It Doesn't Count When You're on Holiday

I've just come back from a week and a half in Hawaii, and surprisingly hauled more products over there than I anticipated. My bounty was at least double that of my previous holiday to Singapore/Malaysia, but I guess the shopping in the US is always a notch above other destinations. I tried to limit myself to things not yet released in Australia, or that potentially might never be, or items I've been eyeing that worked out to be a little cheaper. It did help that my trip coincided with the Sephora Beauty Insider Appreciation Event Sale, so I could get 10% off some of the stuff I bought (because after visiting the US in 2012 and again in 2015, I have an American profile). However, the horrid state of the Australian dollar did mean the savings were scant.

What I ended up getting (all prices in USD, multiply by 4.712% for tax and then 1.4 for AUD conversion):

• Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 in Pear ($9)
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina palette ($42)
• Origins Bestsellers Best Skin Set ($29)
• Sunday Riley Flash Fix Kit ($28)
• Laline mini Body Souffle in Hawaii ($12.50)
• MAC Dazzleshadow Liquid in Rayon Rays and Not Afraid to Sparkle ($22 each)

I also repurchased a mini 50g tube of Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask ($12), a travel size MAC Fix+ ($12) and a travel size Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser in Nude ($24). 

I've wanted to try Sunday Riley Good Genes for forever, but at $154 for 30ml, forever had to wait. When I came across this Flash Fix Kit in Sephora, I had no cause for hesitation. At a relatively affordable $28 USD ($41 AUD), it contained 8ml of Good Genes and 30ml of Ceramic Slip Cleanser. The cleanser I could take or leave, as it seemed more targeted to oily/combination skin (and mine's more normal/dry), but I figured I was paying a pro rata amount to try Good Genes at a much more palatable price point. Engaging some basic maths: 8ml/30ml = 26.67%, multiplied by $154 AUD = exactly $41, the cost of the set. The cleanser was practically a bonus.

As excited as I was to try the set, Hawaii was probably not the best time and place to start. Good Genes is a lactic acid treatment and therefore you need to exercise extra caution in protecting your skin from the sun while using it. That didn't exactly click in my brain until the day after I tried it for the first time, then spent a day in full Hawaiian sunshine. Let's just say my skin didn't thank me for it. By necessity, I stayed far away from both Good Genes and Ceramic Slip for the rest of the trip. From my first impression, Good Genes is probably more potent than my skin is used to, so I'm not sure if it'll work for me. In terms of chemical exfoliation, I use Pixi Glow Tonic and have a 8ml tube of Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum (plus a very old, completely neglected mini of Alpha-H Liquid Gold somewhere), so it's nothing new to me and I'm not lacking in options.

This Origins set was something I found hard to pass up due to the value proposition. At $29 USD ($43 AUD), it contains Plantscription Anti-Aging Power Serum (15ml), GinZing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturiser (30ml), Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Soothing Treatment Lotion (100ml), Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash (30ml) and Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask (15ml). The main appeal of Sephora to me are the minis and mini sets they come out with, so I spotted this one on the shelf and immediately picked it up.

I've been buying a lot of Origins lately (back in Sydney a few months prior, I'd purchased the limited edition Delete Dullness & Energise Gift Set for $64 which included High Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral-Enriched Renewal Cream (50ml), High Potency Night-A-Mins Skin Refining Oil (15ml), GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream (5ml) and GinZing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturiser (30ml)). I think I'm going to take a break from Origins for the foreseeable future and either finish up everything I've purchased, and/or explore other brands. From what I've tried, their products look nice, perform decently enough, and are pleasant to use in terms of scent/texture, but the results on my skin haven't been transformative or anything.

The Kiehl's pear lip balm was something I intended to purchase in Australia, but never found it in stock. A colleague had it in her cosmetics bag, and I tried some and loved the authentic, juicy/watery scent, so I had put it on my mental wishlist to purchase. In the meantime, I'd bought the Lanolips pear lip balm as a substitute, but the scent was so disappointing to me that it only reinforced how much I wanted the Kiehl's. And yes, it's basically flavoured Vaseline (thin, borderline greasy and lightweight in feel), but a tube does last a long time and I have a lot of other thicker balms and lip treatments to even things out.

