always quite liked Butter London's nail polish bottles, so sleek and flat. The hearts look so cute in the OPI bottle. Like a little bottle of sunshine and luurrrve hehe ;)

    Looking forward to your reviews!

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    1. I know what you mean, I think exactly the same about the Butter London packaging. So chic and elegant! They look so good on the stand :p I knew when I saw press release images of the Minnie Mouse collection from OPI that I needed to get Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It :) OPI glitters never disappoint.

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  23. Oohh you picked out some gorge Butter London shades! I honestly can't even decide which one I like the best!

    xx Louise
    A Little Beauty Luxury

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    1. I pounced on the opportunity to get my hands on some as they were quite heavily discounted from the retail price of about $22 here! I'm pretty happy with the shades I picked though I probably should've picked a creme rather than 3 glitters ... but I can't help my glitter fixation :p

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  24. very interesting, lurv the color on your nails.
    hugs+kisses
    http://rock4less.blogspot.co.uk/

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  25. wow wow wow!!! :D I love your haul!!! :D
    I'm drooling right now! <3 <3 <3

    xoxo
    Rhea Bue (Styles & Writes)
    THIS IS MY FASHION BLOG: http://bebe-doll.net/

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    1. It was a pretty major one, especially by my standards :)

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  26. What a haul! I've been wanting to try NYX Blush in Taupe for a long time. My hopes for it are contouring as well--we'll see if its cool tones work on our Asian skin! Also, The Black Knight looks beautiful.

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    1. Me too, especially as it's known as a really good contouring shade (don't know who would use it as a normal blush!). I think it works fairly well for light to light-medium skin tones. Hope you get to try it for yourself soon!

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  27. I love the butter london polishes! They look beautiful.

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    1. They are beautifully packaged! I prefer OPI but Butter London make some gorgeous shades.

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  28. Tart With a Heart is beautiful. I have the MUFE foundation & NYX Taupe blush and am not a fan of either. Hope you have a better time with them. x

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    1. Tart With a Heart reminds me a lot of China Glaze Snow Globe, but with some yellow gold glitter as well. I struggled a bit with the MUFE when I tried to wear it this week, but I'm not going to give up :p But yeah, it is tricky to wear. I remember your foundation post, I so want to try/get Rimmel Wake Me Up :)

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  29. The Black Knight is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It reminds me of a figure skater's outfit! Even though you picked a hefty amount of glitter polishes, I think you got a very nice range.

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    1. Lol I couldn't pull myself away from the glitter! I have seen The Black Knight on a few blogs so I definitely had my eye on that one. But I wasn't familiar with Butter London's range (unlike OPI - where I bought shades that I already had on mind), so I just picked whatever looked nicest to me in the moment.

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  30. Those polishes are gorgeous!! I think you'll be able to contour, especially with taupe, its awesome for lighter skin! I have the same shade for the MUFE HD foundation haha. I don't find it heavy but some days I mix it with a moisturizer to make a personalized tinted one, maybe you can try that?

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    1. Agreed, Taupe is good for those with lighter skin. I am still experimenting with MUFE and the best way that it works for me. I have tried mixing it with Embryolisse and that definitely gave a tinted moisturiser look :)

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  31. Oh I've always wanted to try out the Butter polishes! Do you think that it's worth the price tag? I love all the glitter.

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    1. I'm not sure if it's worth the price tag - especially as one polish is around $22 in Australia. Which personally is ridiculously overpriced. But then again, OPI retails for $19.95 here. I guess it depends if a particular shade has really captured you. They do make some unique shades and their packaging/formula is quite nice, so maybe give one a go and see if you're impressed :)

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  32. Wow nice haul! The polishes you chose are so pretty. I just got Pirouette My Whistle and Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It. I haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but I am looking forward to it! They look cute on your swatch! :D

    ~ Yun

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    1. I can't peel myself away from the glitters :p Oh yay, I'm looking forward to seeing your posts on those two!

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  33. I really want the Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It polish, so cute. Really like all the polishes you bought, great choice :) x

    bluebutterfly80.blogspot.co.uk

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  34. I love that dark glitter Butter! Ah the Butters are always staring at me at Ulta and I can never commit!!

    Evani
    simplyevani@gmail.com

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    1. How much do they cost in the US? What's your preferred nail polish brand? The Butter London polishes always look so enticing on display :p But then you see the price tag...

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  35. You picked out fab products!! I've been thinking I need to get BL No More Waity, Katie.. and you've solidified it for me. I love the shade :)

    And I agree with you on the OPI minnie mouse shade.. it's such a pain to get the hearts out of the bottle.. but the results are so cute!

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    1. Hope you get it and make a post on it :) I haven't gotten around to wearing it properly but I am looking forward to doing so when my nails grow out again.

      It is difficult to fish out the hearts but I really like the polish itself that the hearts are suspended in, so I don't mind too much :)

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  36. oh my! I've been wanting this Opi nail polish with little hearts but I can't find it anywhere:((

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    1. Oh no :( It's part of the Minnie Mouse collection or something like that. I actually haven't seen it anywhere here as well, and it was only by chance that I stumbled across it at this expo. Hope you manage to track a bottle down!

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  37. I've been DYING to get my hands on The Black Knight. It..is..GORGEOUS. I like the minnie mouse one as well:)

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    1. I really like the multicoloured glitter against the black base :) The name is also perfect!

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  38. Seriously jealous of all the goodies you managed to get at the expo - I always end up spending way too much at those things, too, but it's totally worth it to get your hands on some of those hard-to-find products! xx

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    1. Hehe this was my first time at one of these things and I guess you can say I didn't hold back :p (Well, at least I didn't buy any more brushes, lipsticks or eyeshadows.) I'm glad to find some products that I have been meaning to buy but haven't managed to track down or didn't want to buy online.

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    1. I'd say it was quite a successful day in terms of shopping lol :p

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  40. It is if you want to get the glitter pieces! But I quite like the polish itself, without the heart-shaped glitter. I love the way the Butter polishes are packaged ... though I was surprised to discover the rectangular lid is purely decorative cos it conceals a rounded cap :p

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  41. Thanks! I'll definitely check out your blog :)

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  42. I'll be sure to check out your blog, thanks :)

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  43. dang... looks like you got all the pretty awesome products in your blog! and thanks for your comment.

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  44. You're varnish collection is very pretty. Now I'm jealous my work doesn't allow us to wear it.

    http://sassyshann.blogspot.com

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  45. omg sucha fab blog! i just followed your beautiful blog, love!

    If you have time, I'd love to hear what you think of my latest post! and i hope you follow mine back. <3

    kisses from Manila..

    FASHION IS THE SWEETEST FORM OF ART

    xx Dannah

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  46. Oh, I can't sleep since I saw that Minnie nail polish with hearts! Maybe I should get it ;)

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  47. omgosh, your nails are always so pretty i want to scream whenever i try to make mine look anything like that. they're just amazing!

    cocoandgarcon.blogspot.com

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