A True Odyssey

I debated for the longest time whether to get the Clarins Eye Quartet Mineral Palette in Odyssey (09). It was already top of my wishlist in October last year, but somehow I resisted buying it around Christmas when it physically hit our department stores. Before I could second-guess that decision, it was sold out everywhere. For the next couple of months, each time I passed by a Clarins counter, I would have this lingering hope that somehow, miraculously, the Odyssey palette would be there. Needless to say, that never happened.

Knowing it was limited edition, I basically gave up on the idea of it ever being mine. I wasn't quite sure whether it was a decision I regretted. After all, I didn't really need it. There was nothing particularly spectacular about it, right? Just four neutral eyeshadows, gorgeously packaged, one of them being the most amazing gold shade my eyes had ever witnessed. No big deal.

I clearly hadn't completely given up all hope, because one night, I must've been Googling it, or double-checking there wasn't any remnant stock still available online, when I discovered it on StrawberryNet. Even then, I held out. Now wasn't the time for rash decision-making, just because something I'd wanted for literally months, that I thought I could never get my hands on again, suddenly appeared from nowhere for me to potentially buy and have shipped to me in the space of a few days.

Such was the extent of my restraint that when StrawberryNet had 10% off all makeup, I didn't cave. I had it in my cart, total price displayed, credit card details just begging to be entered. But no. I closed the window. But we all know how the story ends. A week later, sale over, I decided the idiocy must end. I did what should've happened five months ago, and bought the damn thing.

This has to be the prettiest palette that I own. Clarins couldn't have done any better with the packaging, which is sophisticated and feminine, and just the right balance of streamlined and decorative. The shadows themselves are exactly what I expected them to be, which comes as no surprise given the extensive research I did before finally taking the plunge. The gold shade is absolutely stunning — you need only the lightest touch to pick up pigment, but the other 3 shades are more on the sheer side, and admittedly, not exactly unique colour-wise (they remind me of a more refined and subdued version of the Revlon CustomEyes Shadow & Liner palette in Naturally Glamorous). They have a soft, satin finish and can be built up in pigmentation. The lightest shade doesn't show up that well on my lids, but the medium brown is a good everyday lid shade (though perhaps a tad too dark). I'm sure I could find close enough matches to all 3 shades in my existing collection, but that hasn't deterred me from enjoying them regardless.

In addition to how pleasing the palette is to the eye, the gold shade is what distinguishes Odyssey from the ordinary. It has an almost spongy texture, but it's not quite a cream shadow. As a finishing touch to your eye makeup, you can gently dab the gold onto the middle of your lids for that extra dimension and drama (as illustrated by Charlotte Tilbury using the Tom Ford Eye Colour Quad in Cognac Sable). With more layers, the gold becomes almost opaque. It's blindingly shimmery and reflective, but still intensely gold, and not silvery or frosty which is a pet peeve of mine. The gold itself isn't too yellow or orange. You can see from the swatch that if I apply it a little too heavily, it practically looks like gold leaf. As an added bonus, I experienced no fallout with any of the shades.

I don't regret purchasing this Clarins quad in the slightest, but only because I was very clear about the aspects that attracted me to it (and I was accepting and prepared for any shortcomings I'd read about in reviews that weren't 100% complimentary), and the palette completely met my expectations in that respect. It's aesthetically beautiful, the gold shade is unlike anything I have, and the other 3 shades, while not anything to get super excited about, are classic, easy to wear and can be used to create a variety of looks.

Lipstick Loopy

I'm going through a lipstick phase right now. Can't get enough of the stuff. A week ago I did a significant purge of ancient, unwanted or otherwise neglected lippies, mentally freeing myself to buy some more. I was also struck with the tremendous urge to reorganise my entire lipstick collection. Not the greatest thing to embark on when it's past midnight and one has work in less than 7 hours.

Last Friday, I popped into Sportsgirl and automatically wandered to the beauty section. I was casually trying on nail polishes and lipsticks without any intention to buy, but once I put Pretty Please on my lips, I knew I couldn't leave without it. I was also reminded of Pink Ladies, the last Sportsgirl lipstick I bought (previously alluded to but never featured in detail). Largely inspired by Amanda, I thought I'd make an updated Sportsgirl lipstick collection post.