Laline is an Israeli body care/skin care brand that I first encountered while in San Francisco a few years ago, and I was sucked in by the "Hawaii exclusive" that they had for one of their body souffles. The scent is actually just their usual Ocean scent (with fragrance notes of sandalwood, cedarwood, jasmine and ginger), but the combination of not being available in Australia, the powder blue/gold seashell packaging and the rich but non-greasy texture was enough for me. I was debating buying the body scrub as well (they do a demonstration in store and your skin has never felt softer after), but I noticed my arm had broken out in little red dots after and the price was a little steep for me to pull the trigger.

I was undecided on whether to buy the Norvina palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills prior to my trip. When I first saw it, I was overcome with that familiar feeling of NEEDING it. But then I watched a few more YouTube videos where the reaction wasn't overwhelming positive, and my enthusiasm started to cool. Rationally, I knew the last thing I need is more eyeshadow (or ANY makeup for that matter), but a part of me still wanted to get at least one "big ticket" item while on holiday. So, Norvina it was.

First, the way it swatched in store impressed me. The colour that I thought would most draw me in (Soul) became the least appealing to me, as in person, I realised how unflattering it most likely would be when applied to the eyes. But what sealed the deal was the top row of shimmers that are so intense and dense feeling and smooth, they border on creams. You literally only need a light touch to deposit full pigment. I tried this palette the first time and stuck to the neutrals, with the matte Volatile blended over the lid, then pressed Dazzling over the centre of my lid with my finger and blended the edges, and it was the prettiest look I'd worn in a while. For me, the only slightly questionable colour is Drama as it had more of a gritty texture that needed a few passes with the finger to blend out smoothly in the swatch (reminded me a lot of the metallics in some Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palettes). I also feel like I've seen that type of deep purply-brown in a lot of places and never use it. The same could be said for the golds/bronzes, but at least they're timeless staples.

(On a somewhat unrelated note, I'm starting to become convinced I am allergic to pinky/red shades. Every time I put them on my eyes, I get itchy, which invariably leads to swelling, redness, then dryness/scaliness the next day. Happened when I paired Love and Wild Child, happened when I tried the Natasha Denona Joya palette.)

l-r: Rayon Rays, Not Afraid to Sparkle

I've been drawn to the Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadows pretty much since they launched, but have yet to purchase one. I've deeply regretted passing on the set of 3 minis in Rose Gold Retro, Kitten Karma and Smoldering Satin. They've since released more sets, but with other, less appealing shades. When I saw MAC launched a new product called Dazzleshadow Liquid, it was clear these were their version of the Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadows.

I'd first seen Rayon Rays on makeup artist and earring aficionado Katie Jane Hughes, and it appeared the most "wearable" colour for my eyeshadow preferences, so that one was a no-brainer. But I also simply loved the iridescent glitter in Not Afraid to Sparkle (very reminiscent of Stila Perlina, which I was very tempted by but didn't buy), so why deny myself? At $22 USD ($32.25 AUD), they're barely $3 cheaper than the Stila shadows, but for some reason the MAC Dazzleshadow Liquid is priced at $40 in Australia, so the notion of "saving" a few dollars proved persuasive. To be honest, most of the shades were really eye-catching and pretty, especially under the bright department store lights. It was hard to narrow it down to just 2. I can't compare the MAC and Stila, but I suspect they're very similar in every respect, and any differences would come down to your preferred shades and packaging. I intend to wear these as a topper over powder eyeshadow, primarily for special occasions like parties/weddings for that extra festivity and sparkle, but equally on an ordinary Tuesday when you just feel like adding some glitter.

Current Makeup/Skin Care Menu #5

It's winter in Australia, so a traditionally very lazy time of year when it comes to makeup. That, or I've reached the stage where I'm favouring a more pared down routine, reaching for the same products each time without inclination to mix things up. Sort of like Steve Jobs and his same outfit every day. If it's working for me now and it saves me the time and effort having to decide what to use on a daily basis, then I'm happily sticking to the same old. At least until the weather starts warming up.

Pixi Glow Tonic
Can I flatter myself by saying I was an early adopter of this stuff? Of course, recommended by Caroline Hirons back in the day when it used to come in a rectangular bottle with a pump. Though it's been 5 years since I first started using it, I haven't been completely loyal ever since. But that's more because I'm not that disciplined when it comes to toning and exfoliation in general. However, I started using this regularly a few months ago and I'm converted again. It makes a BIG difference to my skin when incorporated into my daily regime. I cleanse with an oil, wipe this all over with a facial pad, follow with a hydrating toner (see below), then slather on moisturiser mixed with a couple drops of rosehip and avocado oil. The condition of my skin has been smooth, supple, hydrated, relatively blemish-free (still human, so not totally immune to the odd spot), without signs of flakiness or dryness typical of the season. I've since purchased 2 bottles as backup, so you know I'm not messing around.

Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycolic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Seed Extract, Hexylene Glycol, Fructose, Glucose, Sucrose, Urea, Dextrin, Alanine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Hexyl Nicotinate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Biotin, Panthenol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Caramel, Red 4 (CI 14700).

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Chamomile and Lavender
I wanted a simple, inexpensive but effective hydrating toner to follow Pixi Glow Tonic, and this newish release popped up on my radar. I've always been curious about the Mario Badescu sprays since they're quite affordable ($10 for 118ml, $17 for double that amount) and seem to be decently reviewed. I know this is basically just water with a minuscule amount of other things thrown in that may or may not have any real benefit to my skin, but so far, I'm enjoying it. I haven't had any reaction to it and it's a nice mist of calm hydration following my morning and evening cleanse. The scent isn't as dreamy as I'd hoped with the promise of authentic lavender (I don't really detect any sweetness or earthiness to it, it's more of a harsh/cold herbal scent), but I don't have any major complaints.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water, Eau), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Water, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Leaf Extract, Silver Citrate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Benzophenone-4, Triethanolamine, Zeolite, Sodium Sulfate, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, CI 60730 (Violet 2).

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - Radiance
The news of Laura Mercier exiting the Australian market reminded me to actually start using the Laura Mercier products I have. I haven't bought a heap from the brand over the years, but the quality and performance of the products I have tried have consistently been excellent, so it's a real bummer they've decided to pull the plug. I think I read recently that Meghan Markle just used this primer on days when she wanted to boost and brighten her complexion, but not wear a full face of foundation, so naturally I started to mix a bit of this into my foundation every day. Not only does it add very natural but effective luminosity, but it's a bit of a thicker consistency and accordingly, bulks up my lightweight, more liquid foundation (Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum) so that it adheres to my skin better and has greater longevity. The only thing is that patches of gold shimmer in the primer can be apparent if you don't thoroughly blend the primer/foundation concoction into your skin, so a bit of extra care needs to be taken for a smooth, streak-free result.

LA Girl Cosmetics Glide Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Very Black
I needed a replacement for my beloved but long discontinued Savvy by DB Luxury Liner in Shimmering Slate, and this was inexpensive but well reviewed. I don't love it quite as much as the Savvy by DB, but it's definitely up there. It's nicely black, long lasting, smooth but not too melty, and as its name suggests, glides on and doesn't tug at the eyelids whatsoever. It's also much easier to remove at the end of the day than the Savvy by DB, which is a big plus.

Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lots o' Latte
I feel like I've been sleeping on this for years, though it's been sitting in my makeup drawers all this time. It's literally the only eyeshadow I've been using every single day. There's something so liberating about slapping this on without thought and being done. It takes <1 minute and there's no primer involved, no brushes (which will later have to be washed), no careful, time-consuming blending (just use your fingers to fade out the edges a bit). The satin taupey/browny/mushroomy shade is deep enough to add definition, but not so much that you have panda eyes in the daytime. There's also not that much shimmer or glitter that a lot of eyeshadow crayons have, which seems more fitting with winter when a more subdued matte look might be preferable.

Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lots o' Latte

Real Techniques Blush Brush
Every now and then, you learn something truly revolutionary through a YouTube makeup video or tutorial. That occurred to me recently when I saw Mariah Leonard's Glass Skin Foundation Routine. Basically, she advocates using a big fluffy brush like the Real Techniques Blush Brush, then using a very light, delicate touch with your highlighter powder, and applying the product in large circular motions around the cheekbones and browbone, then dusting your brush across your forehead, down the bridge of your nose, and chin. The main points are to ditch your usual highlighting brush which is much smaller and produces a more precise, concentrated placement, and instead, go big (both in the brush, and in the placement on your face), and go soft (use way less product than you think you need, and be conservative in your dips into the highlighting powder). The result is a much more natural look where you're just glowing all around but the product isn't so obviously sitting on your face.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Highlighter
Speaking of this new technique, I've been using the Real Techniques Blush Brush with the massively hyped Amrezy highlighter by ABH. I bought this almost immediately when it launched on international online stockists (for reference, I used Cult Beauty). I learned my lesson from the last time ABH launched highlighter singles (still lamenting missing out on the So Hollywood Illuminator), so there was no way in hell I'd repeat the same mistake. At first, I wasn't sure if the hype was justified as while I liked it, there wasn't anything in particular that blew me away. Until I started adopting the big brush/light dip approach. Then ... I understood. This produces a beautiful highlighted effect that doesn't look crusty or scaly on my skin and isn't too dark for my skin tone. The texture is very finely milled but it's powerfully illuminating without being glittery or chunky. It's also highly pigmented, so a small amount goes a long way. The pan will last a lifetime.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Highlighter

l-r: theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer, Fenty Hu$tla Baby, Becca Moonstone, ABH Amrezy, Charlotte Tilbury Highlight (in Beauty Glow)

For comparison purposes, theBalm, Becca and Charlotte Tilbury are the most similar to each other, with a paler, more pink/beige-toned white gold. The Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Hu$tla Baby is more similar to the Amrezy highlighter, but leans more peachy gold as opposed to yellow gold. However, both share a more pronounced, reflective shine.

ABH Take Two

Eyeshadow palettes are my weakness ... but it now takes something special to reel me in. I like to think I'm fairly selective when it comes to the palettes I buy, maintaining a high benchmark for potential purchases. Having said that, my last palette, Anastasia Beverly Hills Shadow Couture World Traveler Palette, was bought more for the sake of it than out of any intense desire or prior careful, prolonged consideration. I hadn't tried ABH shadows before and was curious to see how they stacked up against competitors, plus I didn't want to come away from my US trip without at least one palette to look forward to using once I returned home. I didn't end up loving it — both the shade selection and the quality of some of the shadows. However, something about the just released Self-Made Palette called out to me. (It did take a moment initially to realise that "Self-Made" was the name of the palette, and it wasn't a palette you assembled yourself.) Despite a relatively underwhelming experience with the World Traveler Palette, I had high hopes for Self-Made and eagerly waited for it to arrive in my Beautylish order.

The Self-Made Palette has 14 shades, 2 more than the Shadow Couture World Traveler Palette, though it is $5 USD more expensive at $35 USD (I paid under $50 for mine). The individual shadows are 0.7g each, with the total palette being 9.92g. Like the World Traveler Palette, it comes with a dual-ended eyeshadow brush that I've heard isn't half bad, though feels a touch stiff for my liking. Pink Champagne is the only common shade between the two palettes. Of course, for variety's sake, I would've preferred if they had included a different shade (maybe even identical finish to Pink Champagne, but another colour), but I did feel Pink Champagne was a standout shade in the World Traveler Palette, so I'm not mad.

The 14 shades as described by Anastasia Beverly Hills are:

Pink Champagne: A rose gold with a titanium finish.
Metallic Plum: A dark plum with a metallic finish.
Self-Made: A deep bronze with a satin finish.
Witchy: A khaki gray with a sparkle finish.
Blush: A light beige with a duo chrome pink finish.
Blossom: A lilac pink with a metallic finish.
Buttery: A buildable beige with an ultra-matte finish.
Deep Purple: An amethyst purple with a titanium finish.
Treasure: An ultra-light champagne with a metallic finish.
Hot & Cold: A rum brown with a metallic finish.
Sherbert: An ultra-light peach with a velvet finish.
Isla: A sea foam green with a duo chrome gold finish.
Spirit Rock: A galaxy black with a sparkle finish.
Hot Chocolate: Rich, cocoa brown with an ultra-matte finish.

They're good enough shade descriptions, though the ones I'm puzzled by are Blush (it doesn't look remotely beige to me — it's grey through and through) and Sherbert (how is it "ultra-light"? It's not that pale and multitudes darker than the truly ultra-light Buttery, which is only described as "beige"). Pink Champagne isn't so much a "rose gold" to me than a pinkish, silvery taupe. Very cool-toned.

l-r: Pink Champagne, Metallic Plum, Self-Made, Witchy, Blush, Blossom, Buttery

l-r: Deep Purple, Treasure, Hot and Cold, Sherbert, Isla, Spirit Rock, Hot Chocolate

As you might be able to tell from the swatches, the palette has no problems with pigmentation. All the shades knock it out of the park. The only colour that requires a bit of building up to achieve full opacity is Spirit Rock, but I think that's to be expected of any dark matte shade with chunks of glitter in it (Urban Decay Blackheart from Naked3 comes to mind). Fall out is also an issue with Spirit Rock, but not a noticeable problem with the palette overall.