l-r: Sportsgirl Pink Ladies, Sportsgirl Pretty Please (faint dark line in the middle from unwashed eyeliner)

l-r: Sportsgirl Pretty Please, Sportsgirl Pink Ladies

Sportsgirl Pretty Please appears fairly unspectacular in the bullet and swatched on the hand, but somehow transforms into a true "my lips but better" shade on the lips. I've worn it over lip balm in the lip swatch, so the colour is a bit lighter and less intense than if I'd applied it to bare lips. It gives a soft, polished pout, bringing the rest of the makeup together and adding that finishing touch to the face. It's such a natural-looking, relatively subdued and versatile shade that I've chucked it into my everyday bag, rather than keeping it with the rest of my lipsticks which are displayed far more than they're used. Pretty Please is a medium, brownish pink that doesn't lean mauve or overly nude, the kind of neutral that I imagine could belong to the same family as MAC Patisserie, NARS Dolce Vita or Chanel Rouge Coco Mademoiselle. While it is dusty and muted on the lips, there is a pleasing touch of brightness and colour to it (perhaps a hint of peach?) that prevents it from being too mature-looking or dull. It's smooth and creamy, but not dense or slippery, with a glossy finish and nice pigmentation, but slightly drying on the lips.

Sportsgirl Pink Ladies was purchased in August last year when I was deeply rooted in my pink lipstick phase (I'm not sure whether I'm safely out of it, even now). It looks spectacularly bright in the tube, but what convinced me to buy it was that it actually applies quite sheer. Because of the glossy formula, it requires a couple of layers to be built up in intensity and can be worn very lightly or layered with other colours. It's a bright, cool pink that to my eyes, is still very much a party/going out colour. Admittedly, it's probably not the most flattering pink for my skin tone, but it's a fun, fashionable shade that at least it isn't too pale (unlike Sportsgirl Beauty Queen).

My Sportsgirl lipstick collection now includes 5 lipsticks, and I could easily acquire more, but I try to be as selective as possible with my lipstick purchases (at least in theory). I was tempted by Berrylicious, and previously the now discontinued Night Owl, but managed to resist. At an affordable $9.95 a pop, Sportsgirl reliably put out a range of trendy, youthful colours with good formulations and cute, functional packaging (though I wish they would bring back the colour-coded sticker labels at the bottom of the lipstick).

A picture of my revamped lipstick storage. The clear box is from Daiso and the lipstick stand behind it is the same one I bought from Target a year ago. I do have more lipsticks that I keep with the rest of my makeup storage, but I figured at least this way, it'll be easier to see the majority of the shades that I reach for the most. The only thing I'm cognisant of is that non-makeup obsessed parents/friends will probably be freaked out by my sheer excess if they saw it, but they should know me by now.

Bronze Line Up

One thing that's been consistent with my makeup in the mornings is bronze eyeliner to define my lower lash line. Black is a bit too harsh for the day time, especially paired with black mascara on the bottom lashes, so bronze appears to be the natural alternative. Previously, I'd lightly dip an angled eyeliner brush into black gel liner to softly line my lower lash line (so the colour was closer to a grey), but fully converted to bronze after discovering Benefit Busy Signal. The rich, warm bronze with gold shimmer was just the shade I was after, but I wasn't a fan of needing to use a brush to apply the cream shadow. Pencil eyeliner seemed a much easier option (except the sharpening part), but finding one that ticked all the boxes has proven to be a tall order. With the recent purchase of Australis 10 Hour Waterproof Eye Pencil in Bombastic Bronze, I was inspired to pull out my other bronze pencil eyeliners and see how they stack up against each other.

l-r: Australis Bombastic Bronze, Essence Teddy, Rimmel Bronze, Savvy by DB Brilliant Bronze

Australis 10 Hour Waterproof Eye Pencil in Bombastic Bronze
The newest addition to my bronze pencils, and my current go-to. Soft in texture and ultra smooth to apply, it glides on without any friction. Very nice pigmentation and staying power. I detect an almost an antique, patina edge to the bronze — it's a fraction more yellow-grey than the others, kind of like there's a hint of MAC Powersurge about it.

Essence Kajal Pencil in Teddy
I'm not sure whether Teddy intentionally references the MAC Eye Kohl of the same name, but it's hard not to draw comparisons. I don't have MAC Teddy, but I admit to running to the shops to grab this Essence pencil when I initially read that it was a potential dupe. It's harder in texture than the Australis and tugs slightly at first, until it warms up from contact with the skin. It needed several swipes for the pictured opacity, but once built up, becomes a rich, metallic chocolate brown with no shimmery particles. Lasting power is far from amazing, but it's a good option for the weekend or more low-key makeup.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Bronze
Lightest and warmest of the four, the shimmer is also the strongest and distinctly golden, almost giving an overall yellow sheen to the bronze. Not as smooth-gliding as the Australis, and the staying power, though similar, also isn't quite as good. I'm a little bit disappointed with it as I've found it starts to fade and smudge with my mascara by the end of the day, though it holds up well for the first 5 hours or so.