I found the texture and blendability of the shadows in Self-Made to be superior to World Traveler, especially with the metallic shades. None of them seemed to be chunky or weirdly dry in texture or applied in a patchy manner. Though there are only two mattes in the palette, Buttery and Hot Chocolate, like the four mattes in World Traveler (Soft Peach, Morocco, Fudge, Noir), they're exceptional quality.

In terms of the colour selection, I am completely enamoured with the titular shade. Paired with Hot and Cold, the two remind me of Crème Brûlée and Hazelnut from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette. An absolute winner of a shimmery neutral shadow duo. I've been experimenting with different colour combinations from the palette and mixing it up to see how each shade performs and wears. My favourite look from the palette is Self-Made all over the lids, Hot Chocolate to add definition, mainly focused on the outer corner and blended towards the centre of the eye, and Blush in the inner third of the eye. I was pleasantly surprised just how wearable Blush is, considering it looks like a light silver, a colour I've never gotten along with. There's a translucency to it that layers beautifully over a medium base shade, not overpowering it, but lightening it and adding an eye-catching, completely unique iridescent pink shift. One of the stars in the palette.

Metallic Plum wasn't as strongly plum in colour as I'd hoped, but looked more like a generic, cool-toned dark brown on my lids. Witchy, a khaki grey, can lean a little muddy and murky with my complexion. I did have fun trying to "recreate" (I use that term loosely) this look by Mario Dedivanovic where he uses Isla on the lid and Witchy in the crease and outer corner. (It didn't look anywhere near as good on me as it did on Olivia Culpo.) I found Treasure to highlight my inner corner wasn't the most flattering shade, in that it's a bit too reflective and whitish for me. Both Sherbert and Blossom could be used all over the lid, though they are on the lighter side.

Overall, I'm super pleased with the Self-Made Palette, despite the fact I will be reaching for certain shades more often than others. The price is lower than a lot of comparable palettes that have less shades, the quality is what I'm after, and the colour selection gives me lots to work with, as well as some stunning shades that are new favourites.

Beautylish Haul

Not so much a haul as 3 things I bought recently from Beautylish in the one order. Beautylish were holding a $20 gift card for every $100 USD spent, so my mind justified it as basically 20% off. Not quite, since they have to mail you the gift card which you'll have to spend on a second order, so return business is guaranteed to make use of the promotion. Still, it's not a struggle to spend too much money on Beautylish. My order came to just over $100, comprising a good mix of eye/face/lip/brush products, some of which I've been curious about for a long time, some newly released that I immediately wanted.

After trawling through the site, carefully considering what to put in my cart, I ordered the Anastasia Beverly Hills Self-Made eyeshadow palette ($35 USD), Too Faced Melted Kisses and Sweet Cheeks ($36 USD) and Wayne Goss Brush 14 ($33 USD).

The Anastasia palette was a bit of an impulse buy since it launched only last month and I told myself I'd hold out if/until it popped up at a physical Sephora store near me to swatch. I recently bought the Shadow Couture World Traveler Palette but wasn't overly enthused with it, but something told me I'd get along better with Self-Made. I'm glad I took the chance as first impressions are overwhelming positive and I definitely prefer it to the World Traveler palette. I'll get a full post up about it soon, so I won't go into too much detail here, except to include some preliminary swatches.

The Too Faced lip and cheek set has been released in Australia and is priced at $53, roughly the same as what I paid on Beautylish after currency conversion. I have one Love Flush Long-Lasting Blush in Baby Love but no Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipsticks, so this set seemed excellent value and the ideal way to sample 3 blushes and 3 liquid lipsticks without having to purchase the full size. I will also shortly dedicate an entire post to the set with comparison swatches of the blushes next to other pink, coral and plum shades, so I'll only include swatches of the individual products for now.

I've never tried any of the Wayne Goss brushes, though they have been on my radar for a couple of years. When I bought the Flat Contour Brush from the Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection, I lamented not having bought a Wayne Goss brush instead. It was around the same price (the Flat Contour Brush is $26 USD before tax, while Brush 14 is $33 USD but I didn't have to pay tax), but the quality cannot be compared. Brush 14 has been an utter revelation. It's my new obsession. I did have to wash it when I first received it to bring out its shape and fluff it up, but after it dried, I've been reaching for it nearly every day. Up front I do have to say my only issue with it is that it does have a faint smell of wet hair, but it's nothing overwhelming or significant enough to meaningfully detract from my enjoyment and use of the brush.

The bristles are made out of goat hair, and while not quite as delicately soft as my SUQQU Cheek Brush (made of grey squirrel hair), in a way that's an advantage. On the cheeks, it's still beautifully soft feeling, but the slightly firmer bristles I find pick up product better. One gripe I had with the Suqqu was that it was almost too soft and floppy. There wasn't a problem for really pigmented blushes as the brush provided a soft, well-blended wash of colour, but for blushes with not as strong colour payoff, you'd need to layer the product for any result. Using it also wasn't as efficient or immediately effective as a firmer, denser brush like the Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone Blush Brush for a more defined, sculpted look, patting the product up and down the cheekbones and a little onto the apples of the cheeks.

Brush 14 gives me more control and performs well with a wider variety of cheek products, while still being supremely soft and blending colour out seamlessly. I love the elongated shape and bulbous tip, which nestles perfectly into one of the mini Too Faced Love Flush Long-Lasting Blushes as if the two were made for each other. It's pretty close to perfection in a cheek brush. With this experience, I'm more impressed with Wayne Goss brushes than I anticipated and have my eye on acquiring more in the future. Though it wasn't cheap, Brush 14 was a third of the price of my Suqqu, but the quality and function is absolutely up there. I'm not sure I would have bought the Suqqu if I'd been able to touch and buy the Wayne Goss brushes in person, except to satiate my curiosity and desire to own such a coveted brush in the makeup world. I'd always been on the fence about whether the Suqqu Cheek Brush was worth my $160, despite it being indisputably the softest brush in my collection.

l-r: Melted Nude, Melted Peony, Melted Fig

l-r: Love Hangover, Justify My Love, Your Love Is King

l-r: Pink Champagne, Metallic Plum, Self-Made, Witchy, Blush, Blossom, Buttery

l-r: Deep Purple, Treasure, Hot and Cold, Sherbert, Isla, Spirit Rock, Hot Chocolate

This has to be one of the most successful makeup shopping orders I've made in recent memory. I genuinely like or love everything I've bought and feel they were savvy selections and worthwhile purchases. I've been using all my new things nonstop since they arrived. It has barely been 2 months since my last major Sephora haul in the US, so I now need to be really restrictive and discerning with my purchases. That always goes to plan...

Colours of the World

As mentioned in my latest Sephora haul, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Shadow Couture World Traveler Palette was the only eyeshadow palette I bought in the US. I've been testing it out for a good few weeks now and have mixed thoughts. I did see a stack of the palettes at the Sydney Sephora at the weekend (the palette is priced at $51 if I recall correctly), so it's readily available locally at largely the same price as what I paid in America. Overall, there are some standout shades and it's a palette I have been reaching for frequently, but some colours aren't that useful to me (or I'll never touch), and most disappointingly, there are shadows with unexpected texture and application issues.

There are 12 shades altogether, each 0.72g. Like the Urban Decay Naked palettes, it comes with a synthetic double-ended eyeshadow brush. One side is stiffer and flatter (though overall still quite rounded), presumably designed for packing colour onto the lid. The other side is softer and fluffier, with longer, less tightly packed bristles, presumably for blending out the edges of shadows or crease work. Also like the Naked palettes, I've never used the included brush and don't feel any particular desire to. I'm not saying it's a bad brush (I can't really make any judgement since it's still pristine), I just prefer to use my existing brushes and always forget it even exists.