Savvy by DB Luxury Liner in Brilliant Bronze
Excuse the fact mine is in desperate need of sharpening. From the swatch, Brilliant Bronze looks like a cross between the metallic chocolate brown of the Essence and the gold shimmer of the Rimmel. It has exceptional lasting power — the best of the four. These Luxury Liners were reformulated when Savvy by DB relaunched their entire line last year. From memory, the new bronze pencil is darker. I'm curious to test out the new one and compare it to its predecessor, but they were sold out during Priceline's recent 40% off sale.

April Favourites

This month hasn't been the most adventurous in terms of makeup. I've reverted back to Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow for my base, relied on the most brainless and fuss-free options for eyeshadow, and tried to switch up my blush almost every day (as you do, when you have about 17 varieties of essentially the same thing). My favourite products for April are more about finding the right tools to be able to appreciate or better use what I already have. I also love the loud, bright lip for a night out, continue to happily dabble in face oils, and discover what it means to have a good-enough-to-eat shower experience.

philosophy Cinnamon Buns Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath
I was ecstatic when I found The Cookbook set of Old Fashioned Eggnog, Hot Buttered Rum, Cinnamon Buns and Peppermint Bark (120ml each) on sale at David Jones for $24. I was tempted to buy it at full price last Christmas, but wasn't prepared to spend $49 on four small bottles of shower gel. It did go on sale post-Christmas, but I still wasn't too keen on spending $34. But with a further 30% discount? I didn't hesitate. My favourite of the four would definitely be Cinnamon Buns. Every time I use this in the shower and lather it all over, I'm enveloped by deliciousness and I just want to take a bite out of my arm. Creamy and scrumptious.

Caudalie Divine Oil
I've been wanting to try Divine Oil for a while now (ever since Estée wrote about it in August last year), but it was this recent review by Emma that finally swayed me. I was determined to find out what the fuss was about. I didn't particularly want to splurge on the 100ml bottle in case I hated it, but stumbled across the Must Have Set on Feelunique and thought it would be an ideal way to test the waters (and also replenish my dwindling supply of the Beauty Elixir). I haven't been using it for too long, but I find that it delivers similar results to my Antipodes Divine Face Oil. I like mixing it with my moisturiser at night for a hydrating, nourishing boost to the skin. I also tried pouring a bit onto my hands, rubbing them together and gently patting my face with it after I'd already moisturised, but all that did was leave my skin feeling extremely greasy. Maybe I just put too much, but it's very hard to control the amount when the packaging comes without a pump. The floral scent is very strong, so those sensitive to fragrance might want to stay away.

Sigma F82 Round Top Kabuki
One morning, I realised my Real Techniques Buffing Brush was in desperate need of a thorough clean, to the extent that I wasn't all that comfortable with the idea of using it on my face. Hygiene was one factor, but application issues from a dirty brush was probably the main concern. I fished out my oft-neglected Sigma F82 from my brush holder and began using it, and continued to every day for almost the whole month.

I'm normally hesitant to use the Sigma F82 because it's hard and punishing labour to clean. But it's worth it. Because of the sheer density of the bristles, it's probably the closest thing to mimicking the effect of using your hands to smooth out foundation over your face. It results in a completely streak-free, second skin finish. It's a bit more work to use than the Real Techniques Buffing Brush because the brush itself is harder, denser, larger and heavier, but it really works a treat for liquid foundation. I've been using the Real Techniques Stippling Brush exclusively to apply my Make Up For Ever HD foundation, but I tried it with the Sigma F82, and the results were much better, only reinforcing my belief in the brilliance of this brush.

Models Prefer Mystique Angled Blush Brush
I picked this up from my recent Priceline haul, and I honestly didn't have high expectations about the quality or functionality. It was more for the novelty of finally having an angled blush brush in my collection. Despite initial concern when it shed a few hairs after I first washed it, I haven't been using anything else to apply my blush since I bought it. What I most like about this brush is that the softness and shape of the bristles make it ideal for more highly pigmented blushes. I don't have to worry about the brush picking up too much product. It strikes a seriously good balance between blendability and control, and the relative ease of application when I use it has encouraged me to rediscover blushes that I don't give a lot of love to.

Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids in Fuchsia Flash
I ended up buying 5 of the Vivids lipsticks, a fact that's slightly more horrifying to me than pleasing, given a) I don't even wear lipstick that much b) I easily have over 50 lipsticks. Of the Vivids I bought, Fuchsia Flash is my definite favourite. It's a lipstick I look forward to being able to wear for a casual dinner with friends or a girls' night out. I love that it's so similar to MAC Pink Pigeon and MAC Candy Yum Yum. That alone is super exciting to me. Intense colour payoff, not drying, wears evenly and doesn't stain too much. Consider me impressed.