There's four mattes (Soft Peach, Morocco, Fudge and Noir). The rest are a bit more difficult to categorise. I'd say four shades (Bellini, Azure, Intense Gaze and Metallic) are metallic finish and generally nicely pigmented and smooth. Heirloom and Spoiled are primarily glittery shades with a weak base colour (purple and peach respectively). The remaining two shades, Pink Champagne and Chic, are just glitter (i.e. with no base colour), though they can be built up in intensity to form their own colour. Pink Champagne in particular I would define more as a glitter top coat than an actual eyeshadow.

l-r (top row, then bottom row): Soft Peach, Morocco, Heirloom, Bellini, Pink Champagne, Chic, Spoiled, Fudge, Azure, Intense Gaze, Metallic, Noir

Soft Peach is pretty self-explanatory. A pale, pastel matte peach. For me, I rarely get any use out of these kinds of colours as my eyeshadow "looks" just aren't that complex to entail the need for a barely visible "blending out" or base colour.

Morocco is a rich, reddish matte brown. It instantly reminded me of Salted Caramel or Peanut Butter from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar eyeshadow palettes. This shade is very pigmented and one of my favourites from the palette, though it can be overly intense if not used sparingly and blended out well.

Heirloom is a dark eggplant with pink and gold sparkles. The purple needs to be built up to achieve adequate colour payoff. The base colour is very similar to black and and is more of an inky navy when built up than the royal purple it appears in the pan.

Bellini is a light, peachy bronze. For me, not dark enough to provide the definition I need as an all-over lid colour. It's also not the most unique shade. I feel I have variants of it in countless palettes.

Pink Champagne is an extremely frosted, pink-toned taupe comprised primarily of silver sparkles. Way too much/borderline gritty if applied like an eyeshadow, but striking and very pretty if used as a glitter top coat. I like dabbing it on the centre of my lids as a finishing touch with my finger for added dimension and festivity to any eyeshadow look. Despite its limited use, it is one of my favourite (and most used!) shades in the palette.

Chic is a pale, slightly greeny-gold silver. Like Pink Champagne, it seems to lack any base colour and is mainly just glitter. I tried it as a silvery eyeshadow and found it to be very chunky, almost gritty, and uneven in application. Not a fan. It's probably better as a glitter top coat like Pink Champagne, but for my skin tone and preferences, it's too frosty/silvery/white to be flattering.

Spoiled is like a darker, more brown Soft Peach, but with gold shimmer. It's lighter than Bellini, which is bronzier and more orange in tone. Both Spoiled and Bellini are a bit too light for me to be effective lid colours. A letdown given they seemed promising as possible new staples.

Fudge is a warm, deep cocoa matte. Not a revolutionary colour, but it's well executed and completely necessary in a palette like this. I use it all the time, often mixing it with a bit of Noir to add extra definition to the outer corner or to smoke out the upper lash line.

Azure is a dark but bright metallic blue. Despite how vibrant it looks in the pan, it needs to be layered multiple times to achieve full opacity. I'm quite confident I already have very similar, probably superior blues (Sleek Simbad's Seas from the Arabian Nights i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette comes to mind), which still doesn't change the fact I wear none of them.

Intense Gaze is a shimmery sunset reddish orange. Very smooth and pigmented. It's a bit lighter and on the pinkier side than comparable shades like Makeup Geek Roulette, the middle shade in Rimmel Brixton Brown or Morphe Brushes Mysterious. It's also not as chocolate/bronze as the 'Enhance' shade in the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita quad. Colourpop Sequin is a lot blingier with blinding silver sparkles, but similar in base colour (Sequin is a touch more brown).

Metallic is a metallic finish chartreuse. Bit chunky, dry and difficult to apply evenly, but nowhere near as bad as Chic. Still, undeniable texture and application issues which were surprising, given we seem to just expect shimmery shades to be well-formulated compared with trickier mattes.

Noir is an excellent matte black. One of the best I've encountered, especially as some fall out does happen, but nothing too problematic.

Overall, I like the Anastasia Beverly Hills Shadow Couture World Traveler Palette, but it's a long way from faultless. I think I'm at a stage where because I have so many eyeshadows, I judge new additions to a higher standard. The only truly unique shades to me were Pink Champagne and Metallic. The paler neutrals were generally too light, the more colourful picks I have minimal interest in using and didn't blow me away in terms of quality, Chic was a true dud. Surprisingly, the mattes impressed me the most, though they didn't offer anything new in terms of colour selection. The new Self-Made palette from the brand looks to be more up my alley in terms of the shades. I'm a sucker for pretty colours even if they might be abysmal when applied (Too Faced Naked Eye, anyone?). Hoping it lands at Sephora in Sydney so I can swatch it in person before making up my mind.